I love Lucy

Finally caught The Chronicles of Narnia yesterday. So hard to get tickets!!! Unless you buy at Toa Payoh Eng Wah, that is. It is quite a nice place if it wasn't so out of the way for me. It seems like the entire Singapore is booking tickets online or something. I gave up trying to book them on Boxing Day, totally pissed that almost every GV and Eng Wah cinema ('cept Toa Payoh of course) had only the front few rows left.

About the movie: If I hadn't read the books so many times, I would have found the movie fantastic, I guess. It still gave that nice, warm feeling of a fairy tale, but I'd go back to C.S. Lewis' writings any time. His story-telling is so simple yet so captivating. Plus, now that I'm much older and understand its Christian references, I feel like I'm reading a much more exciting version of the bible! Heh!

One character I felt totally disappointed with in the movie was Father Christmas!!! I was really expecting this absurd and absolutely hilarious sight of Santa Claus all dressed in red, with his hearty hohoho, when Beaver crept out to check if the witch was in sight. Instead, it turned out to be an old man togged out in brown, seasoned leather?!?!? Who would know he's Father Christmas??? I always thought the point of including a very un-Narnian fat jolly man in red in the story was sort of like a joke Lewis was playing on his readers. Ah well.

Peter looks rather unkingly, and Susan looks sour. However, Edmund quite looks his part, having somewhat the potential to turn evil. And Lucy, sweet Lucy...I really love Lucy. Don't know why she just reminds me of Drew Barrymore in ET! Think she'll grow up to be one pretty girl :)

ugh!!!

Just got shouted at over the phone - at work.
I don't ever wanna pick up that phone again.

Merry Christmas to the boy who doesn't like me...

...unless I suck up to him!!! By planting kisses on his little hand, playing peekaboo and throwing balls with him!!!

Sigh...yes...I'm talking about my darling godson Ethan. Actually I don't really qualify to be his godma lah. The status came as default cos he belongs to my good friend mah. Still, I'll strive to be a good godma!!!

In this first picture, Ethan is so clever because he actually knows how to cast a coy look at the camera. COY LOOK OK!!! Moreover, that day (it was a Christmas lunch), he was wearing a sweater that said "Heartbreaker". Tsk tsk. Don't know what his parents were thinking :)
And look at those cute reindeer antlers in his hands!!! He had them on before this!!! Sooooo cute.....godma's heart is captured by you already lah Ethan sweetie! MUAKS MUAKS!!!

Ok, godma has to retain her composure. After all, godma is a grownup. A real grownup. Do you know that godma can only kiss one boy in her life, and it's not supposed to be you, but she still kisses you? Sigh, you still don't appreciate her (see pic below), want to take photo with you also so difficult. See lah, see your grumpy face, wanna cry again...

O come let us adore Him!!!

It has been a hectic week, yes. But the moment I stepped into church today, I just had to smile! A group of kid carollers had gathered next to the big Christmas tree in the atrium and were singing old familiar carols, in their very high-pitched and slightly out of tune voices. Hahaha! Accompanying them were three older cheh chehs playing the violin and viola. It's the kind of music accompaniment that, well, provides a single-line melody. Nevertheless, I could see that all these sweet kids had rehearsed their songs very well! They also had a box going around (like buskers do) collecting cash for the church building fund. They sure know how to seize an opportunity when it comes! *Wink*

I invited a friend to the special Christmas service, and it's just wonderful that she enjoyed it. God's love touched her in a special way, and she said she had to go home to "analyse" why she shed tears. I'm just so glad she could feel that special touch. Church attendance today was more than double that on an average Sunday, and it seemed like as many as 50-over people went up to receive Christ and re-dedicate their lives to Christ. Incredible! And this was just for the service I attended. I believe the first service must have seen similar results.

O come let us adore Him, Christ the King!!!
###

After service my family had a very late lunch together. I had wanted to try this restaurant called Sticky Rice at 5 Kensington Park Road, Serangoon Gardens. Jason Hahn of 8 Days gave it a glowing review. And tho' I know better than to trust Singapore's food reviewers, the photos of the food and place looked really appealing! Unfortunately the kitchen was closed when we reached at 3pm. Well, apparently, they open for lunch, and then close for a few hours, before opening at dinner again. Darn.

We walked over to Pow Sing Restaurant to have chicken rice and zi char dishes, but...it was closed too!!! Like Sticky Rice, it closes at 3pm after lunch hour, and would only open for dinner later! We walked over to this Peranakan foodplace and found it stuck to the same schedule!!! Cannot be so coincidental right???

My bro said: "Wah lau!!! Like seeing doctor like that!!!"

I totally agree. Finally, we settled for Sushi Tei where we ate to our hearts' content :)

And then I went for a long-awaited jog in the evening, before err....putting back on the calories again. Just had maggi mee and a pack of Jack and Jill potato chips.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT LIKE THAT???

two days to Christmas...

and I'm soooo.... tired....

partly my fault, but couldn't help it. It has been one of those weeks where you just have so many activities, you can't stop and think, and blog!!! I have been out till late almost every night after work, and I'm so tired.

Mon: Had free movie tix one night (watched Perhaps Love and it was CRAP, not even Takeshi could rescue it)

Tue: Met up with belle and cocoatina - without the baby for once!!! Like the good ol' days again!!! Had dinner at Riccioti or is it Riciotti, at Riverwalk. Hmm...its desserts are exactly the same as sister restaurant Menotti's. I would have thought there'd be some variation, oh well. The pasta was all right as well, nothing really fantastic.

Wed: Met up with Ziyen from US (and visited poor sick friend who jerks sporadically because her spinal cord was inflamed)

Thurs: Attended Soo Peng's wedding - alone. Well, sorta, although I got to know the other people at the table cos they were from NTU. Chatted with the girl beside me and realised she was my senior from CS and that we dislike mutual ex-schoolmates who are currently in the media industry!!! Quite fun chatting with her. You don't realise the world is so small. You actually dislike the same people.

Fri ie today: I'M GOING HOME TO SLEEP...well, I hope I do sleep! My eyebags are sagging...

It's not even beginning to feel like Christmas...

more adventures of the NSB

(1) One hot Sunday afternoon...

Leo the NSB closes the windows in my room suddenly.

Me: Why are you closing the windows?

NSB: To prevent the warp from coming in.

Me: HUH? The what????

NSB, very loudly: THE WARP.

At this point, me thinks: Is this guy trying to play punk (one of his fav phrases) with me or what? Purposely pronounce wasp as warp. Think very funny is it???

Me: Err...you mean the WASP.

NSB, pauses for thought, and then bursts out laughing. Till today, he still refuses to say if he was playing the fool. I don't think he was. HAHAHA!!!

(2) At the food court (this incident, the NSB related to me as I wasn't present)

The NSB and his friend Ah Yee are wearing their army uniforms because they are currently undergoing reservist training. (Yee is Hokkien for round and to be pronounced somewhat like NGEE.)

They are at a food court ordering food, when the stall holder, an auntie I think, screeches: 你们是 NCC 的啊？

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

getting old

ever since the Mayday concert, I've not had enough sleep. Tis' bad. I slept at about 3am and then woke up at 8am to go to church. Felt so tired. And ever since then, I've been feeling tired!!! Man...

And now I'm sick. Left work at lunch today because my left eye couldn't stop tearing. There was actually a tear rolling down my face while I was observing my supe in a counselling session today. Thank goodness no one saw! If not, they might have thought I was crying! Plus I was using my bare hands to wipe away my mucus. Yucks.

Crashed when I reached home. And now my left eye is still tearing....But feel much betta after the sleep. Had wanted to go MOS to take a look tonight, but I guess I can't now. Betta rest. Getting old...

I would like to build a shack by the sea

As it was reported some months back in Kartaly's very big ST article on her memories of living in Toa Payoh (yar, the story that was very much like her public diary!), leo and I had balloted for a Toa Payoh flat. Yes, the very flats that are replacing the one that Kartaly used to live in, the one where she ran along the corridors in her undies - no less.

(By the way, I was shocked at the number of friends who actually read those two paras buried in the three-page, or was it four-page, article! Wah lau. A lot of people have memories of Toa Payoh is it?)

Anyways. No, leo hasn't proposed. No, it's not the ok-lah-let's-buy-a-house type of Singaporean proposal. No, I'm not ready to get married yet. Let's just say the parents are dying for us to apply for some sort of home, cos if not, "WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO???" (Note: it wasn't put across so violently, but the hints are too in-your-face to miss.)

So, we balloted for that Toa Payoh flat and we got shortlisted - number 938 - when there are only 500-over units up for grabs. HDB's policy is that they will shortlist a number of applicants that is double the number of units available. Don't ask me why, I also didn't read the instructions until we got our number.

We then got a letter asking us to make a trip to HDB yesterday to pick ANOTHER queue number. All this time of course, it's not guaranteed that we could get the unit we wanted - or even an available unit, for that matter - because hundreds of people would have had the chance to choose them before our turn. We're number 938, remember?

Actually hor, I also don't know why we even bothered to go down! Haha. We'd checked the HDB website to track the number of available units, and err...all the good ones were gone. But, I guess we just didn't know what to do, and had to do something, so we went down lor. And it was really quite silly. The "rejection of HDB by us", as leo so proudly puts is, was over in 30 seconds. Like this:

HDB sales officer: Mr Lim and Miss Wong, we only have Block 79A that has available units. Which would you like?

Me: Uhm, we would like to cancel our application because the units we want have been taken up.

HDB sales officer: Ok, is there any other reason you are cancelling your application?

Me, looks at leo, and thinks very hard. Leo, looks at me, and thinks very hard.

Me and leo: Err...no.

HDB sales officer, still smiling very brightly: Ok, thank you very much!

And we both leave and can't stop laughing.

leo says: "Wah lau, don't know we come for what? Walk in like that and then say we GIVE UP! And then we leave! Some more ask us what other reason we have for giving up the application! Huh? Say what? The flat got too many ants and insects ah? Stupid!"

(uhm, that was an allusion to my own Punggol flat that's plagued by insects and ants. The pestbusters visited three weeks back by the way.)

Anyways, I think I would like to build a shack by the sea. No need to rush with people and it's FOC. And leo, since he digs scuba diving so much, can dive everyday for all I care. :)

Mayday Final Home concert 2005

Dec 10, Saturday, can only be described as 好 high wor!!! Mayday was in town for their one-night concert at Max Pavillion, Singapore Expo. Apparently they were the first to perform at the place.

Leo was testing out his new Canon 20D (digital SLR), and we didn't really know how to get the settings right. So I decided to test it out by going to the stage, before the band came out, to shoot some stuff. Of course, all the press photogs were milling around the area, and I met Trevor! He was shooting for Today. The photogs were only allowed to shoot during the first three songs, so I felt so sad for him. I mean, I felt sad for myself rather, if I were in his shoes that is. So close to the band for only three songs??? How can??? But you know what that Trevor said???

"Stay so long for what? I need to go home and watch Liverpool."

Wah lau. I would die for his place man. Anyways I got him to set the camera for me. Unfortunately though, the lens could only go up to 50mm, which isn't exactly very close up from where we were sitting about 30 rows from the front. So all my beloved Mayday band members still look very small in Leo's camera, tho very much clearer than the pix I have uploaded here that are from my tiny Casio Exilim.

According to Trevor, the band was supposed to sing 41 songs. I didn't count, but they did sing A LOT of songs, and that made me feel like my 100-over-dollar ticket was worth every cent!!! Me, leo and jaz were on our feet for three-and-a-half hours, with our hands (and lightsticks) in the air, belting out whichever songs we knew the lyrics to!!! WOOHOO!!! The concert ended just five minutes shy of midnight! However I was a little disappointed they didn't sing the very solid Hokkien song 麦来乱 :(

Here's jaz and I displaying our favourite number: 五 for 五月天 of course!!! You can't see much from this photo but the concert venue was filled with a sea of red much later. Yeah, like National Day, that's what 阿信 said too. Hee hee. Most fans turned up in red T-shirts.

I must say that the band's musicianship has improved. Or perhaps, they have decided to show off more of their technical prowess at concerts. This time, there were instrumental solos and they were a lot more showy with their skills. I don't know why, but I think Masa, tho he's not very good-looking, looks damn cool playing his bass. Haha.

And I was really glad I got to see the band's 技师团, ie the technicians, ie the damn cool guys (wearing black in the pic) who tune the instruments and make sure everything on stage is going on way ok. They also played the instruments for the band when the members sang one song. So talented! And they look better than the band. Haha! The bassist also looks very cute, tho at this point of time, I'm quite smitten with the leader of the technicians - 士杰. Not sure if that's the correct way to write his name! Heh. He was the backup vocalist for the night too. He's really such a clown :)

All in all, I really had fun. Glad to meet friends I saw at the Mayday concert last year as well! We're such diehards. There was Yunling (that channel 8 newscaster), Peiling (who came with her sis and sis' husband, or was it her bro and her bro's wife??)...Would have met the elusive belle if she had come to say hi to me. Hmph. Anyways, I'm very happy belle, who got free tix courtesy of the mag she works for, sat many rows behind me!!!! HAR HAR HAR. At least I don't feel so cheated having to pay so much money.

From the press, so what? Also sit behind me. :)

Mayday is Stone, Monster, Ashin, Masa and Ming.

Here're two Mayday video clips I shot with my Casio Exilim. They're not very clear and a little shaky (my arms aching from holding camera high up for so long lah). Click on the links for:

1. 终结孤单 (zhong jie gu dan) video

2. 牙关 (ya guan) video

ready?

Been so tired the last few days, partly because of the two-day children's day camp I'm involved in, and having stuff after work at night. Exhausted.

But I'm learning new things. I'm learning that it's important to have very clear objectives when you plan programmes. How relevant is the artificial cocoon created during such camps/workshops to real life? Will the children really be able to apply what they have learnt at the camps? Them having fun at the camps does not equate to them learning what you attended for them to learn. And if they only had fun, what is the point of the camps? Food for thought...

At the same time, the old issues I've been grappling with about loss/grief/blame/anger have resurfaced. Inevitably, the triggers have been appearing. It's really time to find some closure before I graduate. No thanks to SOS that didn't follow up on me. Very unethical of them. But maybe it's a learning point for me, so that in future I'll make sure my clients get follow up.

Sososo, what do I do now? It's not enough to say let go and let God. I have been, and it's been helpful. But I need to talk to someone - a professional, and good and trustworthy one. To talk me through all my faulty thinking, and help me find the closure I so need.

When I get over this episode, I know I will be stronger than ever. And I must.

###
On a lighter note, the Mayday concert is tomorrow!!! I've been so busy I haven't had time to memorise the important songs!!! Argh!!! Tonight, tonight, it shall be. I must be ready.

so cool, play pool

I got a little bored in the morning at work today. Then in came this little boy, probably in upper primary, who had to entertain himself with toys while waiting for his mother and brother to finish their session with one of the workers.

The boy and I decided to play pool together. Heh. A very miniature version of pool. I mean, it's like hitting marbles with chopsticks, know what I mean? It was really funny though, because I the clueless pool player actually taught him how to place his hand on the table as a support, and to aim in a straight line.

I also tried explaining to him that you had to hit the white ball in the centre or at the bottom (leo taught me) to prevent it from following the ball in front of it into the pocket. But he was too excited in the game to listen.

Kids really know how to entertain themselves. Little boy got bored with pool when I left him to go back to my work (or rather, I didn't want to seem to be slacking, as I did say I was a little bored). So little boy turned his attention to a toy stove and started cooking whole bananas, apples and hotdog buns (yes hotdog stuffed in bun) for me.

I decided to ask him to make apple pie for me, and he said: "There're apples. But there's no pie!"
And I said: "Pretend lah!"
He looked at me sheepishly, laughed and ran away. Haha. He actually thought it was hilarious to play pretend!

Hmm...wonder who's the kid? Him or me? ;p

Weekend outing with Mr Orange Platypus

I spent the weekend with Mr Orange Platypus aka leo (see picture). I seriously don't understand the fuss over Crocs footwear. Despite the rave reviews these slippers have been getting, I really think they look absolutely hideous! I would much rather walk around in scuba diving fins. Mr Orange Platypus also bought a pair of stately brown Crocs - sans the holes. A leetle bit more presentable lah.

So anyway, despite the amphibious leanings of my boyfriend, we both managed to spend a really fun weekend together. Eating lots of munchies, watching lots of TV (from EPL to CNA to BBC, hey we're the land of acronyms right?), and shopping lots. I don't know when was the last time we had so much time to ourselves!

We also found out how much he loved strawberry ice-cream, and how much I loved coffee ice-cream. We had the Haagen Dazs girl fill the one-pint (think it was one-pint) tub with strawberry ice-cream till it was half-full, and then slap on coffee ice-cream to the brim.

We then both realised we were thinking the same thing at the same time - we were actually tempted to challenge her to fill half the tub with one flavour on the LEFT, and the other flavour on the RIGHT! HAR HAR! Hiya, then we don't have to wait for one of us to finish the top layer, before the other can touch the bottom layer mah!

Shopping: We had $200 worth of Takashimaya vouchers to spend. So I got a sports bra, a pair of running shorts, a comfy sleeveless top for running and a pair of goggles. So sporty right?

He, on the other hand, got a pair of smart pointy leather shoes for work. Great stuff. As long as it's not another haul of platypus, or is it platypi???

Then hor, we all also very cheapskate lah. You see, with every purchase from Taka, you get a free roll of Christmas wrapping paper, with ribbon and a tiny card to write a teensy weensy message. So, we collected 3 to 4 rolls of wrapping paper, a bunch of golden ribbons and cards! Save money on Christmas wrapping! :)

i got tagged (songs this time)

I got tagged by moonx.

List 7 songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.

1. Polka Dots & Moonbeams - by Stacey Kent
2. 发如雪 - by 周杰伦
3. (most songs by 五月天, especially 牙关 and mai lai luan)

couldn't keep to the 7, cos couldn't decide!

I tag
- olduvai the indie music lover
- dsd the dim sum lover
- bik the 3am lover
- aime the poetry lover
- beng the girl lover
- mel the meandering lover
- brownie the dogfood lover