Yet

I have so many things on my mind, don't really know how to start. But I'll just start and see where my thoughts carry me...

A few days ago, leo suddenly asked me: "Do you miss your youth?" I had to think for a while. Did he mean to ask if I missed my youth as in the way I missed my childhood? Or was he referring to the teenagers I work with?

I know I started my new job apprehensive, afraid of my inability to work with difficult youths. And it was pretty daunting at first. Youths were the last people I wanted to work with. I guess, once again, I stumbled into something unexpected. I'm always doing that. Crazily, after half a year, I'm enjoying the teens. They make me laugh, they make me cry when they remind me of personal issues, especially when they have got to do with those close to me.

I suddenly find that I do miss my youth, the days when I dreamt of becoming the lead singer of a cool funky band. The days when saying "stay kool and funky" came from the heart, when cheering your loudest for your school at track and field meets was pure patriotism on your part.

When I look at my youths now, I really feel like they are a great bunch. And at this point in time, I can only say I enjoy my work.

And then I wonder, is youth work really something I want to do in the long run. I have always harboured this secret wish (well, it's not so secret now!) to comfort the grief-stricken, those who suffered losses in any form. A big part of me wants to help those who are just like me. But somehow, I don't think I'm ready. Yet.

I want to let other people know that it's ok to cry. But I'm not ok with crying myself. Yet.

I guess that's the main thing.

So maybe this youth thing is a good thing for me now. Maybe, next time, I'll stumble into something unexpected again. Maybe, just maybe.

Boxing Day 2006

I don't know how many Boxing Days the girls (class of 4/6) have spent over the last decade. But here we are again at Wynne's house, the really pretty 3-room flat done up fantastically by the architect couple. If the party's over at Wynne's home, it's sure to be organised - check out our plastic cups that she so kindly labelled. :)

YH, together with her Japanese fiance, was also visting from London. It was great to see her again! Group photo taken by Takeshi himself...he goes: "Hai!!!" and we go "Chee sze!!!" (And YH goes: "pls lah...it's CHEESE! Not Chee sze!!!")

:)

He's a big boy now...

Ethan is a big boy now...gonna be 2 years old in about 2 months. :)

Rapunsale - A Fashion Bazaar

Ethan mummy, who runs the online boutique called epilogue (www.epiloguepages.com), is organising Rapunsale - A Fashion Bazaar. Names like Antipodean, Venue and Felt will be some of the people selling their stuff.

Details:
Date: 16 Dec (this Sat)
Where: Loof
Time: 4pm to 10pm

Check out this website for more details: http://www.epiloguepages.com/rapunsale.htm

(I'll be helping her sell her epilogue bags and stuff as well!)

It doesn't matter where you stand

My uncle is now staying at the same hospital as A, my hairstylist. A's condition is pretty bad, but he's keeping positive. Perhaps when I feel like it, I will talk more about A next time, cos after seeing him semi-immobilised, I feel really quite sad.

About my uncle the taxi driver. Here's how the accident happened:

At about 1am in the morning, he and his taxi driver friend B decided to stop their cars along the road somewhere in Bedok for a rest. B is sitting in the driver's seat, with the window wound down, while my uncle is standing next to that window talking to B. Along comes a volvo, helmed by a driver suspected of drink driving. Volvo crashes into B's stationary taxi, which on impact jerks forward to hit my uncle, who flies and hits the road facedown. I know I know, we all had questions about which angles the respective cars moved in, but my uncle can't remember a single thing cos he blacked out. He only knew he was talking to B, and the next thing was, he woke up in hospital.

When I saw him, I was very taken aback by his appearance, cos his face looked like it had been bashed up really bad by someone. Swollen face, blackened and puffy eyes (he can only open one eye now) and lots of abrasions. But thank God, internally, everything seems to be all right at this juncture. Doctors, however, want to keep him under observation.

Seriously, if not for B's car that cushioned the impact of the crazy Volvo, my uncle would not be alive today.

Mayday's ABC Stout True Friendship Concert 2006

As leo dua me and had to attend another event, I almost had to watch Mayday in action - alone. Thank goodness belle decided to forgo her extreme tiredness, she turned up later on. I got into the queue outside the Indoor Stadium (see pic above), sat down on the *ahem* floor and started reading my counselling book while chewing on my chicken mayo sandwich from the nearby 7-11. It drizzled a bit, but I had my umbrella. HAHA.

I made a new friend K before we entered the arena, and that was a really cute experience. She's this 30-ish mother, pretty hip looking, who tapped me on my shoulder and asked if I was watching the concert alone. And then, we invited each other to sit side by side to enjoy the concert together. She was complaining that she missed Mayday last year cos she had to look after her newborn baby!!! Hahahaha. And she very hiong! She asked the security people if she could drink some beer at her seat, cos you know, being an ABC STOUT sponsored concert, drinks were sold at well, designated areas. She told me "For more than 2 hours, must be high a bit lah." Unfortunately for her, the rules didn't allow her to do that.

For a free ticket and free-seating, I must say I was VERY VERY lucky to be able to nab a seat just THREE ROWS away from the corner of the stage!!! WOOHOO!!! K and I were sooooo excited we started sms-ing pple to declare just how close we were to the stage. And you know what? Ashin looked at me later during the concert. I swear he did. :) It was pretty obvious that the audiences were mostly Mayday fans, especially all standing in the mosh pit (see above pic)

Although the highlights of the night mostly belonged to Mayday (see above pic), especially since that day was Ashin's 31st birthday (Dec 6), I personally felt that one of the best items that night was performed by Bobby Chen. He sang the powerful One Night in Beijing. SOLID. I even recorded it down.


Just to show you how close I was to the stage, THE BIG HEAD that you see in the pic above is mine. :) Last but not least, I wanna thank belle for introducing me to Mayday, and always being at Mayday concerts with me, even though we don't always sit at the same seats. In the past she got media invites, but this time, I was the one who secured the FREE TICKET ok! Haha.

Happy.

Ethan the ace driver

It's been a while since my godson Ethan has appeared on my blog. Here he is again! Big boy now :) And go-kart ace driver!

He tagged along with us to Permas Jaya in Johor for some go-karting on a big race track. Heh heh. He sure knows how to handle the steering wheel!

At the stroke of midnight

Yesterday, at about 5 minutes to midnight, there was a guy waiting at the lobby gate for a resident of my block to flash that silly card to open the gate. Well, he was probably crossing his fingers for someone to come home so late at night. And that angel happened to be me.

He was holding a crumpled-looking yellow plastic bag containing what looked like a cake box. We stepped into the lift together and it turned out we were getting off at the same floor. Hmm...I thought to myself...I've really never seen this boyish-looking neighbour before. When we reached the corridor, he started searching for a unit, which happened to be next to mine. That unit is rented out, so the occupants are always different.

The next thing I knew, he sheepishly placed the plastic bag on the floor outside the unit's door, and took out the cake box. WAH....I think hor....it's a surprise for his girlfriend leh. And then, my grandfather's clock struck a resounding 12 times. And I realised, he was probably celebrating her birthday. Sho... shweeeet...

I was tempted to see the unfolding events (would the door open?), but I decided to be well, less kay-pee-oh, and closed my door. I really hope all turned out well :)

Hair's back in shape

All thanks to Hisato at Shunji Matsuo, my hair is back in shape. I'm totally exhilarated. He's good. The way he handles my hair resembles the way A does it.

He knew I was there to repair my hair. So when he asked me how I found his cut, and I gave him two thumbs-ups without hesitation, he was jokingly sceptical and responded with a "really???", thick Japanese accent and all.

Haha.

I guess I've found my temporary replacement for A. Nevertheless, still worried about A, cos his colleagues have been giving vague updates. I'm not even sure if he is mobile now. I'm really praying that he's not paralysed or something.

:(

I need my hairstylist back!!!

Damn upset.

Sigh.

This is the first time I've felt so crestfallen after having a hair cut. It's just not right.

Cutting hair is my one and only therapy. Usually after A cuts my hair, I feel brand new. Light. And dancy. But today, it felt like the end of the world.

Even the red colour doesn't look too right.

I feel so bad. I should be concerned that A is in ICU now trying to recover. Well, I am! But I think I'm even more upset that I might never have a nice hair cut as long as A is recuperating from the operation.

Where oh where can I find a damn good temporary replacement? Who can cut a girl's short hair well???

I might even go for a recut if I can find a good recommendation.

AARGH....

damn sian.

The attack of the Banyan Tree Buaya

Uhm...yes...beware the Banyan Tree Buaya...

:p

(couldn't help it all right?)

Back from Banyan Tree in Bintan

One of my fav spots at the luxurious Banyan Tree resort is the infinity pool. Well, make that two infinity pools. This one (above) overlooks the South China sea. The other overlooks the beach.

And, once you sit on a deck chair, you are immediately served the following (as seen above, minus the green apple): two bottles of mineral water, with glasses, a mist spray to cool you down, a cold towel soaked in aromatherapy oil (I presume, it smells minty), and two sachets of insect repellant. All for free!

Stayed in the seafront villa (seen above), which was really nice. It's like your own little bungalow. I'm no architect, but I guess I could describe it as very Balinese. The Banyan Tree people would probably call it "Asian". What's best is, I see the sea from my four-poster bed. Yep, and there's a jacuzzi in my villa's balcony that overlooks the sea. Really nice. To get around the resort, I could even choose to call for the buggy!

Happen to be msn-ing olduvai now, and she mentioned that some friends raved about the bread served in the resort's restaurants. Yep, the complimentary bread, served before the main course, was really good!

And guess what, champagne is served at breakfast... so shiok!

my hairstylist and his motorbike accident

this is gonna sound so freaky...but my hairstylist (yes the one I praise for the great haircuts) met with a motorbike accident on Sunday!

I actually smsed him that day to ask if he was working on Monday. No reply. Which is strange, cos he's never one to turn away customers.

On Monday, with my shapeless hair getting in the way, I called his salon, to find out about the accident. Well, actually, the initial reply from his colleague was something like...

"He's on MC. Errr...actually he's been hospitalised. Errr....actually he met with an accident on his motorbike... Errr...actually he cannot really move now, so you call him on his handphone also he cannot really pick up..."

Like what the??? Can you please be more specific??? I actually had to ask the stupid guy: "他还活着吗？" cos he was so unclear about it!!!

According to another more in-the-know colleague, whom I think is his senior, my hairstylist is now in ICU and needs to undergo an operation cos some nerve in the back is being pressed on by something. Ok, so that sounds serious, but at least he's alive.

Oh man. Hope he's ok. I shall call the salon again soon for another update. So scary!!!

Rain

I'm gonna miss out on the Rain concert, cos it's simply too ex. So...I'll just enjoy his photos...

Mayday Mayday here I come

About one month back, I was a disgruntled Mayday fan. The band was going to hold a concert together with Pin Guan and Bobby Chen, and the tickets were not for sale!!! You had to collect either 28 ABC Stout crowners or 56 ring tabs in order to exchange them for a pair of tickets. Crazy or what??? Mayday fans are people who don't drink stout!!!

I tried my luck, still.

FY's hubby operates a food court, and I asked him (through FY) for help. But according to him, the ah peks who drink the stout keep the tabs and crowners.

So, I decided to approach the kopi auntie at the coffee shop downstairs. She replied: "We also want to collect leh, they say can exchange for CD and many things."

Fine. I gave up. No way was I going to force people (well, only one person, and that is leo) to down gallons of stout just to get my tickets. I was going to boycott the concert! Hmph.

But then...

A miracle happened! Yesterday!

My colleague got a pair of free tix for me through her friend who works at a beer company. YAY!!!!!!

Mayday Mayday here I come!!!

the weekend flew by in a blur...

So many things happened over the weekend. And now I'm nursing a sore throat. The kind that precedes flu. The only thing good about it is that I now sound very husky and sexy. Haha.

I went for a three-day drum facilitation class conducted by Arthur Hull from the US. I spent three whole days drumming and playing percussions, so much so that now the rhythms are still in my head. The idea of the workshop is not to learn to play percussive instruments and drums, but to learn how to use it to build communities. My organisation sent me - last minute - to learn to use it as a tool to engage the youths I work with in a more creative way. Although it was fun, but I seriously don't know how ready I am to facilitate a drum circle.

What is a drum circle? Err...in short, everybody sits in a circle playing something, locking in to the same pulse. A facilitator goes into the middle of the circle and facilitates by making us play a different "song" each time. Something like that. I don't know how else to explain it. At the end of the three-day workshop, we headed to East Coast Park to carry out a two-hour drum circle, by inviting the public to play with us, any time they wanted to.

After East Coast Park, I joined my colleagues for a recce of the night trek route for our youths. They started earlier from Clementi Woods, while I joined them from Kent Ridge Park onwards. We trudged ALL THE WAY to Mount Faber. We walked like 5 hours??? Can die. But it was fun :) Cos the company was great!

I just need to get well now.

when the newspaper helps...

Was it one week ago, there was that melodramatic ST article about the crumbling relationship between Ronald Susilo and Li Jiawei? It's when things like that get printed that I feel "wah lau, nothing to report is it?" I think the reporter probably feels the same way, but has no choice but to follow instructions from the top. I'm just guessing lah.

Anyway, that was then.

There was one Saturday package that I was especially happy about. It featured young people with achievements that defied the common notion of what achievements are. And one story stood out for me. I can't remember the details, but in short, this boy dropped out of sec sch, worked for six years, before going to ITE. Now at 24 yrs old, he's about to graduate from ITE. He's got a design scholarship to uni, and also designed one of the rooms at Gallery Hotel. Something like that.

I thought to myself, he sounds very much like my 17-year-old youth, a girl who has repeated a few years in sec sch, probably can't continue in the school, aims to study fashion design, and is terribly discouraged about being such an overaged student. I cut out the article to show her and she was genuinely impressed with the guy's achievements. If he can do it, why can't she?

And so, I thank the newspaper for that article. Hopefully, it can encourage others I meet along the way!

these feet got shoes

did speed shopping at Far East Plaza yesterday night, in the one hour before most shops called it a day. Thanks to Ethan mummy's recommendation, I got a pair of earthy coloured ones to match my light coloured clothes (I've got a lot of khaki and green stuff). Then I couldn't resist buying a pair of very plain blacks from the basement.

To be frank, I'm very bad at buying covered shoes, cos I never know if I'm buying the correct size. I can't stand it when my feet can't breathe, but I also know that the shoes will expand in time to come. So I usually have to force myself not to buy those that are a size bigger, cos for sure my feet will be swimming in them when they expand.

Hiya, pls let these new pairs be perfect! And pls last for at least a year! :)

these feet need shoes

I keep wearing similar outfits to work recently because I don't have matching shoes!!!

I've always had a pair of black pointy pumps for certain outfits and a pair of beige ones for the more pastel coloured clothes. But a few months back, my beige shoes broke!!! AARGH!!! And now I can't seem to find any suitable light coloured shoes that are formal enough for work and have at most kitten heels.

Help ah help. I need to wear my other clothes!

it's not my fault...

it's not my fault if I can't quit watching Korean dramas!!!

here's an excerpt from a recent email leo wrote from Hong Kong:

didn't see you online yesterday but realised that you should be busy over XX's wedding. hope you had a great time. i bought many korean dvds for you....
got "my love", "one fine day", "love in heaven", "hard love", "the greatest expectation", "full house", "spring waltz".... Do you want "princess hour" also? i also bought a dvd on rain... :P

I also bought korean dvd movies so we can watch together... (i won't have to miss any episodes).

BEST LOR. ;p

(that reminds me, I haven't even opened some Mayday VCDS that I bought pretty long ago...so many things to watch!!!)

another one?

yet another wedding to attend tomorrow... sigh...I'm tired. gotta wake up at 5am, cos I'm one of the haggling "sisters". it would be fun if I knew the other "sisters"...but I don't really know them. guess the last I saw two of them was like more than 10 years ago??? seriously...is there really a need to sabo the groom???

haizzz....

i need zzz....

just me

Just the other day, after leo and I hung out with a mutual friend of ours, he commented: "You really feel comfortable with J right?"

I was a little surprised by his remark. But I knew what he was getting at.

I used to think that I was the friendly sort who could get along easily with most people. But over the years, I've realised how uncomfortable I feel in the presence of people I just, well, don't feel comfortable with. In fact, as leo pointed, I can only spend long periods with people whom I feel completely at ease with. And there are so very few people I can do that with.

I would prefer to lunch alone, leave early... so unlike leo who loves company, even if the company is superficial. I've also realised how much being in the workplace has bent this self of mine to be just part of the group. If left to myself, I'd really much prefer to be alone.

that crazy hen party for that crazy babe

THAT'S fy doing her American Beauty pose on the carpeted floor of Fluid room, designed by Wykidd Song for the New Majestic Hotel. As expected for a hen party held in honour of the craziest and funniest girl in the 4/6 gang, it was hilarious and wild. No need for a stripper when the hen herself is game to shed part of her outfit for our entertainment pleasure. Cameras clicked non-stop, and at points, the antics bordered on porn! HAHA. Can't show much here, cos all my photos are not very decent. But here's fy's blog entry with more photos - decent ones :)

I think the greatest part about the party, apart from the fun we had, was the process of doing the slideshow as a gift to fy, our class chairman forever. We saw photos of ourselves taken 11-12 years ago...doing stupid poses for English day in RGS, posing once again outside the then TGIF, standing outside Hard Rock Cafe where we had quite a few birthday celebrations....etc...

So nostalgic...

first the birthday, then up north

Friday: I finally remembered leo's birthday. And that means remembering the correct date. I don't know why, but I always think it's 5 Oct instead of 6 Oct. Ethan mummy has the same birthday, and her hubby (in jest) told her to "remind" me that the date is supposed to be 7 Oct.
So for the first time in five years, I arranged for a hot date for us both! Very hot ok... haha. First it was a present, then dinner at Wild Rocket, and lastly karaoke for 4hrs at Party World KTV!!! Woohoo!!! leo is fast overtaking me in his repertoire of Mandarin songs, all thanks to his frequent night outs with his cheena-type resellers. Darn.

Sunday: leo and I drove up to Malaysia. As we waited for his car to get washed, I saw Jay. No, not Jay Chou, but the Malaysian car number plate did make me think of Jay Chou. We should have more interesting car number plates in Singapore. More readable ones...

remembering taipei

was going through some video clips of my taipei trip this year. here we are at Taipei's biggest night market, Shi Lin Night Market. :)

hello? I'm stressed...

I'm on duty two days, to man the PSLE hotline. These P6 kids really call to say they are stressed. It's so bad for some 12-year-olds that they experience pain in their heart, headaches and sleepless nights. One boy today used the word "piercing" to describe his pain in the heart as he stressed out over his English paper. He felt that if he did not pass his PSLE, his mother would be looked down on by her siblings. I can't imagine a 12-year-old carrying such a burden. I think it hurts even more to hear him say that he's the weakest in his class, the worst class in school.

What's happening to our children? I don't remember feeling the least bit stressed over my PSLE!

them men

Maybe I should take a picture of my office table.

[Oh, my mum just called me from the living room to see my "cute boy" (in her words) on tv. How coincidental, I was just going to talk abt MP Teo Ser Luck. Anyways, he just appeared on tv with the other post-65 MPs who are doing a hip hop dance item for Chingay. I missed his dancing. Haha.]

Well, I just talking abt my office table. Yes, I've pinned up a Mind Your Body article of Teo Ser Luck, who was interviewed abt his sporting achievements. Cos I needed inspiration to live a healthy lifestyle, and his boyish good looks are a bonus. He's already 38 by the way!

To my left, I've leaned a flag, bearing Singapore Idol runnerup Jonathan Leong's face, against my CPU. My colleague gave it to me after she attended the Results Show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. More eye candy.

And today, at NTUC, I couldn't resist picking up i-weekly cos Rain had made the cover! But there was a price tag stuck on it, marring his face so badly I decided I should head somewhere else to get one - sans price tag. And my colleague said "errr...you should act your age."

To that I say, is that necessary??? Haha.

trying for a new beginning

I have lofty ambitions of getting into shape.

Today, I attempted to jog all the way to the Punggol jetty and back. To say I nearly died is an understatement. When I reached the end, I crumbled by the side of the windy road and thought I'd never live to see the day again.

This is damn tough.

But it's even tougher when someone says you've put on weight. And when you take pix of yourself on your camera phone and you SEE that your face is as round as a moon.

Oh please, let this be a new beginning of more exercise and a healthier diet. I seriously think my perpetual lethargy is the result of a lack of exercise - and too much meat.

Yes, pls let me start all over again.

(psst...I'm onto a new Korean drama series. This time only 16 discs. But aiya, not as nice as Full House. Sigh...)

This is home, truly

I've been stuck at home watching Korean VCDs. First it was My Lovely Samsoon. Then it was Full House. The watching has taken its toll. I'm majorly "jetlagged". I don't know if I can recover!

Two people have told me what a waste of time it is. But hey, I love a good story. I'm not a fanatic, and I guess once in a while won't hurt?

Too tired to think of what to blog. Had my hair cut today. Yay. Got sick of my too-black wardrobe, bought a chilli red shirt from Topshop earlier on. I really need to get out of this rush-like-crazy morning drill. No time to think of what to wear. No time to even open my eyes. And I'm always late for work. Aargh.

Can I ever get enough sleep???

Help.

Singapore (Idol) Dreaming

My mum - who has hit at least five decades old - is in love with Jonathan Leong, one of the two finalists in Singapore Idol.

I bought this particular issue of 8 Days some weeks back and with it came a huge poster of the Idols, as well as stickers that said "blah", "fave" etc for you to stick on whichever Idol's face you fancied. And to my horror, my mother has been following the Idol results and sticking crosses on those booted out!!! She got a lot of time man. And she has been using this free web-based SMS service to msg me her predictions every week. Wah liaos...

So anyways, last night, she stuck the "fave" sticker on her dahling Jonathan! And pasted the "blah" sticker on Hady because she doesn't want me to vote for him (I like him). And, she pasted a cross on Jasmine - a most accurate prediction, as 24hours later, she was voted out. Mother oh mother...

a day full of pple I know or like

Took this photo (left) of 4-year-old Lav at the food kiosk of the mrt station where I have a meal at least once a week. She's the youngest daughter of the kiosk owners and she can talk. Really talk. Every time I take my seat, she drags a stool to my table and sits her tiny frame gingerly on it. I'm always afraid she falls off cos her feet can't touch the floor. And then she talks, and she makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.
Her favourite colour is pink. And she can't speak mandarin, or so she claims. And she readily sings "number" songs for you. Like this: "Straight across, diaaagonally down. Straight across diaaagonally down. Straight across diaaagonally down, you get the number seven." HAHA. And when I leave the table to head home, she always asks: "Tomorrow you come?", and then "Saturday you come?". I walk a little further and she shouts after me "XXX jie jie, BYE BYE!!!"

Children like her really make you feel so loved. I wished I was surrounded by more of them.
###

Today my agency organised a seminar at a hotel. And I met my PAP idol. Yes, my PAP 偶像 Teo Ser Luck. It was quite embarrassing cos colleagues were egging me on to take a picture with him, cos I had brought my camera!!! They were coming up with different ways for me to be in the picture, like "eh go go go you stand behind him then we take for you lah!!! you will be in the picture one!!!" Determined not to suffer another "Mayday tragedy" (yes, I had the op to be in the same pic as them, but I was too damn shy), I waylaid him on his way out. And I got my picture!!! Haha. My colleague was even more stressed than me cos she said she was afraid she wouldn't get the shot right!

Saw also Mrs Carmee Lim!!! MY RGS PRINCIPAL!!! Now ex. She's still EXACTLY the same. Never one to go unnoticed, never one to be disinterested. Always enthusiastic. I want to use the word effusive. But it's not quite right, cos you can feel her genuine sincerity in what she says to you. Guess what colour she turned up in? Bright red. The jacket was bright red. But it suited her well. Dull colours would never do this vibrant lady any justice.

She gave me her namecard and said, call me anytime, if you need someone to talk to, a mentor or anything!

And at 65 years old, she's still an amazingly keen learner. Copiously taking notes during the workshop and responding to the speaker with guffaws and "oh!!!" and "mmm" like she's the only person he's talking to. Fantastic. I'm proud to say she was my principal. :)

Do you want dessert?

Or, in mandarin, 你要甜品吗？

I think we were asked that question at least four times in 10 minutes, after different servers at Lee Kui (Ah Hoi) Restaurant noticed we were done with our dinner. Rather than feel irritated, I was quite amused. Err...so they get commission for recommending desserts ah?

I usually don't write about food cos I absolutely don't know how to describe flavours. And, sometimes I can't even identify exactly what I'm eating. I only know general terms like green veggie, meat, you get the idea. But, because I'm currently reading Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires (saw it on olduvai's blog), I couldn't resist writing something on food.

First dish was a cold dish, served with ice cubes. In Hokkien, it's called ter kah dang (sounded something like that). It's meat from pig's trotters contained in some hard jelly-like rectangular cubes. Served with parsley and sliced cucumbers. First time I've ever eaten it and it's not bad.

Next came the oyster omelette - yummy. Oysters very fresh. Then there was Taiwan dou miao, just the right sweetness. Lastly, we had crayfish in some eggy gravy. Delicious too.

The bill came up to about $20 per person. Cheap for the big portions we got! Definitely value for money.

I wish I had ordered my kong bah though... was craving for the fragrant fatty pork after dinner! Also craving for longan dessert, but my mum made it seem like a crime to order it from the restaurant cos it's "cheaper to buy from NTUC". Hmm. Well, I did end up at a supermart to buy a can of longans for $1.10! I mean, there needs to be some closure right?

Nice way to end the evening. :)

Lee Kui (Ah Hoi) Restaurant
8, 9, 10 Mosque Street

By the way, they don't accept credit cards.

just some things...

> had dinner at Rochester Park, finally. Been meaning to check it out after reading reviews about the place. Dined on grilled halibut at North Border Bar and Grill. Yummy. Before that, we started the dinner with mushroom soup - the kind where you can feel the generous bits of mushroom on your tongue. leo had the grilled prawn and steak. Yummy too. Shared a glass of champagne with some lychee flavour, as well as this chocolate lava dessert thingie with Bailey's ice-cream. Very nice!

> had dinner at Sunset (or was it Sunset Way?) Bar and Grill at the Seletar airbase. The food was all right, we had to wait an hour for it!!! Loved the drive to the place though, past all those colonial houses that I wish I could live in :)

> enjoyed the messages by Pastor Peter Tsukahira, a Japanese American who now holds an Israeli passport, doing God's work at Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. I'm always intrigued by how today's events surrounding Israel are unfolding according to the prophecies in the bible. I may have read the bible at least twice, but I'm constantly amazed at how the bible continues to tell a living story of today's events. Couldn't help but bought Pastor Peter's book "God's Tsunami - Understanding Israel and End-time Prophecy". It also gives me goosebumps to know that I'm actually living in this current age, and witnessing what the bible foretold.

> invited the media to cover an event that my agency was conducting. Feels super weird to be on the other side of the fence. I actually know what the media want, and I can predict their response! And I know it's going to be just another diary event, but I have to sell it, no matter what!

clearing excess baggage

I was going through all my bags last weekend and I ended up at a loss for words. I didn't realise how many bags I had!!! And why? This is why...

I've been stuffing my bags into this small plastic box on rollers. Those I use regularly are placed on top of its cover. Those I don't, just stay inside, stacked on top of one another, crammed in this container. And I never realised how many I'd been accummulating. I had to air them overnight in my living room cos they were smelling too musty. Some, however, went into a big paper bag, for The Salvation Army. Sure got people buy one, cos they're still in good condition!

My mother got so inspired, and brought more bags out (some real pretty ones) , to be given away too. Women really do hoard things, don't they? :)

trying to cut down on teh

I just took a really ugly pic of myself, with my white clay mask on and my ugly, brown/yellowish-stained teeth showing. I was hoping to do a before-and-after. Before going for a mega cleanup at the dentist's tomorrow, during lunch.

First, it was leo who exclaimed "why your teeth like that?"
Then, it was belle who exclaimed, yesterday, "why your teeth like that?"

This is the first time I've noticed my teeth so stained, and I believe very strongly it's because I've been on an overdose of teh. (I don't drink coffee, by the way.) Yes, teh, that kopitiam tea with milk. I love it. Especially when it's thick and sweet just that way I like it. Not diluted, not milky. But it has cost me my teeth!!!

Arrgh...I hope I can get the stains off tomorrow. And if I feel brave enough, I might post the "before" pic.

bliss is when...

you wake up at noon
read the papers for an hour
cook maggi mee for lunch
watch tv, watch anything on tv, including bollywood movies
nap for an hour
wake up and watch the ndp on tv
listen out for the roar of the F16s
carry on watching the ndp
followed by Singapore Idol
followed by that Chinese show on channel 8
followed by some repeat of some show on channel u
followed by some taiwanese variety show on the same channel
until you feel yes, you're satisfied, it's time to go to bed...

happy national day.

Milubing is Superband!!! YAY!!!

I plonked myself in front of the TV set at 7.30pm sharp today. To catch the finals of Superband. And Milubing (迷路兵) won!!! YAY!!! These three boys are in their very early 20s and they are so super talented. They call themselves Milubing because it sounds like milo peng, their favourite drink.

From left to right: Nic (vocals and electric guit), Weiqi (keyboards, vocals and beat box) and Sam (vocals, guit and drums).

My six SMS votes were worth it after all. Heh heh. $3.60 in all. :)

Ordering milo peng won't be the same again!

stratification

In my course of work, I've had to be very mindful of how the education system has classified our secondary school students:
- NA (Normal Academic)
- NT (Normal Technical) or
- E (Express)

In truth, the NA and NT students cannot grasp concepts that Express students can. Having come from very good schools myself, I have always taken for granted that simple mental sums, for example, are a breeze. But I forget that I'm from the Express stream. Well, actually, make that Special, cos I took Higher Chinese.

Hence, having been exposed to so many NA and NT students from the start of work, I inadvertently experienced a culture shock when I helped a colleague with her work at a good all-girl primary school. In just two hours of having games in a drop-in room we started for them, I counted at least four different nationalities - Thai, Polish/American, Indonesian, Filipino. I hear there're Brazilians and Africans too. Fwah. Exotic man.

As young as 7 years old, these girls exude a confidence that I've not seen in a long time. They speak fluent English and they spell beautifully. They are even perfectly articulate when they argue with you. These are the girls who grow up in educated and at least middle-class families. Judging by the variety of nationalities, this is probably the school where many expats send their daughters to as well.

These are also the girls who will never end up in the NA and NT streams later on in their lives. These are the girls who know that dreams can be reached.

the shoulder aches are back

I have this terrible habit of tensing my shoulders as I type, when I'm really busy and stressed out. And it's been happening this week. At 6pm earlier on - when I could be considered officially off work - I grabbed my bag and headed for this massage place at the basement of that neighbourhood mall nearby.

The "Richard" and "Ah Chun" whom my colleagues recommended were not around, so I had this Thomas give me a rub down. It felt damn good, especially in those two problematic spots. But I know tomorrow I'm gonna wake up with sore shoulders. Then I walked back to work to conduct a family counselling session. I told myself, it's gonna be a quick closing session, and then I'll be heading home for some wonderful Chinese dinner prepared by my mum.

Steamed fish, fried eggs with onion, pork stir-fried with capsicum. YUM.

About work:

I'm trying to handle the amount of paperwork there is and the rest of the important work I have to do. Today and yesterday, I must have typed at least 10 case recordings. Now I understand what it means not to chalk up recordings. No wonder I always see some colleagues furiously scribbling their case notes after each session. Really, if you don't, you will end up with piles of undone recordings. And then, you'll find you can't remember what transpired during the counselling session. And that's bad. Worse still, you can't remember the name of the person you counselled.

I'm really still in the adjustment period. For the moment, I think I've forgotten how to breathe!

Gasp.

Which car are you?

I'm a Mazda RX-8!

You're sporty, yet practical, and you have a style of your own. You like to have fun, and you like to bring friends along for the ride, but when it comes time for everyday chores, you're willing to do your part.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

This is really funny. Leo ever thought of buying this car!!! Heh. I guess I am somewhat like the description, except that I might have more alone time than described above.

Watching Adrian Pang; dining at Coffee Express 2000

Caught The Dresser last night. It's a play put up by the Singapore Repertory Theatre and stars my beloved Adrian Pang. Love watching Adrian Pang act on stage. He's so good, his talent is wasted on TV.

Tomorrow night's the last show, if you wanna catch it.

###
FY's hubby kopikia is running Coffee Express 2000, this newly renovated air-conditioned food court on Level 1 of Bras Basah Complex. FY is from the RGS class 4/6 gang. I had a great meal dished out by the zi char stall there tonight...

1. black pepper crabs ($16.80 for three. very cheap!)
2. peking style ribs with fried buns
3. sweet potato leaves fried with sambal chilli
4. fried chicken with onion rings

kopikia even has a blog dedicated to his kopitiam. Coffee Express 2000, where all the good things are.

To pia or not to pia

I had a full-day meeting yesterday at work. It's one of those days where you wouldn't schedule any more meetings after. But I fit in a school visit, as well as a home visit in the evening. My colleague heard that and said "eh, you no need to pia leh, cos in future there will be more work to do."

I don't know. I figured I just wanted to get these two visits done with, cos it has been really hard fixing a time to meet with the relevant people. Even if it means having to pia, I also don't mind. There's this whole series of stress management talks happening in quite a few schools in Aug (ie in two weeks) and I really wanted to have time soon to settle the content of the talks and whatever coordination is needed.

It has been only one-and-a-half-months into the job, and I actually feel like I've been at work for much more than that! Seriously, there's so much to do in so little time, I feel kinda tired. The pace is actually different from that at the previous company. I think I was actually more slack then! We had our moments of stress and deadlines, but somehow it was less tiring. Maybe this time I'm into something really new, and while I'm trying to cope with the workload, I'm also trying to learn at the same time. Maybe also because this job deals with lives, so somehow, there's that added accountability I feel inevitably.

I don't know. I'm actually enjoying the job. But I'm tired as well. Maybe it's time to relax and tell myself that since the work's never-ending, let it go. Don't try to hold it all by yourself. Yeah. Don't be too responsible :)

My Celtic Horoscope

You Are An Oak Tree

You are a person of action, and it's easy to get what you want. Sensible and practical, you always keep both feet on the ground. You are courageous and strong - little scares you. A bit stubborn, you don't like change. You're an independent type, and people often wonder if you need them.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

This is really weird...apparently you just enter your birth date and voila, your Celtic horoscope is decided! The horoscope actually fits!

about life, in general

Indeed. It's just amazingly refreshing to talk about life in general. The intricacies of love, the mystery of soulmates and how to shop for women like you shop for mobile phones (this last theory, according to beng, as usual...haha.) I'm always amazed at the theories that beng comes up with, amusing but deep at the same time. I hope that, soon enough, he will fall in love with his mobile phone so much that he won't want to enter a phone shop again.

We had dinner at the newly renovated Newton, where at first I wondered why people kept congregating at the rubbish bin nearby to smoke. Then I realised, oh yes, the new no-smoking rule. No wonder.

After that, we left for some soothing jazz/pop at Ritz Carlton. Was surprised to see Louis Soliano (think that's how you spell his name) on the drums. Yay. Good drummer. And beng couldn't resist shooting pix of the cocktails and mocktail that we had. He said: "Those are primary colours leh!" Very observant, indeed. Actually, the pic turned out too dark, but I tweaked it with Photoshop (see pic). That's me and Ethan mummy pretending to have "a casual chat over drinks". Nice.

yay!!! Milubing is back in the running!!!

Milubing is back in the running for Superband!!! So happy!!!

My three SMS votes - $1.80 - were not in vain.

the price of more money

I took up two freelance writing jobs this week. I should be happy I have more money coming my way. But I really wish I could rest.

Damn.

How do people hold two jobs at a time?

Threatened by size

I'm threatened by group size - when I don't know the people well.

A perfect example would be what happened just a few hours back. I did plan on watching the England-Ecuador match somewhere in Clarke Quay with leo. Then when I heard his colleagues were going to be there, I just chickened out.

I canst nots. I canst nots face a whole bunch of strangers. Well, I know one of them by name, but that's not enough to rid me of this fear. Sometimes, when I'm stuck in situations like these, I just want to take flight. Pretend I have to return the car, oh no, wait a minute, I have a terrible stomachache. Anything, to worm out of the situation. But, usually, I suppress the urge to do something stupid.

The solution? Stay home, test out cable channel 39 (RTM channel) to see if the match is being telecast (no it's not), and just be happy being alone. :)

I wonder how, I wonder why

One reason I'm finding counselling challenging (the good type of challenging, not the euphemism for difficult) is probably because I like analysing people.

I wonder why they say a certain thing when they are alone in front of me, and why they say things that seem so "out of character" when family members are present. I wonder what it was in their environment that led them to think or feel in a certain way. I wonder what I would do if I were them. I wonder and I wonder and I keep on wondering.

And then suddenly one day (actually it was last Friday) it hit me that everyone's unique. How do I put it? I've always known that, but I never really knew.

I wonder how long I will love this wondering in this wandering (oops, couldn't help it) life of mine. Maybe one day I will get tired of this wondering (and wandering). Then what do I do?

Haha. I wonder :)

###
On a separate note, my youth asked me today if he could do part-time work at my agency!!!

He said: "You want me do what also can. Carry things, or whatever also can."

I felt like telling him we only hire free labour! Haha. He said he didn't want to try working somewhere else just in case he "cannot make it". Hence, he wanted to start at someplace nice first - like my agency.

Haha. Sounds like he likes us! :)

Happy Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day.

I decided to pay a long-awaited visit to my dad's niche at the Mount Vernon Crematorium. I had meant to write a letter to him, for some grief closure on my part. It was a suggestion by two people I know from the counselling circle. Whether it was procrastination or pure laziness, I do not know, but I never got down to writing it.

Decided to just heck it and speak to that marble tablet with his faded picture on it. You know, some people write on a balloon and let it go; some people write a letter and burn it; some people hang bookmarks with words like "I love you mum" and stick it to the marble tablets. I didn't really know what to do with my letter after reading it out to him. So, yeah, I just spoke.

So it wasn't just a hard cold marble tablet after all. I really did feel like I was talking to my dad. I told him I did feel like he abandoned us when he died just like that. But I knew he couldn't help it. It wasn't his fault. I told him I wished I could have said a proper goodbye to him before he went. I told him there was one big regret I had about his dying. I thanked him for all the musical and linguistic genes he passed on to me. I told him I was living well now and happy. And I told him I really, really love him.

And I felt peace.

I'm sure I'll still cry sometimes because I'm such a weepie I sometimes hate myself for it. But I guess at least now I'll cry for the right reasons, and I'll know why I'm crying. And somehow, even though I cry, it doesn't seem to hurt so much anymore.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

it's the end of the week

I don't seem to have anything to blog about. How boring... *yawn*

Work is getting better as I don't feel so demoralised anymore. It was the groupwork with uncooperative youths that really got to me. Anyhows, am getting the hang of things, and enjoying sessions with my youths. I like them :) I just get a bit jittery before family counselling sessions. And I do write out my script before the session, especially if its a Mandarin-speaking one - like the first such one I'm conducting later in the evening. The script is my Linus' blanket. Although I know the session will turn out different from what I'm expecting, at least I feel prepared.

There's a bunch of people (youths and social workers) outside now, getting ready for their two-day-one-night Ubin camp. Just thinking about it makes me feel tired. Do I really have to start camping again? Sigh...

ANYWAYS.

My youths appreciate my red hair. Heh heh. One boy said: "Cher! You look very pretty with your new hair leh!" Awww.... Hahaha. At my workplace, only my boss commented that I had nice hair, and no one else at work. So sad. I need to meet more of my own friends. I'm sure I'll get comments. Haha. Well, my bro and mum loved it!

Ever since I started work, I've been wondering what I should do after work! I'm finally beginning to feel that sense of emptiness when all I can do is go home. I should get my butt off my chair and exercise!!! But I'm soooo lazy....HIYA. CANNOT!!! I MUST!!!

Fat.

I'm now red

For the first time in my life, I have had my hair coloured red. I've always thought I could only take brown and ash, not red. But surprisingly, it's quite nice! Haha. No photo this time cos the camera's with the brother, who's not in Singapore. I like my haircut too. It's quite funky again this time round. I hope I can replicate the styling that A did for me.

Oh yeah. A has been promoted, and therefore he has shifted to Marina Square. Guess I'll be going there quite a bit now. After the cut, I walked around a bit and found that I had nothing to buy. Despite the Great Singapore Sale. Maybe it was because I did not want to risk messing my hair while trying out clothes. Hee hee.

###
Hair aside, my thighs are aching man. I'm old man. I spent like three hours yesterday drawing out a modified giant checkers board for my youths' groupwork session tomorrow. And my thighs are aching because I had to squat and get up repeatedly while drawing many many lines on 9 pieces of mahjong paper that I pasted together.

The youths are supposed to play human checkers tomorrow. And I've been panicking quite a bit because the game, while excellent to teach them useful pointers about decision-making, takes quite a bit of explaining. Was going through the entire game in my mind the whole of last night, developing rules for the game and anticipating problems that might crop up.

Thing about facilitating group sessions for these youths is to be really prepared for the session. They can be quite uncooperative and I have to make sure I deliver my instructions in a way that gives them no choice to make unnecessary comments.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Twelfth Night

So it's the night of the twelfth day I've been at the new workplace. What are my thoughts? I wish I could say more, but for privacy's sake, let's just say I'm learning a lot about myself. My likes, dislikes, fears...Well, maybe I could talk about the part of the job that I like best...

It's the counselling.

Often times, I find myself feeling a lot for the person. And, always, after the session, I feel challenged. I kinda like this challenge. Because it makes me think. I like to think. In fact, sometimes I think I think too much. But that's another story.

Actually, somehow, I have a feeling that dealing too much with the youths at my agency is gonna discourage me from having kids. Because, really, as much as we say that family plays a big role in deciding how a child behaves, many times the child's personality plays a part as well. Ah well. Deeper thoughts like this will make me go nuts thinking.

I shall stop thinking tonight.

The Da Vin-SEE Code

During my bus ride to work in the mornings, I always see this mother and daughter sitting in the same seats near the back. Daughter looks like she's at most in Primary Three. Funnily, they always sit in separate seats, such that the aisle separates them. The other day, I overheard this conversation.

Daughter: Mummy, is it Da Vin-CHI Code or Da Vin-SEE Code? Da Vin-CHI right?

Mother: No. Wrong. It's Da Vin-SEE. C is for SEE.

Daughter (looking puzzled): But I thought I heard people say it's Da Vin-CHI?

Mother (very confidently): No. Wrong. It's Da Vin-SEE. C is for SEE.

Daughter continues looking puzzled.

Oh dear.

Taipei Travelogue Part 2: Looking for a piece of Jay Chou

So, at the behest of one of my travel mates, we went in search of Jay Chou's shop, Omni. After getting a bit lost, we finally found it. It's somewhere downtown of Taipei, along this street that's somewhat like Singapore's Ann Siang Hill where hip boutiques have sprung up recently. In the pic on the left, you will see young fans of the very famous Taiwanese singer-songwriter. They were also there - like us - to check out his shop. The neon pink car almost next to them belongs to Jay Chou and supposedly appeared in one of his mtvs (correct me if I'm wrong, Jay Chou fans).

This is the shop's interior. Omni sells high-end streetwear and casual stuff. It's got Marc Jacobs slippers, limited edition Nike shoes, a mix of guys' and girls' tees (can't remember the brands), underwear etc...

A set of Initial D (the movie) dolls also lined a shelf near the window. At first I couldn't recognise the characters cos the dolls didn't resemble the movie characters at all! And then I recognised the wooden slippers that the father was wearing...you know...the usually drunk father of the lead character that Jay Chou played? Yar, so there. A piece of Jay Chou during my Taipei trip. :) If only I saw Mayday!!!

Taipei Travelogue Part 1: Taiwanese Trivia

1. The Taiwanese seem to have a penchant for all kinds of games. There's this huge, sprawling section in the Shi Lin Night Market (士林夜市) where you will find all kinds of games possible. There's one that's like bingo, but it uses mahjong tiles and anybody can sit down and join the rest to play it at any time. There's another that involves trying to make an empty glass bottle, which is lying on the floor, stand. With the help of fishing rod thingie, that is.

I was pulled in to play this game (above) where you choose 15 mahjong tiles that are placed face down. You then have to match them with the pictures on the chart in front of you. If you form a line vertically or horizontally, you win. And I won on the first try!!! Talk about beginner's luck. Heh. My prize: a xiao ding dang umbrella. Hahaha.

2. The Taiwanese' fav sport should be basketball. Everywhere you go in Taipei, as long as there's a semblance of game stalls around, you will see this basketball game (above). Slot some tokens in and you're ready to go. Shoot enough hoops within a certain time limit and you get to advance to the next stage. It's damn tiring.

3. The Taiwanese are either an innately curious bunch, or they are simply appreciative. People actually stay around long enough to watch free performances and that includes sitting down to listen to buskers sing and play. At 渔人码头, or Fisherman's Wharf (above), an elementary school's symphonic band was playing, while many onlookers hung around to watch. The band's teacher even introduced all the different instruments the kids were playing, by getting the various sections to perform a short piece each. Very educational one horkay! And I think you no need to drop any coins in for them!

4. People actually earn money by holding up signboards pointing the way to eateries! Like these chaps in 西门町, a place somewhat like Singapore's Bugis Village. Come rain or shine, they are there.

Back...and first day at work

Today...well, more like yesterday cos it's past midnight, I started my new job. It's weird to be called by my job title. I can't get used to it. What I can't get used to more is the fact that I have to go on an overnight trek next Friday, from Bukit Timah to MacRitchie. Like what??? I'm so going to die. I'm so not prepared. I'm so...so...

Ah well. Why not let me relive those glorious teenage years when I scaled Mount Ophir and Mount Kinabalu like a never-say-die strongwoman? When I would sleep next to the campfire, make an A-frame fire and kill a chicken for food (yes I did that)...like, like, like Xena? Whatever.

But now? Today? I'm old. Achingly old.

Sports is perfectly fine. Bungee, tandem sky-diving, you name it, I've done it. But to lose that many hours of sleep trudging through some forest? I'm old...

NEVERTHELESS.

Apart from overnight treks, I think I'm gonna like my job. :)

As for Taipei, more about it later. I'm too lazy to post pix and blog about it :) Too much to say.

Off to Taipei!!!

I'm off to Taipei tomorrow, won't be back till next Tuesday. Excited but a little worried as well. Worried cos Typhoon Chanchu is nearby. Though it didn't hit Taiwan, but the torrential rains it caused in Taiwan has brought about a few landslides and flooding in some of the counties. Not Taipei though. But this means an umbrella or raincoat is a must! Heard from my Hong Kong friend that her fav time to shop is during a typhoon, cos the fitting rooms are all empty. Her advice: watch out for falling trees and signboards. But well, Taipei is not hit, so I should not worry I guess?

Anyways...I think going to Taipei is a homecoming of sorts? Haha. Cos I watch so many Taiwanese variety shows...let me name them:

1. 康熙来了 (my favourite!)
2. 我猜我猜我猜猜猜
3. 娱乐百分百
4. 娱乐新闻
5. The one by 菲哥
6. 女人我最大
7. Some fashion one hosted by Linda
8. Some singing one hosted by Linda and 王仁辅
9. Occasionally the one by 伊能静
10. 周日八点党
11. 全能美食秀
12. That one hosted by 5566 that makes all stars do stupid things
13. That gambling game of bluff by 乃哥 and this other guy
14. That one by 康永 and Lin Chi Ling (also very nice)
15. Some 电力 show hosted by康永
16. And 齐天大胜

I think there are a few more (including the 1990s repeats of Super Sunday)...but can't remember off-hand now. Wah lau...I watch a lot hor? :p

Speak of the navel!

Today, ethan and I bonded over our belly buttons. Don't underestimate the significance of this act. It works.

Me: Ethan, where's your navel?

Ethan unfolds his tiny index finger and touches his teeny weeny navel gingerly.

Me: Toot!!!
Ethan mummy: Ding!!!
(We both speak at the same time)

Me: So clever! Where's auntie's navel?

Ethan looks up at me tentatively and stretches his finger slowly to within 10cm of my navel and withdraws suddenly. He is shy. But not after a few attempts. He finally touches it.

Me: Toot!!!
Ethan mummy: Ding!!!
(We both speak at the same time)

Ethan also presses his mummy's belly button, and also Pooh Bear's. Technically speaking, Pooh Bear has no navel, but Ethan can imagine. So Pooh Bear has one.

Me: Toot!!!
Ethan mummy: Ding!!!
(We both speak at the same time)

Ah...the joys of bonding with a kid. He even let me hold his hand when we left his grandma's house. :)

Love story

The next movie I would like to catch is Love Story, directed by Kelvin Tong. Apart from hearing that it's good, I also have two friends who have cameos in the movie. Well, they were extras, and I recommended them for the show. They are supposed to appear in some dinner scene. Can't wait to catch them in the film, even if they take up like just two seconds in the show.

I must not blink.

Most people have a love story to tell, don't they? Over the weekend, I was privy to two love stories. One wild and crazy, the other sweet and lovely. The first is what you would not fail to tell your grandchildren, something that would make them feel what a sassy young thing their grandma was! The second just makes you go awww......

Two different situations, but both love stories. Those that never fail to make me sit up and listen. I really love a good love story!

I'm half-paralysed

I can't even lift my arms to take off my shirt. It's a chore to straighten them too cos they hurt! What a loser I am. Haha. Yes, I've inflicted myself with such pain by going cable-skiing at East Coast Park.

Pain aside, the Cable Ski Park - Singapore's first - is a really nice area for a relaxed stroll. There's a cafe as well where you can have a cuppa, read a book, or just watch people cable-ski (including people like me who crash very unglamly into the water, but don't worry there are pros too).

There are three to four options you can choose from. They include the kneeboard (which is the easiest), water skis and the wakeboard. I must say I really prefer going wakeboarding with a boat, cos the boat picks you up where you fall, which is very important for a clumsy beginner. At the Cable Ski Park, every time I fell at the furthest end of the lake, I had to swim to the bank, climb out, and lug my kneeboard all the way back to the start. It's at least a three-minute walk I believe. And it's really hard to launch on a wakeboard cos you launch from land, unlike wakeboarding with a boat where you get pulled out of the water.

Oh look, Ethan was there too. He didn't cable ski. But...errr...he poured milo on himself!!!

Polling Day: 6 May 2006

So it was, I cast my vote yesterday. Even 15 minutes before doing so, I still could not make up my mind. It was really tough. And it was over so fast - in five minutes - that I didn't have time to register what I really did. I just knew I was pretty nervous and that the guy who checked my IC was quite irritating cos he had to say my name very loudly (it's something they have to do) and he didn't know how to pronounce my name properly. I had to show this slip that was mailed to me (see picture above) and my IC, the guy would then match them with some records and give me my voting slip. It was then cross or never. What a scary act it is to vote.

Then while leaving, I tried to secretly take a picture of the place I cast my vote at. Well, I'm not doing anything wrong lah, cos I was so far away from the location. But still, there were policemen around and I didn't wanna risk being singled out. Place where I voted was under this little pavilion surrounded by blocks of flats (see picture on right). The walkway you see leads to the pavilion. So ordinary a place, but such a symbolic act. For me, at least.

suay sway

Was it last night or the night before, someone called me near midnight to try to sway my vote.

Suay suay this sat polling day I have two church weddings and one wedding dinner to attend. Am I supposed to vote in heels? Sheesh.

Picture op for ST: look out for a bride at the polling booths of Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC. She velly suay. But I better donch say too much because some people feel it's a privilege to vote, so you want to comprain what???

I need to attend a Workers' Party rally

Check out this post by Mr Brown. No shit! Swarms of people attended the Workers' Party rally! Man, the attendance at the two PAP rallies I attended are in no way comparable to that seen in the picture. I must attend a Workers' Party rally to see for myself.

There's a bigger picture here of the thousands of people who turned up for the rally. Gives me goose pimples. It's so rare that we ever get such a huge turnout for a political event in Singapore...

Attending my second election rally

Since I'm from Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, and I get to vote for the first time, I have to attend a rally related to it right? So tonight, I was at the PAP rally to see my incumbent MPs say their piece for their party. In contrast to the Potong Pasir rally I attended last night, the supporters' demographics were quite different. No more lao bengs! This time, the women brigade was out in full force (see left picture)!!! Most looked like their were in their 30s and early 40s, and they were very vocal. Aww...check out their placards. So "我们永远支持你"...So something I would do for my beloved Taiwanese rock band Mayday (incidentally today is May Day, 五月天我会永远支持你！Hee!)

This banner on the left takes the top prize for the night. Right on track with the "white elephant" campaign huh?

There was some eye candy for the night too - in triathlete Teo Ser Luck. Haha. I quite like these tanned and sporty types!

I also spotted this whole row of 50-somethings who had come prepared with chairs and stools. And they were listening intently wor! There was this point in time when one man suddenly repeated very loudly: "MISS! EXCUSE ME MISS! EXCUSE ME MISS!" He was trying to get the attention of this reporter standing about 4m in front of him. When she finally turned around, he said: "MISS! Your umbrella blocking me lah!" Wah....so on man, uncle. You're good!


Yes, even the rain couldn't dampen the spirits of the audience (see right picture), though I think more would have turned up if it wasn't so wet. Also, my mum nearly got into an argument with one of the security people because he didn't allow her to access the arena via this lane, which was "reserved" for the MPs. Wah lau. I quickly siam-ed cos it's just embarrassing to be associated with her in situations like that! ;p

Then, just as I was leaving the arena, I met hj, who was reporting for journalistic duties. What a coincidence. But I couldn't believe it when I heard the duty she was reporting for: holding a handphone so that the people back in the office can listen to the political speeches live, and transcribe them immediately??? Huh??? So primitive one ah... poor hj!

Attending my first election rally

Last night, I attended my first election rally (see above). So exciting..never attended one before! So off my mum, my bro and I went, to see PAP at the site next to Potong Pasir MRT station. My mum wanted to stargaze lah. She figured that one of the Holy Trinity - LKY, Lee Hsien Loong and Goh Chok Tong - would definitely turn up at the hotly contested Potong Pasir SMC. So we went there lor.

Sooo many people were already there. But I had to first endure a bout of bickering between mum and bro over where to park. Cos the parking space was all taken up!!! Then my mum so crever. She's been checking out new condos and she knew of some space next to one of the showflats there. So we finally managed to park, after like 20 minutes.

My mum was so excited...started rattling off the names of the pple she knew on stage. Lim Hng Kiang lah...Vivian Balakrishnan lah...then she started lamenting the absence of the Holy Trinity. It was really quite amusing - and heartwarming too -listening to the politicians you usually see on TV speaking in real life. Vivian attempted to speak Tamil, but it didn't sound remotely like it. His Hokkien was much better. Sitoh Yi Pin (who's battling Chiam See Tong) tried to read Malay word for word, which was really funny. Ok, I give them a pat for effort :)

Then suddenly, there was a commotion near the side of the stage and my Ah Beng bro goes: "Tua liap lai liao! Tua liap lai liao!" (Loosely translated, the big one is here.) Oh yes, SM Goh is here. Fwah, my mother very happy man. And all Singaporeans interrupt Vivian mid-speech and applause! Woohoo!

But I tell you, for me, the stars of the night were not the men in white, but this row of hokkien-spouting lao bengs (one had a copy of Wanbao stuffed into his back pocket, see second picture below) standing in front of me, very near the stage.
Donch pray with them horkay!!! Every time one of the speakers pauses for cheers and approval from the audience, these lao bengs will not fail to blow their whistles. The best one is this guy (see above left pic) who will punch his fist in the air and shout: "SITOH!!! SITOH!!!"

Solid siah. Haha. And there's a PAP guy in white standing near them who will signal to them to shout each time, if they don't respond quick enough! I don't know if they are paid to shout! Hahaha.

Part of the cheering squad comprised some more modern bengs (see left pic) who would laugh embarrassedly every time they had to blow the whistle. So funny.

My stupid Ah Beng bro also tried to join in the cheering at the start. So embarrasing! He would clap very loudly and go "Hoh ah!!! Hoh ah!!!" Wah lau.

And then, at one point, he whispered in my ear: "Eh jie, you look behind ah, got this woman in white with a man in white. Just now I walked past him and he smiled at me. Who is he ah?"

My mum and I turned to look, and both said together: "Ng Eng Hen lah!!!" Manpower Minister lah!!!"

My bro goes: "Orr...no wonder I thought he looks familiar." TSK TSK. My mum of course will not give up an opportunity to shake the hand of a minister right? So she approaches him and shakes his hand. Me too :) Cheap thrill. I must say he's damn tall man.


Nearing the end of the rally, the arena lights suddenly all go off at the same time! (Above left pic shows lights, left pic shows darkness.) Think the generator no power or what, I don't know lah. SM Goh only has the lights on the rostrum to guide him. I was wondering if people would start leaving, but everybody gamely stays rooted and listens to his entertaining speech about how Sitoh is better than Chiam.

And to end off the rally on a high note, the PAP rounds up the audience to shout slogans ok. And many people actually punch their fists in the air and shout ok!!! Like Hip Hip Hurray Hurray like that lah. Like this:

"Majullah PAP! Majullah Singapore!" (THREE TIMES) and "Potong Pasir! Sitoh!" (THREE TIMES).

I thought it was hilarious. I also found one of the PAP emcees superbly enthusiastic man. Ever heard WWF commentators? He sounds EXACTLY like that, with a slight Singlish lilt. On the whole, it was a pretty enjoyable time at the rally. Found out how much Sitoh has done for his residents, despite not being the incumbent. I think he has a chance of upsetting Chiam this time round.

so it's the end

Tomorrow is my final exam paper. I'm really excited because it unofficially marks the completion of my course! My my, time really flies...

If there's one thing I've learnt from this experience, it's that having to work and study at the same time is no joke. I'm so glad I didn't have to do that. Some of my classmates have had to extend their studies because they couldn't cope with working and taking too many subjects at a shot. Plus, having to complete the student attachment while holding a fulltime job and going for classes is even worse. One friend does her student attachment during her lunch break, and after office hours. And she still attends classes at night. Zai man.

For me, I'm just glad that I can get this course over and done with, and start with a new chapter in my life. :)

cracks in the house

Cracks are appearing on the walls of my flat. Although they are not structural defects, more like a result of wear and tear, my mother is fretting over them quite a bit. There are at least six making their mark on the walls in the bedrooms and the walkway to the bedrooms.

She has also been inspecting the tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms. And hairline cracks have been appearing too. I believe the other units in the block should be facing the same problem. Hmm...is this cracking up really inevitable? Seriously, I don't really care because they don't look serious enough to warrant much attention. But in my mum's view, it's a matter of getting HDB to "make it right". I don't know, do all HDB flats have the same problem?

Also, seems like we can't ever get the same colour of paint on the walls again, over these cracks. Cos probably the existing paint on the walls has lightened due to (if I may put it this way) the "vagaries of nature". Or, perhaps, our leftover tins of paint are too old.

Anyways, here's a picture of how my brother's room wall looks after having its cracks plastered and painted over. Uhm, it was only after the paint dried that we realised it needed a few more extra coats! Oh yes, the cracks stretch from the ceiling to the floor. Very long!

Of jobs and superstars

1. I have been going for job interviews. And now that I've found a job (I'm doing youth work), I have to struggle with the pay I'm getting. It's really a matter of lowering my expectations, and as long as the Singapore government and society do not see the professionalism in social work, the pay will never match up to the rest of the world's.

It's really a viscious cycle. The people going for job interviews expect that they won't be paid a lot, and start to devalue themselves and ask for lower pay. And because of their asking price, organisations also don't see the point in offering more. But having said that, I hope to find lots of joy and meaning in what I'm going to do, to make up for this "loss" of income. It's a path I have chosen, and I must persevere :)

2. I'm going to appear in Simply Her magazine!!! Hahaha. Story's on finding meaning in life...so you know lah...no surprises why I was approached! It was a 10-minute phoner I did about my career change and I was asked to email a few pictures of myself. Errr....of course, they were the narcissistic ones I've been taking to see how slim my face can look, cos they are the nicest pix I have! Hahaha.

Anyways, the magazine later on felt that the people interviewed were interesting enough to have proper pix taken of them. So this friday I'm gonna be photographed and they'll do the hair and makeup!!! I'm quite excited, but also very paiseh. Wait my face round round fat fat how??? Ethan mummy says not to drink water the night before the shoot ie before I sleep, if not water retention will be my ruin. I shall bury that piece of invaluable advice in my heart, mind and soul.

3. Irritating HDB has given leo and me number 492 as our queue number!!! WAH LAU. That's more than the number of available units (365) lor!!! I thought we qualified for the priority scheme what!? The new flat is like just opposite my mother's flat can? That stupid fiance-fiancee priority status obviously is just for show. Sigh...

4. I went karaoke-ing again. So fun. But I think my voice is deteriorating. I wish I could have something to work towards, like a competition or something, so that I can train my voice. But alas, I think I'm too old for those things liaos...Now I can only live vicariously through Campus Superstar and Superband.

Talking about Campus Superstar, Adriano Huang is my favourite!!! I hope he gets signed on, then I can be his overaged groupie. Haha. It doesn't matter that I'm almost a decade older than him. He's so cute!!! Hahaha.

I'm employed

Gonna sign the contract next Tuesday. :)

Visit to Mr Lau's

Today was supposed to be the day I crammed all my errands into one day. Zapped notes for myself and my classmates so we got stuff to study for exams, bought food for Mr Jai but had to run off fast, and then, the highlight of the day...a visit to Mr Lau's.

Mr Lau is 90 years old this year. And he doesn't look like it at all (see picture, taken by R for me today.) Interviewing Mr Lau for a Streats article last year has been one of the rare moments of joy for me in my previous job. Yes, this is Mr Lau the intrepid globe-trekker who loves travelling to the most exotic places on earth. I decided to visit him this time (only my second visit since over a year back when I interviewed him) because he mailed me a little book he compiled of speeches he has made, and articles he has written.

It was such a pleasant surprise to receive the book. It is a compilation of speeches he has made at weddings and alumni dinners, as well as private writings with titles such as "The Role of Grandparents" and "Lessons Drawn from Different Cultures". How cool is that? He writes really well by the way. Don't know if I ever mentioned he had contributed travel articles to Her World magazine in the 1980s. As for this book he gave me, he had asked his son to type them out properly, and then he sent the writings to a printer to print and bind.

It was R, a former classmate, who introduced Mr Lau to me when I was looking for an interesting personality to interview for a travel supplement. R had been in the same tour group as Mr Lau during a rare trip to North Korea. And since then, they have kept in touch, much like a grandpa enjoying a nice chat with his grandson. So today, R visited Mr Lau together with me.

Mr Lau still drives by the way. A battered old car - 25 years old this year - that crawls at a snail's pace on the road. As he drove us to the mrt station today, I kept wondering what would happen if one day he, well, died at the wheel! Once again, talking to old people like him really make me so amazed at how they have come to terms with the end of life. R was saying that he would be posted to Shanghai in June. For four years.

And Mr Lau, said, as he drove: "Four years is a long time. I don't know if I can make it till then. But when you come back, and I'm still around, do remember to call me up."

And perhaps that was why I wanted to visit him today, as soon as possible. Because I didn't know when he would go.

Thank you for making my life that little bit more meaningful, Mr Lau. God bless you.