cool it bud

okay i guess i'd better scram out quick and get myself that therapeutic haircut. i've been scolding so many ppl i think i've accumulated unsurpassable tons of bad karma... i'd prolly be a big fat dirty cow next life. i don't know why my fuse is so short these one-two days... it seems difficult for anyone (including even myself) to meet my expectations. that is gross.

cut away some hair, hopefully i'd see more light.

damn freako.

Pissing others off

Some say I am infectiously passionate when it comes to things I believe in. They say I am full of drive and energy.

Some say I am stubborn and can be overly aggressive at times. And that I am sometimes too obviously impatient.

Passionate. Drive. Energy. Stubborn. Aggressive. Impatient.

When Sunnytears is passionate about something, she will be so full of drive and energy when pursuing it that sometimes she is seen as a stubborn, aggressive b****, impatient and insensitive to others' needs.

I guess she used to be worse, and is now a more tolerable soul... But sometimes of course, there is this uncontrollable, irritable lapse back to that intolerable past...

Sunday @ Delifrance

Ok, I just checked out that new Delifrance Breakfast Buffet. BURP....

Sloshing around somewhere in my stomach now are some of the semi-digested remnants of muffins (banana, chocolate, corn), savory puffs (tuna mushroom, curry chicken), sweet puffs (apple, custard, chocolate, sultana), bread (wholemeal, white, raisin) with jam (peanut butter, strawberry, kaya, butter) and drinks (orange juice, tea, coffee)...

Bloated now... like a big fat burpy toad. Hmmm... for S$6.95/adult, I would say it's quite a good experience lah. Though the variety of pies & puffs is somewhat limited, think it's quite cool to have them all mini-sized lah, then one wouldn't feel too guilty when indulging. =P. Someone should have thought of this earlier. Maybe Mac, KFC, BK would all follow suit soon with their own buffet breakfasts! Haha! =)

Bon Appetit!

Retail therapy works!

Ok, there IS such a thing as retail therapy. I admit it now. That kinda electrifying tingle one gets when one just let go and buy the things that one likes!

Yesterday, after 5 long work-filled and emotionally taxing days, I decided to while away part of precious friday night loitering around takashimaya, cinneleisure and heeren... and to my most pleasant suprise, being the ever discerning shopper I am, managed to let myself be tempted by some blouses, a bag and a watch! Such a shiok feeling having unplanned goodies land up on my plate. Perhaps it's Buddha's way of sayang-ing me.

The days ahead looks lonely (pa's going away for a long stretch) and a little uncertain. Maybe there would be more retail therapy episodes.

Last aussie entry (mid-flight, heading home)

Miss you very much again mama. You know, so high up here, lost amongst the clouds, I can almost feel you next to me, by the window, looking at me... So very much want to stay this way. Forever.

It had been slightly more than 6 mths, and... life does just carry on... somewhat. Time really doesn't stop for anyone. Ma, being so high up here makes me feel so close to you that it hurts. Where exactly are you NOW????? Love you lots forever Ma. And don't think we'd ever forget. Never.

Day 6

At Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort today. Gorgeous. Super pristine. It's so undisturbed (despite the fact it's a 'resort') that you get all sorts of amazing wild animals (e.g. pelicans and dolphins) coming close to the shore and saying 'hi'. The weather's sunny but breezy, temp around 20deg. And here I am, enjoying my local aussie brew & mudcake as I watch that big, orange glob of sun set right in front of me... Surely there can be no other better way to unwind after an intensive afternoon of brainwork with management sorting out nitty program details.



Ealier on, we had that rare opportunity to go dugong watching. The experience was almost surreal. So many dugongs (grandpapas, grandmamas, papas, mamas, babies) all frolicking in herds around you, luminated by sun's rays in that crystal clear, blue-green sea. Compare that to the pathetic, solitary, lethargic, patchy-skinned dugong we have back in our zoo (or was it the underwater world?)...

We were slotted for dolphin feeding later at night. That perhaps was a little more 'touristy' thing to do. With/without, I'm good. Guess it's the rites of ritual. Can't complain.

I think I could stay here for a while. =). Such a peaceful and environmentally-aware place... But hmmm, the draw of family & friends, of bak kut teh & fried oyster, of own house & work (hic) is just to great to ignore. Tomorrow I'd be heading home. Yeah. Thank you sponsors, for the free accom, food and transport. I'd do my best to execute some great follow-ups.

There will perhaps be one final concluding entry for this trip. Maybe on something I jotted while high up amongst the clouds, mid-flight on way back. Thanks for staying tuned.

Day 5

Today was spent entirely at University of Queensland, meeting the academic officers of various departments, planning and negotiating, consulting and requesting... Numerous name cards changed hands. It's almost like Phua Chu Kang doing some big business. Satisfyingly challenging but absolutely draining.



But frankly, I'm glad for the opportunity to visit UQ. Looking at those colonial-styled buildings, the heady buzz at Students Union and the noisy clusters of sparkling-eyed undergraduates of mixed nationalities, it brought back a whole flood of memories of my own undergrad days spent in Canada on the exchange program. Boy, how I miss those days, where there's sit-in demonstrations against abortion, campus booze nites and movie marathons, massive Thanksgiving cook-outs, and late night cookie-eating parties...



I digress. Back to UQ. Foundation's laid. Next year, if all goes well, there'd probably be a few more collaborations with them, from the humanities to the sciences. It's been a long day. Time for a break. Two more days to home sweet home. Tomorrow we'd be running away to a beautiful dolphin resort called Tangalooma. See you there.

Happy Mid Autumn

I've never really liked mooncakes... those sticky, oily, difficult-to-digest, nauseatingly sweet round pies... But i like to celebrate the festival, with lanterns and candles, and pots of hot chinese tea with a small piece of mooncake. Our family used to park ourselves at Mt Faber each year, to quietly admire and soak in the moonshine, and reflect on the good times spent.

This morning was spent visiting temple-columbariums (in Bishan, Telok Kurau, and Ang Mo Kio), saying hello to both sets of beloved grandparents, an uncle and mama of course. Telling them it's the 15th day of 8th lunar month again, and that the surviving ones are still behaving themselves so there's no need to worry.

The light whift of incense smoke and the droning murmurs of chants started the Mid Autumn for my family (and whatever is left of it).

Day 4

Today's sunday - our designated R&R day, with no meetings scheduled and no reports to mull over in the dead of the night. Yippeeeee!!

Drove from Toowoomba all the way back to Brisbane, another long ride by s'pore's standards, but this one's filled with anticipation coz I'm aiming to catch a Sunday Market back at Southbanks, Brisbane! I LOVE MARKETS! All those quirky outdoor stalls selling this whole jaw-dropping + eyeball-popping range of peculiar stuff!! Just my cuppa tea. =)



Saw really eccentric things like suspended witch-dolls with red eyes that would flash, and bodies that would rock forward & backward, letting out hideous guffaws whenever you clap your hands in front of it...



and bananas that contain chocolate WITHIN them - yummy but very expensive => A$2.50 for each banana!



but the BEST thing is... sunnytears got herself a temporary tattoo at the market! Last for a week, applied using good quality spray-paint. Only one word - BEAUTIFUL. Yippeeee!!



More to come for Day 5.

staying put

alrighty, am back. sorry for this short disappearing act. just needed some quiet time to think through future work direction...

so yes, sunnytears will remain at current place. she has resisted the temptation to move to buona vis heartbeat. it was quite an agonizing struggle, a head-versus-heart kind of fight... perhaps a few yrs down the road, she'd look back at this and laugh at its trivality, but it was definitely rather distressing to ding-dong between the 'to-gos' and 'not-to-gos' so often these few days.

it's better to spare u the painful details here and move on to the lighter stuff, so my dear readers, it's back to day 4 finally! hope u have not morphed into mouldy mushrooms waiting by now... =)

take a break... have a... think-out

hello, sorry, sunnytears needs to take a day or two off to think about work stuff.. day 4 entry will come as soon as she gets her direction sorted out. & there'd probably be an update on her job route too. adieus for a (short) while....

Day 3

Day 3 only, but have seen and done so much, it felt like it's been 4-5 days already.

Today, left the mountains and drove 3.5hrs to a countryside city called Toowoomba. Beautiful place, but located far inland. The drive along those long stretches of highway was occasionally sleep-inducing.

Really grateful for the wonderful hospitality shown by a s'porean couple who's based at our Oakey air-force base near Toowoomba, as well as an australian couple who also happen to be some important town officials. Handsome couples both, with lovely and well-mannered kids to boot. How fortunate.



Visited a flying museum at the australian army base (majestic planes, both ancient & modern), a heritage fair at Woolshed (sheep shearing + farm life), and ended off with a sumptuous dinner absolutely aust-styled (bbq + beer). (yep, believe me, i'm still on a WORKING trip, just that Day 3 is more of planning for recreational activities, the most relaxed of all days...)





Ran out of credits on calling card... Couldn't talk to pa tonight. Sad way to end a nice day.

p.s. sorry pinksmurffy, this is the only other pic i took of that wonderful cottage-styled accomodation for day 2. this is the outside, a row of rooms, built from totally natural resources. nice eh. =)

Day 2

Day 2 was surreal. We were by then abt 660m above sea level. Up the winding roads and past rolling hills where cows of all colours grazed, to a mountain lodge tucked in the middle of thousands of acres of sub-tropical rainforests, where red-tailed bush turkeys nonchalently crossed our paths and a multitude of crystal-clear birdy chirps echo. It was an awesome, endless spread of natural scenery, and with a superb temp of abt 15 deg all day long, this nature freak really couldn't ask for more.

Of course, objective is to suss out possibility of holding confidence training + team building + eco camp for kid-clients here in the future. Multiple field sites to be recced, program details to be mulled over, costings to be negotiated, reports to be prepared all in a day... but heck, working in such an environment is hardly considered work. =) And just look at the beds I get to sleep in. Utter country bliss. Couldn't get cosier.



And of course, a swoonsome eco guide provided just the icing on the cake.



With such a rejuvenating 'back-to-nature' experience, sunnytears surrendered, and no longer thought about hurrying home.

Day 1

man, it was a pretty long flight to Brisbane, Queensland... 7.5hrs. lucky i've got my Krisworld in-flight entertainment to help me pass time. watched some ridiculously funny korean love comedy. aiyoh, those korean hunks are so rebelliously cool. *drool drool*

okay okay, i must admit. it's been a good trip overall. weather was wonderful - so cool & dry i think i can run 2.4km without breaking out into any smelly sweat. fulfiled all my work objectives AND didn't murder my supervisor (in fact, he's quite a pleasant travel companion lah, not those super fussy/naggy/boring/irritating/bossy/impatient type). *thank buddha*

day 1 was spent on an offshore island called North Stradbroke Island. very pristine place with a wide range of undisturbed ecosystems (marine, mangroves, rainforests, freshwater lakes...), just the right hide-out for my kid-clients to carry out their research attachments. whole morning + afternoon was spent thrashing out programme details with the aussies-in-charge, straightening out the logistics and nitty-gritties...

day 1, there was already quite a bit of driving done. and well... i was an alert passenger throughout as my supervisor-driver-who-doesn't-drive-often-back-home could do with some encouragement/supervision/help... + we're not too familiar with the aussie road system. quite tedious. =P

work-wise, day 1 was smooth like milkshake.

but i am already thinking of going home.



it was only beacuse of these humongous-till-almost-unreal choc eclairs that i stayed. yah, i know. go ahead and faint.

Miss the bak kut teh

Hey dudes/dude-desses, I'm back! Will fill you in on the happenings in just a while, after this zombie gets a weeny bit of rest k. Meanwhile, check out this pic I took. That guy's playing the "didgeridoo" - an australian aboriginal music instrument. Cool eh? =) Will return with more pics and stories in a while!