For You

The thing that mama liked best about lunar new year is the Yu Sheng. Every year, she'd pull papa around the whole island, eating Yu Sheng where she found them. Every other day, without fail. She held her record (20+ Yu Sheng within the 15 lunar new year days) as proudly as a young child would his prized toy car. This year, papa brought the Yu Sheng to her. One simple NTUC-packed vegetarian Yu Sheng. Placed on the altar, complete with her own pair of red, wooden chopsticks.

I think mama would be happy.

On the second day of lunar new year

Gong Xi Gong Xi. Happy Wang Wang Year ahead my friends.

So fast, today's Chu Er already. How's your CNY been so far - went to throng the chinatown bazaar? collected mountains of ang baos? met up with long-lost buddies? entertained naggy-but-well-meaning uncles-aunties? gorged urself silly with heaty goodies and expensive delicacies? prayed to ancestors and asked for blessings at temples? struck gold-pot at mahjong and blackjack tables? hid at home and slept whole day? hit the gym and sweated it out?

It's a nice long break eh, these 4 days. I can't bear to see it end. The next public hol will come around only in mid april, guess we'd be as dead as the dried bak kwa by then. Darwin's theory of evolution - only the fittest will survive. See you at the finishing line.

I thought I wouldn't be able to get through this period very well. Suprisingly, it has been easier and more normal than expected. I must thank all those sensitive, generous relatives and friends who offered their presence.

Then again, there are also some who tried to jokingly wish papa good luck in finding gf soon. Call me humourless, but I couldn't seriously even manage a nanometre of smile. Give us a break. Mama's as immortalized in my heart as in papa's heart.

Then again, maybe I'm taking it all too seriously.

But life, is not all just a big joke.

Or is it?

down and out

was down and out of action for the past 2 days. attacked by those menacing cold-sore throat-cough bugs... did nothing except lie in a crumpled mess under those woolly blankets. but now, I'm back in action! nostrils still a little stuck with all those drying-up bits of green gooey sticky mess, but otherwise, am alrights. thanks for all your concern (for those who smsed and knew abt it). =)

would be able to meet up with frankenfish, MLL, and budo. yippee. so chinese new year is just a few millimetres away, hope you are in a celebratory mood. i probably will take it as just another rest-nuah period. it used to be my favorite, but now, nope... it means the anniversaries are near. how absolutely dreadful. =(

happy stuffing urself with all those bak kwas, kueh bulus, pineapple tarts, almond cookies.

just remember not to let the bad bugs bite.

Neat Freak

I just spent half an afternoon clearing my desk. Categorising all those irritating loose sheets, clipping, filing, indexing, highlighting, stapling, shelving... And boy, my cubicle is now so clean, tidy and uncluttered, I literally get a high just looking at it! It's like some clean singapore expressway, so in place, so organized, so unobstructed... I feel like pasting a big red "Great Job" star somewhere, from myself to myself.

Oh boy, am I suffering from some neat-freak-disorder?

Then again, in probably another 24hrs time, it'd start its descent back to the deep dark abyess of messiness.

The return of small old buddy

Frankenfish is back! Yippee!

Back for 3 weeks and then swimming back to good ole sausage land again.

Welcome home fish, wonder how you look now. Counting down to thursday... =)

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Received my first round of ang baos yesterday. By right, there shouldn't be any form of celebration since it's still within the first year of mourning. But by left, relatives still hold gatherings, prepare feasts, and invite me. The 21st century.. is not for the really inflexible.

friday night

Friday night. 8.30pm. Neighbourhood coffeeshop.

An old uncle, leg propped up, half-drunk kopi-O on table, chopsticks strewn around an empty greasy plate, eyes fixated on tv screen.

A middle-aged man, stirring his teh-O, serious and silent, lost in uncle-world.

A table of 13, chopsticks flying around in the air, rowdily making small talk, devouring black pepper crabs, teochew-styled steamed fish, sambal kangkong, hot plate toufu.

A family of 5, sharing mee and rice, chatting in native tagalog in hushed tones.

A lone lady, hidden amongst the crowd, eating for the sake of living, living for the sake of ?.

And this is how some ppl spend their friday nights.

Easing into it... I hope

After two terrible weeks of non-stop, work-related dreams @ night, this week... I finally got some better rest. The past fortnight had been nightmarish. I'd almost come to fear my bed. Would dream of ppl piling on work to an already wobbly mountain, of scary VIPs giving me sinister looks, of having continuous 10-period lessons, of all the unspeakable and the unthinkable... This is the price to pay for the bigger office and the upgraded title.

But this week's way better. Today's thursday, and I've been able to sleep okay for the past 3 nights. Perhaps I am slowly easing into my new role liao. Pray, let this be true. I hate to be a victim of work stress. Such extended mental torture is rare. I had been challenged. God/Buddha/Allah/Lord Khrishnu, do grant me the strength, will & luck to overcome this.

Like a tea bag, one never know how strong one can be until put into hot water. I am in a state of flux.

Thou... shalt not break.

What's wrong?

As I sit in my pathetic little office and chew on that rubbery lumps of vegetarian mock meat, I read the recent flurry of emails sent by my sec sch frens... and I weep.

Aiyohz, I think that's it liao. One's just ROM-ed with his gal; another's marrying his korean stead in March (in korea!); another pair's exchanging vows in Jun; and a few more sharing their honey-sweet, pre-marriage vacation pics like nobody's business... Such charming eligible guys & gals, all busy building/starting to build their cosy little families. And what am I doing? Wasting away, languishing the passage of time, spending energy and grey matter on cheeky kids and stacks of lifeless papers and books that do not talk, laugh, cry, scold, hug, and earning myself amazing progressions in status that I have not even set out to achieve. Such is the irony of life.

I do not intend to be the next Sumiko Tan - the super-power woman who used to whine about her past/present/future romances, and who ends up as a single, 40-ish lady now.

But then again, frankly speaking... although it seems like I do whine and sometimes ask for peach to blossom, I think, I probably am not ready to take it up even if someone right is to come by now... Haiz, I am such a half-baked, whimsy irritating crabbie.

Just what is wrong with me?

The Sun's Out

The sky stopped raining for Stefanie on sat night. Little wonder, she's Ms SUN and she's holding her one-night only concert @ Singapore Indoor Stadium. The sky cheered, and elusive Mr Moon peeked out from behind his thick blanket of floozy clouds.

Having been around for the past 5 yrs (I thought it's been 10), Stefanie's got much to croon about really. From Most Promising Newcomer to Favorite Chinese Female Singer... she's come a long way in a short time.

But on sat, she seemed subdued, perhaps saddened by the sight of unfilled seats in the hall. Not sold-out... Small, dispersed clusters of flourescent-sticks waving diehards... Audiences who seemed to have butts stuck to their seats and hands glued to their laps... Even the row of golden-haired bengs in front of me were so well-behaved, you'd think they are in some school hall waiting for their A-level slips..

But then again, perhaps this is some kinda positive feedback thing. Stefanie is better known for her singing than performing (though these days, one ignores either at one's peril). She is, frankly, stiff on stage. Her moves are well-rehearsed but forced. She prefers jeans/slacks to puffy dresses. She sings, but she does not perform.

But then again, with such powerful, unique vocals, Stefanie can, and will continue to rule. The heavens will cheer for her.

Freakin' COLD

*shiver shiver shiver shiver*

Holy cow... I wonder why the heaven's so agonized. It's been crying for the past 4 days non-stop man!! Carry on somemore and those low-lying areas on our tiny red dot will flood and the people living there will ready sob. So many trees have fallen, it began to look like some illegal loggers had invaded.

And then, all that pit-pelting rain and howling winds... is so terribly sleep-inducing... Just take today, I woke up at 10am, had a giant breakfast, and then at 12noon, I'm tucked under the blankets snoring away again... Damn, what a healthy lifestyle. If all tai-tais live this way, I wouldn't mind becoming one.

It's still drizzling drops outside. The reservoirs are the happiest. What a wet beginning to 2006.

Happy Hari Raya Haji everyone. Thankfully, those at Mecca enjoy better weather. I'd pray for NO stampede in my dreams later. God is Great. Please watch over your faithfuls.

Why no skirt

I don't know why people find it suprising to see me wear skirts. Haiz, come on lah, the reason why I SELDOM (and not never) wear skirts is not because I am scared of wearing them. It is just that:

1) I think I am too short to carry off most skirts/dresses well (but this doesn't mean I wouldn't or haven't tried)
2) I am an active, bouncy gal and I like to hop, sit cross-legged and pants/jeans/shorts suit my lifestyle more than skirts/dresses do.

The bigger the fuss you make about me wearing skirts/dresses, the less likely I would wear them in future because I do not like such attention.

If you happen to see me in one, do not exclaim "WAH! You are wearing a skirt today ah!!" Come on, in this world, there ARE such things as silly questions. Do not ask the obvious.

Skirt or not, I am my own girl.

To laugh or cry?

There are really some pretty quirky people around. Am not sure how their brains can conjure up such wonderfully hilarious inventions. So creative, yet so impractically useful.

Am sure you've experienced some irritating little inconveniences every now and then. Ever came up with crazy ways to overcome them? Check these out, perhaps you'd be inspired to work that brain cells + funny bone a little harder next time.


The all-day tissue dispenser


The dual toothbrush


The noodle cooler

Einstein's got competition.

Ni Hao

Good morning. Rise and Shine. It's back to singing majulah early in the freaking cold mornings again.

TGIF. Tomorrow I can finally sleep in, snuggle under the warm fluffy blankets till the sun burns my butt.

How's all of you been? Life goes on eh, like clockwork, tick tock tick tock. But hey, we are growing older by the milliseconds you know, so before our time runs out, let's turn to our beloved(s) and give them one tight bao(4) bao(4) now.

*Big hugs dears*

And now back to the tick tock tick tock busy hectic crazy life.

Ready, get set....

When I was young, still a small school kid, I'd always (usually) have trouble zzzing the night before school reopens... call it excitement, or stress. whatever. Tonight though, I wonder how many other small kids would do the same - tossing and turning and climbing into their mama-papa's bed in the middle of dark sinnister night. Good luck buddies, you'd live through. The sun still rises tomorrow.

An uncle got me 5 new goldfishes. Perhaps he thought he saw sadness in my smile. I'm actually scared to receive them, these 5 bouncy big things, thrashing about in the waters. I don't want them to be rebound cases. But alas, there they are now, enjoying the jacuzzi in my aquarium now. Buddha, please guide me.

Alrights, new year, new start. 2006 would be much more challenging work-wise. Some fortune teller also told me to open eyes big big just in case peach blossoms in front of my goatie face. So wish me luck.

It is difficult starting a year, and getting by it without mama. So wish me lots of strength too.

And I wish the same for you, whether you are studying, researching, working, or simply nuahing.