A good fren @ work said I've been looking too serious lately. Yeah, can feel the strain myself too. Facial muscles not working out as much as they shd. Perhaps it's the preparation for the events to come. Can only pray that all goes well next week... and forever! Ha.
Anyways, in the past week alone, 2 well-meaning dear frens wanted to intro 3 eligible male frens to me. Smart ones, efficient ones, shy ones, outdoorsy ones, and also a feminine one. Hahaha. Yups, no prob. Widening social circle is always welcomed. Added bonus if sparks do fly. But everything will have to wait till next week's done with.
Just booked tickets for 2 more performances - Aust-born Chinese singer-songwriter Deb Fung's acoustic pop ballards concert that promises to "lure listeners into moments of reflection, rest and release", and a S'pore Arts Fest item - Mechatronica: a music concert that integrates art and engineering prdt invention, using self-made, space-age looking gadgets that "lie beyond the common sense in the realm of the nonsensical"... haha, i like them both already.
This yr, I've surely made a more conscious effort to balance my life, won't you agree?
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Hacked
Damn... the M hackers. Super irritating to have the M hackers' gibberish homepage pop up everytime u open a new browser, and to have to assess built-in/external drives by right-clicking instead of double-clicking. And goodness know what the silly virus/hackers may do to the files and passwords... Was at its/their mercy for the past 2.5days (and more than a few of us at work got it too, suspected to have caught it by using clean thumbdrives on infected PCs at central workstation). Hardworking TA sweated and finally got the solution, exterminating the bug today and restoring normalcy. =P
Anyways, I've been turning in really early these 2 nites, just as the cinderella clock struck 10pm. Don't know why that fatigue level, but the eyes and soul just seem to shut down, even when the weather's so unbearably humid and hot. Or perhaps it IS becoz' the weather's so unbearably humid and hot. =P
Thursday in just 2hrs time. Great. Another badminton workout.
Next week will be a duper busy week. Many ppl popping over for a visit. May the nerves stay steely and words flow eloquently.
Looking forward to GOOD Friday already.
Anyways, I've been turning in really early these 2 nites, just as the cinderella clock struck 10pm. Don't know why that fatigue level, but the eyes and soul just seem to shut down, even when the weather's so unbearably humid and hot. Or perhaps it IS becoz' the weather's so unbearably humid and hot. =P
Thursday in just 2hrs time. Great. Another badminton workout.
Next week will be a duper busy week. Many ppl popping over for a visit. May the nerves stay steely and words flow eloquently.
Looking forward to GOOD Friday already.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Primary School Magic
What a nice gathering. =)
Pri Sch gang (yups, 1.5 decades old of pals) met up for a BBQ @ west coast park yesterday evening. Decided to save ourselves the trouble of cleaning and marinating chic wings etc, so relied on vendor - BBQ Wholesale. A total of 17 pallies reported at Pit 9, braving the smoky flavorful air and some irritating flies, to catch up with each other at this usually-twice-a-year-big-group-gatherings.
The early birds who arrived at 6pm
Starting fire
Marshmellows at attention
Us @ pit
Too much food. Beng(1) kang(1)-ed from 6pm till 10pm and still, there's a box of chic wings, a box of sambal sting ray, 3 packs of hot dogs, a pack of otahs, a pack of satay and some plates of bee hoon left. We were more than done.
After we stoned enough @ nearby Mac, half the group adjourned to west coast recreational centre for a game of bowling. There were some brillant triple strikes (they call it turkey?), balanced by a fair bit of gutter-washing. Left about 1am. And the centre's still more than half-packed with Remy Ong-wannabes.
Some of us @ alley
Further reduction of wide-eyed participants down by 2, and then it's off to nostalgic Fong Seng prata shop for our milky teriks before zzz time. One hr+ of hilarious ribbing and reminescence later, as more undergrads/postgrads/aunties + uncles/couples strolled in, hovering over tables, prata uncle decided that the 7 of us had more than overstayed our 7 cups of teh teriks, and proceeded to clear the table with/without our "consent". Time to pat our bums and bid each other a fond adieus!
Some of us with our tehs/milos
It was a wonderful night. Till next time!
It was a wonderful night. Till next time!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Low Day
After writing this, I'd do what I just promised dad over the long distance phone call - forget & move on, for "Everyone makes mistakes. The more you remember, the more tortured you'd be and the more mistakes you'd further make." Alrights pa, I heard you. (Actually, it's simple logic. Just hard to do, for a perfectionist who cares about what others think. Blah)
Today's a low day. Big sian. And why is that so?
Coz:
1) I made a super duper boo boo during a VIP's visit to institution. Quoting someone, I "gave a good answer to a non-existent question". Which means, I made a fool outta myself by answering totally off tangent, such that boss had to rephrase question & get someone else to answer, and it all happened in front of a crowd of >10pax, including a sprinkling of mini-VIPs. What a big malu blah. Felt deflated for most part of the afternoon.
and then,
2) After a 3hr training session, was about to leave for safe haven when aunt called and said Uncle's admitted. Dionk - u can almost hear my hanging heart knock the floor. 1hr bus journey later, sky's dark and I reached hospital to, thankfully find uncle not in breathing difficulty, but sadly his body covered with multiple, sporadic patches of bleeding sores. The itch bug has hit real bad - he just can't stop scratching and it only leads to open, red wounds that'd not heal. Everywhere.
Ok, I'm done with the writing. Gg to do up the laundry and hope for a better day tomorrow.
Gradual degeneration. That's the theme for today.
Today's a low day. Big sian. And why is that so?
Coz:
1) I made a super duper boo boo during a VIP's visit to institution. Quoting someone, I "gave a good answer to a non-existent question". Which means, I made a fool outta myself by answering totally off tangent, such that boss had to rephrase question & get someone else to answer, and it all happened in front of a crowd of >10pax, including a sprinkling of mini-VIPs. What a big malu blah. Felt deflated for most part of the afternoon.
and then,
2) After a 3hr training session, was about to leave for safe haven when aunt called and said Uncle's admitted. Dionk - u can almost hear my hanging heart knock the floor. 1hr bus journey later, sky's dark and I reached hospital to, thankfully find uncle not in breathing difficulty, but sadly his body covered with multiple, sporadic patches of bleeding sores. The itch bug has hit real bad - he just can't stop scratching and it only leads to open, red wounds that'd not heal. Everywhere.
Ok, I'm done with the writing. Gg to do up the laundry and hope for a better day tomorrow.
Gradual degeneration. That's the theme for today.
Monday, March 19, 2007
The 11th Hour
Ah... I must tell u abt sat's performance. One of the final acts for the annual Mosaic Music Festival, the 11th Hour - Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra was one crazy outing. Let me quote some parts from "The Mosaic Times" (a complimentary, colourful, super gd quality + well packaged festival programme guide):
"Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra was formed as a party band in the late 80s by a group of young musicians with a crazy sense of humour... Its unique Tokyo-ska sound was known to be unlike that of any of its contemporaries, featuring an instrumental, eclectic mix of traditional ska, jazz and rock...the band's sound is so contemporary and fresh and its members so energetic that younger bands of the genre fall by the wayside in comparison..."
"Energetic" is an understatement. Let's just say the 70min performance (w/o intermission) is executed by 10 duracell-ed, rapid-fire (in talk + song + play), PINK-tuxedoed Japanese men who appeared to be musically-talented descendents of another cosmos. Those accustomed to the usual sit-down, prim & proper, classic orchestra acts are in for the rudest shock. This mad-cap performance, where the 10 duracell bunnies jazzed and rocked their way through, "flinging and flanging" their trombones, saxophones, keyboards, drums and guitars with wild abundance while running all over the stage (and almost off it at some points), is a truly refreshing change.
Heck, they got the fluorescent-stick-waving crowd (many jap and ang moh expats amongst the locals) standing up, dancing, waving, shaking their heads & arms & bom boms before they even got through their first song! And 90% of the time, I believe many in the crowd (full-house in the concert hall) had no idea what they were singing/talking about. It's really the whole package that made every cent worth it, + the sight of fellow nocturnals utterly lost in music land. The audience, sometimes, can really make or break a performance.
Anyways, enough of it. Just too bad I didn't managed to get tickets for other acts. Next year, I'd be more than ready. Bring it on!
"Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra was formed as a party band in the late 80s by a group of young musicians with a crazy sense of humour... Its unique Tokyo-ska sound was known to be unlike that of any of its contemporaries, featuring an instrumental, eclectic mix of traditional ska, jazz and rock...the band's sound is so contemporary and fresh and its members so energetic that younger bands of the genre fall by the wayside in comparison..."
"Energetic" is an understatement. Let's just say the 70min performance (w/o intermission) is executed by 10 duracell-ed, rapid-fire (in talk + song + play), PINK-tuxedoed Japanese men who appeared to be musically-talented descendents of another cosmos. Those accustomed to the usual sit-down, prim & proper, classic orchestra acts are in for the rudest shock. This mad-cap performance, where the 10 duracell bunnies jazzed and rocked their way through, "flinging and flanging" their trombones, saxophones, keyboards, drums and guitars with wild abundance while running all over the stage (and almost off it at some points), is a truly refreshing change.
Heck, they got the fluorescent-stick-waving crowd (many jap and ang moh expats amongst the locals) standing up, dancing, waving, shaking their heads & arms & bom boms before they even got through their first song! And 90% of the time, I believe many in the crowd (full-house in the concert hall) had no idea what they were singing/talking about. It's really the whole package that made every cent worth it, + the sight of fellow nocturnals utterly lost in music land. The audience, sometimes, can really make or break a performance.
Anyways, enough of it. Just too bad I didn't managed to get tickets for other acts. Next year, I'd be more than ready. Bring it on!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Chance meeting, DVD and Music
Ooh, small world. During one of the toilet breaks during IE course yesterday, was walking back to lecture theatre when I saw a familiar figure yakking away on the phone, in front of the learning centre. It's Ming - a pal from 7 yrs ago, when we both pursued our overseas student exchange programme in Canada (he coming in from an Aussie Uni and myself from NUS)!
Aiyoh, so qiao. He's in IE for a part-time Masters and happened to be at that learning centre to check on his wet experiments that afternoon. We hung ard quite a bit while in beautiful canada, checking out "authentic" s'porean eateries and venturing on long bus rides on occasional weekends. Kept in touch a little following the end of the 6 mth stint, but since we were both busying ourselves back in aussie/spore with our undergrad studies & lives, communication's mainly restricted to the occasional email and sms (when he returned to red dot for visits). Anyways, good to see him again. Just that it'd be time to say bye again soon, for he'd be off, back to Aussie again for his Permanent Head Damage stint. Woah... I'd be so surrounded by "Drs" in another couple of yrs time.
Anyways, after the initial burst of "attentiveness" during thurs class, found it harder to concentrate on friday. Perhaps, there's a little of information overload and the way it's administered - sit down from 9am till 5pm, listening to/participating in verbal dialogue, with only 2 tea-breaks and 1 lunch break. I think, after a while, no matter how stimulating the content, a one-style-only pedagogical strategy really does become a little heavy on the grey-white matter. Went home to recharge with rented dvd - "Thank You For Smoking". Humanely funny. Nice.
Today, I'd have to fulfil 2 baking orders and then clear work (either house or office). Intend to console myself (over the impending passing of the mar break) by attending a concert @ Esplanade. Perhaps the Mosaic act TwentyThree by Tristan Prettyman or 11th Hour - Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Music almost always rejuvenates the soul.
Alrights, you have the best weekend.
Aiyoh, so qiao. He's in IE for a part-time Masters and happened to be at that learning centre to check on his wet experiments that afternoon. We hung ard quite a bit while in beautiful canada, checking out "authentic" s'porean eateries and venturing on long bus rides on occasional weekends. Kept in touch a little following the end of the 6 mth stint, but since we were both busying ourselves back in aussie/spore with our undergrad studies & lives, communication's mainly restricted to the occasional email and sms (when he returned to red dot for visits). Anyways, good to see him again. Just that it'd be time to say bye again soon, for he'd be off, back to Aussie again for his Permanent Head Damage stint. Woah... I'd be so surrounded by "Drs" in another couple of yrs time.
Anyways, after the initial burst of "attentiveness" during thurs class, found it harder to concentrate on friday. Perhaps, there's a little of information overload and the way it's administered - sit down from 9am till 5pm, listening to/participating in verbal dialogue, with only 2 tea-breaks and 1 lunch break. I think, after a while, no matter how stimulating the content, a one-style-only pedagogical strategy really does become a little heavy on the grey-white matter. Went home to recharge with rented dvd - "Thank You For Smoking". Humanely funny. Nice.
Today, I'd have to fulfil 2 baking orders and then clear work (either house or office). Intend to console myself (over the impending passing of the mar break) by attending a concert @ Esplanade. Perhaps the Mosaic act TwentyThree by Tristan Prettyman or 11th Hour - Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Music almost always rejuvenates the soul.
Alrights, you have the best weekend.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Rewind... Recap
5 days since I last checked in.
Sunday
Day started at 5am. Made my way in pitch darkness to XX condo in Clementi, all ready for my role as "bridesmaid-cum-sister-cum-photographer-cum-ppt producer". Bao(1) ga(1) liao(4). Quite amazing when I think back now. Anyways, it's the usual hustle bustle as we made our way to & fro Clementi and Kallang. Tea sessions, dress changes, photo-taking, customary "feedings" of tang yuans + vermicelli etc. By the time the morning session ended, it was 2pm and I then had to squeeze out a decent photo montage-ppt in 2hrs, captions and animations and all, no matter how bleary-eyed I was. By 5.30pm, was already at M hotel, helping to tidy up any remaining loose ends. By 7pm, was at reception table, smiling sweetly and collecting ang baos. By the time the whole day ended, it was abt 11pm. Solid tired, but very happy for HL. A new phase of life for her. May there be countless yrs of married bliss ahead for the rabbit couple.
Monday-Tuesday
Whole day of admissions appeal duty on Mon. Followed by meetings. Drained. Lucky ended off nicely with a taka crystal jade dinner with IE pals. Updated them abt JL incident and they dished the same advice as all of you did - get that idiot outta my thoughts & life! Haiz, it actually smacks of cowardice, doesn't it? What a pity, I did (do??) like him.
Anyways, another early morning meeting on Tue that stretched into noon. After which, a mad dash to KL with dad, desperate for a getaway to food + shopping heaven. Reached there abt 6pm and was welcomed by a big party at one of the most expensive seafood restaurants off KL city. Went on to read 3 days of S'pore Straits Times (yep, I brought them along) before I turned in, way past midnight.
Wednesday
Morning's spent in dad's office doing up some work (not of choice lah, ppl across the causeway were waiting for me). Treated to another yummy, traditional Hokkien lunch (steamed fish, prawns, cabbage, mian(4) xian(4), oyster omelette) at Klang by dad's frens. Then squeezed out a 3hr shopping session - but only got distracted by a pair of white slip-ons. The rest of the stuff in the mall, are really more for either the ah-sohs or the teeny-boppers. V extreme but it's true. Made our way back in rainy conditions and reached home 11pm+. What a rushed trip. It totally smelt of desperation, doesn't it? =P I promise I won't attempt such 2D1N drive thru' to KL anymore. Madness.
Thursday-Friday
On course @ IE these 2 days. Very good to eat @ IE canteen and walk along the high-ceilinged endless corridors again. All else equal, I think I like NTU-NIE much more than NUS. Less claustrophoic a feeling it gives. Today's session was good. A great deal of gd questions asked by attentive participants and answered by a very knowledgable lecturer, evidently passionate abt his subject area. Made me really missed those studying days in uni.
Got the sad news, though, that a student's dad just passed away. He's one of the top students in class. I share his grief. But the healing journey, he'd have to walk it thru' himself. Told him to take his time, but also to be strong for the rest of family while he's at it. Sharing experience, you may say.
Anyways, so very fast. One week break's gone. And the real academic yr will then commence. On your mark......
Argh.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Bday, Birth, Wedding
On Fri, an uncle (rather distant one) celebrated his 80th bday. At that ripe old age, he is still a very rosy picture of gd health. A steady gait, great eyesight, gd appetite and an active mind. What a lucky man. 6 tables of traditional cantonese delicacies filled the stomachs of 60 ppl, young and old. It was a noisy night at the restaurant. Can't help but think of grandpa - think several others at my table too.
After that, my volunteer buddies popped by for a late-nite catch up, with one of them bringing along his precious newborn. My goodness, so tiny, so red, so soft, so smooth, so handsome!! He gurgled so much as he stretched that he turned red in his tiny little face! Alamak, so very cute. But I cannot imagine myself being a mother now. To be ready to breastfeed 2-3hrs day and night, to patiently change diapers after every feed, to be within 2 elbow lengths anytime from the baby in case he tries some stunts when I'm not ard etc etc. Hmmm. But the baby really v cute, I must say. Hope he'd have a good, fruitful life ahead.
Today, I managed to clear some work, clean house and steal a nap. Tomorrow's gg to be a hectic day (start at 5.30am and prob end ard 11pm). Gg to be bridesmaid/sister again, this time for a dear colleague. Am really happy that she got to meet her man. It'd be a whole new wonderful new phase for her from tomorrow onwards. Good luck and enjoy the days ahead, dear HL.
I'm ready for mine to appear too. Before I turn into some sour wrinkled pickles. Any good lobangs, just fedex him over. Ribbons optional.
After that, my volunteer buddies popped by for a late-nite catch up, with one of them bringing along his precious newborn. My goodness, so tiny, so red, so soft, so smooth, so handsome!! He gurgled so much as he stretched that he turned red in his tiny little face! Alamak, so very cute. But I cannot imagine myself being a mother now. To be ready to breastfeed 2-3hrs day and night, to patiently change diapers after every feed, to be within 2 elbow lengths anytime from the baby in case he tries some stunts when I'm not ard etc etc. Hmmm. But the baby really v cute, I must say. Hope he'd have a good, fruitful life ahead.
Today, I managed to clear some work, clean house and steal a nap. Tomorrow's gg to be a hectic day (start at 5.30am and prob end ard 11pm). Gg to be bridesmaid/sister again, this time for a dear colleague. Am really happy that she got to meet her man. It'd be a whole new wonderful new phase for her from tomorrow onwards. Good luck and enjoy the days ahead, dear HL.
I'm ready for mine to appear too. Before I turn into some sour wrinkled pickles. Any good lobangs, just fedex him over. Ribbons optional.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Maybe you can shed some light
Really. Believe it or not, I know it's fate. Oh come on, I could have:
1) gone for a haircut on a different day
2) reported for my haircut at the designated time
3) just ate at any of the many restaurants at Shaw
4) ventured over to any of the buildings along Orchard
5) proceeded to any other levels of Wheelock at that time
6) decided to queue at any other restaurants
7) decided to pop by the ladies before going to check out Sakae
BUT I:
1) cut my hair at my usual salon today
2) turned up half hr late for my haircut
3) skipped all the restaurants at Shaw
4) skipped all other buildings along Orchard and zeroed in on Wheelock
5) skipped Borders-browsing before dinner
6) fixed my mind on Jap food - so it's sakae sushi or nothing
7) used Shaw's loo earlier, so there's no urgency to use Wheelock's before dinner
And b'coz of this.............................. I suddenly found myself standing behind JL (yups, the long disappeared aussie pal) and his gal pal, in the sakae queue. I only got to notice it one second (i'm not exaggerating) before he and fren suddenly strolled off. I'd like to think that he didn't see me, and they went off b'coz they decided their Jap urge wasn't worth the queue. But the weird thing is, he actually turned back once, sideways 90deg, as they walked away, as if stealing a peek behind. Man! He and his gal fren, walking away. The physical distance, pace, body lang weren't intimate, but weren't perfectly innocent either. Before you start to use the word "paranoid" on me, consider the power of a woman's instinct. =P
Anyways, at that incredulous moment (I still can't believe how precise that timing is), I felt a mix of disappointment and relief. Disappointed coz I wasn't the gal pal with him (haha), relief coz it provided some kind of understanding (no wonder our contact had diminished rather significantly - though i may have contributed somewhat to it too), and also a tinge of indignance (coz i thought he could still have just said hi). Anyways, after 15min of gaping in awe of the perfect coming together of events, I sent him a simple, innocent sms - "Hey! Were u at Wheelock just now? Thought I saw someone who looked like you. =)"
And guess what. It's been 4hrs since, and there was no reply. Aiyoh! Why like that? At wheelock means at wheelock; not at wheelock just say so loh. I don't understand.
Maybe you can help make some light out of this weird incident. (But I'm glad it happened. Like I said, at least somthing has happened and we can try to draw some conclusion out of it and move on).
p.s. Lucky I've gotten my hair nicely cut and styled by then, and am feeling good and confident as I strolled down that fateful aisle and made that fateful left turn to join that Sakae queue. So at least if he had really seen me before I saw him, it would have been a confident, presentable image. Argh.
1) gone for a haircut on a different day
2) reported for my haircut at the designated time
3) just ate at any of the many restaurants at Shaw
4) ventured over to any of the buildings along Orchard
5) proceeded to any other levels of Wheelock at that time
6) decided to queue at any other restaurants
7) decided to pop by the ladies before going to check out Sakae
BUT I:
1) cut my hair at my usual salon today
2) turned up half hr late for my haircut
3) skipped all the restaurants at Shaw
4) skipped all other buildings along Orchard and zeroed in on Wheelock
5) skipped Borders-browsing before dinner
6) fixed my mind on Jap food - so it's sakae sushi or nothing
7) used Shaw's loo earlier, so there's no urgency to use Wheelock's before dinner
And b'coz of this.............................. I suddenly found myself standing behind JL (yups, the long disappeared aussie pal) and his gal pal, in the sakae queue. I only got to notice it one second (i'm not exaggerating) before he and fren suddenly strolled off. I'd like to think that he didn't see me, and they went off b'coz they decided their Jap urge wasn't worth the queue. But the weird thing is, he actually turned back once, sideways 90deg, as they walked away, as if stealing a peek behind. Man! He and his gal fren, walking away. The physical distance, pace, body lang weren't intimate, but weren't perfectly innocent either. Before you start to use the word "paranoid" on me, consider the power of a woman's instinct. =P
Anyways, at that incredulous moment (I still can't believe how precise that timing is), I felt a mix of disappointment and relief. Disappointed coz I wasn't the gal pal with him (haha), relief coz it provided some kind of understanding (no wonder our contact had diminished rather significantly - though i may have contributed somewhat to it too), and also a tinge of indignance (coz i thought he could still have just said hi). Anyways, after 15min of gaping in awe of the perfect coming together of events, I sent him a simple, innocent sms - "Hey! Were u at Wheelock just now? Thought I saw someone who looked like you. =)"
And guess what. It's been 4hrs since, and there was no reply. Aiyoh! Why like that? At wheelock means at wheelock; not at wheelock just say so loh. I don't understand.
Maybe you can help make some light out of this weird incident. (But I'm glad it happened. Like I said, at least somthing has happened and we can try to draw some conclusion out of it and move on).
p.s. Lucky I've gotten my hair nicely cut and styled by then, and am feeling good and confident as I strolled down that fateful aisle and made that fateful left turn to join that Sakae queue. So at least if he had really seen me before I saw him, it would have been a confident, presentable image. Argh.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Advanced Bday Wishes
Fish!
I'm gg to do this 2 days in advance, so dig ur fishy ears and savour it! =) *ahem clear throat*
"HaPpY BiRthDaY to U,
HapPy BiRtHdAy to U,
Happy Birthday to Big Dear Fish,
HaPpY BiRtHdAy to U!!!"
Swimming into ur (7 X 4)th year, ur faithful pal from red hot dot sincerely wishes u many healthy, happy days ahead, filled with smooth experiments and promising results. May u attain Permanent Head Damage status within stipulated period so that u can return home to us soon. And importantly, may you continue to be surrounded by people who love and support u, wherever and whenever u are, in person or in emails. Have faith that all will work out somehow eventually, coz if we made it thru our past 20+++ yrs, we'd make it thru this too. No sweat.
On ur special day, have a little more fun and don't u even dare dream about attempting another mad 15hrs @ work. Go home and talk to ur purple plant (hope it's still surviving) if there's nothing else to do.
BiGGeSt HUGs!
I'm gg to do this 2 days in advance, so dig ur fishy ears and savour it! =) *ahem clear throat*
"HaPpY BiRthDaY to U,
HapPy BiRtHdAy to U,
Happy Birthday to Big Dear Fish,
HaPpY BiRtHdAy to U!!!"
Swimming into ur (7 X 4)th year, ur faithful pal from red hot dot sincerely wishes u many healthy, happy days ahead, filled with smooth experiments and promising results. May u attain Permanent Head Damage status within stipulated period so that u can return home to us soon. And importantly, may you continue to be surrounded by people who love and support u, wherever and whenever u are, in person or in emails. Have faith that all will work out somehow eventually, coz if we made it thru our past 20+++ yrs, we'd make it thru this too. No sweat.
On ur special day, have a little more fun and don't u even dare dream about attempting another mad 15hrs @ work. Go home and talk to ur purple plant (hope it's still surviving) if there's nothing else to do.
BiGGeSt HUGs!
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Homemade Muffins
After carrot cake and cherry rosettes, here come the Mighty Muffs'!
Drop a note if interested! =)
Introducing the:
1) Homemade Chocolate Chip & Almond Muffins
(with generous helpings of chip swirls & diced almonds)
and the
2) Homemade Berry Cheesecake Muffins
(with a yummy mixture of raspberry jam, mixed berry yoghurt and cream cheese)
The mighty muff' goes for S$1.50 a pc, with a mininum order of 6pcs.
Storage instructions:
- Can last 3 days in air-tight container in cool, dry environment.
- Can last up to 3 mths if kept frozen in air-tight freezer bag.
Drop a note if interested! =)
Friday, March 02, 2007
The Day
Woo hoo. Whew, lucky my goaty luck didn't let me down today. The kids did ok. Was just wishing that they could maintain pass- and quality-grade percentages somewhere around last yr's (which were already big enough shoes to fill), so was very pleasantly suprised when they managed to surpass that with a 95.1% pass grade and 78.1% A-C grade. Thank Buddha! Well done, my dragon babies! =) Of course, this is nothing (not even a shred of peanut skin) compared to what the smart whizzes achieved at top institutions (possibly 100% pass and 99.9999% A-C), but to kids of mine who had been struggling with language, esteem, motivational, and/or ability issues, getting an A or B is a precious stamp of approval and acknowledgment.
Somewhere along the corridor, tears flowed freely from red puffy eyes. Unconsolable. Unconcealable grief. The green slip laid abandoned on the ground few inches away from the feet.
Somewhere else inside the hall, shrieks of joy rang out aloud. Exchanges of high-fives and hugs. Raw joy. The green slip clutched at with abandoned gratitude.
Elsewhere in the other 16 institutions, the same scenes were likely played over again. Tonight, some will sleep with huge, honey smiles on their faces, their minds mushroming with endless possible golden opportunities that'd lie ahead. For others, sleep will not come easy, their minds tortured with ruthless repetitions of "if i had known... what do i do now... should i... can i... how do i..."
Frankly, sometimes, the green slip is just what it is - a green slip. It's what happens after this that matters. Just ask Mr Creative S.
Good Luck to all. Don't give up!
Somewhere along the corridor, tears flowed freely from red puffy eyes. Unconsolable. Unconcealable grief. The green slip laid abandoned on the ground few inches away from the feet.
Somewhere else inside the hall, shrieks of joy rang out aloud. Exchanges of high-fives and hugs. Raw joy. The green slip clutched at with abandoned gratitude.
Elsewhere in the other 16 institutions, the same scenes were likely played over again. Tonight, some will sleep with huge, honey smiles on their faces, their minds mushroming with endless possible golden opportunities that'd lie ahead. For others, sleep will not come easy, their minds tortured with ruthless repetitions of "if i had known... what do i do now... should i... can i... how do i..."
Frankly, sometimes, the green slip is just what it is - a green slip. It's what happens after this that matters. Just ask Mr Creative S.
Good Luck to all. Don't give up!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
just talk
2 nights ago, decided to munch on a few cny cookies while watching tv and voila - the "re(4) di(3) - literally translated as "hot-based" me had to deal with a sore throat and slight fever for the next day. even now, the body's acting up a bit. i tend to fall sick during/after cny - usually it's the bak kwa's fault. it's almost like a tradition. *dionk*
just spent 10 precious bucks on a piece of da paolo's tiramisu, off Chip Bee Gardens. decided to pamper myself a bit, with all the stressful times coming up. one small square box, filled snuggly with layers of rum-soaked sponge fingers and smooth cream cheese, topped with delicate choc shavings. it's small wonder why those delicatessen shops target ladies. we (maybe not all female homo sapiens, but most) succumb so much more easily to, and crumble so much more readily under sweet treats. For that short period of time while engaged in that sinful indulgence, worries evaporate. So 10 bucks is no bucks.
Anyways, it's coming to the end of cny soon (this sun is the 15th day). After all the temple visits and the praying, will see if there is time and mood left to play one more round of mahjong and try to win someone else's money. Ha.
Wish me and kid clients luck for tomorrow's results release.
just spent 10 precious bucks on a piece of da paolo's tiramisu, off Chip Bee Gardens. decided to pamper myself a bit, with all the stressful times coming up. one small square box, filled snuggly with layers of rum-soaked sponge fingers and smooth cream cheese, topped with delicate choc shavings. it's small wonder why those delicatessen shops target ladies. we (maybe not all female homo sapiens, but most) succumb so much more easily to, and crumble so much more readily under sweet treats. For that short period of time while engaged in that sinful indulgence, worries evaporate. So 10 bucks is no bucks.
Anyways, it's coming to the end of cny soon (this sun is the 15th day). After all the temple visits and the praying, will see if there is time and mood left to play one more round of mahjong and try to win someone else's money. Ha.
Wish me and kid clients luck for tomorrow's results release.
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