Simple Pleasures

The long weekend turned out to be decent afterall. Stayed up last night to read The Kite Runner. Been a long time since I've done any recreational book-reading. And the feeling of solitary page-flipping deep into the quiet night while propped against a fluffy pillow, with the fan whirling softly in the background ... is heavenly. Wish I can do that more often.

Moving into the last month of the year, the pace is winding down, and people are clearing leave. It's going to be increasingly quiet in the office. And this is deserved lull. A period of tranquility for balance to be restored before a whole new year of busy-ness starts again.

Dad and aunts are playing their game of mahjong as I'm typing this from the dining hall. Sometimes... the simplest thing brings the biggest pleasure.

Black Wednesday

What a big black Wednesday.

I buang-ed the car.

The hugely unfortunate event took place as I was midway up the cramped, high-walled Liang Court carpark. I totally forgot my dad having previously warned me about it as I made my way past the automatic barrier, after a long work day, to meet IE pals for dinner.

*BANG!!!* That terrible terrible sound that reverberated through the whole stupid spiral slopping carpark. One that'd replay itself in my mind over the next 2 days.

That big ugly dent and even uglier scratches at the left passenger door.

Damn.......... No one to blame except myself. For forgetting to avoid this carpark. For not being skilful enough to out-manoveur this endless upward spiral.

What a traumatic and expensive lesson, right before the start of a supposedly wonderful long weekend.

Me and My Blood

Yesterday, the philippino nurse poked me with a needle for abt 5 agonizing minutes... and then she traumatized me by saying 'Your vein is very big, but your blood flow is very slow.... WHY???' And then came another 2 or 3 stern reminders to please sit up straight, and then please grip the rubber toy very tight [but I was already doing all that!] so that the blood can flow out better/faster/whatever. Finally, she left me a parting shot - 'Tomorrow, there will likely be a big blue-black here', as she stuck a handyplast over the needle point and sent me off....

OMG. What a way to start a Friday morning.

We had our complimentary health screening at workplace. Decided to go as it's been some years since my last health check - when I was told that my cholesterol level was high, and I needed to watch my diet + exercise. Went for a follow-up check 6mths after a more healthy lifestyle/diet and got the all-clear. And then... years passed, and I decided to go for a needle poke again to test for blood glucose, lipids, cholesterol and blood pressure - basic basic basic.

Oh well, for sure I can live with the bruise, and perhaps also the trauma of my slow blood flow, for as long as the test results come back ok (3-4wks later).

Am already regretting the crackling german pork knuckle that I had a wk ago. Bleh.

Counting Down

It's been 3 mths since my last holiday (to Msia), and another 1 more mth to my next break (again to Msia). Argh, can already feel my battery running low. Super looking forward to the seaside resort getaway with beloved! Even as he immerses himself into the roomful of intellectuals, expends brain power dissecting academic speak, and eye power poring over fine journal prints, I'd be happy to just snuggle in bed with my ditzy thrillers in my comfy PJs. Or sip my sweet cocktail by the pool, bask in the Dec sun and eyeball available eye candy. I need a break. He needs a change in environment from his usual lab, office and apartment routine. And of course, we both need a reunion after 7 long mths.

Counting down to Dec!!

Remembering those days!

And oh, what a whole load of memories the trip brought back. Initially, had thought it's just going to be a simple, get-out-of-office-and-back-to-nature kind of trip, on a humid Tue afternoon, with another about 45 colleagues, to Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin. To expose them to the flora and fauna of Mama Nature, and enable them to appreciate the wholesome-ness of biodiversity we have on our shores. As for myself, a time to get out into the sun for a much-needed dose of Vit D and some salty breeze to clear my work-saturated head.

But then, the minute I boarded the rickety Ubin bum boats from the (refurbished) jetty, all hell broke loose. All the memories came flooding back, tsunami style. Crystal-clear memories of how as carefree 2nd/3rd yr Uni students, we used to head to Ubin to cycle, bbq, camp and look at stars; how we explored Chek Jawa before it got gazetted, boardwalks got erected and signs got put up; how as a fresh young educator, I brought CCA kiddos there for their annual overnight camps, night walks and orientations... and then, when I looked at the tiny male fiddler crabs squirming about in the sand, waving their not-so-tiny, bright orange pincers to try and attract the opposite sex, I can't help but remember those tiring but happy days spent in Phuket as a Uni Hons student on the overseas Bio field trip, when we had to investigate crabby behavioural patterns, trawl through net catches of swimming mantis, wade in muddy swamps, and preserve specimens in glass jars using pungent chlorofoam...

Wonderful memories. But, bittersweet it is still, for as time passes, people move on. Am just thankful that I've got a chance to experience (and remember) all these.

This is a case of a 'normal outing' that got transformed into a super nostalgic walk down memory lane.


Idyllic ubin


Vastness of the land


Boardwalks


Hermit crab in its shell


Big sea cucumber


As the sun sets

Ha-i-a-eee, Ha-i-a-ooo...

And how the room trembled with our raucous (and often off-pitch) singing, hearty back-slapping and boisterous laughter. It was one crazy halloween night we spent, geeky friends of 15yrs huddled into some 3rd-storey karaoke room in Chinatown, blaring our lungs out as we simultaneously attempted to catch up with each other above all the din. My Sec 4 gang, the nerdy, high-achieving ones who can always be counted upon to squeeze out time for some bonding amidst all the serious work.

We had always been somewhat 'ostracized' back in our schooling days. Probably because we were too digustingly intellectual in our pursuits, and/or because we were so obviously the teachers' pets. Back then, we not only aced exams, we also held our own in debates, drama, singing and *gasp* (certain) sports events too. And with so many councillors, school reps and national scholars churned out from our class, it's no wonder we were looked upon with suspicion (and irritation) by the rest. But it is exactly this kind of frosty reception from others that enabled us to forge such strong bonds within ourselves. We worked crazily hard, but we did not forget to play.

And 15 years on, it's still the same focused us. Still as nerdy, still as high-achieving, and still as bonded to one another. Except membership has grown, and partners/spouses are all inducted into this one big crazy party as well.