Thursday, February 26, 2009

The happiest day of my week

My little cosy corner at my workstation...
also a collection of priceless gifts

Little teddy from my angel!

Sometimes, one would mention about the happiest day in his or her life. But why should there be only one so called happiest day in one’s life? I think we can have many happiest days in one‘s life, well, at least I know I have the happiest day of my week. I walked to my desk at school on Monday and got a real pleasant surprise! Actually, given my blur state every early morning, I didn’t realize it initially; it was when I sat down and switched on my laptop that I saw him ( I can be really that ‘blind’ at times :P)…

Saw this teddy bear next to my laptop! :) It instantly brought a great SMILE on my face (hee, probably like a little gal who has juz got her favourite toy :P). My school has this guardian angel thingy going on and we are each a guardian angel to two of our colleagues. That little teddy bear is from my guardian angel whose nickname is Yue Niang, the little Nyonya! Haha! Frankly speaking, when I first saw the nickname when I received my Valentine’s Day’s gift from my angel, I nearly burst into laughter. My angel must be a real fan of the much talked about drama serial shown just recently. The gift that morning really made my day, it was a good Monday! I seem to have seen that teddy bear somewhere. The teddy bear doesn’t have fur but it’s made of a kinda material, somewhat like hay :P Thought it’s pretty unique and freaky!! Heh, was thinking of the brush that we use to scrub the toilet floor. But of course, I will not bear to let my newly owned teddy bear touch the toilet floor. Maybe I should give it a name…:P I am kinda gender bias when it comes to teddy bears, they are always male to me, ha!

I must say I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of my angel, have sent this colleague of mine a card expressing my appreciation. Hmm, sometimes it’s not so much the gift or even the urge to find out who my guardian angel is but more of…it feels great to know that you are being cared for and someone is thinking of you. To my guardian angel, you may not ever get to read this but wherever you are and whoever you are…thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You have touched me with your little gift and thoughtfulness. Little and simple things in life do mean a lot to me…

One colleague of mine made sushi and shared some with me that day too, that was really nice of her! I have also received two texts from two of my friends telling me that I was missed and fondly thought of : ) It’s really sweet of them. You know, no amount of money can ever buy certain simple gifts in life. I know that I will not ever exchange these gifts for anything else in this world…Well, shouldn’t Monday be the happiest day of my week?

Mummy's cabbage soup

My mummy cooked her tasty cabbage with fish maw soup! I thought I have enjoyed dinner tonight. There's soup, steamed fish (a real big one) and brown rice, with the powerful homemade chilli from my grandma's maid :P Thanks Mummy for the simple yet lovely meal! Muack!

Supper from Johor

My father went to Johor to visit Uncle Michael just yesterday and he bought supper back for us. It's fried bee hoon and he said it's very famous over there. It's indeed nice, especially the chilli that came with it, shiok! I had only three mouthfuls of the bee hoon coz it's kinda late in the night :P

School and Life

A quote that my sis shared with me...

"The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." ~ Tom Bodett
True indeed, in life, there could be many tests that we might be given and could be tough ones too but I guess there is always a lesson learnt at the end of the day, at the end of each test... Hmm, I also feel that education should not be preparation for life, education is life. Hey sis, thanks for sharing the quote! Muack!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Saturday night dinner

Had my eyebrow trimmed at Browhaus today and bought dinner home. My parents were out attending a concert and I was home alone on a Saturday night. That’s kinda interesting, I am usually out on Saturdays but I guess at times, I just feel like ‘rotting’ at home and enjoy the pleasure of solitude. I had a good dinner! Felt like having sandwiches so bought sandwiches from Delifrance. Walked past Gastronomia and took a look at the salad section and it was love at first sight, I knew I wanted to savour that spicy broccoli salad. Also shopped at Muji, so got my favourite jasmine tea. Back home, I ate everything on the plate with relish, enjoying every bit of it.

TGIF

The tiramisu that got me abit 'high'

"Nuts about you" - Peanut butter ice cream,
a spoonful of peanut butter and peanut M&Ms
I am always happy when Friday comes along. Well, it’s only normal, isn’t it? Frankly speaking, there’s hardly any mood to work on Fridays and I would just wish I could get out of my work place as soon as possible. Just yesterday, on a Friday, I was hanging out at Holland Village with a few colleagues. I have not been there for quite some time and I guess that place has not really changed that much. But that place seems kinda neater. Most of the eateries and restaurants which I know are still operating there. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant, hmm, quite all right. I thought the tiramisu was good. We also had ice cream at “Cold Rock”. You get to choose the flavor of the ice cream you like and also the other goodies that you would like to mix with the ice cream. The interesting thing is all your favourites will be crushed and mashed on a piece of cold rock. I remember the first time I had that was in Melbourne while visiting Rene. She thought it was an interesting concept of eating ice cream and would like me to try. Guess what, it was winter then and I think our tongues almost got frozen but it was pretty fun eating ice cream during winter. Well, before long, “Cold Rock” was introduced in Singapore. Hmm, but I thought the ice cream didn’t taste as nice as I expected.

Excuse me, are you a leader?

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” ~ John Quincy Adams (6th President of the United States of America)

I came across this quote on Friday and thought it’s pretty meaningful. Well, my take on this is…whoever says you need to hold a position to be a leader.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The meaning of meaning what you say

I remember reading my sis’s blog some time back about “To say or not to say”. She believes that it’s important to mean what you say and say what you mean. She seemed upset and disappointed with one person…didn’t get a chance to ask her about it, ha, just asked about the pic of our Eeyore :P When I was reading her entry about this, it kinda just set me thinking then but just not so sure how I would like to comment on that. I just felt that it was a good point raised. Does every one of us really mean what we say and say what we mean? Do I really mean what I say and say what I mean? Is it possible to be genuine and sincere about our words and actions all the time? I just know that the world will definitely be a better place if all of us have genuineness and sincerity in our words and actions all the time. Hmm, the fact is I guess we are not living in an idealistic world. But I quite sure that I am appreciative of people around me who really mean what they say and say what they mean. Many thanks for that coz that really means a lot to me…

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The Past in the Present

Photograph taken and provided by Mark

We draw lessons from our past, but at times, we seem to live in the past even though we may be moving on in life. We are careful not to trip and fall, wary of the hurt and pain that might follow. Therefore, we hold on tight to the past even though they might no longer fit, even though they might bring discomfort. As we walk farther in life, it starts to get tiring, the past might be too much to shoulder. But on the other hand, if we were to go barefooted and leave the past completely behind, treating them only as memories…we might become vulnerable, not really sure what lies on the path ahead. Could there be a possibility of stepping on a piece of broken glass? Or would we be lucky enough to find a pair of footwear that fits comfortably till we reach our destination in life?

Valentine's Day




Valentine’s Day this year was spent with my gang of friends. Adeline, the chef amongst us, prepared a sumptuous dinner for us. Wow, it was really a pleasant surprise coz she usually would prepare Chinese cuisine for us and this time, it was kinda uniquely prepared, loved the fruits salad the most! Hmm, ha, it would probably be good if there were candles on the table. I could have brought along some if I knew she was preparing Western cuisine. Anyway, I have really enjoyed the much appreciated dinner! We had delicious dessert and sat by the table like old uncles and aunties to chat after dinner, ha! Well, it just felt great to be able to spend those times together like that, sharing experiences and stories, laughing and ha, cracking and eating melon seeds (one thing which I have yet to master or just plain lazy to do it :P). We went for supper at MacDonald later in the night, goodness, a group of gluttons! You know, those times spent together were so very simple but yet so heartwarming, especially being able to see those smiles on every one’s face. I know I had a good time…Maybe those candles wouldn't be necessary, isn't it always the company that matters most?
PS: Dear Mark, thanks for sharing those pictures, for capturing those simple yet great moments :)

Yes, silence is golden...

This afternoon, I was kinda having a ‘conversation’ with a colleague of mine who is hearing impaired. We were communicating by scribbling on pieces of paper, boy, I should say we have used quite a number of pieces of paper. We shared quite abit about our lives, he was sharing with me about SADeaf (Singapore Association of the Deaf) and we also ‘talked’ about my career. I guess there were uncertainties in our lives at some point of time, maybe not knowing what may lie ahead too. But I thought it’s always good to get encouragement along the way, to receive and to give, to give of course is a joy : ) Hmm, somehow, I thought it was quite an interesting conversation, there was complete silence at my workstation when we ‘chatted’. Such an interesting way of communication! …You know, there’s beauty in silence. Have we ever asked ourselves how comfortable we are with silence? Have we ever tried getting in touch with our inner self, our heart or even our soul in the midst of the silence? Did we realize something important in that moment of silence? My sis asked in her blog if silence is golden. Somehow, I feel that at this instance of my ‘conversation’ with my colleague, silence is indeed golden. Sometimes, I feel that it is in silence that we would probably discover the meaning of what life really is.

Monday, February 16, 2009

It's a new beginning...

In our lives, in our life story, we are probably not able to determine when or how the ending will be like. However, we are the ones who decide the beginnings in our lives...a new day, a new week, a new month, a new year, a new path to tread on, a new chapter. I wanna start my week with a quote taken from my sis's blog. I read it today for the second time and I thought I really like it, it's so positive and it seems capable of bringing a ray of light and hope into the lives of others...
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." ~ Albert Camus, Lyrical and Critical Essays

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Hmm...

Trying to make a little sense out of this sentence... "Life is an endless struggle of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hairstylist you like." ...Too tired to think right now, need a good sleep and maybe it's also time for a haircut and treatment soon, do I need to change my hairstylist?...Anyway, zzZZZ

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Weekday Shopping

Felt that life shouldn’t be just shuffling between work and home thus decided to pop by town today after work. It wasn’t crowded over there (ha, like it this way :P), maybe it’s not really the weekend yet or maybe it’s the current economic situation. Anyway, popped by the cards section and as usual, spent some time over there but in the end, got just a few cards (expected to get more though). Greeting cards in Singapore seem pretty limited in designs and not really that interesting I would say or probably it’s my preference. Also got a doggy whose face was telling me to bring it home. His name is Barkers. Barkers doesn’t really bark but just look at ya lovingly in the eyes : ) Craved for a cup of teh-C at Toastbox so went to get one, goodness, it’s was great satisfying my addiction, wonder if there are any halfway houses for this kinda addiction :P There were hardly any people over there, sat at a corner of the café and the young man at the counter toasting bread just caught my attention. He was so serious at work as if it really meant a lot to him. He seemed to be using his heart to do his job. Well, not sure if my sixth sense was accurate but he seemed like a committed worker. I hope he is and I am sure there will be people who appreciate that hard work. The next time I eat kaya toast, I will think of him :P Anyway, love those idling moments, glad I had them no matter how short they might be, it’s kinda like the enjoyment of just doing nothing, not everyone can master the art of doing nothing you know, ha! Life is good…Well, if I should ever have any complaints about work or life at that point of time, I think I ought to be shot or maybe brutally knifed (Arrg, gruesome!).

Down Under

It’s heartbreaking to read about the wildfires in Australia. Loss of lives, destruction of homes of civilians and habitats of all kinds of animals… I really wish the koalas are spared or at least not badly injured. Trees are burnt and what’s left would probably be just the stumps. … My heart goes out to those who lost their loved ones in this merciless fire…

Monday, February 9, 2009

A note to Purple...

Dear Purple (aka Roller)... You are in my thoughts. Miss ya terribly! Miss squeezing ya and miss your smell. Stay freaky :P and lovable k, enjoy spring...sniff sniff and muack! Good nite and sweet dreamz...

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Dinner on the 14th day of Chinese New Year


I had dinner with my parents at this eatery located along Rangoon Road, famous for its fish head steamboat. My mummy always says what makes most kinda soups tasty is always the salt or MSG, well, I guess she is right to a certain extent. The fish soup over there is pretty rich and nice, I like to add lotsa chopped chilli padi into my soup, some would say that would spoil the taste of the soup but I just like it that way. Chancing upon the eyes of the fish in the soup is just like finding treasure amongst a stack of hay. Thank goodness, it‘s an air-conditioned place so it made eating fish head steamboat (with chilli padi) easier and more comfy. Well, I guess family dinner for quite some time will be just the three of us…
Tried to place more pics in my blog or else like kinda a bit plain and bland, like probably lack of spices, salt and pepper :P Err..but I can be quite hopeless when it comes to gadgets at times and instruction manuals just have a way of confusing me when I read them or at times, I dun even feel like reading them. Those wires and different kinda cables could at times cause entanglement in my mind and life. Goodness, what a dinosaur! But heh, know that I could always count on friends around me for help :P

In the afternoon of the 14th day of Chinese New Year


My parents bought lunch for me and went out shopping. I was home alone the whole afternoon and thought I should get down to some serious work :P I always like to work in the main dining area, kinda far away from my bedroom, guess one should know why. Once I get tired of work, I will look out of the glass door next to my dining table and just spent minutes looking at those trees outside. It was pretty windy this afternoon so they were kinda swaying beautifully. Oh my, they really have grown a lot over these 20 odd years that I have been staying here. Went to get myself a cup of hot tea and got back to work…

Curiosity doesn't always kill, it might heal...

“The curious case of Benjamin Button”… I should say Benjamin had kinda an interesting last name, I was actually kinda curious how wonderful that movie was going to be, with quite a number of Oscar nominations. But well, my policy is always not to have expectations when watching a movie, just go and enjoy and feel. I watched “The curious case of Benjamin Button” over the weekend. Hmm, pretty long movie, nearly three hours I guess, but it didn’t really bore me neither did it really grip me and get my full attention throughout. I feel that there wasn’t any outstanding performance by Brad Pitt, dun think he would deserve an Oscar for that role. Maybe the makeup crew is well deserving of an award. I feel that Cate Blancett has always got that character, confidence and elegance in the way she carries herself (I feel that is beauty itself). In this movie, hmm, she didn’t really win my admiration for her role in this movie, not really much chemistry between the two of them too. On the other hand, Angelina Jolie’s character in “Changeling” did move me, I could feel her pain and how trapped she was in that situation during that era.
Anyway, I remember clearly one scene when an old lady was teaching Benjamin Button how to play the piano and I can never really forget what she said to Benjamin, I think it goes something like that… “It’s not about how well you play, but it’s about how you feel about what you are playing.” Not sure if these were the exact words but I like this sentence! Coz I totally agree with it, well, if I could understand it from my perspective. Be it a musician or an artist, feelings are important in their areas of work or should I say passion. It is only when a musician feels deeply for the piece of music he’s playing that the listeners could be moved and touched coz as listeners, we actually could feel what the musician is trying to communicate, I guess that’s appreciation. No use memorizing pieces of scores and just play well but not feel for the music that you are playing. No use just knowing the skills and techniques of art but not feel for one’s art piece. In life, I think we can try to relate this sentence to our lives. Do you think it’s good and satisfying to just do a job well and not feel anything about what you are doing? Is success just determined by how great others look at it or could it be how your heart feels or define it?
Well, Benjamin was so different from the rest, he was really special but there were still people around him who loved him dearly for the way he was, not many but there were… I guess to me, this movie is also about seizing the moment, some things just do not last and before it comes to an end…Carpe Diem

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Rain

It started to rain in the afternoon, I think it has not been raining for quite some time. I was having a late lunch at the canteen with a few colleagues, simply too lazy to walk out in the rain and just wanna eat to satisfy my hunger or rather, for survival. As I looked out, I saw rain pelting onto the ground, forming small little splashes, the air was cool. Hmm, was just thinking…whether rain is capable of washing away one’s troubles and unhappiness, maybe it does possess some kinda ‘cleansing’ power…At that very moment, felt like going to a quiet cafe, drink a cup of hot tea, dun mind a piece of cake (let’s see, maybe…cheesecake! :P), read a magazine or a book or simply just see and observe how life goes on outside. Boy, that would be such a luxury and should be quite a treasured moment!...Well, I carried on with my lunch and took my last sip of barley before heading back to work.

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain…

Monday, February 2, 2009

Punctuality = Stress?

I woke up late today!! If not for my father who came knocking on my door at 6.35am, I wouldn’t be surprised if I would be capable of sleeping till late morning. My reason or should I say my excuse :P is…WelI, I usually need to set two alarms every morning, thank goodness, so far two has been enough. I have set the alarm on my mobile phone wrongly – 5.35pm (can you believe it??). My alarm clock sounded first at 5.30am and I think I ‘shut it up’ when I was still half asleep (can you believe it??) and of course the alarm in my mobile phone did not go off. Well, I practically jumped out of bed, forgotten even if I have greeted my father at the doorway. Just thankful that he was up early (that “like father-like daughter” thingy doesn’t seem to apply in terms of our sleeping habits and punctuality). While brushing my teeth, there was a struggle within me whether to take a shower. Taking a shower could make a big difference and could really determine whether I was gonna be late. I hate to rush through my shower, it is probably as important as a good breakfast every morning, if not, more important than a good breakfast! Went ahead with shower, all prepared to face the consequences of the decision that I have made. Well, I finished my shower in I think about less than fifteen minutes (can you believe it??). Well, I guess given the time constraint and the situation, I am capable of taking probably a 10-minute shower, just whether I want or do not want. Anyway, hopped into my father’s car at 7am, got a ride from him and a short friendly lecture on sleeping early at night, waking up early and punctuality. Managed to reach at 7.13am. I thought it was so stressful to always check on time and date, I always enjoy days when I am having my holidays, timeless and dateless, such a luxury. But in life, luxury doesn’t come every day. People say punctuality is a virtue but at times, it’s kinda like a form of stress for me. This virtue probably doesn’t exist much within me. I think I must thank those who have been really understanding and for being so patient with me, ha, but I guess some closer friends have kinda given up on me :P

It has been a tiring day for me, not sure if I was ready to start the week to begin with, waking up late and still having a slight headache…not really a good beginning. However, I must say the journey back home was pretty pleasant. I took a cab and the cabby was kinda cheerful and pleasant. It’s always good to be greeted with a smile. One would probably hear complaints from cab drivers about lotsa of stuff (can’t blame them, it’s a way of letting out and we kinda become the ‘victims’ at times) but he didn’t mention anything negative (despite the economic downturn). He even reminded me to be careful along a certain stretch of the road if I was driving coz quite accident prone. That was really nice of him! He ended the ride with a “Have a great day!”. To some, probably it’s nothing great about it but I think otherwise, it always feels good to be greeted with positivity, cheerfulness and a word of care. To that uncle driving the cab, I hope that he did have a wonderful evening too! As I walked towards my house gate, I took a look at the sky. One side of it was kinda cloudy, seemed gloomy and threatening, but the other half (not very big part), I could still see some white, fluffy clouds (not much), a piece of clear blue sky with a tinge of orange from the setting sun. Hmm, which side of it would you like to see?

30 Jan 2009, Departure Hall at Singapore Changi Airport


I am not too sure if I would like to remember this date. In fact, I wasn’t really looking forward to this day and wish that it would not come that fast but we know time waits for no man, sooner or later, it has to come… and it will be over. I came home that day from work and was able to catch an hour’s nap, always an energy booster for me :P My sis was kinda reading some work stuff I guess and all her packing was done by then. Boy, that was quite a lot to bring. We didn’t really talk till dinner time, somehow could feel the heaviness in her heart, maybe in mine too. We had a simple homecooked dinner together that evening. My bro asked me if I was going to the airport, there was a kinda short struggle within me and finally decided that I should go, dun wish to be home alone…It was about half past ten that night and we headed for the airport in my father’s car. We brought along Monkie but he wasn’t so much in action, maybe not so much in the mood :P The airport was cold as usual, dun know why but it always feels like winter in our airport.

My sis checked in her luggage and decided that she would like to have a cup of teh at Ya Kun, it would probably be difficult for her to find a cup of teh in Switzerland, let alone a good cup of it. We had drinks together at Ya Kun. Still can’t believe my bro had a cup of Horlicks, goodness, wonder who drinks Horlicks nowadays! Anyway, I always prefer Milo to Horlicks. My sis’s friends came shortly and she joined them for a chat at the departure hall. When we joined them, some of their eyes were red, oh no, thought I had a tough time controlling my ‘tap’ when I reached home that day and now, seeing that, the ‘tap’ seemed vulnerable and probably a leak or a pipe burst might occur anytime, tried distracting myself by taking photographs :P Near midnight, it was time for my sis to get to the departure gate. I dragged my feet as we walked to the departure gate. One could probably predict what happened over there. There was still time for a hug for every one. It was kinda difficult to let go of my hands and I think no plumber in the world could help with the burst pipe. Ha, I know my bro was tearing too :P Think my sis didn’t feel any better but I know she will be strong, she has to be. The last time I ever ‘behaved’ like that in the airport was when my bro left for his studies in Scotland. I know I didn’t like that feeling at all.

It was kinda not over yet. I would say that the journey home from the airport was a long one. TPE seemed like a real long stretch of highway and…my cheeks were kinda wet (Monkie’s fur was probably wet too as I was holding him in my arms) throughout that journey. I gazed at those lamp posts that whizzed past. In the past, I didn’t even see my sis off at the airport coz I knew that she would be back in three weeks’ time from her work assignment. But this time, maybe not in a couple of months… It was kinda late in the night when we reached home, I wasn’t even thinking of having to go to work the next morning at school, just felt like having a good shower and snuggle in bed under my blanket. I woke up the next day with a terrible headache (maybe from the hard time having to fix that burst pipe) and of course, with eyes half the size than the usual. Maybe some eye serum or eye cream might help.