Gift #20 from my angel

Well, I suppose this could be the last gift from Yue Niang Angel. There was a pack of blank greeting cards placed in my pigeon hole today. Hmm, I like collecting greeting cards of all sorts, knowing that they would always come in handy, there will always be a card for any occasion. You don't need to send a card coz just of a special occasion and I would say a handwritten card has never failed to bring a smile on my face. When was the last time you have written a card to someone. Know what, it's both a joy to receive and to give. I should say all these months, I have been really spolit and pampered by Yue Niang Angel :P Or should I say I am blessed that this angel has come into my life for the past couple of months? Be thankful for those moments, silly gal :P Got a box of chocolates from Shine Angel today! :) "Shine" always reminds me of carebears. Hee, there was a Sunshine bear on that little note from Shine Angel! Have not heard from this angel for quite a while though, Shine Angel must be real busy. Well, sincerely hope that these two angels will continue to brighten the days of others and bring lotsa joy to the world.

Enjoy it before it's gone...

I was out in the backyard of my house and saw the pot of orchids. Goodness, the flowers were blooming beautifully. A few times when I took a glimspe of that pot of orchids, it was kinda flowerless. But know what, it's still staying strong. This pot of orchids was a gift for me in 2006. I must say at times, I really have neglected it but it still quietly stood there, resilient and determined to weather all storms and strong wind. I took a long look at it that Saturday afternoon, admiring its beauty. Not sure how long the flowers are gonna stay but I know I was enjoying that moment...

Not Sembawang again!

Met up with Kat and Jiaqi over the weekend, a pity Rene could not join us, we gals have not really met for quite a few weeks I guess. When we gather, eating has always been a big part of the agenda, especially so with Kat. She recommended this zichar place in Sembawang. It's at 22 Jalan Tampang, opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre. Well, thank goodness I was not the driver, clueless about the direction :P It was quite a 'happening' place for makan I must say. There were quite a few eateries over there. The zichar place that we went was called "Sembawang White Beehoon - You Huak Restaurant", a teochew zichar place, pretty small and crowded, thank goodness Kat made a reservation (can certainly trust her efficiency when it comes to makan sessions). It is a must to try the white beehoon, every table has it. I kinda like it, abit like Hokkein fried noodles style but it has its own unique taste, not too salty and beehoon was cooked just right. Together with a little of the gravy, it was delicious. The ingredients were fresh too. But I must admit that I also added lotsa chilli padi to my beehoon, ha! The wu xiang was nice too. Order the fishhead cooked in nonya sauce, tasted more like assam though. The fishhead was fresh but the gravy was a disappointment. However, had a jolly good time savouring the eyeball! Yummy! I don't need any fish meat, juz gimme the eyeball, heh heh! Spotted a fishhead curry eatery over there too, "Chye Lye Fish Head Curry", very crowded too, must try the next time :P

Kat dearie, thanks for thinking of me and that box of tau sar piah, muack! Ms Tan dearie, I am sure you had a good time shopping for your birthday gift that day, well, do continue to pamper yourself, I bet you will :P Love ya gals!

Gift #19 from my angel

It was a box of Japanese pretzel, plum flavour, placed in my pigeon hole on Monday. Came with it was a little card, wishing me a fabulous week ahead…My angel has a way of cheering me up at the beginning of the week, I hope Yue Niang Angel has had a fabulous week too. Know what, I would know who this angel of mine is by next week. All of us at my workplace will come to know who has been taking care of us all these months. Ha, the identities of all the angels will be revealed. That would be interesting! I wonder if they do have the best angel award or some sort, heh, I know I would be all ready to nominate mine. Erm…sometimes I wish I do not have to know who this colleague of mine is so soon, well, so that I would still continue to get those thoughtful little gifts (silly selfish gal! :P)…coz they really have brought much joy and smiles into my life over the past couple of months…I am gonna miss you, Yue Niang Angel, your care and thoughtfulness. May you also be blessed with angels like you, surrounding you…always.

Sembawang kidz

Yummy! My favourite - onion rings from Buckaroo BBQ and Grill

Spicy buffalo wings - Level 2 "Volcano"

Was it supper or was it just pure indulgence? HZ recommended spicy buffalo wings at Buckaroo BBD and Grill, off Sembawang Road. We were told that it's always crowded. Indeed it was when we reached there at about 9 plus at night. It was located amongst private houses. A small cosy place, looked at the menu, realised that they do have some interesting stuff there. Diners around us seemed to be enjoying their food. Many were drinking beer, very outback kinda style. I am not really a fan of bufflao wings. The wings were spicy and tender but I could only manage to eat one coz I felt that I have had enough meat for the day. Loved the onion wings! I was the one who saw other people eating and thought I really wanted to try those. They were good! Fresh and good onions were used. So crispy on the outside and fresh and crunchy in the inside. When eaten hot, simply fabulous!

Shark's head

Bottle Tree Village Seafood Restaurant in Sembawang

Knowing that I fancy fishheads, JS recommended shark's head cooked in nonya spicy gravy. I should say we consumed lotsa collagen that evening from that head. A shark's head is quite different from the usual fish head. The nonya spicy gravy was something that I have not tasted before, pretty unique and very spicy. Vegetables in that gravy were fresh and cooked just right. The disappointing part was the fact that there were no eyeballs for me. The structure of the shark's head was kinda weird, so weird that I did not even know which part of the head I am eating. Hmm, still prefer the normal and usual kinda fish head :P We sat facing the sea, not much of sea breeze that evening. We ordered fried pig trotter (crispy!), vegetables and fried tofu with pork floss and seaweed. Not too bad but I thought dishes were kinda salty.

Met up with my secondary school friends, HZ and JS, over the weekend. Goodness, what else can friends do besides eating when they meet up? Worse still, meeting up with a group of friends who love to eat. We were completely stuffed after we had completed our 'adventure' in Sembawang, vowed to be living on just vegetables and fruits for the next one week, some detoxification needs to be done :P

Tick...Tick...Tick

As I saw the seconds ticking by on the stopwatch for the past two days, it just dawned on me how every second and minute tick by so quickly and so unknowingly in my life. How much does each one of us value time? Thought of this which I have received in an email...

To realise the value of one year, ask a student who repeat a year in school.
To realise the value of one month, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realise the value of one hour, ask the long-lost friends who are waiting to meet.
To realise the value of one minute, ask the person who missed the train.
To realise the value of one second, ask the person who just avoided an accident.
To realise the value of one millisecond, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.
To realise the value of a lifetime, ask the person who has contracted a terminal disease.

Time really waits for no man...

Gift #18 from my angel

Simple and short stories do teach lessons in life. Feeling groggy, checked out my pigeon hole this morning and discovered amongst stacks of papers was a little book – “Aesop’s Fables”. No frills or thrills on the cover page of the book, plain and simple. Came with the book was a little card… “Happy reading”, “Happy Monday”…Well, I was not around at work on Monday to enjoy the happy Monday but was certainly feeling great to receive the little gift on a Tuesday. It has certainly brought much warmth to my heart. Doesn’t it feel great to know that someone is thinking of you? …This little story that I have in my black folder just came to my mind…

A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day, she met another traveller who was hungry and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveller saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveller left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.”
~ Author Unknown

Dear Yue Niang Angel, I feel rich or rather, I am rich…for you have given me much, not so much the gifts but your thoughts and your care. What is it that you have beneath your angelic wings that has made you give so much of yourself? I am really thankful and grateful for this little angel in my life…This book will always remind me of how precious life lessons are sometimes learnt through simple stories and encounters in life.

There's something wrong with Esther

Esther was no ordinary nine-year old girl. She was talented and learnt things pretty fast. She was matured in her thoughts and articulate really well. She was polite and was always capable of winning the hearts of every adult that she spoke to or came into contact with. But there’s something wrong with Esther…She might not be as nice and as sweet as you thought she would be. She might not be as angelic as you would imagine her to be…She was a wolf in a sheep’s clothing, all ready to pounce. She was trapped in a nine-year old body,all ready to break free.

I was really shocked to come to know of what a nine year old girl was capable of doing and I meant her ability to brutally kill and to harm. She did those without a second thought and not even a second of hesitation. Her heart was cold and hard, there seemed to be great hatred each time she took a life. My goodness, what had happened to this child? What had happened to her childhood to have caused her to become such a cruel child. I would feel the word “cruel” should not be used to describe any child in this world. They are born the same but it’s always the environment and surrounding that mould them. I guess there’s always a story behind every child. But I was completely puzzled by this child’s story…But there’s something really wrong with Esther. She was not a nine year old girl as what all of us would imagine her to be.

I feel a lot for Max, the little hearing impaired girl. She was a unbelievably brave little girl but at the same time, my heart ached for her. For what she had gone through because of Esther’s doing, I could imagine the great amount of repair and counselling she would need to go through for all the trauma that she had had.

Oops, those of you reading this blog post must be wondering what this silly gal is blabbling about right now. Well, I managed to catch “Orphan” over the weekend. I feel that it’s more of like a thriller than a horror. It’s more of that kind where a psycho killer goes after a group of innocent people. For really good horror movies, it would send a chill down my whole body, would make me shudder at the mention of them. Not easy to find good horror movies nowadays I would say. But overall, “Orphan” wasn’t too bad, got my attention and did not really trigger much of that fear factor within me. I remember Derrick mentioned that horror movies are for simple-minded people. Hmm, I suppose I am one of them :P Well, here’s a simple-minded gal’s review of a movie.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu from Ben & Jerry

I heard from an ex-colleague a few years ago that authentic tiramisu usually comes in a cup. I would always take the chance to taste tiramisu if I ever see one that’s in a cup and also of course, looks enticing in a certain way. I remember the one which I had at a café in Bangkok was really good, rich in taste, smooth and simply sensational! It kinda tickled and satisfied my taste bud beautifully. Well, I would say that’s kinda like the taste of beauty. Beauty does not necessarily have to be seen, does it? Hanged out with a group of friends at Dempsey yesterday, we went Ben and Jerry. I have always love ice cream but Ben and Jerry is not really in my top five list of favourite ice cream, well, maybe not even top ten. So decided to try its tiramisu. Tiramisu has to be tasted bit by bit, may take some time but feel that we really need time to savour every bit of it. Hmm, as for the one sold at Ben and Jerry, not as great as I thought it would be, but maybe good enough for me as a dessert after a meal. Realised that Jones Grocer at Dempsey is also a great place to hang out at night too, closes quite late on Fridays and most of all, there weren’t many people when I checked it out yesterday, quiet and place seemed kinda relaxed and comfy. Have always thought that Jones Grocer only opens during the day. Well, good to just spend time drinking a cup of tea or a glass of wine for wine lovers, coupled with a bowl of salad or a sandwich.

Miss Nicey

Friendship can be real puzzling or should I say, pretty interesting at times. When I first met her last year, I really didn’t think that we could become friends. Ha, maybe it was work that has brought us together or maybe it was the tough times that has brought us closer. Sometimes, bonds are strengthened through battles fought together. Heh, although she’s younger than me, I think I have also learnt a lot from her at times. She is always so caring and accommodating, sometimes too good to be true I must say. Ha, glad and fortunate to have met Miss Nicey :P I told her that her hubby is certainly real fortunate to have her in his life. She’s always so kinda formal, her never ending words of appreciation and apologies. She always starts her phone conversation with me with a “sorry”, my name seems to have become “sorry” most of the times… “Sorry for disturbing”, “Sorry, can I check with you something?”, “Sorry, can I call you?”, “Sorry for taking up your time.” …Well, my dear Angeline, don’t ever feel sorry about having a conversation with or spending time with a good friend. Those are times not to be sorry for, those are times to be treasured. Gal, thank you for being always so tolerating of me, ha, of my crazy and freaky self at times. Really appreciate those times that you have cared, helped, lent a helping hand and a listening ear. Well, not forgetting the one hour you have spent just to write that sweet and kinda long note for me and that lovely teddy bear. Thank you for being so sweet despite being ill yourself. My dear gal, never ever forget to take time to be good to yourself and pamper yourself k, well, simply coz you deserve it!

The best part of the day

The best part of today...banana butterscotch cheesecake

Her heart's desire

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl, a plain and simple little girl. That day, she did not really have a good day at school. She could not wait to walk out of the school gate, she could not wait to cast away her school bag which seemed to be getting heavier by the day. She was all prepared to stash away the homework which she had for the day, not even wanting to take a look at them. She wanted to take off her school uniform which she found uncomfortable at times, maybe it was the weather that day. Well, she did all she wanted to do when she reached home. In her little shorts, tattered T-shirt and old slippers, she skipped joyfully to her favourite haunt – a corner in a park near to her house. She brought along her very much treasured asset – a little pink notebook which her mother had bought for her two years ago. The little girl loved to draw in that little notebook of hers. Well, occasionally, she tried to pen down a few sentences…her feelings, her little joys and probably unhappy moments.

She waited patiently for the ice-cream man to come. The ice-cream man would reach that part of the park punctually at half past five every evening. The little girl could not wait to taste the ice-cream which she had always longed for for the past week. She had saved part of her daily pocket money for her heart’s craving. The ice-cream man came and the little girl couldn’t feel any happier, it seemed to be a very important moment for her. She sat by the corner of the park under a shady tree, licking the ice cream from a cone, hoping that the moment will last longer and at the same time, oblivious to the noises of children playing and conversations of housewives.

The evening breeze and the setting sun brought much warmth and comfort. The little girl enjoyed the time spent in the park, enjoying every minute of her time and her space. She didn’t feel she needed the company of any other children. After savouring the last bit of the ice cream cone, she opened her little pink notebook and started drawing the little puppy that an old lady was walking, with a little smile on her face. In her wildest dream, the little girl wished she was an artist, oh well, or probably a writer. No rules, no restrictions, no expectations, just the freedom to express in her own little world.

It was time to go home. Very reluctantly, the little girl closed her little notebook. She was tired but she had enjoyed that simple moment she had in the park. Well, she still chose not to open that heavy school bag of hers and that would mean to ignore the stack of homework she had for the day. As she gazed at the row of huge trees lining the side of the road on the way home, she felt no sense of guilt…

A beautiful day

I have past records of ‘killing’ potted plants, they didn’t seem to blossom and flourish much under my care. Well, I must admit that it could be due to my negligence or could be just pure ignorance (silly gal :P). I was probably at a stage or at a state of mind where I thought I was not fated to take care of plants, my fingers are probably not as green as I would like them to be. Hence, I told myself that I would just admire and appreciate them from afar and not be responsible for their survival lest my not-so-green fingers might risk taking more ‘lives’. Know what, I guess I was given another chance…While I was engrossed checking out emails at my workstation today, I heard footsteps but thought nothing of it. The next minute, a potted plant was placed in front of my eyes. Came together with the plant was a note providing detailed instructions on the care of the plant (probably just what I needed, silly gal :P)… “Hope it will cheer you up every day” was the last sentence in that note. I remember the mug that was used to contain the plant, have seen it numerous times, I felt the chip off the edge of the mug…what a beautiful flaw, a flaw is beauty itself. The plant seemed to be smiling at me and I couldn’t help but smiled back. It has made my day and it has also made my day a real beautiful one. I believe this plant was a gift from someone with a beautiful heart too…Dear Mark, thank you…

You are you

Came across this quote in my sis's blog some time back and really like the kinda attitude in it. Once in a while, I would just love to take a look at it...

"Accept everything about yourself - I mean everything. You are you and that is the beginning and the end - no apologies, no regrets." ~ Henry Kissinger

Seasons

We were having supper last night and if I can remember correctly, Mark mentioned that it would be wonderful if Singapore has four seasons, or probably good to just have spring and autumn. Ha, Derrick was real excited about showcasing his wardrobe should there be four seasons. Lee Shan was not really into the idea of having four seasons, she seemed worried about laundry issues. Hmm...I would say every season tells a story and presents a picturesque view of life. If there were four seasons in Singapore, it should be autumn soon...What would the story be like then and what would I see?...Well, seasons change, they come and go but some things just wouldn't change...

A tiny me in a tiny dot

I am thankful that I grew up craddled in her arms. She is not perfect, nobody is ever but she has given me numerous opportunities in life. Sometimes, I guess it’s just a matter of whether I see these opportunities which come knocking at my front door and whether I do care. She does her best to protect me. Most of all, she has given me a home of peace and unconditional love, she has given me lovely friends who understand, care, love, accept and forgive. She may be just a little red dot but the strength that she has to face challenges and handle obstacles must never be underestimated. I know I will not ever take the things that I have, no matter how tiny or simple they may be, for granted…Happy 44th Birthday, Singapore…You have come so far and I am always glad and thankful that a tiny weeny me has been a part of this tiny dot of yours.

Thank you...two simple words

I remember Cons said that I always have lotsa pictures of food in my blog and that I must have eaten so many kinds of food. Well, she’s probably implying that I was eating too much, Glutton Chan, haha :P Food can be an enjoyment but more importantly, food can be a source of joy, especially when it’s cooked or prepared for you. Count my blessings always…it was the country loaf that my mummy usually likes to buy. Spread on the bread was no ordinary jam…it’s not too sweet, tasted of berries freshly plucked and made into jam, you could just lick it on its own, there were generous servings of real berries in that jam too, blended very well with the aroma of the bread. Hmm, ingredients that would have gone into this sandwich would also include time, effort, care and thoughtfulness which I believe can never be bought off the shelf in a supermarket. I had a cup of tea to go with the sandwich made for me. I savoured every bit of breakfast that Tuesday morning. Dear Mark, thank you…two simple words but I think you know what I mean : )

Gift #17 from my angel

I was real tired when I checked out my pigeon hole at the end of the day on Monday. When I pulled that drawer, right beneath a stack of papers was a pair of eyes. Nah, that was not a horror flick. They were eyes of a doggy, a picture of a doggy on a notebook. In fact, there were two notebooks with pictures of dogs on them. Heh, muscles on my cheeks didn’t seem that mobile that day but those pictures somehow managed to mobilise those muscles pretty well. I was smiling : ) Dear Yue Niang Angel, you know what, sometimes you just have a way of making me forget what Monday blues really is or maybe let me forget how tired I was then. Hugz…

A clutter of noises

Over the years, I seem to have developed an allergy, an allergy to noises. Hmm, how should I define noises?...I guess just noises. I know I could be capable of shutting them off completely at times. However, sometimes, they just form a clutter in my mind and that would leave me yielding for some peace and quiet. I am very tired…Hmm, have a good sleep gal…

Footprints in the sand

The best things in life cannot be kept, they must be given away...love, hugs, joy...Oh well, maybe these sweet little cupcakes too :P

Attended Lissa’s (Rene’s sis) wedding today, it’s a church wedding, kinda like ages since I last attended a church wedding. When those hymns were sung, it just felt like attending chapel sessions in school during my secondary school days. “Footprints in the sand” was sung towards the end of the ceremony…I remember when I first heard Leona Lewis sing this song some time back in her CD, “Spirit”, I was really very touched by it and I could listen to it a couple of times in one day :P…When I heard this song again today, I was moved once again, the way I always did when I heard it for those countless times in the past. Tears stung the corners of my eyes…

Footprints in the sand

You walked with me
Footprints in the sand
And helped me understand
Where I’m going

You walked with me
When I was all alone
With so much unknown
Along the way
Then I heard you say

I promise you
I’m always there
When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair
I’ll carry you
When you need a friend
You’ll find my footprints in the sand

I see my life flash across the sky
So many times have I been so afraid
And just when I thought I’d lost my way
You gave me strength to carry on
That’s when I heard you say

It's feeding time

For the past week, I kinda felt like a zookeeper, was in charge of feeding time for Sunny baby. Derrick was out of town and Mark had to work late so I guess Godma will take up the task :P It’s kinda tiring after a day at work but to know that I was going to see Sunny baby, well, couldn’t help but felt a linger of joy within me. As I opened the front door, he would be jumping with his mighty might, all ready to get out of the enclosure and greet this visitor with loads of excitement. As I was trying to arrange the cage and his pee pan in a proper way outside the kitchen, he would be all over me, ‘attacking’ my skirt and every inch of my body, vying for attention I guess. Next came a proper greeting, I would hold him in my arms, give him a big hug and a kiss. Ha, that’s when he would be licking me all over my face. I would smell his fur, look into his eyes and with an occasional whisper of “Baby, I love u” into his ears…

While I was getting ready his dog food and half an apple, diced, he would be walking around all over the living room, always ended up at the glass window at the balcony, there’s always something out there that had caught his attention. Before dinner, would clear his drips of pee near his pee pan (aim properly, my dear baby!) and his poo (which happened to be always at the same spot :P). The food in the dog dish would always be thoroughly cleaned up in probably less than five minutes and would left me wondering if I had given enough food to him. Ha, could always hear a burp whenever I cleaned his mouth after his meal, cute little thing :P Time to walk him! Whenever I took his leash out, he would be jumping for joy, like a child, all ready to run to the playground. Always loved the evening breeze as I walked him. Sunny baby loves to ‘explore’ the grass and plants. These never fail to arouse his interest, I wonder what lies beneath those grass patches. Well, he’s still barking at people, there would be at least once I would need to extend my apology but ha, people in the neighbourhood were pretty friendly and understanding. By the second round, he would be a little tired and by the third, walking him became a breeze, I was in total control, heh heh! One could hear him pant two metres away :P After the walk and back home, he would be dead beat, sprawling on the floor like a piece of furry carpet. Would lie beside him to give him a massage or a little cuddle…

Felt that saying goodbye was a little difficult on the first day. He would start making that whining sound when I put him in his enclosure and was about to leave, hated to hear that. He wasn’t jumping when I was locking the front door, he just stood there and gazed at me as I waited for the lift. I would miss you too…