[C'EST MOI]
living paradox. individualist with anarchistic tendencies.
eludes eminence but appreciates subtle recognition.
capricious yet dependable. clandestine and unfathomable.
cynical realist who succumbs to the occasional idealism.
[J'AIME]
music. films. feasting & drinking. team sports.
good company; family, friends and those who share similar interests.
Who doesn't have a past? =P
[Time of Confession] 11:02 PM 1 Wisecracks for Me
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Sunday, January 21, 2007
Zonked
Functioning on less than 5 hours of sleep is dangerous. Even more so when dealing with little ones.
Today was my first time at the nursery and considering that it's been eons since I last interacted (let alone cared for) little tods, I was half excited and half apprehensive. Thus the insomnia. It was almost impossible to keep the many variations of possible scenarios from flashing in my mind. I ran through the mental checklist of things to bring and things to take note of over and over again. Extra T-shirt, check. Alarm set at 5.30am, check...
All in all, after about 7 hours at the nursery, I can conclude that my fears were generally unfounded.
I didn't get puked or peed on (and thus my extra T didn't come in handy thank goodness), just a little drool here and there. I do still get a bit freaked out by the screaming tods who cry non-stop for HOURS (man, their stamina is AMAZING) but it's okay. I just have to practise singing much louder than their screams. Shouldn't be a problem, I think. (karaoke anyone?)
I know anyone who's been around young children of the tender age between 1 and 2 years old would probably gush about how adorable they are (minus the screaming and crying part), but that's really quite true. They're so tiny yet so magnificently capable of drawing the attention of the people around them. Talk about being a natural star.
Also, I find it extremely fascinating communicating with these little ones who haven't quite gotten the grasp on language yet. So it's their actions and their incoherent little code words that one has to decipher very quickly to get them what they need (or want) before the time limit of their patience is up and they start to burst out into a bawl.
My arms and back are now achy from carrying and bouncing the tods who refuse to be put down (and if you try, they start hugging and hanging on your legs which can be quite painful AND unsightly) but it's been really something, hanging with these kids. You learn to be a little more selfless; after all, their safety and well-being are your absolute responsibility.
I'm looking forward to my next session with these children - they are a precious reminder to me that I'm blessed to bless others.
[Time of Confession] 9:06 PM 0 Wisecracks for Me
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Saturday, January 20, 2007
Clearance Part 3: Last of the Bulk
More pictures (click to enlarge) from our trip! This is the last of it... thankfully.
We're so happy in these pictures only because it's BEFORE the travel agency decided to screw up our transport.
Btw, this was taken in one of those ancient taxis that picked us up.
When we finally reached civilisation, moods were somewhat ruined but we still had to fill our empty stomachs.
I still like Singapore's better... but after the recent cockroach scare splashed in the papers, I would think that it won't be as popular now.
On our last day...
Victim of attack: K
*HOME SWEET HOME*
Then there was K's birthday: *Mission accomplished!*
[Time of Confession] 1:01 AM 0 Wisecracks for Me
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Friday, January 19, 2007
Clearance Part 2
Some pictures from our Malacca/KL trip (the parts that were not sucky, that is):
Click on the pictures for their full size
The Stadhuys is one of Malacca’s most recognisable landmarks – Built in 1650, it was the Dutch administrative centre with a clock tower and painted in bright red. A Historic and Ethnography Museum with displays of traditional bridal costumes and other relics is located inside. The building itself has some great architectural details including heavy wooden doors, thick red walls and wrought-iron hinges.
The Christ Church was built in 1753 by the Dutch to commemorate a century of their rule. It still stands today in Malacca city, a landmark of fine Dutch architecture. The beams were constructed from cutting and carving a single tree and have no joints! The hand-made pews, on the other hand, date back some 200 years. Mounted on its walls are some decorative fanlights and plaques in memory of those who died of various epidemics. Yet another plaque, a wooden one, sits at the rear of the western wall remembering local planters who did not live through World War II. The church is indeed a sight for those who love fine structural design.
Really old fashioned post office... and what's Kenny doing? Trying to pick up a laydee??
The Fort was originally built as a chapel by the Portuguese but it was eventually renovated into a fort by the Dutch. Sitting on top a hill, the fort is unique in the sense that it was built to defend from inland invaders, rather than the sea. Hence, the canons are faced rather awkwardly towards inland as visitors shall see.
The Maritime Musuem (the ship-like thing). The museum is built in a replica of a Portuguese ship, the 'Flo De La Mar' that sank off the coast of Malacca while on the way to Portugal. Here, visitors can view dioramas and intricately crafted models of ships on board. There are detailed descriptions of Malacca history and a map that features actual charts used by Portuguese sailors centuries ago. Located near the tourist office, the Maritime Muzeum is a great place to visit to learn Malacca history.
After all the walking and climbing of stairs, it's time for a little break and some shopping at the nearby malls!
After the long day out, the three of us retreated back to the hotel for a takeaway dinner and a good night's rest, but not before I realised a mistake I made:
More later...
[Time of Confession] 2:06 AM 0 Wisecracks for Me
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Thursday, January 18, 2007
MIA
Really lazy to update coz there are so many blanks to fill in and new things just keep happening.
FYI, I'm back from wintry Hongkong! Had a blast of a time there with my dear girlfriends Gracey and Bernice. I had such a good time I really dreaded coming back to the mundane waiting and unpleasant weather here.
While I'm collating and editing all my pictures (a whopping > 1GB worth from the 3 of our cameras), blogging will probably occur sporadically, manifesting at times when I've slept enough, watched enough tv, gone out enough and have simply nothing else to do.
The rest of my holiday beckons!
=)
[Time of Confession] 12:59 AM 0 Wisecracks for Me
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Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Clearance Part 1
It's less than a day before I leave the warm, humid weather behind and set off for my winter holiday with my 2 best buddies, so I thought I'd just clear off part of the owed blog entries, starting from the hellish trip to Malaysia.
The account of our very 'scary' trip:
Grace, Kenny and I were desperate for a short getaway and we thought Malaysia would be a good choice. We'd approached an agency to help us with transport arrangements as well as the hotel bookings. It was SUPPOSED to be a better way, since we were going to 2 places, Malacca and KL.
Boy were we wrong. The freaking creep of an agency* totally ruined our holiday.
Here's how everything went downhill because of the weasel agency.
Day 1: We were supposed to reach Malacca at around 1pm by coach. At about 1.30pm, we were already right outside the hotel but the guide refused to let us off. This woman was saying that we were going to stop by some chocolate factory for 15 minutes for the driver to have his lunch. Some passengers, us included, were bewildered at first, but irate later.
We were right outside the hotel, why couldn't the driver just open the door and let us out so that he could drive off to have his lunch, and we, ours? Because the darn guide was going to earn some commission by bringing us to that chocolate place. Stinky move!!
So the bus took us on a big detour and I can still remember vividly how sad my empty stomach was, seeing the hotel disappear from my view.
I want my chicken rice balls.........
At the chocolate place, Coco Story (how lame), K, G and myself were 3 very unhappy patrons. Except that we only set foot in the shop to use their loo. Buy their product?? Wait long long ah!
The place where there were many pissed travellers and where the sickening bus driver sat outside to smoke instead of have his 15 min lunch (while the rest of us starved on)
Okay I look really ghastly in these pictures... but it's not me, but my wrath, that you're looking at.
FYI, we were there waiting for what, 45 min?
Day 2: We thought it'd be a better day cos we're headed to KL for shopping! But again, we were so wrong.
Our transport vouchers stated that we should be waiting for the coach at the hotel lobby at 9.30am, and the coach should arrive by 10am. We early birds were there way before 9.30am as we got up early after a sleepless night. We waited and waited but no buses arrive at the hotel entrance even till way pass 10am.
We started to get fidgety and irritated. Each of us started to react in different ways: G started to develop an extreme sensitivity to sounds of vehicles larger than cars (ie. vans or buses) driving up the hotel entrance, turning her head at speedily at each occurrence to check if our coach had arrived; K started to walk around alot; and I started to roar.
At around 10.30am, there was still no coach, and all this time, we had been trying to call the 2 phone numbers given on the voucher for necessary contact. The numbers were either unavailable or not in use. Lagi best. So G and I had to make calls to the Singapore office at the expense of our autoroam charges (hello, not cheap hor!!!), following which this girl kept putting me on hold (I could feel a hole burning in my pocket as the stupid music played on) and finally got back to me to say that she'll check it out and call me back. WTH!!
After a long wait, she called me back to say 'Erm, I called the person, he says the coach is there already what?' There??! Where??!! There my foot!!
A long moment of unpleasant barking from my end of the line ensued.
Apologetically, the girl put me on hold again (!!!!) and then said she'll call me back. *RRROOOOOOAAARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
She didn't call me back at all lor!! Then at 11.15am, this uncle walked up to us hurriedly and asked if we were from **** ***** Tours and quickly took our bags and led us out of the hotel to a.....
old, ancient taxi (from the days of yore when backseats didn't have seatbelts) -_-"
We thought okay, maybe there was a screw up and this taxi will replace the coach and take us to our hotel in KL. Wrong again. The taxi drove us to a petrol station near KL, waited, circled around and waited somemore, for our coach that was supposed to be there. After a long wait of what, 45 min, the uncle made a call and guess what, yes, everything that could go wrong went wrong: the bus had left without us!!!!!!! *ROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!*
So rubbish can!! Then we had to wait for another bus that was on its way to KL to give us a ride but this bus only took us to another petrol station at KL, after which we got on another ancient taxi to drive us to the hotel.
By this time, not only were our plans thwarted, our moods were way low below the deepest seabed.
The damn agency ruined our holiday. Period.
Day 3: As usual, the coach was 1 hour late to pick us up to take us to the place we missed most: HOME.
Well, this is the bleaghhhh part of the whole story. The better part was the fact that I had 2 great travelling companions. We made it to hell and back together and we still managed to squeeze in little bits of fun at the parts that DID NOT INVOLVE THE SUCKY AGENCY.
Wow. This took longer than I expected. Seems like the better part of the trip and the other entries will have to wait till I get back from HK.
Till then...
[Time of Confession] 7:44 PM 0 Wisecracks for Me
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Tuesday, January 09, 2007
A League to Join
The league of the extraordinary aunts.
Case 1: I'm out with my aunt and she wants to check out a jewellery store owned by her friend's family. We walk into the hotel where the store's located and I look around while she talks to her friend. I casually browse the gems and my eyes fixate on a quiant little crucifix pendant. It is unique yet not overembellished.
Sweet and simple.
One salesman notices that my eyes were hovering over that piece of jewellery for more than one second and helpfully (or so he thinks) offers to show me the pendant.
'Which one do you like?'
'No lah. I'm just looking.' (typical line used by a window shopper who doesn't want to be harrassed by the salespeople)
The attention of my aunt and her friend is diverted to this conversation between me and the salesman.
My aunt goes, 'Which one you like? Take out and see la...'
'Errr no lah, don't have. I was just looking.'
'Never mind one... just see lor'
'Errrrrrrrrrrr.... that one there in the second row....'
The salesman reaches into the display and pulls out the pretty pendant.
(And this went on in my head: Ooh cute, not too bad. I have good taste. Okay can we go already?)
But that didn't happen. My aunt's friend started to describe the pendant while observing it under that mini spy-glass looking instrument all jewellers use and began to quote prices for it. And since he was a good friend, he slashed more than half the sale price and offered it at close to cost price.
It was the only piece.
'No lah I don't want it. I just wanted to see only.' <-- it's true!! But almost instinctively, my aunt pulled out the cash and proceeded to pay for it, saying, 'Never mind lah, I buy for you. The price so good, and only one piece. Just take it.'
O_o
This is the same aunt who's doted on me since young and taken very good care of me when my parents were MIA at home. I feel so indebted to her... especially when she lavishes on me even though she does not have much. It's love like this that shows me how much more my Heavenly Father cares for me. Because of this very selfless and extraordinary aunt, I'm well-taken care of, always doted on and now, have my first piece of real diamond.
A princess-cut diamond sitting happily in its box
Case 2:
I've got an uber-cool aunt who's extremely successful in her trade (thus making her very admirable) and is also the single parent (taking care) of my best cuz. She passes me all the chic corporate wear, making me the last person to fret over what to wear if a surprise interview or function is sprung on me without notice. I am all equipped to be an office lady!
She's also the groovy aunt to go shopping with; and sometimes, the buys are even sponsored.
Yesterday, she just demonstrated again, why I think she's so extraordinary. Her SMS: Just had din w my x boss whoz visiting fm new york n apparently wentworth miller is his fren! when is prison break? i must watch it next time la
My reaction: *jumping around the room and yelling at the top of my voice 'OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
OMG.
My aunt knows Wentworth Miller's friend; and this means that I'm related to someone who knows someone who knows Wentworth Miller! And this would mean that we're closely connected - Wentworth Miller and I!
What I imagine he'd say: 'Hi, I know you from somewhere right? Yea! I know your aunt's ex boss!' 'I held up a bank in the show to...wait, don't I know you? You're the niece of the lady who used to work for my friend!'
I know, I know, it's wishful thinking. I do my reality checks too.
[Time of Confession] 8:52 PM 0 Wisecracks for Me
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Thursday, January 04, 2007
Yeeoowwwwww
My legs are aching and I can barely feel my feet.
Yawn; and I'm so tired.
All thanks to my dear friend Kenny who made me run that 3+km after our squash game - my legs were jelly less than half way thru but he kept saying,
'Reaching already! Just keep running; only 7 minutes more!' 'Oh man, this must be the WORST 7 minutes of my life', I whined.
Then, another slope and much panting later, I was already slowing down to a walk when he said,
'Only 4 more minutes!'
'What??!! Only 3 minutes have passed?? *@!£&^@&*@£!!!'
As you can guess, I'm not a very friendly person when I'm tired.
Btw, if you're reading this, that tai dee match after our run is not counted k! Best of 3!! I'm still the QUEEN!!!
One of my uni mates, Audrey-Ann, left for South Africa for her Final Year Project for the next 6 months. How cool is that? The first of my friends to explore the African terrain! The lucky girl will get to visit the game reserves and safaris there! I want!!
Anyway, the rest of the group, Von, Grace and I went to the airport to bid a fond farewell to our good friend and to wish her the best of luck in the new place! We'll miss you Audrey! The Gang
Me and my buddy
[Time of Confession] 12:32 AM 0 Wisecracks for Me
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Monday, January 01, 2007
A Very Good Year
So 2006 has ended and I hope everyone had a blast celebrating New Year's Eve partying, getting drunk or something along that line that involved being with friends and loved ones.
Oh I had a blast myself. It was something that involved a comfy bed and a impossibly dashing and smart guy.
I was watching Prison Break in bed (what else were you thinking?) - it's like killing 3 birds with one stone.
1. I'm protected from the monstrous crowds. 2. I'm getting my deprived rest (after a trip from hell; details later). 3. I'm entertained and blown away by Wentworth Miller.
It feels so bizarre that 2006 is over. I'm no longer a student (which kinda makes me unemployed at the moment... hmm) and have sort of reached the end of my education. Sort of because I'm going to pursue post-graduate research which will indefinitely involve learning.
It's that time of the year when the insuppressible urge to reflect on the past 365 days emerges and I've given it a bit of thought (in between Wentworth's screen time) and I've really been blessed this year.
Both good things and not so good things have happened, but overall, the way I see it, everything's worked out for a pretty decent outcome. I've learnt alot and gained alot. Academically, socially (I've made many good friends in my last year of uni), spiritually and maybe physically too (oh drats... it's the festive fatness).
God has been so faithful throughout the entire year - my prayers were answered. I made it through University with a first class honours. Something so seemingly impossible for me (if you knew how brilliant my classmates are, you'd understand where I'm coming from) yet so possible not by my own strength but His.
Like what my pastor said, when we rest in Him, He doesn't stop working. The second half of this year would have driven me nuts with all the deadlines and tight schedules - I had 6 freaking subjects on top of my final year project. How I made it through without ever breaking down would be because of Him. My shepherd and my strength. In fact, come to think of it, I think I was actually a happier person in 2006 than all the other years!
The year ahead will be even better because He's made the way before me; I know that for sure because 2006 has already been a living testimony to that truth.
Now that 2007 is here, it's time for some to make their resolutions again. Not for me though. Somehow, resolutions are things hardly ever fulfilled because they are dependent on man's own will and strength. Thus, I'm making a list of my heart's desires that I will commit into His hands for there's always hope - a confident expectation of good things, when such desires are placed into bigger hands, like His.
[Time of Confession] 7:26 PM 0 Wisecracks for Me
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