事过境迁

Just some updates about what has been happening.

A JC class gathering which will lead on to another one in July since there was only a handful of us that night. The food was good, and although we haven't seen each other for some time and have become a bit too busy with our own lives, we still manage to talk and joke.

Then there was a MJ session with Jon and gang, which makes me wonder if I will be blacklisted, by some form of luck, I won again. After that was a family dinner. We had chicken rice and later we went around the west area looking for durian, but to no avail. In the end, we settle for card playing at grandma's with grandma till late night.

And yesterday, i spent the whole of it with my sister, emptying my wallet. We went for KTV and dinner. Bought her some t-shirts and a pair of slippers for birthday, and also a birthday cake. Then i was disturbed when i saw hands coming through my window and waving ytd night, as her friends bought a mini-cake and wanted to surprise her and celebrate for her.

Oh ya, I am no longer working at the tuition centre, and just doing some flexible assignment work at home. And now, it is more of planning for the upcoming trips, and trying not to spend too much on unnecessary stuff.

And thank god for placing many people whom I love in my life.

Beginning

To tell the truth, I enjoy going to school during this period of time. Two days of lab a week, with lab reports to prepare, starting from reading journals and textbooks, I find it much more interesting than normal lab time, as I am given ample time to make sure that I understand the lab fully and make my lab report look better. Beside going for lesson, I managed to secure the job at the tuition agency and am starting work tomorrow. This will give me more experience and income for holiday and shopping.

So today I bought 2 new shirts (the last time i buy clothes was during chinese new year) to pamper myself, met up with ivan for dinner, and managed to chat with him. And yesterday I got triply chocolate cornflakes from Mark & Spencers' as a surprise present from CK, which makes me look forward to breakfast everyday. During busier times, communication and understanding become a vital part of maintaining relationship between people, and even though it may look hard, I believe that whatever that you can overcome is truly yours.

P/S: Eat breakfast everyday!

Post Exam Activities

Once the appalling examinations are over, I began on my Post-exam activities, starting with a chalet organized by Roy at SAF Holiday resort. It is a refreshing start to see some old friends and trying to know some new friends, whom I have not seen in real person before. It is embarrassing to admit that I tend to know and talk to people more on the internet than meeting the person out of my little Apple. Okie, I have digressed. Anyway, the chalet was not too bad, since I get to try my hand at Mahjong, and play Bridge, and talk with some very busy people. LOL. I took a walk at Tampines with Jon and KS the next day, and set foot into Uniqlo which was a total let down. I can only say that it is as overrated as Dai Yang Tian, and the only product that I recommend to buy are the boxers and trunks? Nevertheless, I quite like the experience at the Eastside, made me believe that I was in another place altogether, and it is quite a shopping haven all on its own.

I met up with HK, SY and Anli for dinner and Minds' Cafe, which was pretty fun, despite the cold which I caught, from having lack of sleep during the chalet. I had tissue by my side 24/7 that day. Good to know how they are now, regret not having more time to talk to them, maybe during CK's birthday party will I be able to catch up on HK's TW trip and SY's examinations.


And there was Clara's 21st Birthday celebration, at her place in Jurong East. Her home is cosy and neat, and I can easily concussed as I bury myself underneath loads of cushions in the living room. It is just lacking of a fireplace before it transform into a cottage. I had a wonderfully fun time with the Chemistry major friends, playing Asshole Big 2, to see who is a better card dealer (and that's WJ, who is the 1st generation of asshole, and apparently not so much for Huilin's unique snail style dealing) and we decided to stop when we finally overthrow the long-reigning king, Irwan. I enjoyed the sinfully tasty Botak Jones catering, as I gnawed into those beef burgers and sausages which made Gary go insane. On top of that, there was my favorite pineapple tarts. The celebrations ended when not more than 10 of us gathered to play 'Psychiatrist', which was a Q&A, digging people innermost secret, like taking electron from the innermost shell instead of the valence shell. (lamed)

The highlight for the week was having dinner at Hainan with CK (I got to eat Beef Stew!) and watching 'A Madwoman's Diary', which features Li Xie, whom I got to know from Dua Dai Ji. As I have predicted, the show talks about 2 women, each talking and enacting their own stories, like sharing woes and joys with the audience (it's a blackbox theatre production), while the political stuff (only at the end then CK told me that Li Xie was playing a politician. However, my conclusion that the argument from this play is pretty one-sided, weakly pointing out that people should not compromise easily to their circumstances and allow others to control them or else, it leads to undesirable misfortunes. I was touched by the goat's story, because of so much emotion built up before that scene, when I imagine how traumatized and pitiful a woman could feel, to give birth to a stillborn baby. I guess the way that part was portrayed was layered and easy to comprehend and feel uncomfortable with.

And then is Mothers' Day, and it began with a family dinner (zhu chao) at Jurong West, and then Karaoke session at Chervons. I was amazed by how well my sister can sing, and the way she hits the high notes, every song feels like Christmas carols. LOL. Sally was lucky, we made a spin at the Jackpot room and she won $500 from it, and hence she footed the bill for most of our expenses for that day, including pizza delivery treat at Sarpinos, karaoke and also paying for what I lost in the Jackpot room. They give out money in bulks and they eat money real fast. Alex and I lost $40 together in 10 min. Ka Ching! It all ends well with watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and having a little game of mahjong, which I got sponsored by Angela for this week's allowance.

And now, it is time to get to Jurong Point to X-men the Origins movie, which almost everyone who was interested have watched. All these before I settle down and start special semester.

Knowing little is bliss

I was feeling uneasy and a little traumatized by 'Knowing', the movie kai and I watched yesterday. As many would have know, it is about someone who has the ability to predict the date, venue and the number of deaths in a major unnatural disaster, and gets creepier as once it has been predicted, it cannot be altered, which eventually everyone else dies. Furthermore, it links (although it is rather crappy more than informative) with quotes from the bible, reminding people that we are living in the end times, and has to be prepared for the Lord to take us. I would have this show better if it connects to environmental problems that we are facing these days, due to rapid urbanization and the tolls on mother nature.

So in the movie, one of the characters, knows exactly which date she is going to die, and it is absolutely disturbing. Hence, I really think that knowing little is bliss, and to live life and love life every single day is much more important than worrying about things that have yet to come (and I really do that alot).

I have been busy, you know, watching show to entertain myself, and revising for the examinations. Well, I am looking forward to the holidays, more than anything else.

20 dollars ONLY?

That was what my mum exclaimed when i informed her about the bills. Not long ago, we signed up for the Mio plan, where I will pay for internet, my mum pays for the phone plan, while my dad pays for the residential line. So we are splitting the bill, around 20 dollar each.

This time round, the bill is around 58, so it would be 20 each. And so there my mum was happy that it is much cheaper than what she used to pay. (she choose to believe that 58 bucks was solely for her phone plan at first.)

And then i heard this from my dad, right from his room..

"Of course you think it is cheap lar, no matter i use or not, i still have to pay the 20 bucks."

And so my mum replies,

"One is your son, one is your wife, don't be so calculative lar"

*laugh quietly*

Vanilla Cupcake with Chocolate icing

Okie.. This is a new recipe that i'm trying out. Tastes not bad, but I'm all tired out washing the stuff. yawn.

Backpost

Taste aside, simple yet meaningful dinner, cooked with lots of love and a little struggle (hehe). This is not something that can be bought by money or anything in the world. I am fortunate and blessed enough to be able to have this.

By the way, every time I mention that it has been a while since I last blogged, and every time I say that, and I have lost track of how precious time has been spent away. I assumed that most of it went into lesson time and revision time for mid term test, which the weird thing is that I am still having mid term tests 2 weeks after the mid term break! I'm not complaining, since there is ample time to revise.

By the way, I've been to Jason Mraz' concert and it was awesome! I am a part-time fan who only have listened to some of his songs and hence some of the songs that he performed during the gig was rather new and never fail to amaze me. A track like 'Mr curiosity' kept me memerized by his wide vocal range, a while ago he was lively and dancing to his upbeat songs, a while later his voice was sexy and appealing (but now I think CM2132 prof has a sexier voice)

Lame

J= me, W= WJ

J: i got the module =)

W: yea
wenjin and chin wei nv get lei

J: yar i heard
can try to appeal lor

W: i think v hard
cos got limited lab spaces

J: so i ask him to apply for sem 4 oso
see how lor
maybe got ppl last minute withdraw
as for wenjin hor

W: true

J: i think he shld just take any UE for special sem
cos he can take the lab during the sem

W: he cannot
he got the forensic mionor also

J: breadth or wad lei?

W: cos our minor mod is on mondays
clash

J: orh..
then he oso apply for sem 4 lor aiyo..~

W: he got ict
haha

J: ...
sux..
aiya.. go for sex change
solve problem le

W: LOL

J: go in may for sex change
then can take sem 4 le

W: lame

I might have gone crazy..

But I didn't. The week so far has been weirdly horrible, that everything seems to crash and I have to clear the mess. However, my conclusion is that some of them are my own mistakes and some simply are just things beyond my own control.

The following is something rather personal and you wouldn't like to hear me rant about it. My mum quit from her job 2 weeks ago and so she should be very free, since she doesn't have to go to work anymore. However, the house still pretty much looks the same, where the same means dirty as ever. I was happy when I overheard her told her friend over the phone that she will have to be a worthy housewife and take care of the house and cook meals. However, for the past 2-3 weeks, she only cooked porridge once for lunch. The rest of the days for me were spent eating from hawker centres, food courts and restaurants, and it has been taking its tolls on me, falling sick and spending lots of money. I handed her 2 stacks of clothes and she only ironed one piece which I needed for last Saturday, and hence I have decided to iron the rest later in the day, as waiting may take me forever. It is not that I hate her or dislike her. I am upset and disappointed about how things turn out this way, to the extent that I call it dysfunctional. From my point of view, being a full-time student and able to perform in studies and able to be financially independent has been a feat. But besides doing that, I have to handle the things in the family, applying for CPF stuffs, clean the house and wash dishes as there is no one else doing it. Did i mention that I'm the one buying groceries and it got depleted rapidly. It is to this point that I feel that I have been taken for granted in the family. Thankfully I am not emotional yet.

As for my sister, she is going to spend the whole of the post O-levels doing nothing, other than roaming Orchard and her friends' places, for all i care. I have run out of ideas of what to deal with her, since she is such a heavy spender, and apparently she doesn't have much to get herself prepared for the new school term, how come she doesn't learn that money doesn't come easy. I was so heart-broken when she simply told Jac that I have money when Jac told her that she will have to cancel her phone plan. (and yes, I really think that things have been going in her way by manipulating, and at the expense of those who care for her.) And hence, from now on, I shall not give in until she realise what she has been doing, which means I'm washing my hands of her, to make her learn. She hasn't learnt that if you want something very much, you have to earn it and not wait for it to be bestowed upon you, not everyday is sunday right?

Well, you may think that hey, they are your family, and you guys are related by blood and you shouldn't do this or that. But I have been taken for granted and I have definitely tried my best in doing many things till the extent that I am feeling so exhausted not over my studies, but over miscellaneous matters which I don't know WTH am I so bothered with. Maybe I asked too much out of myself, that I wanted to make sure that things are going well in the family, and it is making me break.

I hope my mood will lift later, when I meet CK for dinner.

Khoon, We're proud of you!

On Friday night, CK, Sy and I overcame the almost endless flights of stairs to Old school, for the Random Blends exhibition by the department for New Media NUS, where we were greeted with loads of Khoon's photos on almost every wall. His work looks good, with a great blend of colors representing the societies, and his expressions, about the different emotions that one may have, which are all intertwine with each other. At the end of the day, we are trying to find out in reality, which is the real us? So we had an enjoyable time, looking at many artistic shots.
A closer look at the work
Okie.. we need to camwhore.
Khoon explaining to the guest what his work is about.
Group shot (ASH)

谚语 － 一天一句

Bought myself something today so as to improve my command of Chinese language. Not only do I want to be proficient/fluent in the language, I want to speak with better vocabulary too. These books are small and handy, hence I shall buy the other series when I'm done with this one.

Let's take a look at the first one:

八九不离十
解释：十分接近实际的情况。 （very close;about right)
造句：从你脸上那慌张的神色，就能让人猜个八九不离十了。 (well I don't like this example.)

How about.. 我认为事情就是这样发生的，不然也八九不离十了。

I want to live in YIH

Yep, this place is great. It has ample space for me to rest my legs and study for many hours in air-conditioned areas. The place is not crowded like science canteen during lunch hours and definitely have more interesting (both good and bad) food than other canteens. Well, most importantly, i can concentrate on my revision there. Hence, I want to live in YIH and I am wondering how much is the hostel fee.. Haha =)

So here's what has happened over the past week, I felt tired and horrified by school and was disgusted by how much time I have to delicate to school and yet get not so good grades for some modules. Hence, I fell sick, had a very bad sore throat that woke me up 3 times every 2 hour throughout my sleep. It was so painful that I can't swallow my saliva and has to let it stay in my mouth. Then i realise i can't gather strength to spit the saliva out and hence I let it drip out. -_-|| Went to the doctor and it cost me $55 for the stronger antibiotics. So painful for both throat and wallet. (I am so glad I am alright now and I'm still trying to get more sleep.)

V'day came and went. It was a happy one, having able to spend a lovely day freely, enjoying myself with company, and of course, delicious food =) (well, that isn't the only thing that is enticing)

Recess week is here, and I will be camping in YIH for most of the days. =x

妈妈与妹妹

My mum is funny. Knowing that I was having a cough and sore throat, she tried to offer me half a can of her coke when she saw me resting at the sofa. Later at night, she came back with MacDonalds for supper and asked if I want some. Oh my tian, if I really ate them, I can't imagine how sick I can be. CK said maybe she was looking for partner in crime, in which i totally agree.

My sis is funnier. She fell sick after going out till late nights for consecutive days. Hence I brought her some panadols and a glass of water when I heard her 'moan' my name from her bedroom. I handed her the white round tablets and then she looked at me.

Sis: Are these for fever?
Me: Yes, white color and round one.
Sis: Aren't panadol for fever pink in color?
Me: （暗笑）You think you still kid ar, want to eat pink color one.
Sis: （Sick but still 暗笑）Orh.. (swallow tablets and gulp the water)

黑皮牛耳！

Time passes quickly while you are having fun. And tomorrow school gonna start. (okie, this entry isn't about the aiyo-so-stressful-school-sux stuff)

Despite the economic downturn and that the festive spirit isn't very much present, this is one of my most anticipated CNY since I was born. It is not about receiving pocket money anymore, and isn't about gambling (although I played too-too-too much of mahjong). It is about getting around with family and relatives to see how each other is doing, especially for those we haven't seen for a full year. It is a time, where you see the elders in the family getting excited, seeing their children and grandchildren return, in nice new clothes and beams when they see each other. Knowing that their offspring are still getting well is already a good gift for CNY.

My 外公 doesn't talk much, maybe not so good at expressing himself, but he makes sure that everyone in the house get a good full meal at the dining table, hence the whole 2-3 days he was busy with preparing food, and ALWAYS throwing something into the steamboat as he walks past. 外婆 then goes around, keeping things in order and tells my aunties and mum about her plans to go holidays (okie, she needs reimbursement from them). Well, I learnt something which makes a lot of sense when I was at her place. She told my cousin "肚子饱，眼睛不饱", telling him that he should not eat so much since his stomach is already full but his eyes aren't. 阿嬷 will then wakes up normally around the time i was sleeping to do the housework, every CNY is like a major event. Then she will have to visit the market in the early morn to buy plenty of stuff to store.

I enjoyed the vibes and the joys of meeting up during CNY, and truly appreciate how things are now. =)

How anorexia can form..

Continuing from the previous entry. I retold this 'eating takeaway' story to WJ.

WJ: I have been doing that for (count fingers..) 2 years already? then I got sick of the outside food and decided to use hot water to blanch my vegetables and meat. After that I got too lazy and decided not to eat already. Hence, I stop eating.

Me: (shocked) I really hope I am not heading this way.

Thank goodness for CNY, I can eat home-cooked food, spend time with family and enjoy the goodies. =)

'Ask and it shall be given' works on Mums too.

(Provided that you have been a good son all year.)

Had this conversation with my mum early this morning, before i left for school.

Me: Are you going to cook tonight?
Mum: Aiyo, I have been waking up so early everyday for work and will be too tired to cook already.
Me: But i have been eating weeks of takeaways and firstly, they are not healthy, secondly expensive and finally I'm already sick of it. (act pitiful)
Mum: ..(silence)

However Mum and Dad just came back and Mum is cooking Bak Kut Teh right now, and hence I have proven that 'ask and it shall be given' works (at least for my mum). I shall thank her later during dinner.

The Forgotten Belated.

I din see this coming. That I would get this huge belated birthday present from khoon and sy. I thought this day has been spent in China and left there, hence there wasn't much of a celebration when I came back to Singapore. And soon came 2009 and I have already forgotten about my uneventful birthday. So when I saw sy with a big NUM paper bag it really caught me by surprise. And there inside was a red sling bag with a shoe compartment. It would be a real Attention seeking bag, but I would love to bring it to school soon, hehe, partly because i like the bag and mostly because it is sorta an evidence of this forgotten belated gift, filled with warmth and friendship. Thanks guys, I will remember this that you've given to me. =) hugs.

And i do agree that i lack the vibrancy. ( Yes ASH, it's time for wardrobe makeover). And from no where, I need to start a healthy cum detox diet for a week from now till next week, hopefully I can sustain this for long. Anyway, my English CMI (Chinese just slightly better).

Forgot to go to g2000 to take a look to get some office wear (heard that there is some sales going on) when having dinner with CK just now. Have to go get some tomorrow then.

It's a Sunday and it's know yourself day!

Just got back not long ago, slightly tired. Yesterday I managed to get to Paisley and Cream for English bread and butter pudding and double chocolate cupcake for desserts (been so long since I last went). Looks like the crowd there is still the same (which is none. But that is precisely why i like the place) The prices are slightly higher now yet still affordable. Most importantly, the ambiance, the way the food are served and how the food taste have met my requirements of a good chill out place.

Okie. the title of my entry looks weird. I got to know myself better today. Ever wondered how it feels like when someone looks into your eyes and tell you how he feels about you? Telling you what is so unique that make you different from the crowd and reassuring that you are special. It then becomes clearer to you what qualities you have and didn't know about. Hence, you are able to know more about yourself! =)

Anyway,
Mum:你早上才回来吖 （i sms-ed you yesterday to inform you, you forgot le ar?)
跟瘦皮猴一样还以为自己很壮，可以不睡觉吖。。(first time she said that about me)
Me:有啦，有睡。

I Grew up with..

SPEED = hiroko + eriko + takako + hitoe
This line has been scribbled on some of my textbooks and worksheets, here and there, in large or small prints. I watch their concert vcds, download their live performances, purchase their stickers and key chains, listen carefully to their songs till I can sing without understanding what the heck it mean. I was seriously obsessed that I even started a fanclub website for them.

After watching this recent performance of theirs, i soon came with a conclusion that the decision to disband 8 years ago was a good one. In 1997, they sang exactly the same song on NHK 红白歌唱大赛 as they did last year, and i realise that Eriko has improved so much in her technique that she is very stable and her voice sounded great. And for the rest of them, they have become more feminine, especially hiro who sledded her babyfat face. Though they are less popular now (they disbanded at their peak), i think the showbiz was willing to give them respect and equal chances to shine again. And I think they are doing well. All the best SPEED!

Something Peculiar

I think I got to note this day down, 5th January 2009. Something is wrong, not that I don't like it, but it is strange and weird in a very positive way. Dad and mum decided to bring me and sis for dinner somewhere near our place. Well, our family haven't got much dinners together because of busy commitments, either with mahjong or with something else less important. On the way for dinner, my sis then divulged something stunning to me. It turns out that, for the past month while I was away, my parents were indulging in having fine dining at restaurants. Sometimes, they would bring my sis along but most of the times they go by themselves. During dinner, I saw my dad smiling so much that I was afraid to look directly at him. Perhaps I haven't seen him so happy before.

Here's the problem. I don't understand the reason behind this sudden change, that they become rather willing to spend on food and shopping, enjoying life more. Oh ya.. and my dad just offered to make a drink for me. Okie, I just found out another weird thing, they talk a lot more now. Just now after little nonya, they were telling me about their Johor trip and what they bought from the trip. (and how they ended up buying my 15RM bag) And now they still have some voucher from 三盅两件, and want to go there soon.

Am I suspecting too much?