a new journey

Thank you Yohei

2011-01-14T22:11:00.004+08:00

I started my day today by saying Thank You to Yohei. I thanked him for being the wonderful boy that he's been, taking in the yucky meds that we had to feed him with, and understanding that he needs to take them to get better. It was done with minimal protest ("Mommy the medicine tastes bad! IT makes me want to throw up!") but he took them nonetheless.

I'm ending my day by saying Thank You to Yohei. Thank you for braving the headache that's causing you so much pain, for overcoming it all and telling me, "Mommy, I think the pain in my head will go away later." Thank you for letting me know where you hurt without drama, for telling me exactly what you DON'T want me to do ("Mommy please don't touch my head and ear because they hurt")

Goodnight, my little bear. Rest well and I hope you will wake up feeling much, much better.

Fung Family 2011

2010-12-07T14:02:00.002+08:00

We have this annually-must-do thingy - taking a family photo. We took the chance to snap one, just before we left for a piano concert organised by the German and the Polish Embassy on 4 December 2010 (by the way, we had the pleasure of listening to Wojciech Switala play... beautiful!)

Letting go...

2010-09-26T16:57:00.003+08:00

I'm disheartened by someone whom I care for deeply. I met her when she was still struggling through some of her worst days, included her in my plans because she said she needed that 'outlet' (but in the end I got played out by her, literally). She roped me in to help during her wedding (which I very happily did. Moobe even took some beautiful photos for her, quite apart from her having hired help doing that). Immediately after her wedding, I didn't hear much from her at all and I am probably the last person to find out that she's pregnant (if not for FB, I won't even know).

When I sent her a congratulatory note, she asked if I was free on a particular day. I said yes and asked what the occasion was. She didn't reply any further. That day came and as the day ended, I found out (again, via FB) that it was her baby shower.

It makes me wonder if she had really wanted to invite me to the baby shower at all.

I don't think I want to know the answer. I don't want to hear a lame excuse, if ever there's any. Am I prepared to lose this friend? Maybe. I know deep in my heart I will still care for her but I think she doesn't need my support any more, not like back then.

Perhaps it's time to let go...

Goodbye Gecko Gor Gor

2010-06-16T11:58:00.005+08:00

Gecko Gor Gor is the nickname we gave to Jeff. We first met him when he and his family opened up a Hakka restaurant on Telok Ayer Street. Aptly called 'My Grandma's Place", Jeff was the man behind the stove, re-creating delicious Hakka dishes the way his grandma would have done.

He's got a very cute tattoo of a gecko (hence the nickname) and rode a light green Vespa. Yohei had always wanted to climb on for a ride except he's too small to pillion. I know Jeff would love to take him on a spin if he could.Jeff's like sunshine. No matter how tired he was, he'd never fail to give us a bright smile and stop for chats when he sees us. He would always stop to play with Yohei and never fail to extract a few giggles from my boy. We were sad when we found out that they were closing the restaurant but was happy for Jeff when he started working at Wavehouse on Sentosa. We never got to meet him again after that.

Now he's gone. To another world. And we will never see him again.Rest in peace, Jeff. You will always live on in our memories and be remembered by your sunny smile, your gecko tattoo and your great cooking.

Our deepest condolences to Sally and family.

Pathetic, pathetic...

2010-03-10T20:44:00.003+08:00

I really don't know whether to laugh or to cry when Ger told me about what Amy said in the office. It's pathetic (more accurately, Amy's pathetic), the way she constantly has to badmouth others, nitpick and find fault with junior staff, misguiding others into working 'her way' (which, incidentally, ended up being wrong). I've been in that office for a year and she's gotten from bad to worse.

All I can say is 'GOOD LUCK' to Nic. She's your secretary and you will have to live with it. Oh but come to think of it, she's really 'not like that' when you are in the office! Hmmm...

Anyway, to Ger and Joey, I'd say grin and bear it. You are not going to be there permanently. Consider yourself lucky to have met such a colourful character so early in your life. The next time you meet another (oh my... sounds like a curse haha!) you will know what to expect and how to deal with it.

goodbye JLC, hello TNAGS

2010-02-12T23:34:00.002+08:00

It's a new year, and a new path. Soon it will be time to bid my friends at JLC a fond goodbye and embark on my new journey.

I've been waiting for this to happen since last year. Thanks to LL, I managed to set up my goal posts (and shifted them a couple of times in between). Finally, the goal was netted and I'll be off to my new destination soon!

It's been a great learning experience learning a new software and understanding how the accounts work in a sole prop law firm. The recent addition of 2 temp staff to take over my duties have made the days much more pleasurable. I'm really going to miss working with them, NL and (surprise, surprise!) WT. Oh, as for that someone in JLC, may our paths never cross. Seriously.

40hr PVv - the 1st instalment

2010-01-17T09:29:00.005+08:00

Since we've earmarked Jurong Primary School for Yohei's next education journey, I've signed myself up for parent volunteering to:

1. give my boy an advantage as far as admission is concerned and
2. take this chance to get to know the academic and non academic staff, the school's culture and parents like myself who are volunteering and those whose children are already in the school.

I've just been contacted few days ago about the volunteering and started the 1st 4 of my 40-hr project. It's going to be a race against time as I will have to fulfill the pre-requisite 40 hrs by April 2010 to qualify for the admission advantage.

Yesterday was the school's sports heats and I got to be a time keeper at the finishing line. Not exactly exciting but it's fun nonetheless, chatting with a seasoned volunteer mom Harlina. It's heartwarming to see how the teachers and parents work together and the camaraderie amongst them is just beautiful. I seemed to have found the smiley faces that I remembered so fondly from my own school days (as opposed to the glum looks I get when I visited other schools previously to check out the environment) and I'm really happy for Yohei. It's very important for us that he learns and grows in a warm, friendly environment. It's going to be stressful enough for him as he grows and the stress need not start at as early as age 7.

I didn't get much of a chance to take photos but here're some stolen moments...

brotherhood between a current student and an alumni

cheeky fooling around...

one of the teacher's child posing for me :)

"all green" signal to the starting line

Quick Sale! Sony Alpha 100

2010-01-02T18:13:00.002+08:00

What you get:

1 unit Sony Alpha 100 body

1 unit Sony 18-70mm lens

1 unit Sony 75-300mm lens with hood

1 unit battery charger

2 units rechargeable batteries

2 units 2GB memory card

1 unit flash hotshoe (adaptor for 3rd party flash)

1 unit Sony HDPS1 HDD photo storage (unused)

1 unit Sony GPS-CS1 (unused)

1 unit Sony camera bag

All these for $1,500 (neg).

Leave a comment or email me to arrange for viewing appointment.

mommy you ate my toast!

2009-11-30T08:32:00.003+08:00

This is hilarious.

Yohei woke up this morning and came to me in the kitchen, crying. I hugged him and asked what was wrong. After a couple minutes of cajoling, he finally blurted out,

"You ate my toast bread when I said I wanted it!" came the sob.

I almost had to gag myself to stop from laughing out loud. So my silly little doodoo had a 'bad dream', bad enough to make him cry.

"Oh I'm so sorry darling. Tell you what. Mommy will make you some toast bread with chocolate on it now and you will have it all to yourself, ok?"

And back comes my sunshine...

More Dzi Beads for the Destined One

2009-05-28T13:17:00.006+08:00

Contact me directly if you wish to view this bead.

RESERVED : Beautiful Natural Old Tri-colour 7-Striped Dzi Bead

2009-04-06T12:13:00.003+08:00

Yes! Lovely Tibetan Dzi bead for sale! You can find it on my eBay :) If you are interested, buzz me :)

giant bowl of noodles...

2009-03-17T18:32:00.003+08:00

or is it the bowl that's huge?

Stole a day off from office and had lunch with Joy. We ended up in Sakae Sushi again because that's where Yohei the great has voted for.

In the mood for something spicy and soupy so ordered the Kimchi noodels upon the recommendation of the asst manager of the restaurant and it when came, the size of the bowl shocked me silly. It felt like I was eating out of a soup pot! I was kiddingly telling Joy we can make 4 instant noodles in this 'pot'.

Verdict: the portion of the noodles is just nice for 1 person :) It's just the size of the bowl that's intimidating.

Hmmm.... it seems everything is huge today.

2009-03-16T17:52:00.000+08:00

Blah! Fancy getting blamed for someone else's incapability! Why is it that some people just never learn?

strong head

2009-03-14T10:02:00.001+08:00

I was going home after my class one night and came across this foreign worker transporting bricks around using his head... literally :) interesting :)

LELONG LELONG!!!!

2008-09-06T12:34:00.002+08:00

Parting with some of our treasures:

Ikea Hove Rush Mats made of sea grass @
$5 each or $100 for the whole lot
Quantity: 24 pieces
Condition: Gently used

SONY GPS (GPS-CS1) @
$150 only
Condition: Brand new in box

SONY HDD Photo Storage (HDPS-L1) @
$250 only
Condition: Brand new in box

2008-08-05T11:58:00.001+08:00

突然有个冲动，想熬锅番薯粥，煎个菜脯蛋和蒸尾小鲳鱼当午餐。。。

2008-07-31T15:22:00.002+08:00

for a person who places her own interest over and above that of anything and anyone including her kid, you have no right to shoot down my decision to get the flat.

no, don't tell me your hands are tied as far as your son is concerned. there are things you can do to make his life better. things that you won't do for whatever reasons (but i suspect it's your pride and ego).

it is not a fancy idea that just struck me over night. i have my son and family to consider. i have a boy who's going to be enrolled in primary one in 2 years' time and i must make sure he gets into a school that will help him build a strong foundation for his future education.

for my son and family, i will do everything. a lot more than you can ever imagine. a whole lot more than you will ever do for anyone or maybe even yourself.

2008-07-12T09:22:00.001+08:00

yogibabe your Life Path Number is:

"sensitivity"

Life Path:
In many ways, you are a creature of habit and routine, and you like to your path and pattern well worn and familiar. A natural collector, you rarely dispose of anything that may have a shred of value.The positive attributes of the number 2 Life Path produces extremely sensitive people who generally have the most delicate ability to be balanced and fair. You clearly see the full spectrum of viewpoints in any argument or situation, and because of this people may seek you out to be a mediator. In this role you are able to settle disputes with the most unbiased flair. There is sincere concern for others; you think the best of people, and want the best for them.
Positive traits:
You are totally honest and open in thought, word and deed. You are apt to excel in any for of group activity where your expertise in handling and blending people can be used effectively. Manners and tact mark your way with others at all times, and you are not one to dominate a group or situation. You are the master of compromise and of maintaining harmony in your environment, never stooping to aggravate or argue.
Negative traitsThe negative side of the 2 is hardly a problem. The biggest obstacle and difficulty you may face is that of passivity and a state of apathy and lethargy. The negative 2 can be very pessimistic and accomplishes very little. Needless to say, the negative 2 doesn't belong in the business world and even the more positive individual with the 2 Life Path may prefer a more amiable and less competitive environment.

what is your lifepath number?

2008-06-27T11:44:00.002+08:00

i'm doing cartwheels... my keys to my flat are finally coming!

the customer service manager called and said she will try to speed up the backend paperwork and so hopefully, we can get our keys in july!!!

yippeeee!!!!

2008-06-16T23:14:00.002+08:00

what happens when you have a smart alec who, instead of checking with colleagues when he receives a query, comes up with some bullshit just to buy time?

he deserves a kick where it hurts most...

2008-06-13T21:49:00.002+08:00

when a rumor becomes a reality
i can see my sleep evade me
thinking long and hard for solutions
wondering if there's a corner i can turn?

perhaps it's a sign
for me to enter another phase
to anticipate the changes to come
to accept doing things another way?

will i be overwhelmed by the next wave
will my loved ones be okay
will things finally work out fine
with yet another mountain to climb?

oh! how i wish there's a crystal ball in sight
to help guide me through my plight
or a magic wand if i can find
so my life will treat me ever so kind

if only i can see the light
if only i can see the light....

2008-06-07T14:26:00.003+08:00

way back in the 70's, my mom moved her hawker stall from the streets into the then-new bukit timah market. it was a busy time for her. there were several large factories nearby, and SBS had their bus depot there too. these formed a strong customer base for the hawkers and my mom enjoyed some years of prosperous business, catering to lunch orders from the factory operators and throngs of food-seekers during busy meal times. she'd head off to work, catching the first bus off, and only came back home after 8pm. back then, the only times i really 'saw' my mom were mondays (her weekly rest day) or if i went to the stall to 'help out'.

needless to say, the bond between me and my mom was not that strong. neither were the bonds between me and every other family member, for that matter. no one had time of the day for me, the youngest at home. it seemed then the existence of my parents were to provide me with monetary means to go to school and my older siblings were there just to bully me (especially true with my 4th sister) or ... they were just another person co-existing in the same household.

i hardly 'did things' with any of my family members. sure, i followed mom when she went out. but then all she went was to play majong on her rest days or went to find food in chinatown. i went with her once for a movie, after going to the chinese emporium to buy a piece of fabric. and people wonder why i could still remember the title of the movie that we watched. that's just because it was the one and only movie that she ever took me to! it wasn't as if catching a movie was such a luxury in terms of money - she could well afford it then. she just wasn't interested in doing such stuff with me. one of my sisters used to take me out with her during her courting days but i suspect i was more of an excuse for her to go out.

this family was, and to certain extent today still is, dysfunctional. imagine not knowing what was happening in your siblings' lives because my parents believed in 'minding your own business'. i didn't know when my sister-in-law was pregnant with no. 2, until i saw her at the void deck beneath our block and her bump was showing already. i wasn't aware that my sister was pregnant with no. 3 until it was almost time for the baby to arrive. i remembered asking my dad if my sister-in-law was pregnant and he said, "don't know. aiya not your business." see what i mean?

from then on, i promised myself i would not do this to my children, if i were to have any. i'd sooner hang myself than to think that all my children's memory of childhood was... nothing!

it's true that we cannot afford luxuries. we don't go to the movies often because it costs too much. we don't buy yohei much toys; at least not the transformers and spiderman that he asked for. but we spend a lot of time with him. we get him puzzles that he enjoys fixing, take him to the beach, bring him for swims, ride bicycles, go to the library, take walks in the parks and nature reserve, window shopping. we spend quality time with him. we are trying to spend more time with him while we still can before he enters primary school and finds himself occupied with school work and friends.

we want him to have a childhood that he can remember fondly, because we were there for him and with him, every step of the way...

2008-06-04T16:01:00.002+08:00

moobe took yohei to the ura building to see the models for master draft 2008 the other day and discovered the new development slated for peck seah street. the building we are in now, together with 2 others within this area will be torn down to make way for new high-rise buildings.

i've also just found out from the landlord that the building's lease is up for renewal and it seems the rates will be up by 40%. would it affect us? i don't know but i'm already feeling the jitters...

even if we won't be hit by the rent hike, we'll also be affected by the redevelopment in the near future.

haizzzz

2008-05-22T21:15:00.002+08:00

nothing beats receiving good news from those near and dear :)

congratulations to cherylene and eddie! now i'm waiting to know if it's going to be a boy or a girl so i can prepare the pressie :)

2008-05-16T12:17:00.002+08:00

what were you doing at 4.40am this morning?
i was explaining to yohei why he could not have milk at that hour even if he was hungry.
he was playing outside before dinner time and someone fed him some fish crackers.
i normally allow him to take just one small piece but with our backs turned, the boy ate till he was so full he couldn't take dinner.
so i told him since you didn't take dinner, you will not be fed extra milk in the middle of the night.
he protested, he whined, he cried.
but i won't budge.
so he went back to sleep, not before giving me that pitiful look (mommy you are sooooo cruel)...

this would not have happened if we are staying in a proper house where we can cook.
he would be home taking dinner (or it would be packed to the studio so he could eat) on time.
he would have finished his dinner, taken a break, taken his bath, had his milk and be in bed by 9pm
he would not still be awake at 9+ because mommy finishes class at 8.30pm and needed to wait for everyone to clear out before we could put out the mats for him to sleep;
nor wait for mommy to eat dinner together after her class.

this would not have happened if we are not hit by a road-block that spells HDB.

buying bicycle for everyone

2008-05-03T22:42:00.003+08:00

"mommy i need money," says my little prince after watching jess & her colleagues play monopoly at work earlier.

"i need money too."

"i give you. here," 'counting out' his imaginery money.

"wow! thank you darling. is it enough to buy a house and car?"

"yes mommy and buy yohei's bicycle."

"how about mommy's and daddy's? and one for yean lin jie jie too?" i asked the prince if he would buy it for his cousin.

"yes, for mommy, daddy, jie jie and for cindy jie jie, royce didi and tom gor gor."

haha! my boy's really good this way, not in the least bit stingy :P

Belly Happy

2008-04-21T21:52:00.000+08:00

eating is something that i truly enjoy. it need not be expensive nor rare. simple, well-cooked food is enough to keep my Belly Happy.

i always believe good things are meant to be shared so i'm going to share with you some of the places that sell food that makes me happy :)

i'll be updating on this entry as i go along, changing the post date so it will be on top. the eating places will be placed under their locations e.g. maxwell food centre, amoy food etc. as far as i can, i will take pictures but please bear with me while i sort them out :)

maxwell food centre

Senat Thai Food
(01-85, 1st stall nearest to washroom)

thai food has always been one of my favourites. this is a little gem that just started operating a couple of weeks back. i tried their tomyam soup ($4.50), green curry ($4.00) and a seafood fried rice ($4.00) plus a white rice ($0.50) to go with green curry.

the tomyam is fragrant, with a nice tang to it and not overly spicy. there were 2 good-sized prawns (heads attached but shell on body removed), quite a few slices of fish and some grass mushrooms. the basil and corriander leaves sprinkled on just before serving adds a nice touch. by the way, you can order this in the traditional coconut milk version or in clear soup.

moobe had the green curry with plain rice. he'd prefer it to be a bit more spicy. the portion of chicken is quite good but thought it'd be nice if they can put in more vegetables too. overall, it tasted good. the curry is fragrant and not too heavy to the palate.

seafood fried rice was ordered so i can share it with yohei. like the tomyam, there was 2 good-sized prawns and some squid rings (ok sotong to some of you), the usual frozen carrots, peas and corn. great for the kids. yohei finished a big portion of it (mommy it's yummy!)

edited to add:
have also tried their pad thai / red curry / chicken wings / pineapple fried rice / minced chicken stir fry with basil.

as with the green curry, the red one tasted fine. same grouch about the vegetable serving.

pad thai is a tad too sweet for my taste

pineapple fried rice is fragrant. another hit with the kid

minced chicken stir fry with basil is my current favourite :) and i like to order it extra spicy. comes with a portion of rice and a sunny-side-up.

*****

Timo's Mini Italian Tastes
(01-18)

yohei loves his carbonara ($5) (ok he's not inclined to order anything that's red, for fear it's chilli haha). you have a choice of spaghetti or linguine so just pick the one that suits you. he's got a huge picture menu in front so just shout out the number to him.

you'd never imagine finding chocolate lava in a hawker centre... and yes! Timo's has it! yummilicious choc cake filled with molten chocolate, complete with a scoop of ice cream and fruit cocktail on the side (sometimes you will get a cherry!), all for a mere $3.50. where to find? haha

do try the beef lasagne ($5.30) too! the portion is quite generous, loaded with delicious bolognaise.

this guys makes things from scratch so be prepared to wait a little for your food to be served
.

perhaps, my day will come? NOT!

2008-04-14T11:11:00.004+08:00

there've been threads on some parenting forums that i participated in about education
the woes of being a parent to a child of school-going age
how the burden of educating lies, not with the school but with the parents
how parents hot-housed their kids
how the kids are sent from one tuition class to another
how their schedules have been packed so tight even their ceo dads' pale in comparison
how proud their parents were, announcing to all and sundry (and anyone who cared to listen) that their kids could recite 1 to 10 forwards and backwards at the ripe old age of ... 2
how the kids lost their childhood through the flurry of activities arranged by their well-meaning parents

when i shook my head at the mention of sending my son to an 'enrichment' class
these 'well-meaning' parents told me, "your day will come"
would it? the mere thought of it sent shudders down my spine
no, i refuse to be dictated by the system
i will not subject my son to such tortures
my son will learn, and learn at his own pace he will

he would grow up remembering a childhood of fun, games and impromptu, unstructured learning
he would be a well-adjusted young man, with his goal in sight and working towards achieving it with a flourish
he will grow up happy. very, very happy

2008-04-10T18:28:00.002+08:00

"you have a very intelligent boy there. no need to send for tuition or enrichment la. i have 2 daughters, both very intelligent. one's a lawyer and the other is in the university now. she wants to be a teacher. not that she's any less intelligent than her sister - she's good too. just that she likes to teach. you know ah nowadays parents keep pushing their children like horses. now they score all As, very good. later on return leg they 'puncek' (punctured) then how?"

interesting comment by the taxi driver who took us to ikea yesterday.

our decision to home school yohei raised quite a few eyebrows.

"he doesn't go to school? why? better let him go to school, la! otherwise when he goes to primary school he cannot catch up how? he'll fail exams, you know..."

"you must send him for enrichment classes. you know, shichida is good. then can send to kumon" yada, yada, yada...

what's wrong with these people?

they may be well-meaning but please leave us alone to educate and bring our son up as we see fit.

2008-04-09T22:39:00.002+08:00

i'm exhausted

from crying

in my sleep

last night

a weird dream

gist of it - yohei boarded a bus without us

he looked like he was all of 3 years old in the dream

and i cried

really hard

when the door to the bus closed

i went crazy waving down passing vehicles to take me to the next bus stop

just so i could get my boy back

good thing was i got him back at the next stop

just before i woke up

i was thanking the kind man who gave me a lift

still crying

this dream is exhausting

i guess i must have too much pent-up emotions in me right now...

when will the ordeal end?

2008-04-03T23:53:00.003+08:00

a dear friend was telling me about the abuse she received from her ex. i had my share of abuse - more verbal than anything else and when i finally called it quits, it was like waking up from a bad dream. except the nightmare continues when i had to apply for a flat recently. lots of complications that arised from the divorce and to cut a long story short, i had to pay 'penalty' - in terms of $20k as levy to the HDB.

it really feels like i'm being punished for making a lousy choice when i was much younger. the red tape and bureaucracy at the HDB made matters worse. right now, we're 'illegally' staying at the studio (breach of contract!) and don't know when the ordeal will end. calls made to the csm drew blanks.

'yours is a deviation. that usually takes a lot longer.'

how 'a lot' is 'a lot'? the papers indicated 4 to 6 months before we can get the keys when we booked the flat. now it looks like it's going to be a lot longer. when oh when will all this end?

'mommy i don't want to sleep in studio. i want to go back to sleep, have room to play in, kitchen for daddy and yohei to cook. have bubble bath.'

the boy's missing a proper 'home' and i feel really helpless and sad because that is one thing we can't afford to give him right now...

haizzzzz....

moobe's erm... joke

2008-04-03T22:21:00.000+08:00

okay you have to be able to understand cantonese and a hongkonger's way of pronouncing english words in order to catch this...

it must be the incessant rain but moobe suddenly threw me a riddle:

*read in cantonese*
the moon died (月亮死口左)

hint: a cartoon character

go on... take a stab, make a guess...

stay tuned for the answer... hehehe

ok i almost forgot about this post :P

here's the answer:

死啦！Moon!

a.k.a.... SAILOR MOON

lame... i know...

What are you doing on Good Friday?

2008-03-21T12:51:00.002+08:00

I am not of the Christian faith so there're no religious activity on my list today
Intead I've planned lots of elbow grease.
The sun's nice and bright
It's a good day to do major 'sunning' - the cushions, grass mats and airing out our yoga mats
Gave the mats a good old scrub with light soap solution, rinsing off several times before taking them out to air dry
Makes me feel so good to see the mats restored to their previous glory - their colours came back :)
The cushions have been given a good 'whack' and sprayed silly with disinfectant before putting them out in the sun
And now it's wait, wait and wait
Waiting for them to dry
Then the mats will get another coat of disinfectant before I roll them up

The anticipation of bringing in the freshly sunned cushions and aired mats is sending a smile to my lips...

So what are you doing today?

new blogskin

2008-03-20T12:03:00.002+08:00

thanks to all the creative people out there sharing their artistic flair and talent, i can now change beautiful blogskins... for free!

check them out!

http://www.finalsense.com/services/blog_templates/

too much water...

2008-03-12T22:11:00.002+08:00

on our way back from pulau tinggi over the weekend...

yohei did you have fun?

yes!

would you want to go again?

no!

why?

there's too much water. make my face wet.

hmmmm so the water's too choppy then?

yes water too choppy make yohei very wet.

ok if the water's not choppy would you want to go there again?

hmmm yes...

shall we bring daddy the next time we come?

nooooo! water's too choppy... too much water. daddy will get very wet!

installing love

2008-03-10T11:26:00.001+08:00

janu sent me this interesting little piece ... just thought i'd share it :) thanks janu and whoever created it!

INSTALLING LOVE
Customer Service Rep (CS Rep): Yes, Ma'am, how can I help you today?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install love.
Can
you guide me through the process?
CS Rep: Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready to install
now.
What do I do first?
CS Rep: The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART

ma'am?
Customer: Yes I have, but there are several other programs running right
now.
Is it okay to install while they are running?
CS Rep: What programs are running ma'am?
Customer: Let's see, I have PAST-HURT.EXE, LOW-ESTEEM.EXE, GRUDGE.EXE,
and
RESENTMENT.COM running right now.
CS Rep: No problem. LOVE will gradually erase PAST-HURT.EXE from your
current
operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no
longer disrupt other programs. LOVE will eventually overwrite
LOW-ESTEEM.EXE
with a module of its own called HIGH-ESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to
completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM. Those programs prevent

LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ma'am?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
CS Rep: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do

this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM have
been
completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done. LOVE has started installing itself automatically.
Is
that normal?
CS Rep: Yes. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for
the
life of your HEART. Do you see that message?
Customer: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?
CS Rep: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need
to
begin connecting to other HEARTs in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Oops. I have an error message already. What should I do?
CS Rep: What does the message say?
Customer: It says "ERROR 412 - PROGRAM NOT RUN ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS."
What
does that mean?
CS Rep: Don't worry ma'am, that's a common problem. It means that the
LOVE
program is set up to run on external HEARTS but has not yet been run on
your
HEART. It is one of those complicated programming things, but in
nontechnical
terms it means you have to "LOVE" your own machine before it can "LOVE"
others.
Customer: So what should I do?
CS Rep: Can you pull down the directory called "SELF-ACCEPTANCE"?
Customer: Yes, I have it.
CS Rep: Excellent. You're getting good at this.
Customer: Thank you.
CS Rep: You're welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them
to
the "MYHEART" directory: FORGIVE-SELF.DOC, REALISE-WORTH.TXT, and
ACKNOWLEDGE-LIMITATIONS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting
files
and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete
VERBOSE-SELF-CRITIC.EXE from all directories, and then empty your recycle
bin
afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with new files. SMILE.MPG
is
playing on my monitor right now and it shows that PEACE.EXE, and
CONTENTMENT.COM are copying themselves all over my HEART. Is this normal?

CS Rep: Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything

gets downloaded at the proper time. So, LOVE is installed and running.
You
should be able to handle it from here. One more thing before I go . . .
Customer: Yes?
CS Rep: LOVE is freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to
everybody you meet. They will in turn share it with other people and they

will return some similarly cool modules back to you.
Customer: I will. Thanks for your help.

2008-03-07T12:10:00.002+08:00

moobe's just left for bangkok
yohei just sat in front of the pc watching doraemon
he didn't say good bye
he didn't even turn to look when his father left

i know he didn't feel good
he's missing his father already
and was happy when i decided to call his father
alas! daddy turned his phone off so yohei left a message on the voicemail

i miss you daddy...

my journey to yoga 1

2008-03-05T11:43:00.003+08:00

all these years, i've always been asked why and how i embarked on my journey to becoming a yoga instructor. i'm going to save myself some breath by putting it down here :)

this will take us back to 1999, when i was working in hong kong, putting in weird hours and stressing my body to no end with bad posture. i wasn't, and still am not, a sedantery person. i visited the gym almost daily in the morning, routinely working on the treadmill, weights and what-have-yous, and save for the terrible sinus condition, i was really quite fine, or at least i thought i was fine. then one day, it hit me... big time...

(to be continued...)

2008-03-04T17:05:00.001+08:00

千头万绪
该从何理起？

spring-cleaning my laptop

2008-01-29T11:39:00.000+08:00

ok this isn't voluntary. my lappy decided not to start on sunday morning and before i could rescue my work-in-progress files from the c drive, everything was wiped out. it's terrible, i tell you, having to re-install everything. it's worse when i am missing one of my software setup disk.

on the brighter side, the lappy's all cleaned up and is now running much faster :P

good bye red dot, hello peck seah

2008-01-15T12:17:00.000+08:00

good bye red dot...

i closed the door of our red dot studio for one last time last night. after 2 years of incessant beeping from the pedestrian crossing downstairs, we finally moved on to another location.

thanks, yahti & lin lin, for being with me for our last session at red dot.

hello peck seah...

this is our 3rd location and i hope the last. it's really no fun having to move every 2 years, lose some clients then having to re-build the base again.

this place is nice - street level, with good visibility and frontage. now those yoga-ing can have more privacy as the studio is curtained down away from prying eyes. we've also got a dedicated retail area and some of our maad friends are bringing in their stuff for sale too. i love this new place :)

thanks vivian, yahti, ms kim, sally & denise for kicking off our first day at the new studio!

PAPA! DON'T WASTE MONEY!

2007-11-25T22:27:00.000+08:00

DON'T SMOKE!

宝贝意看到他老爹吸烟就会这样子大喊。。。我就会在一旁大笑，而他老爹就绷着脸瞪着我。

对啊！是我教的！哈哈!

bread pitt?

2007-11-19T23:50:00.001+08:00

no, it's not a spelling error... just look...

this is a new bakery stall at the maxwell hawker centre... :)

thank god for wikipedia

2007-10-22T17:32:00.000+08:00

mom's due for her colonoscopy report this wednesday but she'd bruised her knees badly from a fall last week. i emailed dr. low to ask if i can pick up her report on her behalf but he would still like to see her.

apparently, she's had "a small sessile sigmoid polyp which on histology was a tubular adenoma which was removed during the scope."

i was so tempted to ask the doctor to please speak english and then i thought the better of it. i went on to wikipedia and did a search on the terms. i heaved a huge sigh of relieve when i found out the polyp was benign.

thank god for wikipedia...

art market on fort canning

2007-09-29T16:45:00.000+08:00

yep, once again art market @ fort canning beckons. we've spent a very quiet afternoon here, hoping things will be better later this evening since there's going to be a jazz fest down on the lawn tonight.

the size of the market is markedly smaller this time round (organisers think it's because they are charging a fee this time round... hmmm... i wonder...) and really nothing much to see, save for some new vendors.

but what sets me wondering... how do we classify those shoes and clothes that are being sold 2 tables down? i really don't think they are hand-made, not even value-added (well if they did the beading on the shoes on their own i'd let it pass but...). guess what? apparently someone 'misunderstood' the concept of an 'art market' and decided these pasar malam stuff can find a place in the art market... u know what? in any other bazaars, the organisers will send them packing if they don't sell what they have declared in their application... wonder if they will still be here tomorrow?

2007-09-16T22:37:00.000+08:00

accompanied mom for her endoscope report review on friday. the ulcer in her stomach healed and save for the slight scarring, she's supposed to be fine. then she told dr. low about her loss of appetite for the past week or so. that set off another alarm. a colonscopy was ordered for tomorrow morning.

messaged bro to let him know and kicked myself for doing it.

'what happened? how come she didn't tell us when we saw her last week?' bla bla bla bla...

how the hell would i know? i only knew about it at that moment in the consultation room, for crying out loud!

he called early this morning...

'was the referral from the polyclinic? no? then she will be treated under class a! that's expensive you know? ya, you are paying for it with medisave but it's still expensive! do you know how much it will cost? what? you found out already? $200 something? oh... she's been on subsidized treatment all along? ok then let me know what goes on...'

wtf for? you are not going to take her on her reviews, nor for subsequent appointments and as far as i'm concerned, if i can afford to pay for her treatments with my medisave, you can bloody well keep yours.

stop paying lip service and get your ass over to take her to the hospital for once, will you? you are not the only one who has to work, you know? your sisters are doing what you, as the eldest son and dil is supposed to do so be thankful already and shut the fuck up if you have nothing better to say!

2007-07-10T18:59:00.001+08:00

唉！学生又迟到了
我每星期都要等上半小时
难道就不能先拨个电话给我吗？
真是浪费时间。。。

好。。。我就把今天的课取消了！

噢！可以回家了!

2007-07-07T16:07:00.000+08:00

小妹妹出阁
除了替她开心
还得盛装出席婚礼
连多年没穿的‘战鞋‘也出动了
哈！哈！

生日。。。真快乐

2007-07-07T16:00:00.000+08:00

今年生日多了一班可爱的新朋友
收到了几分窝心的礼物
全是他们亲手做的哦

happy birthday to me

2007-07-06T01:56:00.001+08:00

今天是抛夫弃子的一天。除了中午上课的时间，就没见到老伴和宝贝。
祝我生日快乐。。。

today is the day

2007-06-29T14:30:00.000+08:00

Today’s the day we will know if Moobe’s photos made the selection for UOB POY2007. Hoping his phone will ring…

(empty)

2007-06-09T01:00:00.001+08:00

今晚仿佛时光倒流，回到我刚二十出头，还在MDK混饭吃的时候－－迷你音响系统播着吵闹的流行音乐，而我一边随着音乐摇头晃脑，一边在为我的新产品赶工。这个感觉真象又回到那个拼搏年代，让我想起好多已经失去联络的人。

突然有一股冲动想把故人给找出来，看看他们变成什么样了。。。

Art Market @ Fort Canning - 9 / 10 June

2007-06-07T10:42:00.001+08:00

For the very first time, NParks is organising an art market @ the Fort Canning Park, which will take place this weekend. There are about 40 vendors doing different things like painting, crafts, photography. There will also be workshops, performances and being Singaporean - food! Yes! Al fresco dining is in the order!

Apart from our photo prints on canvass, we'll also be selling some of the smaller pieces of canvass (previously not available for sale) and new products - handmade passport holders and cheque book holders. All these come in limited quantities so do swing by early!

You will also be able to place order for custom pieces. Do bring enough cash for deposit :)

What: Art Market
Where: Fort Canning Park - Table S12 (in the white gallery)
When: 9 June 12noon to 9pm / 10 June 12noon to 6pm

2007-05-22T17:24:00.001+08:00

I never realized how dependant I am on M, as far as doing creative work is concerned. He was the one who did all the hands-on work for the print-on-canvass stuff – the large prints, lampshades… now that another magazine’s looking for new products that we can create out of the canvasses, he’s made something (will let all of you know what that is when the photography is done) out of our existing materials.

While I likeed the look of his newest creation, I was itching to make one myself. Against his advise, I went ahead and sent my stuff out for print. I’m determined to do something all on my own. Now I’m kinda stuck but no, I’m not giving up. Let’s see how things turn out tomorrow, when I’m done…

(empty)

2007-04-13T23:34:00.001+08:00

I had to call the bedok police station over some matters. As much as i understand i would not be the only one that might be calling them at that time, i couldn't help but felt it ridiculous to be put on hold for 8 long minutes and still not get anyone to answer my call. It's past 11 at night for crying out loud! What if i was calling on emergency?

playschool ?

2007-04-04T18:21:00.001+08:00

People have been telling me it’s time to send yohei to school. I still feel academic learning is still too early. I did look around for a playschool that he might be able to join, just so he can have some social time with children his age. Yet all I find are playgroups that claim to have ‘special syllabus’ and some even have ‘assessment’ after every semester. Assessment? What assessment? It’s a playgroup for crying out loud! These are kids and kids should be playing and allowed to be themselves, and not forced into sitting down and learning the alphabets!

Nope, I’m not prepared to send my son to be force-fed. So what if he can’t recognize his numbers and abc? True, I want him to learn. So he learns from his daily life – the letter A from looking at the signs at the mrt stations, the numbers 1 to 5 from the lifts that he takes everyday. I think we can progress slowly from there. Meanwhile, he can happily tear apart his puzzles and put them back when he feels like it…

Are u following me?

2007-03-23T17:31:00.001+08:00

I'm on my way to my corporate class and chanced upon this caucasian guy with his lady friend at the chinatown mrt station. When the doors to the train opened, the man gallantly let me board ahead of him. I had to switch train at outram and there he was again, letting me step onto the escalator first.

"are u following me?" came a cheeky voice behind me.

"oh? I thought u are. U are behind me, remember?"

"ah... I guess that didn't work huh?"

"nope... Not at all. By the way, i call that tail-gating."

"Haha it sure looks like it. U know in australia they have a sign behind the car that says 'no tailgate' and it has picture of 2 guns pointing at u," our friend from down under proceeded to point his forefingers out as if to shoot.

"well here we have one that says 'if u can see this sign u are getting too bloody close'."

"do u have those that says 'baby on board'?"

"yep... But the usual reaction is 'who cares?'"

"exactly! What are we expected to do?"

"hmmm... Back off your car 10 miles away? Haha!"

"yea or how about pulling the car aside and stop so all those cars with baby signs can pass?"

***

"u look like a really fit one. What do u do?" he asked, pointing at my yoga mat.

"i teach yoga."

"ouch! What good does it do anyway?"

"well for a start it can make your mind and body less tense."

"tense? I'm not tense. Lawyers are not tensed. My yoga comes in an envelope..Hehe..."

"that thing in ve envelope is your salvation."

"hey it's reward for hard work," came the indignant reply.

"may be true for you but i know of so many who get paid for doing nothing..."

unfortunately my train arrived so we had terminate this conversation that is starting to get interesting...

fight on, jere

2007-03-16T13:11:00.001+08:00

It used to be that apart from my mom, I never knew anyone sharing my birth date. Then suddenly, I discovered others. On my birthday last year, a little boy named Jeremiah was born. He looked like any other baby but God had something else in mind for him. He, together with his family, had been put through a great test of faith. It’s going to be a long and painful journey for all of them.

My heart goes out to the little one, who had to brave through a surgery shortly after he was born. And his family too, who had been, and still are, trying to find ways to help him. I do not know if what I suggested to Michele can work but I will definitely try my best.

See you soon, my brave warrior. And to those of you reading this, please put in a prayer for him…

what a day...

2007-03-13T23:34:00.001+08:00

Yohei did the merlion today – he threw up big time when we were on our way to the studio. I had him in a sling, hoping to let him nap before we arrived but the train had barely left Kembangan station when he asked for milk, took a few sips & out it came – together with the egg that he had for breakfast, & whatever’s left in his stomach…

If you were one of those unfortunate ones standing around us or sitting next to us at that time, I’m truly, truly, sorry. We were in such a mess that I just zipped right out of the train at Eunos station, with Yohei still sitting securely in the sling, both of us soaking in his puke.

That was the 2^nd time he threw up today. He ‘choked’ on his ‘wake up’ milk and threw up on my bed. So right early in the morning I had to wash the bed linen. He was his normal cheeky self, no signs of being ill. We even managed to go downstairs to pick up things for making soup, & a fish for his lunch.

So the morning was spent washing bed linen, bathing him, boiling soup & making our lunch boxes. We were out of the flat for less than 30 minutes & we were back home, all drenched in Yohei’s puke. I cleaned up the boy & myself, left all the soiled items in the bathroom & had Yohei in the living room watching cartoon. He reached out for his milk bottle, finished half a bottle & then signaled to me that he wanted to throw up again.

Then came another round of cleaning up & Yohei was still behaving ‘normal’. I left him on the sofa watching cartoon while I sorted out the mess in the bathroom. Then I heard a ‘thud’. Our dear boy fell asleep on the sofa…

He must be really pooped ‘cause he slept for a good 2.5 hours.

Well, doctor Chua thought that nap helped him to recuperate since he didn’t throw up again after that, & he was all over the place while in the clinic.

When we had dinner, he ate quite a big portion of fish soup & kway teow. By 9.30pm, he was already in bed… now I’m feeling a little hungry… wonder what tastes best on crime night?

噢！白痴！

2007-03-09T11:59:00.000+08:00

"世界那么大"这集到了匈牙利
主持人以柔尽露白痴相
难以想象她竟然没见过附带钥匙的罐头
"这鹅肝一定很珍贵，要用钥匙锁上"
拜托！怎么那么没水准？
噢！白痴！

Crime night

2007-03-07T01:26:00.001+08:00

CSI miami is on tonight. So is CSI las vegas, at 1am. Guess who's gonna sleep late tonight?

stuck

2007-02-28T12:58:00.000+08:00

damn... the left shift key on my laptop is jammed... wonder what happened because it was ok yesterday when i used it. M took it to the museum with him yesterday when he went to do their photography to transfer the images... wonder if there's any way to get the key working again...

to go or not to go? con't

2007-02-25T14:15:00.000+08:00

as predicted, M kicked up a fuss about me not wanting to go back to renew my pass. it's not that i don't want to renew it - the timing's plain bad & the outlay of cash at this time is just something i don't want to deal with.

i think he wants to go back to hong kong - quite badly if u ask me - & it will be really troublesome for both of us if the pass lapses. there will be problems from the immigration department... haiz... i don't think i want to face this. not right now...

to go or not to go?

2007-02-23T21:31:00.001+08:00

My dependant pass is due for renewal next month. I don’t think it’s worth my while to fly back purposely just to renew it. I have to make 2 trips (to submit, then to collect) all in a span of 3 weeks. Even flying on budget airline will set me back by a thousand dollars at least (since baby has to pay too). I’m seriously considering not going back to renew it… but I know M will make a lot of noise over this…

dry throughout the night... finally

2007-02-21T18:11:00.000+08:00

i really think yohei's off diaper for good now... he's been waking up in the middle of the night to pee and kept his diaper dry.

now i think i will need to sell away his un-opened pack of diapers that we bought just before we started his toilet training...

yohei off diaper... for good i hope?

2007-02-06T17:56:00.000+08:00

we've been taking the diaper off yohei in the morning for the past few months and taught him to go to the toilet to pee ( he just stands around the drain hole or the standing shower :roll: ). he will come back & inform us so we can hose off his pee. so he's been bottomless in the morning for some time now. on several occasions when we tried to put on his shorts, he either could not feel the pee or it was too late before he came to tell us & wet himself.

today at the studio i took out his diaper then decided maybe he can try to tell us when he wants to pee. so for the past 5 hours+ no accidents (touch wood). in the first 30 minutes he came & told me 'mummy, pee pee' & i rushed him off to the toilet. 1st time, just a few drops. 15 minutes later he came & told me pee pee again. this time he looked 'serious', frowning a bit. he must be feeling quite urgent because the moment i held him up to the toilet, he started peeing... a lot... a lot...

he's been napping for the past 2 hours & still dry... *fingers crossed* can this be the start of 'no more diaper' days?

2007-02-01T13:34:00.000+08:00

looked familiar? baby pasted these numbers on the fridge. check out the big sweep results from last night... my sister made a small killing thanks to baby...hahaha...

sunshine

2006-12-29T13:58:00.000+08:00

The sun’s out, finally. The incessant rain has made all of us go koo koo. Well at least it made me. Life in this household has generally been going through a storm. Feathers were ruffled and tempers flared. The last ‘wayang’ did a whole lot of damage, and I have no idea if things can be mended…

The sun’s out, but it’s still cold around here. Even the little sunshine running around with his toys, babbling and giggling away didn’t bring much warmth between the warring parties.

When will all these end?

(empty)

2006-12-14T20:34:00.000+08:00

Haha... Now i can blog from anywhere... Even while travelling on the train... I love it... More to come soon...

2006-10-17T19:02:00.000+08:00

What’s with the Chinese coffeeshops? How come I can never get a decent iced milo from them? I’m dying for an iced milo dinosaur… but the thought of walking all the way to far east square… er…. Naaaahhhh…

Today, I discovered what a funny man the wanton noodles uncle is. I was ordering ‘milo bing’ from the lady and he suddenly went, “mi lu bing got third…”

“huh?”

“ya! Mi lu bing got third in the competition what…”

“uncle you are very funny ah… I asked for milo bing not mi lu bing…”

2006-10-09T17:47:00.000+08:00

we were walking through the underground at raffles mrt one day and along the way to uob plaza, we spotted the advertising panels leased by the hong kong tourism board. the photos and display were nothing to shout about but something caught my eye... do you know why?

look closer...

if you ask me, it looks like somebody is gonna be in trouble...

2006-09-25T17:42:00.000+08:00

It seems we have seen the last of yohei’s pacifier…

It all started with Saturday, when we left his ‘milk bag’ behind at my parents’. We had to get him a new bottle because we were stuck at the studio and had to stay overnight there. We couldn’t get the kind of pacifier that he’s been using so we thought we’d try our luck and not let him have it.

Today is the 2^nd day yohei’s been completely without his pacifier. He seemed to have forgotten about it. Perhaps this time he’s finally going to live without it.

Come to think of it, he’s been showing signs of wanting to get rid of the paci. Last week he wanted to throw it in the bin, then tried to open the door to the trash chute and wanted to dump it in. I told him he wouldn’t get it back if he threw it in. he hesitated for a full minute, then walked away from the chute.

So now it’s Bye Bye paci…

2006-09-07T17:20:00.000+08:00

Saturday I was at stef’s flat, taking care of the handover paperwork etc since she’s happily diving in samui at the moment.

Then when the ex-tenant & ex-agent left, we set to work cleaning up. Before this day, we thought fcp was the champion at not doing house-keeping. Well fcp, u just lost your 1^st place to a bunch of cpa(s) & air stewardesses.

The grime on the bath tub is about an inch thick. I could hear moobe cursing & swearing away as he scrubbed. my side wasn’t fantastic either. the dust left on the window sills, on the tv set, on the sofa & under the beds could actually fill up the vacuum cleaner. I had to clean out the bag before it started again.

I really cannot understand how someone can live in this kind of condition. if u are that busy, why not hire a part-time cleaner? Leaving the house uncleaned for almost 2 years (yes, I think it’s that long!) just doesn’t speak too well for u…

2006-09-01T23:29:00.000+08:00

零的突破，感觉真好

似乎为逐渐消失的自信心

打了只强心针

重新见到尽头的曙光

步伐轻了

心情也没那么沉重

心中默念

望乌云早散

期待着彩虹的出现。。。

2006-08-22T08:31:00.000+08:00

twins! have you seen twin yolks in an egg? this appeared on our breakfast table some time last week...

2006-08-22T08:25:00.000+08:00

meet hungry - a regular feature at the maad sunday bazaar. well it's either him or the white dog bobbie... this little fellow loves licking faces. yohei's got quite a few licks from him. i think he's just trying to find out what we had for lunch...

2006-08-15T22:44:00.000+08:00

Someone (whoever you are, sorry I can’t quite remember but thanks!) introduced me to waiterrant.net and it became one of my staple reading ever since.

This waiter is one lucky SOB. He seems to be getting loads of tips from the diners who patronize the restaurant that he works at. The latest one – a crisp 100 dollar bill (and we are talking about USD, mind you).

Now how I wish I get tips like this too… (maybe it’s time I put a tip box by the door? NOT!)

2006-08-04T22:11:00.000+08:00

咱们刘大姐为肥胖一族抱不平。

不要误会，我并没有歧视身形丰满的人士。您的长相与我何尤？

但如果您强逼我看您的贱肉横生图。。。这就真的是。。。

人，还是得要有自知之明，更应该懂得扬长藏拙。

肥胖无罪，但刻意露出赘肉，有碍市容则罪无可恕。

说真的，身材超出一般标准的人，体内都不多不少有些毛病，一些单靠减肥是不能解决的问题。

最总要的还是在减轻身体负荷的同时，认真控制饮食，多做适量运动，挽回身体健康才是最重要的。

"never teach a cow to sing - you are wasting your time & it annoys the cow"

2006-08-04T21:40:00.000+08:00

I started my yogibabe classes at happy tots in woodlands, teaching a total of 32 students in 2 centres. No, it’s not really ‘easy job’ as some might think. In fact I felt terribly drained, having dealt with 32 lively little bodies milling around me for an hour at a stretch.

I’d have to say most times it’s not too bad – they could follow what I was saying and did as they were told. It was when some of the more restless one started to ‘act up’…

Well, I’m confident they will improve over time. The 8 that came to the studio proved that, didn’t they? All they need is time…

2006-08-01T21:08:00.000+08:00

Yohei finally discovered the fun of drinking water. He hated water, as much as he loved his milk (& he drinks more than a litre of milk a day!). We got him a new cup with a built-in straw, one in the shape of a little pig. He finished quite a bit of water today, lots more than he would in a week. Moobe thinks he realized that drinking water can make him full, without the drowsy effects that milk has on him (he’s refusing to drink his milk because he doesn’t want to nap). It’s high time he cuts back on his milk intake…

2006-08-01T20:51:00.000+08:00

a thread on the forum talked about sending little ones for classes even before they turned 1. some went for infant swimming class, some to baby gyms, some for music lessons. the parents’ rationale for starting them young was wanting them to interact with other children, allowing them to learn how to swim before they know ‘how to be afraid of water’. i cannot fathom… but then again, i don’t really need to, do i? i have no intention of sending yohei to any of these classes. he’s with me all day & we have our little games & the yoga studio is his gym. his playtime can be with his toys or anything that we allow his little hands on in the studio. i’m glad to say that even without any outside help, this little guy has developed fast physically & mentally. it’s been delightful watching him grow & he’s amazed a lot of people with his mannerisms. i guess i should be thankful i don’t have to spend that kind of money that some are spending to achieve all that. call me a proud mother but my son took his first independent step at 10 months and never looked back - & i’m just so proud of him.

now he’s like my little helper in the studio, helping me lay out the mats, passing cushions around to my students when they sit down, playing with the little ones that come in with their parents. today he brought so much joy to my mom… he went to the back door to meet her when she came home & for the first time, called, “por” (grandma). my mom was so happy she said she’d be striking the lottery tonight. i’m sure there’ll be lots more surprises to come…

2006-07-31T14:28:00.000+08:00

老友发来简讯，把她的博落克网址送了过来，说是她的鸡婆网页，要我有空进去瞧瞧。

诶！还不赖嘛！

谈到薰衣草被男人骗财，骗色，骗情。拜托！不要开玩笑啦！她哪儿来的“色”？

一个愿打，一个愿挨，那说得上谁骗谁？难道她就没有从中得到好处？走了这个，还会有下一个。谁管得了那么多？

省省吧，朋友。。。有空多找我喝咖啡。。。

2006-07-26T09:46:00.000+08:00

my dear old classmates from river valley high school. these were taken during a bbq outing in june '86.

2006-07-20T13:50:00.000+08:00

last week's finding-old-friends week. just last week alone, i found my primary school partner (that girl who's almost always sitting next to me in class), bumped into my pre-university classmate & got virtually re-united with my secondary 4 classmates. all these people whom i've not met nor kept in touch with all these years since we left school 17 to 24 years ago... all in a week's work. cool eh?

it's weird but mun har's name has been on my mind for the longest time. i can still see her face, her curly hair & yes, her red nose. something in me just pushed me to find her. so i logged on to the google search engine, typed in her full name and voila! i found her namesake. i was pretty sure it was her. it must be. but somehow it took me months before i decided to email her. i'm glad i did because i've found her! & her sis, & another classmate & we'll all meet tomorrow night for dinner. i'm really looking forward to that...

then someone started a thread on 'which secondary school were u from' on the m4m forum. & guess what? i found 1 of my secondary school classmate! & then i found the rest of the class because this thoughtful lady started a yahoo group & rounded them all up couple of years back. great job, mel! we are still missing some but i have a feeling they'll all fall in soon...

now i can't wait for the next class reunion ...

2006-06-23T16:34:00.000+08:00

网友发来一个网址，要我去看。看完之后心里很酸。我也是一个孩子的妈，我能明白她的痛。。。

2006-06-09T23:57:00.000+08:00

wanna know what steroids taste like? just go kiss arnold scharza-what's-his-name... or go ask maria ... muahahahahaha

2006-06-06T17:43:00.000+08:00

finally....

moobe's photo library is done! do drop in to take a look when you are free. i'm sure you'll like some of the pictures there.

2006-05-15T14:07:00.000+08:00

肥仔祥smith street的店铺休业在即，所以我们几个常客和店里的员工和少东昨晚乘机聚在一起来个farewell dinner
那餐好丰盛
可是吃的时候心情却好像打翻了五味罐似的错综复杂
不知道往后还能聚在一起吃饭瞎扯吗？

很窝心。真的。
desmund乘母亲节买了几朵康乃馨送给我们这些妈妈
joanne也买了蛋糕来庆祝
实在太可爱了！
想想真有点舍不得他们

心理只能默默地祝福他们
希望他们早日能有新的发展

还有。。。
有空要常来找宝贝玩哦！

2006-05-13T22:12:00.000+08:00

baby's asleep.

hubby's gone to artery to watch the fa cup.

i'm sitting in front of my laptop, a nice cold greek salad on my lap, with the tv on a channel that i'm not really watching.

one of those rare moments that i have me all to myself.

finishing up the last of the olives in the salad, i wonder who else eats a greek salad that late at night... (and since when did i start liking olives? i used to order my pizza 'super supreme no olives')

i've got to be up early tomorrow. nikki's coming over to do an osho meditation class at 8.30 so i have to get the studio ready before then.

it's going to be a full day tomorrow. i won't have much chance to rest.

it'll also be the day we say bye bye to fatty cheong's shop at smith street. they'll be closing next thursday and we've all decided to have a little farewell party. hubby's going to cook in their kitchen. 'good morning' contributed a can of abalone so that will go into the dinner too. it should be fun but it'll also be sad. baby's quite fond of the people there. he'll probably miss them...

they are celebrating jess' birthday at the artery tonight. the party should start during half time. happy birthday, jess. too bad i can't be there...

2006-05-04T16:31:00.000+08:00

i don't need hoodia (whatever that is), nor do i use valium. i don't have a penis to enlarge. i have no use for cialis nor viagra either.

so stop flooding my mailbox with junk ads for these meds!!!!

2006-05-02T12:07:00.000+08:00

菩提本无树
明镜亦非台
本来无一物
何处染尘埃

六祖

2006-04-13T09:31:00.000+08:00

i'm breathless
i badly need a respite

it's one of those days that i wish i can just throw in the towel
but i know i can't
i won't allow myself to do that
it's just not me

so here i am
still plodding on
aiming for the light at the end of the tunnel

pray for me
wish me luck

2006-04-05T16:11:00.000+08:00

宝贝上了Today's Parents的封面，身边疼爱她的哥哥姐姐叔叔阿姨都好乐，好像他们自己上封面似的，真可爱。得提醒自己把封面影印一份寄回香港给爷爷奶奶，让他们也乐一乐。

2006-03-29T11:34:00.000+08:00

some bloody a**hole hacked into my yahoo account and changed my password. who in the bloody world is so damned free? #*$&#*$&#@*(@)(*#&%*$)(#*$)(@#

and yahoo still has not given me the solution to rectify the problem! #(*&$(&#*^$@)(*#@*^&@(*&$@)(*$@

moving on...

2006-03-04T13:09:00.000+08:00

we were forced to move out of the old studio on telok ayer street and by a stroke of luck, found ourselves a new studio at red dot traffic. it's really the old traffic police headquarters along maxwell road, refurbished & painted a delicious bright red. this brings us lots more closer to the mrt station and more accessible to our clients. fingers crossed, business here will be much better.

another one bites the dust

2006-02-24T22:44:00.000+08:00

lotus cafe finally pulled its shutters down for the last time. such a shame. their food is really quite good. ah well, they come and go all the time, especially shops along telok ayer street.

good luck, chris! hope to see you around again real soon!

今夜烟火灿烂

2006-02-06T23:15:00.000+08:00

从年二八开始滨海湾每晚都在燃放烟花
年初一想看
搞错了时间没看着
还有一晚就耗在河边等
宝贝想睡
就急忙回家
不到半路就听到噼里啪啦响
但视线让高楼大厦挡着
结果还是没看着

年初九心血来潮散步到鱼尾狮前
老伴建议到对面大榴莲哪儿观赏户外表演
欣赏完台湾的十固击乐团表演
再到另一边听了几首流行歌曲
终于等到燃放烟花的时间
迫不及待用手机拍下
与您共赏

今年的烟花您看了吗？

2006-01-21T22:11:00.000+08:00

喂？有人在吗？

找个人宠宠我好吗？

2006-01-19T00:53:00.000+08:00

狂风暴雨过后
散落满地树叶

天空并未转晴
乌云并未散去

另一场暴风雨正酝酿着
随时会再来袭

你准备好了吗？

2006-01-17T05:20:00.000+08:00

it still feels like i have a thorn on my side, an invisible thorn that i so wish to remove but you are not helping me. god knows you've pushed it in another inch. soon it will be in my system with no hope of taking it out.