QuirkieKai

Fighting a Losing Battle

2010-05-22T17:15:00.002+08:00

There is this uneasy truce at home now -- we don't lock up the cat and she doesn't emotionally blackmail us with her wails and whines. With that, we've learnt that an exercise in futility is doing housework when there's a cat around that refuses to be locked up. After cleaning the toilet where its kitty litter is placed, all it needs to do is pay the tray a visit, and voila, litter scattered all over. After vacuuming every corner of the floor, it will inexplicably be covered by a light layer of fur.

Perhaps all I need to do is to go with the flow -- why do housework when clearly it doesn't make a difference to our living standards? The time spent could be better used to play Plants Vs Zombies, and that much more pleasurable too.

Right now, HoudiMimi likes to scratch my shoe bag, which I've left on the floor, near the door. The Husband thinks that we should encourage HoudiMimi to scratch the shoe bag, lest it develops an unhealthy taste for scratching wood, in which case our house will be destroyed, since we have a penchant for wooden furniture.

Our last bastion is the bedrooms and the storeroom. The Iron-Willed Cat seems hellbent on exploring these areas. We'll see how long we can last. May the force be with us.

Houdini In Da House

2010-05-13T11:20:00.001+08:00

The Cat has figured out how to open the toilet door. It has tasted freedom and now refuses to be locked up in a spacious toilet with everything it needs. No, that is no longer enough; it now wants the Dining Table, the Full Length Curtains, and my Shoe Bag.

It's now a free cat, roaming our house as it likes.

Intuition and I are defeated by HoudiMimi, a scarily smart cat that has figured out the intricacies of The Toilet Door and The Storeroom Door.

It responds to scoldings by acting super duper cute, such that we will drop our harsh tone and succumb to its charms, dropping to our knees, scratching its chin, saying "ooohhh you sho cute, you sho cute..."

We're so doomed.

The New (Temporary) Member of the Family

2010-05-05T13:58:00.003+08:00

Life has changed over the weekend. The Husband and I now have a crippling addiction to the awesome game, Plants Vs Zombies, and there is a new member to our small household -- a cat. Well, to be sure, it's a temporary resident that is renting our common toilet for about 2 months, but still, it's an adjustment for us.

Pre-cat era, The Husband and I languish in bed in the mornings until it's absolutely crucial to get up to get to work at all; now we get up earlier to change kitty litter, give it some food and affection, sweep up the scattered kitty litter around the bathroom floor and let it roam around the house. Pre-cat era, we didn't care what time we got home, as long as we get some sleep that night; now, we make sure we're home earlier to pander to the needs and wants of Queen Cat, clearing up her mess and giving her affection according to her demands.

My mum, the faithful Nagger and Naysayer, tells me that my house will be covered in fur and given the track record I've had with housework, she predicts that the value of my flat will depreciate drastically due to the fur and cat smell that will linger on til Kingdom comes. My dad says, with both hands raised, "as long as it remains YOUR problem and not MY problem."

I asked friends who keep cats, how do they deal with the fur? The most honest answer I've gotten is: "Cats and fur come together. Don't fight it, it's not worth it. Fur always wins." Well, now.

How did the cat end up on our lap? A friend of a friend has a housing issue and needs to keep the cat somewhere temporarily. My friend then asked me if I'd like to keep itand I said ok, let's give it a try. I honestly don't know why he approached me in the first place, since I've never kept any pets, and the only time I've demonstrated any affinity to cats is when I pet strays. Coincidentally, a few weeks earlier, I was smsing The Husband, saying that in this lifetime, it'll be nice to have kept a dog, a cat, and to raise about two kids. So when the opportunity came to test drive this dream, we took it!

Some fun facts:
- The cat is named Mimi, but The Husband wants to rename it "Cleopatra, The Sun Goddess", inspired by the regal way she claimed the kitchen rug for herself when she reclined on it.
- It looks an awful lot like Puss from Shrek, especially the gorgeous green eyes.
- It likes to squeeze inside shoeboxes, low shelves and dark corners. It's also partial to hiding behind curtains. SO ADORABLE.

In the mean time, I've got friends who are now asking to visit to see the cat. Not because they want to visit us. Because. Of. The Cat. It makes me wonder about the friends we have and the company we keep.

Happy birthday to Mum!

2010-04-14T12:52:00.003+08:00

It's my mum's birthday today.

I remember one fateful year, on a particularly bad day at home when everyone was stepping on everyone's toes and yelling matches between my mum and I escalated to total icy silence at the dinner table, punctuated by the obligatory banging of bowls to signify how angry we both were, which was suddenly broken when she started crying silently. *Stunned, guilty, very very guilty silence.* And she finally stammered out "It's... my birthday today. And nobody remembered."

O_O

*frantic secret smses to the Brother, who was out on a date, saying "COME HOME NOW EMERGENCY BUY CAKE MUM'S BDAY NO ONE REMEMBERED. HURRY SHE'S CRYING."*

You bet your last dollar that we'll remember her birthday every darn year from then on. And you bet we overcompensated the following year, replete with an expensive surprise birthday cake at Grandma's and many many hugs and kisses and well wishes. Of course, every year she would remind us of the horrible time when we forgot her birthday, but that's another story altogether.

So I'd just like to put it on record that I have the best mum in the world, who taught me not to waste time on self pity, who taught me to always look on the bright side of things and to be positive no matter what. The mum who taught me the importance of lovely bags and shoes, and demonstrated how a wardrobe full of classic pieces is more lasting and classy than trendy cheap chic clothes. I've also picked up bad habits from her, such as sleeping really late and obsessively trying to top our personal Bejewelled high scores. I've inherited her sweet smile and short stumpy legs, as well as her love for nail polish and several of her branded bags. I can't imagine my world without her and am proud to call her my mum.

Happy birthday mum. I love you!

My Bad (Spelling)

2010-02-22T14:10:00.002+08:00

I am a bad person.

I do bad things behind people’s back and sometimes, I don’t feel the least bit sorry about it.

One of the bad things I like to do is to write down words that they enunciate wrongly, spelling it according to how they pronounce, and then laugh about it after that.

No, I still don’t feel bad. It must be because I’m not a good person.

Here is a list I gathered from a meeting. I wrote this list down so that I won’t fall asleep in front of him.

- Bacheror
- Examper
- Pwojecks
- Exproar
- Poposal
- Dispray
- Principers
- Directioner sign
- Letail hosplitality
- Projek lrelevant to industly
- Interear design
- We hap velly gud prace

Edit: Here is another that grates on my ears, but not from the said meeting...
- Valemtime's Day

CNY Craziness (My Dad Wants Out.)

2010-02-11T17:59:00.003+08:00

CNY is so much work, I cannot believe it. Spring cleaning is a way to get me the toned arms I've always wanted, but it ruins nails like nothing else can. Oh, and the whole giving ang-paos business? After a while, you'll just get immune to dishing out cash.

Supermarkets and wet-markets are jam packed with people; nail-salons and hair salons have all jacked up their prices by 20-40%, the opportunists that they are; and my dad is running my errands for me. Oh, the spoilt princess that I am.

Me: *in my sweetest voice* Dad, are you going to buy groceries these few days?
He: Yes I am. Why?
Me: I'm stuck at work. Can you possibly help me get some stuff?
He: Ok can. Sms me what you want.
Me: *via sms* can u help me buy this, this, this, that & the other? oh n some more of etc etc...

(1 hour later...)

Me: *over the phone* Have you received my sms?
He: Yes.
Me: How? Can?
He: I thought you have a market downstairs? Why can't you get some of it?
Me: ... Ok can, I'll get it on Saturday.
He: ... Saturday? But... Saturday...
*pause*
He: Ok ok I get what I can for you. After that I resign from being your daddy! I don't want to be your daddy anymore! Ok bye.
*click... doot... doot...*

Self Portrait

2010-02-03T01:44:00.002+08:00

Unrequited Love

2010-02-01T10:38:00.006+08:00

Blur Friend: your most recent blog post was hilarious
Me: LOL! i didn't even realise until she stared at me dumbfounded!! she almost was like... "but but... but i don't love you!"
She: ROFL! kai, you must stop confessing to your female friends! this is the second time i know of that u've been rejected
Me: omg yes i realise
Me: 1st was youuuuu!!!
Me: HOW YOU BROKE MY HEART!
She: bwahahahahahahah
She: ROFL
She: better tell u soon than to have u labour under a false impression
She: as the Chinese saying goes, 长痛不如短痛
She: ROFL
Me: THAAAANKS T_T

Background Story:
I was on the bus the other day--in fact, it was last year--and the bumpy journey led to my fats jiggling in a most discomforting manner.

I texted Blur Friend:
"I'm so grossed out I can feel my fats jiggling on the bus ride!!"

To which she replied:
"Bad bus driver..."

To which I replied:
"I love you."

To which she replied:
"I'm sorry but you're not my type."

Say What?

2010-01-30T01:21:00.003+08:00

Dear Self,

When talking about bands and music,
after a pause in the conversation,
it might be a good idea to give some context
before declaring to your female friend while looking at her straight in the eyes,

"I love U2."

It leads to bewilderment, followed by embarrassment, and also mass hysteria.

Guest post: Tale as old as time...

2010-01-19T17:35:00.008+08:00

A Christmas tale, as told by Intuition ; )

I was talking to my colleague, and this exchange took place:

Intuition: Did I tell you I was thinking of getting an Xbox? Well I just did, and boy am I feeling buyer’s remorse

Colleague: Tsk. Was wife involved in decision?

I: Oh yes she was, she gave permission for me to buy for her to give me for Christmas

C: Then it’s alright. You didn’t buy it. She did. Therefore, logically, no buyer’s remorse as far as you’re concerned.

I: Wow, that just made all the guilt go away; You’re a genius!

C: Ah. It is a very old solution. C.f. Genesis “The woman gave it to me, and I did eat”.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

2010-01-19T15:29:00.006+08:00

As usual, I'm fashionably late. To my credit, it is still January 2010.

2009 was a crazy year for me.

When I was standing at the brink of the beginning of 2009, I had some idea of what it would bring. I was getting married in February 2009. I was going to shift to my new apartment. I had just started work at X Company. I didn't know I was going to change jobs in June 2009, which brought new adventures that I'll keep offline.

At the start of 2009, one of my few close friends left the country. This year, I'm hoping to visit her in the faraway land she flew off to =)

I started anew on some old hobbies of mine, most notably drawing. In 2007 and 2008, I focused more on playing the guitar, but that took a step back in mid-2008 and I've not resumed the level of commitment since, except for playing at home for my own consumption. Oh, but drawing... that's my first love amongst all my hobbies and I think it always will be, considering I was a doodler before I was a reader or a guitarist.

As for writing, I think I express myself better through writing than through verbal speech, except when I'm very very emotional, which hardly ever happens. As an angsty teen, when I quarreled with my mum, she'd win any verbal argument. Until I got fed up and wrote to her a long letter detailing why she's a terrible mum and why I'm so misunderstood :P LOL I wonder if she still keeps those love letters ; )

Back to drawing though. 2009 was a milestone for my drawing because I started on some lessons with my long-suffering Shifu who taught me caricature drawing way back when. This time, he got me started on live drawing. For those who are not familiar, live drawing is figure drawing, which is drawing nudes, male or female. This has led to several rather interesting conversations I've had with people who can't believe that I would do something as sleazy as gaze upon a nekkid body for 3hours with a group of like-minded people.

For instance, my young colleague looked through my sketchbook and proclaimed for all within earshot to hear, "These are screenshots of p0rn! What have you been looking at? TSK TSK TSK look at all these!" *flips through book loudly*

In another instance, Intuition was explaining my absence to a gathering which clashed with my class, and a (rather conservative) friend wanted to find out more:

He: Quirkie can't make it tonight cos she has drawing classes.
She: Oh really? What class is she taking?
He: She's doing live drawing.
She: Oh that sounds like fun! What happens in the class?
He: The model... poses, and then they draw the model.
She: Oh wow! Can I be a model?
He: ... ermmm *not wanting to embarrass her, says* it's a pretty niche thing.

Another one involved an sms exchange between a friend and I:
His sms:

Me: QKK can draw a new mascot for us this year.
His boss: She got time anot?
He: I'll ask her la.
*pause*
His boss: Will she draw them with clothes on or not?

To which I replied:
Me: Unless Y Organization increases my pay, I won't draw them with clothes on.
He: ... I'll let her know.
Me: Thanks. I can be persuaded.
He: You know, in a sense, one of the mascots is kinda like my avatar. So if you draw him nekkid, you're drawing me nekkid.
Me: OW STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP
He: Just so you know.

The Annual Greed-List Part Deux

2009-12-25T22:11:00.006+08:00

Dear All,

Just wanna say a huge THANK YOU! for all the wonderful presents and affection showered on me during this Christmas season and also for my birthday =) I am incredibly blessed and lack nothing in life, even before the bounty I've received as of today =)

Thanks for being a part of my life, for being a part of who I am today, and for taking an interest in what happens in this lil corner of the internet. Thanks for all the LOVE!

I hope in some way, I'll be a blessing to you too in the coming year =)

Blessed Christmas! and have a wonderful 2010 ahead of you =)

PS: It's my last year as a twenty-something. WOE.

Simple Pleasures in Life: Being in the Top 3

2009-12-23T21:47:00.003+08:00

Mr B: today i was on bus with two female colleagues

Me: yesh yesh

Mr B: one of them told me the other thinks my junior is suai. so i say ok. need my help?

Me: k....

Mr B: then she carries on to say that the other thinks another colleague is 2nd suai
then the other colleague says i'm number 3 !!!
i'm in the top 3!!!
yay!
and there are only 4 male colleagues! :D

***

Strange friends have I.

The Annual Greed-List

2009-12-20T17:35:00.004+08:00

It's now 20 Dec and you, my dear reader, have but 5 days to shop for MY Christmas / Birthday present!

You: What??! Woman, have you no shame??
Me: Shame? No, none whatsoever.
You: ... oh.

*cough*

As I was saying, my presents. Yes.

If I were to put up my honest wishlist here, you'd find that it's hardly a reasonable sort of wishlist. For example, I would love to receive a Canon EOS D50. Or a Powerbook, or a Mazda 3, or tickets to Europe / USA ... But yes, you can ignore this list... it's more a fantasy list than anything else.

Anyhoo, since there is at least one person (Hi Spelling Bee!) who's asking me to update my wishlist, here it is, in all its greedy glory. And since I am particular about the stuff I use, am finicky and hard to please, it would be a good idea to at least refer to this list before making the financial commitment :P

- Individual colour pencils from Urban Write or Art Friend, especially in the brown / red / pink tones. I have a HUGE box of colour pencils so I don't need a box. I prefer individual ones cos I don't like breaking up a box of colour pencils when I just use a few colours when I go out.
- Unlined notebooks for the doodler in me.
A5 size is handy, A4 is oookaayy, A3 is too big.
- A set of coloured drawing brushes from Urban Write @ Orchard Central (terracotta range pls!)
- A set of brown coloured drawing pens again, from Urban Write @ Orchard Central
- Zara checkered shirt (bring me shopping!)
- Sunglasses (bring me shopping!)
- OPI nail varnish (ask me what colours I want!)

To avoid like the plague:
- Scrapbooking materials (will collect dust)
- Wallets
- Bags
- Chocolate fondue set (have received 3 so far)
- Mugs, cups, photoframes, electric toothbrushes and rechargeable batteries.

Holmes, Sweet Homme

2009-12-17T13:23:00.004+08:00

i know exactly how i wanna spend the time in between work and the Christmas party on Christmas eve:

Sherlock Holmes

I don't care if it scores 2% on Rotten Tomatoes (which it didn't).

There are two good (very good) reasons to watch it:

1. ROBERT DOWNEY JR!
2. JUDE LAW!

IN
ONE
GLORIOUS
MOVIE!

~~LUST.~~ LOVE.

*wipes drool off my keyboard*

Comic Relief

2009-11-18T23:03:00.005+08:00

So the other day, my colleague emailed me saying "PLEASE COME TO MY DESK RIGHT NOW. I NEED YOUR EYES", I sauntered over 1 hour later after his second email "WHERE ARE YOO?", only to find him hunched over at his desk, as if in great pain.

I asked, "Yo, what's up, what's the emergency?" and he said, "THIS!"

He showed me a powerpoint presentation, done using the crayon template in MS Powerpoint *cringe factor 10*, with plenty of colourful starbursts *cringe factor 15* that DON'T MATCH. OW. It's the visual equivalent of scratching your nails across the blackboard. To top it all off, as a crowning glory, the entire breathtaking presentation was done using COMIC SANS FONT.

*hyperventilate* excuse me, I need to calm down.

COMIC SANS is NOT A FONT. It is an ABOMINATION. Never, ever ever use it. Delete it from your list of fonts, if possible. Please, for the love of all things good and pretty, use Arial or Helvetica Neue. At least people won't snigger when they look at you during the presentation.

With that, I leave you with a video discussing both sides to the issue: Comic Sans--Trash it or junk it?

Comic Sans from Sam and Anita on Vimeo.

FAILZ.

2009-11-10T15:59:00.003+08:00

Fren says:
Jim buys some chocs and gives half to ken
ken buys some sweets and gives half to jim
jim eats 12 sweets and the ratio of jim's sweets to chocs was 1:7
ken eats 18 chocs and the ratio of ken's sweets to chocs was 1:4

how many sweets did ken buy?

Fren says:
P6 question
took me 10mins....
I am shamed

I say:
WTH
where did u get this?

Fren says:
my cuz sent it to me
I lost to her by 5 mins

(4min later...)
I say:
did he buy 21 sweets?

Fren says:
failz pri 6

I say:
omg
wat's the answer!?

Fren says:
68

I say:
... wth.

Fren says:
tough isn't it

I say:
HOW?!

Fren says:
took me 10

(1hr later)

Fren says:
solved?
:D

I say:
stop mocking me!

Fren says:
I is not 'toopidest
woot!!

I say:
ROFL!!!
I HATE YOOO

Do YOU know how to get to the answer??

The Story of My Life

2009-11-09T16:43:00.000+08:00

My Day Stinks.

2009-11-05T13:44:00.003+08:00

You know that your day is off to a bad start when on your usual long drawn unexciting commute to work, someone lets off a silent gaseous killer in the sardine packed bus and you slowly watch the air around you turn green and brown and you turn blue and purple as you choke and try not to breathe but yet take in enough air to stay alive. *WHEEZE, WHEEZE*

Words went off like alarm bells in my head, namely WTF--as in, What The Fart?! You @$$ (literally)! Leaving a stinkbomb like that and letting us innocents die a slow, painful death?!

And when you arrive in the office, with the last trails of green and brown gas leaving the tendrils of your hair, lo, the painters were called in to repaint the office right behind your desk. Paint fumes, whee! My emails will be incoherent! My brain will be mush! My drink tastes of paint fumes, too! Rainbows and unicorns will prance around my desk in tempo with the pounding of keyboards around me!

My day stinks. I hope yours will smell like flowers and sunshine, and if it does, take a deep breath in rememberance of me.

Rouge et Noir

2009-10-30T00:40:00.005+08:00

The wonderful thing about websites such as The Sartorialist and LookBook is that it provides tonnes of fodder to inspire for people who are creatively-challenged and imagination-impaired... people like me, in other words. It shows you new ways to wear clothes, new looks, and makes you wince at the way Singaporeans wear ugly berms, battered t-shirts with sloppy footwear, only to try to redeem the look with a $1.8k bag hanging on their arms. Erm, no. Not working it, babe.

The other inspiring thing about it is that it makes me reach for my pencils and pens to capture the looks on paper. Sometimes images just catch your attention and you can't get it out of your head til it's translated on to paper. Sometimes things get lost in translation, but hey, bad and ugly drawings are all part of the deal if you wanna have a go at it. ; )

The Red & Black Series

Clinging on

2009-09-17T00:15:00.003+08:00

No room and strength for any original thoughts, so shall just share a passage here that sums up my thoughts and philosophy on life these few days:

"The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents."

This was a passage that was shared a long time ago by a person I previously knew, who can only be described as a saint--Dr Walter Steitz, a man completely devoted to learning and teaching the Bible. His death was sudden and came as a complete shock to us, and up til today, I remember his perfect gentleness and complete and utter respect for every single person he meets with great fondness.

Anyways, my rambling aside, the point I'm trying to make is that in dire and difficult times, the richness, comfort and truth of the Bible is a balm to the soul like nothing else can be. When a man reaches the very end of his rope, it's oftentimes the beginning point for God's gentle hand.

Plumbing

2009-09-09T09:51:00.004+08:00

This morning, I on my usual train ride to work and someone came and sat next to me. Which was fine, until I noticed some vigorous fingering around his nasal area from the corner of my eye. As I averted my gaze with wide-eyed horror, I realised there was no escape from it, because all around me were reflections of the very scene I wanted to avoid.

And suddenly, he started wiping his hand on his book and pants. All I can say is, thank God it's on the side of him that is away from me.

By this point my eyes were as large as saucers. Unable to contain my horror, I had to find an outlet or I will burst up in flames, I smsed The Husband, The Blur Friend, The Colleague and The Weird Librarian: "Sitting next to a guy digging his nose & wiping his snot on his book is the highlight of my train ride this morn. i hate my life."

The responses I got were as interesting as my sms itself. The Blur Friend and The Husband essentially said the same thing: "This is a worthy FML post." The Weird Librarian said: "Is that a library book!? What a horror!", followed by "Never hug a library book!", and The Colleague was apparently still asleep, cos 30min later the sms came: "Holly cow I just woke up!"

This sparked of a series of thoughts about how my life is like a magnet for all things quirky and off-beat. I get the strangest encounters with people and before I was taken off the market (i.e., married), I had the strangest admirers as well. I'm not sure what it says about me, but I do know that it makes for great conversation fodder. And when life gives you bizarre encounters, the best thing to do is to make stories out of them.

I'm A Drawer!

2009-09-06T02:06:00.004+08:00

Since young, very late nights have always appealed to me. There's something about the peacefulness of the inactivity deep into the night, being alone with your thoughts, a pencil and a blank sheet of paper, that makes me want to struggle to stay awake, despite heavy eyelids and a throbbing headache.

This year, I've had the pleasure of pursuing a long time interest in drawing through some informal drawing classes. Today, I discovered an interesting way to practice portraiture without being ridiculed or laughed at -- Red Dot Museum. On every first Saturday of the month, from 2-6pm, a group of illustrators and illustrator-wannabes (that'll be me) will gather and pay $6 to draw portraits of people who will simply walk-in and volunteer as models.

I went there with 3 pencils and simple drawing paper and was super intimidated by folks with thick stacks of paper, boxes of color pencils / crayons / paint brushes / inking pens. The whole area had a super arty farty atmosphere, while I was there gawking like an awkward, bespectacled teenager in tshirt and jeans. So not cool. But when the session started, I relaxed and just enjoyed the session. Also, when the session started, it became apparent that many people there couldn't draw well and were there simply to have a good time. That helped me to relax =P

It works like this:
Artists will register at 2pm and be seated, waiting for the volunteer models to come up front.
Models will simply be walk-ins who are interested to see how many different interpretations of their faces can there possibly be, and they will be rostered accordingly.
As for what happens to all the portraits that were drawn, anyone can buy it at simply $4. For those that were not sold, you can take it home. You bet I took home every last one of my pictures today, not a single one was sold. =P

The artist only has 15mins to draw the models. You can draw one, or two, or half, depending on how long you take. Then after 15min, models will change. If you're tired of drawing, you just sit it out until the next one comes along. Flexible and fun.

So, am happy about the fun experience today. On this note, I'd like to appeal to those of you reading this to pop by Red Dot Museum on the first Saturday of every month to support this starving artist. You can put in a request for liposuction / a nose job / bigger eyes etc, I'll be happy to oblige.

Dates with Daddy

2009-09-01T23:35:00.003+08:00

My dad and I have this lil tradition that we started early this year or so. As our spouses typically don't enjoy western fine dining as much as we do, we date each other out to check out such places or simply when there is a craving, and we take turns to pay for the meal.

For the recent Father's Day, I brought him to a place I was dying to check out: Au Petite Salut, where he had the executive set lunch ($58++) and I had the usual set lunch ($30++).

His menu:
Starter -- Fois Gras. Exceedingly generous portions. I had a good chunk of it from his plate.
Main -- Duck Confit. Best I've tried, but considering I've tried like 3 in my lifetime, I may not be the best judge. Still, it's good stuff -- crispy round the edges, juicy and tasty.
Dessert -- Cheese platter. Not the best choice, considering how rich his other courses were, but they gave a great selection and generous portions.

My menu:
Starter -- Garlic butter escargot. Slather the garlic butter on toast and you'd be so happy.
Main -- Red wine braised beef cheeks
Dessert -- Profiteroles (choux pastry with vanilla ice cream, choc sauce and slivers of almonds.) Their profiteroles are TO DIE FOR. The best part of the meal, IMHO, was the profiteroles.

Details of the gluttony aside, what we really enjoyed was the father-daughter bonding that it allowed. As we were having a French meal, he told me of his travels to France (tales which he told me like a thousand times, but it's alright, it's good to cherish these moments while we still have them) and how his colleague / friend taught him how to save money in Paris by eating at where the students hang out, rather than where the tourists hang out. All these while shooting comments like "Cut the food with your elbows close by your side! So unlady-like!" at me. *roll eyes affectionately*

Just last week, we had another such outing. This time, we went for Italian food as he was hankering after a good pizza. After some consideration, we went to Riccioti by the Riverwalk where we had a salad, a sandwich and a pizza, all excellent.

As I think about my own relationship with my dad, it amazes me that it is what it is today, considering how 10 years ago, it was the polar opposite. I would never imagine in a million years that I would be having dinner alone with him, VOLUNTARILY. The only reason I can attribute this change to, is that I started going to church regularly at about the same time after having gone through my own personal crisis. I guess when change happens within, it's a matter of time before relationships around you start to change as well.

My dad's hair is graying and I can see his age reflected in the lines around the eyes as well as his sagging skin. I'm just thankful for the time we can spend together, enjoying one meal at a time. He's my best daddy in the world, and may your dad be your best daddy ever, too.

A Slice Of Heaven

2009-08-22T08:21:00.002+08:00

In the early morning breeze,

the play of light and shadow upon the trees

As orioles flit about

chasing each other between the leaves

And the clear blue sky smiles with sunshine

I feel my heart

lifting up

with the passing time.

Bad Day

2009-08-16T02:00:00.002+08:00

A Bad Day is when...

... your beloved Wacom oldie but goodie classic tablet cannot be installed onto your PC because it's Vista. Damn you, Vista.

... you decide that your Mac should at least be more accomodating and you happily install the graphics software... but it refuses to acknowledge your tablet cos it's too old. Et tu, Macbook?

... you have no choice but to do it the Olde Fashioned Way... paper and pencils and colour pencils...

... you realise that the only eraser in your home is abducted, unknowingly, by a friend who needed to correct something on her records last night, when the whole bunch of them popped by.

... you find a suitable replacement eraser, and start drawing, only to realise you're so used to doing things electronically that it majorly messes with your productivity and confidence. Where is Ctrl+Z when I need it? I used to be able to shift the eyes / nose / mouth around using the lasso tool, but now i gotta erase and redraw??? NOOOOOooooooooo......!!!

... you download a 50mb file and your internet connection keeps dropping, or the download site decides to shut down for a while, thereby interrupting your downloading process and you redownload for the 100000th time.

Dear Day, spare me already. I am on my knees. T-T

Weekend Musings

2009-08-10T01:47:00.002+08:00

How did you spend your National Day holiday?

Did you go out of town for a short getaway? Go out partying til late at night, every night from Friday to Sunday? Spend some much needed time with the family?

For Intuition and I, this past National Day weekend was a great time to catch up with family members and friends. During the National Day evening, we wanted to meet some friends to play boardgames at our place, but one of them was super enthusiastic about catching the National Day Parade on TV and was recounting to us the highlights of his participation, when he nearly got tickets to the NDP, when he was part of the parade, when one of the high ranking officials stopped by him to comment on his uniform etc. When they had the cheesy medleys (full disclosure: i used to love those songs when I was in Primary school!), I frowned at the bad choice of techno-fying the songs while he crooned away happily.

Inevitably, when 8.22pm came around, he stood up and proudly placed his fist (somewhat) near his heart and recited the pledge. So did another girl in our midst =) And they proudly stood there singing Majulah Singapura while we whipped out handphones to capture the moment on video, threatening "youtube! i'm gonna youtube this! hahaha!"

Is it now cool to be anti-Singaporean? Patriotism is passe?

While the Singapore story is flogged to death in many many many articles from the Gahmen, it is a part of our history, like it or not. Too bad that it's so short that each recounting of history forces us to revisit the same ol' facts :P And of course, there's lots of things to be said about *cough* freedom of speech here, plus the ridiculous emphasis on profits and progress while neglecting our souls and character development, except when it's in line with National Interests. Need I mention the restrictive rules and regulations, the elitism, the cheesy song and dance put up during NDP & election period, and the suffocatingly strict atmosphere in general.

But is it all bad? Surely there are many good things about our country which we like to gloss over. It's honestly more fun to be critical, but hey, being thankful is good for the heart. What about walking along the streets late at night without fear of being mugged (mostly), being able to eat out anytime you want (a real boon, something you'll appreciate if you've stayed overseas for any length of time), and decent infrastructure and amenities? I love the parks available around town, i love the beautiful Southern Ridges and air conditioned public libraries. I like how it's easy to move around... assuming the MRT doesn't break down, the bus comes relatively on time, or if you have a car, preferably without ERP *cough*. I like the quirks of Singaporeans and our ability to laugh at ourselves, from using tissue paper to chope tables to our intelligible Singlish.

Mostly, I just love my friends and family based in Singapore.

Thanks for spending the weekend with me =) It's been wonderful. Have a great week ahead!

Red & White

2009-08-09T01:51:00.005+08:00

Happy National Day!

Have a good holiday, one and all =)

Old Hobbies Die Hard Part Deux

2009-08-05T23:57:00.004+08:00

Here are the other two pictures that I drew last night. It's exhausting drawing so many pics when I'm out of practice; I had difficulty getting out of bed this morning and woke up a good 30min later than I should. My bad.

These two pictures are a tad darker than the previous ones. For the guy with the scruffy hair, it's a goth experiment gone wrong. I got the eyebags and pale complexion, but that's as far as I got. I think it's more grunge than goth. The blue and curled up guy was inspired by a ... somewhat depressing conversation. But anyways, I like it, so I'm posting it =)

Old Hobbies Die Hard

2009-08-04T23:38:00.005+08:00

Now that life is largely back to normal, I find myself with more leisure time than I've been used to. Besides surfing the net to death, I have also discovered the pleasures of watching anime and beating my own high score for Bejewelled. If these are not brilliant ways to waste time, I don't know what they be.

In the days of yore, before the internet consumed my days and my nights, I had much more productive hobbies -- reading, sketching and playing the guitar. Unfortunately, the wedding obsession with nails have carried on til today; I like my new found nails and damned if I cut it all off. Oops, there goes the guitar playing. Oh well, my APX is in the good hands of Intuition. Now that I stay near and work near a library, reading is another habit I have happily revisited on my long journeys to work. Time passes so much faster when you're reading.

The past two nights, I decided to dust off my pencils and papers and did some sketching, as a result of some inspiration from humongously talented artists who have posted their work online. Here are a few that I had fun doing, will post another two soon =)

RIP, Frank McCourt

2009-07-20T13:00:00.008+08:00

When I heard about the author, Frank McCourt's death, the first thing I thought about was how my dad was the one who introduced me to his book, Angela's Ashes. Following which, I chanced upon its sequel, 'Tis, and bought it for my dad. I enjoyed both books immensely, giving me a glimpse into the childhood of a poor boy born to an alcoholic and his growing up years in a Catholic environment.

The next thought that struck me was how my dad was instrumental in shaping me to be who I am today... not that I'm a particularly fine specimen of an offspring, but still :P

I called him during my lunch break...

Me: Dad?
He: Quirkie? What's up?
Me: Nothing. You heard about Frank McCourt?
He: Yeah! He passed away. I was just about to tell your mum about the news! How did you hear about it?
Me: Through the internet...
He: You're at home or at work?
Me: At work lah...
He: Wah... you one eye on the internet, one eye at work huh?
Me: :P
He: He wrote Angela's Ashes and 'Tis, which I introduced to you right?
Me: Yeah, you did.
He: I introduce good books to you right?
Me: Yeah, you do =) So sad (about his death) right?
He: What's there to be sad about? Nothing lasts forever!
Me: Well, still...
He: One day your daddy will also die ok!
Me: Then I'll be even more sad!
He: Hrmph. Well ok I gotta go now. Bye!
Me: Bye!

Indeed. My dad introduced the pleasures of reading Reader's Digest and incessantly tested me on Word Power, tirelessly proclaiming "It pays to increase your word power!". He scolded me when I was young for not reading the news and showed me articles in Herald Tribune that covered controversial issues in Asia that were conveniently left out in our local press. He bought books from 2nd hand bookshops that were closing down and lugged them home whenever he went on trips. I never lacked reading materials because he loved reading, and he passed the habit on to me. I didn't always appreciate how he tried to share his thoughts by sharing his books, sometimes I would shove them back in his face. It was only much later when he made a chance remark that "when I share good books with you, I'm trying to share my views with you ok!" that I realised how the rejection was personal :P

Reading Angela's Ashes is like sitting with Frank over many meals, listening to him sharing stories from his past. At least, his stories are captured and recorded and enjoyed by many around the world, and they are an experience that my dad and I have shared.

Thanks, dad, for sharing your books with me.

Favourite Things...

2009-07-12T09:47:00.004+08:00

Last week, F and I met up for lunch and being the word snobs that we are (note: word snobs are not exempt from English butchery, we just like to put ourselves on a high chair and laugh at others condescendingly, thereby rendering us rather unpopular with our friends but WHAT THE HECK muahahahaha), the topic drifted to the best typo errors we've seen. And you know what? The typos we have seen will render this post PG18 rather than the G that my posts are wont to be.

To make sure our already tenuous friendships with these dear folks are not permanently wrecked, we will be keeping the identity of these friends a secret. You'll understand why.

***

Me: So I was ironing clothes the other day and Intuition was at the computer. A mutual friend wanted to fix an appointment with me, and thus Intuition was the messenger boy. She will ask him when I'm free, he will turn around and ask me (cos I was directly behind him), so on and so forth. Intuition decides to be kaypoh and asked Friend, why do you wanna meet Quirkiekai, what feminine gossips do you gals have planned?? And she said "We're going to discuss your bed habits!" ... O_o apparently, she meant BAD habits.

He: That reminds me of my friend. He was going to loan his external hard disk to a female friend, and when he wanted to confirm it, he actually msned her "So do you still want my hard dick?" and then he quickly typed "i mean hard disk hard disk hard disk!!!!!!"

He: And there was this other friend whom I was gaming with, and in there you can send messages to each other. We were talking about weaponry and he was telling me what he has. He typed "xxxxx, xxxxxxxx, breast slayer, xxxxxx, xxxxxx...." I think he meant BEAST slayer, but that was totally a freudian slip.

Me: Speaking about boobs, this one was to an email to a gathering, discussing snacks, activities and what to bring etc. And this guy, in all serious innocence, emailed saying "I'll be bringing the tits bits".

***

After I related these to Intuition, he reminded me of another classic spelling boo-boo. At a gathering one day, we decided rather spontaneously that we were going to a board game cafe, Pit Stop Cafe. A friend was going to be late and was trying to clarify our venue. We told him, over the phone along a busy road, "Pit Stop Cafe. PIT STOP CAFE. Can you hear? No? It's PIT STOP CAFE. P-I-T S-T-O-P Cafe. Yes correct, PIT STOP CAFE."

When he finally arrived, he was extremely flustered and exclaimed "I HEARD TIT STOP CAFE. I even asked you to spell it out and I distinctly heard T instead of P!! I asked my colleagues if they've heard of TIT STOP CAFE and they told me no, but Crazy Horse left Singapore 3 months ago!! They asked WHO WAS I MEETING AND I TOLD THEM *some christian context* FRIENDS. Now they think I hang out with a group of PERVES!"

***

I am the letter-editor for someone Chinese educated, so while her Mandarin packs lots of power, her English is weaker. There was one memorable one where she wanted to write "Corporate" and spelt it as "Copulate".

***

Then there was once we were in a hotel lift, my entire family and Intuition. My mum started reading a poster and grinned, saying "See! These people don't know how to spell 'regret'. They spell it as R-E-G-R-E-T."

*pause*

*silence*

"Mum, that's the correct spelling."

Kaya, Made with Love

2009-06-22T00:01:00.002+08:00

So the other day I was with my grandmother, learning how to make kaya from the very best. I had an afternoon off and we had fixed this appointment earlier.

In the morning, I went with my dad to the wet market, getting the requisite ingredients for this coconut custard / egg jam that is so dearly loved in this part of the world. My grandma specifically requested for coconut milk, the freshly squeezed kind, not the off-the-shelf packets that are much more accessible. That vital ingredient was not available in the wet markets in my neighbourhood, so I said with great bravado, "Why not buy 3 freshly grated coconuts instead? I'll squeeze them!!" and so my grandma said "very well, you shall squeeze."

So I went to her place and realised that the recipe called for 4 coconuts... She bought 1 grated coconut already. Her original intention was to have the milk of 3 coconuts, and the 4th coconut was to be squeezed with grounded pandan leaves to extract the fragrance and flavour of the pandan. Oh, so it's 4 coconuts I'm squeezing. Very well, it shouldn't be too difficult.

By the 3rd coconut, my fingers were fixed into a clawing position and could not readily straighten. When I was done, my hands were stiff and sore, and I was crying out for mercy. My grandma simply laughed and me, and my mum gloated and said "when grandma asks for squeezed coconuts, listen to her, she knows better." Squeezing coconuts truly isn't a piece of cake.

Kaya making is labour and time intensive, but the taste of home-made kaya is so worth it. Best to do it with someone you love =) Then at least the time spent will be enjoyable ; ) This recipe is the old school way of doing it, I'm sure that a quick google search will churn out more convenient and fuss free ways of getting this done. Enjoy!

****
Ingredients:
- Milk of 3 coconuts
- 1 freshly grated coconut
- 2 small bundles of pandan leaves
- 15 small eggs
- 800g brown sugar
- 1tbs potato starch

1. Pulse 1 bundle of the pandan leaves in a blender until fine. Mix it in with the grated coconut, squeeze to extract milk and juice. Mix with the other coconut milk, strain it (Grandma says, important to strain it otherwise the loose bits of coconut in the milk will mess the texture).

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together by hand, in 1 direction only (Grandma says, do not change directions halfway as it won't be as smooth. Grandma also says, whisking by machine produces too much bubbles and makes it harder to steam later. Grandma is wise, do as she says) for 30min until all sugar has dissolved. My arms nearly dropped off, but hey, no pain no gain.

3. Slowly add the strained coconut and pandan mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk for another 15min.

4. Put the mixture in a double boiler and continue to whisk in the same direction until the mixture starts to thicken to the consistency of cream, about 20min.

5. Dissolve the potato starch in water, add into mixture. Stir some more.

6. Add the 2nd small bundle of pandan leaves into the mixture. Stir some more. about 20min.

7. After the mixture thickens to a consistency of a gravy, cover the double boiler and leave it to heat for 1 hour, stirring maybe once in that hour.

8. After 1 hour, remove the container and portion out the kaya according to your relatives and friends =) I had 7 bottles portioned out. Nice =D

For a much easier recipe that doesn't involve stirring for hours over a hot stove, do check out this link: http://thelazychef.wordpress.com/2006/09/02/nonya-kaya/

=D

Musings on Married Life

2009-05-22T00:09:00.005+08:00

Intuition and I have officially enjoyed 3 months of married life. That's Mar, Apr and May. I've gotten more used to the idea that I won't be going home to my parents and my brother, and he's gotten used to not having clothes back in his wardrobe on time.

Some fun observations...
You know that you really should do your laundry more often when your laundry-challenged husband starts looking for clothes in the "Clean Laundry Basket" instead of the wardrobe.

Your sleeping habits used to affect no one but yourself, but now, it affects your other half. Sleeping with aircon / without aircon? Blanket / no blanket? The fan is too strong / I can't feel it! And of course, the battle of boundaries... ("You encroached into MY sleeping space last night! I was left with this small strip of space! Mooove!")

You know that it's your own home when you have to clean your own toilet. Floor getting slippery? Can't wait for mum to scrub it, get down to it! Hair choking the drainage? Pick it up yourself, gross or not. Out of toilet paper? Tough luck babe, remember it the next time you go to NTUC.

When we split laundry chores, Intuition doesn't seem to agree with me that if I wash the clothes (ie throw it into the washing machine), it's only fair that he hangs it. Why is it not fair, I fail to see.

My shopping is now accountable to someone else other than myself, and we're both trying to cut down on our usual spending cos there are bills to pay (gasp! being financially responsible! the R word!) and groceries to be bought. The funny thing was I thought we will spend less after we're married as we can save on transport and eating outside (we cook about once a week), but the bills come in too faithfully every month and groceries, while cheaper than eating out, aren't all that cheap either.

Another observation... before getting married, thoughts like "will I be bored of his company within 2 weeks, as it's just me facing him facing me?" crossed our minds and we talked about it with respective friends. That never happened. We're far from being bored in each other's company--simple things like going to the hawker centre for dinner followed by aimless exploration of a new neighbourhood feels better cos it's done with your spouse. Cleaning up the house in clothes that can pass for rags doesn't make the other any less attractive. Married life is good, because it's shared with the right person =)

When you're happily married, have family and friends close by, have a nice roof over your head and have job security, life is so good, it's almost unfair. =)

Barely 1month old...

2009-04-06T13:40:00.005+08:00

Thoughts on married life (approx 1mth experience)

- Having a windy apartment is great... until you realise that what the wind really does is knock over small items and bring dust in. Then you realise why the previous tenants always close their windows.

- If I don't iron for 2 weeks, my clothes don't mysteriously reappear in my wardrobe by itself. The elves that used to do it for me apparently didn't follow me in this relocation exercise.

- If I don't iron for 2 weeks, Intuition won't have any clothes to wear to work ("QuirkieKai, I don't have anymore clothes to wear and I had to wear this ugly pants today cos I have nothing else that's ironed! PLEASE IRON at least 1 shirt and 1 pants today, please?"). And it's a pain ironing 10 shirts and 5 pants at a go.

- It's a pain to wake up earlier than Intuition to go to work, when all I want to do is sleep some more and the sight of him sleeping doesn't help.

- The upside to it is that he gets to fix my breakfast while I wash up. Woot!!

- The great thing about having your own house is that you get to invite friends over anytime you want, as long as the schedules can be coordinated.

- Having friends over is a great motivation for keeping the house clean and neat. In order for us to keep the house from degenerating into what our rooms used to look like, we need to invite friends over every fortnight.

Generally, it's been pretty fun and smooth sailing thus far. It's great when we can split and share housework (I do the laundry and he does pretty much everything else!); it's also surprising how 2 slobs can be finicky about cleanliness when it's now our own place! A big adjustment is calling each other's parents "Mum & Dad" and the word still trips over our tongues now and then. We both missed home terribly for the first 2 weeks, but now when we think "home", we're starting to think of our own pad instead =)

Junk Mailed.

2009-03-31T15:03:00.003+08:00

My mum just called me asking me for my email address, so that she can send me ~~junk emails~~ delightful emails of doggies doing cutesie tricks and nifty cooking methods, or ominous warnings about microwaving your food.

I gave her my gmail account and then she complained "Why is it you never send me anything interesting like that? I take the effort to send you all these good stuff and all you do is ignore me! Not a single email from you!", conveniently ignoring the fact that 1. we meet for dinner at least once a week, 2. I call her every other day when we don't meet for dinner, 3. I stay within a 5min drive / 15min walk from her.

My name is QuirkieKai, and my mum is a spammer.

An Intuitively Quirkie Romance

2009-03-12T13:58:00.003+08:00

The wedding's all done and the honeymoon's a blast. It was a really special day for us, which says alot, given our cynical and pragmatic natures.

For friends who weren't able to share the special day with us, let me share with you here a lil something Intuition and I did for the day's programme... a presentation on how we met and what we liked about each other, saccharine stuff like that =)

A lil anecdote about the song chosen:
We were thinking for the longest time, what song should we use for our presentation. We have already nailed down all the other songs, for the processional, recessional and even the background music for the buffet. Much as we tried, we still couldn't decide on a song for the presentation.

A default song I had at the back of my mind was Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", but Intuition wasn't so keen on it as a good friend of his already overplayed it at his wedding recently.

So at work, on my msn nick, I advertised my need for Jason Mraz's mp3s, and a colleague told me that a popular song is "Lucky"--a song I've never heard before. After listening to it, the part about it that really clinched it for me was how I'm lucky to be in love with my best friend, and I thought I'd use the song as a surprise for Intuition.

That very same evening, he called and told me he's already found a song he wanted to use for the presentation. And he played the mp3 over the phone, and lo, it was "Lucky". Likewise, he's never heard of the song prior to that same day. And we both decided, quite independently, that this is THE SONG for the presentation.

We're definitely lucky ;)

Enjoy!

MCQ

2009-02-17T08:51:00.002+08:00

1. I am looking forward to the wedding because:
a. I finally get to sleep.
b. My hair and nails won't matter anymore.
c. I need not obsess over pimples and wrinkles.
d. all of the above.

2. Weddings are:
a. So much work that we don't ever wanna get married again.
b. A good way to experiment on the minimum amount of sleep required to be functionable during the day.
c. A good way to remember your family members as you crack your head around the guest list.
d. Expensive.

Other snippets:
- It's hard to come up with the guest list when your mother remembers your relatives as "3rd Uncle", "Cousin's youngest son", "Ah Meng / Peng / Tin", "2nd Cousin's youngest daughter" etc. How do I come up with a namelist?
- Given our taste for rock / alternative music and general disdain for poppish love songs, choosing songs for our wedding was harder than we thought. Switchfoot, U2 and David Crowder Band do not flow for weddings. We seriously tried to imagine what will it be like to have the processional to "Sweetest Thing" but ... nah.
- I have better things to do at this point. Cheerios for now!

It's the final countdown!!!!

25 Random Things About QuirkieKai

2009-02-06T13:34:00.001+08:00

This is from my FaceBook, but I thought I'd post it here anyways.

Because I'm narcissistic and believe that everyone should know juz that much more about me. ; )

************

1. i've always liked the sound of an acoustic guitar =) annd the sight of a (geekish) guy playing it ;)

2. I like doodling, sketching and playing with water colour... and often am caught doodling in class.

3. i once drew my english tutor as an owl, and was passing it to my classmate when she caught me. she wasn't amused, obviously.

4. i am daddy's girl, but we had a stormy relationship during my younger days, resulting in many days when i resented his presence at home. things can't be more different now =)

5. i'd love to go deeper into photography, but i must first be able to afford a decent DSLR and the accompanying lenses.

6. my mole's quite the trademark... but a hairstylist once offered to let my fringe grow longer so that i can cover it. baka.

7. 80% of my handbags are my mum's hand-me-downs, but they still look new =) i am one gal who doesn't need to shop for bags!

8. love to shop for shoes! but haven't done so recently. wait til the great singapore sale comes around this year. i will shop with a vengeance!!

9. i blog to document the lighter side of life and keep the darker thoughts offline.

10. cooking is fun! i love cooking :D but have had disastrous experiences which embarrassed my family cos we had guests over. i curled up in a fetal position in a corner of the kitchen when i saw how the food turned out.

11. i love late, late nights and early mornings, but usually my late nights mean that i don't get to enjoy early mornings. not so hot about afternoons tho =P

12. i've not eaten uni before, and i intend to get that problem corrected this year.

13. my ambition at this point is to do an oil painting for my living room!! :D i've not done any form of oil painting before, but i'm sure i'll love it :D

14. i am totally not a dancer type... but surprise surprise, intuition is a very good dancer ;) undiscovered talent, he is. hyuk hyuk. (sisters, pls take note!)

15. i think social work is such meaningful work, and am sad that social work is so under-valued in singapore.

16. i take a perverse joy in shocking people out of a state of deep sleep. intuition beware!

17. my brother and i love to kill ants. we advocate pouring boiling hot water. simple and effective.

18. i hate worms i hate worms i hate worms i hate worms i hate worms.

19. i love blue skies, open spaces, bright flowers and a cool breeze. but no sea please. thanks.

20. i get strangely nervous when the wind is too strong... like i'll get a mild panic attack. thoughts of the wind uprooting hdb flats and trees don't do me any favours.

21. i have the best parents in the world =) and the best younger brother too, but don't tell him i said that.

22. i like both cats and dogs. yes, i'm bi-petsual.

23. i can be very pensive. sometimes i wonder how my life will be different if at certain key points in my life, i had chosen the other path.

24. at times like that i appreciate reminders that God has a plan for me, and He's good. Indeed, He's good.

25. it's 2 weeks and 2 days to the wedding on 22 feb 2009 (and bus 222 goes to my church), with 22 tables for the banquet and my wine costs $22 per bottle. i still can't imagine my waking and sleeping hours without my current family. i will miss them so.

Come singalong...

2009-02-04T00:56:00.004+08:00

Choosing wedding worship songs are nothing like choosing songs for cell group or gatherings etc. Songs that are dear to our hearts somehow don't quite flow in a wedding context :P

An example?

A favourite hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul".
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.

Umm... not so appropriate.

No wonder why the past few church weddings we attended all sing the same songs. The only hymn that we can think of that's suitable is "The Love of God", and we've sung it plenty of times.

3...2...1...

2009-02-02T09:08:00.003+08:00

It's the last 3 weeks before the wedding.

I've broken 5 nails in the process of cleaning my newly renovated flat. We've been going there every weekend to fight the dust and it wasn't until last Sat that we made significant progress against the dust. I hope that when we revisit this week, it won't be reclaimed by dust again.

In the mean time, my mother gets uneasy when she sees me slacking off in front of the laptop at night, even if it's the only 2 hours I've spent in front of the laptop for the whole weekend. "Don't you need to pack???" She'd say. "It's only 3 weeks left and you need to get XXX and YYY ready for this that and the other. What about ZZZ? Have you done ZZZ?"

It seems like it's her wedding as much as it's mine. When I briefly mentioned to her that we seem to have more guests than expected for the dinner and that seats may not be enough, it apparently set of a series of rapid fire discussions between my mum, grandma and aunt about how to manage the emergency and how disastrous it will be if *HORRORS!* there aren't enough seats during the banquet. Fortunately, there are enough seats. However, my aunt, grandma and my mum has sat Intuition and I down and gave us a slew of horror stories about how terrible, terrible it is to not have enough for guests to eat, be it at the church catering or at the wedding dinner, and how it will be a conversation starter for decades to come. I am suitably scared.

Now that I'm on the end to give and distribute invitation cards, I must say when people say "OH I'M SO GLAD I'M INVITED!" it really makes our day. When people ignores our repeated smses, we slump into the pit of self pity and start singing "Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna eat some... nevermind." A word of thanks to those who took the effort to respond to our invites =) U guys rock our socks!

I'm sure there is something else that's waiting for me to do now, instead of blogging about this experience. But I thought I'd share it with you guys here ;) Thanks for being our friends. Appreciate you guys much =)

Updates from a Unglam Bride

2009-01-22T11:51:00.003+08:00

Hello friends,

1. I haven't disappeared from the surface of the earth. I can be regularly found at my office desk / my current home / my new home / travelling between these places and recently, at my printer's.

2. I have never been so horrified by broken nails, and unfortunately, I've been breaking nails with an alarming regularity at this point. An unfortunate combination of the need for nice nails during the photoshoot, intensive housework for the moving at the office and at home (oh, deja vu, how you stalk me. yes, i'm moving house AND office at the same time, AGAIN!), and keeping the nails so that i can get a decent manicure for the wedding. Alas, i shall be known as the bride with broken nails. At least it's not a broken heart :P

3. Late nights have given me eyebags galore. Hello panda.

4. Intuition is VERY good with Excel -- A Very Attractive Feature that I never knew existed prior to this. This model of husband not bad, can keep.

5. I have designed and printed my wedding invitation cards. My printer is Francis from LS Print. He is every bride's Best Friend Forever when it comes to printing cards--helpful, patient and accomodating, with quick turnaround to boot. Please look for him -- francis@lsprint.com.sg (tel: 6339 1208). This is a plug for him because he has saved my skin this week to get the cards out in time for CNY. He can print posters, banners, cards and such. i heart him lots lots (but of cos i heart intuition more).

So friends, yes I will be distributing my wedding invitation cards very shortly. Please be overjoyed when I pass one to you, for with my fragile disposition at this moment, anything less than an "OH I'M SO GLAD I'M INVITED!" will send me spiralling into depression.

Thank you much much :P

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

2009-01-10T11:13:00.003+08:00

ONLY SIX MORE WEEKS!

I STILL HAVEN'T DONE MY GUESTLIST!

I HAVE NOT DONE MY SEATING ARRANGEMENT!

THERE IS CNY AND VDAY IN BETWEEN!

I'M STILL BUSY AT WORK!

I DON'T KNOW HOW WILL I SURVIVE!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Motivation

2008-12-30T22:37:00.004+08:00

He : My mother just made popiah. I'm quite full, but maybe I should take a bite. Should I go eat my mum's popiah?
Me : If you eat popiah, I'll eat the chocs that I received for Christmas.
He : Actually, I feel like going for a run.
Me : If you go for a run, I'll do some planks.
He : OkByeRunningNow.

*click*

*doot... doot... doot..*

And so I'm abstaining from desserts and snacking these few days because our wedding shoot is next Monday. I look painfully chubby in pictures nowadays. The thought of being immortalised in a photo album with chubby cheeks ( I mean on me, not referring to Intuition here...) is quite scary. Talk to you later, I've got a painful promise to keep.

All I Want for Christmas...

2008-12-23T09:14:00.003+08:00

Last evening marks the first day of my Christmas shopping, and I have only bought a grand total of 2 gifts. I am so dead.

Last evening also marks my first taste of the Christmas season. As weekends and weekday evenings have been burnt doing reno-shopping and coordinating, planning and shopping for my wedding, I have not done anything remotely related to Christmas. Except for work, and that totally brings on the Christmas cheer right? Like, my favourite season now is totally work-related and I'm buried in Christmas related WORK stuff. O Joy. But yesterday was different, cos I met up with close friends and we goofed around and embarrassed ourselves in front of wait staff. They gave me presents, we had dinner, shared silly incidents in our lives and just laughed at and with each other. The first taste of Christmas warmth! Ahhh... =)

Loneliness is something I've been more acquainted with recently as I adjust to new colleagues, a new neighbourhood and less time for friends. Church life has suffered as well, as I can't pop by in 15min like previously, and a trip there takes 1hour at least. I do miss so many things in my life that I've enjoyed just as recently as 9 months ago, but no point looking back always, there's the future to look forward to. And I'm looking forward to more time with friends, family and church come March 2009, cos the peak period at work and my wedding will be over by Feb 2009.

So what I'm trying to say here is that the first few taste of Christmas for me this year is the meeting up with friends with whom I've not had the opportunity to catch up with in recent months. The initiative by my wedding planner to meet up with friends who are helping up with our wedding, and them sharing in our joy and the good natured teasing and bantering. The outpouring of affection from close relatives who have demonstrated their love through beautiful and thoughtful gifts. The company and friendship I feel starved of in the past few months without being aware of it, a salve to my heart =)

Thanks, people, for being a part of my life =) You've been instrumental in me keeping my sanity and not falling into depression!

PS: If you really must know, I want:
- Robinsons vouchers, the more the merrier
- Anna Sui liquid eyeliner / waterproof mascara
- a leatherbound NIV / NLT bible that has a clasp
- i'm still shameless!!!

Foolishness Part Deux

2008-12-08T11:25:00.003+08:00

Last year's run was fun. Enjoyable. It felt painful when I did it then, but after this year's run, I realised I didn't truly know what pain was.

I had a million excuses for not training for the 21km run -- wet weather, busy with work, busy with the reno / wedding prep, too tired, etc etc... and right up to Saturday evening, I was still contemplating if I should even go for it. I could easily let it slide me by and sleep in on that precious Sunday morning; I could go for it and just run 10km rather than 21km; I could just turn up and wait for Intuition to finish his 21km run. However, a few months ago, I had persuaded a friend to join it with me and she was intending to go for it. Much as I didn't want to go for it, and even though I can be a real scoundrel at times, it didn't feel right to default on our partnership like that. And so, at 11.30pm on Saturday evening, I decided to go for it. After all, as another friend put it, "if cannot run can always walk".

Many things went wrong that morning. First, Intuition and his brother, who have very kindly acceded to my last minute decision to join the run and hence pick me up earlier, were understandably late. Afterall, it was very early in the morning, and there were the 2 of them vying for the 1 washroom and everyone slept late the night before. We initially thought we'd join in the run at about 7am, slightly later than the starting time, which was 6.30am. However, things got delayed and by the time we reached the starting point, the emergency lane for the half-marathoners was closed and we had no choice but to join the 10km guys' starting time, which was 7.30am. That was mistake number 1.

Then, the 10km guy's run starting time got delayed by 15min due to safety concerns. So we started at 7.45am, a good 1hr15min later than the rest of the 21km runners.

Because of how the routes were planned and the timing involved, my friend and I at some point early in the run were running against the flow of the 10km guys. Can I just say that this is a Very Bad Idea? Imagine this: 2 lone girls, running against a horde of stampeding sweaty smelly guys, being brushed against, pushed aside, at the start of a long, long, 21km run.

As if that was not demoralising enough, because we started without the rest of the runners, there wasn't anyone to cheer us along in our run! and there wasn't the crowd factor, where your jogging form actually improves because there is this whole school of people running along with you. Instead, you're going against the flow here!

To cut a long long story short, the rest of our run was a long, lonely one. Several helpers dotted the course, showing us which way to turn and passing drinks to us. The runspirators were largely asleep when we jogged / walked past them.

Highlights of the run:
- halfway through I had hunger pangs, but they had ran out of bananas for us. So I detoured to a petrol kiosk to buy a packet of chocolate milk for the badly needed energy boost.

- we applied deep heat rub like it was a life-saver, and indeed it helped alot in our race. Beyond the 10km mark, the legs were getting sore and painful, we had to stop and stretch or apply the deep heat rub regularly.

- after the 15km mark, I couldn't run anymore and we were walking along. Then on the opposite side of the road, an uncle on a rickety bicycle cycled past us and yelled angrily "Oei! Still walk! People run finish oredi you still slowly walk here! No shame ah! So slow somemore!" We entertained thoughts of generous applications of deep heat rub into his nostrils.

- At the 17km mark, we intersected once more with the marathoners. For them, it's their 36th or 37th km mark, and by then many of them were exhausted, stopping often to stretch and apply deep heat. If it was painful for me to be walking at the 17km mark, I can only imagine the agony it must be at that point for them. And a young adolescent who is one of the volunteer runspirators sitting comfortably at the side of the road shouted "Don't walk! Run! Oei, stop walking, start running!" Insensitive much.

- Much as there were asleep runspirators or run-insulters, there were also those who really made the long run more bearable with their bright smile, loud claps and cheers. Can't get enough of these angels =)

- By the time you hit the 17km mark, cheating on a run like this doesn't make anymore sense cos you've suffered so far, what's another 4km. Seriously, if you want to take a short cut, do it before the halfway mark, otherwise just finish the damn race.

I took so long to finish the race (my timing was 3hr 40min) that Intuition seriously thought that I'd fainted halfway through the route and was whisked away by the ambulance or something. He even asked the info desk if there's a namelist of those who were injured or hurt along the way, and called my home to see if I'm home :P Awww!

I'm glad for the different experience, and I'm glad I finished the run although at the beginning, it was so tempting to take shortcuts especially when you see the other 21km runners waaaay ahead of you. Will I do it again next year? Yeah I think I might =) It gets addictive! And I will make sure I join the right crowd at the right time this time =)

Foolishness...

2008-12-06T23:59:00.002+08:00

... is signing up for the 21km run.

and not training for it.

and going for it.

HELP.

Swingin' good time

2008-11-14T12:55:00.003+08:00

For the upcoming wedding, my unruly tresses have gone through stress and duress to whip them into ~~straight~~ shape. They have been washed, chemically treated, ironed out, blown dry, chemically treated again, washed, blown dry, coloured, etc etc... a whopping 4.5hours in the hairsalon.

As a result, I can now feel my still-short hair actually swinging smoothly when I walk briskly. As opposed to sitting stubbornly on my head, unmoved. :P

With the passage of time...

2008-11-12T23:51:00.004+08:00

Wow.

It's been so long since I last blogged =P Typing here seems like treading on unfamiliar ground, but I do miss this space and I hope that the usual readers are not all gone yet? In case you do see it, thanks for hanging around =)

How's life been for me? Work's been busy and since I'm adjusting to the new (faster) pace at work, I've been pretty tired when I reach home the past few months. Wedding preparations are progressing quite alright... we've been greatly blessed to have fantastic helpers along the way and we're grateful =)

My parents, for example, have been fantastically helpful with regards to our renovation works, them being so experienced with the recent works on their own house and all. We're looking forward to staying at our new place cos it's everything we wanted in a home -- a stone's throw away from amenities and facilities, near yet not toooo near my parents, and fairly accessible. Though still far removed from my beloved ex-neighbourhood, it's still a lovely area. And the view ROCKS. Can't wait to move in ; )

My brother has been doing his brotherly bit for his precious sister. Intuition needs to make a suit for the wedding, and the metro that is my brother gallantly offered to help this clueless couple to face conniving tailors who will recommend Egyptian cotton and 100% cashmere and thus rip us off of our cash. And so off we went to see the tailor this evening. It was a fairly painless process and the tailor was nothing like what my brother cautioned us against -- in fact, he was rather pleasant. Plain speaking, non-snobbish and patient to explain the different fabrics to plebians like us.

Somehow, it still hasn't hit me that I'm inching inevitably towards a major change in my life... that in slightly more than 3 months time, I will not be waking up to the sound of my sleepy dad shuffling towards the toilet and making my morning coffee; that my mum won't be popping in uninvited to my room at 12.30am in the morning just as I'm about to sleep and ask me how my day was and what are my detailed plans for tomorrow and if she should cook dinner for us the next day etc; and that the doofus of a brother won't be mocking my fats on a daily basis cos he won't be seeing me.

In slightly more than 3 months time, I will be doing my own housework and there won't be anyone to pick up my trail of rubbish after me (unless Intuition is so inclined ;) ).

In slightly more than 3 months, my parents will be celebrating the absence of a overgrown parasite who still doesn't help with the housework and yet has the audacity to bring her friends in for a cookout just after they have labouriously cleaned it.

In slightly more than 3 months, Intuition and I will be enjoying this new place for which we signed off 30 years of our lives together to service the loan, and whose renovation demands have cleaned out our savings :P We have never felt poorer, and yet at the same time, we look forward to it with great anticipation =)

Roses are red...

2008-08-29T15:54:00.001+08:00

A quick picture in lieu of an actual post to say that I've not dropped off the surface of the earth. Work's new, and that's keeping me really busy. HOWEVER, i get to take this picture during work, which means that in my course of work, 1. there are flowers around me and, 2. there is a camera near me, too!

That makes me happy ; )

I'll be back...

Honey, Go Where?

2008-08-03T23:02:00.002+08:00

Planning for the wedding and house and the rest of our lives have been really quite fun so far. We have found a suitable unit for our home, yays to that, and have been busy looking for contractors and suppliers for the renovations. The bulk of our expenses really comes from the renovations, and yet this is one thing that is hard to skimp on. If we save and get el cheapo cabinets, will the decision turn around and bite us 3-5years down the road? How about air-con for the living area--to do or not to do? And the list goes on and on and on... We are honestly quite afraid of what the final bill will be. As it is, the guesstimates are breaking our combined bank accounts. Still, it has been an enjoyable process.

One of the funnest thing to do in the wedding prep is to plan and decide on a honeymoon destination. This is one trip where you don't have to think about saving on hotels and food, for it is THE reason to splurge. No budget hotels nor backpacking inns for this holiday, no sirree =) What we have to think about is what we want in the trip -- great view of nature for him, some shopping spots for me -- and find an exotic enough location to do it! So fun, right?

With these in mind, we have shortlisted 3 places based on weather (we want cool weather, but not too cold), scenery, the abundance of good food and how interesting that place is without being too busy and touristy. We will likely go as free and easy as possible. These are our 3 choices, can you leave a vote and comment on which you think is good and why? OR if you have another suggestion that fits our wants, please let me know too!
Intuition & QuirkieKai's Honeymoon Destinations:
- Australia --> Melbourne, Tasmania
- Japan --> Hokkaido
- Greece =)

Arigatou gozaimasu!!

Flux

2008-07-31T22:53:00.006+08:00

Yes I am aware of how neglected my blog is. In the past few weeks, even months, I seem to have lost my momentum in blogging, and posts come in far and few in between.

I guess it's mostly due to the nature of this blog: I've kept it largely lighthearted and silent about the more serious topics in my life, and the past few months have been months where I've contemplated and acted upon bringing about some changes in my life. For example, Intuition proposed, so there is the whole business of looking for a new house to stay in. I have been considering a career switch, and so for weeks and months I've been looking for jobs (oh how I dislike that process!), going for interviews, updating the resume, so on and so forth.

This is truly a year of transitions. I was uprooted from my old home to a new one in a vastly different neighbourhood; I will be enjoying my last few months of singlehood; I have resigned from my old job and am now officially in between jobs as today's my last day; I am preparing for a new home; I am also preparing for a new phase in life. Wow. How do you blog about all these in-between stages without baring your soul to the world? And since this blog is simply not such a platform, I just keep the silence. It's not that I've not been hanging around the computer--I've been surfing the web as if my life depended on it--it's just that I don't know what to say here.

In the course of these changes, God has been good at every stage, and I've had people come alongside to give me the support needed to cushion the stress and iron out my thoughts. I am blessed =) Can I just say that my church is really a great church? Seriously.

Now that the dust has settled and though I'm still in flux, though not so much, I can begin my blogging again. Changes to the blog ahead? Perhaps; I'm getting rather bored of the look and feel, but we'll see how it goes. Maybe with so many other changes going on in my offline world, it might do me good to just keep my lil online corner the same.

Toodles for now =)

PS: 2 posts in a day! Woot!

Coercion

2008-07-31T11:20:00.002+08:00

Last year's Standard Chartered Run was really fun--when I was physically there at the running area. Prior to that, the training was a royal pain in the derrière, and I bet I was a real pain to those people who were trying to get me to do a semblance of training for the run (flashback: Intuition dragging me, kicking and screaming, out of my house, jogging for 10minutes then walking the rest of the way whining "I'm tired! I don't want to do this anymore! FLABS BE DAMNED.")

This year, I received an email from StandChart saying that there will be a discount! for repeat runners! and the inner aunty in me simply cannot pass up a good deal like that. This means that I must sign up pronto! I WILL BE SAVING $10! And so I asked Intuition if he could kindly sign me up for it.

And he called and told me he signed me up for the 21km run.

As if that was not bad enough, he said,"I'm wondering whether I should pay for you. Don't get me wrong, I would be more than willing to pay the fees for you, it's just that I'm afraid that if you get this for free, you may not have a sense of ownership for it and you won't train! Then what's the point right? So you pay me back for this okay?"

... I am Quirkie, hear me whine.

Confusion and Consternation

2008-07-03T09:32:00.002+08:00

Pregnant woman on public transport. I always feel very strongly that pregnant ladies should not need to stand up for more than 1 stop; people should automatically give up their seats for them. My friend had this experience on the train when she was into her third trimester: she was standing on the train and a lady who was getting off said loudly for all to hear "My gosh, can you please ask someone to give up his seat for you?". Shortly after, a guy (finally!) gave up his seat to her.

Another friend who recently gave birth said that she never had to stand for very long; her stern-faced big sized husband will glare at all the men sitting down until some poor guy stands up to give her a seat.

A Malaysian friend of mine shared this anecdote: in the crowded MRT one day, a very pregnant lady boarded the train. No one gave her a seat until much later, a man belatedly realises and stands up to offer her his seat. Then someone else rushed to grab the seat, and upon realising that it's for the pregnant lady, said "oops!" and continued hogging the seat. *facepalm*

With all these righteous indignation brewing in me, it is with much pride and gusto that I stood up and gave up my coveted seat to a lady with a bulging belly standing in front of me today. Her belly was protruding, so it didn't look like just a chubby belly. She had a certain glow to her face, one I associated with happy mothers to be. As I stood up, she looked at me with surprise and ... she hesitated to take the seat. In fact, we were both standing up looking at each other uncomfortably for about 5 seconds (an eternity, really) before she resignedly sat down.

WAS SHE PREGNANT OR WAS SHE JUST CHUBBY?!?!?!

WAS SHE MORE EMBARRASSED OR WAS I?!

AAAHHHHH!!!!

Of Weddings and Tough Love

2008-06-24T11:31:00.005+08:00

So I've been busy trying to get the various things needed for the wedding. Who knew weddings are so much work... and so much money too, if I may add. Most of which are really unnecessary to me. Like, I don't see the point of spending over $3k for a dress that you're going to wear for half a day, and for having a grandiose wedding banquet at a 5 star hotel which quite frankly, benefits only the hotels rather than the couple and the guests. I don't like paying $100 for dinners where the food is mediocre and sit around in a table with people I hardly ever meet during the course of everyday life. I mean, to put it into perspective, I hardly even blow $100 to go out for a meal with Intuition or my family!

So we're having the banquet at a nice small restaurant, reputed to serve good food =) The ambience isn't that fantastic, but the menu's looking really good so far and I'm happy with the rate we're paying. There will definitely be a church wedding =) I have asked my dear blur friend Gara to be the bridesmaid, and she asked me a very interesting question over MSN this morning.

She : btw...do u think u are bridezilla material?
Me : i hope not!! !!
She : ok...i hope so too!
Me : wahahaha... what if i turn out to be the biggest bridezilla there ever will be?!???
She : yeah if i'm gonna be the bridesmaid i'm sared....
Me : will u still be my friend??
if i verbally abuse the world arnd me..
throw my 4inch heels at the caterer for giving me the wrong shade of ivory...
tear apart the flowers that have got a tiny speck of bruise in them...
She: we'd better remember it's 15 years of friendship!!!
15 years!!
Me : what if i do all these and more!!
She : i think u need a whacking by then'
Me : wahahahaha
She : i'll hum the jaws theme at u if i see u displaying bridezilla signs
Me : hahaha! u shd bring a dorsal fin along too!
wave it frantically at me if i start frothing at the mouth and telling the pastor off for using singlish when preaching :P
She : haha, i have a dolphin toy..
Me : okay, that'll do
though i can't be held responsible if i change my mind on that day and insist on a proper dorsal fin rather than a soft toy. :P
afterall, I AM a leetle bit anal.
She : u get whacked right on the head with that dolphin toy
Me : =( i dun like this violent bridesmaid very much.
She : heehee...u can still change ur mind...but i'll stil like to be brideziller whacker :P i practice tough love.
Me : tough. is most tough.
She : yes

Of Carrots and Other Tales Part Deux

2008-06-06T10:18:00.011+08:00

The evening started as a usual dinner date: we arranged to meet at 7pm, Central Mall. He was keen to check out Tompopo, a Japanese joint at Liang Court that just opened not too long ago.

I was early for once, reaching Central Mall by 6.50pm, but he was horribly late, arriving at 7.40pm. I had a good 40min to simmer and come to a slow boil at his tardiness... it was inexcusable because he was at an external meeting in the afternoon! The meeting was at Suntec City, which is near Central Mall. Seeing that I'm coming from my office in the east side of Singapore, there isn't any discernible reason for his extreme tardiness! And so, the date started on a lousy note with the iciness of a cold war.

"Sorry sorry, there wasn't any bus from Suntec City to Central!"

"...*silence*..."

"I got carried away shopping for your ring in Suntec, which will eventually be a surprise! I had to take a taxi down here, there was a horrible traffic jam!"

"...*silence*..."

We walked (in lopsided silence) from Central Mall to Liang Court where Tompopo is, and ordered a bowl of ramen and a platter of their fried goodies. Tompopo is a great place to get your katsu don fix. Their speciality is the black pig katsu don ("Our pigs are stress free!" proclaimed the menu) and it was mouth-wateringly good. Intuition's ramen was fantastic--savoury and rich soup, springy noodles, pork pieces so tender they disintegrate in your mouth. In a bid to show me his sincere apologies for being so late, he even shared his ramen with me, which of course, warmed my heart. I can't say no to good food :P By the end of the meal, everything was nice and rosy once more. Apparently, the way to my heart is through my stomach.

We shopped around after dinner before going back home. Despite being rather tired and having painful feet from the crushing of brand new shoes, Intuition insisted on sending me back.

We stepped into the lift and there was potpourri in the shape of a circle on the floor, so i remarked to him.. "Huccome people throw potpourri on the floor huh?" then he just smiled and kept quiet.

The lift doors opened at my lift landing... and behold! There was a neat trail of dried flowers and potpourri leading to my door! I turned to him and said...
Me: That's strange. I think my brother must be doing something for his girlfriend.
He just smiled and kept quiet.
Me: *looks into my house from the lift landing... no one was home at 11pm?? Suspicion rising*
Me: ... do you have anything to do with this?
He: ... weeeell... *shrugs*

I opened the door to my flat and the house was dark... save for a path leading to my room, lit up by tealights and framed with dried flowers.

"Ahhhh! Hahahahahahha... INTUITION! You bluff me! You said you were at an external meeting! YOU BLUFF ME! hahahahahaha..."
In my room:

(minus the diamond ring... you'll find out why soon enough)

When I walked into the room and was greeted by the lovely sight, Intuition immediately said "Ok this is the proposal... BUT I HAVEN'T GOTTEN YOU THE RING! Ok? I will definitely get it tomorrow, so don't worry, I WILL GET IT... but in the mean time I'm sorry I haven't had time to get it!"

And so he presented the flowers and the chocolates with some fanfare and flourishes, while I peppered him with inane questions like "Why on a weekday? Why not weekend? What's so special about today's date? Did you chase my family out, that's why now no one at home?" until he had to say "Keep quiet and let me talk!"

He sat me down on my bed, got down on his knees and asked me to open the froggie's mouth (see picture above.. froggie's got a big mouth to hide stuff in there), and I excitedly put my hand in to see what treasures are there to discover... only to find this wrapped in cellophane:
He: I didn't manage to get you a ring in time, BUT I got you a ONE CARROT RING! QuirkieKai, will you marry me?"
Me: What!! *ROFL!* No! How can you propose to me without a ring!
He: I promise I'll get you a nice one... but here's your one carrot ring! *puts in on my finger* See! It fits! Will you marry me?
Me: nonononono! *LOL!*
He: Ok close your eyes, I'll get your guitar and sing you a song!
Me: *obligingly closed my eyes*
He: Ok open your eyes!
Me: *Gawk at the rock*
Me: *falls backwards on my bed laughing*

And the rest is history :P We wrapped up the night sweeping potpourri from the lift and lift landing (so anti-climax, huh?), while my family tiptoed back into the house in the midst of the proposal and I learnt that the ring was sitting in Intuition's room for the past 2 weeks while he pretended to go shop for diamond rings with me.

I is touchedz and feel loved by Intuition's sincere efforts in orchestrating the moment and wouldn't have changed any part of it for anything =) Especially my one carrot ring.
My One Carrot Ring and Other Ring

Of Carrots and Other Tales

2008-06-05T11:44:00.002+08:00

Speechless for now--so many things to say, no time to say it, yet I must announce it somehow some way. Let the picture do the talking =) Suffice it to say that there will be major changes in Intuition's and my life up ahead! What a journey =)

Audio Bites

2008-05-16T18:07:00.002+08:00

Colleague: Whyyyy HELLOoooooOOOoo breathtaking beauty! YOU take MY breath awaaay! *cue wheezing hacking gasping breathless sound*

***

Intuition and I, after watching Iron Man.

Me: So which were your favourite parts in the movie?
He: *thinks for a while* I kinda like it when he returns to where he was held captive and rescued all the poor people. Yourself?
Me: Hmmm *thinks*
Me: You know, Robert Downey Jr. looks absolutely haawt in the movie. Love his eyes, it makes me wanna brush his eyelashes. I think my favourite part of the movie is wherever there is a close up of his face and eyes *beams!*
He: ...
He: My favourite part of the movie is when the Iron Man appears fully masked.

***

Scenario: A game of Taboo.

Player: A young lady with an uncanny resemblance to Olive Oyl, in all aspects from head to toe.

She: AAAHHHHhhhh! It's it's... *cups hands at chest* the 2 balloons inside!
Group: ROFL ROFL

The word?
Lungs.

ROFL!

***

Relief Work: Chengdu

2008-05-16T15:07:00.001+08:00

Long weekend ahead: woot!

Want to spend your time more meaningfully? Check this out and participate where you can!

*********

Greetings from Singapore Campus Crusade for Christ.

You are receiving this email from a friend of Singapore Campus Crusade for Christ. We are appealing to you to participate in the relief work for the earthquake victims in ChengDu. Several towns had been wiped out in the earthquake with at least 40,000 lives lost. The casualty numbers continue to escalate. Besides praying for these victims, we hope to do more. We will be working closely with the medical teams that will be sent out from Missions Medical Clinic headed by an associate of SCCC.

The following are ways that you could help:

1. BE PART OF A DISASTER RELIEF TEAM.
Being part of the medical teams to bring in medical and logistical supplies to Chengdu as well as help the relatives of the victims (Briefing on post-trauma counseling will be conducted). All participants are required to pay for the total cost of the trip. (estimated cost per pax is $1,500). There will also be a pre-trip briefing for each team. Team details are as follows:
Team 1 - 21st May to 29th May, Dr Ong Lay Siang
Team 2 - 31st May to 7th June, Dr Ho See Yunn
Team 3 - 8th June to 16th June, (Doctor to be finalised)
Team 4 - 15th June to 23rd June, Dr Joshua Wong

2. CONNECT US TO DOCTORS & MEDICAL PERSONNEL
We are also looking for doctors and nurses who could be part of the team. Please refer them to our office at missions@sccc.org.sg.

3. MANPOWER SUPPORT TO HELP PACK SUPPLIES
Packing will commence on the evening of 15 May at 24L Lim Tua Tow Road (near Serangoon MRT). It is expected to continue for the next few days. If you can avail yourself to help, please call the clinic staff Tony @ 97850234 or Khai Liang @ 90223156.

4. CONTRIBUTE MEDICAL SUPPLIES
If you would like to contribute medicine or supplies, please refer to the attached file and liaise with Missions Medical Clinic staff, Tony @ 97850234 or call the clinic @ 62892100.

5. GIVE FINANCIALLY TO THE WORK
Crossed and make your cheques payable to 'Campus Crusade Asia Limited'. On the reverse side, please indicate that it is designated for "Disaster, Crisis Relief Fund" (the fund is for purchase of medicine here in Singapore and for financial assistance to disaster relief team members here in Singapore.

If you have further questions, please feel free to contact us at missions@sccc.org.sg.

*********

Weekend Baking Part Deux

2008-05-11T18:59:00.002+08:00

I had a list of recipes to try out over the weekend, but decided to not be overly ambitious when I'm baking to give away. I needed to bake 2--1 for my family gathering on Sunday, and another for Intuition's family when I join them for the Mother's Day lunch celebrations. During times like that, you simply have to resort to tried and tested recipes.

I baked 2 orange cakes on Saturday mornings and things went well... I ran out of self raising flour and found a jar of flour at home, leftover from one of my brother's cooking projects. Just to be sure, I asked him,"Eh, confirm this is multi-purpose flour har? Not corn flour right?" He said "yah yah confirm chopped guarantee, it's multi purpose flour". Satisfied, I added half a cup of that flour for the cake.

After baking the cakes and going about my tasks for the rest of the day, I decided to end the day with an attempt at baking cookies. Cookies seem easy enough, going by all accounts of the online reviews for a recipe I had in mind. Pour everything in a bowl, mix, bake for 10min. Easy peasy, and I'd be done within 30min. Cool.

30 min later, I was still figuring out the measurements of the cookies.

45 min later, I managed to get 2 trays into the oven.

55 min later, I stared at the tray where the cookies have expanded and melded into one another, forming a nice bulbous cookie sheet. Sigh. Well nevermind, I'm sure they'll taste great, as the online reviews have promised. I took it out and let it cool for a while before breaking a bit off the cookie sheet. The texture looked dodgy, but maybe the taste test will prove it otherwise. *Munch munch*

The taste was great--intensely chocolatey and not too sweet. Delish. But the texture... it's both too dry and too soggy, if there's such a thing. The edges were almost powdery, the centre portions are soft and malleable... it doesn't hold a shape at all. *Downcast* Man oh man... I can't even get a simple drop cookie right. Everyone else said it's easy, but why does mine end up so disastrous? What a perfect waste of sugar and butter. So sad.

My brother came home and laughed at my baking failure (reminder to self: failure is an event, not a person. Repeat.) and took a bite... like a shining beacon of light, he said "the taste is not bad! not bad at all... just that the texture a bit wrong. I'll eat it for breakfast." and I said "Oh thank you thank you... please help me eat up my baking tragedy, I'm so grateful."

This morning, I whined to my brother "Sigh, there must be something wrong with the ingredients. I followed the recipe quite faithfully leh... You know, the flour looks strange to me. You sure it's multi purpose flour?" He thought about it, and declared "You know you're right! IT IS CORN FLOUR!"

...

My cakes had a bit of corn flour in them. One cake went to my family gathering--a family of food snobs, and another went to Intuition's family. The family took a look at my cake and commented that it's sunken, it's a bit more dense, etc... I don't know what to say, except to glare at my brother each time a negative comment came my way. He even had the cheek to say "It's the baker's fault!"

May I just reiterate the fact that my brother is a doofus.

Simple Pleasures in Life: Weekend Baking

2008-05-09T11:32:00.004+08:00

I love weekends. I love my Saturdays, especially if I have absolutely nothing on. Then I can proceed to fill it up anyway I like! Tomorrow is one such day, and I'm looking forward to doing some baking in the morning.

Baking is something I'm very new to. The first time I did anything like baking was at a friend's place where she attempted to teach Intuition and I how to bake her famous brownie... and somehow, I managed to underbake it by quite a lot. The first time I did a baking project by myself was an attempt at an orange cake... the recipe called for "melted butter" so I went ahead and... melted the butter to liquid form. That's melted butter, right? Right? How come the cake never rose, ever? How come the cake, no matter how long I bake it, is still so soggy inside? Fail.

Last weekend, I tasted success by NOT melting the butter (it's just softened), and the cake rose beautifully, tasted wonderfully orangey and is yummilicious. Yum. I want another one.

This weekend, since it's the Mother's day weekend, I'll probably bake two for the lovely ladies in my family--my grandma, my aunt and my mum. They've fed me well and have pampered me in different ways through the years, so it's payback time ; ) I hope there's enough to go around!

The picture above is a delicious chocolate cake that my aunt specializes in. On my birthday last year, my mother was asking if I'd like to buy a cake from Awfully Chocolate or Lana Cakes. I was like "... can I ask Aunt to bake me her chocolate cake? And... can she bake a big one? Not for me to share with the rest, but for me alone? A REALLY BIG ONE? Please?" So shameless, right? And it was good. Not too sweet, great chocolate taste, beautifully crumbly and oh so sinful. That's why I couldn't fit into my pre-Christmas shopping post Christmas. I'm still paying for my sinful ways 5 months later.

Aunty's Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup Van Houten chocolate powder
1 cup milk
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup self raising flour, sifted
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

- Cream the butter and sugar
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl on top of a pot of hot water. Stir in the milk slowly after the chocolate melted
- Seperate the eggs into yolks n whites
- Add the yolks one by one into the creamed butter and sugar, beating all the time
- Add the chocolate into the butter sugar yolks mix, followed by the vanilla essence
- After adding the chocolate, add the flour into the mix bit by bit til it's well mixed up
- Whisk the whites til it's stiff
- Fold in the whites into the delicious chocolate batter
- Pour mix into a baking tin that's buttered and lined with baking paper
- Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour, until a stick inserted in will come out clean
- Gorge on it

Missing: Manners

2008-05-08T13:15:00.005+08:00

The Best Grandmother In The World got knocked down by a cyclist who has all the manners of a pig. The cyclist knocked my 70+ year old grandmother down onto the ROAD and then promptly cycled away, leaving her to walk home with a bruised face and swollen lip. SHE'S OVER SEVENTY YEARS OLD!

ARRRGHHHH!!!

Thank God her bones are still strong and healthy for her age, so there wasn't any bone fracture... but now she got no appetite and her face is swollen. Am so angry!

Who knocks down an elderly and leaves her on the road without even helping her up??? Is that even thinkable?! *GNASH TEETH*

Will be visiting her tonight. Poor granny =(

Oh the agony...

2008-04-23T09:45:00.006+08:00

The other day, my parents and I squeezed into a really small and rickety lift with several other strangers. My dad was the last one to step into the already packed lift. Everyone was facing the door, but he was facing the crowd as there wasn't any space for him to turn around. Being the beer lover that he is, there is a sizable pot-belly sticking out in front of him. God truly has a sense of humor, for right in front of my dad was another pot-bellied middle aged guy, so they both sucked it up and tried not to get in each other's way too much.

Somewhere along the way of my dad's ~60 years of existence, he has lost all sense of self-consciousness and is no longer bothered with socially acceptable behaviour. While we were all trying to study our shoes or the ceiling in the cramped conditions of the lift, my dad decided to steal the show by:
1. making obvious sucking noises as he sucked up his beer gut
2. squinting his eyes closed, with the rest of his face contorted into an exaggerated grimace, bared teeth and all
3. raising his arms and crossing it comically at his chest level, with elbows sticking out unnaturally
4. grinning at the rest of the people trying not to stare at him
I was aghast and stared at him in disbelieve, trying to telepath him "STOP! ACT NORMAL! NOW!" but there must've been a wall in between us, intercepting my frantic brain signals to him.

Ok it's not so bad, he's just acting silly, the lift will reach its destination soon enough, I thought. And I rolled my eyes at him when he looked at me with that grin / grimace plastered onto his face. And he grinned back.

And then...

He started chuckling while looking at my mum and I, with the both of us by this time staring studiously at our shoes.

Awkward.

Then he started pointing to my mum and I, commenting to everyone in the lift "These 2 same. Both got big heads."

Dear dad, this is not a good time to point out how much mum and I look alike and that we both have rather large cranial cavities--but that's cos we've got big brains. Really, no. Stop. I know you love us both and you are always amused by how much we look alike, but no, please, not now.

Unbelievably, the commentary continues...
"Heh heh heh. These two same shape, but different contents."
All this while belly to belly with a stranger, arms crossed comically with the grimace / grin plastered on his face.

A heavy silence settles in the lift with no one making a sound, as the crowd decides to fixate further on their shoes / ceiling. You can almost hear me blush.

Dear God, please, let there be a black hole to swallow me up NOW. I'm sorry for all the times I was a brat and threw a tantrum in public, I'm sorry for all the times I talked back to my parents, I'm sorry for the numerous times my parents got summoned to see the teachers for my various misdeeds, but isn't this a tad harsh? A black hole will be most merciful, thank You very much.

And lo, the lift door opens and the people shuffled out quietly. God answers prayers.

The Best I've Ever Had

2008-04-17T15:19:00.003+08:00

There is nothing quite like chomping into a juicy strawberry so big that after taking a good, big bite off it, you still have at least half left to enjoy. No extra sugar needed, tis sweet enough as is.

Strawberries provided by my uncle at my house warming.

On My Mind

2008-04-15T23:31:00.003+08:00

I've been wanting to blog about several things, but the wind keeps getting knocked out of my sails.

Like for example, I wanted to rant about taking public transport and the pains of waiting endlessly for a bus that doesn't appear on schedule. I also wanted to rant about not being able to afford a car because of rising ERPains, not being able to take taxis at the times you need to most because of the various surcharges with a complexity aimed at matching that of our CPF policies, with the only option of wasting your life away on the buses OR squishing to death on the Best Metro Experience MRT. I was inspired and agitated and totally ready to blast the systems... except that I'm all sapped of energy when I reach home. And when I find the time, I heard from a friend who cheerily told me he's okay except that he nearly went to heaven a few weekends ago ("WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED?! ARE U OK NOW? OMG HOW???" "oh it's an accident... car's totally totaled but I'm fine, thank God :) ") and so I feel bad for even wanting to complain about something as trivial as the inconveniences of taking public transport.

And then I wanted to take photos of my new place, but the lighting's bad for photo-taking when I'm finally home (i.e., when the sky's dark, cos I was wasting my life away on the bus ride home, see...) and in the mornings I'm in too much of a rush. I'm hardly around during the weekends, and the little time I am at home is spent doing house-keeping to appease the Mother.

Also, if you've been reading the blog for any length of time, you'd know I love talking about food. Recently, with the food crisis all over the papers and in the radio, it's just not right to complain about food anymore. I look at every grain of rice I eat with thankfulness that even though my income has shrunk with rising prices, at least I'm not starving to death. At least I can afford food despite the rising prices... I cannot imagine how it must be for those already struggling to make ends meet, thinking about it saddens me. Buffets look positively sinful-and I mean sinful-now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an ascetic, not by a long shot, but in the face of impending starvation for many of the poor people in 3rd world nations, gorging on a buffet line is just so wrong. There shouldn't be such an unequal distribution of food--a surfeit here and a deathly lack there. It's just not right.

With all the bad news abounding, I am grateful for a Hope in my life, an eternal Rock to cling on to--Christ Jesus, my salvation.

Reading

2008-04-11T16:55:00.005+08:00

Here are two posters I've done for a little library project that Intuition initiated at my company. The idea is to decorate the place with posters to encourage reading and since we're all big on cost cutting, why not DIY rather than buy off the shelf?

(And an aside to Sensei who lurks at my blog: please, O great one, won't you critique my work and let me learn from your wise, illustrious ways. Verily, this post is for you.)

Alive and well

2008-04-09T23:38:00.003+08:00

This is inexcusable--i bought me the laptop of my dreams... and then I promptly disappeared from my blog. It's as though I'm not using my mac! Which honestly, I haven't really been maxing... only the usual mindless websurfing and listening to music...

Here is a quick post to show that I AM ALIVE and I've not forgotten my little corner in my www. The move was okay, I'm okay, just that too much time is spent travelling to and fro home and work. Still not used to taking 1 hour to get to work and waking up at 7am every morning. Ugh. I reach home by 830pm usually and get sleepy by 12 midnight, so that doesn't leave much time to blog when you factor in the offline life that I actually have to live.

Here's a little illustration I tried to do for a quote that I like--hey it involves dogs and books, two of my favourite things! how can it be an unlikeable quote! :

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
~ Groucho Marx

That's all for now. Doodles, and we'll catch up over my blog SOON. As soon as I catch up on my sleep firszzzz.....

Simple Pleasures in Life: New Toy =)

2008-03-20T22:15:00.002+08:00

The upside to having a smaller apartment is that there is no space in the living room for a desktop (aka ugly workhorse), so the PC got relegated to my brother's room. As a result, I need to get me a laptop (cos room's smaller now u see). And after some deliberation.. *drumrolls* i got me a macbook!

Okay I'm really new to this whole mac world, so for all the long time mac users reading my blog (all two of you, yes), I need you to educate me to the art of mac. So please, find me on iChat and we'll talk about pretty white aesthetics okie?

*beams!*

Packing Woes

2008-03-17T22:22:00.003+08:00

Mum, dad and I are trying to pack up the odd ends before the movers come at 8am tomorrow morning, and I'm not sure whether to burst from frustration or keel over with laughter.

Me: Daaad, where's the scissors and masking tape you were using just now?
He: *barely looking up from the contraption he's fiddling with* Over there.
Me: Over where?
He: *not looking up, not pointing anywhere, not making any useful gestures nor eye signals* Over there.
Me: WHERE?
He: *looks at me ever so calmly* There lor.

And I have lost a carton of my most cherished clothes. All the dinner dresses, pretty tops, flouncy skirts and favourite t-shirts. Lost. How? Nobody really knows for sure. Probably forgot to take it in the midst of transportation and it's either on its way to the dump with other rubbish or there is a gleeful girl somewhere in the neighbourhood with a treasure trove of clothes. I am most unhappy.

Much Ado About Packing Part Deux

2008-03-16T14:16:00.003+08:00

This is possibly the last post from my East side apartment before The Great Move on Tuesday.

I saw, for the first time, the finished product that is My New House, as previously I was always ~~finding excuses~~ too busy to go see how it was shaping up with the renovation works beforehand. And I must say, it's gorgeous. Clean, contemporary, comfortable. Love it. Now I'm looking forward to staying there, but not so much travelling to and fro it to work.

My current house is... barely liveable. The only empty space in my room is the bed so that I have somewhere to sleep at night. Boxes, plastic bags, clothes, books, more books, and Tupperware (have I belaboured the point that I'm practically living in a Tupperware warehouse enough?) are strewn EVERYWHERE. Dust is everywhere and the vacuum cleaner never worked harder before (every few hours?!).

My contribution to packing today is eating ice-cream *munch munch* cos we're going to defrost the fridge later this evening. No point letting good food go to waste, is there? Oh the sacrifices I make...

In other news, canned salmon is the best way to mutilate the taste of that yummy fish, making it absolutely vile. That was my lunch, and another reason why I had to eat ice-cream after that... to get rid of the taste, you see. Heh heh.

Much Ado About Packing

2008-03-13T09:30:00.004+08:00

1. Clothes
After giving away a whole bundle of clothes that I won't be wearing anymore, I have more than replaced the said bundle with a whole new bunch I bought during a sale. Critical mass of wardrobe = constant. Critical mum = constant, too.

When I packed my clothes into boxes, I filled up 2 cartons and still have enough in my wardrobe to last a fortnight. Even with so many clothes, it is entirely possible for the female to stand in front of her wardrobe every morning and declare "I don't know what to wear!"

2. Kitchen Confidential
My kitchen holds a tonne of dirty little secrets. Such as that packet of forgotten mushroom and preserved vegetables under the overturned wicker basket at the top shelf in the seldom-used cupboard. And that kitchen timer that was never taken out of the packaging (it's probably a collector's item by now. it looks retro enough). And the set of very sharp, very good quality kitchen knives of German make that were bought during a Robinson's sale about 10 years ago. *examines yellowed packaging and price-tag* Not forgetting the secret stash of Tupperware that my mum hid in every nook and cranny in the kitchen.

After digging through all our shelves, I have concluded that we have enough crockery to last my family 2 generations and I'm not exaggerating. We've got steamers, crockpots, pressure cookers, graters, serving sets and even a funky nut-chopping device, all never used. Hardly surprising, given that my family eats out 90% of the time. Which brings me to this question: Why so many?

3. Mysterious Ways
It's so strange that despite giving away a stack of books and CDs, throwing away old notes and scrap paper, packing away 1 big box of books, my bookshelf still looks untouched. *scratches head* Something's not right somewhere. Are my books reproducing when I sleep at night?

5 more days. I have 5 more days left in this place.

Transitions Part Deux

2008-03-11T21:17:00.003+08:00

Sorry I've been a little silent of late. I'm feeling a bit disorientated as I adjust my psyche to finally accept the fact that I am moving (as in, permanently. as in, not a camp) to a brand new old neighbourhood.

Even though I mentioned in a previous post that I'm going through some transitions, things at home have really been at a standstill until about, oh, just last weekend. I was happily going about my activities, ignoring the fact that I have to move away from a home I loved living in for the past 20 years into a smaller place without as much space and privacy. Sure, I talk about moving, I tell people I'm moving, it's just that I'm not so convinced that time would move so quickly that the day when I actually have to pack and move will arrive. And now it's just a week away, making it rather hard to ignore.

I lie on my bed at night, staring at the ceiling and I prop my feet against the wall, a wall that went through phases with me. It used to be covered in a pink and gray wallpaper, which I peeled when I lie awake, bored, as a pre-pubescent and an adolescent. It was then covered in yellow paint during the Asian Financial Crisis because my mum had no work to do and decided to dedicate her energy towards revamping the apartment. So we tore off the cracked and peeling wallpaper and repainted the whole house. Not too long ago, we repainted the entire house again. There wasn't any real good reason for the latest round of painting, it's barely been a year and we will be moving. Sigh.

I had some friends come over last weekend for a farewell gathering of sorts, as my home has been a gathering spot for various church and cell group activities over the years. They left with bundles of clothes and various accessories as my mum and I plied them with our clothes that we won't be bringing over. The next great erm, purge, for lack of a better word, will be our crockery. I have cupboards filled with Tupperware, and since they pretty much last forever, we never really got rid of the old ones to make space for the new. There are tonnes of quality pots and pans that never saw the light of day, and these apparently have survived the move from Malaysia to here.

Besides the spaciousness of the rooms and the memories here, I will miss the convenience of being 15min away from work and church, the various food haunts I enjoy so much, and the process of being utterly spoilt by my dad who will drive me out for breakfast before driving me to work, since it's all so nearby. I will miss the park near my home, where if I wanted to, I could just pop by for a really long jog. What I won't miss so much is... maybe the fact that it takes 1 hour to get to town, as opposed to my new place.

Night view from the living room

Fare thee well, old friend. It's been good while it lasted.

Hi, I'm Quirkie and I'm a Pedant

2008-03-07T12:37:00.007+08:00

Please do not use more than one spacing between your words
when typing out documents.

Please Also Don't Caps Every First Letter Of Every Word In The Sentence.

Please do
Bullet your
Points properly

Please don't use too many fonts on the same page.

These constitute an EYESORE.

Thank you.

Yadaaaa!

2008-03-03T18:58:00.005+08:00

Do you think it's a good idea...

... to go against instructions?
... to print something butt-ugly?
... to be placed in a prominent position?
... for a nong nong time?

No?

Surprise surprise! Well neither do I. But some people just don't get it, do they?

May a thousand bedbugs descend upon your toes as you sleep!!

Totemo oki no bakajin desu ne.

Good deed for the week

2008-02-28T17:05:00.004+08:00

I had 2 movie vouchers that were expiring in February but my busy week ensured that I won't have time to use them before their time was up.

So what did I do?

I passed them on to someone who needed it more than I do.

"Here, take this. Go ask *someone* out for a movie. Don't say I never contribute to your future happiness."

*looks at watch*

I think the pair are on their way to catch a movie sometime soon. Hee.

Simple Pleasures in Life: Reprieve

2008-02-22T18:23:00.004+08:00

My squeeky clean jogging shoes. I um, take good care of them.

It rained at 6.05pm today.

I was deliriously happy (although I really shouldn't admit to being happy, nor should I have skipped around the office as much as I did).

Because I've made an appointment with my colleagues to go de-fatting by jogging. And somehow I woke up with lots of aches around my shoulders and neck, so I really wasn't too keen on getting more aches on the lower half of my body. Now, I have the perfect excuse.

"It's raining!"

*does the lil rain dance*

"Chap Goh Meh"

2008-02-22T00:13:00.008+08:00

21 Feb 2008 the 15th day of Chinese New Year, and at this time of posting, CNY 08 is officially over. Work and life can go on as per normal now.

In keeping with the Chinese tradition, we gathered at my grandmother's place for a veritable feast. Let your eyes feast on the spread; I promise you it tastes better than it looks here:

My grandma is the best cook, ever =) She's also got incredibly green fingers. I had a whale of a time photographing her potted plants. Alas, I don't do her plants justice. View the full photo set here.

Fate

2008-02-13T22:34:00.003+08:00

He was a boyish looking, honest young man with a generous heart and a goofy grin.

She was a pretty girl with a warm smile and a helpful, friendly nature.

He didn't know how to write in Mandarin, and needed to apply for a visa for his mother so that he could bring her for a much needed holiday.

She was Chinese educated, spoke the language fluently and was working as a clerk in the Immigration Office.

He asked her for help, she helped. Their paths crossed but nothing happened and they went on their separate ways. All in a day's work.

She went down to The Capitol Building after work to check out the movie timings. She was supposed to meet a friend to watch the latest block-buster in town, but alas, it was sold out. She called her friend to explain the situation, her friend didn't want to watch any other movie, so it became a non-event. Shrugging it off, she left the ticketing area.

He was in town settling some errands. Afterall, he'd just quit his job in Singapore and was relocating back to Malaysia. He felt like catching a movie, maybe some of his friends will be free. The nearest public phone was... at The Capitol Building. He walked there briskly.

As fate would have it, none of his friends were free. Looks like he'll have to catch the movie alone. Walking to the ticketing area, he saw a familiar face and was greeted with the same friendly smile that made an impression on him earlier that day.

"Would you like to join me for a drink?"
"Ok."

=)

And that was how the Malaysian boy met the Singaporean girl, fell in love, got married within 1 year. 1 year after that, I was born. 3 years after me, my brother was born.

As I grilled my parents about what made them do the whole long-distance relationship thing, here are some soundbytes from them:

"When I first met your dad he looked like a silly boy. *grin* But we talked like long time friends, like we've known each other for a long time. So like that lor."

"Your mum ah... who see also will like one. I was a good boy and wanted to bring my mother for a holiday... I ended up getting a wife. *grin* "

*****
Lesson Du Jour:
Guys, take a risk and ask that sweet girl out for a drink.
Gals, take a risk and accept that date from the honest looking guy. (hmm maybe that's not really risky behaviour afterall ;) )

Happy Valentine's Day =)
*****

In The Still Of The Night

2008-02-13T00:27:00.000+08:00

It was 12 midnight.

*rustle rustle*

What was that sound?

*rustle rustle rustle*

Hmm, it's coming from outside the window, from downstairs.

Curious, my mum went to the window to take a look, and saw 2 middle aged men, 1 middle aged woman and a tree waving in the still of the night. What could possibly be going on?

The answer: Mango Theives.

Modus Operandi: Bring plastic bags, bamboo poles and wear long pants. 1 (the one wearing long pants, so as to prevent tell-tale scratches and insect bites) to climb up the tree and shake it vigorously (hence the rustling), 2 to run around and collect the mangoes strewn all over the place. And note the timing: 12 midnight on a Tuesday, when most folks are presumably fast asleep. These are experienced folks indeed =)

My mum and I stared as they continued robbing the state of the fruits of the land. The lady caught us staring and kept looking at us as she continued her scouting for fallen mangoes, but well, we just continued looking on in amusement and amazement.

I wish they would share the fruits of their labour. I love mangoes.

In My Father's House

2008-02-08T01:42:00.000+08:00

Going back to a sleepy small town that has not changed in the 15years that I've not visited, I came to understand the person who is my father more.

It is the town of Parit, an hour's drive away from Ipoh and 7-9hours drive away from Singapore, depending on whether you have pit stops for meals along the way. In that town, there are no cinemas, shopping malls, internet cafes and supermarkets. The neighbours all know one another, the houses and cars hardly ever change, the next generation grows up and leaves but always comes back to visit and childhood friends meet up there like they've never left.

When I was younger (read: 20years ago. good gosh.), visiting the small town of Parit was an annual affair that I didn't look forward to. It was partly due to the long arduous drive back: 7hours from KL, going by the Old Road. Now, with the North-South Highway, the time is halved and the journey is much smoother. We used to have to replace a tire each time we drive back due to the various brick and bracks on the uneven roads. The place is old and not very entertaining for a child, except for little chicks to terrorize and good food. We used to stay for 2 days, maybe 3, and be pampered and doted upon by the relatives throughout. Of course as a child used to indulgences, I took these for granted and never gave it a second thought.

This year, my dad is free during the CNY period for the first time in donkey years and my family managed to take leave from our various commitments to head down after being absent for an embarrassingly long time. We packed books, mp3 players, a sense of impending boredom and drove 7-9hours there. I didn't know what to expect: will we feel out of place, city folks in a small town? will I be bored out of my mind with no internet? will there be anything to talk about?

After a long, winding drive and several pitstops, we finally pulled up into the dark driveway of a dilapidated house that did not change one bit in all the years we've not visited, and my aunty opened the door and welcomed us like VIPs with an affection and sincerity that made us feel so at home. And it was like that for the rest of the days. My aunties and uncles cooked dishes that they've not cooked for years just so that we can have a taste of it. Cousins we've met at most two or three times in our lives treated us like we're long lost siblings. They brought us all over the area and kept urging us to visit more often. By the end of the trip, my family was sad to leave and it was a tearful and emotional parting at the driveway.

I got reacquainted with the habit of driving at least 1 hour to find good food. The 2nd day we were there, my dad's childhood friend brought us to a seafood joint that was 50km away from where we stayed. 50km! It is like travelling the whole length of Singapore, and that's just one way. It was like that for the rest of the meals we had there: 40min is a short drive, 1hour is standard, 2hours is slightly long.

I began to realise that our royal treatment wasn't so much due to the fact that they hardly see us nor because I am so incredibly lovable (which I am, honest. at times. I hope.), but because my dad is incredibly loved in his home, and they love us so much because of him. Kind of reminds me of how God accepts us thoroughly because of Jesus =)

Going back to my dad's hometown and family, I began to understand how he is the person he is--a simple man with simple, solid values of filial piety and being kind and giving to others, because his brothers and sister-in-laws are as such. I understood better why he doesn't enjoy Singapore's landscape when his childhood was spent in a town with a river running by his backdoor and mountain ranges surrounding it for miles on end. I also began to see why he sometimes find the Singaporean society abrasive for his sensitive nature: small town folks are a close knitted community and are incredibly hospitable. Relationships are held in extremely high regards and people appraoch one another without hidden agendas.

In my father's house, the furniture did not change in decades and the toilet apparently is the same since his childhood, making it at least half a century old. The people in there have gone through phases in life, some heart-wrenching, some quietly joyful. The abundant love there reserved always for my father makes it his home no matter his age and his whereabouts.

(Photos of my Ipoh trip are uploaded into my flickr account. Feel free to browse.)

Updates and Snippets

2008-02-03T02:27:00.001+08:00

1. Switchfoot Concert
I love 'em, love 'em, love 'em! Even though I felt like an aunty in the moshpit with the bulk of the concert goers being 10years younger than me (school bags on the floor... students in school uniform.. what gives?!), I had no regrets going for this concert =) Their stage presence is fantastic and they sound better LIVE than in the CD. Love the way they transit between the songs, love their pauses and perfectly synchronised timings, love everything about them. ~~I want to marry the lead singer's brother.~~

Intuition didn't enjoy the concert as much as I did though :P wonder why... :P haha.. okay I'd better not push my luck here ; )

2. Eating in Ipoh
My family will be driving up to Ipoh this CNY to spend time with my dad's side of the family. 8-9hour car rides ain't no fun. Am currently frantically updating my mp3 player's playlist. 1000songs and counting. I do wonder how I'm going to manage for 5 whole days without internet access at my beck and call, so I'm bringing some books and a nice notebook to entertain myself. Am also looking forward to some quiet and slow living, as well as a tonne of good food. Ipoh is food paradise. Some things on my eat-list: Ipoh coffee (duh!), Ipoh horfun, Ipoh fried noodles, paos, dimsum, seafood etc.

Hope to get some good pictures too, with my lil powershot =) Will be back on Thursday, so hopefully I'll get some time to post something about my visit back there =)

3. Movies
27 Dresses: Great chick flick =) Some found it rather slow but I really enjoyed it! The hunk is totally delicious and droolworthy, but that's quite besides the point.

Sweeney Todd: Gore, blood, gore, blood, gore. Spent half the time covering my eyes and then peeping at the cinema screen then closing my eyes, especially when the shiny, glinting, smooth razor blade hovers over pale, soft, vulnerable necks. I hate the sight of gushing / spurting / squirting blood. Completely dark and fantastic art direction, as always, Mr Tim Burton. I love your works, but this is a bit hard for me to stomach. Especially the meat pies. Ugh.

Ah Long Pte Ltd: I WANNA WATCH! MUST WATCH! Love Mark Lee's Malaysian accent =)

4. Food
Found a fantastic place to eat great Korean food at fairly reasonable prices near Tanjong Pagar. I had the best bi bim bab I've had in Singapore *smacks lips* and really authentic Korean ginseng chicken. Must go back and take some pictures as well as post the address. Rabbitsense, if you're reading this, it's worth going down to during lunch =) Pretty generous portions too.

Found a disgusting place to NOT eat at. The cafe should do us all a favour and not serve food... please stick with the too-sweet-drinks and dry-cardboard desserts. Your food should not be even called food. Soggy microwaved fries that tastes of stale oil and cold, overcooked pasta are the stuff of my nightmare. Galilee Cafe at Bedok Library, I'm looking at you.

Have a great Chinese New Year and eat some pineapple tarts on my behalf! If there are any golfball pineapple tarts available, save some for me =) Gracias!

Hiding Place

2008-01-28T16:26:00.000+08:00

Bugs and I don't get along. I mean, I hate them with a vengeance. It might be in the genes. My mum freaks whenever she sees a worm anywhere and she won't go near the sink if a lil squiggly worm falls out from amongst the throngs of veg that she buys home. My brother and I take sadistic pleasure in pouring hot water over ants to kill (KILL! KILLLLL!!!) them all. Ecological and efficient--yay me. Another ~~sadistic~~ simple pleasure in life during the lantern festival is to drip hot wax on big red ants, thereby encasing them in a wax tomb. Muahahaha.

A particularly memorable incident with bugs has to do with my brother. There was once he aired his brown pseudo-leather shoes in the balcony for months on end and didn't bother to bring it in. One fine day, as my mum was going about her chores in the kitchen, she saw a wasp hovering around my brother's shoes, so she shooed it away and didn't think too much about it. Until she saw the wasp revisit the shoe... this time with a load. Upon closer inspection, the load... was... a... WORM. *SCREAMS!* Of course she wasn't going to do anything to the shoe since there may be a worm involved, so she conveniently waited til dinner time before she announced the little piece of news to my brother. How appetizing.

Because he likes that pair of shoes, he needs to redeem it somehow from the wasp who have taken over ownership of that shoe, having made it into its place of residence. I volunteered to be his lil assistant because it was morbidly fascinating. First there was the inspection: yup, our worst fears are confirmed. The wasp built a tidy little mud nest in his shoe, about the size of a small coaster. We will have to scrape it out somehow. After some discussion, we split the job as such: he holds the shoe above the toilet bowl, I scrape out the contents.

He: Okay I'm holding it firmly in place.
Me: Okay I'll start scraping. It's very hard, so hold it tightly ah.
He: Okay sure.
Me: *scraaaape scraaaaape*

*a slight dent in the nest*

Me: Eh it's super hard lah.
He: Try again.
Me: *scraaaape*
He: *bangs shoe against side of toilet bowl*

Shoe: *a mini avalanche of dirt and... several gray fat ugly worms*
He: OH *BEEEPBEEPBEEEP*
Me: ARRGHHHHHH!!! OH YUCK YUCK YUCK! OH *BEEEEEEP*
He: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR MAN! FLUSH THE TOILET! *FLUSH!*
We: *ran out of toilet screaming with shoe in hand*
We: *nauseated*
Me: Shucks that was just a small section of the nest!! GOT MORE INSIDE!
He: I think I will throw this pair of shoes away.

And that was how a pair of shoes fell prey to a wasp. Wasp lesson of the day: Did you know that the *gag* worms were kinda still alive but paralyzed? There were loads of wasp eggs in the... avalanche of dirt. When these eggs hatch into *gag* worms, they will.. eat the paralyzed ones. *GAG*

Speaking of hiding places, who knew that they could hide so well. A must read for all IT folks out there, courtesy of Mr Bing.

Simple Pleasures in Life: Routines

2008-01-24T13:18:00.000+08:00

"Quirkie, wake up or you're going to be late for work! I'm going to leave the house in 1 minute, so you have exactly 1 minute to get ready to go for work! Otherwise I'll go off without you!"
*10 minutes later*
"Quirkie what are you doing? 1 minute is up! I'm going out of the house now har! NOW HAR! See you downstairs."

*in the car*

"Where would you like to go for breakfast? I don't feel like eating anything lah. Ever since I came back, I've been getting fat. You eat lah, I won't eat anything. *fiddles with radio* Don't listen to that brainless stuff *tunes away from whatever local morning show was on* Listen to BBC. The British speaks very good English. Their pronounciation is very good. Ok ok don't talk to me, I want to listen to what's on radio."

*in the coffee shop*

"Eh I ordered fishball noodles. You help me eat some hor?"

*somehow, sometime during the morning*

"When will you buy me a bungalow? I will think that you have made it in life if you can buy me a bungalow."
Har? Property in Singapore very expensive leh. I buy you a bungalow in China can or not?
"No I want a bungalow. Your mum needs a bungalow for her to keep her pets in the garden! Nothing less than a bungalow. Otherwise you are a useless daughter!" *big wide toothy grin*
Dad, cannot lah, I cannot afford a bungalow in Singapore. Mansion in heaven, you want? Jesus offers us a mansion in Heaven =) Very BIG one! Got a lot of rooms =)
"Dowan. My daughter help me get brownie points with God can already right?"
No dad, cannot lah, this kind of thing cannot do for other people one. Must be your ownself want one.
"Hrmph."

Conversations that I've had with my dad that are almost routine by now. Just press play and repeat =)

A Public Fantasy

2008-01-22T01:09:00.000+08:00

One of my fondest fantasies of late is one that cannot be spoken out too loudly in public, for you never know who is listening. However, as each month pass me by, the small fantasy grows bigger and bigger, until at times, the weight of it upon my heart makes me listless and dissatisfied until something is done about it.

Yet I know, my fantasy shall remain precisely that--a fantasy, a dream that will not become reality, and that knowledge wipes the smile off my face and takes the spring out of my step.

*Deep breath*

It is my deep desire to go out in the middle of the night, like a caped crusader, hacking down the towering behemoths of Evil and Stupidity--the ERP Gantries that are erected to redirect traffic flow but instead, redirects our cashflow. Gantries that are obviously futile in easing the traffic problems in this petite island nation, and yet are touted as The Only Way of solving the jam.

What happens when these Gatekeepers don't work? Why, if they don't work, it must be because there isn't enough of them! That's why we need NEW ones at Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Kallang and Bendemeer! Heavens forbid that people go into town via alternate routes! Gahmen forbids that people travel NEAR town without paying anything! If we must erect more Gantries, extend their operational time, increase the fares, then by george, we shall! Pockets of the commuters be damned! Their cashcards are our new cashcows!

It is as though the Minister of Transport's job is to make transport as painful as possible, for a reason that completely eludes my comprehension--I must be not cleber enough to understand. These ERP Gantries create more problems than they solve. Like a massive jam along CTE that goes on past 10pm on weekday nights. Or that people end up paying ~$6 when they go through a few Gantries within a short distance because that's the route they have to take. That's just too bad, isn't it?

Another problem the ERP contributed to is the cab shortage in town. Taxi drivers are reluctant to enter town during ERP operational hours because it's a cost to be borne, and who knows if there is anyone flagging a cab down in town. Might as well coast around until someone calls, therefore justifying the $0.50 / $1.00 / etc it costs to drive in.

So we have a cab shortage in town during peak hours. HMMM, how should we solve this problem? Why, by increasing the cost of taking taxi, of course! A simple matter of demand and supply, Economics 101--simply increase the price andddd... whaddya know, you get an overwhelming increase in supply!! Tadaaa, old problem solved.

What? New problem created--too many taxis, no customers now? No lah, after a while, they will get used to it one, just wait and see. Never mind that cab fare increased by almost 50% suddenly and all the statistics reported in the Straits Times sound much rosier than real life. Never mind that the taxi drivers also need to make a living and that by increasing the cab fare so drastically, their income drops drastically because now no one wants to take taxi! That can't possibly be the case--Singaporeans are getting big bonuses, just look at how they did their Christmas shopping. Right? Right!

In my little world, public transport is an unavoidable aspect of my life. It's an area that is getting more and more frustrating to face, for thinking too much about it will simply get you heated up with nowhere to turn to, except for a little page on the WWW. Can you stop the ERP Gantries from being erected? No, but you can fantasize about zapping them to death. Will the taxi fares go down? For the sake of the drivers as well as the commuters, I certainly hope so, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it to happen.

A set of superpowers that must be really useful to have when going about the daily transportation grind will be these:
- ERP Stunner / Zapper
Stuns the ERP Gantry into silence, therefore allowing your vehicle to drive by FOC.
- The Pusher-Backer-Forcefield
When activated, causes all those standing along the aisle of a crowded bus, ignoring the squashed commuters trying to board the bus while gawking at TV Mobile to be pushed to the back by an invisible force.
- The Discount-Giver-Taxi-Driver 6th Sense
Can sense which taxi driver hates the price hike as much as you and is willing to drive without the surcharge (cos they actually do make more that way, with the increased demand.)

The (Beautiful) Letdown

2008-01-18T17:05:00.000+08:00

I was so anticipating the Switchfoot concert, although at $80, it's quite painful on the wallet. Still, why not, I thought, once in a while mah.

Until I had this conversation...
*****
F: I still want to keel my friend.
Me: why?
F: the one who could've gotten me $55 tixx
Me: !!! !! !! !!! !!!!!

Me: HOW COME U NVR GET UR FREN TO BUY?????
F: BECAUSE HE ONLY JUST TOLD ME! An innocent message he sent on Monday.
"Eh F, want to watch Switchfoot? I can get discount."
WAH LAU EH
F: BEE BEE BAH BOO BEEP
Me: ARGH ARGH ARGHHHH!

F: Apparently it's some discount TJC was giving.
Me: *HEART PAIN!*
F: ... at least you bought the $80 tixx.
F: I bought $90. and it's the $90 that's going for $55
Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Me: *bangs wall*
Me: *bangs keyboard*
F: *bangs keyboard against wall*
Me: *bangs wall against keyboard*
F: a feat only your brother can achieve I think *grin*
*****

So. Am grouchy now. Do not cross my path or I will bite. With relish.

Love is...

2008-01-17T15:54:00.001+08:00

... not strangling the pet that:

- chewed through your PC power cable
- chewed through your standing lamp power cable
- wakes you up every morning the minute the alarm clock strikes (thereby depriving you of snoozing)
- claims your cozy chair as his own
- saw you put on your mouth guard every night, and one day decided that it must be yummy food, therefore chewed it up while you're at work...

... and then you pay $350 to replace said mouth guard.

That is how I know my cousin loves the Special Needs Dog, Junior.

But when it looks at you like that, it's hard not to melt and give it a great big hug, yes?

Transitions...

2008-01-08T09:53:00.000+08:00

... are by necessity,

MESSY.

There is first the getting rid of the old to make space for the new. When you are actually IN the old state or IN the new state, things have settled, the dust have cleared and you kind of know your way around it. It's the in-between that is problematic. You have parts of the old, parts of the new, misplaced parts and parts that you have no idea what it's for and how on earth did it end up here. Then there's the issue of dust and finding space for yourself to function, besides all the stuff.

I am in the midst of transiting from one office to another (and then back to the old one again), and will also be moving house from one end of Singapore to somewhere in the middle in the space of 1.5months. Somehow, these things have a way of finding a common time in my calendar and colliding, to great effect.

Now, every Saturday morning, I wake up and the first thought that hits my mind (after "what's for breakfast?") is "what can I throw today?" even if it's one book, a scrap of paper or a blouse that I no longer wear. Small victories in the battle against The Clutter. The Battle of The Bulge is the other war that I'm fighting right now, but enough of that for now--it's too depressing to blog about.

The Home Front is still manageable. Decluttering haven't started in earnest as my parents are still busy with the renovations of our new, smaller home, a 4-room flat that is so far removed from the neighbourhood my brother and I are so used to that we fully expect to have culture shock when we move there. Still, my mum have been telling me whenever she gets a chance to "start throwing your things away! Your new room is smaller and won't have space for all your junk!"

The trouble with having a penchant for drawing, reading and writing is that your shelves get filled with notebooks and scraps of yellowing paper with a particular drawing / writing that you did in a time of angst / frivolity / anger / happiness. When I pull out these to sort through, I get sucked into a time warp and will reminisce about that moment. Not productive, to say the least. The other trouble is of course, dust and more clutter.

Now my brother, on the other hand, have no such problems. He throws things away with a mechanical efficiency. I will always remember the last time we had a spring-cleaning at home--he cleared his room within half a day, while after a full day, I was standing in the middle of my room, surrounded by piles of books, soft toys and stationary, looking totally helpless as "all these things I dowan to throw!" and my mum and brother just burst out laughing at me. Touche.

My office space is just as bad. As I type this post, my desk cannot be seen and it looks like someone just ransacked through my little cubicle--overturned document holders, document spillage from the document holder surrounded by dusty stacks of CDs and folders. It didn't always look like that. The Karang Guni man is coming this morning and because we are all so busy doing actual work, I only had time to get out the things that needs to be thrown away. Of course, rather than typing this post, I could actually be tidying things up, but when inspiration strikes, you just go with the flow, ya dig?

The good thing is that in the office, I am surrounded by like-minded hoarders and packrats, so the mess is rather universal. It doesn't help that the renovations are happening right by our side as we try to function normally, but it's getting hard to ignore the pounding that is right beside us and the incessant drilling noise.

Okay, gotta go tidy up now. Blog to you again, when I find my way through the clutter to my computer.

Humiliation Part Deux

2008-01-03T00:36:00.001+08:00

So after my ego crashed and burned at The Hair Salon last weekend, I went home and tried on a new pair of pants that I bought just before the festive feasting. And lo, it was too tight. My festive feasting have turned into festive flabs. O woe is me.

Today, the first day of work after a festive break (side note: am I the only one who felt that today feels like a Monday? It sucks to have to go back to work immediately after a public holiday), I decided to not wear jeans for a change, seeing how I've been wearing jeans to work throughout November and December. After some deliberation, I settled on my gray pants that is usually quite loose. But now it's fitting!! There is BELLY SPILLAGE when I sit down! *screams in horror and terror!*

The good thing about having a fitness freak for a brother is that he's an in-house trainer. I whined to him "I need to exercise. You got anything to teach me?" and he rattled off a few in-house stuff I could do without going out and flashing my thunder thighs to society at large.

One was called the "plank" or "bridge", something like a push-up, except that you balance on your elbows and toes for one full minute. There is the sadistic variation called the "side plank", which is the same thing just on one side. I did the plank in his room while he nonchalently flipped the pages of the book he's reading and timed me while peppering the session with insults.
Me: *wobbling on my side, trying to do the side plank*
Me: Oh shucks this feels crappy!
He: *barely glancing up from his book* well it's really good for getting rid of love-handles, if you're interested to know. *flips a page*
Me: @#$@%

Me: *turns to the other side to do side plank*
Me: *tries even harder to balance* ARGH! I can't balance! Can I not do this?!
He: Later you one side big, one side small then you know.
Me: Dammit. *Wobbles harder trying to balance*

And so I usher in the new year with 2 blog posts on my humiliating experiences with hair and flab. Truth to tell, my new year started out pleasantly enough and I've got other things to share, but let me get this off my chest first before I start on the other posts. Have a blessed new year filled with God's goodness, yeah? =)

Humiliation

2008-01-02T23:55:00.000+08:00

It started normally enough. Hair was getting messier than usual, which meant that it's time to get a haircut. I went to the same place where I got my punky red hair, as they give rather good haircuts (but rather dubious hair colour) and also because I am thick-headed and take multiple times to learn a rather simple lesson.

There are 4 hairstylists--A, B, C and D. The first time I went there to just get a hair-cut, A cut my hair and upon discovering who my brother is (my brother goes there regularly), he started smiling and grinning and telling me how "your brother has a great figure! your brother is sooo driven and motivated! your brother is sooo *gush gush gush*..." O_o *awkward silence on my part*

B was fine, just that he chose a hair colour for me that was exactly the shade that I wanted to avoid, therefore letting history repeat itself.

Now hairstylist C is new. I've not met him before and he came to me, asking...
C: What hairstyle you want?
Me: Do you have any suggestions?
C: Hmmmm... *examines my hair, runs fingers through the ~~hay~~ hair and analyses my face.*
C: I suggest that you get a trim, and try something new, like keep your fringe long on this side, where your parting is. *gestures to the right side of my face*
Me: Okay, sounds good.
C: Do you know why I suggested you keeping your fringe so long?
Me: Um, no. Why?
C: It is so that you can... cover... *gesticulates vaguely at the right side of my face*
Me: *speechless*
Me: ... um, my mole? Oh, I'm actually quite fine with it.
Me: *?!?!?!*

Yeah, I have a ~~facial defect~~ ~~physical deformity~~ beauty mark high up on my right cheek, a rather striking dot on my fair, flawless skin. I've never given a second thought to it, but he wanted to cover it?! What the ...?!

But because I have such high tolerance for awkward comments, I decided to let it pass and immersed myself in my Christmas present, American Gods, while he snipped away. Then while rinsing my hair, the hairstylist went on to say...
C: Now your hair is rather short, but in 1 months time, when you come back for a trim, it will be just nice. Your current hairstyle will suit someone SLIMMER, but for you, it will be better to keep it longer.
Me: *awkward silence*

I should really boycott that salon, I really should. Except that they are just below my flat, charge reasonable rates and deliver fairly decent hairstlyes (by my standards). Curses.

A True Story: E is for...

2007-12-29T14:28:00.001+08:00

Once upon a time, there was a 21 year old guy who had everything going for him. He passed his driving test at the first attempt, and a snazzy photo for his driving license. Within a month of his getting his license, a relative was going out of town for a week and asked him if "would you mind terribly taking care of my car for me while I'm away?"

Of course, he said it's no trouble and happily kept vigil over the cute yellow Hyundai by ~~driving~~ bringing it wherever he went.

All was fine and well until one night, he ventured up the highway with his happy family in tow when suddenly, the car coughed and sputtered and stalled while still on the highway exit.

"Oh no!" he cried. "What am I to do now? There is no one else in the car who can help me!" Suddenly, he had a brain wave. "I know! I'll call my friend and ask him for help!" And so he did.

"Dear friend! I need your counsel, I need your help! My car died suddenly while going up the highway and I don't know what to do!"

"Eh dun panic dun panic. What happened? Any lights blinking?"

"I don't know what to do! The car just coughed and sputtered and stalled! All the lights on the dashboard are blinking and I have no idea why!"

"Eh... so everything was okay until you got up the highway ah? Your fuel tank okay or not?"

"Yes it's fine! The fuel tank is fine!"

"What does the metre say?"

"The needle is at 'E'! 'E' is for 'Enough', 'F' is for 'Finish', right?"

~The end~

Yes it's a true story. I really didn't make it up. This really happened to my friend this month, I kid you not. Somehow, I have the quirkiest collection of quirkie friends, eva.

Anticipation!

2007-12-27T18:01:00.000+08:00

Switchfoot is coming to town!!

SWITCHFOOT! They of "The Beautiful Letdown" fame!

I'm SO going to go for their concert.

*barely suppressed grin and excited little squeal*

A Fab Birthday Present

2007-12-26T01:27:00.000+08:00

I was spending a quiet Christmas afternoon unwrapping my presents when my brother and his motley crew of friends came home to spend the day cooking and playing computer games. Among them was F, the Geek Shifu whom the gals in his church would date. Before F came in, he said to my bro...

(At the door)
F: Is your sister in?
Bro: Yup.
F: Oh no. QUIRKIE! Before I come in, I need you to promise me something!
Me: No I won't! What is it?
F: I need you to promise me that you won't laugh! See, the thing is, my hair colour is... different.
Me: Come in! Come in! I wanna see! And I won't promise you that I won't laugh!
F: Argh! No! Argh! Okay fine whatever.

(Walks in, with a blue halo around his head.)
Me: HAHAHAHAHHAHA! OH GOSH! YOUR HAIR! IT'S BLUE!
F: Yes it is.
Me: Hahahahaha!
F: Don't you want to know why it's blue?
Me: No I don't! It's just you!
F: No it's not it's... Look, if it's green, you can say it's me. But! it's! BLUE! Don't you want to know why?? Ask me why.
Me: No I won't.
F: Ok fine anyways, I'm gonna wash it off now.
Me: No you can't! It's my birthday wish that you keep the hair colour on for the whole day!
F: WHAT?! That's your BIRTHDAY wish?! Ok ok fine. *exasperated look*
Me: I need a picture of this.
F: NO!

And that was the quirkie birthday present from my brother's quirky cool geek friend =) Apparently, having your birthday on Christmas allows you to get away with pretty cool stuff ; ) me likes.

My Blessed Christmas

2007-12-25T22:30:00.000+08:00

I am so blessed this Christmas =)

I managed to spend time with people who mattered to me, and that was really precious.

I managed to catch a nap this afternoon, which refreshed me physically.

I ate the stuff I wanted to eat =) Yumz. Am happy.

I got lots of birthday wishes from friends, even an overseas call from Gara in NZ =)

I've got some new books to read and admire.

And a new set of batteries to use, yes.

A tonne of chocolates to fatten myself on, and a monster of a birthday chocolate cake from my favourite baker: My Aunt =)

And I sang the one Christmas carol that really hit the spot in my heart: O Holy Night.

O Holy Night

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend!

He knows our need, To our weaknesses is no stranger.
Behold your King, before him lowly bend!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

And that made my Christmas, Christmas.

Where is Christmas?

2007-12-22T14:13:00.000+08:00

The past two months have been a crazy period for me, at work and emotionally. Am drained.

Time is zipping by too fast, such that everything was a blur right up to 17 Dec 2007. And then suddenly, Christmas is around the corner and I haven't done any shopping nor gotten any Christmas cards. So off I go triapsing around town to get some shopping done, except that the whole of Singapore had the same idea as me and I end up trying to avoid crowds (I'm allergic to crowds; I break out in extreme irritation) by hiding out in cafes, nursing a cup of coffee and some donuts while trying to eke out time to practice my rusty sketching. Plus it's been too long since I last walked around so much; my heels are killing my feet, slowly and painfully.

Church has been a whirlwind of activities: Anniversaries, Carnivals, Dramas, all in the space of 2 months. Some of us haven't managed to catch a breath since early Nov. Gosh I need a break.

In the midst of all the activities and busyness,

I kinda miss The Reason behind the season.

*wistful sigh*

Presents and activities and the presence of many people cannot, should not, will not replace the One thing we all need,

the only thing that satisfies the deep longing in our souls:

The Child born 2000 years ago on Christmas day.

Blessed Christmas.

Back to the ol' drawing board

2007-12-18T10:49:00.000+08:00

Last month, I was ~~hounded~~ asked to teach the young 'uns in the student care centre to do some sketching, mainly to "fill up some time slots to get them off our hands", said J, so I hemmed and hawed and finally agreed.

I don't know why I agreed to do something I've never had any experience in; maybe it's a form of payback for the poor art-teacher who faced a dwindling class of uninterested students when I was understudying The Great Seb.

So come this morning, I was going to the classroom with two volunteers (D and E) who were helping me bring in a white-board. D is a mild-mannered, soft-spoken guy, while E is... just an Es. :P

D: Have you done this before?
Me: No, I have zero experience. *nervous grin*
D: Ok. *smirk* Are you prepared to shout?
Me: Err...
Me: They are pri 3 right? How much can they understand har? I hope they'll be able to understand what I'm saying.
D: They understand Fear.
Me: You're not helping.

And then J came into the room to help me get settled in and asked me...
J: Do you need tables? Maybe it will be good hor?
Me: Yah I think so. Do they usually draw on the floor?
J: Hmmm... maybe we'll set up the tables and chairs lah. So that they won't roll around and run around...
Me: O_O

Before long, I heard the noisy footsteps and shouts and clatter of the little uns and they filed into the class. I did what I could, I taught what The Great Seb attempted to teach me: Basic Shapes, Using Basic Shapes, Seing Basic Shapes In The World We Live In. I ATTEMPTED to teach as much as I can. The keyword is ATTEMPTED.

At that young age, you can already tell who are the precise ones (use rulers, will erase, use ruler, draw again, repeat) and the not-so-precise ones (a scrawl that passes for a circle, a scrawl that passes for a face).

I drew a basic structure of a human body on the whiteboard made up of circles and squares, and one boy copied the structure, then proceeded to fill in the finer details, sans clothes. How that brought back memories of being in co-ed pri and sec schools.

Anyway, as a reward for my hard work this morning, I have a piece of fan-art, thanks to the ~~instigation~~ suggestion of Es, who asked a boy "Hey draw the teacher lah. See her specs? Earrings? The Hair? what color, what parting?" Apparently, Shortstop taught him well.

If there is any iota of truth in this picture, I have a few lessons from it:
1. Look in the mirror before I step out of the house.
2. Go easy on the blusher.
3. Grow more hair on the other side of my head.
4. I have funky specs. Which, actually, I do.

My very first portrait. *sighs*

Christmas Wishlist Part Deux

2007-12-12T23:47:00.000+08:00

Dear "Friends" Who Read My Blog,

1. Battery: An Object Or An Objectional Behaviour?
Yes yes, you do indeed pay close attention to what I say and what I don't say. I should be so flattered! Offers of buying me ONE battery and dinner treats at coffee shops have been coming in fast and furious from The Select Group and my, don't I just feeeeeeel the luuuurve! Just be careful that I don't forget myself in my overwhelming um, joy, and take the word "battery" to be an action point.

2. Conversation with Intuition:
*****
He: Eh I think you should take down your blog post on the wishlist.
Me: Why?
He: What if you get multiple copies of the same gift?
Me: No lah, unlikely.
He: Really leh. You should take it down. What if you get a few repeats?
Me: Why are you so concerned? Have you bought me anything from the list?
He: No, I'm just saying. Maybe it's a bad idea, like maybe you'll get a few copies of Niel Gaimond's books.
Me: Then I give you one of them lor?
He: That's not the point. Anyway, why you post up that list?
Me: So that my friends will know what to get me this time and not end up buying funny gifts for me.
He: Sigh. *looks a little uncomfortable* I don't like your list leh.
Me: *surprised!* But why?!
He: I already thought of what I want to get you for Christmas to show that "See!! I've been paying attention to what you like / need / want!" and now you show the list to everyone. Takes the surprise out of the gifts.
Me: Oh! So you bought something from the list oredi? What is it? "Stardust"?
He: ...
Me: You bought me Stardust already?
He: YES. I hope you get many copies of Stardust.
*****
So please don't buy me Stardust ^_^ Thank you!

Christmas Wishlist :D

2007-12-08T23:32:00.000+08:00

Dear Friends Who Read My Blog,

Thank you for being interested in what I want for my birthday and Christmas. Thank you also for being interested in making the distinction, that I get a birthday gift AND a christmas gift. You are truly the best.

Before I launch into a greed-fest of what I want, let me begin by telling you what I don't want. This is important because I am The Queen of Clutter, and I'm in the midst of de-cluttering my personal labyrinth, as I'll be moving soon.

Please don't buy me these, because I have enough to last me two life-times:
- Bags
- Make-up
- Perfume
- Books
- Earrings
- Wallets
- Coloured pens & notebooks (I like these, but having received loads of these the past 2 years means that I've still got a few to go through =)
- Figurines, photoframes, soft toys.

I ~~lust after~~ would really like a macbook and a Canon EOS 400D, but it's highly unlikely that these will appear under my christmas tree anytime soon. *wistful sigh*

iWant:
- Intuos 3 ^^
- Inner-earphones
- Rechargeable AA batteries, as I've lost all of mine =( Please don't get Sanyo, those don't last. GP is fine, and at least 2300mh. :P
- U2 album: All That You Can't Leave Behind
- Scrabble set
- "Stardust" or "American Gods", by Neil Gaimond
- Sunglasses
- 2GB thumbdrive (mine died)
- Casio digital alarm clock
- those colourful t-shirts / tank-tops at Dorothy Perkins. Size 8, please =) No black though, that's just not my colour. Bright colours are fine ^^
- Shoes :D Bring me shopping for shoes! There is no such thing as too many shoes!
- Vouchers (Isetan, Robinsons, NTUC are all favourably looked upon.)

When in doubt, give me the gift of your time and good food =) Bring me out for a nice meal, and I'll be a happy girl =) Please do not bring me to the following Overpriced Yuckyfood Establishments otherwise it will severely test our friendship:
- Cafe Cartel. I won't even speak to you.
- Pasta Mania. Pure ebil.
- KFC / MacDonald's / Burger King / Pizza Hut.

And here is the list of QuirkieKai Approved Eating Places For Her Birthday Treat. If you dunno these places, nevermind, just choose one and I'll bring you :D
- Pregos
- The French Stall along Serangoon Road
- The Tuckshop
- Kuishin Bo
- Olive Tree
- Carl's Junior
- Werner's Oven
- Waraku
- Tomton
- Victor's Kitchen (cheap and good!)

Note: I realise that my wish-list is rather geeky! I is Geeky Gal 8)

Just Shoot me.

2007-12-05T11:58:00.000+08:00

The last thing you'd ever want to see

during your peak period,

rushing artwork after artwork,

staying back late day after day,

is a

&#@$*%#

typographical error

on 9000 flyers.

Ten Kliks Part Deux

2007-12-03T10:12:00.000+08:00

The morning started at an unholy hour of 4:50am. I slept at 11pm the night before, with vague anxieties like "Will I run halfway and need to use the toilet??" haunting my mind before blessed sleep took over. My brother left a bit of a sweet potato in the fridge for my high-energy slow-release (something lidat) breakfast and I had a mug of glucose water to perk me up. My veteran runner friends told me that coffee is a Bad Idea as that will dehydrate me further, hence the glucose.

In the car, my colleague and I were lamenting...
Me: Why are we doing this?
She: I don't know! Why are we paying $40 to torture ourselves?
Me: I don't know! I just know I want to sleep!
She: Yah me too!
We: *Wail!*

When we reached there, however, we were singing a different tune. The atmosphere was charged with energy as the DJ blasted fast songs into the air and thousands of people stretched and did their warming up. All sorts of people were there: the old and saggy, the young and lithe, the pale and pasty, the tanned and toned. The sky was a clear blue and the cool breeze invigorated our senses as we stretched every discernible muscle group. Believe it or not, we were SO PUMPED to start running.

As we waited in the holding pen for our run to start, the DJ and the camera man flirted with the thousands of ladies, getting us to smile and wave for the camera or to do the "YMCA". At one point, the DJ dedicated this song "to all you sexy ladies out there!" and blasted my perennial favourite: "I Got It From My Mama" *rolls eyes while brain cells commit kamikaze*

Finally, the run begins! I started with a slow jog since I didn't want to tire myself out too early. The side of my stomach started to cramp up and I was like, Darn it! Am I gonna walk all 10km?? but I soldiered on and thankfully, the pain subsided before long. As I maintained my comfortably slow pace, I can't help but notice (and be a tad demoralised) that a lot of people who... who look decidedly less fit than me are over-taking me. With ease. My ego took a bruising, but I decided that I will not be foolhardy for once and just keep at my pace.

The route was a pleasant one, going from the Esplanade to Marina South before doing a U-turn back into Shenton way and finishing at the Padang. As I approached the half-way mark at Marina South, I kept thinking to myself: Hit the 5km mark before walking! 5KM MARK! DO NOT STOP! and when I got there, I realised I could still go on for a bit, so I did some self-pep-talking. "Hit the next lamp-post. Hit the next bush. The next water-station. Go on, go on, go on."

Beyond the 6km point, I started to walk and realised that once you start walking, it's so hard to get back into the jogging mode. I just walked, then jogged for about 50m, then walked, and this continued until I reached the 9km mark. When you feel like walking, only a few things can keep you jogging. One was whenever the route was on a down-slope. Jogging then becomes a breeze. Another was whenever you spy a camera pointed in your direction. The thought of a picture of me WALKING being taken spurs me on like nothing else can. *Jog, pant, jog, look cool for the camera, pant pant*

At the last 500m of the run, you can hear the loud music and the cheering (jeering?) in the distance. The leaden legs pick themselves up reluctantly and start to jog again. When you reach the Padang, hear the crowd cheering, the music blasting and see a big sign "FINISH", the adrenaline starts to pump and you jog ("don't walk, don't walk. go on."). 200m. 150m. 100m. 12 seconds before the next minute. My vision tunneled and all I saw was the ticking seconds and I sprinted to the finishing line, just as the timing registered "1:15:00".

Ten kliks

2007-12-01T10:34:00.000+08:00

UPDATE: I DEEED EEET! My timing is a respectable 1hr 15min *beams* RAWR!

Yup.

I've not done anything more than 5km so far, and tomorrow, I'll be stretching my muscles and my limits to 10km.

My preparation thus far:
- Buy shoes. (check)
- Buy jogging shorts. (check)
- Get the goodie bag. (check)
- Try on the t-shirt to see if it fits**. (check)
- Carbo-loading. (oooh yeah, check ^^)
- Training. (umm... hmmm...*rubs neck*)

Still, it's something I've been wanting to do since last year. It got written down in last year's list of "Things To Do This Year" but it didn't happen, so this year I try to make it happen so that I can feel better about myself =D So come this time tomorrow, I, QuirkieKai, can say I've experienced going through 10km! Even if I walk to some extent!

** : YES I'm doing this so that I can get the cool t-shirt can?? So that next time when I go jog my measly 2.4km rounds, I can wear that and everyone will look at me with respect, CAN?? Happy? There, I've said it.