At my mother's insistence, here is an update on what has happened to me so far in China. For someone who did not bring a camera, I took a lot of pictures, mainly by shamelessly placing myself in front of the lens. So much has happened; I can't believe it has only been one week.
Day one:
We arrived in Beijing at around nine plus at night. Our flight was delayed for an hour because the pilot had some accident and there had to be a last minute change, then we had to wait at the Beijing airport because the terminal was full. The Hong Kong airport and Beijing airport were both quite nice, but I think airports generally give the same feel once they are of a certain level. When we arrived in Beijing there were so many people at the arrival gate that we just walked past Dr. Huang without seeing him. Fortunately he decided that it had to be us and came to look for us.
The apartment we were living in lies in an area that could be considered the "silicon valley" of China; it has a number of universities and research institues. It's about half an hour's drive from the airport and has an extremely secure door. Our hosts were very warm and kept stuffing us. Plus help us book tickets etc.
We had slight bad luck with apartments on the first day. We lived by ourselves on the tenth floor. I had very hot water at first which switched suddenly to icy cold water. Brenda had cold water and Amanda had slightly warm water. The doors also had a scary auto lock tendency; the toilet locked by itself behind her. We were too embarrassed to call the hosts and were panicking. Thankfully we managed to open it with a ruler. Then later when I went into the room I got locked on the inside, and Brenda and Amanda had to get the keys to open it.
The next few days we had no problems, though. Hot water and everything, lalala.
Day two:
We went to Summer Palace with Mrs. Huang and spent the whole day there. It was rather crowded because it was a Saturday. It also rained the earlier part of the day. The part where I really found fun was the boat ride, where we learned more about the tunnel effect because we were, well, trying to go through a tunnel. It was a pedal boat.
Day three:
We woke up at 3.30 am to watch the flag raising at Tian An Men. Unfortunately the sun had risen by the time the flag rose, and it was very crowded, so it wasn't as spectacular as it could have been. We went to the Forbidden City, which was really really crowded because it was Sunday. Then we went KTV and dinner with some students from Nanyang Poly on attachment there; it was fun. Went back dead tired.
Ok, that's it for now. More later.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Saturday, May 14, 2005
I am going to die when I reach China. Well, not die, maybe just collapse on the Great Wall or Huangshan or something equally drastic. I haven't worked out for weeks. I'm becoming lard. I haven't started packing. I haven't even bought a backpack. I haven't made my spectacles, or gone to the dentist, or bought new shoes and sandals, or done a whole lot of things I'm supposed to do. It has hit me, truly hit me, that I'm leaving next week. NEXT WEEK. Next Friday, to be exact. In the morning, which leaves me even less time.
Worse still, I have my tuition kids to settle, SCGS last training and their schedule for holidays. ACJC intercollegiate finals are on wednesday too, which means I'll be busy until then. ANd VJIP, although there's Felda to help with that, thank goodness. ARGHSRGHARGH.
I went to Batam with my sister on Thursday and Friday, and came back with a number of little realisations. There were many buildings left half-constructed and left standing, a pity because the after some time, the scaffolding could no longer be used. Apparently the reason for this was that the Indonesian governement was torn between developing Batam as a tourist resort or as an industrial city. At first they decided to go for tourism. So they got investors in and all. Then halfway through, they decided to change to industries, and all the original investors pulled out. Then there was an economic crisis, and nothing could be built.
It was such a sad waste. There was little infrastructure coordination--there were resorts in the middle of nowhere, shopping centres in the middle of nowhere and restaurants in the middle of nowhere. Transport costs for tourists were exorbitant, because there was no gurantee for taxi-drivers. My advice for future visitors to Batam to book a resort near town, like Island Garden resort or something, because the hotel taxi fares would make up the difference.
Despite all that, we did have fun. Ate and slept and ate and slept. The facilities were nice after all.
Worse still, I have my tuition kids to settle, SCGS last training and their schedule for holidays. ACJC intercollegiate finals are on wednesday too, which means I'll be busy until then. ANd VJIP, although there's Felda to help with that, thank goodness. ARGHSRGHARGH.
I went to Batam with my sister on Thursday and Friday, and came back with a number of little realisations. There were many buildings left half-constructed and left standing, a pity because the after some time, the scaffolding could no longer be used. Apparently the reason for this was that the Indonesian governement was torn between developing Batam as a tourist resort or as an industrial city. At first they decided to go for tourism. So they got investors in and all. Then halfway through, they decided to change to industries, and all the original investors pulled out. Then there was an economic crisis, and nothing could be built.
It was such a sad waste. There was little infrastructure coordination--there were resorts in the middle of nowhere, shopping centres in the middle of nowhere and restaurants in the middle of nowhere. Transport costs for tourists were exorbitant, because there was no gurantee for taxi-drivers. My advice for future visitors to Batam to book a resort near town, like Island Garden resort or something, because the hotel taxi fares would make up the difference.
Despite all that, we did have fun. Ate and slept and ate and slept. The facilities were nice after all.
Monday, May 09, 2005
I copied this off someone, but it was too funny to resist.
Things people actually said in court
Things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
Q: Are you sexually active?
A: No, I just lie there.
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July 18th
Q: What year?
A: Every year.
Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
Q: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget? Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?
Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.
Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when
he woke up that morning?
A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.
Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in
voodoo or the occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo.
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.
Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his
sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
A: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?
Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?
Q: She had three children, right?
A: Yes.
Q: How many were boys?
A: None.
Q: Were there any girls?
Q: How was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?
Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?
Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a
deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead
people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
Q: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you
go to?
A: Oral.
Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was
doing an autopsy.
Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check
for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when
you began the autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive,
nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing
law somewhere.
Things people actually said in court
Things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
Q: Are you sexually active?
A: No, I just lie there.
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July 18th
Q: What year?
A: Every year.
Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
Q: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget? Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?
Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.
Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when
he woke up that morning?
A: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.
Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in
voodoo or the occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo.
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.
Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his
sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
A: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?
Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?
Q: She had three children, right?
A: Yes.
Q: How many were boys?
A: None.
Q: Were there any girls?
Q: How was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?
Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?
Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a
deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead
people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
Q: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you
go to?
A: Oral.
Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was
doing an autopsy.
Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check
for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when
you began the autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive,
nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing
law somewhere.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
On the subject of eyebags
As I was looking in the mirror just now I was reminded of a conversation my friends and I had some time ago, after a Star Wars movie marathon at Brenda's place. The lift we all trooped into on the way down had a reflective panel, so instinctively, we started examining our faces.
(I can't remember exactly how it went, but I think I started it.)
Me: I have eyebags.
Xin Min: So do I.
Brenda (pessimistically): We all have eyebags.
Me: I didn't use to have them before!
Amanda: Aiyah, but yours are not so bad already. Look at mine.
Hui Chu: I have an eyebag within an eyebag.
XIn Min (gloomily): Double layered eyebags.
Oh well. It pretty much ended there, because the lift stopped and we all trooped out, without the distracting mirror surface to remind us of our flaws. I'm just rambling.
I usually avoid writing overly personal stuff in my blog, but I suddenly have an urge to expound on my feelings today to someone, just anyone. Strangely, I find it easier to do so to a nameless audience than to my sister or my friends--the complicated process of sharing my woes, explaining my experiences and getting advised in turn is simply too exhausting. I need to bitch in peace, without subjecting myself to the judgement of others and their good-intentioned solutions. Talking takes too much effort.
How can I feel so lonely, yet crave so much for the lack of human contact? I find myself weighed down by a constant frustration that remains uneased; I dislike what I am becoming; I hate having to make the painful decisions between my responsibilities, obligations, relationships, desires and personal ambition. I feel like a battery that gets totally depleted, charges a little on the Sunday afternoon truly free to me, then depletes totally again during the week. I need time by myself, time to think about my life. Quality time with my friends, not something squeezed in between two events. Quantity time with my family--it doesn't even have to be very impactful; I just have to hang around in the house.
But of course, everything is my own bloody choice. I imagine responsibilities due to me, blow them out of proportion, shackle myself needlessly to too many commitments. True, true. But just for the record, I FREAKING HATE IT WHEN SOMEONE SAYS THAT. No reason, actually. Rationally, it's correct. I JUST FREAKING HATE IT. I'm cranky, I know. But how many people know how difficult it is for me to choose between them? It's a selfish belief that no one not me will truly understand. Forgive me.
And that's, of course, assuming that I'm fulfilling them in the first place. But I'm not, and I do know it. Perhaps too many tasks lead to the failure of all of them, but I cling on to the self-delusion that I should still keep them. So many parties that I am compromising--VJ, my family, my friends. Even my tuition pupils. SCGS too, a little, when I leave for China. ARGH. I know! I really do know, and I'm sorry for it. Don't worry, to people who are inclined to offer me reassurances to make me feel better, this is not a self-destructive, fishing-for-comfort speech. I think that's just tiring for both sides. I'm facing up to reality, perhaps in a somewhat angsty tone. And this doesn't change the fact that I would sacrifice each one in turn for another sometime in the future.
Then it always boils down to this: would I achieve? Can I? My one redeeming point is that I'm not in the habit of running away from my mistakes. I've made so many, and I think of them near daily. But sometimes I have to admit to myself that it is just a lack of capability, will, determination--qualities that I should have cultivated but I haven't.
During my period of depression in JC I cried a little here and there, but this is different--there are no tears to shed. It is not darkness that weighs down on my soul, but endless frustration, exhaustion, loneliness, and the simmering irritation that comes with too much human contact. I need peace.
My father could be losing his job in a few months time. SingTel is discussing the sale for the entire division he is working in, which means about 80+ people could be laid off. I'm not worried about finances; my sister has graduated and I'm old enough to start supporting myself. We have sufficient savings. What I feel upset about is the fact that he is still an energetic, vigorous man, who takes pride in his work. I feel like my parents are both losing an important part of their lives--my mother, her dedication to the pupils and her health; my father, his work.
Life is about weathering one crisis after another, I presume, because I feel like one crisis after another has been appearing for the last one-and-a-half years. It is our strength and affection for each other that carry us through.
As I was looking in the mirror just now I was reminded of a conversation my friends and I had some time ago, after a Star Wars movie marathon at Brenda's place. The lift we all trooped into on the way down had a reflective panel, so instinctively, we started examining our faces.
(I can't remember exactly how it went, but I think I started it.)
Me: I have eyebags.
Xin Min: So do I.
Brenda (pessimistically): We all have eyebags.
Me: I didn't use to have them before!
Amanda: Aiyah, but yours are not so bad already. Look at mine.
Hui Chu: I have an eyebag within an eyebag.
XIn Min (gloomily): Double layered eyebags.
Oh well. It pretty much ended there, because the lift stopped and we all trooped out, without the distracting mirror surface to remind us of our flaws. I'm just rambling.
I usually avoid writing overly personal stuff in my blog, but I suddenly have an urge to expound on my feelings today to someone, just anyone. Strangely, I find it easier to do so to a nameless audience than to my sister or my friends--the complicated process of sharing my woes, explaining my experiences and getting advised in turn is simply too exhausting. I need to bitch in peace, without subjecting myself to the judgement of others and their good-intentioned solutions. Talking takes too much effort.
How can I feel so lonely, yet crave so much for the lack of human contact? I find myself weighed down by a constant frustration that remains uneased; I dislike what I am becoming; I hate having to make the painful decisions between my responsibilities, obligations, relationships, desires and personal ambition. I feel like a battery that gets totally depleted, charges a little on the Sunday afternoon truly free to me, then depletes totally again during the week. I need time by myself, time to think about my life. Quality time with my friends, not something squeezed in between two events. Quantity time with my family--it doesn't even have to be very impactful; I just have to hang around in the house.
But of course, everything is my own bloody choice. I imagine responsibilities due to me, blow them out of proportion, shackle myself needlessly to too many commitments. True, true. But just for the record, I FREAKING HATE IT WHEN SOMEONE SAYS THAT. No reason, actually. Rationally, it's correct. I JUST FREAKING HATE IT. I'm cranky, I know. But how many people know how difficult it is for me to choose between them? It's a selfish belief that no one not me will truly understand. Forgive me.
And that's, of course, assuming that I'm fulfilling them in the first place. But I'm not, and I do know it. Perhaps too many tasks lead to the failure of all of them, but I cling on to the self-delusion that I should still keep them. So many parties that I am compromising--VJ, my family, my friends. Even my tuition pupils. SCGS too, a little, when I leave for China. ARGH. I know! I really do know, and I'm sorry for it. Don't worry, to people who are inclined to offer me reassurances to make me feel better, this is not a self-destructive, fishing-for-comfort speech. I think that's just tiring for both sides. I'm facing up to reality, perhaps in a somewhat angsty tone. And this doesn't change the fact that I would sacrifice each one in turn for another sometime in the future.
Then it always boils down to this: would I achieve? Can I? My one redeeming point is that I'm not in the habit of running away from my mistakes. I've made so many, and I think of them near daily. But sometimes I have to admit to myself that it is just a lack of capability, will, determination--qualities that I should have cultivated but I haven't.
During my period of depression in JC I cried a little here and there, but this is different--there are no tears to shed. It is not darkness that weighs down on my soul, but endless frustration, exhaustion, loneliness, and the simmering irritation that comes with too much human contact. I need peace.
My father could be losing his job in a few months time. SingTel is discussing the sale for the entire division he is working in, which means about 80+ people could be laid off. I'm not worried about finances; my sister has graduated and I'm old enough to start supporting myself. We have sufficient savings. What I feel upset about is the fact that he is still an energetic, vigorous man, who takes pride in his work. I feel like my parents are both losing an important part of their lives--my mother, her dedication to the pupils and her health; my father, his work.
Life is about weathering one crisis after another, I presume, because I feel like one crisis after another has been appearing for the last one-and-a-half years. It is our strength and affection for each other that carry us through.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
When talking to my sister last night (actually this morning), I had lots of random realisations.
I have always tried my best to keep my friendships--I don't make friends easily, and when I do, I tend to value them. Yet sometimes we wonder: is our effort worthwhile? How long would these friendships last? Old friends go off, and new friends come in to replace them; it's a natural process with the passing of time. Perhaps those people that told me that were right, and I should stop lamenting the loss of something inevitable.
I remembered what one of the CEOs mentioned in a panel discussion during Pre-U sem, "value your friends now, because these are really your friends for life." We are at an age where we take friends for granted, because they are so easy to come by, but would the same apply ten years down the road? I realised that I have no confidence over my own ability, and I lack the mentality to "just let go".
Then I realised that I keep a mental scorecard with my friends, as mecenary as I am. My irritation with Hannah for backing out never lasted long, because it was eclipsed by how she had supported me in the past, and the knowledge that she would do so in future. Lin Zi, the constant among my friends. Felda, the shoulder to cry on. And many many others. In my mind I had somehow categorised all the people I had somehow leaned on before: Lin zi, Hannah, and Brenda are the kind of friends you would most want in need, who demonstrate less in speech but more in action. Felda and Yiling are souls who comfort, who remember little important facts about your life and never fail to ask after them.
And then there are the people I never had the occasion to lean on, but friends that I value greatly. Hui Chu, whom I have strangely grown closer to in the last few months, remains a stress-free and comforting presence. My entire RGS clique - Amanda, Woon Teng, Xin Min, Hui Chu and well, me, whose company I look forward to the most and always enjoy. Judith, a good conversational partner.
Then again, there's family. As harsh as it may sound at times, experiences in the past two years have taught me that blood is indeed thicker than water--family members remain family members, with links that remain even when personal ties have stretched. My sister, who fufills all of the roles I said above and the one person whom I can never lose. Wei Wei, the little cousin I love, whom I secretly regard as a big younger sister. Wenjun, the one same-age cousin that I grew up with. My parents, and my Aunt, a fiery tempered and kind woman.
I have always tried my best to keep my friendships--I don't make friends easily, and when I do, I tend to value them. Yet sometimes we wonder: is our effort worthwhile? How long would these friendships last? Old friends go off, and new friends come in to replace them; it's a natural process with the passing of time. Perhaps those people that told me that were right, and I should stop lamenting the loss of something inevitable.
I remembered what one of the CEOs mentioned in a panel discussion during Pre-U sem, "value your friends now, because these are really your friends for life." We are at an age where we take friends for granted, because they are so easy to come by, but would the same apply ten years down the road? I realised that I have no confidence over my own ability, and I lack the mentality to "just let go".
Then I realised that I keep a mental scorecard with my friends, as mecenary as I am. My irritation with Hannah for backing out never lasted long, because it was eclipsed by how she had supported me in the past, and the knowledge that she would do so in future. Lin Zi, the constant among my friends. Felda, the shoulder to cry on. And many many others. In my mind I had somehow categorised all the people I had somehow leaned on before: Lin zi, Hannah, and Brenda are the kind of friends you would most want in need, who demonstrate less in speech but more in action. Felda and Yiling are souls who comfort, who remember little important facts about your life and never fail to ask after them.
And then there are the people I never had the occasion to lean on, but friends that I value greatly. Hui Chu, whom I have strangely grown closer to in the last few months, remains a stress-free and comforting presence. My entire RGS clique - Amanda, Woon Teng, Xin Min, Hui Chu and well, me, whose company I look forward to the most and always enjoy. Judith, a good conversational partner.
Then again, there's family. As harsh as it may sound at times, experiences in the past two years have taught me that blood is indeed thicker than water--family members remain family members, with links that remain even when personal ties have stretched. My sister, who fufills all of the roles I said above and the one person whom I can never lose. Wei Wei, the little cousin I love, whom I secretly regard as a big younger sister. Wenjun, the one same-age cousin that I grew up with. My parents, and my Aunt, a fiery tempered and kind woman.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
I went to Swensons with Ram today and we both wanted to order a double scoop of ice-cream. Being a vanilla base chocolate chip ice-cream lover, I wanted to order something along those lines.
So I asked the waiter (while pointing to the menu): "What's the difference between chocolate freckles and chocolate chip?"
Waiter (looking upwards with a desperate effort to think): "Errrr...chocolate chip has, you know, chocolate chips." (Holds his forefinger and thumb close together to demonstrate) "You know, chocolate chips?"
Nodding to assure him that I did know what a chocolate chip was, I asked patiently: "So what's the difference between that and chocolate freckles?"
Waiter: "Chocolate freckles...chocolate freckles are, you know..."
I waited for him to finish the sentence with "chocolate freckles" but I think he, like me, realised that it was an extremely stupid thing to say. So he stopped his words midway and hunted around the menu for something that would save him. He saw it a few seconds later.
Waiter (Face lighting up): "Yes, it looks something like this." (Finger points at the picture of some towering temptation, at the brown part between two white parts.)
I couldn't see anything special about it except that it was brown, so I deduced that maybe he was talking about the ice-cream base. So I asked him: "You mean chocolate freckles ice-cream has a chocolate base and chocolate chip ice-cream has a vanilla base?"
Waiter: "Huh?"
Me, very politely: "I mean, chocolate chips inside vanilla ice-cream."
Waiter: "Uh, no?"
Ram, understanding me completely and trying to clear things up: "So the chocolate freckles ice-cream is chocolate chocolate freckles?"
Waiter: "Err, yes."
Ram: "So is the chocolate chip ice-cream chocolate chocolate chip as well?"
Waiter: "Err, yes." (I think he would have said yes to anything at this point.)
Me: "So what is the difference between chocolate chip and chocolate freckles?"
Waiter: "One has chocolate chip and one has chocolate freckles."
At this point I just gave up and made my orders. Anyway he's quite hopeless because he got both my ice-cream order and topping orders wrong.
The SCGS Y-14 team made it to semifinals today, but lost against MGS in that round. I didn't tell them that it didn't matter that much to me, because a coach would always want her coachees to remember their mistakes. I saw them pass their POIs, help each other to write rebuttals and resolve their differences openly. They didn't know that teamwork had always been one of the hardest things to instill for any coach, and as far as I was concerned, they had learned what they needed to for this competition.
To win all the way, you have to first learn how to win. If you girls are reading this, keep that in mind and know that I am proud of you.
So I asked the waiter (while pointing to the menu): "What's the difference between chocolate freckles and chocolate chip?"
Waiter (looking upwards with a desperate effort to think): "Errrr...chocolate chip has, you know, chocolate chips." (Holds his forefinger and thumb close together to demonstrate) "You know, chocolate chips?"
Nodding to assure him that I did know what a chocolate chip was, I asked patiently: "So what's the difference between that and chocolate freckles?"
Waiter: "Chocolate freckles...chocolate freckles are, you know..."
I waited for him to finish the sentence with "chocolate freckles" but I think he, like me, realised that it was an extremely stupid thing to say. So he stopped his words midway and hunted around the menu for something that would save him. He saw it a few seconds later.
Waiter (Face lighting up): "Yes, it looks something like this." (Finger points at the picture of some towering temptation, at the brown part between two white parts.)
I couldn't see anything special about it except that it was brown, so I deduced that maybe he was talking about the ice-cream base. So I asked him: "You mean chocolate freckles ice-cream has a chocolate base and chocolate chip ice-cream has a vanilla base?"
Waiter: "Huh?"
Me, very politely: "I mean, chocolate chips inside vanilla ice-cream."
Waiter: "Uh, no?"
Ram, understanding me completely and trying to clear things up: "So the chocolate freckles ice-cream is chocolate chocolate freckles?"
Waiter: "Err, yes."
Ram: "So is the chocolate chip ice-cream chocolate chocolate chip as well?"
Waiter: "Err, yes." (I think he would have said yes to anything at this point.)
Me: "So what is the difference between chocolate chip and chocolate freckles?"
Waiter: "One has chocolate chip and one has chocolate freckles."
At this point I just gave up and made my orders. Anyway he's quite hopeless because he got both my ice-cream order and topping orders wrong.
The SCGS Y-14 team made it to semifinals today, but lost against MGS in that round. I didn't tell them that it didn't matter that much to me, because a coach would always want her coachees to remember their mistakes. I saw them pass their POIs, help each other to write rebuttals and resolve their differences openly. They didn't know that teamwork had always been one of the hardest things to instill for any coach, and as far as I was concerned, they had learned what they needed to for this competition.
To win all the way, you have to first learn how to win. If you girls are reading this, keep that in mind and know that I am proud of you.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Friday, April 22, 2005
I always found the idea of undressing for bed quite weird but today, a long day after a long week, I finally saw the attraction. The schedule of a very busy person runs like this:
1) Work, work, work
2) Go home, bathe, change from work clothes to sleeping clothes, sleep
3) Next morning, (maybe bathe), change from sleeping clothes to work clothes, go
4) Work, work, work
So instead of bathing and changing from work clothes to sleeping clothes, you should just bathe and go straight to bed. That means you don't have to change out of your sleeping clothes the next morning, but just wear working clothes immediately. This will:
1) Save time needed to change
2) Save water, effort and time needed for washing clothes
I'm just brilliant. However there is a slight problem with the implementation to my idea. The bathroom isn't attached to my bedroom, so I will have to wrap a towel around myself and tiptoe the distance in between. There are two problems with that:
1) Most of my towels are quite small, so they'll cover only half the parts needed to be covered.
2) The said towel would have to dry in my bedroom, which would be quite humid on the account that the windows and curtains would be closed to prevent shocked neighbours.
So I guess I'll be sticking to T-shirt and shorts.
1) Work, work, work
2) Go home, bathe, change from work clothes to sleeping clothes, sleep
3) Next morning, (maybe bathe), change from sleeping clothes to work clothes, go
4) Work, work, work
So instead of bathing and changing from work clothes to sleeping clothes, you should just bathe and go straight to bed. That means you don't have to change out of your sleeping clothes the next morning, but just wear working clothes immediately. This will:
1) Save time needed to change
2) Save water, effort and time needed for washing clothes
I'm just brilliant. However there is a slight problem with the implementation to my idea. The bathroom isn't attached to my bedroom, so I will have to wrap a towel around myself and tiptoe the distance in between. There are two problems with that:
1) Most of my towels are quite small, so they'll cover only half the parts needed to be covered.
2) The said towel would have to dry in my bedroom, which would be quite humid on the account that the windows and curtains would be closed to prevent shocked neighbours.
So I guess I'll be sticking to T-shirt and shorts.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Yesterday, on the bus to my cousin's house, I saw two cockroach nymphs climb up to the window ledge directly in front of me. One disappeared into a small gap, but the other one stayed motionless, its feelers quivering.
So my thought processes went something like this: "It's a bloody cockroach nymph. I should crush it. The bus is terribly unhygenic, gross. But if I crush it now, I'll have to hold on to that piece of tissue until the bus journey ends. So I should kill it when I am nearer. But what if it disappears into the gap while I wait? Then one more cockroach would go free in this world. To kill or not to kill. I can't stand the way the feelers quiver. I should kill. Then I will have a disgusting piece of litter to hold on to. No, I will crush it later. If it escapes before I approach the bus stop then it's fated not to die."
Two stops away from my destination, the cockroach crawls into the gap. So I thought, smart cockroach. You're not fated to die today, what a pity.
When I was just approaching my stop, the cockroach climbs out again. Obviously it was a stupid cockroach fated to die, so I squished it carefully with my last piece of tissue and folded it to make sure it was completely flattened.
I heard two very interesting ideas recently. The first is the Adidas intelligent shoes, launching this month. Apparently, if you happen to be bored one day, you can hook the shoes up to the computer and play minesweeper. I cannot begin to describe the sheer brilliance of this. Firstly the manufacturer knew that not all games are a hit in the market, and effectively eliminated this risk by producing the exact same game that most PCs had. Secondly, they understood that most people would find it extremely inconvenient to take off their shoes on the road, because they would be left with nothing on their feet, so they solved this by limiting its usage to a place where you would not need the shoes. Lastly they managed to deduce that with the long hours spent at computers these days, consumers would wish for an alternative way to play minesweeper, and what is better than a shoe that stays close to you all day?
(By the way, I'm not kidding--these intelligent shoes are really being launched. Though they have other functions like adjustable cushioning and suchlike.)
The second idea I heard came from my cousin, who was recounting an announcement made to her school a little while ago. After great discussion with the teachers and principals, the MOE is considering the implementation of a whole new policy which may change lives forever. However, there are those little details to take note of, and they're not too sure whether it should start with her batch. (At this point we would have built a grand picture of all the red tape and bureaucracy that must have taken place.) So the idea is to have a special leaving school certificate, which would include (other than the fact that you left this school) your 'O' and 'A' level results, your CCA record, and possibly your testimonial. But naturally, due to the amount of information present in this particular leaving school certificate, it would probably come up to about, oh, five pages or so. You can then hand this little stack all in one go to your future employers, thus saving you the trouble of papercliping your original transcripts together. This would greatly enhance efficiency.
So my thought processes went something like this: "It's a bloody cockroach nymph. I should crush it. The bus is terribly unhygenic, gross. But if I crush it now, I'll have to hold on to that piece of tissue until the bus journey ends. So I should kill it when I am nearer. But what if it disappears into the gap while I wait? Then one more cockroach would go free in this world. To kill or not to kill. I can't stand the way the feelers quiver. I should kill. Then I will have a disgusting piece of litter to hold on to. No, I will crush it later. If it escapes before I approach the bus stop then it's fated not to die."
Two stops away from my destination, the cockroach crawls into the gap. So I thought, smart cockroach. You're not fated to die today, what a pity.
When I was just approaching my stop, the cockroach climbs out again. Obviously it was a stupid cockroach fated to die, so I squished it carefully with my last piece of tissue and folded it to make sure it was completely flattened.
I heard two very interesting ideas recently. The first is the Adidas intelligent shoes, launching this month. Apparently, if you happen to be bored one day, you can hook the shoes up to the computer and play minesweeper. I cannot begin to describe the sheer brilliance of this. Firstly the manufacturer knew that not all games are a hit in the market, and effectively eliminated this risk by producing the exact same game that most PCs had. Secondly, they understood that most people would find it extremely inconvenient to take off their shoes on the road, because they would be left with nothing on their feet, so they solved this by limiting its usage to a place where you would not need the shoes. Lastly they managed to deduce that with the long hours spent at computers these days, consumers would wish for an alternative way to play minesweeper, and what is better than a shoe that stays close to you all day?
(By the way, I'm not kidding--these intelligent shoes are really being launched. Though they have other functions like adjustable cushioning and suchlike.)
The second idea I heard came from my cousin, who was recounting an announcement made to her school a little while ago. After great discussion with the teachers and principals, the MOE is considering the implementation of a whole new policy which may change lives forever. However, there are those little details to take note of, and they're not too sure whether it should start with her batch. (At this point we would have built a grand picture of all the red tape and bureaucracy that must have taken place.) So the idea is to have a special leaving school certificate, which would include (other than the fact that you left this school) your 'O' and 'A' level results, your CCA record, and possibly your testimonial. But naturally, due to the amount of information present in this particular leaving school certificate, it would probably come up to about, oh, five pages or so. You can then hand this little stack all in one go to your future employers, thus saving you the trouble of papercliping your original transcripts together. This would greatly enhance efficiency.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Sunday, April 03, 2005
I dropped my wallet yesterday when I was trying to catch a cab to go to VJ for training, something that I did not discover until my mother calling me frantically saying that three boys had delivered it to my house. All my money and my cashcard had already been taken by some dishonest soul, but fortunately my IC, library card and other important stuff were still intact. Unfortunately I was in the middle of the expressway on an expensive cab trip with no money. Due to my mother's late recognition of my ez-link card (I was still using the one with my ugly photo on it), which I had to describe to her (she thought it was an old school pass) we took too long on the phone and my handphone battery went flat.
So I had to call Felda, on the taxi drivers handphone and because I couldn't remember her number I had to transfer the sim card. Thank goodness she got the msg and waited at the concourse for me. Sigh, I lost more than 50 bucks but I was lucky in a way, I guess. Serves me right for being stupid enough to drop it in the first place.
Something happened which I found rather amusing. I had decided to dress myself on that day, which meant I was wearing a bright pink cartooned T-shirt (yes, that one), shorts and sandals, and I supposed I looked younger than I usually do. So when we were going to take the bus to city hall I asked the guys if they coins for one dollar, and Imran said: but you look like a kid what! sixty cents is enough. Being honest, I insisted on borrowing a dollar and I got five twenty cent coins.
So when I got up the bus and very honestly dropped the five twenty cent coins into the slot, the driver took one look at my cartooned T-shirt and proceeded to prove Imran right by giving me a fifty-five cent ticket. So much for honesty. it wasn't even a one dollar coin!
This week was quite a bad week, and this weekend was an especially bad weekend. After Friday I was doubting my capabilities as a coach and feeling somewhat depressed over a loss that was so unfair most people in the room couldn't believe it. Then there was no chance for a rest, after VJ training on Sat morning, tuition on Sat evening and Sun I was so exhuasted I felt nauseous. Sometimes my mother is so damn stubborn I can't stand her. She charges cheap cos well, people have poor family backgrounds blah blah blah, and refuses to change her job scope despite having thoughts in that direction for years. When she gives too much tuition she gets stressed, which is bad for her nerve condition. Then when I take over her response to any mention of me being stressed is that, oh, she can take it up again, no problem! So now whenever I complain I have to scrupulously not mention tuition, or add in a few comments here and there that tuition is very easy.
But during this three days I was really quite touched by a few gestures that people made. First were some of the SC girls, who got me a white lily and a new pair of dainty-ish slippers cos I was always wearing the same sandals. I had intended to buy flowers for them too but really had no time before the matches. Sadly someone sat on my white lily, and I thought my feet shape looked rather strange in them but I was still very touched, nontheless. Then Felda gave me a fancy candle on Sat (the kind that you dont burn) to cheer me up. I don't think I shall ever burn it. I had a sore throat in the evening when I was giving tuition and was so surprised, upon coming out, that the mother of the tuition pupil had boiled me some concoction and presented me with it in a jar and a packet of fisherman's friend. When she was fussing with putting it in a plastic bag with newspaper lining I really didn't know what to say.
So despite my crappy few days they weren't too bad after all, because of the lovely people around me. And I must remember to make little gestures too, because you never know when they can brighten up one's day.
So I had to call Felda, on the taxi drivers handphone and because I couldn't remember her number I had to transfer the sim card. Thank goodness she got the msg and waited at the concourse for me. Sigh, I lost more than 50 bucks but I was lucky in a way, I guess. Serves me right for being stupid enough to drop it in the first place.
Something happened which I found rather amusing. I had decided to dress myself on that day, which meant I was wearing a bright pink cartooned T-shirt (yes, that one), shorts and sandals, and I supposed I looked younger than I usually do. So when we were going to take the bus to city hall I asked the guys if they coins for one dollar, and Imran said: but you look like a kid what! sixty cents is enough. Being honest, I insisted on borrowing a dollar and I got five twenty cent coins.
So when I got up the bus and very honestly dropped the five twenty cent coins into the slot, the driver took one look at my cartooned T-shirt and proceeded to prove Imran right by giving me a fifty-five cent ticket. So much for honesty. it wasn't even a one dollar coin!
This week was quite a bad week, and this weekend was an especially bad weekend. After Friday I was doubting my capabilities as a coach and feeling somewhat depressed over a loss that was so unfair most people in the room couldn't believe it. Then there was no chance for a rest, after VJ training on Sat morning, tuition on Sat evening and Sun I was so exhuasted I felt nauseous. Sometimes my mother is so damn stubborn I can't stand her. She charges cheap cos well, people have poor family backgrounds blah blah blah, and refuses to change her job scope despite having thoughts in that direction for years. When she gives too much tuition she gets stressed, which is bad for her nerve condition. Then when I take over her response to any mention of me being stressed is that, oh, she can take it up again, no problem! So now whenever I complain I have to scrupulously not mention tuition, or add in a few comments here and there that tuition is very easy.
But during this three days I was really quite touched by a few gestures that people made. First were some of the SC girls, who got me a white lily and a new pair of dainty-ish slippers cos I was always wearing the same sandals. I had intended to buy flowers for them too but really had no time before the matches. Sadly someone sat on my white lily, and I thought my feet shape looked rather strange in them but I was still very touched, nontheless. Then Felda gave me a fancy candle on Sat (the kind that you dont burn) to cheer me up. I don't think I shall ever burn it. I had a sore throat in the evening when I was giving tuition and was so surprised, upon coming out, that the mother of the tuition pupil had boiled me some concoction and presented me with it in a jar and a packet of fisherman's friend. When she was fussing with putting it in a plastic bag with newspaper lining I really didn't know what to say.
So despite my crappy few days they weren't too bad after all, because of the lovely people around me. And I must remember to make little gestures too, because you never know when they can brighten up one's day.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
The day before yesterday, on an outing with Judith, I met Robin and Shirin on the way home. Other than exchanging general pleasantries, part of my conversation with Robin went something like this:
Robin: Xuwen! You're wearing PINK!
Me: Yes, I know. (The general undertone of that comment being--er, so?)
Robin: It's such a...girly colour!
Me: But I'm a girl what. I have a right to wear a girly colour.
Robin (with an expression of honest appallment, if there's such a word): But, you're not a girl. You're Xuwen!
Judith (cutting in helpfully): Give her a chance lah. See? She has pierced ears and rebonded hair. (Proceeds to wave my ponytail to prove her point.)
Due to my natural slow reaction, it didn't occur to me until sometime later what an incredible INSULT I had just been delivered. It was truly unfortunate that my brain cells didn't process that fast enough. I should have hit them both over the head with the nice, girly sling bag that I had stolen from my sister.
For some reason, Judith and I are a fatal combination. I don't mean that in the sense that we are very powerful together, more that our mutual company seems to increase our propensity of screwing up things that we all take for granted in our daily lives.
Other than our dramatic rush to watch what turned out to be a dress rehearsal at CHS, our countless miscommunications on where to meet, Judith leading me utterly in the wrong direction to go to specific locations that she swears she knows very well, me telling her the wrong bus to take to her house, us taking the wrong bus together to go somewhere quite unintended (and of course continually blaming each other for it), we had yet another incident on Saturday.
We were eating together at Sushi Tei when we decided to watch Howl's moving castle. After several phone calls we found that it was showing at five at west mall and five thirty five at cineleisure. Because of hideous orchard road traffic, especially in the evenings, the two hour plus of excess time we had, we decided to go to west mall to watch it.
So we went to take the MRT, changed the train at city hall and proceeded to chat happily for the next half an hour or so. Then at a lull in the crowd and the noise, I heard clearly as the train was slowing down, "Kembangan". This is what you generally term as an Oh Shit point in time. Anyway, we got off at Bedok and took the train back to somerset, where we made it on time but missed the movie because the tickets were sold out.
Anyway today I finally bought the beanbag for Hannah that I had been hunting for ages, from a beanbag shop on the basement of park mall. I felt rather stupid lugging it around later, though thankfully I had very helpful people around me to like, hold one end of the bag so I wouldn't look so stupid. With Wenjun and Felda's kind assistance, I made it to ACJC were the security gave a slanted look at the huge thing and asked what it was. Then thankfully in ACJC Suzie carried it aroun for me, so I didn't have to answer a hundred and one stupid questions revolving around: Hey! What on EARTH is that?
I ate a hell lot today too. Other than fish and co with Wenjun (feeling slightly guilty cos she was just looking), when we went to Hannah's house Grace and I proceeded to raid her fridge, which has a low turnover rate and requires nice greedy people like us to, you know, keep things fresh. By getting rid of old consumables and suchlike. That was in addition to the rather oily but not too bad packet of noodles that Hannah got for me. Then we sat around her jigsaw puzzle for a while, where I pretty much shifted pieces around because I was bad at finding any that fitted. As a result I forgot that Desperate Housewives was showing and came home too late to watch it. ARGH.
So many random thoughts today. i was just reading about the suicides recently, and it occured to me that every time this happens, people always say, "oh, but he/she should have shared it with us! Any problem could have been dealt with!" And we frequently forget that many a time people DO, just that we're so caught up in our own lives that we make excuses not to "involve ourselves too much". The man who killed himself out of debt did try to borrow money first.
Yet in saying this I am also a little of a hypocrite, because I realise that I look down on people that disregard their own existence. I was watching a Korean drama the other day and the main character got leukemia, and had three to six months to live without a bone marrow transplant. And I wondered, if I had been in that position, what would I have done? ANd the answer was instinctive. Round up all my relatives and friends, dig out all my savings and pour all these resources into making rounds to find a match. If i can't, at least there would be more samples in the blood bank. It was also then that I realised that I rather spend my remaining time fighting for a chance to live on longer, than getting precious company and putting my affairs in order. (but of course, I consider the age. The Korean woman was only twenty plus so I was thinking along these lines. If I was ninety I don't think I would have bothered)Perhaps precisely because I am unsure of the concept of eternal life, I love my existence so.
Robin: Xuwen! You're wearing PINK!
Me: Yes, I know. (The general undertone of that comment being--er, so?)
Robin: It's such a...girly colour!
Me: But I'm a girl what. I have a right to wear a girly colour.
Robin (with an expression of honest appallment, if there's such a word): But, you're not a girl. You're Xuwen!
Judith (cutting in helpfully): Give her a chance lah. See? She has pierced ears and rebonded hair. (Proceeds to wave my ponytail to prove her point.)
Due to my natural slow reaction, it didn't occur to me until sometime later what an incredible INSULT I had just been delivered. It was truly unfortunate that my brain cells didn't process that fast enough. I should have hit them both over the head with the nice, girly sling bag that I had stolen from my sister.
For some reason, Judith and I are a fatal combination. I don't mean that in the sense that we are very powerful together, more that our mutual company seems to increase our propensity of screwing up things that we all take for granted in our daily lives.
Other than our dramatic rush to watch what turned out to be a dress rehearsal at CHS, our countless miscommunications on where to meet, Judith leading me utterly in the wrong direction to go to specific locations that she swears she knows very well, me telling her the wrong bus to take to her house, us taking the wrong bus together to go somewhere quite unintended (and of course continually blaming each other for it), we had yet another incident on Saturday.
We were eating together at Sushi Tei when we decided to watch Howl's moving castle. After several phone calls we found that it was showing at five at west mall and five thirty five at cineleisure. Because of hideous orchard road traffic, especially in the evenings, the two hour plus of excess time we had, we decided to go to west mall to watch it.
So we went to take the MRT, changed the train at city hall and proceeded to chat happily for the next half an hour or so. Then at a lull in the crowd and the noise, I heard clearly as the train was slowing down, "Kembangan". This is what you generally term as an Oh Shit point in time. Anyway, we got off at Bedok and took the train back to somerset, where we made it on time but missed the movie because the tickets were sold out.
Anyway today I finally bought the beanbag for Hannah that I had been hunting for ages, from a beanbag shop on the basement of park mall. I felt rather stupid lugging it around later, though thankfully I had very helpful people around me to like, hold one end of the bag so I wouldn't look so stupid. With Wenjun and Felda's kind assistance, I made it to ACJC were the security gave a slanted look at the huge thing and asked what it was. Then thankfully in ACJC Suzie carried it aroun for me, so I didn't have to answer a hundred and one stupid questions revolving around: Hey! What on EARTH is that?
I ate a hell lot today too. Other than fish and co with Wenjun (feeling slightly guilty cos she was just looking), when we went to Hannah's house Grace and I proceeded to raid her fridge, which has a low turnover rate and requires nice greedy people like us to, you know, keep things fresh. By getting rid of old consumables and suchlike. That was in addition to the rather oily but not too bad packet of noodles that Hannah got for me. Then we sat around her jigsaw puzzle for a while, where I pretty much shifted pieces around because I was bad at finding any that fitted. As a result I forgot that Desperate Housewives was showing and came home too late to watch it. ARGH.
So many random thoughts today. i was just reading about the suicides recently, and it occured to me that every time this happens, people always say, "oh, but he/she should have shared it with us! Any problem could have been dealt with!" And we frequently forget that many a time people DO, just that we're so caught up in our own lives that we make excuses not to "involve ourselves too much". The man who killed himself out of debt did try to borrow money first.
Yet in saying this I am also a little of a hypocrite, because I realise that I look down on people that disregard their own existence. I was watching a Korean drama the other day and the main character got leukemia, and had three to six months to live without a bone marrow transplant. And I wondered, if I had been in that position, what would I have done? ANd the answer was instinctive. Round up all my relatives and friends, dig out all my savings and pour all these resources into making rounds to find a match. If i can't, at least there would be more samples in the blood bank. It was also then that I realised that I rather spend my remaining time fighting for a chance to live on longer, than getting precious company and putting my affairs in order. (but of course, I consider the age. The Korean woman was only twenty plus so I was thinking along these lines. If I was ninety I don't think I would have bothered)Perhaps precisely because I am unsure of the concept of eternal life, I love my existence so.
THis is a short letter in response to how Balaji's comments about how gays were responsible for the rise in AIDS. I thought it was rather brilliantly written, so enjoy:
Aren't we barking up wrong tree?
WE HAVE an Aids problem and two thirds of the afflicted are heterosexuals who can not only pass the infection to their spouses but also to their unborn children.
But what do we do? We focus on the one third - gays - to explain the sharp rise in new Aids cases last year.
And we blame the 'epidemic' on the annual party in Sentosa, ignoring the 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week activity that has also, by coincidence, mushroomed in the Joo Chiat and Geylang red-light districts.
Maureen Koh Mei Hwa (Mdm)
Aren't we barking up wrong tree?
WE HAVE an Aids problem and two thirds of the afflicted are heterosexuals who can not only pass the infection to their spouses but also to their unborn children.
But what do we do? We focus on the one third - gays - to explain the sharp rise in new Aids cases last year.
And we blame the 'epidemic' on the annual party in Sentosa, ignoring the 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week activity that has also, by coincidence, mushroomed in the Joo Chiat and Geylang red-light districts.
Maureen Koh Mei Hwa (Mdm)
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Yesterday morning, I was at my cousin's house, making breakfast for myself. I decided to make cheese on toast because, well, I was thinking of cheese on toast the night before.
So I placed the cheese on the bread, turned the knob to seven minutes and waited with great patience. After the dial went 'ping', I checked on the bread. It was slightly warm but still rather soft. Rather determined to have my cheese on toast, I turned the knob again to five minutes and waited patiently once more. To my great surprise, the bread was still slightly warm and rather soft. I reflected this to my cousin, who solved the mystery by saying, "Did you switch on the power?"
So, truly determined to have my cheese on toast this time, I switched on the power and proceeded to toast the bread. Unfortunately, the melted cheese dripped off the bread to pool at the bottom of the toaster. So I told my cousin hastily that I would clean it up and removed the slice of bread from the toaster.
Just as I was removing the bread, my hand slipped and the bread flew spectacularly to land face down on the table, and the cheese stuck solidly to the surface of the tabletop.
At that point, my cousin went (rather unsympathetically, I may add): HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Anyway I spent the next fifteen minutes clearing up, which made me rather late for my training with SCGS.
What can I say? Even the best of us have those times.
So I placed the cheese on the bread, turned the knob to seven minutes and waited with great patience. After the dial went 'ping', I checked on the bread. It was slightly warm but still rather soft. Rather determined to have my cheese on toast, I turned the knob again to five minutes and waited patiently once more. To my great surprise, the bread was still slightly warm and rather soft. I reflected this to my cousin, who solved the mystery by saying, "Did you switch on the power?"
So, truly determined to have my cheese on toast this time, I switched on the power and proceeded to toast the bread. Unfortunately, the melted cheese dripped off the bread to pool at the bottom of the toaster. So I told my cousin hastily that I would clean it up and removed the slice of bread from the toaster.
Just as I was removing the bread, my hand slipped and the bread flew spectacularly to land face down on the table, and the cheese stuck solidly to the surface of the tabletop.
At that point, my cousin went (rather unsympathetically, I may add): HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Anyway I spent the next fifteen minutes clearing up, which made me rather late for my training with SCGS.
What can I say? Even the best of us have those times.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
I spent some time observing the fish in Yuan Kheng's house, when I went to train the girls last Friday. She has a huge luohan and extrememly interesting goldfish. Two of the goldfish were face down in one of the corners. The rest of them kept gurgling air at one corner, then presumably they got bored of the scenery so they swam to another corner to continue gurgling air. This process was then repeated several times, and I was just standing there watching them swim back and forth in fascination.
My parrot fish are crazy. Despite the size of the tank, they are still growing. And for some strange reason, they keep arranging and rearranging the stones in the tank, although there I couldn't tell any significant difference from before. Maybe they're just doing maintenence or something.
My parrot fish are crazy. Despite the size of the tank, they are still growing. And for some strange reason, they keep arranging and rearranging the stones in the tank, although there I couldn't tell any significant difference from before. Maybe they're just doing maintenence or something.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Sunday, February 20, 2005
I read an article on Sunday Life today, regarding women at the top. Apparently, women bosses tend to be more nitpicky, temperamental and domineering. This has given me several insightful thoughts on this subject, the first and most important being:
AHH! I am every one of these things! Well, maybe not temperamental, but certainly domineering and nitpicky. This is terrible. If This Goes On, I will be carrying the label of the Dragon Lady.
I have thus decided on a course of action. Because I cannot change my natural urge to be domineering and nitpicky, I will attempt it to disguise these traits in the following manner:
1) Act more like a Man
That is, instead of being Domineering and Autocratic, I will be Decisive and Firm. I must change my innate feminine bossiness to a more masculine way of being bossy. I am not quite sure of the specific differences as yet, but they will no doubt all come to me later.
My tendency to nitpick will be substituted with my eye for detail and a continuous pursuit towards excellence. I shall emulate my male counterparts in this regard, without seeming too gay.
Rather than being naggy, I will be, er, persistent. Though actually, on further thought, what the hell. Who am I fooling? Naggy means naggy. At least I'll make a good mother in future.
2) Display my softer, more feminine side
Phase one of Fooling Other People is already in action. I have pierced ears, rebonded hair, and I dress better when I go out--except for the occasional brightly coloured, cartooned T-shirt. What I need to do is to carry it to the extreme. Not only will I purchase more frilly stuff, I must cultivate a sweet, soft spoken and pleasant feminine charm that will knock everyone off their feet. Even when being bossy, I shall be bossy in a nice, sweet manner.
Well, I haven't figured out how to do that yet, but I will eventually.
Now as I sit back and admire my foolproof plan, I realise that Damn(!), they contradict! This requires deeper thought.
So for more ideas, I refer to the article again, which mentioned several stereotypes with regard to women bosses. They are: Micro-Manager, Mother Hen, Blinkered Boss, High-Flyer, Drama Mama, and PMS Tigress. So all I have to do is examine the faults of all these types and not follow the trend, right? Right.
Essentially, I can't be too demanding and fastidious, but I also can't be too caring and maternal. I should not be too temperamental, or be too much of a yes woman, though I shouldn't be too contrary either. I mustn't be too "blinkered" and just use tried and tested methods, yet a risk taking style could be dangerous too, from what they say of Carly Fiorina.
Darn it. I still have a long way to go.
AHH! I am every one of these things! Well, maybe not temperamental, but certainly domineering and nitpicky. This is terrible. If This Goes On, I will be carrying the label of the Dragon Lady.
I have thus decided on a course of action. Because I cannot change my natural urge to be domineering and nitpicky, I will attempt it to disguise these traits in the following manner:
1) Act more like a Man
That is, instead of being Domineering and Autocratic, I will be Decisive and Firm. I must change my innate feminine bossiness to a more masculine way of being bossy. I am not quite sure of the specific differences as yet, but they will no doubt all come to me later.
My tendency to nitpick will be substituted with my eye for detail and a continuous pursuit towards excellence. I shall emulate my male counterparts in this regard, without seeming too gay.
Rather than being naggy, I will be, er, persistent. Though actually, on further thought, what the hell. Who am I fooling? Naggy means naggy. At least I'll make a good mother in future.
2) Display my softer, more feminine side
Phase one of Fooling Other People is already in action. I have pierced ears, rebonded hair, and I dress better when I go out--except for the occasional brightly coloured, cartooned T-shirt. What I need to do is to carry it to the extreme. Not only will I purchase more frilly stuff, I must cultivate a sweet, soft spoken and pleasant feminine charm that will knock everyone off their feet. Even when being bossy, I shall be bossy in a nice, sweet manner.
Well, I haven't figured out how to do that yet, but I will eventually.
Now as I sit back and admire my foolproof plan, I realise that Damn(!), they contradict! This requires deeper thought.
So for more ideas, I refer to the article again, which mentioned several stereotypes with regard to women bosses. They are: Micro-Manager, Mother Hen, Blinkered Boss, High-Flyer, Drama Mama, and PMS Tigress. So all I have to do is examine the faults of all these types and not follow the trend, right? Right.
Essentially, I can't be too demanding and fastidious, but I also can't be too caring and maternal. I should not be too temperamental, or be too much of a yes woman, though I shouldn't be too contrary either. I mustn't be too "blinkered" and just use tried and tested methods, yet a risk taking style could be dangerous too, from what they say of Carly Fiorina.
Darn it. I still have a long way to go.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
My mother went home immediately after going to my grandma's house, instead of going house visiting as usual. I had always taken for granted that my parents would both live till their seventies, at least, but nowadays when I look at her I wonder how long more she has to live. Pain wears a person down day by day, night by night. We had a discussion about children today, and as usual, she said she would like us to have children and she would be happy to take care of them for us. And I thought then, can you really? The sensation of my heart being squeezed is becoming all too familiar.
I hate the feeling of helplessness. Other than doing housework and massaging her head for an hour at a time every night, there's nothing much my sister and I can do. I get impatient with people whining about their lives sometimes, because we all have our own problems and yours seem quite mundane. But I suppose that makes me a hypocrite, because I hate it too when others belittle my experiences as nothing comparable to the great disasters that besiege families day to day.
Anyway, to happier matters. I ate and ate and ate today, which I believe would come as no great surprise to many people. Fortunately or unfortunately, my skirt was just the right size for me, so it started to get rather tight and uncomfortable after some time. It prevented me from consuming more than I did just now, which was quite a significant amount. I also drank a lot of "chicken wine", which was very thick and very nice. I realised that I'll probably be a quiet drunk if I ever have the occasion to be one. Instead of getting high and laughing a lot like some of my friends, I suspect that I will just go happily to sleep. Not a bad thing, really.
I hate the feeling of helplessness. Other than doing housework and massaging her head for an hour at a time every night, there's nothing much my sister and I can do. I get impatient with people whining about their lives sometimes, because we all have our own problems and yours seem quite mundane. But I suppose that makes me a hypocrite, because I hate it too when others belittle my experiences as nothing comparable to the great disasters that besiege families day to day.
Anyway, to happier matters. I ate and ate and ate today, which I believe would come as no great surprise to many people. Fortunately or unfortunately, my skirt was just the right size for me, so it started to get rather tight and uncomfortable after some time. It prevented me from consuming more than I did just now, which was quite a significant amount. I also drank a lot of "chicken wine", which was very thick and very nice. I realised that I'll probably be a quiet drunk if I ever have the occasion to be one. Instead of getting high and laughing a lot like some of my friends, I suspect that I will just go happily to sleep. Not a bad thing, really.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
As usual, we're doing steamboat for CNY eve. It seems to be the in thing nowadays. To tell the truth, however, between a nice traditional chinese dinner and a menu of boiled food, I rather have the nice chinese dinner. But I suppose steamboat does come with its advantages. It lessens preparation and clearing up time, lengthens the time spend at the table, and sets the stage for interesting bits of small talk like, "Hey, where has my fishball gone?". All in all, the benefits outweigh how boring it is. But I'm still going to fry the prawns nicely in sauce and whatnot.
I discovered today that my sister is deep at heart, an obsessive compulsive. She usually cooks up a storm in the kitchen and leave it looking rather ravaged. Today, however, she has been wrapping everything carefully in gladwrap, even the onions and ginger. I think she has found joy in pulling the clingflim over food.
Hannah bought me a Happy House keypad cushion today! My subtle hinting has finally got to her. It's yellow with three big colourful hearts on it. It's so nice I might not use it for typing on a permanent basis, but like, keep it somewhere safe and hug it occasionally. Which I realise defeats the purpose.
I discovered today that my sister is deep at heart, an obsessive compulsive. She usually cooks up a storm in the kitchen and leave it looking rather ravaged. Today, however, she has been wrapping everything carefully in gladwrap, even the onions and ginger. I think she has found joy in pulling the clingflim over food.
Hannah bought me a Happy House keypad cushion today! My subtle hinting has finally got to her. It's yellow with three big colourful hearts on it. It's so nice I might not use it for typing on a permanent basis, but like, keep it somewhere safe and hug it occasionally. Which I realise defeats the purpose.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
I quit the teaching job! Apparently I wasn't doing what a proper teacher should be doing i.e. have the kids sit in their proper places, etc. I decided that I just I as already trying my best and that I just wasn't suited to this job. At least, not one with the expectations of a full-time teacher.
I was feeling a little depressed for the remainder of Friday (when I quit) and Saturday, but it sank in, truly sank in today. I woke up at twelve, feeling stress-free, decided to go out with my sister to watch a movie, return some library books and borrow some when I haven't for the last three weeks (shit, just as I type this, I realise they are overdue). I also feel an urge now to continue my writing and catch up on current affairs, which I have been sadly neglecting. Plus improve my Chinese.
Now I'm also thinking of what to cook for CNY reunion dinner, since my Tuesday will be free.
Well, so I thought, quitting isn't such a bad thing after all, it seems. I didn't realise exactly how stressed I was until I stopped it altogether. I have enough for my China trip, anyway, so just doing coaching shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Anyway, later, I might go shopping with my sister. Our shopping styles have not changed over the years. We will go to west mall, walk one round in Bossini and look at the shelves. If we buy something, we will sit down somewhere for a drink and a chat, happy with our purchase. If we don't buy anything, we will sit down somewhere for a drink and a chat, having decided that there is nothing much to buy.
There are so many mosquitoes in my house now that I think we're all going to die of insecticide inhalation. Unfortunately, I'm not even sure if all that is working. Despite spraying all around and aiming Baygon at the flying insects, there has been no dead bodies of mosquitoes lying around. Argh, why can't they be as easy to kill as ants?
My sister told me that one night, she couldn't sleep and went out to the balcony, to stand in front of the fish tank. The fish got a big shock when they saw the big, hulking figure, banging the glass and splashing the water. So...human. Or we are so fish. Whatever.
I was feeling a little depressed for the remainder of Friday (when I quit) and Saturday, but it sank in, truly sank in today. I woke up at twelve, feeling stress-free, decided to go out with my sister to watch a movie, return some library books and borrow some when I haven't for the last three weeks (shit, just as I type this, I realise they are overdue). I also feel an urge now to continue my writing and catch up on current affairs, which I have been sadly neglecting. Plus improve my Chinese.
Now I'm also thinking of what to cook for CNY reunion dinner, since my Tuesday will be free.
Well, so I thought, quitting isn't such a bad thing after all, it seems. I didn't realise exactly how stressed I was until I stopped it altogether. I have enough for my China trip, anyway, so just doing coaching shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Anyway, later, I might go shopping with my sister. Our shopping styles have not changed over the years. We will go to west mall, walk one round in Bossini and look at the shelves. If we buy something, we will sit down somewhere for a drink and a chat, happy with our purchase. If we don't buy anything, we will sit down somewhere for a drink and a chat, having decided that there is nothing much to buy.
There are so many mosquitoes in my house now that I think we're all going to die of insecticide inhalation. Unfortunately, I'm not even sure if all that is working. Despite spraying all around and aiming Baygon at the flying insects, there has been no dead bodies of mosquitoes lying around. Argh, why can't they be as easy to kill as ants?
My sister told me that one night, she couldn't sleep and went out to the balcony, to stand in front of the fish tank. The fish got a big shock when they saw the big, hulking figure, banging the glass and splashing the water. So...human. Or we are so fish. Whatever.
