In Reminiscence...

Received a reply text from TS on Christmas that reads:

" ... Christmas also reminds our Choir will never be the same b4 so I always have mixed feelings of joy n sadness...."

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There was a time when all would sing with a zing. Then one day, everyone "grew up" at a cue, and the spirit was all killed.... no wonder Ecclesiastes 12 says to remember our Creator before the "evil" days come, when we find no more pleasure in the best of things that God has given...

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-1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,

4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
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A Tiring Christmas...

This christmas is more tiring than usual. Maybe cos' I've started the shopping real late this year... You see, Christmas shoppings are a ted more tiring from normal shoppings and here's why:-

Unlike most shopping experiences where you'd get to enjoy the "fruits" of the laborious ply down Wheelock place to Plaza Sing, and from City Hall, Marina Square, down to Millenia Walk, Christmas shoppings are done with the pleasure of others in mind. On normal shopping trips, you can do without any "harvest"s. However, Christmas shopping gets more stressful by the day when the cart remains barren.

While the gifts chosen may not always be the best, it is a chance to tell the receivers that they are remembered in thanksgiving of the year's happenings. Each of the to-be receiver of the gift had to be jotted down, and each gift chosen with thought: it has to be of use to the receiver or at very least, to consider and avoid the taboos (no cups, mugs, plates, knives, clocks or anything that spells or sound wrong)... Even what seemed the most thoughtless - chocolates - were chosen after much effort expensed to find the better gifts came to naught.

I'd also choose the "right" time to present the gifts, and imagine the smile of the receiver when he/she sees the gift of thought left for them. It must sure feel great to be remembered...

That, I must say, was all on my own accord, and with no strings attached for reciprocates. Although a present received at this season may tell me that I am in your thoughts, please do not do so with the gifts that your other friend has sent you. Yea, I know that we are used to forwarding emails with a whole load of names and seeing if the return mails are what had been previously sent out, but rest assured, that gift that was just "forwarded" from your other friend (whose name is signed on the momento) will stop at my end.

Oh yes, please also spare me from the free gifts received from buying ten tubes of Darlie toothpastes or three tins of Nestles. If that is what I may be remembered by, I'd like to be excused of the insult. For, ahem, I can still afford to buy a mug if I'd need one (erm... actually, I've got tons of them chunked in my kitchen cupboard), or if anything, I can buy my own ten tubes of Darlie toothpastes. By the way, I don't really fancy the "thoughts" of the commerce... Thank you very much.

Now, I'd still had to think where to place ta' boo-ed gifts.... boy.... ain't this a tiring Christmas? Let's go have a cuppa Nestle...
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Maybe knowing I don't know is part of getting through...

I thought I did what's right

I thought I had the answers

I thought I chose the surest road

But that road brought me here

So I put up a fight

And told You how to help me

Now just when I have given up

The truth is coming clear

You know better than I

You know the way

I've let go the need to know why

For You know better than I

If this has been a test

I cannot see the reason

But maybe knowing I don't know

Is part of getting through

I try to do what's best

And faith has made it easy

To see the best thing I can do

Is put my trust in You

For you know better than I

You know the way

I've let go the need to know why

For You know better than I

I saw one cloud and thought it was a sky

I saw a bird and thought that I could follow

But it was You who taught that bird to fly

If I let You reach me, will You teach me?

For You know better than I

You know the way

I've let go the need to know why

I'll take what answers You supply

You know better than I

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(Better Than I David Campbell Joseph: King of Dreams )

Sitting alone, much thoughts would flood my mind. I wonder if I am getting old, I have too out-of the-world expectations, or that I have always been one who simply ponder things a tad more than it might be necessary. It like.... kneading a small dough of matters and transforming it into a big roti-prata of implications that I soon realise that I am absolutely inapt to digest.... (ok, sounds crappy...anyway...)

Perhaps, really, knowing "I don't know" is part of getting through...

There are time when it seems leading a secular life without concern for the existence of God and His will is easy.... but if we'd behave as if there's no God, we'd better be right....

Then again, the knowledge of a God who has sovereign control is comforting. It gives hope that even not knowing, I'll be able to get through because He knows better than I.... So how do I let go of the need to know "why"? .............and "how"?

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Taking leave...

As children, we loved holidays. School's out, and it's time free to own... ok, except for the holiday assignments. The best times were those breaks in kindy and uni. No homework, no holiday assignments... basically, just time on our own - simply to relax and recharge - then start everything afresh.

Growing up, taking leave from routines are no longer as carefree. The people in the adult world take leave from routines, only to satisfy other's expectations. They flock away from home, rush through places, taking pictures. Don't be mistaken. I have nothing against picture taking. In fact, I like taking pictures. They are memories to which are extremely valuable especially for people like me who's showing early signs of alzheimer... Neither am I against going on overseas trip, taking time to explore the world, away from the familiarities and being intoxicated in THE mood.... ah.....

But some people do not share the same reason. The pictures, are to them, evidence of having spent the bucks. All so that the "so, where have you been?" question asked at the pantry may be answered with pride. They shoot quizzical looks when I say I am staying home on my leave days.... Adults are weird creatures...

Nontheless, I took leave from work today as I did not think it a good idea to start the 27th year of life half-panting in the rat-race. It was nice to be able to wake up without the alarm clocking crying above the head, laze about, select and read the papers, have lunch at time past noon, take a cuppa, fiddle the piano, gamed a little, nap a little, and basically just let the day pass in leisure. No fuss, no faze. Simply nuah....

It might have been just a little more perfect if there were no emails, and reports to send.... and I can start everything afresh when I return from the break.... Taking leave from routines sure ain't the same anymore.... there can be no fresh new starts after the break. (Hopefully) Just a refreshed spirit. And now, back to the same work again.....
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Is there a "Right-ER" one? Roll the dice now..... and hope to win a Newfoundland....

Hong surfed into Yin's blog the other day, came upon the post titled "Meeting the Right person, but too late", and msn-ed me a question: is there a right-er person?

As we exchanged views on the multiple new paths that she is preparing to tread, we concluded with lamentations that everything are unknowns.

All's but uncertainties ahead - and we ain't just talking about relationships.

Is it stay or go?
Is it now or when?

How to know that the future is going to be better than the present?
How to know that a choice made is right?
How to tell if the faith placed is true?

Whatever the case, choices prevails in everyday living. The gamble has to be taken, and the dice has still gotta be rolled. Let's just hope that regardless, it will be our win day at the end of the story.

Hong's closest advisory told her that education has made us go on needless digs and analyses. Ah well, do hope that she's right. Everything will definitely be easier if we can go about making gutsy choices without fears and interpretations, and yet get all the enviable wins.

I'd sure like to not think anything, and be able to still win bon vivant sustenance, and a good newfoundland whatever the path ahead...... if only i have faith, the size of a mustard seed....

"...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own..." ~ Matthew 6:34~

* Coincidentally, the dog named the newfoundland is one who has outstandingly sweet temperament, is genteel, generous, intelligent, patient & loyal.

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An update on school...

Time flies. It has been a quarter of a year since class turned on, starting with a lecture a week, to three..

Going back to school is a break-away from the routine and the "everyday people" (people you meet everyday) grown too accustomed over the last 3 years.

Initial Accounting and Banking lectures were led by a Harry guy who proclaims everything "kancang". Through two sessions of 1.5 hours lectures, he will "kacang" his way through, with the quizzical students dragged along, driven nuts picking up the litters of information. Have problem balancing the sheets? "No problem", he would say, "Continue playing with the numbers, and you will get it." And on, he will walk, invigilating and avoiding the lane in your aisle the next time he has the students fumbling over questions flashed in small fonts on the overhead projector. A young boy in the class said he is not a teacher, but an aspiring magician... well, either that, or he had simply over-rated us! =D

The best thing about him is that class will definitely end on time as he kept watch on the wall clock like a hawk, harping on how detrimental it is to be having classes at evenings late.

You guessed it, he was ousted out after a review. Nonetheless, there wasn't a feeling of the least of any remorse. In fact, he was glad to be off the hook to hold classes in the evenings. To start with, he aint' really that interested to teach the late classes, if not (in his own words) "for the money".

That made the next Accounting lecturer shine against his bad record. She went through every tiny details, punctuating her lines with "Are you clear?", while everyone responded back in a typical Singaporean behaviour (that is, stare back at her). I guess most are really appreciative at least for her earnestness though. Ok, except for a big nosed guy who went up to her to tell her not go to those details, cos' he has done accounting in his secondary school years before and it's a repeat of what he had learnt.... totally without empathy for pathetic science students like me who'd struggling to make out heads and tails... Anyway, that's probably just an example of typical i-me-myself person lar, i guess...

ah well, irritating, yes, but i'm still pretty cool with it.... anyway, what makes him think that he can still remember what he learnt in seconday school... I think i even have problem remember V=IR or was it V= I/R? okie... maybe i'm just lousy.... whatever...

It is also interesting to see how people learn nowadays. While I employ the ol'fashioned way of scribbling illegibly through lectures, I actually spot some guys holding up their phones and taking time to perform photography on the screen notes. Well, that probably means that these people can read their "notes" on the go. Whip out your phone, and there are the powerpoint slides.... cool! but then again, they must have really good camera phones...... hahah...

The new banking lecturer is also a pretty jolly guy who consistently calls himself Uncle Ngoh. But hey, Uncle Ngoh is definitely not your typical Uncle. He holds impressive portfolios, but remained pretty humble in his dealing with people. The best, best thing about him is his willingness to share his notes. This is something Harry won't do, harping on the fact that they are notes that he wrote on his own.... and mind you, Harry's notes are full of typographical errors that he conveniently dismiss as the result of his poor typing skills.... makes me wonder what program he used to type his notes.....

Law classes are a tad different.

We have a lecturer who's simply gregarious and engrossed in teaching. When the time came when the school decided to move him out to teach other classes, the law students stood together and petitioned against it.

Aside from keeping the students awake with his animations, there were countless dictations to keep awake through the hour. I have used up two Stabilo pens in a short time frame of a month. Fidgeting students who have classes next often are caught in the dilemma of choosing to sit or to move. Poor things....

The law class is another scene altogether - kinda different from the i-me-myself centered group of people in the accounting class. The law species enjoyed group discussions and ideas sharing much more - even stopping for the ones who are having problem catching up - without thinking it is a waste of time... Too bad, i do not have the luxury to engage in those group things they've regularly got. I'd think they must be pretty enriching...



Anyway, that's all to update on school for now.... to justify the reason behind the lag in updates for a period too long...... realised that working and studying is too much of a stunt for me to play. bushed lar....

Not a blog

When Darkness of Night obsures all the Light,

I feel all alone.

When Heavens are brass, and though I may ask,

No Answer would come.

When my Faith is weak, the future looks bleak,

And life seems so wrong,

I've learnt to say, "Jesus, Jesus, please make me strong!"

When life's fondest dreams, my plans and my schemes

Refused to come true.

When that which I prize, for which my heart cries,

I cannot pursue.

When God's ways seem strange,

I'm prone to complain, "My Blessings are few!"

I've learnt to say, "Jesus, Jesus, please see me through!"

I've learnt that He cares and He shares in my hour

Of sorrow and grief.

I've learnt that He chastens,

But hastens to bring me welcome relief.

I've learnt that my Saviour is waiting and willing to dry all my tears.

I've learnt to say,"Jesus, Jesus, thank you for calming my fears."

When my work is done,

And life's setting sun begins to sink fast.

When temptation sores afflict me no more,

They're part of the past.

When Eternity is Reality, and done are my tasks.

Then I will say, " Jesus, Jesus, thank you, I'm home at last!"

Don't know why, but the tune of the old chorus has been ringing in my head the last few days. Haven't been able to remember all the words, and thus resolved to dig it out. I suppose this is a really old chorus that no churches sing anymore. You won't even find it in the net. I probably won't know it too, if not that for the fact that I "originated" from a real historic church whose choir would appreciate and sing the yellow pages left from the youth of the grey-haired (at least during my time)... Nontheless, the words are no less meaningful.

So many times, questions asked yield no answers. In fact, there are many more times where God seems too far even for questions. Other times, I even feel that I don't know how to take the next step - or leap.

Is life to be one that follow the "normal cycle" that everyone else is leading?

It's so odd. Recently, I have been feeling that I need to stand for dreams to which I can prize. Dreams..... that I am also unsure of. Other times, the lazy side of me just settle for being dragged along what presents behind the veils with time... anyway.... I guess I am going out of point.....

In fact, I logged in not exactly to blog, but because I'd want to log the old chorus that speaks of something to me somewhere I won't forget.... I love reading words... I cannot imagine how the history of music can predate the written word.... I mean... I can't deny that music can swell emotions, but somehow, I think they are ornaments to stories conveyed in words. But music emptied with words are.... ermmm..... harder to appreciate.... ah well, at least for me.... I cannot really fully appreciate pure instrumental symphonies. But I love musicals though....

Anyway....guess that just prove even more that I am not musically inclined !

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A time for Girlie things...

Have a meet-up, book a pedicure - enjoy a soak, a scrub, some TCL and have the toes painted pink. Texted each other on dinner plans even though barely ten footsteps apart. Get nourishment from soup restaurant, then to Mac-Café for kopi and talk about everything that's happening without reserves.

Girlfriends are wonderful to be around.
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Back to school again

After 4 long years of being able not to worry about missing out on lecture notes, or not making sense of anybody's speech, it's with much anxiety that I approached the classroom again.

Through these past years, I have been attuned to instinctively neglecting speeches that don't make sense without having second thoughts about them, and switching off on boring speakers while appearing attentive. There was a time when I actually fell asleep during a meeting while scribbling, what I later found were doodles that I cannot make any sense of... Still, it was no big deal. For, having jetted back across the globe, and 6 months later, I am still surviving fine with what I may have missed then.

Guess it's different with studying. Miss the point, and it's probably a gone-case. Also, starting to make small talks and establishing rapport with new people again is no mean feat. Haven't been that great at that to start with... *shrug*

Anyway....

Well, let's just say it is giving my stale brain a second chance to turn the fungii into better tasting mushrooms...

Soon

Just read Hong's blog. In it, she's musing her being deliriously happy with her (quote-unquote) "hokkien spouting, short short ah beng", minus the hun-ki. Today, she also got to choose the flat of her heart's desire. Reading her life the past months, it was a picture of bliss that makes one go "aww-so-sweet...". Pretty much different from the dissatisfactions from years not too long ago. Guess she'd proven her choice right amidst the distracting buffet of tall, macho, nerd, and beng. Cool!

On the contrary, the last months of my life seemed to be a stark contrast. I seem to have been plagued with horrid, and I am still wondering what had gone wrong. Do hope I'll be able to blog some fairytale soon too...
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Drool Blog #4: Pretty Food look-alike

Yes, I have skipped drool #3 for #4. No, it's not because I can't count. I guess I might enter a post-dated #3. Well, till then....

The eve of the GST hike seemed to be a season to be jolly.... ermm... I mean... jolly seasons where you hear more ka-chings, and see longer queues of happy shoppers in more and bigger shopping bag? Shoppers were more reluctant than ever to leave the mall even when the stores switches off the lights in the fitting room.

When we stepped into Vivocity, at close to half past 5, the LMMM quickly detected the huge crowd in the mall and suggested we either do a really early or really late dinner. It's really aint that early dinner as half past 5 is my dinner time on a normal workday. Sticking to it is almost a no-brainer.

We thus embarked to shop around for cafes without queues, and found this place called White Dog Cafe. As we browsed the menu at its entrance, the service guy stepped forward and said their "food is quite good" (quote & unquote) in all earnestness. Unwilling to be wet blanket to that earnestness, we decided to let the White Dog feed us...

Ambience suited for class gatherings, the place has a casual chic. It is also one of the place that serves water in bottles.

Fine, that's not something worth raving about.... but then again, if you'd compare to the snob restaurants who won't spare me a drip of the tap water when I am paying service charges... to see a bottle of water served without question was generous. And I liked that bottle feel. The now-defunct Dome at Wheelock was the first place I've had water served in those bottles. Guess it kinda brought back some memories.... and I have always thought it is the practice of casual italian to serve water in those bottles. ... not sure why, but it gave a comfy feeling.. whatever...

As usual, we decided not to overeat and ordered some appetizers, a main, and a dessert. We thus ordered a dish of Sauteed mushrooms, and Salmon & cheese bruschetta for appetizer. Duck Confit was the main dish (something different from the usual fish and chips, although it's suppose to be one of the chef's recommendations). And (regretfully) we chose Brownies Galore as desert over warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream.

The food came pretty. Okay, not the four dollars mushrooms sauteed with garlic though. (No pictures for the mushrooms, cos they didn't come that pretty enough for us to take pretty pictures of it). Just use your imagination.

However, the taste of the food was a tad less promising than the look of it.

Salmon & Cheese Bruschetta ($7.90)

The salmon & cheese mushroom bruchetta had big slices of smoked salmon on bread, and olive oil dribbled on it. However, there was no traces of any cheese. The bruchetta also fail as bruchetta. It looked like.... ermmm.... confectionery bread that I take for breakfast.... (although they claimed it's whole-meal. I take cheap white bread.). The side salad would also do better without the lame thousand island dressing, but with (my fave) balsamic vinegratte.

Duck Confit ($19.90)

The Duck Confit was a tad hard at certain parts, and (not trying to mimick Zhang Ziyi) too salty. Wikipedia says that Confits are preserved meat in their own fats. That duck probably had high salt content in its fats. Overall, it was less palatable than it looks.

The Brownie Galore was the most disappointing. Personally, I feel that the food had been mis-named. It should be called Ice-cream Galore.

Brownie Galore ($10)

There were only litters of brownies below 4 scoopful of ice-creams. We felt that the name was a little unjustified and misleading. Nontheless, service-wise, the cafe do score some points. Dishes were promptly whisked off, and there was no need to remind to serve dessert even with the huge dinner crowd.

Food's not that fantastic for the palate, but I guess it's passable. Well, let's just say I might return again if we have a class outing or something, someday...

Address: No 1 HarbourFront Walk #02-131/132 Vivocity

The Nondescript Mind Dreamin' Distinct

We were shopping the busy Citilink on Saturday when Hong looked at the youngsters walking alongside and suddenly lamented that we are no longer in that stage of life where the future is ours. It's like.... you know, when we were still in school, green and sprouting, teachers would spell that the future is ours and painted promises of us being the up-and-coming generation that will have nothing stop our wonderful dreams from realising....

That's right. When we were...

Having barely passed the quarter century, it didn't seem that we fit the bill of being ancient. (shopping for anti-wrinkle creams not counting.) But even as we bat our eyelid on that same blink, it did not seem out to tell anyone of less years that the future is theirs. (I am sure that is what my peers who turned teachers are freely telling their little customers of terror now)

Regretedly though, I can't even say that I have been there or done there - wherever or whatever "there" is. Have I missed the dream? or have I not even even dreamt before time has passed me by?

Even as I considered having a go at another degree, I am caught dumb when my LMMM knocks on me the question on what I would want to do eventually. I'd wanted to give a smart answer, or say I'll do something some big somebody does. But ermmm.... I can only manage a shrug and a big dunno.

Well, perhaps my brains' probably too empty to dream any big dreams of any big somebody at the moment. But Malcom Forbes (yes, the Forbes Magazine guy) said that education is suppose to replace an empty mind with an open one. Going by that logic, I guess I now know the smart answer the next time I am asked that same question. That will be to ply my mind open bigger than any big somebody's, open to more options. If everyone is the same as the other someone else, won't that be too boring?

Ah well, let's just hope my old brain won't be too difficult to flex open, and time may wait for me to dream my unique dream of the future mine: that distinct someone who's nondescript... And of course, realise the unclassified distinction.

"Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen." ~ Mark Twain

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The people most difficult to work with...

While Yin thinks that the most difficult working environment is one where people are rude to one another, I think the worst environment to work with will be one infested with opportunists. As a matter of fact, I have been plagued by just one, and that was enough to drive me up the tallest wall imaginable. I am even willing to call myself ungracious in the face of dealing with The Opportunist. Really cannot imagine being in the company of more.

The Opportunist is lethal, and potently imbalanced. The Opportunist marvels at problems. No, they aren't perfect challenges for The Opportunist to drive solutions. Problems are best chances for The Opportunist to jump into bitchy email writing mode, copy everyone that can be thought of, and start the "it's your fault, her fault, his fault, and it's also ITS fault, (basically the whole wide world's fault). Please check all the problem, and revert to me (so that I can use them as blackmail chips). I am boss now (yeah... the self-deluded who still cannot find a footing in the next rung) because I am NOT (must highlight, bold & underline) the cause of the problem. And yes, I want to have what I want because my boss (whom I think is great cos she can let out loud shrills that resonates through rooms and is probably also capable of breaking windows) says that I am the control hub."

Bwahahaha...

Yea, right! Who can pay when the pocket's empty?

To think that any gains may be reaped from finger-pointing exercises, The Opportunist must be either down-right naive, or is a big-time laughable loser who had been highly repressed.

I'll opt for the latter. Who else would do sneaky things like block others in their messenger contact list, and in turn, run unidentified programs to check who blocked them? People who had some deviant virus, i guess...

Trust me, having one Opportunist is definitely enough to be more than a handful. It is almost asphyxiating. I can do without one. Really cannot imagine being in a company of more than that... drop dead.

The giant Giant

Ikea, Giant & Courts congregating their mega malls in Tampines.... With all the space, it feels like I am back in the States... kinda nice walking from building to building... guess I like all things big...

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Cleaning the baggages...

Can't say I've had a super efficient day, but at least I did something today. That, plus having slept away the entire morning!

Nah..... those were not harvests from the recent Great Singapore Sales, but the collection of bags we have at home.... URBAN today says bags should not be kept in plastic bags. Hence, the spree to repack them. Never realised though, that I've got so many bags until I lay them out on the floor... (and those were not all!)

But somehow, I'm always having difficulty trying to find the right bag to go with the day's attire... aye... there can never be enough...

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When's the last time you've had a Kid's set meal?

I had mine today...

At first fascinated at being allowed to order a kid's set meal, but as I chomp on the dried beef patties in the burger, I started drooling over the fancy shepherd's pies that sat neatly at the counter display... LMMM's ham-wrapped-in-chicken-topped-with-cheese (whatever you call that) looked great too.

Ah well, that's life - Whatever you order just won't seem as great as someone else's.




(Eversince Yin's query, I have been wondering why the nick for S is worth a "muahaha..".... anyway, it will henceforth be changed to LMMM. Looks longer and less stingy than a single character... and he cannot even really figure out how to remember what that means... keke...)

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Drool Blog #2: Cool with Al-fresco dining

Having been pretty pre-occupied by work recently, I thought S would have been too busy to go on the little "specials dates" we would usually have on the days past the mid-month. I was caught in a (pleasant) surprise when he nonchalantly "reminded"me of our dinner date in the morning. Technically, it should not be deemed as a reminder cos there was no pre-appointment. Nonetheless, the fact that he actually made the effort to keep the evening aside amidst vying attentions means much.

We settled at this little al-fresco dining place at Labrador Park called "THE OLIVE RISTORANTE". Very italian name that speaks of the food served indeed.


I was initially pretty skeptical about doing an outdoor dining as such in Singapore. In fact, I started off, unable to help, but scrutinizing whatever little insect that may be having a wheel of time trying to find the shortest way off the table before I squash them.

Perhaps weather that day was good. Or perhaps Hong was right when she said being under the trees beat being in the air conditioned room. To be exact though, we were never directly under the trees, thought we were made to believe so. There was a transparent shelter cleverly hidden above the plant-parasites, making outdoor dining experience possible even in the rain.

With the fan supplying sufficient draught, we manage to have an outdoor dinner without much complaint of perspiration pouring. It is either that, or we were simply too distracted by the pretty food...


First on the order was the seafood platter appetiser. The presentation sent us drooling, and the dish delectable. okay... ... maybe it's my photo-taking skills that still pend improvements... here's another shot I got from streetdirectory.com...

Scallops topped with prawns, and smoked salmon topped with cavier

The pros made it more palatable looking indeed. I loved the prawns & scallops... and the drips of rich balsamic vinegar that goes with the greens. Smoked salmon and the cavier was a tad too salty though.

For the mains, we ordered Al fungi linguine that S thinks looked like chinese noodles on the photo... yea... blame the incompetent photographer and her phone again..

The color looked off indeed for it was not exactly the usual tomato based gravy you normally have on your pasta. This one has a little buttery goo kinda texture with a little spicy, but nothing overpowering. Just lacking in the tomato flavor.

Star of the night was the dessert. Since this is our first visit, and we are unfamilar with what's best, we went for the cannot-go-wrong choice: warm chocolate cake with ice-cream.

The cake was warm and heavenly, the vanilla ice-cream cutely sitting on a little round dish goes perfectly well with the chocolate. We cleaned off the plate in matter of minutes. Lingering, we observed that the crowd is made up of couples seeking their romantic whiles under the velvety dark, and a number of yuppies chilling out over bottles of wine.

The casual tranquaility made the dinner experiential, and have me appreciate the food and the company better. An after-dinner walk around the area (didn't wander off too far though, cos scarey cat is not too comfy with places that are too dark & deserted) , and subsequent drive down the hill ends the evening on an awesome note.

Might be nice to have dinner against the setting sun. Guess I can do this another time... earlier...

Address: Labrador Park 1019, Labrador Villa Road, Carpark A, Singapore

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Drool Blog: The Fungus Feast

Yin insisted that I must blog the Fungus feast aka Health Set hotpot, purportedly anti-oxident, anti-ageing & anti-toxic.... I have never been a foodie, so do bear with the greenie.


Since it was under the insistence of Yin that this first food blog entry was conceived, the story should thus start from her.... and her decision to go vegetarian for the day 'cos of her new resolution to go veg-one-day-and-meat-the-next-and-so-on-and-so-forth. Since she already had meat the day before, it is veg day on 01-May.

Well, mum thinks she really can be flexible and do meat-meat-veg-veg instead of keeping the boring rhythm of meat-veg-meat-veg. Anyway... in support of her quest to abide by her resolution, I combed the Serangoon Gardens area and chanced upon a quiet little corner restaurant called Mushroom Park, nestled in the busy Serangoon Gardens.

It sounds amusing, but the thought of a fungus feast seemed to excite her much. While I'd thought I would enter to do a 9.8 set meal (meaning set lunch meal costing $9.80+++) as advertised on the bill-board, and resoluted not to over-eat, we ended up succumbing to the lead's recommendation for a hotpot set, said to be their best known.

We started the meal off sipping mug of tea whilst waiting for the soup to simmer...

Tea was no normal chinese tea, but one that packed the mug with lotsa ingredients. The trick, I have learnt from Yin, was to keep the lid closed. This is to allow the aroma of the ingredients to be totally infused within the mug.

First dish on the set is MUSHROOM SASHIMI. Never thought mushrooms can also be made into sashimi. They looked like abalone cubed and its texture chewy, the perfect abalone counterfeit.

As we chatted & the soup on the hot pot starts to boil, the waitress came with the assortment of fungii - the main show of the meal:

There's from the top right, the flimsy black-fungus looking (ermm.. yah hor.. they are fungii to start with... but I am not food blogger... not too sure how to describe that....), the "oyster mushroom", the liver looking mushroom (that makes me wonder if Audrey II in little shop of horror will look like that if cut up), and the left overs of the heavenly mushroom sashimi (that's probably too saintly, they reflected all the light).

On the same tray was a stop watch that will do a 7-minutes count down as the dishes are thrown one after another into the hotpot. As this is being done, the waitress explained that the fungus have to be thoroughly cooked before they can be eaten. I reckoned so too. Leaving spores to germinate in the body sure is not right.

It's not all greens & browns though. There's also protein supplement in some thinly sliced beef and chicken. Overall, the meal seemed pretty wholesome. There's no feeling of having sinned in gluttony even after cleaning off the whole big pot, and that is without sparing a pretty little dessert to end off the meal.

We sat through till the shop closes for the afternoon at 3pm. That's when we realised we were the only customers left, and the lead politely asked if we'd want the bill.

The Bill:

$26.80 per pax (cheapest of the three sets they have on the menu). However, there was a 10% discount stated on the bill (S said it might be cos of some HSBC dining privileges, but I think it is cos the lead knows that was our first visit. In any case, a discount is always good news.) There's 10% + 5% charge & tax for the meal.

The Ambience:

Chinese restaurant with tasteful Family setting. Can be good for business too.

The Service:

The lead was pretty chatty, and has got this pair of electrifying eyes. The other waitress and waiters are mainlanders who are pretty obliging to our multiple curious questions.

Address: 87 Serangoon Garden Way S(555983)

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Burnt

In view of the May-day holiday today, we decided to chill out at Lower Pierce Reservior on Monday evening after a tired day at work. While at the carpark, I suddenly looked up and saw the trees and branches hovering above us forming an art web across the skies that seemed to depict my feelings then - whatever it is...

Against the setting sun, the green leaves and branches looked like burnt twigs and chaff. There seemed to have a dose of dreadly malancholy. Staring at the scene instilled some kind of serenity, yet such a web seems to hold within it, a dash of grim. Yea... it's inexplainable....

Over the last months, I have been in an out-of sort mode. "Out"... as in..... I also dunno.... it's some inexplicable chagrin...

Patience worn thin. Level of irritability shot beyond the mercury measure. Productivity seemed to have gone awry, and energy sapped beyond whatever much I reckon I still contain. Everyday is a tired day.

Once, it's mind over the body, now, everything seemed to have gone amok. The mallard feels like stopping the paddle. Utterly disrupted life.

Perhaps it's time for a time-out....

Is it the Budding Gal-Power or Did the Men not get it?

Was at a wedding on Saturday as the bride's friend. This is the first time I get witness a whole day wedding event and I was kinda excited initially. However, through the day, we started to get glimpses of the bride's stress, and we got a little affected as well.

She seemed to be under extreme stress over the happenings, the event and if she has unwittingly offended anyone. Meanwhile, the groom's taking things easy with little hints of nervousness. Only preparing his thank you speech at the last minute, he was nowhere to be found at the start of the cocktail reception. While we'd very much wanted to help, we were helpless as the bride jets around trying to settle whatever loose ends there were.

This is a completely different scene from when I last attended Y's wedding. She was all poised, and pretty. Happy and all, a mirror out of the scene from a fairy tale. The girl that all envied and hoped to be.

Ain't that what weddings are suppose to be? Merry, with the stars of the day in the most jubilant mood?

Kong says she actually felt a little sad as the bride's friend to see that she did not get to thoroughly enjoy the day. While we all hope they will eventually lead fairy tale lives ever after, Kong rose a point - guys used to take care of everything in the past. The girls just gotta dress themselves pretty and wait for the men to settle everything. Why then, do some brides of today have to busy themselves? Are the girl-power arising? Or are the men of today getting lousier?

However quixotic others may think, I guess all girls do have in us, a certain fantasy, a pursuit for lofty ideals. We all hope things will turn out perfect. The perfect match. The perfect event. The perfect life ever after... And when the insensitive guys get less re-assuring, the girls got all stressed up. We'd all hope the men will take on the work, but when they don't seem to get it, we had to try to perfect things ourselves.

Well, I am sure the men today are still capable of handling the things men of the past did. (who would have else dared to make that bold step to hand their lives to them if that wasn't the case?) What they really need is to inject some dose of sensitivity.

Sure, the girls can handle more things than one would ever imagine, (the wedding did not have any major glitches) but then again, it will be nice if the guys were to lend a little shoulder to affirm their vows in concrete actions. The sensitivity at such times are proves of sincerity that will go a long way.

Ah well, perhaps everyone's still learning how to live that epitome.

The wedding is over, but the union is here to stay. I just wish that my friend's husband will learn to empathise with her stress, shower her with more love, and that they will live in eternal bliss.....
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Mr Guru & Mr Gus

The past period has been (and actually still is) extremely difficult. Reasons askewed and emotions gone awry, I really have little idea how I survived not having self-combusted. Bombarded with absurd contradictories and what was akin to psychological abuse time and again, I have no idea how to deal with the distressed psyche that was welling emotions erratically within.

Last week was what seemed the peak of the madness. I was hopping crazy and was almost acting on my contemplation to sue at an insult. Everyone dear whom I shared the thoughts with did not take me very seriously. I reckoned they had thought I was simply venting some pent up emotions like a little girl throwing her mean tantrum. Little do they know that I was already seriously printing all related materials, highlighting the laws statements, and making sense of my case.

I was at a point of breakdown and about to do just anything. And I really mean ANYTHING.

Mr Gus came by and asked me out of the office for a break. For the first time, after working for so many years, I stopped all work and went out of the office before the official work hours was over. Over a cuppa apple juice, he shared the frustrations, acknowledged the possibility of reacting in my manners, and shared his stand as a third party - what we both agreed was easier said than done. Although there came a point he smiled and sneered at my incapability of winning any vicious games, there was no condemnation. (I guess that is still a positive statement, nonetheless) Neither was there disregard. Just loads of assurance that if anything should fail, there will still be someone to go lunch with me.

The sure assurance was accompanied by concrete actions in the following days - the checks, and the inclusions in activities. The little actions did something to pacify one side of the utterly imbalanced soul.

When Mr Guru came by to check on me later, I was a little like a subdued monster. But as I started to narrate the happenings that he had missed, the rage resurfaced. Undaunted and steady as usual, he drew out the analysis on paper - like an advisor, making his calculated move.

Throughout the sharing, there was no disregard for details. Even the denied characters were not dismissed, and brought out. Patiently listening, each thoughts, feelings and possibilities were expounded. As with the talk with Mr Gus, some were easier said than done. Nonetheless, we managed to come to a concluding objective and reason for the next planned action.

Although the trauma still sticks and the wound is still a bad sore, I do appreciate the efforts of the two men who egged me on through it all, refusing to let tears pour...

Tribute to both - Thank you!
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Malicious Queen needs a psychologist

Life has never been easy... and it just gets more difficult to deal with when you are being termed malicious queen for unexplainable realm or reasons by some crazy dog who just want to bite onto your tail and refuse to let go...


... and since I've got back problem, leaning to one side is a tad difficult... Oh no! how then do we get out of this chaotic & distressing botch?!??!

Mr Guru said taking flight at this point will not be a good solution.

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I have always loved talking to Mr Guru. Somehow, he has a way to put things in a perspective that will dispell their negative vibes. This time, however, it is disturbing. He had made a prediction suggesting an atmosphere that felt kinda ominous to the unaccustomed oddball. What more, barely days after our talk, telling signs of the prediction began to surface....

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Ah well... Maybe L was right in his new year's random thoughts, when he said intelligent people will produce inferior work when faced with the battle of egos. That's why I have always thought that there is no necessity to fight or prove who's the greatest. We are living in a social web of interdependence, each with their own flaws and strengths. War should always be kept at bay if possible. Problem is, dealing with people who terrorises with venoms is no mean feat.

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Anyway, back to the point on how the malicious queen is feeling...

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With all the accusations flying around, the malicious queen does not know how long she may bite on before she bites... yes... mallards can bite too...

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Happy New Year, Everyone!

How much does it take for that mallard to keep its sanity?

Things have been getting a little too much to handle recently. While S is questioning where my strong self had gone to, I am finding the weak side expanding bigger than ever. Correspondingly, the strong side is dimming exponentially. As part of me try to keep the spirit up in looking forward for each day's new starts, I cannot help but feel that I am playing losing games with each day's end...

On one hand, I seem to be in control of all the fuzz at work, but the fact is that I am finding it increasingly too much of a struggle. Just keeping up with the people relations and politics involved is a big drain on my spirit and energy. Well, to start with, I've always known that I am not good at that game, and to engage in a game I am not good at is definitely not me.

There was a time when people relations were such a cruise that it had been my foremost motivation. Everyone was nice then. However, for reasons unknown to me, things had seem to be failing tremendously recently. At the pressure to perform, battles of egos were started.

Suddenly, there were pulls of support cliques. People who never were that pal-ly suddenly became inseparable. People are behaving in bizarre manners, and caustic remarks made. Yes, there are times when I guess I too, am guilty of succumbing to the exchanges. And there were other times when there exist overwhelming urges to just scream at the next person who'd cross my path. Thankfully though, I have managed to combat the explosives in time. I guess losing control is the last thing I would want to happen. It will definitely not be very pretty.

But I am seeing my hair in a little more mess than usual lately.

Wonder how the mallard can uphold its calm whilst paddling furiously under water. It must have been great distress to be under that load of stress and yet keep on a pretty front. How did it keep the toil and maintain its sanity?
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