Last night was Phantom for Sarah & me. We were pretty early so munched on Mrs Field's cookies & went into a shop that sold costume jewellery with coloured stones. Picked up a pendant for Sarah & ring for myself. Then on to the performance.

Beautiful stage sets & lighting. Very good singing by Phantom himself though I still prefer Michael Crawford's version. Surprisingly I actually felt Sarah Brightman sang better than last night's Christine (dunno her name). Raoul was okay I guess but the girl who played Carlotta I thought is a very good opera singer.

There was an orchestra pit with an orchestra which made me wonder about Notre Dame again at Indoor Stadium. Where was the orchestra or were they lip syncing ? You can hear the orchestra warming up, different instruments going before the performance began at Phantom but there was none of that in Notre Dame.

There were a couple of scenes which made the Phantom seem wimpy. He isn't supposed to be wimpy. He is the Phantom, strong in character. He can show the tender side of him, the dejection & rejection but not wimpy. Those bits were disappointing. Raoul & Christine's scene on the rooftop was not soft, tender & romantic enough. Raoul came across as a hormone-raging teenager. But otherwise, very enjoyable overall.

The legroom space between rows of seats was not generous. They just fit. They should have a look at Cathay Cinemas, loads of legroom. But I guess the Esplanade was looking at fully employing the space for seats. It was really uncomfortable navigating past those who were already seated. But I was particularly annoyed by 3 ladies who didn't move a muscle when Sarah & I had to shift our way past them. If they were lazy to stand up, they could have easily slanted their legs to one side. Sarah & I did that to accomodate others who had to go past us to get to their seats. These 3 ladies just sat there & I swear, they didn't shift in their legs a little, just moved their shopping bags aside. And me being me, said so loudly ...aiyo, why can't they even move a bit. And they were same when others had to navigate past them. Its these things/people which spoil an evening out. Sigh.

Then when the performance started, we could hear someone tapping his/her feet to the rhythm of the music in the row behind us. We found out it was a she & I'm surprised the people sitting directly infront didn't ask her to stop because even Sarah & I could hear though we were a few seats away. But I guess people turned around a few times & she stopped midway in the 2nd half. Either that or the tunes abit slower so tapping rhythm not so fun. lol.

There was a couple directly behind us with 2 kids aged below 10. They were such angels, you didn't even know they were there. No chattering, not knocking on my seat, no fidgeting during the performance.

Better becareful..don't say the word "bomb" at our airports. The silliness of the situation is read by all since it was published in the newspapers. All the mother did was answer her daughter's question. That the security wanted to check for bombs. What is so wrong about that ? Then check for what ? If say "drugs" then what kind of what reaction I wonder. Maybe the mum should have said looking for brains, someone lost theirs. Or see whether got toe jam.

Poor family got intimidated & missed their flight & holiday. Guess the airport authorities had no choice but to compensate them otherwise they would be in a bad light. Already in a bad light with the attitudes of those security officers.

The security guy asked the lady to repeat what she said & so she did. She was merely replying to his request & then kena blamed for saying "bomb" word twice. I mean WTF ? I know the security were being vigilant as we all have to be in such times. But the whole incident made the security look ludricrous. They reacted at a word without viewing the situation in entirety. Oh I know there will be comebacks like...what if there was a bomb then everyone will be in danger. But that's what the security are there for, to check. Not just hear "bomb" word & jump up & down & detain them.

Is it illegal to mention the word "bomb" ?? In what context ? Can I say "The other night I was watching Discovery's Detective series & they were showing a case about a guy making bombs & how they caught him" How ? Or I say "this week's CSI NY is about a bomb case".

Someone told me two guys were talking about bombs at the airport. An Indian lady airport police officer overheard & told them rudely, "You all talking about bombs. You know you can be arrested". The two guys looked at her, flashed their ID passes & said, "we are talking about work". She must have been really put out that she couldn't glorify in an arrest case. And she didn't apologise for jumping.

Later in the evening...

Went to do our Singtel shares at Singpost today at Toa Payoh. That place is crowded ! There was some strongman contest going on as well as a bodybuilding contest. We were walking to the other end to get to the spectacles shop & the MC was saying to the bodybuilding contestants, "turn & face your rear to the judges....now flex your rear". Lolol how to flex your rear ?? Clench the butt cheeks hah ? lol

After doing the contact lenses we headed to lunch then dropped kiddos off to catechism class. Hubby & I went to United Square as I needed to change a couple of t-shirts for Sarah at Esprit.

Lo & behold as I am walking away from the store, I see a primary school friend ! We call out each other's name at the same time. We exchanged numbers & promised to get together soon.

This particular friend, Jackie, was in the same class from P1 to P6. We were in the same secondary school but different classes so we didn't meet up much then. I remember where she lived as I'd visited when we were in primary school & I remember the names of her dogs as well as her sisters. She remembers where I lived as a kid. My Chinese was very very poor when I was in Primary school (and its still terok !) so I used to get scoldings & punishments from the Chinese teacher all the time. And I also remember trying to copy Chinese spelling from Jackie who was annoyed & covered up her book. LOL.

I wonder if its true that as we grow older, we remember the past with greater clarity ?

Lament for the Day : Imagine the Idol contestants playing the roles in Phantom, with Sanjaya as the Phantom & Antonelli (or wadever her name) as Christine.

There will be no discourse about Idol in this post

Anyway, someone irked me at work this morning while I was busy. A colleague emailed me to draft an email that says sorry, we don't have the info & can't help. Well duh ! He coulda just done it himself by saying the same thing in his email to me. It was a two liner cos there wasn't any other info to include. And I told him so. But it was amusing in the roll your eyes kind of way after I got over the initial annoyance.

I've been doing research work on religions in relation to some work stuff I am preparing. Its been intriguing.

Most of us know that the Christian, Jewish & Islam faiths are all connected. Its sometimes called the Abrahamic religions. The Koran & Bible share many similarities. But just how so. Abram whom God later renamed Abraham meaning "father of many" was the founding father of the prophets of the Christian & Islamic religions.

Abraham was married to Sarah & for many years she could not conceive. So she gave her Egyptian maidservant Hagar to Abraham who sired a son, Ishmael, through her. Accounts differ, some say he took Hagar as wife & some say mistress.

Then God blessed Abraham with a son from Sarah, Isaac.

Sarah was displeased with Hagar, jealousy I guess & had Abraham banish Hagar & Ishmael into the widerness. Or perhaps it was in God's plan.

At one point, Abraham's faith was tested when God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac. The deed was just about to be done when God stopped him. His devotion had God blessing him with the continuance of his lineage through both Isaac & Ishmael. Abraham also took another wife Keturah after Sarah's death. Not much on this wife & the children he had with her.

Seems like he had mainly sons & just one daughter. She doesn't figure very much at all in the future developments.

Hagar & Ishmael survived their banishment & from their lineage was borne the Islam faith through their descendant, the Prophet Muhammad. Many of the rituals during the Haj reflect circumstances of how they survived by God providing them with water, the sacrifice & Abraham's encounter with Satan. In Islamic faith Abrahim is Ibrahim, Ishmael is Ismail, Hagar is Hajre & Isaac is Ishak.

Isacc's son Jacob had 12 sons who established the 12 Tribes of Israel. From their descendants, Judaism & Christianity.

So Islam & Judaism came about from the Semitics (mainly Jews & Arabs) & Christianity from Judaism.

I think I have the gist of it right. Many online articles available for the full story. And you'll need to read both on Abraham & Ibrahim.

By the way, Aryan is a term which the ancients Persians used to describe their lineage. Ironic the Nazis considered their Aryans as a white master race. Someone should have told Hitler that the original Aryans were the opposite of white, blonde & blue-eyed. LOL.

Lament for the day : I wonder what else is in my mum's store.

Ohhh its Idol nite again & Sanjaya has gone beyond ridiculous ! Lakisha & Melinda, 2 really good singers going head-to-head would really make a fantastic final. Imagine Sanjaya being Idol bahahahaha. I think if that happens I will give up watching future Idol shows.

Dunno what is happening with the local dance show & dun care. Too many trailers of the show, sheer waste of airtime.

Had lunch with my other colleague who is leaving. Like I posted before we'd never had lunch or dinner on a personal basis. There were meals during company events which don't count. It was a very nice lunch & chat. Learnt more about her today than in all the time I've known her.

And so I have finally planned my menu for the Easter party. Called everyone too & sorted out the potluck dishes. Its a tea party but it'll probably last till dinner. Like in all our parties, we always have enough food for 2 meals. At least now with the menu done, no need to stress anymore. All that's left is to shop for the ingredients.

Discovery channel has an interesting series tonite, A Haunting. Its more interesting than the paranormal investigator series (can't remember title) which is a group of guys using equipment to measure rise in temperature, sitting in the dark waiting for something to happen but nothing does. A door slamming was the most exciting thing I remember happening. And even then, that could have been a draft or set-up.

Interesting article in the papers today about Chow Yun Fatt's role in Pirates. There were mixed reviews on how Singapore is portrayed & how people may see the Chinese people from Chow's portrayal. The movie doesn't say what year this was but it was back when guys wore wigs & tights, obviously of an era long past. Probably before Stamford Raffles time. Anyway, I think its great to have a mention in the movie.

I've been re-reading some of my books like Gone with the Wind, Wild Swans, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Peaceful Warrior & Da Vinci Code. I need to get my hands on Roots. I watched the Tv series long time ago & read the book. Can't find my book now. I know it kept it. May be in my mum's store & I've asked her to look for it. I think The Thorn Birds also in the store.

On the Da Vinci Code who's to say what is true & what isn't. There will always be people who will advocate that its true & those who vehemently debunk & reject it completely. I read it for its entertainment value. After reading that, I went on to read Secrets of the Code as my interest was piqued from remembering bits & pieces from Holy Blood, Holy Grail & The Holy Grail way before Brown's Da Vinci Code was published. I still have The Holy Grail but Holy Blood, Holy Grail is lost. Again may be in mum's store.

While I have my opinions, I didn't really form a definite view. To me all possibilities...possibly true, possibly untrue. Is Harry Potter's world for real ? Who knows what's beyond the human realm.

I play games online & sometimes when I feel like it, I chat. There are people who know Singapore & have great respect for the country. And there are those who don't. I am quite amazed there are alot of people out there who don't know where Singapore is, that we speak English well & that we have such a modern advanced city & society. But then again, for a long time I didn't even know Timbuktu was a real city :p

Lament for the day : My mum still has my Enid Blyton books & Disney magazines which my kids never got to read.

So the ministry finally responded to my email of 6 March. Actually wasn't expecting them to but they did & the reply was...umm can't find a word for it. My lingerie is more interesting lol. Opened a pandora's box in my opinion.

I have no idea why they replied that my appeal has been rejected. In my last email I didn't ask for re-consideration or re-appeal. I stated quite clearly that son will take his CL exams. We had already accepted the earlier rejection. Maybe should have done in caps, bold & 30 pts font.

They brought up the point that the officer met with Ryan & the teachers & what happened etc. Errr hello...anyone home ? I was there at the meeting. I know what happened. I said so in the same email.

Then they mentioned the "criteria" for exemption again. That would be the 4th or 5th time. Seems like a pathological fixation with the "criteria".

There seems to be a problem comprehending/processing (or lack of ?) the contents of my mail. Had the response been different, I would not have been agitated.

If I were in their position, I would have replied :

Thank you for your email of 6 March to ---. We are so sorry that we have been unable to assist with the exemption as Ryan, unfortunately, does not qualify. We do thank you for your understanding and kind acceptance of our decision.

We also thank you for your comments and will convey them to the management for their review and consideration.

We are sure that with the support & encouragement of yourselves & the school, Ryan will make progress. And we wish him all the best with his PSLE exams and future endeavours.

Very PR-ish but so swee swee maah ! But I didn't say so in my reply...later they use as template lol.

In my reply, I stated for the record that we did not re-appeal, we accepted the decision of no exemption, that we were there at the meeting & there is no necessity to bring up the (drumroll) "criteria".

And I went on to state the crux of the matter which they did not get. It is not the rejection for exemption. My grumble is how it was handled from the start. Don't send a rejection letter & then send an officer to meet with the child & the teachers. For what ?

Do it the other way round. Send the officer to do an assessment of the child & talk to the teachers. Then send a letter a week later to say sorry, can't exempt. Even if internally the decision was already made earlier, it doesn't matter. Reject after assessment. Get the processes right. The parents will be satisfied.

Anyway, I said no need to reply. Just wanted to air my views. Quite fatigued.

Had a nice lunch with my two colleagues who are leaving. Glad one of them has a job to move on to & the other has interviews lined up.

They told me that in the movie Just Follow Law which I have not watched, a middle aged lady took up some courses to improve herself. So she learnt how to use the computer & started her own blog. Blog site is called laucharbor.com hahahah. I should have thought of that for my blog space. But I not quite lau so maybe I should have used chiobu.com.blogspot lolol.

Arggghhh...son got hold of ciggies & wanted to secretly experiment. His plan got foiled. Which is a good thing. Long lecture went on about the hazards & our own experiences with smoking. We know kids are curious & will attempt such (mis)adventures at one time or another. We've let our kids try beer & wine. So that they know what it tastes like & won't be curious to try it on the quiet. So we offered him a ciggie to try, infront of us. He refused & was remorseful. We also impressed on him that the hard core stuff would be destructive. Also told him that he should not let peer pressure influence him & how to handle it. Say no even if the peers say he is stupid. Better to be stupid than dead.

Errr I hope that Hwa Chong wins the debate finals. But I think they won't. Missed the results.

Waaaaah ! Ribena has no vitamin C ?? I grew up with that. Maybe that's why I didn't grow upwards very much lolol.

Lament for the Day : Am I so magniloquent that I can't be understood or just incomprehensible ?

Goats...I must now talk about the goats that Sarah is referring to in the tagboards.

Many many many years ago, long before Sarah was born, hubby & I were on the bus somewhere along Sembawang. I say excitedly to him, look at the bunch of dogs, so cuuuute.

He says, that Goats lah !

How I know Singapore still got herds of goats running beside a main road.

So its Monday...what can I say....

But I got my tag board. Thanks Sarah baaaabyyyyy !

Finished two parts of presentation project today. And learnt something new. Well a whole bunch actually.

Have 3 colleagues leaving at the end of the month. Attrition expected after bonus period. Having lunch with 2 of them tomorrow as I can't make it to the group dinner on Friday. Phantom on Friday....in dreams he sang to me, in dreams he came. That voice which calls to me, and speaks my name. And do I dream again. For now I find, the phantom of the opera is there, inside my heeeeeeeaaad.

Then on Wednesday with the other colleague. Funny how we have never had lunch together in all the time she has been here. Takes her leaving for us to really find time to do a meal together. We've done the official company makan sessions together but those don't count.

Like in all companies, there will be different groups of kaki who lunch together. Seems like the norm. I have my own lunch kakis too. There are always people you get along better with. Anyway, I go through these phases; eating lunch out everyday & then for a period, I will stay in during lunch.

Dun care for Myrna & Charla on Amazing Race after they cheated. And they arrived first in Zanzibar. Oh bleah ! Lololol they don't know what a catamaran is.

Sarah blogs that she has bimbotic tendencies. Don't think that's from my genes lol. What's the definition of bimbo anyway ? Slutty, silly, dumb, blur & uses physical charms to attract the guys ? Don't think sarah is bimbotic leh. She can be goofy & blur but that's about it. Besides, she has brains. At least I think she does lol.

On the news, nuns having fun. In the Philippines a group of nuns accompanied their bishop to bless the opening of a casino. Then the nuns were seen trying the one-armed bandits & criticised. What's the harm in that ? Just curious nuns trying it for fun as they were probably given a tour after the opening formalities. Why even have nuns & bishop in a casino in the first place then ? I dun geddit. Pleeeeease lah, worse things happening in the world & they quibble over fun nuns.

Told my colleague I'd watched 300. She had already seen it before I did. We talked about the fab abs again.

Not gonna bother watching Mr Bean's Holiday. Lame I think. Newspaper review says watching it is like "enduring coporal punishment" lol. Love their pun "Oh Bean there, done that". Sarah don't waste my money on that movie pleeeeeeease. Shrek 3, Die Hard, Harry Potter & Pirates more my cuppa tea. Not really a Spiderman fan so can pass on that one. Hope Die Hard & Pirates won't be letdowns.

Interesting that Bangkok Don Muang Airport reopened. The new Suvarnabhumi airport which I have never been to has been plagued with problems. It was still Don Muang when we were there last June. Friends who have been there didn't have good things to say. Think I will pass on Bangkok till the taxi-way cracks are fixed up. Are there really cracks ??

Lament for the day : Nuns trying out slot machines is serious news ?

Watched 300 yesterday & it was good. I liked the sepia-like rendition. Gerard Butler is a pretty intense actor. And supporting cast were good too.

When Xerxes first made his appearance, hubby said look like Kumar lol. Which I thought so too. Then Xerxes spoke, quite funny that his voice was soooo deep lol. And of course, phwaaaah there were the 6-packs & 8-packs...not just one fella, but the whole army LOL. Verrrrrry nice indeed.

I not so shallow lah, I also think very stylish production, dramatization & special effects. Some bits may not be factually correct but this a based on the comic book version. Plus these events happened in the 480sBC so who is to know if historical records were accurately recorded & then subsequently translated. But that's what movies are all about; to entertain & to do that, certain liberties will certainly be taken. Anwyay, I'd like to watch the 1962 version of The 300 Spartans.

I read that Apocalypto is an inaccurate dramatization. According to Mayan experts. But like I say...how accurate are historical records as they could be manipulated & how accurate are translations. Just like Passion, the blood & gore gruesome, not exactly palatable but I thought good movies overall. And of course I cried at Passion.

May be planning a short trip to Phuket (again) with hubby, Kel & Jo whom we met up with last night. Fishing trip with Rickie who is based there. At least I will have Jo for company. Just maybe cos of the exams.

CSI Sundays ! Yaaaay !!

Lament for the day : so sad hubby only has a one-pack LOL.

Funny how people can change even over a short period of time. Hadn't seen this person in around 2 years & quite suprised at the changes. Got an air of arrogance, talks like know everything, use words I dun understand. Maybe just to confuse us further & pull wool over our eyes. All we wanted to know was why, how & when. In simple engrish lah. Hazy days are back in more ways than one lol.

Was waiting at taxi stand at Great World City. Second in line. After the front customer boarded teksi, was my turn. But before the 1st customer's cab could drive off, one ang moh in suit approached the second taxi (which was MINE!!). He was holding a piece of paper, obviously wanting to know if the driver knew where it was & to take him. Not ang moh's fault cos he is most likely a foreigner, didn't know there was a taxi stand. But taxi man took him ! I forgot to take taxi number down.

I know I am bladdy short lah but there was nothing blocking the taxi driver from seeing me waiting. I could have run there & banged on door but high heels leh. And besides got a whole long line of cabs & no other passengers. Honestly it was a completely unobstructed view. Maybe taxi man blind in which case he shouldn't be driving.
I grumbled to my cab driver & he said he saw me so cannot be that the taxi driver infront of him couldn't see me. Sigh.

Then as my cab was at Newton Circus, another cab (it has to be a cab!) from the right lane cuts into our lane (we going straight) to make a left. Lucky my cab was going slow otherwise sure to have accident. Blasted his horn & the other taxi driver just stopped & looked like not happy, that kind of "&^%*@! Kua si mi" look. But he was in the wrong.

I don't drive but I think Newton Circus is one helluva confusing circle to go around & to boot, plenty of traffic. Dunno who is coming from where & turning to where. Why not get rid of the circle & go simple with traffic lights.

I always wondered why its Newton Circus & not Newton Circle. But apparently circus doesn't just mean the circus with the clowns, elephants, trapeze artists. It is also, in British definition, "an open circle, square, or plaza where several streets converge". Like Piccadilly Circus.

Watching The American Haunting on DVD. Heh...dunno why I want to scare myself. Many many many years ago, I watched The Exorcist, as a very young teenager, on video. Alone at home. I still have visions of some parts of the movie. As an adult I have never watched it again. Hubby says now if we watch it will probably seem funny. But I don't think so. Some of the scenes are really quite disturbing to me till this day. Plus now old, dun want to scare myself into a heart attack. I do watch horror movies & don't usually get frightened. But why take the risk lol.

Interesting conversation over dinner. Ryan's birthday falls on Good Friday where we generally fast, no meat. Usually just sardines sandwiches. So I was telling Ryan no b'day cake & mum in law says cake can because no meat. Well yes. But I understand that it is fasting & abstinence. The latter would to me mean, abstaining from indulging in something which gives you pleasure. So that would mean no cake as that would be indulging in something enjoyable. Hubby says when he was young, he wasn't even allowed to watch TV on Good Friday. I guess it has become a little more relaxed over the years. So customs and beliefs are man-made & tailored or adjusted according to fashions of the time & perhaps even convenience.

Why is it "Good" Friday as that was the day of Christ's cruxifiction. So I checked it up. Apparently, 'Good' implies that Christ died "to free everyone from sin, & suffering & death are not pointless". That is according to the Church. I am not sure if I understand this concept. Are the guilty sinless as the world continues to be plagued with war, dissension, fear, suspicion, greed, hate, pain & suffering, most of which are caused by man ? Are the natural disasters now so prevalent, signs of something impending ? Very Nostradamus hor. Which I read many years ago as a teen. I can't say if I believe Nostradamus or not. Just like I can't say if I believe in the Da Vinci Code. Though I did enjoy the book. Much much more than the movie. The latter was a huge disappointment.

I'm not an Atheist. I came from a Catholic school & am married to a Catholic family. Religion is good as it builds a strong moral foundation. I am glad my kids are religious. But I believe religion should never be taken to the extreme as it can breed discord. No religion teaches you anything bad. It is man that makes it so by interpreting the teachings & beliefs the way they want them to be. Not misinterpretation or misconception. Rather a deliberatel mis-use.

Today I very cheem, dunno why. Just my thoughts lah.

Lament for the day : jialat...must figure out menu for the big family Easter Sunday do.

Back was bad today so went for massage during lunch. Told my masseuse to give me a more relaxing massage which he obliged. I usually have a massage where the pressure is pretty intense as I like my tight muscles worked on. But not today. A more relaxed massage yet working on my problem spots. Not the gentle swedish massage...that type no shiok. Anyway, feel better some. Must drink plenty of water to flush the toxins. When he hit the spots at the kidney...wah lau, can cry man. And also the nodes at the butt. I think they are called nodes unless butt cheeks got muscles ??

I can't believe Idol. What the fark ?? I was right. What Sanjaya did got him more votes...sigh. DUH ! Singing competition leh, what the hell happened ?? Every season also liddat yet I still watch lol. Sucker. But I know I am not the only one...got loads of frenz & colleagues who are suckers too lol. Makes it fun to rant & bitch together. And mostly we share the same opinion so we cannot be dumb & deaf.

Have been doing some research to work on a presentation. Very wide scope of research so was pretty brain dead by the end of the day trying to write & piece it together. But its interesting as you learn something new. Cannot say what project is as has not been announced to press. Heh !

The flesh eating parasite is pretty scary. My godparents told me about a friend who encountered this when in HK. Don't think this incident was ever publicised. Pays to be cautious with any bite & react immediately to the symptoms as you never know.

Was watching a docu on Phantom of the Opera a few days ago. People of certain vintage will remember the actor who was cast as the Phantom in the stage production in 1986, Michael Crawford. He was a skinny comic actor on a British sitcom, Some Mothers Do Have 'Em & played the role of Frank Spencer. Some years ago when I found out he was the original Phantom, I was amazed cos in the sitcom, he had a nasally voice, was blur, wimpy & nerdy lol.

Anyway, he had fantastic reviews when the show opened in London & subsequently also in Broadway. The docu interviewed some other stars & people in the industry & they were all there to "see Frank Spencer" & to see if he could sing lol. They were highly impressed. He won a number of awards for that role both in the UK & the States. He was 44 when he first played the role of Phantom & retired from that role when he was 47. That is pretty awesome.

Sarah Brightman didn't fare so well with the press. She was apparently to them, not pretty enough & did not have a fantastic voice. We all know how she got the role...she was married to Andrew Lloyd Webber at that time. And he wrote this for her. I am not too fond of her voice in the role as Christine. A bit too operatic. It should have a less shrill quality. But heck, what do I know. Apparently, there was one occasion that Brightman was not well & her understudy played the role. Understudy was good & then the very next night Brightman was back on stage. That's what the docu said lah.

The girl...forget her name, only remember Gerard Butler lol...who played the role of Christine in the 2004 film version wasn't fantastic either. I understand she was 17 or 18. Anyway, very pretty & nice voice but acting one dimensional. That's my take lah.

My first experience with opera was Aida. I must say I was quite taken in. But I had to swivel my head from stage to screen for the translation. Still a good show.

Les Miserable was very good too. Joseph & the Amazing Techicolour Dreamcoat was very entertaining. Most recently watched Notre Dame. It was okay. We picked up the CD of music. Sarah commented that the singers sound exactly the same as they did on stage. Surely the singing on stage is live ??? This was at the indoor stadium. There was no orchestra pit. At least I didn't see one ?? The attendance was not too fantastic also. We were invited to move nearer at there were a good number of seats unoccupied.

You know, the most expensive seats to a concert or show may be closer but doesn't look the most comfy. First got to tilt head up towards the stage & the seats are just normal plastic or banquet chairs. Dunno...I never paid for such expensive seats.

Our last concert was tooooo long ago. It was the Eagles...fantastic ! Of course saw some friends at the concert lah cos same age group lol. Same like at Bread concert lol.

Ryan still has fever coming & going but at least its not high. Still on his meds & tried to suan me about not going to school tomorrow. Not a heartless mum lah but he was eating very well today & didn't seem lethargic. In anycase, he will get good rest this weekend.

Lament for the day : will Jesus Christ Superstar ever play here ?

Not much today. Spent the morning in JB for work & was back by lunch.

Ryan went to the doc & is off sick from school tomorrow also. Messaged his form teacher to let him know & then had his Chinese teacher messaging me as well. Good people. Good teachers. And caring. Ryan is better today but will still need to rest to recover completely.

Didn't get an answer to my letter which I sent to the Ministry. May not get one. It doesn't matter, situation hasn't changed except Ryan is getting tuition from someone who isn't out to make a fast buck. Plus the CL teacher at school is working with him after school.

Watched Idol on Star World of course. Had a good laugh over Sanjaya. He was different, not so boring. A little bit more entertaining. But still, cannot make it. Methinks someone else may be booted instead of him. I'd like Lakisha & Melinda to make it to top 2. The latter just gets better & better.

Haven't heard from Matt in a bit. Think he is still out of town. He told me when he would be back but as usual, I forget. The age thing lah. The remember is not so good as one gets older.

Anth is fine. Messaged her yesterday to check if she was okay. Told me she made her decision. Glad for her. She needs a break. Go on a holiday & do nothing. I wouldn't mind going with her lol.

Heroes is a pretty good series. Dunno abour Fashion House. The trailers don't tickle my fancy. Heard good things about 300. Will watch with hubby. Actually I wanna watch it for Gerard Butler lol. I hear he is barebodied most of the movie :p

Also excited about next Harry Potter book. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. Kids not so excited but its okay cos I will get to read it first. Its amazing how JK Rowlings gets her ideas.

A bit tired. Brain dead. May be flu bug catching up to me. May be cos of the early morning I had. But most likely cos I am an old fart. So time out before I babble & blubber.

Lament for the day : Can't think of one.

ahhhhhh Ryan has caught the bug from Sarah. Now nursing a fever of some 38 deg C. I knew that was going to happen. Wonder if my aching muscles are a sign that I'm catching the bug too...sigh.

I kept mulling over what I posted yesterday. Why was there a need to impress. I still don't get it. I tried to delve a little deeper, thinking through all that had transpired & tales told. And I still haven't figured out the reason why. I offered an opportunity to clear the air but that didn't happen. Perhaps I am reading too much into it & becoming too suspicious. So no more pondering. Not worth getting a headache over.

Interesting debate going on TV. I tend to agree that the system breeds elitism. There must be a reason why everyone rushes to sign their kids into the "better" schools. If not alma mater then have to volunteer or pray that the school got no balloting.

As for the specialised schools like the arts school or sports school. You would have to be extremely talented in the field to be able to get in. There are pre-requisites I am sure. That is already the beginnings of breeding elitism. I'm not saying that its bad. Its all good because you have a specialised school to nurture the talents which cannot be done in mainstream schools.

But for some reason, its the tone & manner in which its expressed. Like "Oh my daughter is in the Sports School" or "Oh I am in the Arts School". Its the tone thing. Ohhhh I am guilty of that too cos I am proud that my kids are in the schools that they are in. Their schools not the "best" lah (if you can define best) but the more established ones. Plus my alma mater so definitely top of my list no matter what people may say. Bleah !

Tomorrow I'm off to JB for a morning event & back to the office after. Have to meet my colleagues in the office at 7.30am & then drive there...yawn ! So that means early to bed because old people need the beauty sleep & the bed rest lol.

Sarah didn't bowl today. As I posted before, she had an injury which prevented her from attending full training. So it was only fair that the reserve take her place. But she was there to support. She said her coach & a teacher-in-charge said sorry but she doesn't think any apology was necessary cos she wasn't in good form. She just wants the school to do well. Besides there are other tournaments & next year. Very excellent attitude if I may say so. Must be my genes LOL.

Sarah was doing research in euthanasia & popped in to tell me that there is a euthanasia church. I googled. Its commandment "Thou shall not procreate". And its 4 pillars : suicide, cannibalism, sodomy & abortion. I didn't go beyond that front page of the website as it disgusted me. WTF ????? Should never be allowed on the www. I seriously think that there must be some international laws on what goes on the www & an organisation to police it.

The dictionary defines euthanasia as Mercy Killing ; "the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, esp. a painful, disease or condition".

So go figure.

Lament for the day : There are some really weird things going on in the big wild world. And I don't mean a mass orgy.

Sarah stayed home from school as she was really ill. Her temp was almost 39 deg c. Mum in law was also under the weather & had not gone to church yesterday which is very unusual for her. I decided to take leave today just to ensure that Sarah's temp didn't skyrocket & also I needed to visit the dentist. She is on the mend, thankfully. No doctor visit this time. Just off the shelf flu panadol, lots of gargling with salt, warm honey lemon & the remnants of the antibiotics from the bee sting.

Dental visits used to scare me till I was in my 20s. Yes, that bladdy long ! I remember vividly till today...I was a child & there was this huge dentist, wearing glasses, dressed in white. He was holding this syringe with a needle as thick as friggin pencil lead !! And it hurt like hell when he used it on me.

I remember screaming in pain & fear. Dunno pain more or fear more. I think I might have been hysterical ?? I remember being held down by the dental assistant or my mum or someone, who knows. And I remember how the dentist was looming above me twisting & turning with something that looked like pliers from dad's toolbox. I sumpah, he had this crazed gleeful look on his face. Maaaaan !

For years I refused to step into a dental clinic. Who can blame me. I mean, I was a CHILD for pity's sake & kena such a monster. Imagine...I am still small (I like the word "petite") so can you imagine how much smaller I was at 6 or 7 ??? Sure terrorised what. Worst still, the dentist didn't try to be kind by talking to me softly & gently to alleviate my fears before he did his work. He just plunged right in. Jab, jab, twist, pull, twist, pull, twist, pull. Wah liau ! No foreplay lol. Like some horror movie -- The Demented Dentist. I think I am not alone in my tale of terror. If I am then I would be really depressed :<

I had no choice but to visit the dentist years later when I had a toothache. I was amaaaaaaaaazed at how thin the needle was. Could barely feel it. And everything was a breeze. Since then I faithfully go for my checks annually. Even bravely endured a few weeks of root canal. Damned good if I may say so myself. BUT, somewhere deep down still got some niggling fear lah. So I go to the same dentist. And he was very good with our kids when they were young. The first time Sarah went, he spent half an hour hahahaha or more coaxing her. It was only to pull out one milk tooth. His wife assists him & she too was very patient.

For someone who didn't have any epidural or painkillers through two births, quite funny to think that I was scared of dentists for so long & still harbour abit of that fear. heh.

Its quite a blow to find out that your friend isn't what it makes itself out to be. The untruths revealed. Not dogged sleuthing. Just accidental discovery, being at the right place at the wrong time. Or the wrong place at the right time. Whatever. Busted !

Makes you wonder what else has been intricately spun & woven to create a lavish fairytale. And worse, what exaggerations may have been regaled that have caused unhappiness & misunderstandings. And all the tales told, one upon another, pile up till it forgets what might have been said & done. And when that happens, doubts begin to simmer & boil. Till soon, erupts like Mt Vesuvius !

More disappointment & disapproval than anger at this point. No use for the latter cos not worth the effort.

If your friends need to be impressed by you just to be your friend, then they ain't no friend. With true friends, you can just BE.

Lament for the day : ice balls aren't what they used to be.

Interesting article today about the Lim inheritance & the search for the aunts. Did I read right that the inhertance was in excess of S$100 million ??? I can imagine the fraudsters that would come a knocking. So if no relatives are found & the money goes to the state, what does the state do with the money ? As its not rightfully theirs, maybe the money should be put aside and distributed annually amongst charities.

So my bro in law may be getting married. Good for him cos I think he is a very nice guy & I like his girlfriend. One relative said to me "Awwww you won't be the only daughter in law anymore". I honestly don't mind. Being the only daughter-in-law hasn't made me feel special nor have I been treated special. Neither have I been pressurized. Its been good & I get along well with my in-laws. My sisters-in-law are closer to each other which is expected as they are sisters. It just would be nice to have another sister-in-law who is a daughter-in-law like me.

Speaking of in-laws, I forgot to mention that mum-in-law is with us for these 2 months. Easter Sunday will entail a party at our place for the family as she is here. I better start thinking of the menu. Something different from the usual mee siam or laksa or curry chicken. Chialat !!

Sarah has been susceptible to the flu alot lately. She woke up this morning with a sore throat, cold & cough. Now she has a fever. First the injury to leg, the bee sting & now the flu. And tomorrow is back to school to boot. She's been downing warm honey lemon & gargling with salt water. The latter, I swear, really works well for sore throat. The antibiotics she is taking for the bee sting should help & we've given her some panadol flu tablets. And she ought to drink more water which she doesn't.

I realised I have not talked about my godson. I've been made grand-aunt 3 times over but never been a godma. So it was a big BIG thrill for me when hubby & I were made godparents to our good friends' son. He is such a cutie pie with a wonderful disposition. Smiley all the time except when hungry & wanting to be carried.

And Sarah -----> its not hornet's nest. Its a wasp nest & it wasn't huge lah. About 4 inches long lah. But there were pupae & a worm....very very icky.


Lament for the day : I wonder if I could be related to those millions...........

WaspUp

Uggghhhhh! This morning as we were leaving to send Sarah to training session, a wasp flew in through the dining room window & settled on the window grill. So I told hubby to get rid of it. He said leave it. Till he saw it was building a nest. So I panic lah.

We got back into the house, hubby got hold of insect repellant spray & zapped the bugger. He zapped the nest too. It flew off, flew back in. Zap again. Flew off, flew in. Then it decided to fly into the living room, so I was hopping around trying to avoid the darn thing while hubby was zapping it. I think it eventually got woozy & dropped dead somewhere at the carpark. I hope.

Weird that the wasp came in just after Sarah got stung by a bee at camp. Anyway, my fear was any allergic reactions if any one of us got stung.

Ryan's ipod is a goner. He had it in his pocket & while going upstairs, slipped & fell. Ryan is fine but weight was on on the side with the ipod in the pocket. The inner screen was cracked & it didn't work. Screen black. Took it to Cineleisure ipod shop & was told that they don't do repairs, just one for one replacements if it was still under guarantee. Which it no longer was. Goner for sure. Ahhhh I almost forgot...when hubby approached a counter to ask about repairs for ipods, the woman told him with a smile..."please go to recession". LOL.

Had makan at NYDC at Heeren after Ryan picked up a couple of CDs. Nice place to watch the world go by. Some skincare product had a marquee out there & some promoter girls & boys were trying to get people to go into the marquees to test or buy or whatever. We were observing that the promoter boys & girls (in their late teens or early 20s) were mostly hanging around & talking to themselves. Didn't seem to be making much effort unless there was accidental eye contact with passers-by.

Sarah won't get to play in the tournament that is starting next week. She had injuries on her left leg & had missed some training sessions. Her coaches felt it was best not to have her play so soon incase the injury recurred. She was limping a tad. So her reserve is playing instead. Sarah says she is fine with it. Maybe she is a teeny bit disappointed but she knows the reasons make complete sense. And she is happy that Mags gets to play. We too think its best that she sits out at this point as she has just recovered from the injury. Best not to aggravate & let it fully recover. She sent her head coach an sms to reassure him that she is fine with the decision as she wants the team to do well. I didn't have anything to do with the sms but read it later. And I like what I read. Good girl !

Went with hubby to a fishing pond with friends & nephew. Nephew's wife was there too & it was nice just to sit & catch up as last we had seen her was in January. She has 3 kids who were with grandparents for the day so it was nice for her to get away for a bit. Before we went, I had an important question for hubby : got toilet or not. He said got, even got sofa & can bring family & do bbq. When we got there, no can do lah. Got clean toilet but fishing area was hot, too many mosquitoes, not conducive for kids, no space for bbq & best of all...the "sofa" was a single old armchair. LOL. Apparently nephew also told his wife that there was a sofa...men lol.

Hubby didn't get a single bite for the 2 hours. I am convinced I am the jinx for him. Bought him a fishing reel many years ago & he never caught a thing with that reel. Eventually, hubby gave me ten bucks like he was buying the reel from me. The very next time he took it out,, he caught a fish. Sigh...what to say ???!! So I must be the jinx lor as it was the first time I was at fishing pond with him. Probably the last time he will ask me to go lol. And he will never ever invite me to the deep sea trips I am sure LOL. Fine by me. Rather go shopping, do hair, have massage or laze at home than be seasick.

Kids are at their piano teacher's place for dinner. Teacher does this ever so often for her students. She is really good with kids. Very patient & teaches them well. Coincidentally, she taught my cousin years ago. But we didn't know that when she first started teaching our kids.

Dinner was The Prata House at Thomson with the fishing gang. Guy who cleared the table for us, took our orders & served us was impressive. Not only do work very fast but got good PR skills somemore. Never met a friendlier prata man ! Must have attended GEMs programme !

Lament for the day : men don't know the difference between a sofa & armchair.

TGIF

It was a goooooood Friday cos I met with Eve. It was really super to see her again after all these years. When I hugged her, I felt soppy. Almost wanted to tear. Loads to catch up on; spouses, kids, ex-boyfriends, old friends, who from school we've seen, who we wondered about. Brought back many many memories.


Yeah we look the same except that the faces are a little more lined & there's gray hair which we have cleverly got covered. Actually I thought Eve looked pretty good. Doesn't seem to have put on an ounce ! I on the other hand...


We reminisced about the old days. What we could remember hahah. I mean as one grows older the memory gets shot lol. But I think we did very well with some of the names & incidents.


There was a girl in school who was on the badminton team with us, one year our junior. She spent alot of time with us after school playing badminton & squash. We were badminton & squash mad. And we were pretty good too. Really. Anyway, Jeannie was her name & we, especially me, wondered what happened to her.


Then there are friends from out of school. The boys we used to hang out with. Probably pot bellied old farts now lol. The house parties which we used to go to & the days when we could dance the night away, literally. In those days, we didn't go to discos cos we couldn't afford it & I reckon there weren't that many anyway. Only the Sin Po Po Bar type. So house parties were the in thing. DJs were friends or friend's friend & it was cassette tapes (what is cassette tapes hah our kids will ask !??!), disco lights were a few people with torchlights covered with coloured cellophane paper waving them around.


hahaha no lah, that last bit is a fib. Disco light was one solitary revolving light. If we were lucky got the silver ball ball thing. Of course there was the mandatory slow music lah. The disco lights would be turned off for effect hahah. But mostly Eve & I would go grab a drink & cool off & chat. If we liked a guy, we would oblige with a slow dance.

I don't remember booze in those days. We never did booze or smoke anyway when we were teenagers & were still in school. And our parties were drug-free (bring back those old days maaan!). Music of course was disco lah. They still play songs from our time you know. I love the music of that period. And also that of my parents era.


I knew my hubby when I was about 17 so Eve knows him too as we used to hang out together. He would remember some of the house parties. I wasn't dating him then though he claims (and still does) that he had eyes for no one else. Anyway hubby & I got together as a couple in our mid 20s. Then we go "apply HDB flat" hahaha. I digress.


The most happening in those days at Orchard Road was MacDonald's. We would meet friends at MacDonald's which was at Liat Towers. Think it opened in 1979. Kids who hung out there were called the "MacDonald Kids". Lucky Plaza wasn't little Philippines then & it was still the old Tang's. The old Plaza Singapura was also another hotspot to meet back then.


We would eat at the National Library food corner, have Red House chicken pie, go to Magnolia Snack Bar, have Waterloo Street indian rojak, mee siam & bandung and the coffeeshops along Victoria Street. There was the library bus stop, Yamaha bus stop, Bata bus stop, the bookstores in the old shophouses along Bras Basah Road, the old Rendezvous. Climb up all the way to Fort Canning for squash. Go for badminton training at the telecoms centre along Bukit Timah Road...dunno why we travelled so far. Go to East Coast beach on weekends. It wasn't so crowded then.


In those days got no MRT. Have to tar bus. Bus no aircond somemore. Kena surrounded by other sweaty schoolkids was terok. Kena the sweaty army boys was lagi terok. Bus drivers were like rally drivers. With our schoolbags & racquets we would sway, totter & just about fall over. Some unlucky person would occasionally get poked by our racquets.


Then if you were really unlucky you would kena one cheeko man on a crowded bus. He would pretend to be so squished & move closer & closer to you if you were sitting on the seat along the aisle. Such cheekos would pick on innocent schoolgirls. He would then rub his crotch on your shoulder. I kid you not. Anyway, I kena before. But I was stupid in those days, didn't know how to react & just kept moving nearer & nearer the person seated next to me. Think the lady seated next to me got the picture & glared at cheeko till he moved away. Dunno where the bus conductor was at that time.


These days the girls are more 'garang'. Sarah told me about an incident with one of her classmates while they were out at J8 or somewhere like that. Her classmate turned around & yelled at the guy. Embarrassed him infront of a crowd. I say WELL DONE GIRL ! Pity she didn't kick him there.


That wasn't my only incident. I was at the bus stop after ECA (ECA=Extra Curricular Activities, equivalent to CCA today). A well dressed Indian man with glasses was one of the few people at the bus-stand. Neat, long sleeved white shirt & dark pants. Seemed so decent. He carried a black file which he held infront of him. Stood near me & angled the file, then kept looking down & then back at me. Looking down & back at me. I was stupid still. So I looked down. I saw his pants unzipped & penis hanging out. Fortunately for me my bus came at that point. I couldn't scramble fast enough on it. Told all my school friends to watch out for this character at that bus stop next time. You know, with all the showing he might have done, I hope his thingy got caught in the zipper a few times at least. Or hopefully he had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a Lorena Bobbit (google if you dunno who she is).


Sarah's bee stung leg is recovering with the doc's meds & cream. It was best to see the doc incase it wasn't a bee & some other weird insect. Would have been funny if she were stung on the lips...bee stung lips hahaha. Sheesh, that was lame. Well at least she is not in pain & itching at the same time now.


Laments for the day : Why is Sanjaya still in ? And why is Survivor not on tonite ?

Iduh !!

Arrrrggghhh Sanjaya is still in ! Dunno what else to say except wah piang !

Sarah came home from camp with a bee sting on her leg. Its swollen & painful. Hopefully it isn't a serious bite from some other insect. Hard to tell but she did pull the stinger out. She's a happy cookie since we had the talk last night. But happiness shortlived cos she has that bite & swelling. Pooooor baby.

Hopefully son is making progress now with Chinese tuition. Too soon to tell but I have my fingers, eyes, toes, legs crossed.

Why do people procrastinate ? Honestly, get the job over & done with & its off the "to do" list. Then can move on to do other things. Here's my beef...

We a had a team that took part in a tourney & received rewards. Captain was handed the rewards to distribute as is fitting since that's what captains do. Decide how it should be distributed, make suggestions on how it may be used etc etc.

Anyway, it wasn't done immediately. Infact, members weren't informed of the rewards. Not everyone was aware that we received rewards.

After a couple of weeks one of the team members who knew, called me to enquire what happened. So as vice-captain I wrote a group email explaining how the rewards came about & requested the captain to let us know how would the rewards be distributed. Got a response from captain on when to meet to collect as he was going to be at this place for a game at such a time.

Obviously not everyone free to travel there. Which is expected. So 6 outta 10 didn't get their rewards. The 4 who did were the captain himself & the other 3 who were there for a game. I was one of the 4 as hubby was there for a game as well & picked it up for me.

After that last arrangement, for weeks the captain didn't contact the rest. Well, I didn't know at that time. CNY came & went. And we are now into March (the rewards came end January). Then one of the members tells me that he still didn't get his rewards. Sigh. So I send an email this week to remind & offered to take over the task. Which received a response.

Captain emails sorry he was hospitalised for the last 3 days. We are all sympathetic. And he says he will do it & asked members for their account numbers so that he could make the transfers. So all was hunky dory.

So I thought.

Today I get an email from the captain asking for MY account number (I received my rewards already) so that the rewards can be sent to me & distributed. In other words ask me to do lah.

This pissed me off royally. Off went an email response. Few points :-

1) The issue is not the 3 days of hospitalisation. More than a month as passed for this to be done.

2) Plenty of time to contact the members. 10 members only, not 100. And to boot, 10 minus 4 leaves only 6.

3) Cannot say dunno how to contact members as captain & vice captain has everyone's mobile numbers. Plus we have a group email.

4) At the very start, if don't want to do or got no time then say so. I would have done it as vice-captain.

5) Why only respond when I send emails to query.

6) Should have accepted my offer made in my second email. Instead, didn't & say will do.

7) Must have realised damned lecheh, so conveniently send me email to do. It wasn't even phrased a request to assist.

I refused. Just because I did my job as a vice-captain while we were active doesn't make me a sucker all the time & a girl Friday. I did it then for the team. Heck, I have my own assistant at work but I don't take her for granted. Made my point & told captain to deal with it himself. My offer to take over is off the table as it was not taken up in the first place.

Captain sends apology email. Too late in my reckoning. And I'm not the one to apologise to. Its the other members.

Its not the money issue. Its not a large amount at all. Cannot run away & buy house in JB or Thailand. Maybe (not sure) can buy budget ticket to Bankgok plus a few dollars left over. That's how unsubstantial the amount. So to set the record straight, we are not making accusations of that nature.

It just all boils down to plain old responsibility. There is no rocket science involved in the division of the rewards by the way. Not getting such a little task done in so many weeks means it ain't priority & procrastination. But when it involves other people, it should be priority.

So that's my issue today. I am such a grumpy old sod.

On to happy stuff. Hubby signed up for Mio last evening. Along with it comes a promo to buy a mobile phone at a good price. After I traded in my N70, I paid just $28 for a newer model. Too coooool ! I would have been a stupid cow not to jump on it anyway.

Time out & tomorrow...TGIF ! Plus I get to meet Eve tmr. Now that thought perks me up quite a bit !

Idle Night

So its Wednesday. American Idol day. Which is on right now. Beats watching The Dance Floor. The Dance Floor got more viewership than the American dance show So You Think You Can Dance. That's really quite amazing. But the American show got an early time slot if I remember right. Folks weren't home from work yet or were at the dinner table. I thought that show was pretty good when I did manage to catch it. The dancers were sensational.

Hubby is not home tonight, at work, on duty. He was supposed to have gotten together with some old army kakis for makan & drinking session. Too bad he couldn't make it as I know he so wanted to meet up with old buddies.

Now in their 40s, the boys (yes they will always be boys to the wives & girlfriends) keep in touch & meet up. A riotious party erupts whenever they get together & invariably, tales will be related of their stint in the army, their exploits and adventures.

The wives and girlfriends who were often included in the gatherings would roll our eyes & lament, “here we go again” & then whisper the punchlines to each other. We have, afterall, been married to them for many years and we are very familiar with a good many of the tales told. Some unprintable lolol.

But you know, all this points to the remarkable camaraderie and friendships developed and nurtured for some 30 years.

The army today is alittle different than from their time. Their experiences in the army and from each other have made them sturdy, honest, down to earth, constant. And of course they all have a wicked wicked sense of humour. And when they are together, you can skip watching sitcoms.

I must mention the most colourful character of the group is like Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. His antics continue to this day. His bare butt adorned in just a g-string will forever be etched in our minds. And let me tell you, it’s a 40-something year old butt, not a 14 year old one that we saw ! He is hilariously funny. Something spawned from a Robin Williams & Borat consummation.

Sanjaya performed Ain't No Mountain High Enough. And it was utterly boring ! Truly, Sundance should not have been booted. Sanjaya is very cute but undeserving to be in the top 10. Voters still dun get that its a singing contest. Arggggghhhhh! Melinda & Lakisha...AWESOME !

I just had an open one-on-one girl-to-girl talk with my daughter. It was very very sweet. I am enjoying this relationship very much as I never had this openness and sharing with my mum. It was a different generation.

Tuesday's This & That

It was terrific to meet Anth after such an age. Food was forgotten with all the catching up & I mean reaaaally catching up. Much has transpired in these couple of years. Somewhat shocked to hear the news, was totally unexpected. Its heart rending to see a lovely friend in such a dilema. Contrary to when the last we met, it was in a state of near euphoria. Felt a little bit useless to be just listening. Tried to be comforting & offered my thoughts. At the end of the day, I know she will know what to do as she is a her own woman. Strong, courageous & sensible.

Booked a date with Eve, makan session on Friday. Sooo looking forward. I wondered to hubby if I would be able to recognise Eve & vice versa. He says she looks almost exactly the same, except for a few gray hairs hahaha. Eve...when you read this, thump him when you next see him. Be consoled that I have more than a few gray hairs. But I got it all covered...literally.

Last week I went for a lunchtime massage session at my regular haunt near the office. Whilst waiting for the room to be ready for my session, a man (late 40s) popped in for reflexology. Regular customer from the sounds of it. A couple of minutes later, a lady follows him in. Young (early 20s), dressed up, made up. I don't mean to be prejudiced lah but I figured her for a "China girl". And when she spoke, I was right. Dunno why lah but sometimes you can just spot them.

Anyway, he gets a call & its his kid. He says to kid that mummy is in the office & to call her there as she was not with him. I was NOT eavesdropping. The reflexology is in the common central area maah. Plus the place not very big. Even in the massage room later I could hear them.

So I don't get it. When there is all this adverse open talk and experiences about what China women are all about. Why do men still fall for it ? Hubby says when you ask the men, they will say "no lah, she is not that type".

And how do the girls do it ? The twisting of the men round their little finger ? Quite skillful leh I must say. Wives have such a hard time just trying to get hubbies to pick up their pants & drop them into the laundry basket.

They aren't exactly demure nor do they have the best of manners, plus got agenda. I guess it all comes down to the fact that they are pretty (most of them anyway), have tight butts, perky breasts & of course, offer bedtime frolics.

When you think about it...the girls get pocket money lah, shopping money lah, pretty jewellery lah, driven around lah , some even have a paid for place to stay lah. At the end of day all this is payment for sexual favours. I am convinced, must be sex & to parade around with a pretty, young China girl on the arm so that peers will be jealous. Can't be the intelligent conversations.

I have absolutely no doubt that not all women from China are that type. I have met some who are genuine about their reasons to be here. Unfortunately the errant ones out number the good, thus the stereotyping.

There were some ladies from China (late teens to early 20s) who attended English classes at a school near my office. There were loud conversations in the ladies room, the cars who swung by to get them & men who picked them up. Even a teacher reluctantly admitted to me that they had other agendas as they were not in the least interested in the classes. The school isn't there anymore.

Speaking of manners earlier, I had one occasion where two of these "students" jumped queue for a taxi. My Mandarin is not the best lah but I managed to say they are rude & they saw me waving down a cab so they shouldn't grab my cab. From the looks on their faces, I think my Mandarin sounded Greek. So much for my fervour in expressing my unhappiness.

The ladies loo is also another story. Its much cleaner now since the "students" departure. I used bemoan to my colleagues "dress so nice but dunno basic toilet manners". Stuff that we have seen there is truly, truly horrific.

'Nuff said.

Its Monday & I've gone to the goats & such

You know the Gwen Stefani's song with the mix of The Sound of Music's Lonely Goatherd ? All the time I thought she was singing "what a goat!" Yes I am what a toad ! How was I to know. It sure sounded like "what a goat". Yes my children & my children's friends...very funny hor.

I think I am getting a hang of this blogging thingy. When does one graduate from being a blog virgin ? After the first time ? Post I mean ?

Its a like a diary except typing is faster & if spell salah, just hit the back button. Diary nobody reads till you are dead. So far I haven't had any hits though. Only Sarah. Pathetic.

Monday has come & gone. My lunch with Anth didn't go as she was tied up still with the earlier appointment. Lunch tomorrow instead. Think I will tell her about the blog so that someone else apart from my kids & hubby read it. Very pathetic.

So what does one blog about ? Everything I guess. I have one topic at top of my head at present. Not so palatable :p But heck....its my blog. Plus who knows...sharing experience is good. I think ?? I don't think its gross. My kids may pengsan if their friends read this. But I think there have been worse tales.

Haemorrhoids (spelling ??) are such a pain in the butt...literally. Never had the problem till after the second baby. After straining from labour, those little annoying blobs make an appearance more often than not. Except for C-sections. Some womenfolk..."nooo never had, even after 6 kids". You think ??

Arrrrghhh...well the blobs decided to pop out for a rare visit.

So last week, I was squirming on my office chair & adopted a sashaying walk. And it wasn't cos I was feeling sexy. Lets just put it this way...thongs & haemorrhoids do NOT go together ! I have this tune in my head now...one of these things is not like the others, one of these things doesn't belong...

So off to the doc I went. Aiyo, stuttered through what my problem was. Didn't want him to examine me. Embarrassing mah. But my gynae is male...so go figure !

I had visions of an operation. Then I would have to carry a colourful child's swimming rubber ring everywhere I go & waddle around like some cowboy ready to draw weapon. Then frightened to go to toilet incase the stitches popped. But the worst...No thongs ! Inconceivable!

The good doc allayed my fears. Op is not the in thing now. Gave me Noxarel tablets (orally please) to help relax the engorged blood vessels. The first lot helped a little bit & doc said he gave me the lightest dose as he couldn't examine me. Hmm ok.

The second lot worked better. Comfy in my thongs now. So anyone who is reading this & has the same problem...better see the doc & er...nip it in the butt.

Daughter who was failing math had A1. Very very proud of her for doing that. I think its quite an accomplishment when only a couple of months ago math grade was in fail scale. Secondary math is tough. Told her I'm very happy & she did great & worked hard & that if she worked harder on her other subjects, she can do even better...all in one breath. The usual mummy nagging thing. But of course there are different scales of nagging. I think mine is a scale of 3, which is defined in earthquake terms, as minor. Often felt but rarely causes damage. Hubby's is about 6...strong, can be destructive. hahahah.

Monday is a good night for TV...Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, Nip Tuck. This episode of Nip Tuck seems a little gross. Wondering when next season of Grey's Anatomy & Lost are coming.

Popped a vessel watching the results of American Idol last Friday. How could Sundance & Sabrina be booted ?? I dun geddit. Sanjaya...ahhhhh Sanjaya...really cannot make it. Rooting for Lakisha & Melinda.

My knee problem has recurred again. Felt & heard a little pop walking down the stairs over the weekend. There goes bowling again.

Sarah wants to go to Poly but she'll need to read the papers today. Hopefully when its her turn, things will be different. But for now, what happens to those kids who qualify for Poly but can't get into course of choice because spaces are taken up by those who qualified for JC but prefer Poly ? They shouldn't be forced to take up courses which they aren't comfortable with. It would be interesting to see how this can be resolved.

Shawshank Redemption...brilliant ! On telly soon.

Time out...