Pantang

Inefficient people never fails to amaze me further with their inefficiency.

I for one, do not go for free meals or things on offer. Happens that i took a free service and have to pay the price of it.

I engaged the free service of my brother in-law as my housing agent. The experience was hair-pulling.

First sourcing for potential flats was at snail pace.

Then the seller's agent began asking for money.

Then we realised we could have paid lesser cash at it was 'no cash' in the first place. But our agent chose not to reveal vital information like this and let us pay the highest payable amount.

And just yesterday, even after a promise that they will hand us a set of house keys, the seller changed their minds and only decided to give us later. And my agent's response,"Not every sale of flat will be smooth." (Which means : dun ask too much. Just accept it)

Where is the customer's rights?

And from today onwards, i will never believe what my mother in-law says. Never take her word for it. Cos she can either say she dunnno, remember something else later or say nothing and say alot later.

Right from the beginning (A year ago to be precise), i asked her of the people she wants to invite for our wedding dinner. She says she needs 1 table for her workers who wont give ang bao. And one table for friends.

She say she is 'chin cai' but when we planned to have the dinner at a yacth club, she appeared ok. But got a fellow auntie to pass message to my husband that she does not like it and prefer something like restaurant.

Then after my ROM, i told her we should arrange a time for her to sit down with my dad to talk about all that needs to be done. She says no need. Her family is very modern. They dont practise any supertitious beliefs. But later she says i did not tell her to meet with my dad. And that we said we were very clever and will handle everything on our own. What?!!!

Then just yesterday, it just happened that she had insisted that our tea ceremony must start at 9am and ends by 11am. And insist that my sister in-law cannot be my jie mei. And also because she is born in the year of the cow. And therefore will crash my wedding.

She also says that we must give respect to the ancestors as it is the ancestors who give us offsprings. And she gave example of couple who are barren because they did not pay respects to the ancestors. ( I was ferociously binding all these nonsense in my head)

Is it a blessing or a curse?

I detest all these supertitious beliefs. Hate it!

Firstly i see no link to all these to real life. ARRRRRRRRRRRGH!

Leaving a legacy for your name

I was taking a cab to work and the first thing the cab driver said was," Do you know who Michael Jackson is?"

"Yes, why?"

"He passed away today at 50 years old of a stroke."

We discussed of the last few years of his life that was a big failure. Sad for an icon so big and spent his last few years forgotten and despised.

Article by Lynn ELber;

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grown-up life. His skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke in a breathy, girlish voice.

What type of legacy will you leave behind when you are gone? What would people say about you when you are gone?

Maybe we should learn something from his death. Which is to leave the world with a positive legacy.

What is that?

The story starts with a brick house with a green front gate and a grass area behind the house. Father and son are sitting on a bench behind the house. The son is intently reading the newspaper. While the father sits beside him looking bored. The son is in his 30s and the father in his 60s.

A bird flies into one of the bushes and the father asked,” What is that?”

The son looks up from his reading and answers,” It’s a sparrow.”

The bird starts to chirp in the same bush and the father asked,” What is that?”

The son answered impatiently,” I just told you father. It’s a sparrow.” Flips his newspaper in annoyance and carried on with his reading.

The bird flies off the bush and lands on a tree above the bench. And then lands on the stone pavement in front of the bench. The bird hops around a little.

“What is that?” the father asked again.

“A sparrow father. A sparrow. A s-p-a-r-r-o-w!” the son replies with great annoyance

“What is that?” the father asked again.

“Why are you doing this? I told you so many times. It’s a sparrow! Can’t you get it?” the son shouts.

The father stood up from the bench and walks.

“Where are you going? The son shouts on.

The father lifted his hand to stop the son from saying more.

He continues walking into the house.

The son sits on the bench looking at the sparrow and feeling drained out from his outburst of emotions.

The father returns with a book in his hand. Flips the pages to somewhere in the middle. Placed the book into his son’s hand and points to a section on the page.

The son look at where the father had pointed and the father says, “Loud.”

“Today is my youngest son who a few days ago turned 3. Was sitting with me at the park when a sparrow sat in front of us. My son asked me 21 times what it was. And I answered all 21 times it was…(he pauses) a sparrow. I hugged him every single time he asked me the same question. Again and again. Without getting mad, feeling affection for my innocent little boy.”

The father nods with a smile as the son reads.

The son closes the book and puts his arm around his father and kisses him on his head. And gives him a tight cuddle. There they cuddled on the bench while the little bird flies from branch to branch.

Happy father's day!

Watch this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngmG72hgInM

Made my day

i saw this when coming back around 730pm. And it made my day. Who knows that a red sky could look so captivating?

A SECRET UNTOLD

BROKEN HEART
TORN APART
WILL NEVER HEAL
SECRETS REVILED
PRECIOUS TREASURES
HIDDEN WITHIN
BELLOW MY HEART
AND BENEATH MY SKIN
LOVES A DISASTER
A HIDDEN SURPRISE
TEARS OF PAIN
TEARS OF FRIGHT
HAUNTING CONSIENCE
LIES INFOLD
THIINGS UNFELT
OF WHAT NOBODY NNOWS
TIME SLOWLY PASSES
DUST TURNS TO ASHES
MY HEART TO SAND
GRACEFULLY FALLING THRU YOUR HANDS
TEARS OF BLOOD
BLOOD SLOWLY FALLS
LIKE MY LIFELESS BODY
UNTO THE HALL
EYES TURN TO ICE
BLOOD RUNS COLD
ALL BECAUSE OF A SECRET UNTOLD..............

Whats worth remembering?

The loud hearty laughters over things i cant remember

The tears i shed when a friend grieves and i grieve too

The smiles i get when what i cook was delicious

The agony of giving birth to a child and the joy after

The day we first met and how we became friends

The bus ride home, feeling gloomy and seeing a rainbow

The time when being with you feels like time has stopped for me

The tiny hand of a sleeping child holding my finger

The smell of bread early in the morning

The time i sat here remembering all these

Is it ok if i...

Is it ok if i hold your hand a little longer this time

Is it ok if i hug you close to me

Is it ok if i hold your face in my hands

Is it ok if i choose to keep you in my heart forever

Is it ok if i miss you and cry a little

Is it ok if i try to forget you because its painful remembering

Is it ok if i let you go and remember only the nice parts

Is it ok if i say goodbye

- Dedicated to a friend

The origins of 'Kiap'

Kiap Kiap Kiap

I use my fingers to kiap the noodle.

My malay colleague was asking me,"You keep using the word 'kiap', where does it originate from? Hokkien? cantonese?"

Seriously i dont know.

But i dunno a better word than 'kiap'

The similar english word should be grip. But grip seems rough. Kiap seems more refined.

There is also kiaping...kiapers...

I love using kiap. Kiap is cool!

For my new life

Precious one,
So small,
So sweet

Dancing in
on angel feet
Straight from Heaven's
brightest star

What a miracle
you are!

Nostalgia down Lornie

Was taking a cab ride down Lornie Road and i remembered all the old things that makes me smile.

The ride down Lornie Road was like the ride down Old Tampines Road on Bus 81. Where the Double deck bus was non-airconditioned. And the long empty road causes the wind to blow into your hair. I miss that.

Things that i miss too...

Bus uncles that give coloured tickets with punched holes instead of the white ones we get now. Most of the time with our scan cards, there are no tickets.




When we were still young and innocent. My brother and i used to bathe with each other. We took turns to scrub each other's backs and would play the letter guessing game. My brother would write alphabets on my back and i would guess. When we could not get enough of playing with each other. We bunked into the same bed. Took turns to tickle each other's back.

The convenient store a block away that sells 50cents titbits. Coloured ice tubes. Black question mark packets. Sweets in the shape of an orange fruit. Chewing gum balls in grape and strawberry flavours.

The playground with sand. With long swings and granite slides.

Care bears cartoon, My little pony cartoon...

5 cents for a meat ball at the school canteen was considered a delight.

Grapes poked through a satay stick that cost 50cents.

I miss all these.

My love for cakes and pastries

Give me an 8 course meal, by the 5th course, i would have surrendered.

But if you still serve me cakes, i will still have stomach for some.

When i am frustrated and down, the quickest way for relief is to

dip my fork into some light cream, soft cake and sugared fruits.

Fruit flan, Pear fruit tart, Chocolate of a thousand leaves, Chocolate banana, Mango moouse. Yummy...

I went to this japanese concept food court at Tampines One and ordered a pear fruit tart. And it made my day. So much that i cant forget it till today.

If i could use a cake or pastry to describe my mood, then it would be...

Mission 29, 112, 182

29 - For the days left when a finally have a house to my name.

Getting to 29 has been a bumpy ride.

- Agent was husband's brother

- Seller's agent asked for extra commission from us

- We got a discount but allowed seller to stay 3 months more

- Realise that in everything, we gotta do our own homework. No one can be trusted.
Even if its your own relative

112 - For the days left to my wedding dinner

112 has happened long ago and somehow the excitement of it all has been faded.

- Family making their own comments

- Alot of differences in opinions

- Dream wedding to Manufactured wedding

182 - For the days left when i can finally live in my new house

And i hope by 182, i would have normalcy back into my life.