O’er the weekend...

The chipmunks in us surfaced. (I am the cute one, subconsciously.)

@ East Coast Park. A weekly session – crazy times with my ‘on-the-border-of-sanity’ cousin. Asked her to perform a song since she is ‘on’ television, with the bewilderment of strangers trying to get their rented bikes around us.

Cycled to neverneverland which Jo mentioned but of course, as the name says, we never reached there. Stopped at a breakwater infested with gigantic-red-crunchy looking ants. Wanted to take some pictures of us by the sunset – only then we stupidly realized that we had cycled more than half an hour away from the sun. Hence the dark blur picture had to be artificially brightened.

Power Rangers! Ah ha ha ha! *gag*

Just making a point - that I can cycle with one hand and not look where I am cycling to. JX’s a scaredy-cat, didn’t dare to cycle close enough to take a decent picture of both of us cycling.

Crazy cousin went all pale and woozy for a while when we stopped for 100-plus on the way back. Me – walking cross-legged in a zig zag manner. Butt – totally numb.

And finally... when we were back at the bicycle shop, we were late by half an hour. Ah Qi (aka crazy cousin) complained why the heck we cycled the way we did – I know what she meant. We cycled for half an hour like we were training for some triathlon when it was supposed to be a leisurely activity.

But haha... still. Fun.

It’s been...

4 years! Doesn’t seem that long, and yet, doesn’t seem that short. Doesn’t seem that long because I still could remember vividly how we first met; doesn’t seem that short because so many things have had happened in this span of 4 years.

I want to steer away from talking about last year – but I guess, last year was the most trying year for the both of us, relationship-wise and life-wise. I was going through some tough patches at different points last year – at work, in family, with my back, and of course, the pneumonia incident. But event after event, you stood by me and gave me the strength to pull through all of them. You said I am a strong girl, but you know, you were the strong one in my eyes.

I’ve been a problematic girl, I know. I even gave you nightmares. It must be really traumatic for you to be stuck with me.

For sticking it through with me, through everything – thank you, dear. I love you!

WHY YOU SO SAD-LOOKING ON OUR DAY? 很委屈你啊？

P.S.: It was a beautiful sunny windy day @ Sentosa on 24/07/2008! It's been a while...

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

The White and The Black.

A mini dinner celebration @ Sushi Tei, Vivocity. 6 slices of individual cakes that my parents brought along to the dinner. They bought the cakes themselves when making their way to Harbourfront from home because they were on leave today. How adorable was that?

Six was a significant number today. Mummy, Daddy, Jo, Ryan, JX and myself. 6 slices of cakes, 6 pieces of sushi rolls, the big Six-Zero. 6 presents in total.

Anyway, don’t you think my daddy looks like a Hong Kong star? Alex Man? Ken Tsang Kong? Haha!

P.S.: My mommy made a point to keep still when I took the picture this time and she (finally) looks pweeeetty!

You're Toxic, I'm Slipping Under...

After this weekend, I really need to detoxify myself for a month.

Friday: Brewerkz for lunch, Chomp Chomp @ Serangoon for dinner

Saturday: Omu Rice @ Takashimaya Food Basement for lunch, Subway Sandwich for dinner

Sunday: Ya Kun for brunch, Pulau Ubin durians for tea, Soya Bean Milk + You Zhar Gui + Yummy-unhealthy-food @ Geylang for dinner

I can imagine my farts to be fuming green and toxic.

Scars serve us all as Reminders.

Friends and family who have witnessed the ordeal I went through last year knew how all the marks on my body came about. Battle scars, I proclaimed them proudly. And what could I have asked for more, frankly? I have made it through all that.

“They are just ultimately superficial problems. What’s important you’re all up and well! And your face is perfectly fine!! How lucky you are.” They consoled me.

I am fine actually. In fact, they didn’t matter all that much to me. They of course did, when the rashes were in its full glory. Antibiotics rash was no joke. You itch from morning to night and night to morning, you itch everywhere (but your face) and when you scratch, the itchier it becomes. My skin had broken out into many red spots and bumps. And then hives (So, yes, I am the Born Loser). Itch, on top of Itch. The itch wakes you up from your slumber and the more you scratch, the more awake you become and you suddenly go into a scratching frenzy. Mommy had to hold me down a few nights because I was going berserk from writhing about trying to scratch the hard-to-reach areas, typically the middle of the back. The itch was unbearable and I really wondered then if it would ever ever stop itching.

It finally did, but the marks remained. The marks slowly darkened and they were nothing like scabs which could be seen clearly from the surface of the skin. These marks look like little bruises, coming from within.

But I was all cheerful about the entire situation then. I survived, and my health checkups were looking great, I have my loved ones all around me. I was getting well.

When I return to work, at times I wore sleeveless tops. I did, and still do (despite that the rash marks have lightened up a fair bit) get stares and 2nd glances from strangers. Probably thinking how I got the marks and why I was wearing a sleeveless top when I was supposed to be covering up.

I didn’t felt that it was necessary. Whatever others may think, I’ll let them be. I don’t know them; neither did they know what I had gone through.

But at times, and lately, I have been getting a lot of queries and looks from strangers. Especially when I am alone. The marks haven’t lightened considerably as I thought, after all. I get a little bewildered at times, at times taken aback by the directness, sometimes, offended. I’ll be lying to say that I wasn’t affected one bit there and then. And so I tend to show less skin – t-shirts and shorts, I even consider twice now.

Confrontational Queries will happen as follows:

I walked into a clothing store. The salesgirl chirruped cheerfully, “Welcome to XXX!” But I saw her just staring at my arms and not lifting her gaze to my face. Her expression was not too pleasant, suddenly, I thought. Made me feel like I had some transmittable skin disease. Of course, I just left the shop without looking at anything.

On a different day, I walked into another store, browsing about. The salesgirl, a friendly lady, came over and then asked me if I was cold, and then grabbed my upper arm with both her hands - before I could answer “No...” She then removed her hands and said I looked like I was cold because of the pigmentation of my skin. And that my skin did feel cold. I revealed to her that they were marks left behind by antibiotics rashes. Shortly after, she scurried away while I got on with my browsing.

Some time back, I was waiting for my turn to order a bowl of noodles at a hawker centre. The hawker at the next stall peered at me and asked me if the marks were chicken pox scars. Amused, I shook my head. She told me to use aloe vera to smear on myself and then nodded convincingly and knowingly. I never did try that.

Another time, an uncle in his 50s(?) asked me directly, “What happened to your...?” while making gestures at his upper arms. I was taken aback by that directness. I stuttered a little before revealing the entire situation, but really....! How blunt can one get?

I think these encounters have made me a little more conscious.

I asked JX, “Would you mind if these marks are stuck with me forever?”

JX’s responded innocently, “You mean, they will go away?”

-_-

Family Weekend

The weekend was over in a jiffy. Seldom were there any weekends like the last one already.

Friday
Welcome-back dinner at Ah Yat for Uncle Eric and family. For the first time, Ryan came to our family gathering. JX came too, even though he was supposed to be home packing up as he would be called into camp the next day. Touched. :')

Non-stop singing, the KTV-siblings duo. Even in the midst of their dinner. Have to admit though, they’re good la!

The feeling of togetherness – is just great!

Qi said that Jo seemed more mature than I do because when I go crazy, I can almost reach her level. Wait, you have yet to see my real serious side at work! ER hem! Why can't I be mature and yet, fun-loving? Hiak.

Saturday
Woke up to Chonghan’s message to meet up. With Qi, we settled for Marina Square. Maybe bowling, maybe KTV, maybe Tea. Then just ended up with KTV.

Another day of hollering into microphones. In a freezer/coldroom.

Dinner and Fireworks from Marina Square’s foodcourt!

I really think Ah Qi looks like Myolie Wu from Hong Kong lei.

The irony of posing 'naturally'. Haha.

JX joined us after dinner at the foodcourt to hang out at Marina @ Keppel Bay for a while. A pretty cool hangout, dark and, well, dark. We needed to use the light from our handphones to squint at the menus to place our orders?

Look at that little beng.

And there was light, with thanks to Sony Ericsson K770i.

An important dark secret that the little one has got to share with us that night. That one who looks like Sandy Lam. No, the secret is not about him being Sandy Lam’s clone.

And basically, we just photowhored away because that was what we could entertain ourselves with.

Dead tired when I reached home, I slept with a small smile that night.

Sunday
Woke up with a smile? I don’t think so. The sun was already shining on my backside, as my mom would have said. Dragged myself out groggily, yippee, noon. And JX was on the way to have brunch/lunch with me. And then Mummy said my aunts and uncles and the little terrors were coming over. Like, now. Poor Norbit, he was prancing away for his life (I could almost see his tears and sweat drops) from room to room with the 2 terrors screaming after him.

First thing I ate that Sunday – durians. How toxic is that.

2nd lunch? Bak kut teh. The little one was phobic of pigeons. PIGEONS! His reason - they flap their wings. I reckon that he is afraid of birds in general. And he calls sparrows, ‘baby pigeons’. And screams when JX said that he’s the Pigeon Man. Hahaha.

Each family returned to their own homes thereafter and suddenly, I was hit with a flood of Zzz. Napped the remaining afternoon away with JX to wakeup to Hellboy 1 on 5ive.

What a blast last weekend. :)

Creep from a Thriller Movie

Jo saw a peeping tom looking straight into our room last night. HOW FREAKY IS THAT!? The window slates were widely opened, that audacity of that perv! According to Jo, he stood right smack in the middle of the opened window, with no slight intention to hide himself.

Jo, initially thought who was so idiotic to leave the window wide open when the air-conditioner was switched on. And then realized that there was a shadow but couldn’t believe that someone was actually standing there looking right into our pitch-black room. She then thought that maybe it was JX (because JX had a habit of springing surprises at night but those were in the wooing days). But the shadow made no move, no sound despite standing there for a while. She realized it was someone trying to be funny. And started yelling at the top of her lungs.

“Oi!!! Oi!!! Who are you?! WHO ARE YOU!!” At this point, only I started to stir in my sleep. But saw nothing of an opened window or a shadow against the lights.

And creepily, the shadow replied:

“Jimmy.”

What the FUCK!? (Jo heard his response anyways, not me.)

Jo sprang down the bed and shook me to my senses (at that point I was wondering what she was yelling at because I didn’t see any opened windows in my blur state. I thought she was sleep-talking. Or was on the phone. Frankly, I thought I would have noticed the light shining through once I opened my bleary eyes because I was facing the window.)

Anyway, we, the blind bats without our contact lenses and glasses, flew around looking for our spectacles in a fluster so that we could confront him. We opened the door and Jo was brandishing a pink umbrella while I observed the spot that the peeping tom would have stood. Needless to say, he was not to be found.

Why would he even step in amongst the pots of plants that were placed outside beneath our windows and attempt to open a window that was shut (albeit unlocked, unfortunately)? Why did he not attempt to hide himself?

Why did he still stand around despite knowing that he had been found out, and that my sister was yelling at him? Why would he not run away upon being discovered, like any other normal person would, but instead responded to Jo’s question before disappearing after she jumped out of bed?!

Everything is so abnormal. This person’s reaction and myself not remembering seeing anything at all. But of course, I was only stirring from my sleep. I saw how worked up and freaked out Jo was last night though. I actually asked Jo if she knew a Jimmy and she thought it was silly for a person trying to be funny to give his real name. Hey, how would I know? He probably was a friend or admirer of hers?

Totally creepy and chilling. We locked up all the windows tonight and put sticky tapes to detect if he would be attempting to lift up the window slates. Lucky I didn’t witness it last night and I managed to sleep (not Jo though), hopefully, I won’t have to witness the windows slowly opening from the outside! Ever!

Haven’t you looked at a window long enough to imagine a pair of bloodshot eyes slowly peer at you over the edge? Eeeeks!!

Congratulations Grace Momma!

Young Grace Momma popped last Saturday and we saw Baby Ashley for the first time! Looking at Ashley, I couldn’t fathom how she could squeeze into Grace’s tummy. Or imagine myself being a mother at my age.

Ashley, welcome to Life.

Have some Want Want.

I’ve always liked Angelina Jolie – I think she’s the ultimate hotness. Though a little waned in this show, Wanted. Kinda being stereotyped into a role, no? I couldn’t remember a movie that she did not wield a gun.

I like her tats. Her acting... well, there weren't exactly a range of expressions and emotions that you could expect from a professional killer.

Unconvincing for someone of her size and biceps (or lack thereof) to actually kick ass and cause a guy doubled up in pain with a bloodied face though.

Where's your meat? You're lying on it?

I thought it was a forgettable show, despite the showy slow-mo bullets mashing up each other ala Matrix style and the fancy (innovative?) moves to kill a person. But JX loves it though.

The Legendary Will Smith Immortalized

I’ve been waiting for Hancock to screen in the movies since I first saw its trailer. Will Smith lei! And as a superhero!!

Although the plot was of a primary school grader’s standard, the visuals and Will Smith’s butt cheek made up for it. What’s there not to like – this sarcastic superhero feeling awkward in his albeit tight suit, who has a vulnerable side that needs someone to love?

I wonder if there’s a sequel to it, but JX said that would spoil the show. But Will Smith will save the movie again, won’t he?

"The visual effects are stellar, but the true star is Smith, who again demonstrates acting chops as well as effortless charisma in a vehicle that's only occasionally worthy of his superhuman skills." - Farber, Stephen, The Hollywood Reporter

Couldn't agree more.

See his butt?

So charming.