We would have made a mighty fine couple in the 1950s I must say.
Get your retro yearbook pictures here
Many thanks to Abi for the intro (though we have an even better surprise for you!)
Old pictures August 28, 2008
This is what I found in my old memory card:
Anyone has any idea where to buy such grilles?
Just before I left my 15 year old room last year.
People discard things easily.
What a glorious feelin’ August 24, 2008
It rained the whole time we were in Bintan this weekend. I think under normal circumstances, I would have been annoyed, because this is about the only time I get to try to get the pasty white skin a little rosier/tanner. But this time round, I was just so grateful to be given the chance to do nothing so I just read Gaiman/Murakami books to whisk myself into another world, had buffet breakfasts, drank a lot of spa drinks (lemongrass-ginger rocks) and walked along the beach under the drizzle.
Since we are on rain-related topics, I also managed to squeeze out a short essay just before the trip for a little anthology in tribute to my favourite musical, my wonderful childhood and good ol’ rain. (more…)
Factory Shopping August 21, 2008
This is going to sound auntie, but I’m going to say it anyway:
The highlight of my week was grabbing salmon steaks in a giant fridge at Fassler.
I was so excited about CHEAP! GOURMET! SEAFOOD! CHEAP! that I stayed in the freezer room a little too long oohing and aaahing at the gorgeous slabs of tuna tatakis and seafood terrines. By the time I got out, my hands were numb (but full).
Next door was this place (forgot name so won’t be tempted to buy) selling every kind of sausage on the face of this earth, as well as some impressive looking roasts. A colleague was spotted running gleefully towards the building exclaiming, “Meat heaven! Meat heaven!” Their bratwursts apparently rock.
And if you just walk down a little more, there’s Foodedge selling CHEAP! GOURMET! ICE-CREAM! CHEAP! I’ve tried the mango sorbet, it’s pretty good. And if it’s too much of a hassle to come down to the ulu North, they take online orders and do deliveries too.
Basically, these factories supply their products to hotels and restaurants all over Singapore but if you buy from them directly here, there are plenty of savings to be made. Like factory outlet shopping – only in this case, the foodstuff may even be better because it’s fresh from the source.
With the inflated prices of food, I’ve been finding it harder and harder to find good quality food at reasonable prices these days. With today’s visit, I realise that WAH! there are actually plenty of food suppliers in the Ulu North selling at wholesale prices (finally, something noteworthy about this area). Loveleh.
Aunty Godpa Report: Nate to Date August 17, 2008
Male bonding (L-R: Nate, Dyson/Tai Sheng/Guy Sng?, Seng) Taken by D.
It’s been a while since I’ve talked about one of my favourite little fellas: Nate.
We’ve actually been hanging out every now and then. Yesterday, we were over at his place and he gave us three little penguins as well as Harold the Helicopter as welcome gifts.
The last time he was over at my place, he was playing Catch a little too enthusiastically, fell down, and cried for a loooooonnnng time. But by the time he had to go home, he still managed to give hugs.
The other time he was at my place, Bryan hung him upside down and Nate’s mummy was a little worried something might get dislocated. He loved it though.
Nate has very defined tastes and I must say they are rather high-brow and eclectic. But I think this will enable him to have a solid grammatical foundation and an intellectual sense of humour. He also has his own little neighbourhood posse and has even appeared in the headlines recently.
D. and I are very proud of Nate and love him very much.
Understudy
In a bid for a more open society, nanny state Singapore has decided to return parental controls to parents. To ensure a smooth transition, suitability testing has also been introduced. Couples such as Darren and Melanie Soh are closely scrutinized by government officials in a sterile playlab as they interact with test subject ‘nate’. Suitable couples will be licensed and entitled to National Advancement Grants (NAG) plus 1 pack of free pampers. (A Parent Photo/Wong Maye-e)
Regrowth
Will grow back
After taking a look at some rather tired, bloated, sullen shots taken recently, I realise, it’s not just the vanity crying out in horror. It’s the cry that something needs to be done with the whole attitude of everything.
There are circumstances that I can never change. But there are always choices to be made.
There are certain things that will change you and your thinking for life. But that doesn’t mean things can’t be changed drastically again. For the better.
Don’t drag others down with you.
Don’t let others drag you down.
Appreciate the blessings.
Appreciate the differences.
Find out who I am again.
As the truck hits August 13, 2008
Once my body registered that it was finally time for a little rest, it slowly unravelled and today, I woke up with a burning head and a headache that made me feel like I had a really thick tongue (no other way to describe it). With some Panadol Extras, I tried to settle some important matters, settled them, and proceeded to crash after lunch.
I wake up now still feeling rather not quite there, but realised that even though I have been feeling underwater the weather, I have made so many more observations about people these past few days:
– a lady cycling around my estate with bright blue gloves, a purple head scarve and bright red lipstick
– a bus driver with a radio-friendly voice and unusually impeccable manners. He greets each entering passenger in three different languages. Some of the (possibly) Bangaldeshi workers in yellow boots looked a little taken aback, but then waved happily after being acknowledged so nicely while the locals mostly ignored him because they haven’t been equipped to deal with such situations before.
– a cab driver, a former Nantah graduate who in a short span of 5 minutes expressed profound regret for his life choices. “I should have learnt English, those who did in my kampong started driving cars. Instead I went to a place where I was brainwashed and instead of telling you to learn, they told you to hold demonstrations.” He also expressed sympathy for my generation because even though we learn English now, it does not mean we will drive cars.
– a lady who got caught in the rain very cleverly took out her thongs so she could move around much faster on the wet, soggy ground barefoot.
– capisicums, just before they get burnt, produce this transparent skin covering
On Frivolous Matters August 10, 2008
Let’s just say that I felt a huge boost to my general well-being over the weekend after reading this refreshing commencement speech by Adrian Tan and this particular Slow blog entry on time poverty.
Of course, it’s also the fact that classes are ending and hello, it means free weekends again!
You see , I think some of the students and I have generally been quite burnt out by the semester.
Exhausted till the eyeballs are rolling
However, I must say that it is the craziness of the young ones that has been keeping me sane these past few months. My amusement with their antics has garnered a rather ironic nickname (I think D. might possibly snort and flare his nostrils wildly at this):
Awwwwwwwwwww
(The context: we were playing Hangman to urm, stimulate learning.)
I am also looking forward to two trips: one quick-fix Bintan thing again (a wedding present) and in October, Vanessa’s elaborate Hindi wedding in South Africa woo hoo!
And later, I’m going to cook things in the kitchen! Life is good!
Row row row your boat August 9, 2008
The dream of my life
Is to lie down by a slow river
And stare at the light in the trees –
To learn something by being nothing
A little while but the rich
Lens of attention.
Mary Oliver
Sad Stories From Singapore August 7, 2008
About a month ago, I stumbled upon Stories.sg, a collection of personal letters by bloggers to Singapore in tribute to her 43rd birthday this Saturday.
Firstly, I was surprised by how few letters there were. Just around 20ish entries for a tech-savvy population of a couple of million.
Secondly, I was surprised that most of these letters contained more or less the similar theme: I really want to be proud of my country, but there’s a lot going against it. While some were more optimistic and others a lot more confrontational in general, there was this sense of not knowing what our national identity is about, and not knowing whether the kind of lives we lead here are sustainable.
Perhaps it’s the more “emo” types who would actually bother with a website like this, and hence the content being so similar. But if anything, I just feel a little less alone after reading this website. Thank God, it’s not just me.
Your constant drone of money, meritocracy and contradictions you fed me over and over again — they went away. I could finally hear myself think and reason. Without you, I was whole. Stormie
You’re more than people just scraping by, dreaming of money and five-star hotels. You’re a hell of a lot more than just a good air-conditioning system. You’re everybody, not just the dream citizen; you’re the Malay kids skipping school, hanging out at Peninsula Plaza in black jeans and trucker caps. You’re the unemployed kopitiam uncle with his songbirds. You’re the schoolgirl holding hands with her classmate, hoping the teacher doesn’t see. You’re every one of them, but for some reason you just won’t acknowledge this. You like to hold on to this idea of you being this clean, perfectly efficiently city, when really it’s the dirt that makes you who you are. Zing
I actually contributed an entry here, pounded out in 15 minutes during a particularly bad day and I just needed to get things out of my system. I’m not sure how much of a National Day present this is to Singapore, but hey, if anything, at least I am telling the truth.
mental indigestion 