大年初一

This post by Celest drew me to write about my own 初一. After having spent 3 hours travelling to 3 locales and amassing an obscene amount of red packets, I was so looking forward to the final destination for the day: Toa Payoh. And no, it ain't HER place. Neither was it for the massive red packets that would inevitably follow. Its for the people there. My nearest and dearest. My gran's place. We had to cross the road over to 姨婆's place first for our usual CNY routine: Some copious snacking of the seemingly unlimited supplies of finger food and CNY goodies. But this occasion was particularly poignant -- my 姨公 was stricken with terminal lung cancer and this particular CNY was possibly his last. The place was, as usual, immaculate -- with the exception of the various nasal applications and pain relievers. I found myself railing at the injustice of it all.

My 姨婆 was a clothes-washer in her till her retirement, having toiled through all those years to bring up my two 表姨s and 表舅. Her gait was laboured and her hands suffered from debilitating arthritis, the direct result of being stooped over washbasins for 14 hours at a stretch. She too took care of my mother and aunts, and this unconditional love for both her own children and that of her relatives' was a lesson in giving. However, I used to fear her touching me, and would usually shy away from seeing her. Why so? I found her second thumb -- an extra non-mobile appendage horrific. This childish fear was soon overcome, for her hearty "Ah Seeeennnnggg" in Cantonese when seeing me (and my maturing ways) soon led me to appreciate the golden heart of hers.

Her usual hearty greeting announced my arrival, and her fortitude and strength deeply moved me. The entire family masked the inner pain that they were all feeling, and the fact that the small 3-room flat contained some 40 individuals meant that the place was crowded beyond belief. I so very wanted to hug her, to comfort and to reach out to her, but social requirements and the fear of opening up the bottled sorrow meant that I could not do so. My heart goes out to her.....

为何这样？

My gran's place was next. I wished her health in the Cantonese vernacular. FULL STOP. Her health and mental well-being is of paramount importance to me. It took me some 3 years to get a working knowledge of Cantonese vocabulary and the various intonations right. I felt that I could better communicate with my grandparents that way. There is an effusive warm glow when my granny stands beside me, with the constant remarking :"lei dei tai, ah seng gam dai lor. Kei hai hoi pong bin ah por gam oi" (你们看，阿胜这样大了。 站在他旁边阿婆这样矮).

But 阿婆, you're so wrong. You're THE giant in my life. My dearest one.

---

點蟲蟲, 蟲蟲飛。飛去邊﹖飛去荔枝畿。荔枝熟, 摘滿一包袱。

點蟲蟲,蟲蟲飛...飛去邊,飛去荔枝基!荔枝熟,無埞伏;伏去邊?伏去你個鼻哥窿!!!

Time goes by... So slowly...

The thing with school is that it seems to take up so much of your time. Time better spent
i) reading the papers
ii) with loved ones
iii) playing DoTA
iv) updating my knowledge of computer stuff
v) exercising

Now that my priorities are made known to all, it seems that school life is a massive pizza. Peppered with meetings, with a pinch of sardonic wit and heaps of readings, the monotonous yet dynamic nature of life here in SMU is...

Well, I guess it all comes back to my soul (as opposed to sole) comfort --- Food!

SHE's the one...

Kindness Kindness is most important in a boyfriend/girlfriend. You want someone who will go through everything with you - the best moments and the worst, and all of those other moments in between. You love to be able to say anything to your partner, and have them say anything to you. You are able to be extremely close with your partner for that reason. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Happy 59th month, dearest...

In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to torts of love...

Dusting off the tomes of scripted literature, I found myself harking back to the courts of years long past, where grouchy old men (wearing long, CURLY white wigs to make themselves look even older) oversaw proceedings in court and equally rambunctious solicitors pranced about the courtroom grilling witnesses and defendants...

My first encounter with Biz Law was a torrid session. My inability to comprehend the goings-on during the lesson, together with my frustration at not being able to partake in the discussion left me wondering about my intention about taking a second major in Law.

This intention is neither an invitation to treat nor an offer in the strictest sense. Until this intention has been expressedly stated, there is a lack of legal implication in this case.

After the resolution of an MPW critique, my attention was drawn to the black book that had adorned my floor for a week or so. Flipping to the first page somewhat grudgingly, I sought to fulfill my commitment towards clearing the past week's readings at least. Surprisingly, the mixture of historical anecdotes and contemporary applications drew my attention. Page after page, I found myself captivated by litigation and rambling commentaries of the various Justices.

Your Honour, I would like to change my plea to that of guilty. I'm guilty of actually liking Biz Law and I'm a nerd through and through.

This week saw the day that I officially withdrew from SIS, with only my single degree in Accountancy outstanding. It was after much consideration and attempts at understanding the two's synergy that I finally gave in. My considerations were largely practical. The ISM-Acctcy double degree route would require at least another 4 years of my time, and the synergistic value of the degrees were as yet unproven. There's the opportunity cost of a year of work, and coupled with the additional $6.5K that I would have to fork out eventually led to my decision.

The placement in the ISM-Acctcy programme was an example of a unilateral contract. Such contracts entail the promise of the offeror, with no equivocal promise required nor conditions imposed on the part of the offeree.

I remember the times when I held kangaroo courts in the awarding of detention in SGPS, my very own fief-dom that marked my precocious years. My ambition then? Why, to be a modern day Scarlet Pimpernel, the vanguard of justice and the protector of the innocent.

Plus I liked the wigs. :p

Happy 23rd BDae BABY!!!

And this hour marks the 23rd anniverary of the arrival of a bonny lass into this world. Bawling and squealing (something SHE still often does when SHE doesn't get HER way), the world would never be complete without YOUR presence.

Went for a simple dinner at Breeks!, with me lugging along this stupid laptop and a Cold Storage plastic bag filled with an unsurprising surprise. I had accompanied HER to HER various points of interests (clothes, clothes and clothes) whilst SHE tried on 4 dresses, 2 tops and ultimately bought nothing. *Rolls eyes*"Girls!"

And then off we went back to HER place, where the surprise was laid out in its full grandeur. An assortment of fruits, a brand new essential oils broiler,














tea lights courtesy of dear Meng and a Cadbury Old Gold dark chocolate bar... Voïla! We've saved $29.80 on the Haägen Daz's chocolate fondue that SHE so badly wanted to try that time... And lemme see... I spent a total of $26.71 on the stuff.. Ah well, its the thought that counts.. Great chocolate, some mixing and experimentation and the night couldn't have been any sweeter.
__________________________

I told you once, and I'll say it all over again.
The stars shine brighter when YOU're around.
Happy birthday baby!