HRH

tei o 1 Comment

It has been almost a year since my last entry. I guess many would have known the reason for my absence. Yes, it’s due to the arrival of HRH above.

It has been one huge, fast learning curve, on-the-job training. And there’s more to come. For the rest of my life, I will be learning how to be a good mother. The thought itself is scary. Guess best not to think about it too much and just take things as they come. Actually, I don’t really have enough time to think too much. I’m racing against time all the time.

Really wish I have 三头六臂 (3 heads and 6 arms).

Of course, winning the lottery would be just as good coz then I won’t have to work. haha!

Total bliss

tei o

DH says there are 2 types of holiday.

The first type is where you go to a place and ‘see’ it. So if you are going to Egypt, then of course you have to see the pyramids or if you are in Paris, then you must visit the Eiffel Tower or if you visit Beijing, then the Great Wall of China should be on the must see list.

Most Singaporeans are very likely to have this type of holiday. I guess with our fast pace living, and the government constantly drumming into us that we must be productive and learn as long as we live…we all feel the need to tick off those ‘must see/ must do’ places/things when we go on holiday. No doubt, our ‘kiasu’ nature reinforces this urge as well, otherwise we would feel that we haven’t spend the money well.

There is a second type of holiday when you do absolutely nothing. And I mean really nothing…except maybe read or listen to you music on your ipod.

Many people can do this for a day or two but most would think you’re mad if you ‘do’ this continously for 4 to 5 days.

Indeed, if you are on this type of holiday for the first time, it can be rather hard on your system. You may actually have to fight the urge to go into town, visit that famous restaurant, check out that theme park etc.

But believe me, once you have conquered that and tell yourself that chilling out is just as rewarding and refreshing….you will be surprised how quickly time passes.

Eat…sleep…read…eat…chat….sleep….

We don’t have to behave like a frenzied rat when we are on holiday.

I’ll have a beer please

Spring cleaning spring love

tei o

After so many months, I thought it was time to shake the dust off this blog and start writing again.

And coincidentally, I was also doing some spring cleaning a couple of weeks back…you know…Chinese New Year. Yes, that once a year where you feel compelled to give your house a thorough cleaning, chucking out all the mess that you’ve accumulated for the past 360 days, though why one should suddenly feel they are junk just 5 days before Chinese New Year after having lived with them in close comfort for the past 360 days before is a puzzle to me.

Back to my story, my aunt was clearing out the cupboards and took out a couple of boxes and dumped them infront of me….telling me in no uncertain terms that I was to go through them and preferably throw them out.

I took a peek….and found that one of them contained the many letters and cards that I’ve kept since I was young.

If you’re around my age, you would remember that once upon a time, people send out cards for all occassions and no occassions. Internet and handphone were non-existent then. Of course, in the last few years, less and less people (me included) send out cards because well….choosing, buying, writing and sending out cards take time….something which we tend to have less of nowadays (though my excuse is that I’m saving the tress ^^). But I must say cards are still special..unless they are cards from your insurance agents.

Anyway, whilst going through the box of cards and letters…I came across a very nice Valentine’s Day card. Opening the card, I saw the short message written in it, telling me how it was love at first sight for him, how pretty I was and ended with a wish from him that I would be his valentine. I found a couple more cards from him…all very big, nice and mushy and all probably costing a bomb.

The cards brought a puzzled smile to my face.

A smile because it was nice to remember the days of young – of being wooed and ‘chased’ and ‘desired’.

Puzzled because I have absolutely no recollection who ‘Ian’ was, which was this said admirer’s name.

Now before you start thinking I had a whole army of suitors in my days of young, I assured you I didn’t..though I did have a few ‘ahem!’ admirers (hubby..are you reading this?). But I do remember all the guys I went out with..at least their names anyway…even if I can’t really remember their faces now.

But the name ‘Ian’ drew a blank. Zilch. Zero.

After thinking long and hard, I think I can hazard a guess who he might be, but I’m still not absolutely sure. And yet, he must have made an impact on me or I wouldn’t have kept his cards all these years right? So why don’t I remember him? And did I even ever go out on a date with him? If it’s who I think he was, I think we had a couple of dinners or lunches or teas…

But you know what would be really interesting?

Would he remember me? Maybe not (X.. who? Never heard of her).

Many people talk about their puppy love or first love with mucht nostalgic warmth. But in reality, many do not really remember much about it. The other day, the DJs on this morning show was asking if listeners remembered their firt kiss…and guess what, most could not remember where or when (well, they have a rough time frame but no exact date).

Me? I can’t even remember how it felt. Oops.

It’s not that all those past relationships weren’t important…they were..at that point in my life…from the first time I went out with a guy…to the first time when I fell in love…to the first time a guy broke my heart into a thousand pieces. They were all part of my life and helped to make my life interesting and what I am today BUT I am more happy and concerned about the present and now.

Sometime last year, I met up with a Korean and she told me something rather interesting. For those of you who watch Korean dramas, you would know that they are mostly filled with themes of finding first love or still being in love with the first love or something like that. Very romantic (which of course is a huge reason for it’s popularity amongst women, the fact that the leading men are droolicious is a plus point of course). Anyway, I asked her out of curiousity if first love is really that important to the Koreans (since dramas tend to mirror life) and she said yes…and in fact she herself would like to find/ know about her first love. Hmmm…

I told her I have absolutely no desire to find my first love, or my second love…in fact any of my past love. Of course, if any of my past loves had looked like Bae Yong Joon or Takeshi Kaneshiro or Daniel Craig, I would be be dying to find them. But then if any of my past loves looked like any of the 3 above guys above, I would still be hanging on to them now. Wahahaha!

I prefer the present and the future…the past, whether good or bad, are great memories but I don’t dwell too much on them. Because the now will become past one day and I want to enjoy it now. The fact that I can’t even remember who this great admirer, Ian is, despite keeping his cards all these years is a good case in point.

Should I keep Ian’s cards?

Perhaps I will keep just one…just for memories’ sake….or until I can solve the mystery of just who this Ian is. ^^

Are you keeping your spring love?

Changing jobs

tei o 1 Comment

Recently, I received an email from an old classmate. In it, she said : “Have been bored > 50% of the time the past 7 years”…so she’s quit and going to start a new job soon where she hope the word ‘bored’ wouldn’t be part of her vocab.

2 thoughts came into me mind when I received this…

– Wow! She can quit and just pick up another job at her age? Now I’m not saying she’s old (well, she’s the same age as me…and I’m NOT OLD). But you read in the newspapers all these stories about ‘ex’ managers, executives and directors (ok, maybe not directors) who find it hard to get a ‘new’ job when they hit ’40’ (which seems to be a magical number…hmm…maybe it is…since the number ‘4’ means die in Chinese). I mean, it’s totally, totally demoralising. Doesn’t help with all the government hype about ‘retraining’, reeducation’, ‘re-entering’…and all the ‘re’s you can think. In my university days, a ‘re’ means a resit for an exams…which really isn’t too good.

So, of course, most people hang to their job for their dear life. And even if you do get a job offer, you hesitate to take it up because you’re not sure if it’s worthwhile taking the risk. What if the company shuts down? Or you get retrenched? Or you find out that your new boss is even worse than the previous one? Better to stick with the devil you know right?

Which then leads to another question or problem…however way you look at it.

If the ‘oldies’ don’t move out, then how are the ‘newbies’ going to move up?

I remember KC complaining to me years ago (when he was about 30) and had just joined a local bank. He reckoned he was never going to be able to move up the ladder becasue they were all occupied by long timers.

Now that he’s in the 40’s and belong to those old timers…I wonder…. will he moving out? hehe! I must check with him…or if he is reading this…(he did used to, before all the distraction came along)…give me a call and let me know. ^^

– and the 2nd point? She was bored with her previous job.

Now that again…is something quite unusual. Because most people are really probably quite bored with their job. I mean, how many people really want to 七早八早 wake up, compete with about 2 million people on the road, so that you can reach the office in time for endless meetings, answering meaningless questions. Repeat this 5 times a week and even remotely ‘ok’ jobs become boring. Not many people have really, really ‘interesting’ jobs anyway. And if they do, they probably don’t get paid well…not unless you’re Mr Lee Ang or Mr Dennis Foo.

So most of do not quite because a job is boring…Most of us work…so that we can have the means to do interesting stuff.

Even for me, with my flexi hours….I’m frustated at times….

That’s why we all dream of winning the lottery big time. (hubby dear, if you’re reading this…and I know you do…can you please work a little harder on those winning tickets? Pleazzze?)

Actually, I do want to change job too…well…not so much change job as to expand on what I’m already doing based on my interest…..

I’m seriously exploring the opportunities to do some tie-ups on my kimchiblog or even this blog…so…people….if you people have any ideas or leads…drop me a note hor.

In the meantime, it’s back to the reality of selling ad space…..just in case my editor checks out this site and finds me writing when I should be selling.

Arctic Tale

tei o

Artic Tales
Directed by: Adam Ravetch, Sarah Robertson
Narrated by: Queen Latifah

How many of you watched ‘March of the Penguins’ and was overwhelmed by their spectacular journey through blizzard cold…to find a mate and start a family? The image of the penguins, marching in a single file, bracing themsevles against the antartic wind to protect their young, will probably stay forever in our minds.

The story:
Arctic Tale is a movie by the same people (different directors though) about those who inhabit on the opposite side of the pole- The Arctic.

And the centre of the story is the polar bears…to be specific….one particular polar bear, Nanu and Cela, the walrus. In between, you have a few other characters, like the arctic fox and the seals who inhabit the same place as these two and are dependant on each other for survival.

The story starts off with a mother bear, who is just emerging from her 6 months of hibernation after giving birth to 2 little bear cubs (those 2 bear cibs are really cute!). Normally, polar bear cubs stay with their mother for 3 years…where they will be taught all that is necessary to stay alive in the harsh environment. And each of the baby walrus have an extra guardian (besides their mother), in the form of auntie to protect them. And boy, these lady warulses can be really fierce….even full grown polar bears can find their weight and sharp tusks a little intimidating.

For the next 90 minutes or so, we see how each of these animals try to survive, not just their natural enemies, but also the changing environment due to the warming of the climate. For these animals, the melting of the ice world can be disasterous. When any part of nature is unbalance, their basic survival is affected.

Hence we see the walruses swimming far out to sea, away from their home, to another island when the ice melted too early and could not hold them anymore. We see the polar bears, at the risk of facing starvation, following them and hunting far from their natural habitat. And a couple of times, I did have my heart in my mouth, wondering if Nanu is going to survive this exhuasting trip, for polar bears are not meant to swim for long distances.

It is truely a survival of the fittest. Only in this case, even the the fittest may not survive if there’s no food.

Thoughts on movie:
As with any National Geographic documentaries, this is an excellent production. There is no doubt about it. Some of the images are simply spectacular and breathtaking. I take my hat off to the people who braved the cold and harsh weather by patiently capturing scenes that are simply worth a thousand words.

The bear cubs were really, really cute (makes me want to get one) and they have even managed to inject some humour into the movie.

Perhaps that is where the one flaw may lie….

The underlying message is a serious one but the movie is just a little too warm and fuzzy to convey that properly. I like watching cute animals and often the sight of these warm, cuddley animals may be effective in giving that tug-in-the-heart feeling. In this case, perhaps they should have been a little more cruel…so that they can be kind. Plus I find the music a little too distracting as well.

Despite the above, it’s still worth a watch.

If only to educate the young ones about the seriousness of climate change and that each and everyone of us can make a difference.

The ice kingdom is being threatened…and it is getting increasingly difficult for these animals to stay alive with the climate change. Their ancient ways of living, hunting and mating are being threatened slowly.

One day, one day…these animals may disappear …like the dinosaurs. No more cute polar bears.

If you really want to bring a direct benefit by watching the movie, the following activities are being planned:

– The ZOO is holding an outdoor fundraising screening on Saturday, 8th September at 7.30pm in favor of Wildlife Conservation Singapore Fund – Go here for more info.

– Nature Society /Acres is also holding a fundraising screening.
Date: 11th September, Tuesday
Time: 7pm
Venue: GV VivoCity, Hall 5
Go here for more infor.

Incidentally, SPH foundation sponsored the Gala Premiere and S$120,000 to the Zoo for the Polar Bear conservation.

For more information about the movie, go to:
Festive Films
Official site

Arctic Tale opens on 13th September with sneak previews this week. Please support hor…

I’m a WAG

tei o

I just realised that I’ma WAG. No, not a dog. WAG stands for Wives and Girlfriends…to be specific..those wives and girlfriends of the fabulously rich English League football players. These ladies are normally decked out in designer wear, with perfectly manicured hands and look ultra cool even if they have about 3 children in tow. They normally appear at important football matches to support their husbands/ boyfriends. More often than not, they draw much media attention as well. Of course, the most famous WAG would be Victoria Beckham.

Well, I’m a WAG too…only I’m not the wife of an ultra rich Engish soccer player but the wife of a excercise-mad Englishman.

This WAG here doesn’t have any designer wear…(unless you count Giordano) and cuts her own nails at home. I think I look pretty cool sometimes- when my hair behaves. But one thing I do have in common with the other WAGS- I appear at the events that my husband participates in. Though I must admit, I normally only go to those important ones too because this husband of mine probably participates in more events than the number of matches that David Beckham plays in.

Last month, before our holiday, he went for the OSIM Triathlon. Of course, it beats me why anyone would want to pay and torture themselves with such grueling sporting events…but looking at the crowd there that day, I guess those 3,900 participants don’t agree with me.

These events start really early, so that means leaving the house at about 6.30am in the morning, when I’m barely awake.

It had been raining a couple of days before the event…so the place was really, really, really muddy…

If you want to go to the toilet…you have to queue in the mud. Lovely, isn’t it?

Designer wear definitely not suiitable here.

Ok, just in case, you don’t know…triathlon consists of 3 segments- swimming, cycling and running. The distance varies depending on the organiser but I think the official Olympic distance is…

Swim- 1,500m
Cycle- 40km
Run- 10km

A triathlon normally starts with the swim. Here’s the starting point.

Lots of half naked men. Haha!

And they’re off!!!!!

He had to swim 2 laps in the open sea. Unfortunately, the rain that had been threatening the whole morning, started to drizzle. And by the time he came in after the 1st lap, the storm was upon us.

Because of safety reasons, they stopped the other batches from starting and pulled in those that were still swimming. Tim and a few others were already half way through the 2nd lap. Frankly, I was really worried because even those rescue crew were having trouble controlling the boats in the rough sea. I was straining my eyes and crossing my toes and feet at the same time. He actaully told me later that he was swimming well and couldn’t understand why they were stopped and pulled in. Humph! So much for my worry!

The rough sea

And then it rained and poured and stormed…for more than an hour.

And yes, I was totally wet…and cold. Can you imagine Victoria Beckham looking like a wet chicken? No? me either. But I wasn’t as bad as the participants, who mostly dressed in shorts and t-shirts.

Everyone was frustrated and had to just stand around to wait for the rain to stop. They had to stop the whole event because it got too dangerous even to cycle. And then thankfully, the downpour came to a stop finally. But there just wasn’t enough time to restart the whole thing, so the swimming was modifed to a short run and then they could start with the cycling.

They had cycle 4 times round the route. Avtually, I like this the segment the best as most of them looks really cool in their cycling gear and racing down the track. It often seems effortless…at least it does to me.

At the end of the cycling segment

This was followed by the run. I think any participants will tell you that this is the worse part. After all the swimming and cycling, it takes tremendous effort to run that 10km.

As a supporter, I also agree that this is the worse segment…as it’s less exciting and by that time, it’s also boiling hot. And that’s anotehr difference between those famous WAGs and this WAG. They get to sit comfortably in the shade, served with beer and food, whereas I’m either being cooked in the hot sun or drowned in the rain.

BUT…

It does mean that he will be reaching the finishing line any minute and looking out for him, trying to catch him when he crosses over is always one that fills me with joy and anticipation (yes, despite all my grumblings ^^)



And the reward?
another medal…hehe!

Btw, the elites (those professional participants who race for money) start off really early in the morning before everyone else and of course, finish before everyone else too.

The winner for ‘Men Elite Open’ was Courtney Atkinson, an Australian. He did it in 1h 50m 16s. The ‘Women Elite Open’s winner was a Japanese. Shizuka Kutsuna did it in 2h 6m 43s. For more infor on the results, you can go here

So does this inspire anyone of you to try it next year?

Hehe!

The true Singapore song and pledge

tei o

The alternative version to Kit Chan’s ‘There’s no place I’d rather be’.

我的家就在这里
This is my home

改编词:周崇庆/萧嘉蕙
原词/曲: 叶良俊

你说要去PARIS 我听成PASIR RIS
You said you want to go Paris, I heard it as Pasair Ris

长城有魅力 也很吃力
The Great wall is charming but it’s also tiring

要爬上铁塔 非常EXPENSIVE
To climb up the Eiffel Tower is very expensive

其实SENTOSA 会更便宜
Actually Sentosa will be cheaper

这是美丽的天地 我的家就在这里
This is a beautiful place, this is my home

去到外地 我才发现
When I go abroad, I realised

原来这里最干净
It is cleanest here

这里也有PULAU UBIN 要骑脚车也可以
There is Pulau Ubin here and you can ride bicycle

你要很小心 别像周崇庆
You have to be careful and don’t be like Zhou Zhong Qing

不然少了四颗TEETH
Otherwsie you will loose 4 teeth

这是美丽的天地 我的家就在这里
This is a beautiful place, this is my home

从JURONG EAST 到 PASIR RIS
From Jurong East to Pasir Ris

TAXI BUS 和 MRT
Taxi Bus and MRT

这是美食的天地 有很多好吃东西
This is a food paradise, there are many delicious food

LAKSA CHAR KWAY TEOW 和那 LOR MEE
Laksa Char Kway Teow and that Lor Mee

不满意有云吞MEE
If not satisfied there’s wan ton mee

还有SATAY 和福建MEE…
And satay and Hokkien mee

And the true Singapore pleadge:
I the citizen of Singapore, pledge myself to strike on
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, regardless of
toto, 4-D and big sweep to buy hope and earn extra money
base on quick pick system, 7_12 and big sweep with 4-d bonus
so as to achieve car, cash and condo.

Now who says Singaporeans have no sense of humour.

Happy National Day/ Month everyone. ^^