I feel like a million bucks for being able to sleep through the night for the first time after months of dragging myself up in the ungodly hours for the little sucker.
Energetic and most importantly happy! Haha... apparently I've been taking the privilege of sleeping through the night for granted.
Wow! Early xmas pressie and I hope that it lasts...
Dec 18, 2008
Dec 9, 2008
Nov 12, 2008
What's wrong with these people?
I signed up a manicure and pedicure package long time ago with a shop at Marine Parade central when I was heavily pregnant and couldn't do my own nails.
The shop is always busy and the owner is a young Malaysian girl. She is humorous, polite and by just chatting with her, she makes the normal more than an hour session like a 30 mins one, which is great when I can't do anything but sitting there waiting for my nails to be done.
I have used up my pedi session during my pregnancy and I've left with a couple of mani sessions and I don't wish to sign up for more sessions. I hate commitments... with the shops.
Two days ago I called up to book for a mani and pedi session since I have an event coming up this weekend.
Ring ring ring and a RPC girl picked up. I told her that I'll buy one pedi session. I'm sure she smirked over the phone and said in dismay: "Buy only ONE session?"
Yes you idiot! That's not your problem.
Something came up and the event has been cancelled plus it's raining cats and dogs out there and it's a major turn off. I waited until 715pm and I decided to make a call to cancel my appointment.
This time, a man picked up the phone.
Given him my name, I said: "I would like to cancel my appointment at 8pm."
He said dramatically:"Oooooh!!!! Yes... but WHY?"
Me: "It's raining."
He went in his distinctive singlish:"U dun haf umblella meh?"
It's none of his $#@*&^ business. Just accept the fact that I'm cancelling the booking and shut up! I'm kind enough to bother to call up though... bloody hell!
What's wrong with these people? I'm the customer and I do what I want. Just accept and be grateful that I'm still having the intention to spend money in this recession.
Sometimes I rather talk to the machine that I don't need to deal with idiots. Provided if the machine is smart enough...
Press 1 to make an appointment.
Press 2 to make changes to your appointment.
Press 3 to swear to a real person.
The shop is always busy and the owner is a young Malaysian girl. She is humorous, polite and by just chatting with her, she makes the normal more than an hour session like a 30 mins one, which is great when I can't do anything but sitting there waiting for my nails to be done.
I have used up my pedi session during my pregnancy and I've left with a couple of mani sessions and I don't wish to sign up for more sessions. I hate commitments... with the shops.
Two days ago I called up to book for a mani and pedi session since I have an event coming up this weekend.
Ring ring ring and a RPC girl picked up. I told her that I'll buy one pedi session. I'm sure she smirked over the phone and said in dismay: "Buy only ONE session?"
Yes you idiot! That's not your problem.
Something came up and the event has been cancelled plus it's raining cats and dogs out there and it's a major turn off. I waited until 715pm and I decided to make a call to cancel my appointment.
This time, a man picked up the phone.
Given him my name, I said: "I would like to cancel my appointment at 8pm."
He said dramatically:"Oooooh!!!! Yes... but WHY?"
Me: "It's raining."
He went in his distinctive singlish:"U dun haf umblella meh?"
It's none of his $#@*&^ business. Just accept the fact that I'm cancelling the booking and shut up! I'm kind enough to bother to call up though... bloody hell!
What's wrong with these people? I'm the customer and I do what I want. Just accept and be grateful that I'm still having the intention to spend money in this recession.
Sometimes I rather talk to the machine that I don't need to deal with idiots. Provided if the machine is smart enough...
Press 1 to make an appointment.
Press 2 to make changes to your appointment.
Press 3 to swear to a real person.
Nov 11, 2008
Dear son...
This is how I feel after tasting the baby pasta with cod fish I've just prepared for my 9 months old boy.
When he has grown up, I'm going to tell him:" Son, whatever crappy food that you have tasted in your first years, 95% of the time were mummy's cooking... the other 5% were the crappy baby food produced by Heinz..."
I feel so sorry... should have bought tonnes of tasty baby food from Japan!
When he has grown up, I'm going to tell him:" Son, whatever crappy food that you have tasted in your first years, 95% of the time were mummy's cooking... the other 5% were the crappy baby food produced by Heinz..."
I feel so sorry... should have bought tonnes of tasty baby food from Japan!
Oct 14, 2008
一碗阳春面的故事
并不知道谁是这故事的作者，只知道这是个很感人的故事。
如果您有什么不如意的事情，就发挥阳春面的精神，加油吧！
对于面馆来说，最忙的时候，要算是大年夜了。北海亭面馆的这一天，也是从早就忙得不亦乐乎。
平时直到深夜十二点还很热闹的大街，大年夜晚上一过十点，就很宁静了。北海亭面馆的顾客，此时也象是突然都失踪了似的。
就在最后一位顾客出了门，店主要说关门打烊的时候，店门被咯吱咯吱地拉开了。一个女人带着两个孩子走了进来。六岁和十岁左右的两个男孩子，一个身崭新的运动服。女人却穿着不合时令的斜格子的短大衣。
“欢迎光临！”老板娘上前去招呼。
“啊，……阳春面……一碗……可以吗？”女人怯生生地问。 那两个小男孩躲在妈妈的身后，也怯生生地望着老板娘。
“行啊，请，请这边坐，”老板娘说着，领他们母子三人坐到靠近暖气的二号桌，一边向柜台里面喊着，“阳春面一碗！”
听到喊声的老板，抬头瞥了他们三人一眼，应声答道：“好咧！阳春面一碗——”
案板上早就准备好的，堆成一座座小山似的面条，一堆是一人份。老板抓了一堆面，继而又加了半堆，一起放进锅里。老板娘立刻领悟到，这是丈夫特意多给这母子三人的。
热腾腾香喷喷的阳春面放到桌上，母子三人立即围着这碗面，头碰头地吃了起来。
“真好吃啊！”哥哥说。
“妈妈也吃呀！”弟弟挟了一筷面，送到妈妈口中。
不一会，面吃完了，付了150元钱。
“承蒙款待，”母子三人一起点头谢过，出了店门。
“谢谢，祝你们过个好年！”老板和老板娘应声答道。
过了新年的北海亭面馆，每天照样忙忙碌碌。一年很快过去了，转眼又是大年夜。
和以前的大年夜一样，忙得不亦乐乎的这一天就要结束了。过了晚上十点，正想关门打烊，店门又被拉开了，一个女人带着两个男孩走了进来。
老板娘看到那女人身上的那件不合时令的斜格子短大衣，就想起去年大年夜那三位最后的顾客。
“……这个……阳春面一碗……可以吗？”
“请，请里边坐，”老板娘将他们带到去年的那张二号桌，“阳春面一碗——” “好咧，阳春面一碗——”老板应声回答着，并将已经熄灭的炉火重新点燃起来。
“喂，孩子他爹，给他们下三碗，好吗？”
老板娘在老板耳边轻声说道。
“不行，如果这样的话，他们也许会尴尬的。”
老板说着，抓了一人半份的面下了锅。
桌上放着一碗阳春面，母子三人边吃边谈着，柜台里的老板和老板娘也能听到他们的声音。
“真好吃……”
“今年又能吃到北海亭的阳春面了。”
“明年还能来吃就好了……”
吃完后，付了150元钱。老板娘对着他们的背影，“谢谢，祝你们过个好年！”
这一天，被这句说过几十遍乃至几百遍的祝福送走了。
随着北海亭面馆的生意兴隆，又迎来了第三年的大年夜。
从九点半开始，老板和老板娘虽然谁都没说什么，但都显得有点心神不 定。十点刚过，雇工们下班走了，老板和老板娘立刻把墙上挂着的各种面的价格牌一一翻了过来，赶紧写好“阳春面150元”，其实，从今年夏天起，随着物价的上涨，阳春面的价格已经是200元一碗了。
二号桌上，在30分钟以前，老板娘就已经摆好了“预约席”的牌子。
到十点半，店里已经没有客人了，但老板和老板娘还在等候着那母子三人的到来。 他们来了。哥哥穿着中学生的制服，弟弟穿着去年哥哥穿的那件略有些大的旧衣服，兄弟二人都长大了，有点认不出来了。母亲还是穿着那件不合时令的有些褪色的短大衣。
“欢迎光临，”老板娘笑着迎上前去。
“……啊……阳春面两碗……可以吗？”母亲怯生生地问。
“行，请，请里边坐！”
老板娘把他们领到二号桌，一边若无其事的将桌上那块预约牌藏了起来，对柜台喊道：
“阳春面两碗！”
“好咧，阳春面两碗——”
老板应声答道，把三碗面的份量放进锅里。
母子三人吃着两碗阳春面，说着，笑着。
“大儿，淳儿，今天，我做母亲的想要向你们道谢。” “道谢？向我们？……为什么？”
“实在是，因为你们的父亲死于交通事故，生前欠下了八个人的钱。我把抚恤金全部还了债，还不够的部分，就每月五万元分期偿还。”
“这些我们都知道呀。”
老板和老板娘在柜台里，一动不动地凝神听着。
“剩下的债，到明年三月还清，可实际上，今天就可以全部还清了。”
“啊，这是真的吗，妈妈？”
“是真的。大儿每天送报支持我，淳儿每天买菜烧饭帮我忙，所以我能够安心工作。因为我努力工作，得到了公司的特别津贴，所以现在能够全部还清债款。”
“好啊！妈妈，哥哥，从现在起，每天烧饭的事还是包给我了！” “我也继续送报。弟弟，我们一起努力吧！”
“谢谢，真是谢……谢……”
“我和弟弟也有一件事瞒着妈妈，今天可以说了。这是在十一月的星期天，我到弟弟学校去参加家长会。这时，弟弟已经藏了一封老师给妈妈的信……弟弟写的作文如果被选为北海道的代表，就能参加僵的作文比赛。正因为这样，家长会的那天，老师要弟弟自己朗读这篇作文。老师的信如果给妈妈看了，妈妈一定会向公司请假，去听弟弟朗读作文，于是，弟弟就没有把这封信交给妈妈。这事，我还是从弟弟的朋友那里听来的。所以，家长会那天，是我去了。” “哦，原来是这样……那后来呢？”
“老师出的作文题目是，你‘将来想成为怎样的人’，全体学生都写了，弟弟的题目是《一碗阳春面》，一听这题目，我就知道是写的北海亭面馆的事。弟弟这家伙，怎么把这种难为情的事写出来，当时我这么想着。”
“作文写的是，父亲死于交通事故，留下一大笔债。母亲每天从早到晚拼命工作，我去送早报和晚报……弟弟全写了出来。接着又写，十二月三十一日的晚上，母子三人吃一碗阳春面，非常好吃……三个人只买一碗阳春面，面馆的叔叔阿姨还是很热情地接待我们，谢谢我们，还祝福我们过个好年。听到这声音，弟弟的心中不由地喊着：不能失败，要努力，要好好活着！因此，弟弟长大成人后，想开一家日本第一的面馆，也要对顾客说，努力吧，祝你幸福，谢谢。弟弟大声地朗读着作文……” 此刻，柜台里竖着耳朵，全神贯注听母子三人说话的老板和老板娘不见。在柜台后面，只见他们两人面对面地蹲着，一条毛巾，各执一端，正在擦着夺眶而出的眼泪。
“作文朗读完后，老师说，‘今天淳君的哥哥代替他母亲来参加我们的家长会，现在我们请他来说几句话……’”
“这时哥哥为什么……”弟弟疑惑地望着哥哥。
“因为突然被叫上去说话，一开始，我什么准备也说不出……诸君一直和我弟弟很要好，在此，我谢谢大家。弟弟每天做晚饭，放弃了俱乐部的活动，中途回家，我做哥哥的，感到很难为情。刚才，弟弟的《一碗阳春面》刚开始朗读的时候，我感到很丢脸，但是，当我看到弟弟激动地大声朗读时，我心里更感到羞愧，这时我想，决不能忘记母亲买一碗阳春面的勇气，兄弟们，齐心合力，为保护我们的母亲而努力吧！从今以后，请大家更好地和我弟弟做朋友。我就说这些……” 母子三人，静静地，互相握着手，良久。继而又欢快地笑了起来。和去年相比，象是完全变了模样。
作为年夜饭的阳春面吃完了，付了150元。
“承蒙款待，”母子三人深深地低头道谢，走出了店门。
“谢谢，祝你们过个好年！”
老板和老板娘大声向他们祝福，目送他们远去……
又是一年的大年夜降临了。北海亭面馆里，晚上九点一过，二号桌上又摆上了预约席的牌子，等待着母子三人的到来。可是，这一天始终没有看到他们三人的身影。
一年，又是一年，二号桌始终默默地等待着。可母子三人还是没有出现。
北海亭面馆因为生意越来越兴隆，店内重又进行了装修。桌子、椅子都换了新的，可二号桌却依然如故，老板夫妇不但没感到不协调，反而把二号桌安放在店堂的中央。 “为什么把这张旧桌子放在店堂中央？”有的顾客感到奇怪。
于是，老板夫妇就把“一碗阳春面”的故事告诉他们。并说，看到这张桌子，就是对自己的激励。而且，说不定哪天那母子三人还会来，这个时候，还想用这张桌子来迎接他们。
就这样，关于二号桌的故事，使二号桌成了幸福的桌子。顾客们到处传颂着，有人特意从老远的地方赶来，有女学生，也有年轻的情侣，都要到二号桌吃一碗阳春面。二号桌也因此名声大振。
时光流逝，年复一年。这一年的大年夜又来到了。
这时，北海亭面馆已经是这条街商会的主要成员，大年夜这天，亲如家人的朋友、近邻、同行，结束了一天的工作后，都来到北海亭，在北海亭吃了过年面，听着除夕夜的钟声，然后亲朋好友聚集起来，一起到附近神社去烧香磕头，以求神明保佑。这种情形，已经有五六年了。今年的大年夜当然也不例外。九点半一过，以鱼店老板夫妇捧着装满生鱼片的大盘子进来为信号，平时的街坊好友三十多人，也都带着酒菜，陆陆续续地会集到北海亭。店里的气氛一下子热闹起来。
知道二号桌由来的朋友们，嘴里没说什么，可心里都在想着，今年二号桌也许又要空等了吧？那块预约席的牌子，早已悄悄地放在了二号桌上。
狭窄的座席之间，客人们一点一点地移动着身子坐下，有人还招呼着迟到的朋友。吃着面，喝着酒，互相挟着菜。有人到柜台里去帮忙，有人随意打开冰箱拿东西。什么廉价出售的生意啦，海水浴的艳闻趣事啦，什么添了孙子的事啦。十点半时，北海亭里的热闹气氛达到了顶点。就在这时，店门被咯吱咯吱地拉开了。人们都向门口望去，屋子里突然静了下来。
两位西装笔挺、手臂上搭着大衣的青年走了进来。这时，大伙才都松了口气，随着轻轻的叹息声，店里又恢复了刚才的热闹。
“真不凑巧，店里已经坐满了，”老板娘面带歉意说。
就在拒绝两位青年的时候，一个身穿和服的女人，深深低着头走了进来，站在两位青年的中间。 店里的人们，一下子都屏住了呼吸，耳朵也竖起来了。
“啊……三碗阳春面，可以吗？”穿和服的女人平静地说。
听到这话，老板娘的脸色一下子变了。十几年前留在脑海中的母子三人的印象，和眼前这三人的形象重叠起来了。
老板娘指着三位来客，目光和正在柜台里忙碌的丈夫的目光撞到一处。
“啊，啊，……孩子他爹……”
面对着不知所措的老板娘，青年中的一位开口了。
“我们就是十四前的大年夜，母子三人共吃一碗阳春面的顾客。那时，就是这一碗阳春面的鼓励，使我们三人同心合力，度过了艰难的岁月。这以后，我们搬到母亲的亲家滋贺县去了。” “我今年通过了医生的国家考试，现在京都的大学医院当实习医生。明年四月，我将到札幌的综合医院工作。还没有开面馆的弟弟，现在京都的银行里工作。我和弟弟商量，计划着生平第一次的奢侈行动。就这样，今天我们母子三人，特意到札幌的北海亭来拜访，想要麻烦你们煮三碗阳春面。”
边听边点头的老板夫妇，泪珠一串串地掉下来。
坐在靠近门口的蔬菜店老板，嘴里含着一口面听着，直到这时，才把面咽下去，站起身来。
“喂喂！老板娘，你呆站在那里干什么？这十年的每一个大年夜，你不是都为等待他们的到来做好了准备吗？快，快请他们入座，快！” 被蔬菜店老板用肩头一撞，老板娘才清醒过来。
“欢……欢迎，请，请坐……孩子他爹，二号桌阳春面三碗——”
“好咧——阳春面三碗——”泪流满面的丈夫差点应不出声来。
店里，突然爆发出一阵不约而同的欢呼声和鼓掌声。
店外，刚才还在纷纷扬扬飘着的雪花，此刻也停了。皑皑白雪映着明净的窗子，那写着“北海亭”的布帘子，在正月的清风中，摇着，飘着……
如果您有什么不如意的事情，就发挥阳春面的精神，加油吧！
对于面馆来说，最忙的时候，要算是大年夜了。北海亭面馆的这一天，也是从早就忙得不亦乐乎。
平时直到深夜十二点还很热闹的大街，大年夜晚上一过十点，就很宁静了。北海亭面馆的顾客，此时也象是突然都失踪了似的。
就在最后一位顾客出了门，店主要说关门打烊的时候，店门被咯吱咯吱地拉开了。一个女人带着两个孩子走了进来。六岁和十岁左右的两个男孩子，一个身崭新的运动服。女人却穿着不合时令的斜格子的短大衣。
“欢迎光临！”老板娘上前去招呼。
“啊，……阳春面……一碗……可以吗？”女人怯生生地问。 那两个小男孩躲在妈妈的身后，也怯生生地望着老板娘。
“行啊，请，请这边坐，”老板娘说着，领他们母子三人坐到靠近暖气的二号桌，一边向柜台里面喊着，“阳春面一碗！”
听到喊声的老板，抬头瞥了他们三人一眼，应声答道：“好咧！阳春面一碗——”
案板上早就准备好的，堆成一座座小山似的面条，一堆是一人份。老板抓了一堆面，继而又加了半堆，一起放进锅里。老板娘立刻领悟到，这是丈夫特意多给这母子三人的。
热腾腾香喷喷的阳春面放到桌上，母子三人立即围着这碗面，头碰头地吃了起来。
“真好吃啊！”哥哥说。
“妈妈也吃呀！”弟弟挟了一筷面，送到妈妈口中。
不一会，面吃完了，付了150元钱。
“承蒙款待，”母子三人一起点头谢过，出了店门。
“谢谢，祝你们过个好年！”老板和老板娘应声答道。
过了新年的北海亭面馆，每天照样忙忙碌碌。一年很快过去了，转眼又是大年夜。
和以前的大年夜一样，忙得不亦乐乎的这一天就要结束了。过了晚上十点，正想关门打烊，店门又被拉开了，一个女人带着两个男孩走了进来。
老板娘看到那女人身上的那件不合时令的斜格子短大衣，就想起去年大年夜那三位最后的顾客。
“……这个……阳春面一碗……可以吗？”
“请，请里边坐，”老板娘将他们带到去年的那张二号桌，“阳春面一碗——” “好咧，阳春面一碗——”老板应声回答着，并将已经熄灭的炉火重新点燃起来。
“喂，孩子他爹，给他们下三碗，好吗？”
老板娘在老板耳边轻声说道。
“不行，如果这样的话，他们也许会尴尬的。”
老板说着，抓了一人半份的面下了锅。
桌上放着一碗阳春面，母子三人边吃边谈着，柜台里的老板和老板娘也能听到他们的声音。
“真好吃……”
“今年又能吃到北海亭的阳春面了。”
“明年还能来吃就好了……”
吃完后，付了150元钱。老板娘对着他们的背影，“谢谢，祝你们过个好年！”
这一天，被这句说过几十遍乃至几百遍的祝福送走了。
随着北海亭面馆的生意兴隆，又迎来了第三年的大年夜。
从九点半开始，老板和老板娘虽然谁都没说什么，但都显得有点心神不 定。十点刚过，雇工们下班走了，老板和老板娘立刻把墙上挂着的各种面的价格牌一一翻了过来，赶紧写好“阳春面150元”，其实，从今年夏天起，随着物价的上涨，阳春面的价格已经是200元一碗了。
二号桌上，在30分钟以前，老板娘就已经摆好了“预约席”的牌子。
到十点半，店里已经没有客人了，但老板和老板娘还在等候着那母子三人的到来。 他们来了。哥哥穿着中学生的制服，弟弟穿着去年哥哥穿的那件略有些大的旧衣服，兄弟二人都长大了，有点认不出来了。母亲还是穿着那件不合时令的有些褪色的短大衣。
“欢迎光临，”老板娘笑着迎上前去。
“……啊……阳春面两碗……可以吗？”母亲怯生生地问。
“行，请，请里边坐！”
老板娘把他们领到二号桌，一边若无其事的将桌上那块预约牌藏了起来，对柜台喊道：
“阳春面两碗！”
“好咧，阳春面两碗——”
老板应声答道，把三碗面的份量放进锅里。
母子三人吃着两碗阳春面，说着，笑着。
“大儿，淳儿，今天，我做母亲的想要向你们道谢。” “道谢？向我们？……为什么？”
“实在是，因为你们的父亲死于交通事故，生前欠下了八个人的钱。我把抚恤金全部还了债，还不够的部分，就每月五万元分期偿还。”
“这些我们都知道呀。”
老板和老板娘在柜台里，一动不动地凝神听着。
“剩下的债，到明年三月还清，可实际上，今天就可以全部还清了。”
“啊，这是真的吗，妈妈？”
“是真的。大儿每天送报支持我，淳儿每天买菜烧饭帮我忙，所以我能够安心工作。因为我努力工作，得到了公司的特别津贴，所以现在能够全部还清债款。”
“好啊！妈妈，哥哥，从现在起，每天烧饭的事还是包给我了！” “我也继续送报。弟弟，我们一起努力吧！”
“谢谢，真是谢……谢……”
“我和弟弟也有一件事瞒着妈妈，今天可以说了。这是在十一月的星期天，我到弟弟学校去参加家长会。这时，弟弟已经藏了一封老师给妈妈的信……弟弟写的作文如果被选为北海道的代表，就能参加僵的作文比赛。正因为这样，家长会的那天，老师要弟弟自己朗读这篇作文。老师的信如果给妈妈看了，妈妈一定会向公司请假，去听弟弟朗读作文，于是，弟弟就没有把这封信交给妈妈。这事，我还是从弟弟的朋友那里听来的。所以，家长会那天，是我去了。” “哦，原来是这样……那后来呢？”
“老师出的作文题目是，你‘将来想成为怎样的人’，全体学生都写了，弟弟的题目是《一碗阳春面》，一听这题目，我就知道是写的北海亭面馆的事。弟弟这家伙，怎么把这种难为情的事写出来，当时我这么想着。”
“作文写的是，父亲死于交通事故，留下一大笔债。母亲每天从早到晚拼命工作，我去送早报和晚报……弟弟全写了出来。接着又写，十二月三十一日的晚上，母子三人吃一碗阳春面，非常好吃……三个人只买一碗阳春面，面馆的叔叔阿姨还是很热情地接待我们，谢谢我们，还祝福我们过个好年。听到这声音，弟弟的心中不由地喊着：不能失败，要努力，要好好活着！因此，弟弟长大成人后，想开一家日本第一的面馆，也要对顾客说，努力吧，祝你幸福，谢谢。弟弟大声地朗读着作文……” 此刻，柜台里竖着耳朵，全神贯注听母子三人说话的老板和老板娘不见。在柜台后面，只见他们两人面对面地蹲着，一条毛巾，各执一端，正在擦着夺眶而出的眼泪。
“作文朗读完后，老师说，‘今天淳君的哥哥代替他母亲来参加我们的家长会，现在我们请他来说几句话……’”
“这时哥哥为什么……”弟弟疑惑地望着哥哥。
“因为突然被叫上去说话，一开始，我什么准备也说不出……诸君一直和我弟弟很要好，在此，我谢谢大家。弟弟每天做晚饭，放弃了俱乐部的活动，中途回家，我做哥哥的，感到很难为情。刚才，弟弟的《一碗阳春面》刚开始朗读的时候，我感到很丢脸，但是，当我看到弟弟激动地大声朗读时，我心里更感到羞愧，这时我想，决不能忘记母亲买一碗阳春面的勇气，兄弟们，齐心合力，为保护我们的母亲而努力吧！从今以后，请大家更好地和我弟弟做朋友。我就说这些……” 母子三人，静静地，互相握着手，良久。继而又欢快地笑了起来。和去年相比，象是完全变了模样。
作为年夜饭的阳春面吃完了，付了150元。
“承蒙款待，”母子三人深深地低头道谢，走出了店门。
“谢谢，祝你们过个好年！”
老板和老板娘大声向他们祝福，目送他们远去……
又是一年的大年夜降临了。北海亭面馆里，晚上九点一过，二号桌上又摆上了预约席的牌子，等待着母子三人的到来。可是，这一天始终没有看到他们三人的身影。
一年，又是一年，二号桌始终默默地等待着。可母子三人还是没有出现。
北海亭面馆因为生意越来越兴隆，店内重又进行了装修。桌子、椅子都换了新的，可二号桌却依然如故，老板夫妇不但没感到不协调，反而把二号桌安放在店堂的中央。 “为什么把这张旧桌子放在店堂中央？”有的顾客感到奇怪。
于是，老板夫妇就把“一碗阳春面”的故事告诉他们。并说，看到这张桌子，就是对自己的激励。而且，说不定哪天那母子三人还会来，这个时候，还想用这张桌子来迎接他们。
就这样，关于二号桌的故事，使二号桌成了幸福的桌子。顾客们到处传颂着，有人特意从老远的地方赶来，有女学生，也有年轻的情侣，都要到二号桌吃一碗阳春面。二号桌也因此名声大振。
时光流逝，年复一年。这一年的大年夜又来到了。
这时，北海亭面馆已经是这条街商会的主要成员，大年夜这天，亲如家人的朋友、近邻、同行，结束了一天的工作后，都来到北海亭，在北海亭吃了过年面，听着除夕夜的钟声，然后亲朋好友聚集起来，一起到附近神社去烧香磕头，以求神明保佑。这种情形，已经有五六年了。今年的大年夜当然也不例外。九点半一过，以鱼店老板夫妇捧着装满生鱼片的大盘子进来为信号，平时的街坊好友三十多人，也都带着酒菜，陆陆续续地会集到北海亭。店里的气氛一下子热闹起来。
知道二号桌由来的朋友们，嘴里没说什么，可心里都在想着，今年二号桌也许又要空等了吧？那块预约席的牌子，早已悄悄地放在了二号桌上。
狭窄的座席之间，客人们一点一点地移动着身子坐下，有人还招呼着迟到的朋友。吃着面，喝着酒，互相挟着菜。有人到柜台里去帮忙，有人随意打开冰箱拿东西。什么廉价出售的生意啦，海水浴的艳闻趣事啦，什么添了孙子的事啦。十点半时，北海亭里的热闹气氛达到了顶点。就在这时，店门被咯吱咯吱地拉开了。人们都向门口望去，屋子里突然静了下来。
两位西装笔挺、手臂上搭着大衣的青年走了进来。这时，大伙才都松了口气，随着轻轻的叹息声，店里又恢复了刚才的热闹。
“真不凑巧，店里已经坐满了，”老板娘面带歉意说。
就在拒绝两位青年的时候，一个身穿和服的女人，深深低着头走了进来，站在两位青年的中间。 店里的人们，一下子都屏住了呼吸，耳朵也竖起来了。
“啊……三碗阳春面，可以吗？”穿和服的女人平静地说。
听到这话，老板娘的脸色一下子变了。十几年前留在脑海中的母子三人的印象，和眼前这三人的形象重叠起来了。
老板娘指着三位来客，目光和正在柜台里忙碌的丈夫的目光撞到一处。
“啊，啊，……孩子他爹……”
面对着不知所措的老板娘，青年中的一位开口了。
“我们就是十四前的大年夜，母子三人共吃一碗阳春面的顾客。那时，就是这一碗阳春面的鼓励，使我们三人同心合力，度过了艰难的岁月。这以后，我们搬到母亲的亲家滋贺县去了。” “我今年通过了医生的国家考试，现在京都的大学医院当实习医生。明年四月，我将到札幌的综合医院工作。还没有开面馆的弟弟，现在京都的银行里工作。我和弟弟商量，计划着生平第一次的奢侈行动。就这样，今天我们母子三人，特意到札幌的北海亭来拜访，想要麻烦你们煮三碗阳春面。”
边听边点头的老板夫妇，泪珠一串串地掉下来。
坐在靠近门口的蔬菜店老板，嘴里含着一口面听着，直到这时，才把面咽下去，站起身来。
“喂喂！老板娘，你呆站在那里干什么？这十年的每一个大年夜，你不是都为等待他们的到来做好了准备吗？快，快请他们入座，快！” 被蔬菜店老板用肩头一撞，老板娘才清醒过来。
“欢……欢迎，请，请坐……孩子他爹，二号桌阳春面三碗——”
“好咧——阳春面三碗——”泪流满面的丈夫差点应不出声来。
店里，突然爆发出一阵不约而同的欢呼声和鼓掌声。
店外，刚才还在纷纷扬扬飘着的雪花，此刻也停了。皑皑白雪映着明净的窗子，那写着“北海亭”的布帘子，在正月的清风中，摇着，飘着……
Oct 3, 2008
Oct 2, 2008
NYC
Carrie Bradshaw: And we were dressed from head to toe in love... the only label that never goes out of style.
Samantha Jones: I can't color enough, I would color all day every day If I had my way, I would use every crayon in my box
Carrie Bradshaw: We get it! You like to color...
These are my favourite quotes from the movie "Sex and the City". I miss walking down 5th Avenue after watching the show. It brings back all the memories of my NYC trip last year.
Skyscrapers, little niche cafes and restaurant, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week...
The only thing is the girls don't love hot dogs like I do...
I love big cities.
p/s: If you like reading Candace Bushnell and you love "Sex and the City", check out "Liptsick Jungle".... yummy...
Samantha Jones: I can't color enough, I would color all day every day If I had my way, I would use every crayon in my box
Carrie Bradshaw: We get it! You like to color...
These are my favourite quotes from the movie "Sex and the City". I miss walking down 5th Avenue after watching the show. It brings back all the memories of my NYC trip last year.
Skyscrapers, little niche cafes and restaurant, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week...
The only thing is the girls don't love hot dogs like I do...
I love big cities.
p/s: If you like reading Candace Bushnell and you love "Sex and the City", check out "Liptsick Jungle".... yummy...
Sep 24, 2008
Wisdom of a child
This is supposed to be posted ages ago... I didn't have time to work out Canton input until now.
The dog at home is obese from excessive feeding from my grandma and dad. I've decided to push the dog for some exercise before she's transformed into Garfield and die of heart attack.
Went for a 20 mins power walk today. After 15 mins, the dog was still unable to catch her breath.
Me: "you are still panting... tomorrow we'll walk more"
Doggie was looking at me begging me not to torture her.
Tiger: "dee dee, tomorrow it will be worse, save your energy and don't run around."
The way Tiger replied was so funny in Cantonese - 聽日你仲慘嗱，慳番啖氣來唞下喇. It sounds like an old lady trapped in the body of a 10 year old child...
The dog at home is obese from excessive feeding from my grandma and dad. I've decided to push the dog for some exercise before she's transformed into Garfield and die of heart attack.
Went for a 20 mins power walk today. After 15 mins, the dog was still unable to catch her breath.
Me: "you are still panting... tomorrow we'll walk more"
Doggie was looking at me begging me not to torture her.
Tiger: "dee dee, tomorrow it will be worse, save your energy and don't run around."
The way Tiger replied was so funny in Cantonese - 聽日你仲慘嗱，慳番啖氣來唞下喇. It sounds like an old lady trapped in the body of a 10 year old child...
菠萝
带了我8个月大的孩子回家，爸爸妈妈都对他们唯一的孙子爱惜的不得了。
Tiger是我表姐的女儿，打从两个月大就住在家里，爸妈把她当作亲生女儿来照顾。
Tiger说：“这个是金菠萝，我以前也是金菠萝，然后贬成银菠萝，现在是plastic菠萝。如果他有什么差池，那我就会变成rubbish菠萝，没人要了！”
从此，她每天都很用心地帮忙带我的孩子，更破天荒主动地洗自己的碗和洗衣服，来提高她的菠萝地位。
当小孩可不容易，这么小就要费心的为自己铺路。而我的孩子也有了新的外号 － 金菠萝。
Tiger是我表姐的女儿，打从两个月大就住在家里，爸妈把她当作亲生女儿来照顾。
Tiger说：“这个是金菠萝，我以前也是金菠萝，然后贬成银菠萝，现在是plastic菠萝。如果他有什么差池，那我就会变成rubbish菠萝，没人要了！”
从此，她每天都很用心地帮忙带我的孩子，更破天荒主动地洗自己的碗和洗衣服，来提高她的菠萝地位。
当小孩可不容易，这么小就要费心的为自己铺路。而我的孩子也有了新的外号 － 金菠萝。
Sep 21, 2008
hungry
it's 1am. i'm hungry. i need a dose of donuts. preferably krispy kreme. i wish it could be delivered to me through the window - imagine peter pan with a box of krispy kreme in his right hand. superman also can. dunwan spiderman cuz he doesn't "fly" straight. by the time the donuts are delivered by him, they would be lopsided.
gimme donuts.
urrrrrgh...
gimme donuts.
urrrrrgh...
Sep 18, 2008
Oooouch!
I can't do my own brows. Serious. I have all the right tools and I can fix someone else brows but I just can't do mine. I feel sorry for my pink tweezerman... whenever I look at it.
Usually I get my brows done when I go for facials. However, I find that it's hard to get a good beautician who does it right... just can't get the right service for what I pay for. Most of them use shaver which irritates the fragile thin skin on my upper eye and I hate it. On top of that, on a very high occurrence that I'll leave the place with not quite even brows. It's not my perfectionist talking, it's unfortunately true that most of the time the beauticians screw up.
There is only one time that I found someone who did it right. She tweezed my brows into perfect arch. However, I resorted to not to go back and contribute into her pay because she is such a bitch.
I've been really lazy lately. I frequent facial lesser, look at the mirror lesser and let myself go... alright... haha... just kidding... I decided to let my brows to grow back and try out Browhaus. It's backed by Spa Esprit and they are professional in fixing the brows - on the surface... they should be good.
Keeping my fingers crossed, I stepped into their branch at Paragon. I crashed the branch instead of making an appointment. It's a small shop hidden behind Spa Esprit.
They were really busy even on a Wednesday afternoon.
Ooops... it's a 2 hours wait for the next available slot for tweezing but they have threading in 40 mins.... 2 hours vs 40 mins... I just couldn't shop around at Paragon for another 2 hours with my little monster - I might end up buying that expensive designer sleek looking baby high chair... so threading it was!
So after spending 40 mins wandering around and contributed the pay for some sales assistants, I went back to Browhaus again. Two ladies left happily despite having some red patches on their brows and wiping their tears from the sockets of their eyes. I was being ushered to lie down on a chair by an Indian lady. She promised me that my brows will be really nice after her magic work.
Apparently threading is an interactive work. The customer has to help to pull the skin for the thread to run quickly to root the unruly hair and it hurts... really bloody painful. Ooooh... I did my upper lip as well. When the thread ran through my upper lip, I really felt like giving her a punch on her face.
She did the magic and from her satisfied smile, I was assured that she's proud of her handy work. Then, she passed me the mirror, gave me the biggest smile and said in awe: "It's beautiful..."
I was hoping that I would not end up like the ladies - red patches. Damn it... I ended up having patches of swollen skin on the socket of my eyes and at the corner of my lips. Worse, my brows were not beautiful... those were uneven brows and complemented with my tan skin, with the new arch of my brows, the first thing came into my mind was the statue of the goddess on the roof of a Hindu temple.
I look Bollywood. She really needs to go to get her eyes checked. My brows were uneven and they were NOT beautiful...
When I went to pay for the service, unwillingly, I had to listen to 3 different pushy shop assistants telling me 5 times on how I could save 70 bucks by signing up the package which could be used for 2 years.
I was in pain. I wasn't happy. I just wanted to get out of that place. So... I paid 22.70 SGD inclusive GST for my Bollywood goddess look.
On the next day, I met up with a friend and coincidentally her sister also went for threading (normally she goes for tweezing) at Browhaus at Wheelock Place and her brows look just like mine. Maybe Bollywood goddess look is the next IT thing?
Btw, the swollen patches on my skin subsided only after 3 days. I think I really need to put my pink tweezerman into good use...
Usually I get my brows done when I go for facials. However, I find that it's hard to get a good beautician who does it right... just can't get the right service for what I pay for. Most of them use shaver which irritates the fragile thin skin on my upper eye and I hate it. On top of that, on a very high occurrence that I'll leave the place with not quite even brows. It's not my perfectionist talking, it's unfortunately true that most of the time the beauticians screw up.
There is only one time that I found someone who did it right. She tweezed my brows into perfect arch. However, I resorted to not to go back and contribute into her pay because she is such a bitch.
I've been really lazy lately. I frequent facial lesser, look at the mirror lesser and let myself go... alright... haha... just kidding... I decided to let my brows to grow back and try out Browhaus. It's backed by Spa Esprit and they are professional in fixing the brows - on the surface... they should be good.
Keeping my fingers crossed, I stepped into their branch at Paragon. I crashed the branch instead of making an appointment. It's a small shop hidden behind Spa Esprit.
They were really busy even on a Wednesday afternoon.
Ooops... it's a 2 hours wait for the next available slot for tweezing but they have threading in 40 mins.... 2 hours vs 40 mins... I just couldn't shop around at Paragon for another 2 hours with my little monster - I might end up buying that expensive designer sleek looking baby high chair... so threading it was!
So after spending 40 mins wandering around and contributed the pay for some sales assistants, I went back to Browhaus again. Two ladies left happily despite having some red patches on their brows and wiping their tears from the sockets of their eyes. I was being ushered to lie down on a chair by an Indian lady. She promised me that my brows will be really nice after her magic work.
Apparently threading is an interactive work. The customer has to help to pull the skin for the thread to run quickly to root the unruly hair and it hurts... really bloody painful. Ooooh... I did my upper lip as well. When the thread ran through my upper lip, I really felt like giving her a punch on her face.
She did the magic and from her satisfied smile, I was assured that she's proud of her handy work. Then, she passed me the mirror, gave me the biggest smile and said in awe: "It's beautiful..."
I was hoping that I would not end up like the ladies - red patches. Damn it... I ended up having patches of swollen skin on the socket of my eyes and at the corner of my lips. Worse, my brows were not beautiful... those were uneven brows and complemented with my tan skin, with the new arch of my brows, the first thing came into my mind was the statue of the goddess on the roof of a Hindu temple.
I look Bollywood. She really needs to go to get her eyes checked. My brows were uneven and they were NOT beautiful...
When I went to pay for the service, unwillingly, I had to listen to 3 different pushy shop assistants telling me 5 times on how I could save 70 bucks by signing up the package which could be used for 2 years.
I was in pain. I wasn't happy. I just wanted to get out of that place. So... I paid 22.70 SGD inclusive GST for my Bollywood goddess look.
On the next day, I met up with a friend and coincidentally her sister also went for threading (normally she goes for tweezing) at Browhaus at Wheelock Place and her brows look just like mine. Maybe Bollywood goddess look is the next IT thing?
Btw, the swollen patches on my skin subsided only after 3 days. I think I really need to put my pink tweezerman into good use...
Sep 12, 2008
Loser
Busy busy busy. On top of managing my little one, I've been tied up with...
I wish my little monster could sleep during the day to let me do things (blame the baby... hehe). Now I sound like a total loser!
- visitors - had visitors coming by 3 "batches" (haha... sounds like delivering goods) from all over the world in 1 month... phew...
- organizing trips - getting my visa, flights for myself and the little one, planning itineraries... lots to do and I can't imagine how it's going to be - flying with the little one on my own
- helping my hubby with some tiny tasks...
I wish my little monster could sleep during the day to let me do things (blame the baby... hehe). Now I sound like a total loser!
Aug 19, 2008
Ants
I have ants problem.
They are everywhere in the house - kitchen, bedrooms, on my son's playmat and they even come out of the keyboard as I type on my Mac... like A has 4 ants underneath and 1 of them is trying to hide under the space bar while 5 more are crawling on the screen.
Gross.
I don't eat when I'm on my laptop. The ants somehow find that the laptop is a good hideout or my passion fruit and grapes body wash is too sweet that the scent lingers and transfers to my laptop when I type.
I've been tolerating with them... trying to live under one roof peacefully while waiting for the lizards to wipe them out the food chain way - naturally and biologically.
I put my sweet treats from the bakery into the microwave to hide them from the ants. I have a thing for cute looking buns and pastry. I'm selfish and hate to share my food with the ants... and the microwave oven trick seems to work... until yesterday...
Yup! They made it! and they made a scene... those annoying pests made a trail from the floor up to the fridge and all to the way into the microwave oven. They found their way and greedily move tiny chunks of my food out of the oven.
Crossed. Vexed. I removed my sweet treats out of the oven and pressed
High
10 Seconds
Start
As the microwave worked their way and boiled the juice out of the ants, I heard "Pop! Pop! Pop!"... it sounded exactly like the popcorns!
To my surprise, as I pressed the Open button, there were only 5% casualties... the rest of the bloody tiny little creatures were still alive, showing off their survival skills and singing "na na na na na you cannot catch me!"
Dear dear dear... I went back to the conventional way... wiped them with a cloth and flushed them down to the drain.
To my rival... bloody ants... try me again... I'll press
High
30 mins
Start
and listen to my song of victory - the sound of "popcorns"...
You can have that jar of honey... leave my cutey buns alone!
They are everywhere in the house - kitchen, bedrooms, on my son's playmat and they even come out of the keyboard as I type on my Mac... like A has 4 ants underneath and 1 of them is trying to hide under the space bar while 5 more are crawling on the screen.
Gross.
I don't eat when I'm on my laptop. The ants somehow find that the laptop is a good hideout or my passion fruit and grapes body wash is too sweet that the scent lingers and transfers to my laptop when I type.
I've been tolerating with them... trying to live under one roof peacefully while waiting for the lizards to wipe them out the food chain way - naturally and biologically.
I put my sweet treats from the bakery into the microwave to hide them from the ants. I have a thing for cute looking buns and pastry. I'm selfish and hate to share my food with the ants... and the microwave oven trick seems to work... until yesterday...
Yup! They made it! and they made a scene... those annoying pests made a trail from the floor up to the fridge and all to the way into the microwave oven. They found their way and greedily move tiny chunks of my food out of the oven.
Crossed. Vexed. I removed my sweet treats out of the oven and pressed
High
10 Seconds
Start
As the microwave worked their way and boiled the juice out of the ants, I heard "Pop! Pop! Pop!"... it sounded exactly like the popcorns!
To my surprise, as I pressed the Open button, there were only 5% casualties... the rest of the bloody tiny little creatures were still alive, showing off their survival skills and singing "na na na na na you cannot catch me!"
Dear dear dear... I went back to the conventional way... wiped them with a cloth and flushed them down to the drain.
To my rival... bloody ants... try me again... I'll press
High
30 mins
Start
and listen to my song of victory - the sound of "popcorns"...
You can have that jar of honey... leave my cutey buns alone!
Aug 13, 2008
Little surprise
Little note:
Best present comes when it is least expected. Little surprises go a long way.
Love the Jurlique session today. Thank you.
Best present comes when it is least expected. Little surprises go a long way.
Love the Jurlique session today. Thank you.
Aug 6, 2008
Godsend
Nothing is wrong and nothing is right. Nothing seems to be exciting. Not big deals are humongous to me. Take "change myself" out of the equation cuz I don't feel it right.
I need "me" time. My space. My life.
If I can't have the rewind button at least give me a fast forward. I need more than patience. I'm muted. Higher than ever EQ is switched on but that's never enough.
God bless me.
Need something to perk me up to change my mood weather from gloomy cloudy days to sunny days. Chanced upon this little cutey teddy bun. My sacrificial teddy bun. Sorry that I had to eat you.
At the same time I picked up this 5-rings game bun from the same bakery. You are not that cool but still I want to eat you.
Kudos to the baker! You are godsend to me.
Received 2 emails from the HR of two MNCs asking if I'm interested to join them. They got me from my inactive resume from an online service that I had to request to get my password reset. Maybe it's time to get back to the work force?
I need "me" time. My space. My life.
If I can't have the rewind button at least give me a fast forward. I need more than patience. I'm muted. Higher than ever EQ is switched on but that's never enough.
God bless me.
Need something to perk me up to change my mood weather from gloomy cloudy days to sunny days. Chanced upon this little cutey teddy bun. My sacrificial teddy bun. Sorry that I had to eat you.
At the same time I picked up this 5-rings game bun from the same bakery. You are not that cool but still I want to eat you.
Kudos to the baker! You are godsend to me.
Received 2 emails from the HR of two MNCs asking if I'm interested to join them. They got me from my inactive resume from an online service that I had to request to get my password reset. Maybe it's time to get back to the work force?
Jul 28, 2008
赤壁
看了赤壁，那是吴宇森的三国。
折戟沉沙铁未消，自将磨洗认前朝。
杜牧面赤壁有感而提了这首诗。诗中的二乔是江东二乔。江东二乔是一对姐妹，大乔嫁给了孙策，小乔则许配给周瑜。她们本姓桥，长得天姿国色。诗意是倘若周瑜不是借东风而打败了曹操，那东吴就很可能战败，而江东二乔也会被曹操掠到铜雀台当玩偶了。从前战败时，胜利者常把战败者身边的女人占为己有。
也许是吴宇森的浪漫主义作祟，也许是吴宇森拜读三国的领悟。戏中说曹操是为了夺小乔而开战，可真是看扁了曹操。
总觉得看戏不能太过认真，那只是导演在说故事。
折戟沉沙铁未消，自将磨洗认前朝。
东风不与周郎便，铜雀春深锁二乔。
杜牧－赤壁怀古也许是吴宇森的浪漫主义作祟，也许是吴宇森拜读三国的领悟。戏中说曹操是为了夺小乔而开战，可真是看扁了曹操。
总觉得看戏不能太过认真，那只是导演在说故事。
Jul 22, 2008
炸到
Dan的广东话是有限公司，非常有限的那种。他说话的逻辑常常让我哭笑不得。
有时候，我会对我的孩子说：“傻瓜，你这样做会很痛的！”
他责怪我说：“为什么你叫他 stupid melon？”
当他明白傻瓜的意思后，他常常对孩子说：“Stupid melon, 你这样会...的！”
昨晚，我故意作弄他说：“你说别人像一粒饭，那对饭很不公平！”
他说：“那就一块烧肉吧！”
我真的被他炸到。
有时候，我会对我的孩子说：“傻瓜，你这样做会很痛的！”
他责怪我说：“为什么你叫他 stupid melon？”
当他明白傻瓜的意思后，他常常对孩子说：“Stupid melon, 你这样会...的！”
昨晚，我故意作弄他说：“你说别人像一粒饭，那对饭很不公平！”
他说：“那就一块烧肉吧！”
我真的被他炸到。
Jul 7, 2008
回
她回到了他们的海滩。
还记得那年冬天的太阳很大，那家店的早餐买到下午三点。他们选了一个在阳台的位子，懒洋洋的享用着早餐。
太阳很大，但风很冷。
眯着眼睛，抖擞着身体，手握着暖暖的杯子，舔着热腾腾的可可。
天空很蓝，一对情侣牵小狗着在散步。
“我们来这里定居吧！” 他说。
“那我要那间白色的洋房！”调皮的她指向半山面海的房子。
“那好！就这样哟！” 就算是她在开玩笑，他也会满足她所有的要求，填满她每一个梦想。
他无法抗拒她孩子般的笑容，她不能忘记他深邃的眼睛。
她回到了他们的海滩，他们的身旁都有另一个他。
才发现原来跟他在一起，最平凡无奇的小镇也会变得很绮丽，最苦的啤酒也会变得很甜。
“要停下来吃个午餐吗？”身边的他问。
她摇摇头，说：“不，雨下得很大。”
不想破坏心中最美丽的画面，有着他的画面。
还记得那年冬天的太阳很大，那家店的早餐买到下午三点。他们选了一个在阳台的位子，懒洋洋的享用着早餐。
太阳很大，但风很冷。
眯着眼睛，抖擞着身体，手握着暖暖的杯子，舔着热腾腾的可可。
天空很蓝，一对情侣牵小狗着在散步。
“我们来这里定居吧！” 他说。
“那我要那间白色的洋房！”调皮的她指向半山面海的房子。
“那好！就这样哟！” 就算是她在开玩笑，他也会满足她所有的要求，填满她每一个梦想。
他无法抗拒她孩子般的笑容，她不能忘记他深邃的眼睛。
她回到了他们的海滩，他们的身旁都有另一个他。
才发现原来跟他在一起，最平凡无奇的小镇也会变得很绮丽，最苦的啤酒也会变得很甜。
“要停下来吃个午餐吗？”身边的他问。
她摇摇头，说：“不，雨下得很大。”
不想破坏心中最美丽的画面，有着他的画面。
Jun 2, 2008
May 29, 2008
Common sense... what?
So, someone passed out, and remains unconscious. What should you do?
a. Pretend that I see nothing. Walk quickly.
b. Fan that person and rub his/ her chest.
c. Stand and watch the show. You don't get this scene everyday ok?
The answer is... all of the above!
This is exactly what I saw today. Dan had to work offsite a few blocks away from Bugis Junction. While waiting for him to finish his work, I killed some time at this shopping mall which is targeting the younger crowd.
I was heading to BHG and a human wall was blocking my way... hmm... is that a demo on some fancy stuffs like... maybe snake oil? As I was squeezing my way out, I saw this - a lady was lying on the floor unconsciously, right in front of Topshop, a girl was rubbing her chest, and another one was fanning her.
So... someone passed out... and all these young people (I'm really old in comparison to them) were so caring (okay... the better word is kay poh) that they built a human wall, surrounded the lady, crossed their arms and watched the "show".
Luckily, someone called the ambulance. The paramedic arrived immediately. God bless!
These young people might be the high achievers at school, scoring straight As like supp supp water. In fact, Singapore is very well known for producing the most Ivy League students (by percentage).
However, building a human wall is killing the lady instead of helping her. Being kay poh is not being caring!
Ivy League students without common sense? Useless!
a. Pretend that I see nothing. Walk quickly.
b. Fan that person and rub his/ her chest.
c. Stand and watch the show. You don't get this scene everyday ok?
The answer is... all of the above!
This is exactly what I saw today. Dan had to work offsite a few blocks away from Bugis Junction. While waiting for him to finish his work, I killed some time at this shopping mall which is targeting the younger crowd.
I was heading to BHG and a human wall was blocking my way... hmm... is that a demo on some fancy stuffs like... maybe snake oil? As I was squeezing my way out, I saw this - a lady was lying on the floor unconsciously, right in front of Topshop, a girl was rubbing her chest, and another one was fanning her.
So... someone passed out... and all these young people (I'm really old in comparison to them) were so caring (okay... the better word is kay poh) that they built a human wall, surrounded the lady, crossed their arms and watched the "show".
Luckily, someone called the ambulance. The paramedic arrived immediately. God bless!
These young people might be the high achievers at school, scoring straight As like supp supp water. In fact, Singapore is very well known for producing the most Ivy League students (by percentage).
However, building a human wall is killing the lady instead of helping her. Being kay poh is not being caring!
Ivy League students without common sense? Useless!
May 9, 2008
New Razor
I'm a razor person. My razor is traditional, no fuss, hand held, "manually" operated pink Gillette Venus razor. However, ever since I tried Dan's razor, I prefer using his.
Let's call my razor a "She" and his razor a "He".
"She" razor has nice curve and it gives a firm grip. Most importantly, it's Pink! However, "She" razor doesn't give a clean, smooth shave like a "He" razor does. Even though they are both from Gillette. So, the company gives the best razor to the men... as their slogan goes.
Why settle for the less while you can have the best of both? Introducing "Ultimate" - the ideal razor ala DS!
With this, the "Ultimate" has all the pros of a "He" razor and doesn't slip like a "He" razor. Try lather on shaving cream/ gel and use a "He" razor. You'll know how I feel.
Come... hire me as a product reviewer! I'm very good at this.
Let's call my razor a "She" and his razor a "He".
"She" razor has nice curve and it gives a firm grip. Most importantly, it's Pink! However, "She" razor doesn't give a clean, smooth shave like a "He" razor does. Even though they are both from Gillette. So, the company gives the best razor to the men... as their slogan goes.
Why settle for the less while you can have the best of both? Introducing "Ultimate" - the ideal razor ala DS!
With this, the "Ultimate" has all the pros of a "He" razor and doesn't slip like a "He" razor. Try lather on shaving cream/ gel and use a "He" razor. You'll know how I feel.
Come... hire me as a product reviewer! I'm very good at this.
Apr 10, 2008
Re-registration of Marriage
As a good citizen, I follow the law. My ROM was done outside of Malaysia, so as a Malaysian citizen I'm obliged to re-register my marriage in Malaysia or at the High Comm.
As usual, I googled and found this link which I thought useful. This is stated on the website.
Applicants are required to go to the NRD Counter/Malaysian Consular office/Embassy with supporting documents:
* Identity card /Passport
* 1 coloured photo each (32 mm x 38 mmhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.gif)
* Original marriage certificate
* Other relevant documents
I thought I was all set! There I was, standing right in front of the counter and handed out my documents at 8.30am.
Officer: "Do you know about our procedure?"
Me: "Yes!"
Officer: "Where did you get this form?"
Me: "From the internet." Officer: "We need everything in duplicates."
She handed out the original colourful copy of the registration form and a printout of what is required to me.
Officer: "Where is your husband's birth cert?"
Me: "He is a New Zealander. We don't have his birth cert with us."
Officer: "New Zealanders don't have birth cert?"
hmm... she was not able to understand my English. So, I said slowly.
Me: "His birth cert is in New Zealand."
So, my mission failed! I was so bloody cross until I had to chill at my favourite shop.
This is efficiency!
First of all, the information as published over the internet is FAR from accurate. It's very simple. By putting up correct information over the internet, it saves time for us and the labour time at the High Comm. Secondly, why on earth the birth cert of a foreign spouse is required? On the passport, it's clearly stated where the person was born. Thirdly, MyKad is supposed to contain the info of a citizen. Submission of the birth cert is redundant. Lastly, it will take the High Comm 7 days to process the re-registration. So, your IDs will be retained for 7 days! Oh... don't even bother to call up the High Comm for clarifications. They are too "busy" to pick up the general line.
So, if you are in the same situation as I do, be prepared! These are what required as stated in the printout of the "procedure".
Both husband and wife are required to be present during submission and either one, upon collection day. The ID or birth cert of both parties will be retained by the office for processing.
For registration within 6 months, pay SGD10. Otherwise, there will be a penalty fees.
Fill up and complete 2 sets of the application forms.
Original documents and two copies of each documents need to be submitted.
1. IC (Malaysian/ Singapore) of both parties
2. Birth cert of both parties
3. Singapore marriage certificate
4. Any party who is one 2nd marriage, please produce the divorce certificate (Singapore, Malaysia or foreign countries)
5. Two passport size photos each
6. Foreign spouse to produce his/ her passport.
All photocopies have to be in A4 size.
Submission time: Monday to Friday 8am - 11am
I gotta do it again after my NZ trip.
As usual, I googled and found this link which I thought useful. This is stated on the website.
Applicants are required to go to the NRD Counter/Malaysian Consular office/Embassy with supporting documents:
* Identity card /Passport
* 1 coloured photo each (32 mm x 38 mmhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.gif)
* Original marriage certificate
* Other relevant documents
I thought I was all set! There I was, standing right in front of the counter and handed out my documents at 8.30am.
Officer: "Do you know about our procedure?"
Me: "Yes!"
Officer: "Where did you get this form?"
Me: "From the internet." Officer: "We need everything in duplicates."
She handed out the original colourful copy of the registration form and a printout of what is required to me.
Officer: "Where is your husband's birth cert?"
Me: "He is a New Zealander. We don't have his birth cert with us."
Officer: "New Zealanders don't have birth cert?"
hmm... she was not able to understand my English. So, I said slowly.
Me: "His birth cert is in New Zealand."
So, my mission failed! I was so bloody cross until I had to chill at my favourite shop.
This is efficiency!
First of all, the information as published over the internet is FAR from accurate. It's very simple. By putting up correct information over the internet, it saves time for us and the labour time at the High Comm. Secondly, why on earth the birth cert of a foreign spouse is required? On the passport, it's clearly stated where the person was born. Thirdly, MyKad is supposed to contain the info of a citizen. Submission of the birth cert is redundant. Lastly, it will take the High Comm 7 days to process the re-registration. So, your IDs will be retained for 7 days! Oh... don't even bother to call up the High Comm for clarifications. They are too "busy" to pick up the general line.
So, if you are in the same situation as I do, be prepared! These are what required as stated in the printout of the "procedure".
Both husband and wife are required to be present during submission and either one, upon collection day. The ID or birth cert of both parties will be retained by the office for processing.
For registration within 6 months, pay SGD10. Otherwise, there will be a penalty fees.
Fill up and complete 2 sets of the application forms.
Original documents and two copies of each documents need to be submitted.
1. IC (Malaysian/ Singapore) of both parties
2. Birth cert of both parties
3. Singapore marriage certificate
4. Any party who is one 2nd marriage, please produce the divorce certificate (Singapore, Malaysia or foreign countries)
5. Two passport size photos each
6. Foreign spouse to produce his/ her passport.
All photocopies have to be in A4 size.
Submission time: Monday to Friday 8am - 11am
I gotta do it again after my NZ trip.
Apr 9, 2008
Love
I find this is a very interesting definition of love, as defined by XiaoLu Guo in her book - A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers.
'Love', this English word: like other English words it has tense. 'Loved' or 'will love' or 'have loved'. All these specific tenses mean Love is time-limited thing. Not infinite. It only exist in particular period of time. In Chinese, Love is 爱 (ai). It has no tense. No past and future. Love in Chinese means a being, a situation, a circumstance. Love is existence, holding past and future.
If our love existed in Chinese tense, then it will last for ever. It will be infinite.
'Love', this English word: like other English words it has tense. 'Loved' or 'will love' or 'have loved'. All these specific tenses mean Love is time-limited thing. Not infinite. It only exist in particular period of time. In Chinese, Love is 爱 (ai). It has no tense. No past and future. Love in Chinese means a being, a situation, a circumstance. Love is existence, holding past and future.
If our love existed in Chinese tense, then it will last for ever. It will be infinite.
AVI problems for Intel based Mac
I tried this and it fixed my problem. =)
System:
Intel based machine running OSX.
Scenario:
1. Unable to use Quicktime Player to open AVI files. Quicktime crashes without prompting error message.
2. Unable to import AVI files to iMovie. Error message "The application iMovie HD quit unexpectedly" is shown.
If these problem persists even after relevant codecs such as DivX and XviD have been installed, search for this file "AviImporter-r7 (Intel).component" in your system. It should be under your "library" folder. Move the file into another location (who knows you might need it in the future) and the problem should be resolved.
Good luck.
System:
Intel based machine running OSX.
Scenario:
1. Unable to use Quicktime Player to open AVI files. Quicktime crashes without prompting error message.
2. Unable to import AVI files to iMovie. Error message "The application iMovie HD quit unexpectedly" is shown.
If these problem persists even after relevant codecs such as DivX and XviD have been installed, search for this file "AviImporter-r7 (Intel).component" in your system. It should be under your "library" folder. Move the file into another location (who knows you might need it in the future) and the problem should be resolved.
Good luck.
Mar 27, 2008
魔力花球
昨晚他收到C的短讯 - I'm off the market!
好高兴哟！到现在还一直维持着收到消息兴奋的心情。
C是他的头号好友，也是我们的伴郎。
在婚礼上一时兴起，把在场的未婚女士们叫到舞台的一端，然后把手中的花球往后抛，花球在空中划了一条弧线，女士们像玩躲避球般往旁边跳，结果花球不偏不倚地落在S的手中。
S正是C的女朋友，我抛的花球魔力可不小，不到一年他们就订婚了！=)
想婚的朋友们，下次当新娘抛花球时，别扭扭捏捏的，想婚并不是什么丢脸的事情，要大大方方地把手伸出去，迎接幸福。
好高兴哟！到现在还一直维持着收到消息兴奋的心情。
C是他的头号好友，也是我们的伴郎。
在婚礼上一时兴起，把在场的未婚女士们叫到舞台的一端，然后把手中的花球往后抛，花球在空中划了一条弧线，女士们像玩躲避球般往旁边跳，结果花球不偏不倚地落在S的手中。
S正是C的女朋友，我抛的花球魔力可不小，不到一年他们就订婚了！=)
想婚的朋友们，下次当新娘抛花球时，别扭扭捏捏的，想婚并不是什么丢脸的事情，要大大方方地把手伸出去，迎接幸福。
Mar 19, 2008
Indian humour
I used to work with Indian consultants... sometimes I get their jokes... sometimes not... sometimes they think it's a joke, but it sounds insulting.
Anyway, check this out!
Anyway, check this out!
Mar 12, 2008
烘衣机
想要一台烘衣机
把太阳搬进屋子里
想要一台烘衣机
塞满我对你的爱情
想要一台烘衣机
等待也是一种幸福
想要一台烘衣机
来烘烘我的坏心情
天空每天都在流泪，有时轻轻密密的，像快乐的眼泪，有时重重狠狠的，像崩溃的眼泪。
快乐的天空忘了上班，太阳公公也在偷懒。
我的衣服也在流泪，为它们重重的身躯担忧（看到了吗？霉菌在偷笑）
把太阳搬进屋子里
想要一台烘衣机
塞满我对你的爱情
想要一台烘衣机
等待也是一种幸福
想要一台烘衣机
来烘烘我的坏心情
天空每天都在流泪，有时轻轻密密的，像快乐的眼泪，有时重重狠狠的，像崩溃的眼泪。
快乐的天空忘了上班，太阳公公也在偷懒。
我的衣服也在流泪，为它们重重的身躯担忧（看到了吗？霉菌在偷笑）
Mar 9, 2008
It's time...
Finally... GE is over. This is a year to remember, and a time for a change.
It's expected that the opposition parties will win over the hearts of more voters... but it's a good surprise that in fact, they have won Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Kelantan and Perak... far more that what is anticipated.
It's a shame for me not able to go back to Penang to vote, not able to be part of the history. Still, I'm glad to see the rising of political awareness among Malaysians and the willingness to risk it all and vote for a change. It's not about Chinese, it's not about Indians, nor Malays... it's about Malaysians.
The new parliament will be formed tomorrow. I truly hope that the leaders will learn from this... and the new leaders will have the wisdom to manage the country.
Pray for Malaysia. The Boleh-land.
It's expected that the opposition parties will win over the hearts of more voters... but it's a good surprise that in fact, they have won Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Kelantan and Perak... far more that what is anticipated.
It's a shame for me not able to go back to Penang to vote, not able to be part of the history. Still, I'm glad to see the rising of political awareness among Malaysians and the willingness to risk it all and vote for a change. It's not about Chinese, it's not about Indians, nor Malays... it's about Malaysians.
The new parliament will be formed tomorrow. I truly hope that the leaders will learn from this... and the new leaders will have the wisdom to manage the country.
Pray for Malaysia. The Boleh-land.
Mar 4, 2008
If there is a heaven for you...
If there is a heaven for you
Have you found your way there?
If there is a heaven for you
Have you been greeted by the angels?
From being intimidated to trusting each other
I'll never forget you
I'll never forget how you greedily asked for food
I'll never forget how you liked to play with your favourite teddy bears
I'll never forget how you barked at strangers and retreat to a safer place
I'll never forget how you hugged my mom happily
I'll never forget how you curled in my arms
I'll never forget how you liked it when I brushed your hair
I'll never forget how you huffed and puffed after our jog around the neighbourhood
Too much happiness you gave to me
Too little time we spent together
I'll never forget you.
I love you, DeeDee.
R.I.P
13.02.2005 - 03.03.2008
DeeDee passed away @ 16.45 in the hospital of severe liver failure. The root cause is still under investigation.
Have you found your way there?
If there is a heaven for you
Have you been greeted by the angels?
From being intimidated to trusting each other
I'll never forget you
I'll never forget how you greedily asked for food
I'll never forget how you liked to play with your favourite teddy bears
I'll never forget how you barked at strangers and retreat to a safer place
I'll never forget how you hugged my mom happily
I'll never forget how you curled in my arms
I'll never forget how you liked it when I brushed your hair
I'll never forget how you huffed and puffed after our jog around the neighbourhood
Too much happiness you gave to me
Too little time we spent together
I'll never forget you.
I love you, DeeDee.
R.I.P
13.02.2005 - 03.03.2008
DeeDee passed away @ 16.45 in the hospital of severe liver failure. The root cause is still under investigation.
Feb 20, 2008
Thanks for asking...
My best friend sent an sms to me - "Are you ok? Haven't heard from you for some time..."
The "heard" actually means not seeing me online. I'm have not been logging on to MSN as frequent as I used to be and have not replied my emails promptly.
I've been sick for a while and now trying to adjust to my new role in life.
Thanks for asking. I'm perfectly fine.
The "heard" actually means not seeing me online. I'm have not been logging on to MSN as frequent as I used to be and have not replied my emails promptly.
I've been sick for a while and now trying to adjust to my new role in life.
Thanks for asking. I'm perfectly fine.
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