Love & Gentleness

In the city
In our busy schedule
If someone is willing and happy
to have a meal with you
You must have a relationship
with that person
that matters.

Youth

My niece when she was 1.5 yr old

JOKE 1
My friend A who went out with me (6 years my senior) met a friend B at the hawker centre. I was sitting down enjoying my char siew rice. B looked at my back view and exclaimed to A, "Wow, your daughter has really grown!"

JOKE 2

Man sits next to me on the bus. He asked, "Are you a student?"

JOKE 3

My driver in Indonesia took a double take to realise I'm not 27 years old or younger.

Now, let me recommend the 2010 beauty products that has caused me to look younger in recent days:
a) stress from work
b) little sleep
c) love! (for the bed)

People who know me well will be shocked to hear my love for the bed as one of my principals in life is to not take naps for regular sleep has already taken up 1/3 of our lives!

Living Space

This image is taken from http://hubpages.com.

A house? What would it be like for me to have a house?

Gentleness soothes a tired soul

Having only one hour break to either photostat more notes or to have a meal, I chose to eat.

Leaning against the very familiar noodle stall in the canteen (patron of 7 full years), I languidly ordered laksa. Uncle put one lao po bing into a plastic bag and tel me to eat it in the next break...

Kindness comes in a comforting round form...

手紙を書いた！

I've finally written the thank you letters to the police post and secondary school we've visited in Nov 2009.

It's very Japanese to close a programme with a letter of thanks. Of course, this is totally not necessary in Singapore. If any one of us write a letter of thanks, it is only because the recipient has really gone the extra extra mile for us.

Very rusty in writing the Japanese language... sigh. Thankful for dictionaries.

SPLASH!

RAIN
unexpected.
silt became
silver stream
JUMP!
Delight!
Fly!
unbound...

I saw him again!

Miraculously, 4 hours later, I met the horseman on my way back from my evening walk!

Not to miss the opportunity, I took a photo with him. Happy Day!

Doing Good (4)...

I gave him 30,000 when I alighted.

When I walked away, I could hear his happy laughter at having received 5,000 more than the agreed price.

I wondered. Who was doing good? He, worried about me? I worried about his horse?

Didn't take any photo with him. regretted much. There are just too many horse men! I will never see him again!

Doing Good (3) ...

savanah is on my right (as shown in picture). Mt Bromo is on my left.

The man with the horse is getting worried, I think. Each time I veer towards the Savanah, he would call me and point to Mt Bromo. I would then tell him I'm not going to Bromo in many dramatic ways. Seeing me going to the Savanah, he followed.

At this time, he offered to give me a ride at 25,000.

25,000 rupiahs = SGD 3.75.

He's really worried about my safety, I thought.
With the thought of giving him business during this low season, and for myself, save the effort of climbing that terrible slope, I got a ride!

But the old old horse farted a lot and I felt real bad. Half way to Bromo, I asked him to bring me back to the hotel.

The horse refused to turn!

In fact, it tried to trot away from the man!!! With me on its back.

Though it was only a few seconds, I felt panic.

After some force, some cajoling, some comforting words, the horse followed the man up the slope and I reached the top in one piece.

Doing Good (2) ...

Notice the cross? I was that far from Mt Bromo after walking down the slope.

Doing Good...

WALKING DOWN this steep slope (with my own legs) for 15 minutes isn't the tough part... I was thinking of the effort needed to come back up.

Soon, I noticed the steady footstep of 2: one man and his horse. He walked behind me, hoping that I would take up the offer of 150,000 rupiah to ride his horse down the slope, to Volcano and back to the hotel. This will save me a lot of pain up the same slope. But I DON'T HAVE 150,000 rupiah to spare on my last day here.

150,000 rupiah = SGD22

Anyway, it's too expensive by indonesian standards.

By the time I've crossed the concrete slope into savanah, he was in-defatigable. I've told him in no uncertain terms that I've no money. He followed me.

Bukso Contest!

Bukso is a soup noodle with beef. I ate from 3 different stalls on Mt Bromo on 15 Feb, Monday.

The best is the one which has made friends with me! See how he made it from his stall :)

Things that made me smile at Bromo

duration: 13 - 16 Feb 2010
location: Mt. Bromo, Indonesia
Accomplice: Chang Chun, Junqiang, Lei Ting, Ningyi, Ying Ying

THINGS that made me go ALL TEETH
1) the boy who offered me a free ride on his motorbike 2) the mist that swirls round the mountain and the savanah 3) the ability to order food in Bahasa Indonesia 4) the ability to trek in the rain 5) the company of friends 6) the total dependence on someone else's plans

Mum's cooking

Mum's cooking has brought many people together over a dining table. Her recipes are sought-after. Even my friends remember the soup she double-boils.

Long to have the time to master all the recipe...

Lady Macbeth in trekking shoes

If I could choose a role in Shakespeare, I've a fetish for Lady Macbeth. (1) I love mad characters (2) love mad women roles (3) love the turmoil of murder and conscience within a woman who seems untouched by milk of mercies

But I also love trekking, shopping: adventure and superficial pleasures. Lady Macbeth and superficial happiness over shoes found in one and the same person...

Yet, a Jimmy Choo $1,000.00 shoes will never be comfy on my feet. Just imagine stepping on the invinsible spit on the pavement, the residue of some pedigree and not-so-pedigree dog, corpse of roaches and dust of all poisonous ashes of industrialisation. Nah, One thousand dollars to step on all these? Unworthy.

Art is like baby shoes. When you coat them with gold, they can no longer be worn.
John Updike

BOOGEY like no one is watching

Made,
Freed,
Enjoying the freedom of being alive!

Wakey Wakiiiiiieeeeeeee

Dawn = break of day
Waking up to remember that God's mercies are new every morning!

face of time

What does it mean to AGE WELL?

To dwell deep in sorrow's tears,
and emerge a learned person

To dance in joy with flitting feet
as if no one is watching

To embrace grace with open arms
for that is our humble lot

To seek solace
through peaceful paths

To know that work is a rubber ball
you drop it, and it bounces back

To know that family, friends and health
are glass balls

To know that what we see in the mirror is not the truth
of what God and man may see and know

these unfinished thoughts...

Tick Tock... Tick Tock

The Little Boy and the Old Man
by Shel Silverstein

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man, "I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
"I know what you mean," said the little old man.

A LITTLE WHITE

My tanned face turned a little white
when I noticed a pain in my throat!
Just a tiny fishbone!
But there's no fish
in
my
lunch!
Do my duty first:
Brought the students to the play
finished the play
run
sway
drip drip in the rain
Raffles Hospital!

it's an ulcer.
a little white patch
in
my
throat...
speechless
pain

DESIGNING a poster

designed for school competition. very excited to see the designs the students will come up with!

Landscape of a Hot Tropical Afternoon

Singapore... Toa Payoh Lorong 1... Our landscape is distinctly unique...

Found this very heart-warming piece for Singaporeans in Toa Payoh HDB Hub.

A closer look reveals the tiles that made up the blue building in the centre of the picture below. Each tile is a unique creation of an employee of HDB!

A beautiful mural which from far, looked like a mere landscape of our little city.