Cheers

X and I were in the car. Somehow I didn't think that the shortest way from Orchard to Tanjong Pagar was through Clementi, but X assured me of her impeccable navigation skills, so off we went. Of course, we promptly got lost...

"Oh my gosh," I shook my head in mock despair as we stopped at the red light. "We're like... Dumb and Dumber!"

We laughed, and then paused at the same time. Turning and pointing to each other, we shouted in unison: "YOU'RE DUMBER!!!"

Well, almost in unison; I edged her out by a nanosecond.

"MUAHAHA!!!" I cackled at this victory.

"What are you so happy about?" she snickered. "You're still Dumb."

"..."

***

Not wanting to end the year on that note, here's something that I was reminded of in the past week -- one of the few things that make complete sense even when the world seems topsy-turvy. I hope it inspires you as much as it does me. Have a wonderful year ahead, all! :)

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centred; forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.

-- Mother Teresa

Mind your body, indeed!

From today's edition of Mind Your Body (click on thumbnails to enlarge).




Um, music soothes the savage whaaaat? Bet you never knew that. ;)

Christmas snippets

Among other things, this time of the year always gives me the opportunity to catch up with old friends, and sometimes, to meet new ones; both bring me incredible joy. During the semester, it's difficult to have a nice dinner without the weight of undone work at the back of my mind; I like not having to wear a watch out, sipping lavender tea after souffle, reminiscing about times past, and sharing dreams about the future -- until we lose track of time and have to be chased out! ;)



***

I've never been one for big parties, but gatherings of close friends and family -- that I can manage very well, thank you. :) Oh, especially when the boys end up losing games and having to do forfeits such as this:



(Sorry, HW, that was too priceless to not post!)

***

Before our Christmas BBQ...

HW: "Can you prepare more ice for tomorrow?"

Me: "I think we'd better buy. I only have one ice tray."

HW: "That's just... UNBELIEVABLE."

Me: "What?"

HW: "You have THREE refrigerators, but only ONE ice tray?!"

Me: "..."

Well, yes, I'm aware of the irony. Shut up.

***



What's Christmas without little children screaming and toys being strewn all around? Yeah, family traditions, go figure.

Also, I was going to bake a cake for dinner tonight, but the Cold Storage near my place was absolutely packed. Cars were double-parked, people were honking, and three of the ingredients on my list were sold out! It was sheer last-minute craziness. Good thing I walked; "good" until it started raining on my way back, that is. Ho ho ho.

***

This Christmas, I wish you all the love, joy, peace, and hope in the world, and that you may have loved ones by your side to share them with. But most of all, I wish you Jesus. :)

***

I could wish you joy and peace to last a whole life long
I could wish you sunshine or a cheerful little song
Or wish you all the happiness that this life could bring
But I wish you Jesus more than anything

I could wish you leaves of gold and that your path be smooth
I could wish you treasures or that all your dreams come true
And I could wish you paradise, that every day be spring
But when I wish you Jesus, I've wished you everything

-- "I Wish You Jesus" by Scott Wesley Brown

***


Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

I love video rentals

The lines are cheesy, the filming is mediocre, and Mandy Moore desperately needs acting lessons, but I always end up crying when I watch A Walk to Remember. Shane West's acting saves it, of course, but it's Landon Carter who is the prize; it's that same storyline, of loss and redemption.

I really wish they'd filmed it better, but I can deal. Just close your eyes whenever they zoom in on Moore, and ignore the tacky dialogue. Um, yeah.

Christmas stuff(ing) V

I posted this last year, but I don't think that there's a better Christmas song than this, so this year, I'm throwing in the audio too. :) Because the reason doesn't change, that's why.

The peace of a sleeping baby
The joy in a new mother's eyes
And the hope of a million tomorrows
Be found in your heart tonight
May the angels who sang glory
Be always at your side
And may you find in Christ the Saviour
The reason why

May the star shine bright this evening
To show you where He's laid
And if the road is long, and you're tempted
To give the search away
Know the King has also travelled
From a palace fair, on high
May you find in Christ the Saviour
The reason why

-- "The Reason Why" by Russell Fragar

(Download The Reason Why.wma, 3.81 MB, 04:07, via YouSendIt.com, link expires in 7 days expired, available upon request)

***

And because lately I've been so good at churning out posts that resemble collages of unrelated stuff, I thought I might as well see if anyone wanted to buy my calculator; long shot, but you never know.

Funny story -- well, not so funny while I was panicking -- but I thought I'd lost my calculator just before my exams. Turns out my brother had mistakenly swiped it (although how he could have missed the big pink glittery Hello Kitty sticker on it, I know not). Of course, as these things go in my world, by the time he'd realised it, I'd already bought a new calcie, so yes, I have a brand new -- unused -- calculator, a Sharp EL-546LV. I even have the receipt, which tells me that I needlessly forked out S$28.30, but I'm willing to let it go for S$22. Or, you know, this being the Christmas season, feel free to haggle; I'm pretty easy. (Shut up.)

Yeah, so interested parties, you know what to do. :)

[Edit: I think it's the exam season, so I've been getting quite a few enquiries about the calculator. Unfortunately, I sold it a few weeks ago, but for those of you who desperately need it, I can tell you that I bought it from the NUS co-op, so you can try calling the co-op branches (I bought mine from the Forum branch). :) I've been told that the EL-546LV is sold out everywhere, but from what I know, EL-506V and EL-509V have almost exactly the same functions, so you may want to check those alternatives out.]

Christmas stuff(ing) IV

A peek at the workbench...



On a separate note, I've just been informed that we're having a baking thing at a friend's house next Thursday. The occasion? Her oven has just been fixed.

Yeah, yeah, I know, they're my friends.

***


Garfield by Jim Davis

Hot pants

During some discussion (over MSN) about our upcoming Christmas BBQ...

M: "Do we need to buy thongs?"

Me: "THONGS?!"

M: "Oops, I meant tongs."

Me: "..."

***

M: "Okay, so how many pairs of thongs do you have?"

Me: "???"

M: "Oops, spell wrongly again."

Me: "!!!"

***

No, I don't know what's up with the recent deluge of underwear-related conversations. To be fair, most of them were purely accidental. Really.

Christmas stuff(ing) III

Someone's been stalking our Christmas tree.



Now and then Kiddo gets an inexplicable urge to paw the baubles, but mostly he's content with just looking at the tree.

Christmas stuff(ing) II

It was almost Christmas time
There I stood in another line
Trying to buy that last gift or two
Not really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me was
A little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing round like little boys do
And in his hands he held a pair of shoes
His clothes were worn and old
He was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see, she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

He counted pennies for what seemed like years
Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here."
He searched his pockets frantically
Then he turned and he looked at me
He said, "Mama made Christmas good at our house,
Though most years she just did without
Tell me, sir, what am I going to do,
Somehow, I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes."
So I laid the money down
I just had to help him out
I'll never forget the look on his face
When he said, "Mama's gonna look so great."

I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love
As he thanked me and ran out
I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me what Christmas is all about

-- "The Christmas Shoes" by Newsong

(Download 12 The Christmas Shoes.mp3, 6.66 MB, 04:51, via YouSendIt.com, link expires in 7 days expired, available upon request)

Stitchitty-stitch

So my last purse fell apart, and I happened to be walking around Spotlight with a broken purse, so this:



I like green, and I like fur(ry stuff); I think the two make a wonderful combination. Unfortunately no one else concurs.

Well, I guess, if nothing else, a hand-made purse is a pretty good conversation starter, although I would like those conversations to start with something other than: "WHAT IS THAT THING AND HOW CAN YOU TAKE THAT OUT IN PUBLIC?!"

So no positive responses so far; the most neutral one I've gotten is: "Oh my gosh, you look like you skinned Cookie Monster!"



Except, of course, that Cookie Monster is not green.

***

Anyway, sewing the purse has sparked off my latest obsession, especially since I discovered my mom's old -- but still functional -- sewing machine. (Because of some worn-out parts, though, spinning the bobbin requires me to sprout an extra arm. Fortunately, I've found a way around this by enlisting the help of my nose. Don't ask; it's not a pretty sight.)

Something about the pedalling and the sound of the oscillating needle brings back memories of a much simpler time; the sister and I watching cartoons while faithfully combing the long locks of our Barbie dolls; Mom supervising while sewing identical dresses for us. Clickitty-clock.

Whose line is it anyway?

Over dinner on Sunday night...

Q (enquiring about vacation plans, apparently): "So is anyone else going anywhere?"

Me (matter-of-factly, or so I thought): "Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm wearing underwear."

It took 10 seconds of complete silence before I finally looked up to see everyone at the table staring at me, and another 236174 seconds for me to realise that I'd misheard the question. How is it my fault that people don't speak clearly?

Cupid Tell

I had some sort of promotional bag pressed into my hand while shopping the other day. It was surprisingly heavy; I wasn't expecting any samples from Cupid Jewels.




When the promoter was out of sight, I peered into the bag...




Apple. Right. I could totally see the relevance. Maybe Cupid missed.

***


Luann by Greg Evans

Christmas stuff(ing)

• Trompe L'oeil and Rice & Soup: Blogs that are all dressed up for the season!

• The Winterealm: Unrehearsed Christmas tunes; better than my bathroom singing anytime.

• Real Live Preacher: I was absolutely captivated by the sample chapter of A Christmas Story You've Never Heard. It was the simplicity of the story-telling, as much as the story itself, that touched me; no need for fancy graphics or special sound effects. Unfortunately, the online version (from iTunes) is unavailable for those of us who do not have a US credit card. (Man, you guys don't know how good you have it there.) I had a friend buy it for me anyway, and it was well worth every penny; all that was lacking was a fireplace for me to sit by while I listened to some old school story-telling. Beautiful.

• All I Really Want for Christmas by Steven Curtis Chapman: The Chapmans have three lovely adopted daughters from China (you can read more here), and their eldest, Shaohannah, makes an appearance in this CD. In some cultures, it seems that we adopt (children, pets, etc.) for our own purposes; in others, adoption is a gift to someone who needs a home -- the thought continues to confound me. Anyway, things have been a little rough at home, even if you don't see me writing about it (as of 3 AM last night, things kinda took a turn towards recovery, so I think we'll be okay), but this is one of those things that will make you believe in love (the real kind, not the Hollywood myth) again...
  


Well, I don't really know if you remember me or not
I'm one of the kids they brought in from the home
I was the red-haired boy in an old, green flannel shirt
You may not have seen me, I was standing off alone

I didn't come and talk to you cause that's never worked before
And you'll probably never see this letter, anyway
But just in case there's something you can do to help me out
I'll ask you one more time

All I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose, shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for, but there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas, is a family

Well, I guess I should go ahead and tell you now
If it's really true about the list you have
Somehow I always seem to end up in a fight
But I'm really trying hard not to be bad

But maybe if I had a brother or a dad to wrestle with
Maybe they could teach me how to get along
And from everything I've heard it sounds like
The greatest gift on earth, would be a mom

All I really want for Christmas is someone who'll be here
To sing me Happy Birthday for the next 100 years
And it's ok if they're not perfect or even if they're a little broken
That's all right, 'cause so am I

Well, I guess I should go, it's almost time for bed
And maybe next time I write you I'll be at home

'Cause all I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in
Tell me I'll never be alone, someone whose love will never end
Of all that I could ask for, well, there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

-- "All I Really Want" by Steven Curtis Chapman

With love from Down Under II

Me (looking through her photos): "Um, why is there a folder labelled 'Bikini Cheesecake'?"

Sis: "Oh, because I baked that cheesecake while I was wearing a bikini."

Me: "!!!"

Sis: "What?! It was 40 degrees!"

Me: "..."

Sis: "It's not like I was scratching or anything."

Me: "???"

***

So the sister is back, yes. Some of you may remember Bunny, Simba, and Nala, and the cuteness that is too much to not post. Here we go, then. (And as is the custom here, if you haven't noticed, click for bigger pictures.) :)




Bunny's cage being hijacked. Apparently goats are always looking for shelter, although I don't think they quite understood the concept of being in a house.




Not to get all anthropocentric, but doesn't this look like a game of "Spot the Bunny" with Simba informing Nala of Bunny's whereabouts? :p




And who knew that bunnies could actually look annoyed?




Simba and Nala, outside this time, with pretty flowers. :)




Simba getting in touch with his feminine side.




Goats playing games. (I could not stop laughing at this photo!)




Helicopter goat! (And this!)




Finally, Simba and Nala had to be brought back to the farm, to live with all the other goaties.


***

As a bonus, this blog entry also brings you videos! So if you have a minute or two and you've always wanted to watch either:

1) hungry goats




or 2) bunny and goats (playing)




... Go nuts. :)

***

Nope, there weren't any photos of bikinis, and I didn't think you'd be interested in the cheesecake. ;)

Back from an unexpected hiatus

Yet another misleading product name.



Apparently you attach this brackety thingy to your waistband when you play tennis, thus enabling you to... attach a tennis ball to your body. I don't know -- from what I see on TV, the pros just stuff the tennis balls in their pocket.

***

If you're planning to watch either Rent or A Twist of Fate, let me just say that the sound system at Kallang Theatre (where Rent is being staged) is absolutely ghastly. Despite the inferior sound quality, however, it was clear that the music and the stage and vocal choreography far outclassed that of A Twist of Fate. Well, except for Karen Mok -- ironically the touted draw -- who could do with a little less screaming and a little more enunciation.

This is not to say that A Twist of Fate was bad; it was, in fact, highly entertaining, with an impressive cast and impeccable comic timing; Emma Yong, for me, was absolutely outstanding. It was also very Singaporean, so I'm not sure -- perhaps non-Singaporean audiences may have a different opinion.

In short, if you can endure the temperamental sound system, Rent is your show. Me? Nope. Give me A Twist of Fate at The Esplanade again any day.

***

Hello. Yes, I guess this means that the exams are finally over! :)

Day out at the beach? Check.

Scraped knee? Check.

Gigantic bruise? Check.

Oh, this also means that my desk is slowly being converted into a workbench for Christmas presents as we speak, so just bear with me; I hope to be able to churn them out in time! :)

***

The unexpected tacitness is in part also due to my graphics card dying. And with our resident handyman my brother away at camp, it means that I have to contend with rather a biggish and aesthetically unpleasing interface. My eyes, my eyes.