Somewhere out there

I mentioned how much I loved Kazuo Ishiguro's A Pale View of the Hills. In fact, I was so fascinated with the read that I bought a copy the very next day and shipped it off to my sister in Australia.

With the exams having come and gone, she finally had the time to sit down and read it, I guess. I got a call from her while I was on the train today.

"OH MY GOSH. So who was Sachiko?!" she screamed.

We spent the next 15 minutes trying to dissect the story.

Me, on the train.

Her, out in the country with very bad reception.

I wonder if other sisters do this.

(Oh, and there will be further investigation when I'm not stuck in a packed peak-hour train, and when she isn't knee-deep in cow dung.)

RIP: "Eddie"

:( Goodbye, Eddie. Thanks for the years of laughter.

Bits and pieces

The World Cup is upon us once again, so head down over to JayWalk's World Cup Prediction League for some fun. :) My prediction for the opening match has gone to the dumps (and I'm doubtful many predicted that scoreline), but 'tis early days yet! Poland vs Ecuador is up next in just a while, and many thanks once again to our neighbours across the causeway for bringing the matches to us poor folks who don't have cable! ;)

***

We headed down to Sentosa for some fun in the sun yesterday (even though there wasn't much sun), and then to Marine Parade for high tea buffet at Sakura.



I can't get over what an incredible deal it is. $16.90 nett doesn't sound particularly cheap, but Sakura's buffet trumps any other sushi chain's buffet because it includes all the premium items -- we're talking free-flow sashimi and soft-shell crab!



I'm surprised there aren't more people flocking there every day.

***

Me: "Hey, my dad has some questions about this contract. Are you free now?"

K: "I'm charging legal fees of $100 per hour."

Me: "Yeah yeah. Anyway, do you mind just talking to my dad directly? He can explain it better that way."

K: "WHAT?! NO! I mean, I'm just a third ye..."

I pass the phone to my dad, and in the faint distance, I hear...

K: "OEI, come on... HELLO?! Oh, hi Uncle."

Random reminiscence

It's been a while since I last took the bus along that familiar stretch. These days, I usually take another route to town, or if I do pass by the row of schools, I'm driving.

Some people read in the bus, others listen to music; I can't do either -- I get a massive headache. So I just sit and think; I plan things; I people-watch.

My peace and quiet was abruptly shattered as we stopped in front of one of the institutions; school children started swarming in, and I was quickly ambushed by boisterous youths who'd just come out of their floorball training. Wonderful smells.

Even though I was still just sitting, doing nothing, my head started to ache anyway.

As they were struggling to find their seats -- of which there weren't enough -- one of the girls shouted from the back of the bus: "Would it kill you guys to give up your seat to the girls?"

And despite the claustrophobic crowd and the unpleasant odours, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh; I must have screamed those same words a hundred times when I was in JC.

***



I've been searching high and low for Rocky's nail clippers, to no avail -- no surprise considering the state of my room since the exams ended -- so I finally decided to take a trip down to the nearby pet shop to get Amy's nails trimmed.

I also took the opportunity to ask them to clean her ears; my gosh, those floppy ears really can accumulate a lot of dirt! I'd been cleaning them out every day, but wasn't sure how deep I could dig because she'd keep flinching. The groomer clearly had no such qualms; I watched as she manhandled Amy confidently, squirting and swabbing her ear, with Amy letting out occasional huffs of annoyance. Hur hur.

Amy's been getting lots of company -- with friends dropping by to visit this new addition -- and she's been unbelievably well-behaved. AY was so happy letting Amy eat treats off her hand, slime and all; she's the first dog that AY has dared to feed. :)

A poll

While poking around in my mouth, Rogue Dentist (RD)'s scalpel-like thingy snapped. We both jumped.

RD: "Oh, SHIT!"

Me: "..."

RD: "Hmm, I really should be more professional. What I meant to say was: Oh, CRAP!"

Me: "???"

***

RD (completely straight-faced): "My ex-girlfriend is getting married in July. Should I burn down her tent?"

Me: "!!!"

***

At what point does one decide to change dentist? Also -- let's just take a poll -- if your dentist gives you his e-mail address and mobile phone number and asks you to add him on MSN, would you?