happy new year!!

you say it best when you say nothing at all

you say it best when you say nothing at all

what does it mean? to some, it's best when their partner says nothing
at all times. for others, it describes the beauty of the unspoken word
that only their loved one can give; the connection that allows each
other to complete the sentences.

what's your take?

Magdalene

lovely settings to wake up to :)

best sticky rice with mango ever!!

this is heaven!! green river hill resort - Thailand

Michael Josephson "The Box Full of Love"

Lovely story of the beauty of being human:
"Todd was a sadly quiet 11-year-old struggling to adjust to the death of his mother. His father had left long ago, and Todd was living with an aunt who made it known she resented the responsibility.
On several occasions, his teacher Sheryl heard his aunt tell him, “If it weren’t for my generosity, you’d be a homeless orphan.”
Sheryl took extra pains to make Todd feel valued in class and encouraged his interest in making things. Just before Christmas break, Todd shyly presented her with a small decorated box he’d made.
“It’s beautiful,” Sheryl gushed.
Todd replied, “There’s something special inside that my mom gave me before she died. She said it’s the one thing I can give and still have plenty left over. It helps you feel better when you’re sad and safe when you’re scared."
As Sheryl started to open the box, Todd warned her, “Oh, you can’t see it.”
Sure enough, the box was empty.
“Well, what is it?” Sheryl asked kindly.
“It’s love. You’re the first person since my mom whom I love.”
Sheryl hugged Todd tightly. “I’ll treasure this forever," she said. "It’s the best gift I ever got.”
She kept it on her desk until she retired and touched it whenever she was sad or scared. It never failed to make her heart smile.
Years later, Todd sent her the tassel he wore during his graduation from medical school. It’s been in the box ever since.
In truth, love – not diamonds – is the gift that keeps on giving. What’s more, love generates itself. The more you give away, the more you have left."

4 sep:

4 sep:
took the GoldenPassLine -Paroramic train from Interlarken through
Zweisimmen onto Montreaux. the train ride started at 908hrs from
Interlarken. I reserved seating for an extra chf10 but turned out to
be unnecessary as not quite high season.

anyway, I must admit that I was a tad disappointed cos I expected an
extremely scenic route with a special train. turned out to be quite
normal route - maybe a little more scenic than the route I took the
day before with the bus-train-boat excursion. the panoramic part is
the all enclosed trains that you switch midway at Zweisimmen. the bad
thing is that it kills the photo shots cos reflection. with the normal
trains, you can lower down the windows in some sections so in that
sense, the paroramic trains aren't too fabulous.

if given another chance, will stay at Interlarken another day to take
the old trains up the other mountains, caves visit or cruise down lake
thun. especially considering what's going to happen to me at Montreux,
my next stop.

reached Montreux at 1413hrs. weather was horrid when I reached-
rained. the hotel I booked was Best Western supposedly a 4* but trust
me, the Backpackers lodge I stayed at Interlarken is 10X better in
terms of price, quality & cleanliness. the booking sheet also didn't
have the good instructions on how to get to that place-just said 5mins
away from station. yah right!!! 5 mins down a staircase that only one
who is familiar with the area knows. imagine me braving the rain,
pulling luggage & with nothing except my wits to bring me to an less
than satisfactory hotel that smelled damp, unwashed and right next to
the road.

to think I was telling myself in interlarken that I will enjoy a nice
cheese fondue dinner when I stay at this place!! decided to spend my
cash at a concert instead (part of the Festival De Musique Classique
Montreau-Vevey that runs from Aug-Sep). had to take bus down to Vevey
-20 mins from Montreu.

personally, the nice thing about this area compared to the other
places in Switzerland is the fact that they speak in French instead of
Swiss-German or German. "bonjour" just sounds nicer as a "hello" in
German/Swiss-German. the servers/ shop owners also seem more
friendlier than in main Switzerland to me.

after booking ticket for CelloTango (cheapest was chf35), walked down
the shopping area & got some souvenirs like lace hankies, Freddy
mercury tshirt for dan, musical box for kids & some jewellery. trotted
down to see Freddy mercury's statute next to the waterfront- by then
weather was even more horrid with the waves swelling & hitting the
water banks. am so glad I didnt take another lake cruise.

went down to local grocer to pick up tomorrow's bfast (croissant with
salad & apple juice) before heading back hotel for quick washup before
making my way down to Vevey theatre. I very much liked the Vevey area
better than Montreux. the ambience & shops are more unique - reminds
me of like Kensington area in London. montreux station was dark &
gloomy whereas Vevey station was nicer with a big open square area.

did a nice walk around that Vevey area as I was there by 6 - just
wanted to make sure I find the theatre before it gets dark at around
730pm. bummer is that there is not much food options after 6 - many
drinks but food's limited to Indian or pizza before 8. so ended up at
macs again - lucky that there was a shopping centre at the Vevey area.

concert started at 8pm - maybe too tired but I didn't like the fact
that the cellist had to go his speeches after EVERY single piece he
played. in 1hr, only 3 pieces cos his in-between speeches in french
took just as long as each piece!!

the concert was packed though - guess concerts are as big as they say
in switzerland after all. I left during the intermission as it was 9pm
by then as I needed to get up by 6am tomorrow for the connecting
trains to zurich airport.

tomorrow morning is my train to Zurich airport via Laussane. it was
the 1st time I had a train cancelled on me the whole week I am in
switzerland. panicked a bit cos again all announcements in French & no
info on alternative trains at the station...anyways, managed to make
my way down to airport in good time cos did Internet check-in earlier.

Magdalene

Castles in the sand

Playing tour guide @ merlion

Shot of F1 circuit

day 1 Zurich

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day 1 Zurich
reached Zurich ard 730am-company booked Ascot hotel as 5 mins away
from office & 15mins from airport. Ascot Hotel is just in front of
train station "Bahnhof Enge". the hotel reminded me of London's hotel-
a bit old, a bit quaint)

After unpacking & a shower, I took a 20 walk down to waterfront of
Zurich lake - partly cos unfamiliar with the roads. a bit confusing
which is pedestrian & which is for cars & trams. whilst walking,
stumbled across this little garden in between building in the middle
of the courtyard. it was a nice breathing space from all the
architecture around - found out later that the location is
"Paradeplatz" (heart of Bahnofstrasse (main shopping street that's
comparable to London's Bond Street) . I managed to make my way down to
Fraubmunster (originally Benedictine abbey church now Reformist/
Protestant). Couldn't go in cos Sunday mass was underway. Took some
photos before walking across to Grossmunster/Great church whose twin
towers are the most recognized landmark in Zurich. Nearby is a
touristy shop where you can get souvenirs starting from chf 2 (bath
soap on offer) to as much as chf 400-500 for hand crafted coo-coo
clocks.

I backtracked down to see some parts of the Old Town/oberdorf where
cobbled streets line from 16th century onwards.

tip- don't expect to see any of the shops open on Sunday. they close
the entire day so it's best for window shopping at best. I Like this
idea cos you see kids out cycling, boating, swimming, sightseeing with
their parents instead of hitting the shops all weekend. the shops that
are open are the restaurants & eateries so you see many people just
doing people watching or listening to the band while taking in the
Sunday. as it was a lovely day out today, girls in bikinis lined the
shores as well as part of their recreational activity.

after some shopping walked down to the main bridge called
Quaibru~cke. from there, you can feed the swans, ducks & fish while
taking in the sights. the weather was excellent -25c without the
humidity. that means you can actually escape from the heat of the sun
by simply going to the shade. had a hot dog chf5 & bratwurst chf7 for
a bite. get from the stall next to the Bellevueplatz & you get a hard
bread as part of the meal. As the bread was too hard for me I fed it
to the birds instead :) talk about killing 2 birds with 1 stone!

after a satisfying leisurely lunch, I made my way down to get a ride
up the ferris wheel nearby. I know it's touristy but it really gives
one a birds eye view of the place - quite reasonable for chf8 (4
rounds of spinning).

tip: get coins ready if you want to use the public toilets (near main
bus station at Bellevue) cos it costs chf1 & they only take chf1 or 2
chf50c. the toilets are clean & well stocked with essentials so no
complaints spending around s$1.40 to use it.

after swan feeding, I bought the daily ticket that covers the bus,
tram & see-thru boats that runs down Zu lake. quite a good deal for
boat trip cos u can hop on & off as many times & wherever you want (as
long as it's within that 24hr period stated in the ticket) this is
definitely a good way to see the city. you can either get it at the
main bus/tram station or from the conductor when you board the boat).
they also have a 1hr ticket for chf3 I think but I would get the daily
ticket if you intend to travel around Zurich for the day).

the boat ride was fantabulous! it goes down all the way to
schiffla~nde Casino before coming back all the way to Schweiz
Landesmuseum (Swiss national museum). so I dropped off at one of the
in-between stops to take a breather of 30mins before hopping back on
to continue my day trip to see the museum. the museum was fairly
interesting -it has quite some items dedicated to religious artefacts
& also showcased the skill of Swiss (clock making, glass blowing,
religious stained art etc). oh! another tip-Sunday is free museum so
do take advantage of that!!

I took a slow walk down the lake side & found myself in quaint little
streets with lovely shop displays. there was this lovely chocolate
shop called "teascher confise" near main shopping area. I got the most
excellent tiramisu ice cream for chf5.50.

ended the walking day by walking along Bahnhofstrass before taking a
tram back to the hotel.

decided to get Macs which was next to hotel before a final hot choc
from Starbucks. I know I should be taking Swiss food but I was too
tired to find / walk around. think the jet lag is finally hitting.

Macs here suits me fine as they got cheeseburger with salad &
instead of usual fries & coke. wonder why they don't have similar
options back home. costs a bomb though - chf 11 for a meal.

the sun just set down at 8pm. hitting the sack now cos hopefully will
be able to wake up fresh tomorrow.

Magdalene

day 2 (mon), 3 (tues) & 4 (wed) in Zurich

day 2 (mon), 3 (tues) & 4 (wed)
after work, Susann was kind enough to take me on an excursion to
"Uetliberg", a mountain about 20mins by train from Zurich town centre.
it offered a spectacular view of town, lake , mountains & region. not
exactly easy to go but should be ok if you depart from the main
station at Bahnhofstrass.

at the end of the 2nd day, the legal team went down to the river to
have a drink. it's an interesting scene as we are the ones in suits &
the others already there are in their bathing suits. it's actually
open during lunchtime for people to have a swim or bath. women area
are separated from men but the men's area are now mixed. took some
salad for dinner before hitting back to the hotel.

on the afternonn of the 3rd day , went down to Schann office
(Liechtenstein) before meeting the authorities. the place was a drive
by at best but understand that it was pretty rural in any event. it
took about 1.5-2hrs from Zurich to Schann.

was at the majnstation early so had time to purchase some dinner at
the market (right inside the station). reminded me so much of London
markets which I so dearly missed).

had a bit of difficulty finding the place at the Bahnhofstras (main
station) to stamp my Swiss pass. but actually on reflection, just
follow the tourist "I" sign & it's done. the Swiss pass is a very
important document as it can make the difference between ypu staying
ob the train, bus or cruise & you bejng kicked out as it covers mainly
every mode of public transport throughout Switzerland. recommend 1st
class as less crowded & more seat choices (proved useful when you
want to be touristy & take pictures)

took the 6pm train to Interlarken - reached there around 730pm. the
backpackers hotel at interlarken was a pleasent surprise. clean,
modern & extremely friendly. all for around chf200 for 2 nights (paid
for 2pax even though stayed by myself). I chickened out of the 6
bedded room & opted to stay by myself instead with shower included.
thankfully they had rooms available as I couldn't get the room booked
over Internet. they gave out clean sheets & towel & 2 tokens/day (each
chf 3.50) for hot drinks. the bus stopped just outside the hostel & as
usual worked like clockwork according to the schedule displayed at
each bus stop. one thing I will surely miss is the efficiency of the
public transport. basically all the timings are displayed & when it
states 0832 departure, the bus or train will depart from that station
at that exact same time!!! amazing! definately addictive cos I found
myself checking my watch whenever i need to take public transport -
which I will be doing for the next few days of self-travel.

Magdalene

On way to Montreal from interlarken

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View from hostel at interlarken switzerland

Make a Smilebox slideshow

terrarium workshop at hortpark

found out about this really interesting workshop done by nparks via
their newsletter. as I remembered that someone told me that this
workshop is always packed (30 per lesson), I decided to email nparks
to confirm my slot before turning up for the workshop. good memory
served me well as it was FULLLY booked.

had an interesting session with Wilson wong (head, Hort outreach) -
he's also the guy that writes on the plant column in straits times on
sat.

after an interesting short PowerPoint, he got his hands dirty doing
the demo on how to actually create a small indoor self sufficient
terrarium (small version of a green house is my best description)

my 1st personal terrarium is actually quite easy to do as all suitable
materials are available for your use. I even get to keep my terrarium
after use!! what a great deal for spending 1.5hrs of your time & $25!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Self-centred posting

Recently had to deal with people who think the whole world (rolls eyes) revolves around them....they have problems/issues & EVERYONE has to accommodate what they feel, what they want, the date & timings of things/events etc.

So imagine the shock (& despair & injustice they feel) when I put my foot down to say "No. I am exercising my right NOT to agree with what you want me to do."

These people then think "Wow! Why can't you think of me, what I feel, how I feel, what I want?"........I think they should actually be asking themselves "Wow! What am I asking her to do?", "Does what I ask her to do hurt anyone she loves?", "Should I even be asking her to do this?", "Why am I asking her to do this when this is not about me but about someone else?"

Hmmm.....asking the right questions is important I guess & given the propensity of the people I know, all these questions will never arise in their minds in a million years *wry smile*

Why do I think this way? I an no expert so this is just my personal take.....Me thinks that it's because the mind of a self absorbed person is such that no one else matters & every event should be accommodated, felt & resolved according to what he/she wants.

I find such persons interesting (sad nonetheless but interesting) cos I bet my last dollar they don't know themselves any better in terms of wants & needs yet somehow, someone else always has to accommodate them.

Hey! I am definitely no angel myself & I am not saying that I am not self-absorbed person as well...it's a constant fight for me as well. But I think having kids has been a wake up call & constant reminder for me that others (like my children) matters more than me in the many decisions I have to make every day cos every decision I make affects them (sometimes in small & sometimes in really big ways).....Constant struggle to battle this enemy within.

http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-if-You-Are-Self-Absorbed has a mini test to see if you fight this enemy as well

Cartoons from www.cartoonstock.com.

My 1st attempt at online scrapbooking :) Hope you like it!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Michael Josephson Commentary: Five Birds and Good Intentions 625.4

Five birds are sitting on a telephone wire. Two decide to fly south. How many are left? Most people would say three. Actually, all five are left. You see, deciding to fly isn’t the same as doing it.

If a bird really wants to go somewhere, it’s got to point itself in the right direction, jump off the wire, flap its wings, and keep flapping until it gets there.

So it is with most things. Good intentions aren't enough. It’s not what we want, say, or think that makes things happen; it’s what we do.

I frequently think of writing thank-you, birthday, and congratulatory notes. Unfortunately, only a sad few of these good sentiments ever make it to paper. Still, if I don’t look too closely, I can delude myself into thinking that based on my good thoughts I’m a gracious and grateful person. A truer and less admirable picture of my character is drawn by my actions.

In the end, we either do or don’t do. We either make the time to do the things we want to and should do or we make excuses. As Alfred Adler said, “Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement.”

What do you want to do? Do you want to take a course, change your job, lose weight, make new friends, or spend more time with and appreciate more the ones you have?

What’s stopping you from jumping off the wire and flapping your wings?

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Michael Josephson Commentary: Five Birds and Good Intentions 625.4

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Interesting thoughts......Words about kindness by Michael Josephson

"If you were arrested for kindness, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Some people cheer up a room by entering it, others by leaving it. What do you bring to your interactions with workmates, friends, and family? Is it encouragement, optimism, or kind words? Or is it pessimism, criticism, or cynicism?

People often forget what we say and usually what we do, but as Maya Angelou said, “They always remember how we made them feel.”

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.”
– Theodore Isaac Rubin, M.D.

“Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true.”
– Robert Brault

interesting thought....optional suffering

just read this... according to yoga sutras, suffering is caused by
change, unfulfilled longing, habits, and fluctuations in energy. not
even the most enlightened is immune. we can "prevent" the suffering
yet to come. the teacher says we can have pain yet not suffer. if we
accept the inevitability of life's twists & turns & find the
opportunity for growth in the struggles we face, we can prevent the
unnecessary self-inflicted suffering that comes from feelings as
guilt, blame & regret.

have a happy day ahead- in spite of the pain

watching Transformers-Revenge of the fallen tomorrow!!

new eatery found!! ilumo @ bugis ( empire state)

A quote....

good read on Sunday times Pg 29

do find the time to read the full article-here's an excerpt of the
ending paragraphs:

Stoic philosopher, Epictetus, a Greek Stoic philosoher who lived in
the first century, put it very eloquently thus: "I must die. but must
I die groaning? I must be imprisoned. but must I whine as well? I must
suffer exile. can anyone hinder me from going with a smile, and a good
courage, and at peace?"

in short, it's not what happens to you but how you react to it that
matters. people are not disturbed by particular events as such, but by
the view they take of them."

Magdalene

Let the Butterfly Struggle....gentle reminder

Michael Josephson Commentary: Let the Butterfly Struggle 618.2  http://charactercounts.org/michael/2009/05/let_the_butterfly_strugg... There’s a parable about a mother who discovered a butterfly struggling mightily to escape its cocoon through a tiny opening at the top. She became concerned when the creature seemed to give up after making no progress. Certain that the butterfly wouldn’t make it out without help, she enlarged the hole. On its next try, the butterfly wriggled out easily. But the young woman’s joy turned to horror when she saw its wings were shriveled and useless. Her well-intentioned intervention had interrupted a natural process. Forcing the butterfly to squeeze though a small opening is nature’s way of assuring that blood from the creature’s body is pushed into the wings. By making it easier, she deprived the butterfly of strong wings. Childhood, too, is a sort of cocoon. If a healthy adult is to emerge, parents must allow, even encourage, their children to struggle, make mistakes, learn from them, and pay the price for bad judgments and conduct. Of course, good parents should protect their children from serious harm, but being overprotective can itself inflict damage. Adversity is not always an enemy. Teaching can help a young person develop wings strengthened by self-confidence and self-reliance. Helen Keller once said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

AWARE saga spoofs - check out these You Tubes (hilarious!!!)

[latest: the Rambo video got pulled out....sigh...it's a shame cos it was great!]

wedding anniversary

today's my wedding anniversary - got reminded of the time past when we
found travel documents of our stay at turi beach at batam back in
1997..the last trip before the wedding.

was thinking of how fast time flies & what has happened since then &
definately counting my blessings :)

Great mags (digitalized!)

Discovered this GREAT solution to getting magazines (overseas to boot!) digitally! Website is www.zinio.com. I have tried out with Reader's Digest (US version) to see how it looks - the result is WOW! never knew that it could even be so fun!!! 

PLUS points: 

• environmentally friendly cos no paper & the headache of finding space to keep them!!
• for those who like to keep some pages - there's a print option! (haven't used it myself but the idea is cool! esp since i only keep like 2-3 pages if ever?!) 
• I can download up to 3 copies of the same mag - best for those who like me, use a Mac & Windows at home & a Windows comp at work (of course I read only during lunch breaks! (NOT!))
• price! price! price! 13 issues of Readers Digest for USD10! (usual $38.97) - in local pricing, it's lesser but hey! I am not complaining.....besides, I love the magazine but I can't take all the trash mail that comes along with it (contests, sweepstakes etc) that is like an avalanche when you subscribe to that magazine! 
• you can enlarge into the page you are reading
• I have downloaded some other mags for my yoga, healthy living & elle decor & found that they sometimes come with embedded videos/music!!! Hyperlinks direct to the web (no more making a webpage note to check out stuff!)  

Not so cool points.....don't have titles like "Oprah", "Instyle", local magazines or even hub's fav, Man U mag. Not readable on iPhone (on-the-go) 

Anyways, I get to send a copy of the mags I have subscribed to friends so send me a comment if you wanna a try! 

(pic of array of mag sourced from acpmedia.com.nz)

How did you spend Earth Hour?

Earth Hour came & past….How did you spend it?



For me, was at a mall & saw that many businesses did not bother with their lights or airconditioning. Fortunately I was patronising McDonalds which saw the "light at the end of the tunnel" (pun intended) & gamely switched off the lights in some parts of their place. It didn't cause the place to be less functional…in fact, it gave a nice glow to the place without the glarring white light that you usually see at Mcs. That caused me to think "Why don't Mcs consider have a schedule for dimmed lights at certain areas of their restaurants everyday?" It'll save them some money & give the Earth a breather since they contribute to the use of resources (with their individually packed food wrappers) right? The place actually looks quite inviting with dimmed lights. After all, people don't need floodlights to eat a burger or ice cream or fries anyway….

Next stop for me was Starbucks which took the Earth hour to another level by switching off ALL its lights within its premises. This resulted in a quite hilarous outcome as people were likely thinking if they were open for business at all! :) But their heart is in the right place & that's what counts…so I ordered a tall iced "Green Tea Soy Latte" to support their cause. The server was so cute as they gave both kiddos neon bracelets. (BTW if you haven't tried this "Green Tea Soy Latte", you should definitely try it - it's sumptous!)

Went back home & did an extended Earth Hour with the kids by having a lights-out:) We spent the hour before sleeping playing nice music - shining our torchlights & waving neon bracelets in the darkness for ambience.

Started by telling them stories that this is likely how their grandparents spent their childhood - in darkness with a candle to shine their night. My boy didn't take to the darkness very well initially but eventually warmed round to the idea when he saw that darkness need not be feared but can be quite fun too! In the end, both enjoyed Earth hour & now I have to do it again next Sat! :)

If you are more a picture person, click to http://www.flickr.com/groups/earthhourlive/pool/ for cool pics!

Think things differently...time to count our blessings....

Got this from a friend - it's quite a nice reminder in such times (the original email has pics so if you want it, email me yah?):

"A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said "I am blind. please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.' "

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. Invite others towards good with wisdom.

Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Great men say, "Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness…. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience."

Underwater World Overnight Stay (21-22 Mar) & pulau semakau trip (2 weeks ago)

Was down at underwater world for an overnight stay with kids last night & I must say that it was quite an experience....

was registered for an exciting stay with local automobile association for 70 a piece - dropped won at 6 before gathering at the UWW seminar room for a marine talk on types of sea animals that one can find there like sea star, sea angels, jellyfish, sharks, dugong etc before we got down to serious business of dinner & a tour of the 80+ meter tunnel. 

kids were pretty excited as they usually only get to see UWW during the day & not after closing time...they were basically knocking themselves out going round & round the tunnel during the free & easy time & getting themselves wet at the touch pool 

after some time allocated for supper & wash up, the 50 odd campers were brought down again to the tunnel for selection of sleeping area at the tunnel. we were at the shark area on the carpeted area. 

lights out at 1130 ish - whole new experience.... lying down on the hard carpeted floor was a torture for the ol' body & carpeting caused a sneezing frenzy for hub & boy. Doesn't help when the floorboard resounds with every step & you have kids running up & down the tunnel area. 

Finally settled down for a "nap" as before I knew it, lights up at 730 am this morning. Had a quick wash before having breakfast. We headed down to Dolphin Lagoon for a show & a rub-down of one of the pink dolphins. It was a nice fitting ending to a very different sleep-over. 

Definitely pooped after this but then again, an experience that money can't buy....just like the earlier trip that I took for my girl to Pulau Semakau (more info here) 2 weeks ago. It was definitely an eye-opener to see another side of urban Singapore where one can find diverse coral life & animal life. The inter-tidal walk started from 12 & only ended around 5-ish. Nat's quite ok with the heat...quite good considering she's so used to air-conditioning (like most kids in singapore). She's now asking when she can go there again (same thing as UWW sleepover) & I am thinking, "wait till my body recovers!" 

Fresh Apple Juice....Preshafruit *yum yum*

Discovered this really sumptous apple juice (only sold in Jasons at Raffles City)...almost like you are eating the fruit itself!! At $4.70 per bottle, it ain't cheap but the taste is really exqusite! My lil one absolutely loves the Fuji Apple (choice of apple & lemon, apple & pear, granny smith, pink lady, royal gala & of course the Fuji)...me too! Besides the taste, the bottle is really cute! Triangular!! Where can one find a triangle bottle?! Hub found another reason why he likes the bottle, it doesn't spill even if you accidentally topple over the remains (provided it's not too full)....managed to get some pics from the official website and a blog. The only crunch is the cost & the difficulty of finding the item...managed to find an online store (greengrocer) that sells the 6 in a pack but it charges $30 per delivery if you order less than $100 per order!!!

Reunion with my urut lady

Last weekend had a "reunion" of sorts with my Malay urut (massage) lady as I haven't seen her for some 3 years. Thought of her off & on for past few years but hubby had difficulty calling her to recommend post-natal massages so I naturally thought she had changed her hp.She featured quite some when both my anaks were born as she massaged away the aches & pains & listened to all my pre-birth woes & post-birth fears. She was also the person my mother called 5 mins before she passed away as my mum wanted to get a massage from her....

She's a special kind of person as although she doesn't have much of an education in the usual sense, she could help relieve all sorts of aches & pains (even uplift uterus which happens after birth cos of weight from carrying baby).

Sad to say but she's literally one of her kind as after she's gone, there's no one to carry on her knowledge & skills as all her kids are not interested in the work that she does - especially when they have to wake up at wee hours in the morning to boil the herbal oils used for the massages & be at the beck & call of customers all over the island from dawn to dusk. She wants to teach her dying art but alas there's no takers for the skill - a skill that can help to chase the "wind" out of a woman's body after birth & ensure that the body doesn't suffer from aches & pains thereafter. She claims that she even knows how to make a woman fertile as the traditional thinking is that the veins are blocked (resulting in such conditions)….for me, it was her magic touch that helped ease the pain at the left side of my body (suspect uterus drop) that I have been feeling for some few days (more painful as the days go by).

I will miss her dearly if she should pass on but for now, I am so glad I found her again to drive away my aches & pains!

Do check out this website for a more detailed description of the process! (although I just got the binding & the massage)

Interesting starts to a brand new year....

New stuff = new changes to morning routine

Kids start their morning school at 6a.m.

Join morning yoga sessions at True before reaching office at 9a.m.

Doing Hot Yoga has been great! I sweat buckets but it makes me feel refreshed... love it!

Barack Obama will be sworn in as America's 44th President on Tues Singapore time

Interesting times indeed!

Who would have thought that a black (Afro-American) will ascend to the highest office in the world during my lifetime? (Was hoping it would have been a woman but hey! he's pretty awesome!)

Heard him speak several times during the election & man! He's inspirational!

Some reports have downplayed his influence & asked "what can 1 man do?" My reply? "What can't one man not do?" He gives HOPE & that's mega important during such hard times when everyday can deliver a "down in the dumps" news - Lehman, AIG, then last but not least Madoff all dropping bombs after bombs of doom.

This 1 person can give hope, that's enough to lift the spirits of hundred, thousands and millions - that's good enough for me in such times. Many times when everything's down, I reach into my fav book that brought me through the tough times "Tough times never last, but Tough people do."

Let go and Let God

As children bring their broken toys
with tears for us to mend,

I brought my broken dreams to God
because He was my friend.

But then, instead of leaving Him

in peace to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help with ways

that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and cried,

"How can You be so slow?"

"My child," He said, "what could I do?

You never did let go."

(unknown)