Finally

We'll be taking off tonight!

The luggage have been packed, except for a few items like shoes, toiletries. Also had a hard time deciding what to put in the hand-held luggage. I'll need to keep some photocopies of the passports. The maid has flown back to her home town, so today we will have our meals outside - will be having lunch with father and Alyssa. Alexus is still sleeping soundly. Most probably have to pack lunch for him. As for dinner, I'm not sure yet.

Good thing I had dinner with my dear friend Richard and Alyssa last week.

Alyssa should be able to attend her ballet class and piano lesson before leaving. But I shall let her give ballet class a miss, while she'll need to go for her piano lesson.

I had passed the travel insurance certificate to Savier. He asked "What am I supposed to do?" I replied, "You'll need this should something happen to me."

I shall remember to buy some interesting gifts.

One main concern is that I will not be exercising during the trip! How to keep off the pounds?

If everything goes on well, I shall be back by 14 Dec 2011. Hope we would all enjoy ourselves. And hope I'm able to shop more smartly this time round.

Twilight Saga

When the first three parts of the Twilight Saga was shown in Cinemas, I did not bother and wasn't exactly sure what the hype was all about. Later I dismissed it as some kind of teenage romance nonsense. Somehow I managed to catch the the newmoon cable TV during leisure and could not help intrigued and was quite drawn to the storyline. Consequently, I managed to piece together the story from the 1st 3 movies. Hope I'll be able to catch the Breaking Dawn in the Cinema.

Alexus is Hogging the Com

Since his Os are over, Alexus had been hogging the com set whenever he's at home. this is one rare opportunity to update my blog.....sigh

Italy Trip is confirmed

The trip to Italy has been confirmed. Attended a briefing by the tour agency this afternoon. The briefing was quite detailed and helpful for inexperienced travellers like me. Now we are all excited about the trip except when we were given cold shower such as "why not China?'' kind of comments. I foresee myself going on lonesome trips (provided I could afford and still strong enough) when the kids grow up.

Shall not dwell on the negative for now. Need to find out more about Italy and get prepared - cold wear for Alexus, shoes etc...Besides getting souvenirs, also hope to get something special from Italy as Richard's and Janet's birthdays are around the corner.

Advice from Alyssa?

One of the boys from Alyssa's class having a crush on another girl. He asked her for advice on how to show his love to another girl from the same class. Instead, she went to advise him to "be himself"blah blah blah....It seems someone else had advised him to "act cool". *faint*

Told her to advise the boy to stay out of BGR at such a tender age.

Alexus Prom

Alexus attended his prom. Father was happy and proud to see his grandson donning such a nice outfit (on FB) for the first time.

Evening with Alexus

Had dinner with Alexus at Pastamania@SportsHub yesterday. Can't remember when was the last time having dinner with Alexus alone. It was a wonderful dinner, with him talking alot about how he felt about his school etc... He reminded me that he would need to get new outfits for his Prom night - so need some $$$. I He said the girls would be queueing up to have photos taken with him. hmmmm. think he had overeaten.haha.

Preparing for Italy

The tour agent had called to confirm the trip, yay! thus far I had prepared the thermal wear for the 3 of us, an outer coat - a red down jacket @$69 - for Alyssa, and another one for myself. I'd also bought some accessories such as scarf, hat, socks for Alyssa. My main concern is Boy. Need to wait till his exams are over before getting the outer coat.

I had been reviewing what I have currently e.g. sweaters, long sleeves T and cardigan from Wanko. The lovely cheetah-print scarf - a present from Richard - will go well with most of the outfits. A mizuno bag - Savier got it from Thailand - would come in handy. I would need hat and gloves, shoes, pouches. There's quite alot of things to buy even before the trip!

Alyssa's Studies and CCAs

Alyssa's final exams was over a week ago. She had done well on the whole, especially in mathematics and English. Hopes all this would make up for the shortfall in the CA2 maths paper. As for her CCA, she had scored distinctions in Ballet Gr 3 (mentioned earlier), Piano Gr 2 and Speech and Drama Gr 3. I've yet to reward her in anyway. But I think she's fine with it so long she knew that mom was very pleased.

Boy's Exams

I have been on leave intermittently to coincide with Boy's papers. Judging from what he has been twitting, he had been most confident about the Mathematics papers and complained a big deal about the history paper. Now that he is left with 3 more papers to sit for in the next one week, hope he would press on and do them well.

Escape Theme Park

After wasting sometime waiting for a call from workplace (it didn't happen), I brought Alyssa to Hell'oween at Escape Theme Park. I think most of the Ghosts and Zombies had already left since it was rather late already. Then out of the blue, someone waved at me - it was Alexus! He was waiting for his turn to the Ferris Wheel with his friends instead of studying. He knew exactly what crossed my mind, so he said, "I had studied before coming here =)". I wasn't angry, and I don't know why. Maybe I was tired already.

B & M

Was at Belinda and Melissa's 21st Birthday party last night. Had fun playing water bomb with Mr Joe.

Awake

it's 3.30 am now and I'm still awake. It's Deepavali. Most probably will be a stay-home Public Holidays as the kids are still having their examinations. Mathematics will be next for both of them. See if I could go for a jog.

Stressful Situation

Boy's first paper is on Monday, 24 October. Seen him going out often. He said he's studying with his friends at Mac Donald's nearby. I have applied leave on most of his exam dates. Weekend will be spent nagging Alyssa to work on her Chinese paper 2, which is on Monday too. I think I'm a nervous wreck now.

Colour Pencil Drawings

Sometime last week, I decided to doodle something with colour pencils. Managed to draw a few objects. Showed my work to father this morning, and he couldn't believe I drew those pictures... LOL.... The kids are also very impressed, and surprised that mommy could draw. At present, I am doing more of realism art, focusing on blending techniques. Hope to dabble on more abstract art form eventually. Picture on the right is my first assignment. Hope I can sustain the interest.....

Boy's Graduation

I managed to be on time to Attended boy's graduation ceremony at NASS yesterday. Though it was a simple affair, I was glad to be there to be with him. I could see that he felt the event was important. My cute little boy had grown so much.

Italy

This morning on TLC, Italy was featured on Globe Trekker, hosted by Megan Mccommick. I prayed hard that the trip will confirmed. Whilst on the treadmill, the tour agent called to say that it was confirmed! Yes!!! But deep inside my heart, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

More CCA?

Alyssa told me that she had obtained a distinction in ABRSM grade 2 examinations for piano. Hope she'll be more motivated to practise on the keyboard. She then requested to take up guitar class next year! OMG! I'm afraid she can't cope. Anyway told her we'll talk about it later after her exams. Btw, I've signed up for Alyssa's Ballet coaching classes to prepare her for the grade 4 examinations. Just hope that everything falls into place by next year. Guitar?!

Alyssa's Ballet Grade 4 Exams

It's time to consider signing up for her grade 4 exams. Coaching classes will start in Nov 2011. But the timings are non-conducive and Savier does not like the idea of the maid going to Tampines....

Down but not out

Have been down with cold/flu for the past few days, with most of the time spent lying in bed. This morning felt a strong desire to work out. So off to the gym I went and did 6 km on the treadmill. Not bad.

Tour Delayed

Received a call from the tour agent to shift the holiday plan to 5 Dec - 14 Dec. cos there's insufficient no. to make up the group. Just hope the deferred plan works out fine. The children are looking forward.

Reflection on my Birthday

It's my birthday and I'd been thinking alot about my mom. It's because she's the one who gave birth to me this very day in 1963. Times must be really bad back then. My sis told me that the KKH discharged their patients almost immediately after they've given birth. (when I grew up I learned that there wasn't enough bed space at the hospital to cope with the baby boom). I was wrapped in a cloth when I was brought home, and placed on the bed. I was crying incessantly as my brother patted me to calm me down.

Alexus

Yesterday boy rested his head on my tummy, a reminiscence of the time when he was much younger. He told me he knew I missed Alyssa. She had gone for a 3-day school camp. He laughed and found it weird not having the younger sis around asking "dumb" questions. I reminded him that his little sis no longer asks "dumb" questions. He agreed but added that I am the one asking dumb questions nowadays. We chatted about our planned trip to Italy. He said he was looking forward to it and said he really enjoyed our trip to Japan last year. He recounted some of the moments in Japan. Gave him a head massage before sending him back to his room.

This evening, boy had gone out to study with his senior, Nigel. SMSed me that he was hungry on his way home. Cooked some noodles for him. He slurped the noodles and chomped on some apples, and still had capacity for more. Shared with him some coffee cake bought 2 days ago.

Trip to the Art-Science Museum

Brought Alyssa to the Art-Science Museum on 9 Sep 2011. Paid for three exhuibits : Van Gogh Alive, Dali Mind of a Genius, & Shipwreck.

Alyssa was all excited about Dali and pestered me to buy a felt moustache even before we started viewing the exhibits. The sound effect created at the shipwrecked was spooky and she said she really felt like drowning.

The visual display at Van Gogh Alive was really an eye opener. Though it was only a video presentation, we felt we could come close up to his work and ogle at the brush strokes. Alyssa was totally absorbed. She clapped at intervals, at times she expressed fear, especially when Van Gogh's self-portraits were projected (she said mainly because she felt van gogh led a sad life). At times, she felt she wanted to go into his painting and climb up the staircase to the beautiful house. She kept wondering how Van Gogh afford the painting and other art materials? which part of his ear did he severe? What sort of knife did he use? Exactly where did he shoot himself? What would I say to Van Gogh?

Over at Dali's, she was mesmerised by the melted clocks and was full of expressions. She was intrigued by the Clutch which Dali used to symbolise death or resurrection. Each time she came across the clutch in his work, she would exclaim "death!". She said it struck fear in her.

We spent 4 fruitful hours in the museum, and many more reminiscing the experience. Alyssa wore the moustache on the way home.

Tour package

Booked the tour package to Italy. As expected, he said "siow"go for 10 days, somemore not SQ flight ;( On the contrary, the children are looking forward and keeping their fingers crossed. Alyssa looks forward to see Milan's winter fashion, but day she would not want to look at the statue of david. hahaha

Planning

Talking about planning, I feel very frustrated that I am planning as if I am a single parent because he did not want to discuss the future. I don't know whether he had thought of the children's education. I don't see much of a future to plan for once the kids are independent. One case in point happened only yesterday when he told my maid "tell ma'am" when she told him the oven was out of order. He did not offer to pay for the children's vacation. He told the maid I should pay for the new rice cooker...

Alexus D & T

Alexus spent the Saturday in school. In his sms he told me that he's doing his D&T folio for submssion. He had been doing that quite frequently. So I told him that was too much time to spend on one minor subject. In the evening, he showed me some of the technical drawings for his folio. He'll share with me once the folio is complete. I was quite touched by his gesture. I think he knows I'm anxious. After his O lvl chinese results were made known to him, he did not inform me immediately. He admitted that he was afraid...

Possible Alternatives

Some ppl talked to me about living an active life after retirement. A few ideas crossed my mind:

a) working at Star Bucks cos I had always wanted to learn to make coffee like a Barista :D

b) working at the Jurong Dragon Kiln as a potter / helper cos I had always wanted to try my hands at pottery, but Alyssa said it's hot, dirty, full of mosquitoes and it's hard work ;P

c) find a job at the Singapore Zooooo - any job will do :p

d) start a blogshop?

Got to keep thinking.....

Year End Trip

Shall start planning a year end holiday trip with the kids. Really wish to go to one of the European countries. Upon learning the price of the package tour to Europe, Alyssa said it was ok to go for less expensive destination e.g. Japan (!!! and not other asian countries) She insisted that I bring Alexus along as well cos the trip would be boring without him =)

Mother's Death Anniversary

It's been a year since mother passed on. Will be marking the day at the temples. With other errands thrown in, hope everything turns out fine. Alyssa told me she still misses her grandma, and turned a little emotional.

Shape run 201

Completed 10km at shape run 2011 on 24 July 2011 @ 1:16:31.09.

Spent $14 on taxi fare to get there on time T_T

Heart Rate Monitor

Used my new Polar Heart Rate Monitor for the 1st time. the gadget serves as a motivation and pushed me to jog longer.....

hectic

it's going to be a hectic Saturdays starting from today. Alyssa has resumed her catechism class - so one more pit stop for me....trying to keep the Sundays free....

upset

alyssa's been rebellious this evening. so upset by her.

GE Run, 3 July 2011

completed GE 10 km run at around 1 hr 20 min. medal looks kinda cheap.

like a drift wood but

have been wanting to do something - writing, clearing the clutter, sewing, handicraft, grow plants. just don't know where to start. at the back of my mind, there is this nagging feeling that I need to pay more attention to the kids, especially alyssa - she's been left at home most of the time during the school hols and most of the time she was lost in the cyber world. just spoken to alexus, he reluctantly agreed that he would let me remove his access to the internet games once school reopens. i hope he meant it. also told him that come august, i'll be planning an overseas holiday with him and alyssa after his O level exams.

sometimes i really feel like a drift wood. but at least I am doing some serious yoga.... =)

Schubert's

Still captivated by Franz Schubert's Swan Song - it moves me to tears. uploaded 3 versions of the same.

Day Out with Alyssa

after piano lesson at Loyang Pt, collected race pack at Kallang Leisure Park with Alyssa, we proceeded to window shop at NEX. had teabreak and more window shopping till 8pm. then went to E-Hub to watch Mr Popper's Penguins. reached home after 12 mn. shared some kuay teow with alexus and alyssa. Alyssa had truly enjoyed the day out.

Celebrity Wannabe

I was dumb-founded when alyssa asked me how she could become a celebrity......how?

Crushes

alyssa's classmates told her that there are several boys who are having crushes on her. she said she felt quite embarrassed about it. sometimes when they are on-line, she would pretend to be "afk" (it means away from keyboard). ha ha. thanked her for sharing with me such "interesting" stories. reassured her that everything would turn out fine. just act as per normal. she claims she's not having any crush on anyone though. phew.

Big Sis

big sis had consulted 2 doctors who told her that she could have some brain virus/tumor that could have affected her nerves. but told me to keep it to myself for the time being ;(

Boy's D&T Project

boy told me that there's a new teacher for D&T who had given him some tips about his project. he said this teacher is more approachable and he'll be completing his plan soon. hope so.

Boy demoralised

Boy told me that his D&T teachers are demoralising him. sigh.........

Bring them Happiness

Father once told me, "Since you've brought the children into this world, you must bring them happiness." No matter how tired or how drained i am, i'll do my best.

Affected

Part of the reason why I'm flustered was the news of Daniel's nephew committing suicide after being expelled from school. he's just a sec sch kid. I am feeling so sorry for the family. why didn't the school give him a chance. so what he slapped the teacher? i think the principal ought to be slapped. i had the urge to want to write to MOE to question their disciplinary procedure. they owe the parents an explanation. don't they do proper follow-up. they better do some soul searching. wh is such thing happening? he's only a kid. i feel angry with the stupid system. so unforgiving....

Sundown 10km 2011 on 28 May

Completed the race in 1:20:10, ranked 999 -.-

Special dishes for Alexus

Boy complained about maid's cooking yesterday. This afternoon, rushed down to Tampines Mall NTUC to buy some ingredients and cooked two simple dishes in addition to the usual ones done by my maid. Sukiyaki Pork and Button Mushroom in oyster sauce. Everyone enjoyed.

Where to find motivation?

Looking hard at my life. mentally exhausted. what motivation is there for me? have been joining in to post non-sensical comments about the GE, preparing for the upcoming races, nagging alexus to do his studies. I just couldn't get myself to do what is important - do my work, settling my insurance (idiot AIA), settling the maid's issues, i'm loosing grips on these things again! feeling like a drift wood. why didn't the world end on 21 May 2011 as predicted by some fanatics?wish i could dump everything and walk out. wish could just disappear. can't sleep. popping panadols may help. door of temporary happiness is still far away. meanwhile, i think have to work out more vigorously.

Bought a Vacuum Cleaner

Bought a new Vacuum Cleaner.... hope no regrets.

Preparation for Sundown 10 km

went to collect my race pack last Fri and then spent $199 on a simple polar heart rate monitor. preparation has begun. however, because i was too lazy to wake up early the last two days, end up doing my jogs at the gym =) at least for today, managed to chalk about 7 km.

Silly Jokes and Tall Tales

so far we have done 4 paper 2. it's wearing me out, but must press on. meanwhile, boy had been telling me about some really silly jokes and tall tales by his friends. we had some good laughs. he even thought of compiling these jokes and stories after his o levels. shall look forward to it =)

Boý's studies

The anxiety over boy's work is eating into me......Can't seem to be able to motivate boy, well at least I went through 2 papers with him since yesterday. But it is so exhausting having to fuss over his studies and taking care of all the other stuff like bills, etc. And Alyssa is so attention seeking - while I spent time with boy, she would find ways an means to whine and distract me. I should have started earlier and be firmer with boy.

HIGH SPIRIT

First of all, the week started well with good news that Richard will be getting his promotion.That was enough to keep me high spirited for the entire week, and beyond. Savier is finally promoted too, and that would help boost his ego.

Work and home issues were tiring, but I think the good news had kept me going.

Savier was no where to be seen on Saturday morning even though he wasn't working. I was told he left at 5:30 am. I continued with my medical screening anyway. Saturday was spent nagging at the kids, and then rush around shuttling between T3, Tampines and Pasir Ris. In the evening, he told me he'll be spending the night at JB. So be it. Boy will be happy. Feeling upset would only sap my energy. Come Sunday, I'll have to send Alyssa for dance audition at Marine Parade. Will I meet TLP there?

Looking forward to the Sundown 10km, and clearing my IPPT in June. But I am abit worried about boy's exams. Like PAP, I must also think of ways to engage him

HMD

After staying up the whole night watching the GE2011, i travelled to T3 RMG for medical check-up. Unfortunately I couldn't proceed with it cos there's no collection of blood samples. Urrrgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Nvm. I roamed around for a while and went to get some skin care products. There are some new range which i wanted to try... like ppl attracted to Nicole Seah.... but must choose carefully. It's Mothers'Day and when I got home, I had a little surprise ::::::Alexus presented me with a piece of cheese cake worth !!!!$5.50!!!!!! Ate it with coffee - yummay. Alyssa gave me a flower and a self-made card expressing her love and appreciation.

Exam Fever

School exams are around the corner!!! The kids need something to jumpstart their revision. Dropped by at Popular Bookstore to get them these assessment books and book stands.......

Hours Spent at NEX

Pestered by Alyssa to go shopping at NEX. Attracted to a range of Fossil bags, and decided to get one for Janet.

Evening at Downtown East

Spent a evening with Alyssa at Downtown East on Good Friday. She had fun using the skate scooter. please visit my daughters blog: http://bffs-pink-love.blogspot.com/ (This Is Me)

Pork Porridge @ Chin Chew Street

During my childhood days, breakfast used to be simple affair - a cup of coffee plus a slice of bread / a piece of nyonya kweh / a stick of you tiao.

There were a couple of occasions, when my father brought us for pork porridge at a roadside hawker stall which was in Chin Chew Street, just next to where my grandma lived. Back then, a bowl of porridge (without egg) cost 50 cents. We would relish our pork porridge, accompanied by you tiao at the verander behind the stall (and next to a rat-infested drain!!!).

Pic on right - a painting of an alley off chin chew St by a local artist

Deformed toes

My second toes have been slightly deformed and the nails have been forced to grow sideways=( and it hurts..... help!!!

Finally

she finally opened the door when father told her that he needed to get money from the room.....

Alyssa's tantrum

Alyssa's getting difficult to manage... she had just thrown a tantrum and has locked herself in the room for 2 hours already.... missed her piano lesson.... i don't have access to all my stuff, handphone, wallets, change of clothing and all. sigh. contemplating calling a locksmith

Where I was yesterday - it's worth going

I was assigned which entailed gathering a large number of skulls. And I approached a certain person....Consequently, I found myself travelling on a speed boat, jetting across a river/sea/lake? passing some very tiny islands with greenery and small wooden huts. also saw children playing happily on these islands. What a breath-taking scene! The boat mounted a slope, flew and came to a stop at one of the islands, we entered the hut.......Where is this place???

KYUSHU FAIR

Brought Alyssa to Tampines Mall on Friday, 1 Apr, and it turned out to be a joke! There wasn't any ballet lesson. I must have missed out the notification. So FED-UP. Went to the Kyushu Fair at lvl 1, had ice-cream, mango pudding and bought Sukiyaki Don for Alexus. The beef was yummy. Craving for the Japanese food was so strong that I return to the Fair on Satuday, 2 Apr. Ate heavenly pork ramen with Alyssa, and bought some rice crackers. I'll remember to bring some for my dear friend Richard. Unlike the past Japanese Food Fair, the crowd this time round isn't as big. I think what's happening in Japan right now has affected the business. Even though they've stated that the food was from unaffected region and passed by AVA , I believe many people shunned because of fear of radioactive contaminant.

OUCH!

Feel like my heart had just been pinched, bruised, crushed and stepped on.

......

I should stop taking things / ppl / issues too seriously or risk getting hurt when being played out. But when it comes to work, better do it properly.

Do not be derailed

It's happening again. This time, he informed me just a few seconds before he drove to M'sia in the early morning. He probably wouldn't be bothered to tell me when he'd be back if I hadn't asked. He had done this before, but I couldn't help feeling disheartened each time. I did not kick up any fuss. Sometimes, I wish he would just walk out on us forever. Sometimes, I wish he could just do something so that I have incriminating evidence against him. Meanwhile, I must not be derailed, don't fret, don't shed tears - I must stay focused. I have to take care of my rice bowl.

Attended some ceremony

Went for a ceremony witnessing two guys signing on some documents. It was boring, yet stirred up a little emotion in me as I recollect memories of a similar ceremony that happened 14 years ago. 1997 - It was the first time we had such a event. I had to grope in the dark to get it done. It was stressful, and I felt no sense of achievement but betrayal. Maybe that was because I didnt know how to handle the politics. That explained why I was so vexed prior to the event. After witnessin the ceremony today, I was exhausted - more emotionally than physically. Richard was very thoughtful to have driven to YCK to fetch me to the dinner with my colleagues. The dinner helped a great deal, though abit uneasy.

Negative Vibes

Why am I having so much negative vibes? Need to detox. My mileage had dropped to about 10 km last week. Got to resume the intensity.

Totally Flabbergasted

OMG, there some lousy and useless meetings lined up in the coming week. And I have to scramble to get a set of fitting garment - I was totally flabbergasted when I looked closer at my "tailored" pants and discovered how ill-fitting they looked on me. As an act of desperation, I sent them for alteration - but that would take a few days. Meanwhile, I have to make do with the existing ones. Sigh! Hope they'll be on time for the important time waster on 22 March.

Boring Sunday Morning

Feeling quite stupid having to sit through the boring programme at the Stadium on a Sunday Morning. But this is a necessity in our line of work. Alyssa was there with me, and she was (or both were) totally drained upon returning home. Having said that, credit should go to those in the working com as they had to slog harder to get the event going. I was glad to be able to bring Sausage Mac Muffins for my colleagues. At least I did something for them. As for Alyssa, even though she was tired, she felt happy to have come with me, and also saw Uncle Richard (though she seemed kind of reserved today). She's so sweet.

Alexus' Turn

Alexus has been busy with Scout activities - Job Week and some Hiking test. Hope he could settle down with serious revision by April. I had neglected him for quite a while. But was glad that he was receptive (at least not adversed) to the idea of tuition classes to help with his revision. Spoke to Savier about it. While he was for the idea, they way he responded gave me a strong indication that I have to handle this alone. Nvr mind about that. Stay calm. I just hope Alexus puts in some real effort.

Dilemma

Alyssa's Grade 3 RAD exams has been scheduled on 21 March 2011. On the one hand I felt a sense of relief, on the other hand, I had to squiz in time to send her for the last few intensive coaching sessions during her 1 week school holidays. Thereafter, I'll need to get her to focus on her school work, should I enrol her in tuition class. I am in a dilemma! Most probably, I have to resolve this alone.

Mental Exhaustion

We had overlooked the commencement date of Alyssa's Catechism Class. It used to be published on the website but not this time round. To my horror, I found out that the the class had started in Feb 2011! And again (!!!), I was the one to have to get hold of the Catechist last Saturday, gave her some valid reasons for missing those first few lessons. They were kind enough to reinstate her after some explanation. I'm mentally exhausted having to tackle all these issues alone.

What's Bothering My Dear Friend?

Poor Richard has been affected by some feedback - positive feedback as well as not so positive ones (not exactly negative though).

My heart really went out to him as I think he felt hurt and trapped (is this the appropriate term?) at the same time. His vulnerability is apparent. He felt repulsive maybe because he is expected to conform more than ever before? Such is the nature of our work.

While exchanging SMS, I was dismayed at Richard suggestion that I can be amused by some other funny guys when we are no longer working in the same place. He would be undermining our friendship if he really meant what he said. I chose to believe otherwise.

I can empathise with him. When the positive feedback was given to him, he did not feel encouraged at all. Why is that so? He is truly capable of doing more. Richard is able to analyse situation pretty well. However, his supervisor could have done more to engage him instead of telling him to talk less to (ahem) me. He made it sound like "talking to me" had caused another person to be unhappy. I told him Richard is a fast worker. Why isn't he engaging Richard more if he thought his staff is too free? In the up-coming events, I intend to assign interesting roles to Richard and his partner.

Ikebana Lesson No 8 (final)

Ikebana lesson no. 8 - the last lesson.
Variation No. 6 : Pic 1 shows Horizontal Style (Richard's arrangement) Flowers used : Carnations, Emu Grass (Richard it's name is derived from the fact that the Emus poop on the grass)
Shin (emu gr) 85 deg, Soe (emu gr) 65 deg, Hikae (carnation) 75 deg, the 3 main branches devide the circle into 3 equal prtions of 120 deg each.
Pic 2 shows Slanting Style. Shin (emu gr) 45 deg, Soe (emu gr) 15deg, Hikae (carnation) 75 deg, the 3 main branches equally devide the circle into 3 equal portions of 120 deg each.

Mental Exhaustion

Feeling mentally exhausted. Forgotten about my arrangement to go out with boy. Blamed it on him for not reminding me.

Fixated on Rome

I was quite fixated on visitng Rome recently, mainly because of the movie "when in Rome". Maybe can toss a few coins into Trevi fountain and see if there's any magic...... Foget it, I'm disillusioned. Go for the coffee N pizzas, maybe. when will this materialise?

Boy

Boy is spending the night in School and that gives me the chance to do some blogging using the big screen. Boy has gone preparing for 100 Scout leaders'visit tomorrow. When is he going to start serious revision?

Lunch Time

Just didn't feel like having lunch today. But was touched by Richard's gesture - he brought fruit and sandwiches for me so that I wouldn't collapse in office. Felt pai seh, so I ate them.

Omen?

A (God knows what) device that looked somewhat like a pedometer was strapped on my right ankle. The number on the mini screen kept changing, sychronising with my heart beat. It started off steadily, but increased rapidly. My heart was pounding faster and harder till I couldn't take it anymore. As I reached for the device, attempting to switch it off, I blacked out. I thought I felt my heart had stopped pounding. I felt limp for sometime. When I regained consciousness, I was lying in bed - my heart pounding fast. Did I just had a nightmare Or was it real? Could it be an omen?

Ikebana lesson No 7

Variation No 5. Flowers used: TW leaf and Chrysanthemums. 2 kenzans.
Can be used for basic upright, slanting, variation no 1, 2 and 4.

Pic shows Basic Slanting Style:

Top View:

Alyssa's 10

Alyssa celebrated her 10 yr old b'day on 9 feb 2011.

Time for the song..........

Uncle Richard designing the special cake.

CNY Day 3

GET TOGETHER AT JANET'S PLACE. i THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME BIG SIS JOINED US DURING CNY CELEB.

CNY Centrepiece Version 2

Rearranged the Centrepiece Using Variation No 3, Slanting Style

CNY Day 2 At Nex

CNY Eve & Day 1

CNY Centrepiece

Ikebana arrangement : Variation No 2 Slanting Style using Pussy Willows, Chrysenthymums and Kuna Leaf. Thanks to Richard for bring the Pussy Willows =)