Saturday 18 April 2009

Orchard Road

Apparently it was thus named for the fruit orchards in that area many many years ago. And many would have seen this on the walkways:



They were almost gone from the Wisma side when I took this picture. Some were still around at the Centrepoint area as of last weekend. But for how long more, mf wonders...

Thursday 16 April 2009

ドラマが大好き!

Watched a few Jap dramas lately..

Remember 101st Marriage Proposal? I know, it's damn old! I remember watching bits of it on TV when I was a kid but I remember the song more than the story..

It was such a fairy tale - for the guy cos it was sort of a beauty and the beast story. The "sort of" was because the beast did not turn into a prince :p

But you know, I tend to notice peripheral stuff... So I may forget the story and always remember the o-biang outfits the girls wore.. Or their big hair, which made me appreciate rebonding technique very much!

The lead actress has straight hair though. But it was messy - now I realise how ugly I look with hair falling over my face =( And what's with her odd postures?? I don't like her although she looks like Nanako, for whom I have a soft spot - cos some people used to say I looked like her!! I guess it was just my hair :p

And more recently, I watched Proposal Daisakusen. It was so funny and touching at the same time!

The fairy (yes..) quoted Oscar Wilde: Men want to be a woman's first love; women want to be a man's last romance. Then he told the chap: but you as a guy, wants to be her last lover. And so he helped him..!

When I watched the episode on their graduation, I suddenly felt that I missed my teenage years. It seemed that I didn't do a lot. I was mostly studying. I don't even remember the last day I wore my uniform cos it was the last exam. I didn't have any school romance :p

That day, I thought I learnt a few things at work and I was happy. But when I tuned in to the drama at night, I realised I learnt more and all the more useful cos it's about life!

"When all you care about is timing and chances, when you care about little things like that, you can't grasp real happiness!"

Two more things from the final and special episodes respectively, roughly translated and interpreted as follows:

"Even if you can change the past, you can't change yourself. Why not change the present for a better future?"

"Because we have a past, we are who we are today."

"We must trust the people we love, no point guessing and scare ourselves - when in doubt, ask."

Oops, got three learning points instead :p

But I should really stop watching these dramas. I get so obsessed trying to finish them that I hardly have time to sort out my wardrobe and tidy my books etc. The only thing I could do while watching dramas is ironing clothes - now I want to iron clothes every day! :p

Sunday 12 April 2009

Toa Payoh

After foot reflexology at TPY with CY today, I took the chance to walk the stretch of shops parallel to HDB Hub.

Many of the shops were tiny, being half the usual shop size. But big or small, they were all packed with goods, in the shop and outside just beyond the walkway. And the whole place was so crowded!

I was rather happy just roaming about. It reminded me of my childhood and teenage years - having KFC with my uncle's family when KFC still provided utensils, ML bringing us shopping one afternoon - and she got me my first lipstick! - and me bringing my little cousins out to get a school bag for them.

Later I would go there often because I worked nearby in Thomson. As there was no food in the evening at the canteen, I would head to TPY Macs for a meal + snack while using their wifi to work. And Yan and I used to enjoy snacks at the Macs in Braddell.

Just about a month ago, Sito and I were there. As we passed by TPY Town Park, I had a glimpse of the bridge made up of hexagonal stoney material. As a kid, I loved going there on Sunday mornings before we went to find Grams. I remember how I would want to sit on the hexagon but was scared about falling through the hole into the pond - perhaps cos I was warned that I could fall in? I cannot remember clearly - I was maybe five or younger.

But I know there is this photo taken of Mother carrying baby MZ in the park. In the background of that photo, I can be spotted rummaging through Mother's bag for snacks :p I will go look for that photo one day and scan it!

Back to today, on the way to Grams' place, I happened to look up and saw an old man looking out from the wall of his corridor on the eighth or ninth floor. I noticed how these old flats had these metal grills at the corners of the block. I could see some bicycles chained to some of these grills. As I walked past the playground full of screaming kids and saw two little girls playing at the stairs landing, I thought of how we used to play there when we were kids, how we used to play with our cousins when they were kids.

I realised that I really liked this neighbourhood :)

Saturday 11 April 2009

From an usually uncharitable mf

There is this tiny old lady selling random stuff such as canned food and knickknacks laid out on a small piece of plastic in the Orchard area, typically near Isetan, Paragon and Heeren junction.

Sito and I were going home from Japanese class when we saw her peddling her goods near Isetan supermarket. She asked us to help her look after her "store" as she needed to go to the loo. We um-ed for a bit and were walking away when Sito decided we should help her. And so we did, and stood there looking silly for a while with this at our feet:



One evening, we saw her again outside Paragon. It was quite a sad picture as people just walked by her. As did we. We said that the next time we saw her, we would buy something from her.

So just now, we saw her again, this time outside Isetan. I asked to buy a sachet of 3-in-1 coffee.

Auntie: $4.. The other one is $5..

How overpriced! But in a moment of compassion, we got it anyway. Hope it helps..

Thursday 9 April 2009

NY2009

Um, I suddenly remember this new year's eve.

I didn't go for countdown for 2008. In fact, I didn't party - much or at all - for most of 2007 and 2008. So CY, JT and I decided to head out to town, after making an advance cab reservation for 2am :p Didn't want to get stranded like in 2007!

At first I thought I would finally have the chance to wear this shiny ah-lian dress I got in Dublin in late 2007. But, it barely covered my big fat arse and the thighs that could 踢死一只马! Pairing with black tights just made me look slutty *.*

We ended up in the central square in Clarke Quay. There were some performances but the crowd was rather pathetic - people hardly moved to the music! It was not until right after countdown that they got a bit more excited. But we decided to leave to quench our thirst.. THE thirst :)



I forgot what happened but CY turned motherly *.*



Going home was exciting. First of all, the cab who took my booking decided to give it up. I missed the cab company's calls so I didn't know the new cab number so I didn't know when the cab stopped in front of us. Some random ang moh at the cab stand tried to bluff the cabbie that he was the one who called but cabbie uncle was good - he verified name and destination and sent ang moh away! :)

Uncle was very funny.. I no longer remember what we talked about but I sure remember what happened!

I was sitting in front and he was telling us how some passengers tried to bluff him etc.. Then suddenly..

Uncle: Aiyah, talk until I go the wrong way!

We ended up on AYE *.*

So we started talking about how to adjust the fare and he knew the fare to be x and y etc.. And suddenly I found myself zooming towards this bike in front of us, almost knocking into it as we stopped at a traffic light!

mf: Uncle, don't want to talk to you already! You just drive! I'm very scared!

(Just as suddenly as I remembered this incident, this post ends!)

Update 24 May 2009

More of us!


Source: http://www.mkop.com.sg/cqnye/page_14.htm

Saturday 4 April 2009

I'm not 29..

I was toying with my phone today on the train when this boy about 20 drifted to my side and spoke to me.

mf: Yes? *removed iPod earpiece*
Boy: 你是大学生吗?
mf: 不是.. *bewildered*
Boy: 你像是..
mf: Huh? 我其实蛮老了.. *turned back to Pinky*

Boy: 你有"you xiang"吗?
mf: 油香?*htf would I have that on me?!*
Boy: *buried his face for a second* 电子邮箱..
mf: Oh, 没有.. *back to Pinky*

Then I arrived at my destination. And smiled as I went up the escalator - I looked like an undergrad, i.e. early 20s! That's almost 10 years younger! :p

So I told Sito, and he agreed it was possible! Maybe it was my ostrich-like skirt today?

Anyway, so I went to Jap class, and Geraldine said that undergrads could have gone through eight years of primary school, five years of secondary school, ITE, poly, JC, then university..! *sulk*

And just now, I was taking a Facebook quiz - it said my age was 31-40.. But I'm only 29! =(

These episodes on age today brought to mind two things:

1)
Well, I was just thinking about age and ageing the other day. Since I started work, I was the 妹妹 of the office, being a fresh grad. And I have been working among people older than me. I can't help feeling like 23, which was when I first started work. But I think I only feel 23 when I'm at work, cos there's so much to learn. And of course, I don't grab my sagging butt in the office!

Outside of work, I am aware of noticeable physical, mental and emotional changes:

a) Physical - I used to get colds and/or coughs. Now I get the flu, i.e. ache and all. Wrinkles. And sagging bits.

b) Emotional - I feel I'm at a different emotional plane from six years ago. Guess it's after meeting many more people, different people, learning from their actions and reactions. We are a complex being..

c) Mental - Certainly don't feel any smarter. If anything, I have dead brain cells blocking some essential synapses! But there are some developments, mostly at work and on dealing with people.

Sometimes, I would suddenly realise my age and get a shock. Wasn't I just 17 yesterday and singing on stage? Or the like..

Yet at the same time, I don't resist the idea of ageing. There are so many things to look forward to and if I don't age, I won't get there!

2)
I was also thinking about making friends the other day. I think I don't want to make too many new friends from now. Keeping in touch online is one thing but meeting up is another altogether. I hardly have enough time to meet my existing friends who are more important than more (new) friends! And I feel that new friendships can be only skin deep if I cannot make the time to be with them.

Did I just stick a huge ANTI-SOCIAL label on my forehead? 朋友不在多寡,而是实不实在。

So today, I found it very interesting that this boy approached me like that. Perhaps as a foreign student - he sounded like one - he was just trying to make friends. I guess I'm past the age of making friends from random encounters.

And if he was trying to pick me up, thinking I was in his age bracket, well, Boy, Madam is taken! :p Oh, but if more were like him, we could have lower singlehood rates, higher marriage rates and a higher total fertility rate? *excited* Ok, job hazard *.*

=== end of the two things ===

Now I shall focus on my vanity - after all, I look like I'm in my early 20s :)

Update 9 Apr 2009
At dinner with colleagues just now, Mrs PS said I looked younger than 29!

Yes, mf is floating into the clouds now :))

Thursday 2 April 2009

Sleepy..

On MC today. Cough syrup is making me sleepy.. Or maybe it's the heat?

In my state of semi-consicousness, I have been trying to do work that activates no more than 1/10 of my brain.

In my state of dreaminess, I tried to take a tablet for my itchy throat after lunch.

Then I woke up..

"Take 0.5 tab two times a day"

That's new! Being a good girl, I tried to cut the tiny tablet - with my fingernail :p

No go after a few tries =(

I figured this mass of mine wouldn't crumble so I gave up and popped the entire thing into mouth..

Sleepy once more..