yixiunai

still building

2009-04-16T14:46:00.012+08:00

All the photos are taken from our kitchen window except the 2nd one which shows the typical common corridor but the lush tree canopy is not something that all HDB dwellers get. These trees have been growing and growing for more than 30 years. I literally grew up with them of course i stopped growing long time ago :) I remembered i used to stand in the corridor and tiptoed from my 8-floor unit to look at the trees but today they are almost 10 story-high. There are 8 of these huge trees right in front of our block and every family owns a piece of this wonderful natural beauty.

Even our kitchen window view is adored by the blooming yellow flowers. And all these will be gone when we move across the street to our new 40 story block next year. The towering flats are still under construction but you can see from the 1st photo, they are almost done! Hopefully we will be exchanging the greenery for a breathtaking skyline on our 31st floor unit :)

Can't have everything can we?

My 1st dress

2009-04-02T21:51:00.002+08:00

Finally, i finished sewing my dress! It would have been a complete disaster if not for my mum-in-law's patient-step-by-step guidance :)

I am sooooo looking forward to my 2nd pc of work! Let's hope it won't take another 5 months haahaahaa

Wise words from a 97- yr old doctor

2009-03-25T21:06:00.003+08:00

At the age of 97 years and 4 months, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world's longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara's magic touch is legendary: Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo and teaching at St. Luke's College of Nursing. After World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation's top medical facility and nursing school. Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations. Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one "Living Long, Living Good" that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself.

Doctor Shigeaki Hinohara JUDIT KAWAGUCHIPHOTO

Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot. We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It's best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.
All people who live long regardless of nationality, race or gender share one thing in common:None are overweight... For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy. Lunch is milk and a few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work.. Dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat..
Always plan ahead. My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016 I'll have some fun, though: I plan to attend the Tokyo Olympics!
There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was 68 years and only 125 Japanese were over 100 years old. Today, Japanese women live to be around 86 and men 80, and we have 36,000 centenarians in our country. In 20 years we will have about 50,000 people over the age of 100...
Share what you know. I give 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people. I usually speak for 60 to 90 minutes, standing, to stay strong.
When a doctor recommends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can't cure everyone. So why cause unnecessary pain with surgery I think music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine.
To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. I take two stairs at a time, to get my muscles moving.
My inspiration is Robert Browning's poem "Abt Vogler." My father used to read it to me. It encourages us to make big art, not small scribbles. It says to try to draw a circle so huge that there is no way we can finish it while we are alive. All we see is an arch; the rest is beyond our vision but it is there in the distance.
Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. If a child has a toothache, and you start playing a game together, he or she immediately forgets the pain. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients: We all want to have fun. At St. Luke's we have music and animal therapies, and art classes.
Don't be crazy about amassing material things. Remember: You don't know when your number is up, and you can't take it with you to the next place.
Hospitals must be designed and prepared for major disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. We designed St.... Luke's so we can operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought I was crazy to prepare for a catastrophe, but on March 20, 1995, I was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway. We accepted 740 victims and in two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly we lost one person, but we saved 739 lives.
Science alone can't cure or help people. Science lumps us all together, but illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, we need liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones.
Life is filled with incidents. On March 31, 1970, when I was 59 years old, I boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and as Mount Fuji came into sight, the plane was hijacked by the Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. I spent the next four days handcuffed to my seat in 40-degree heat. As a doctor, I looked at it all as an experiment and was amazed at how the body slowed down in a crisis.
Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. My father went to the United States in 1900 to study at DukeUniversity in North Carolina. He was a pioneer and one of my heroes. Later I found a few more life guides, and when I am stuck, I ask myself how they would deal with the problem.
It's wonderful to live long. Until one is 60 years old, it is easy to work for one's family and to achieve one's goals. But in our later years, we should strive to contribute to society. Since the age of 65, I have worked as a volunteer. I still put in 18 hours seven days a week and love every minute of it.

i not stupid

2009-02-13T17:13:00.002+08:00

the conversation below is between my 3.5 y.o. nephew & my forever young at heart 52 y.o. auntie:

cy: yipo, i want to eat butter & bread.

yipo: ok, come let's go to the kitchen.

(unfortunately yipo ran out of butter, only got cheese & she gave him cheese)

yipo: here's your bread & butter.

cy: (after a bite) yipo i not stupid, this is not butter. u are stupid.

yipo, of course laughed like a siow woman.

Debt Free!

2009-01-29T16:48:00.004+08:00

What a great way to start off the new year! I just paid the remaining HDB loan and I am debt free!!!

忽然想起到建屋局签名的那一天，刚好《夕阳无限》已进剧场。

晚上见到郭生时还得意洋洋地问他：“你知道我今天花了十几万块钱买了什么吗？”

他一脸疑惑摇摇头。

“我住了20多年的房子。”

他哈哈大笑几声，然后很温柔的摸了摸我的头。

郭生，我终于把屋债还请了。

他一定会用他的招牌笑容回应我，然后很温柔的摸了摸我的头。

新年快乐万事胜意

2009-01-22T10:09:00.001+08:00

Cool New Graphics - MySpace/Friendster

First Day of the Year

2009-01-06T16:54:00.003+08:00

Have never spent the 1st day of any new year so fruitfully.

SPY & i got up early to practice taiji in the Botanic gardens and there were many like minded people exercising there too! So good to start the year with wonderful Qi.

Then we unexpectedly met Hua Min with her family having fun at the Swan lake. The best part was they brought us to a Jap restaurant newly opened by spy's 学弟from NJC! It is located in the new wing basement of Centrepoint. Though the food is not fantastic but i love the tomato with special sauce served icy cold. Hmm yummy! And the guy happens to be very into taiji as well, so u can imagine spy talking n talking n talking..........

The blissful ending was i got to indulge in some family bonding -- a mahjong session with auntie, mum & sis haahaahaa.

What more can i ask for? Health, family, friends & good food!

Stay positive no matter what the newspaper and experts tell us!

HAPPY 2009! CHEERS!!!

WHY?

2008-11-14T14:36:00.002+08:00

I am disgusted.

Disgusted with Straits Times for being such a tabloid.

Doubly disgusted with the way the ST & Newpaper delivered the news of this poor zoo cleaner, who, for some reasons, decided to kill himself by jumping into the lions’ den.

“More Exclusive photos in the Newpaper” screamed ST.

Is that the way to treat a fellow human being? What’s the point of showing so many photos if not for the sake of selling more papers?

I am disgusted. This is not the first time non will it be the last.

Hola! Como esta?

2008-11-12T18:22:00.007+08:00

i actually wrote my Chilean friends a Christmas card in my very bad Spanish with the help of a phrase book i got for the trip.

since i will never see the card again, thot it will be nice to keep it here.

yah la very early for x'mas but South America very farrrrraway u know.

what's next?

2008-09-23T12:13:00.005+08:00

Our investments are being poisoned by the Americans

Our food contaminated by the Chinese

What's next? Some nuclear power to poison our air????

Sigh.

Spy threw away my M&Ms chocolate (sob!) but this is nothing compared to the poor children suffering from kidney stones problem

Double sigh.

mission accomplished

2008-09-16T18:41:00.003+08:00

i have just returned from Kunming delivering about 80kg of winter wear to the needy in the mountainous area.

it will be mission impossible or mission-very-expensive if not for the help of our taiji students.

the group of 13 of us packed all of the winter wear which i have collected into our luggage for our taiji training trip.

this is the painting given to me by one of the kids staying in the kunming mountain village.

my 1st cushion

2008-08-11T15:04:00.003+08:00

wow, finally.
i have completed sewing my cushion cover!

see the cute dog bone button?

my first sewing lesson

2008-07-16T13:28:00.006+08:00

i got bitten by the sewing bug when i chanced upon a beautiful piece of fabric in a little shop @ Queen street.

"i must make a dress out of this!" with this thought, i bought the fabric and asked my mum-in-law for help who used to own a small school teaching people how to sew.

last sunday was my first lesson! i wanted to sew a cushion cover with a cross stitch design.

three & a half hours of drafting, cutting and ironing, this is what i have achieved :
(yes, u are right, the 2 bigger pcs aren't ironed)

this sunday i will borrow j's sewing machine (my mum-i-l's is too professional a machine for me) and start sewing!

Mum's 71st in Colour

2008-05-14T23:07:00.001+08:00

Mum's 71st BD

2008-05-14T22:59:00.003+08:00

hee hee i know uncle Aloysius & some of u have been checking this space for my Chile trip update.

sorry it's taking such a long time........ being yixiunai does not mean i have all the time in the world tho i sometimes have :P

i have been busy with planning my mum's 71st birthday party and it went really well.
thanks to gusty relatives & friends who made the dinner really fun & memorable.

then i am also busy with collecting winter wear for the orphans in Kunming mountains.

i sent some emails out and received really good responds! my poor little 3-room flat is so full i have to put some of the bags in Chia Yu's extra room.

i am still sorting & writing captions for my Chile photos.
uncle Aloysius i promise very fast........

see my gorgeous mum's photos 1st la

Vancouver!

2008-02-02T14:43:00.001+08:00

tomorrow is too late

2008-01-28T23:06:00.000+08:00

If you're mad with someone , and nobody's there to fix the situation... You fix it . Maybe today, that person still wants to be your friend . And if u don't, tomorrow can be too late .

If you're in love with somebody , but that person doesn't know...
tell her/him. Maybe today, that person is also in love with you . And if you don't say it, tomorrow can be too late .

If you still love a person that you think has forgotten you...
tell her/him. Maybe that person has always loved you. And if you don't tell her/him today , tomorrow can be too late.

If you need a hug of a friend... ask her/him for it.
Maybe they need it more than you do. And if you don't ask for it today, tomorrow can be too late.

If you really have friends who you appreciate... tell them. Maybe they appreciate you as well. That if you don't and they leave or go far away today , tomorrow can be too late.

If you love your parents, and never had the chance to show them... do it . Maybe you have them there to show them how you feel. That if you don't and they leave today , and then tomorrow can be too late.

Cheap laugh

2008-01-17T11:44:00.000+08:00

Somewhere in the universe:

A pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again, and itwon again.

The local newspaper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT.

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day, the local newspaper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a nearby convent.

The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.

The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.

This was too much for the bishop, so he ordered the nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES...HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.
The bishop was buried the next day....

The moral of the story is.... Being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery ... and even shorten your life.

So be yourself and enjoy life..... Only worry about your own ASS not someone else's.....You'll be a lot happier and live longer!

these are my friends!

2008-01-13T11:38:00.001+08:00

it is not easy to say that we are still friends since we first said 'hi' 20 years ago.

these are really precious photos and hopefully, we are still friends 20 years later.............

long live friendship!

2007-12-30T18:20:00.000+08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2007-12-22T18:36:00.000+08:00

真真假假

2007-12-04T13:05:00.000+08:00

“不管我长在树的那一部分，是花永远都是花。” 所以美人鱼啊，不管你游到那里，永远都是美丽的美人鱼

秋色，珍珠都没这么真的植物园

今日笑语

2007-11-23T09:29:00.000+08:00

造句：
1.题目: 原来
小朋友写: 原来他是我爸爸。
老师评语: 妈妈关切一下

2.题目: ..一边........... 一边............ ..
小朋友写: 他一边脱衣服 ,一边穿裤子.
老师评语: 他到底要脱还是要穿啊~~

3.题目: 其中
小朋友写: 我的其中一只左脚受伤了。
老师评语: 你是蜈蚣？~~

4.题目: 一... 就....
小朋友写: 一只娃娃就要一百块。
老师评语: 老师笑到不行..

5. 題目: 你看
小朋友写: 你看什么看! 没看过啊

6. 照样造句
例题: 你 (唱歌) 我(跳舞)
小朋友写 : 你(好吗 ) 我(很好)
老师评语: 你在写英文翻译吗??

7.照样造句
例题: 别人都夸我( )，其实我( )
小朋友写: 别人都夸我( 很帅 )，其实我( 是戴面具的)。
老师评语 : 什么面具这么好用???

8.题目: 好... 又好..
小朋友写: 妈! 妈的腿,好细又好粗...
老师评语: 那到底是细还是粗？

9.题目 : 陆陆续续
小朋友写: 下班了，爸爸陆陆续续的回来。
老师评语: 你到底有几个爸爸呀?

10.题目: 皮开肉绽
小朋友写: 停电的夜晚，到处很黑，我吓得皮开肉绽!
老师评语: 看到这句... 老师佩服你。

11.题目: 欣欣向荣-比喻生长美好的样子。
小朋友写: 我的弟弟长得欣欣向荣。
老师评语: 孩子，你弟弟是植物人吗 ...
还有一个更瞎的…
小朋友写: 欣欣向荣荣告白。
老师评语: 连续剧不要看太多~~

12. 题目: 谢谢....因为......
小朋友写 : 我要谢谢妈妈,因为她每天都帮我写作业......
老师评语: 原来你的作业是妈妈写的!!!!!!!

13.题目: 难过
小朋友写: 我家门前有条水沟很难过。
老师评语 : 老师更难过......

14. 题目: 天才
小朋友写: 我３天才洗一次澡。
老师评语: 要每天洗才干净~~

15.題目: 一… 便 …
小朋友写: 我一走出门，对面就是便利商店。
还有一個更瞎的…
小朋友写: 哥哥一吃完饭，就大便。
老师评语: 造句不要乱造...

16.題目: 又..... 又 .....
小朋友寫: 我! 的妈妈又矮又高又瘦又肥。
老师评语:你妈妈......是怪物吗?

17果然
上课小朋友说：昨天我吃了水果，然后又喝了凉水
老师：这是词组，不能分开造句。
小朋友又说：老师，我还没说完呢，果然晚上我拉肚子了！
老师：…………

18 瓜分
小朋友：大傻瓜分不清是非
老师：小傻瓜也分不清

19 好吃
小朋友：好吃个屁
老师： ………

20 况且
小朋友：一辆火车经过，况且况且况且况且．．．．．
老师：……………

me & my precious

2007-11-22T10:15:00.000+08:00

Wildlife Stampede! @Botanic Garden

2007-11-02T21:53:00.001+08:00

The Wildlife Parade - Stampede is part of the Roots & Shoots programme from the Jane Goodall Institute. It aims to educate youths and the general public on the endangered animal species especially those found in Singapore.

I finally met my idol Dr Goodall and got her to autograph her book Reason for Hope (a wonderful gift from Beng Chiak). I was so tempted to ask for a picture to be taken with her but she looked so tired and I didn't have the heart to disturb her further.

Singapore Sun Festival

2007-10-17T18:01:00.000+08:00

heehee advertising for my husband again but i promise to write something new very soon.....

akang datang!

Wu Tu Nan Taichi at the Singapore Sun Festival

All Programs in English.

All Programs at Empress Place, in front of the Asian Civilizations Museum.

Taichi @ The Waterfront, Empress Place (FREE):

Taichi Tasters
19 – 21 October & 26 – 28 Oct 7.30pm
A different exercise each night, to have a taste of taiji qigong in general

Progressive Tai Chi Introductory Course
22 – 25 October 7.30pm
A cumulative course over 4 nights, to deepen the understanding of Taiji movement principles

Call (65) 6356 0031 to register.

Wellness Insights @ the Sun Tent, Empress Place:

Finding Your Centre In A Multi-Tasking World
Saturday 27 Oct 11am

Composites Not Opposites:
How Yin Yang Works in Taiji to Boost Your Health
Sunday 28 Oct 4pm

($12 each, $20 both)

(65) 6348 5555

Tickets: www.sistic.com.sg

www.SingaporeSunFestival.com

www.WutunanTaijiGong.com

World Nam Wah Taiji Gong Association (Singapore) is part of the World Nam Wah Pai Federation, founded by Grandmaster Sim Pooh Ho in 1964. World members include Chile, Argentina, Germany, Taiwan Associations. We specialise in Wu Tu Nan Taiji Gong, a holistic system of training the body-mind energy to achieve Health, Strength and Agility. It was passed down from the direct lineage of Grandmaster Wu Tu Nan of Beijing to Grandmaster Sim Pooh Ho of Singapore. Our traditional content and systematic teaching are designed for the modern, busy individual.

Sim Pern Yiau
Wu Tu Nan Taijigong
(World Nam Wah Taiji Gong Association)
6C Geylang Lor 7 Singapore 388790
www.WuTuNanTaijiGong.com
Mobile 9338 4830

free trial class from spy's taiji association

2007-10-04T18:26:00.000+08:00

Dear Friends,

For those who care about their Health and the Health of their Loved Ones:

Free Trial Class n Talk

Date: Saturday, 6 Oct 2007

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Venue: World Nam Wah Taiji Gong Association

6C (4th Floor) Geylang Lorong 7

(2 bus stops from Kallang MRT)

In English.

Free Parking for early comers.

No obligations, no fine print.

New 10-week Taiji Qigong Class

Relieving Tensions, Clearing Meridian Lines, Energizing the Organs, Exercise Major Joints

Classes in English available.

Date: Starting Thursday 11 Oct (class every Monday and Thursday)

Time: 7pm – 9pm

Venue: World Nam Wah Taiji Gong Association

6C (4th Floor) Geylang Lorong 7

(2 bus stops from Kallang MRT)

World Nam Wah Taiji Gong Association (Singapore) is part of the World Nam Wah Pai Federation, founded by Grandmaster Sim Pooh Ho in 1964. World members include Chile, Argentina, Germany, Taiwan Associations. We specialize in Wu Tu Nan Taiji Gong, a holistic system of training the body-mind energy to achieve Health, Strength and Agility. It was passed down from the direct lineage of Grandmaster Wu Tu Nan of Beijing to Grandmaster Sim Pooh Ho of Singapore. Our traditional content and systematic teaching are designed for the modern, busy individual.

WutunanTaijiGong.com Taijigong@gmail.com

ducktour!

2007-10-04T17:44:00.000+08:00

to celebrate chen yi's & spy's birthday, i planned a surprise outing for them today.
it was a pleasant surprise for spy bcos he neh guessed i would bring him on a ducktour!

cy was very excited with the 2 bus rides we took to get to suntec city.
he was pointing out to the 'big bus' & 'small bus' & 'broooom brooooom' - his reference to motorcycles.
we arrived suntec before 11am but was told the tickets were sold out for the morning tours and 12.30pm would be the earliest tour. of course we bought tickets and then spent time with cy looking at the 'big fish' - koi garden in the basement, and 'small fish' - nemo & papa also at the basement.

so before the real treat started, cy was already running around spending his energy. by the time we got on the duckbus, he was visibly tired & once the bus hit water, he got mesmerised for a while and after muttering 'nice bus', he fell asleep! and this was supposed to be his first boat ride................neh mind lah, i think we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously : )

唯爱无敌

2007-09-26T22:25:00.001+08:00

万般皆短暂，唯爱无敌
愿人世间爱意不断

人月两圆

2007-09-25T15:40:00.000+08:00

今天是中秋节，祝我的亲友身体健康天天都圆圆满满！

我對佛說：讓我所有亲友永遠健康快樂~！

佛說：只能四天~！我說:好，春天、夏天、秋天、冬天。
佛說：三天。我說：好，昨天、今天、明天。
佛說：不行，兩天。我說：好，白天、黑天。
佛說：不行，就一天~！我說：好~！
佛茫然問到：哪一天？我說：在我所有朋友活著的每一天~！！
佛……說：以後你所有亲友將天天健康快樂~

Spy's Talks @ Orchard Library

2007-09-20T14:57:00.000+08:00

MAY THE CHI BE WITH YOU!

wellness@orchard Tai Chi太极Workshops

The Eye and the Hurricane: Tackling Your Daily Rush From a Strong Centre

Our minds and bodies have to meet the insistent demand of things that require our attention. We are constantly “multi-tasking”, and our lives today are not just fast-paced ones - they are also fragmented ones. Be the eye in the hurricane, learn how Tai Chi can help you acquire a strong centre. You can be the whirlwind, not just get caught in one.

Sunday, 23 Sept, 3.00-4.30pm, Programme Zone

Align Yourself

Feeling out of whack in work and play? Then

align yourself - but align to what? And how? Come and find out how basic Tai Chi principles help you achieve these at work and play. You can align your body and mind by doing a bit of Tai Chi at work, and it doesn’t mean you’re skiving!

Sunday, 30 Sept, 3.00-4.30pm, Programme Zone

These Tai Chi programmes are presented in English by Mr Sim Pern Yiau, a graded Senior Instructor and Researcher of Taiji Gong at the World Nam Wah Taiji Gong Association (www.namwahtaijigong.com). The Association teaches undiluted and traditional Taiji Gong from the direct lineage of Grandmaster Wu Tu Nan of Beijing, who passed away at age 105 without major illness.

To get your chi flowing, check out some Tai Chi-related titles in our Health section! They’re mostly located under the Call No.: 613.7148

Questions on Tai Chi or other topics?

Just ASK! ->Email: ask@nlb.gov.sg

aiyo

2007-09-13T23:05:00.000+08:00

the flash drive which i use to download my photos is not working! sigh. i wonder whether it's the machine at the photo printing shop - that was when i last used it.

so i can't post abt my 3-day birthday celebrations bcos must see the photos one!
or my 1st meeting with lucas - the cutie pie baby!

anyway, here's a 欠扁问题 to entertain my friends for the time being:

霍元甲不在家 - 猜一种心态。

答案在comments

My Life as Yixiunai

2007-09-03T21:27:00.000+08:00

to my dear friends who think i am bored and doing nothing except watch dvds, my schedule for this week:

Mon - work from 11am to 7pm at Knotty shop

Tue - see chinese sinseh in the morning, have lunch with wahwah (yeah!) and work from 2pm - 6pm at ttrp. may be catch a play at nite if i am not too tired.

Wed - visit Lucas and Serene who juz came back from Vancouver!

Thurs - my special day out with hubby. he said he planned for a surprise outing and sadly i aledi guessed what it is.

Fri - work from 9am - 1 pm at ttrp then go to the movies with yitwai and kids. hurray!

Sat - helpout at FOH of ttrp graduation production "Attempts on Her Life" for the matinee. watch it at 8pm.

Sun - go to in-law's place for healthy organic veggie lunch.

all these with my regular morning taiji practice at the botanic garden. in between i still have to find time to visit my little darling nephews and also continue my cross stitching project!

not easy being yixuinai u know haahaahaa.........

爱国的季节

2007-08-23T21:07:00.000+08:00

八月绝对是个爱国的季节。

首先，看了很草根的881，前晚又看了像是梁文福歌曲回顾展的《天冷就回来》，突然觉得做新加坡人很值得骄傲。

天冷出乎意料的好，音乐剧《老九》是巨大的learning curve，老九犯的错误几乎都纠正过来。天冷的歌是‘无得弹’，梁的歌- 包赢。可是有点疲劳轰炸，这么多首歌可以分开两个音乐剧来唱，《天冷就回来》和《天热就出去》哈哈哈哈。哎呀，忍不住啦是身上的corny worms在咬我!

还没有看的人赶紧买票哦, 听说只剩下好少的票哟。

一人一半 881主题曲

2007-08-19T19:43:00.001+08:00

my current fav song, i am learning how to sing it so that i can go karaoke!

Thank you again

2007-08-17T20:36:00.000+08:00

Just had my first annual checkup and everything is normal. It's such an irony, I have always wanted to be special, to be unique. But for these tests, I only want to be normal.

With all the love and concern cast over me, i am normal.

Thank you my dearest............ you people are the shining stars in my life.

hugs & kisses

吃软不吃硬

2007-08-16T20:57:00.001+08:00

我是典型吃软饭的。

只要朋友稍微对我好一点就会感动到九霄云外。

任你怎样猜你猜你猜猜猜，都不会猜到这两颗星星是谁送给我的。

陈崇敬

881

2007-08-16T10:57:00.000+08:00

一人一半，感情不散...........

i cannot shake off the melody of this beautifully arranged and written song from Royston Tan's latest movie 881.

881 is Royston's effort in capturing the life of getai (歌台) singers, and getai being a very Singapore thing, i therefore expected a very Singapore film.

and i was not disappointed.

it is a very Singapore film and i love his cinematic eye for local movies. Unlike another local movie maker 梁志强 whose local flavour is very much restricted to a very tv style. In Royston movie, u don't hv a feeeling u are watching a telemovie. It is not easy bcos he started with short films and some people juz get stucked doing short films and cant move on.

but having said all these, i am disappointed with the weak story line. It could hv been a very moving story. Imagine how colourful the lives of these people can be. But the characters in the movie are not fully flesh out and i suspect it's the director's fault - since he also wrote the story.

there is not enough said abt their inner emotions, why they love the geitai so much and most redundant of all is the mute character and his bird. Really, except for the silly jokes made abt him & his 'bird', i cant see why the guy kept his pet. It didnt help when the actor playing the mute guy looked and acted, well, dumb. Hey u think it's easy playing non speaking roles? Tony Leong Chiu Wai was made to play a mute in Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao Hsien's City of Sadness bcos his mandarin was so bad, the director couldnt take it! But Tony Leong, oh how should someone describe those soulful eyes, speaking to the audience in words and volume much better than spoken lines! (no, i am not comparing him to Tony, it will be very unfair to him. they are not in the same league.)

and the magic realism part didnt work either, too thin a spread, it's a very weak attempt.

but i really love the sound track, it is the best sound track from a local movie. Really wish i could get my hands on the CD if there is any.

and the costumes! my oh my they are so wonderfully loud and riotously imaginative i want to be wearing them too!!! Wondered whether they were all newly designed or modified from existing ones owned by the real singers. Anyways, kudos to the costume designer.

and all Singaporeans should watch the movie once.

Papaya 万岁！

满月啰

2007-08-10T23:16:00.001+08:00

9 of August is Singapore's National Day and also my nephew, Chen Wei's full month celebration!

But looking at the photos, it looked more like his brother's birthday party instead.
While the adults filled themselves with the goodies on the table, the kids played, Chen Wei just slept through it all!

Espectacular

2007-07-15T23:03:00.001+08:00

The human spirit is so amazing

Announcing the Arrival of Prince Chen Wei

2007-07-10T14:05:00.001+08:00

everybody say hello to my latest toy: Chen Wei - my sis's 2nd bundle of joy!

Dream chaser

2007-07-09T10:03:00.001+08:00

another heartwarming story of giving up a high paying job to pursue a dream.

my friend Moses used to be a highflyer principal but gave up the job to open a shop at Toa Payoh.
his shop is very fun and the concept is very similar to Settlers - a place where u can play board games with friends at an hourly paid rate.

at Pauseability (nice name), instead of playing games, u get to laze around or make art & craft using materials provided in the shop. i did my first canvas painting !

Moses is very creative, u can see from the slide show some of the things made by him.
pls visit his webside www.pauseability.com.sg for more info and http://www.flickr.com/photos/7299994@N04/ for more photos of the shop.

it's an ideal place for friends to meet and create very special gifts or like sin yue, buy a handmade ear ring for my birthday!

pls hah, these grainy grainy photos not taken by me hor
nor my powershot Canon.
but they look fine at flickr.com - don't believe go & see for yourself lah

what did ah lian say?

2007-07-01T21:20:00.000+08:00

one night ah beng sent ah lian home after a date.

at the void deck, ah beng asked her :"wan to send u upstairs or not?"

ah lian pointed to her breast once and then her temple.

ah beng left.

wat did ah lian 'say' to ah beng?

The time is ripe

2007-05-04T17:48:00.000+08:00

yap, today i got my reading glasses.

it is so liberating to be able to read those tiny sperm- size words printed on brochures which says : IMPORTANT! Please read before signing.

and finally, i can feel the wind blowing my hair.

可怜的Mr 杜

2007-04-16T19:58:00.000+08:00

最近每天下午都打雷下雨，那天在巴士上看到细雨纷飞中，路人无不行色匆匆飞步避雨。突然想起现在正值清明节，于是随口吟了句“清明时节雨纷纷，路上行人欲断魂”。谁知身边那个听了竟说“Hah?! 遇断魂？Horror story ah? ”

今天和学妹提起这个笑话，她竟然问我“真的有这样的诗meh?”

其实我也好不到那里去，根本想不起诗的下句，更别说诗人的名字，一点印象也没有。

为了还杜先生一个交待，在此特刊全诗如下：

清明时节雨纷纷，
路上行人欲断魂。
借问酒家何处有？
牧童遥指杏花村。

----（唐）杜牧

可能到我侄儿连清明节也不知是‘虾米’东西呢。

唉，一代不如一代。

今早的阳光特灿烂

2007-04-12T19:41:00.000+08:00

因为赶着翻译作业，已经两个星期没去植物园。今天起了个大早，一踏进植物园的大门就心情大好，感觉天特别蓝，草特别绿，自己的笑容特别甜！

最让我动容的其中一棵大树落英缤纷，铺满一地小白花，煞是好看。风一吹来，花儿徐徐飘落，姿态潇洒从容，不少还落在另一棵树的树梢，让它看起来像是开满了花。虽是凋零之花，但成就了自己，也照亮了别人。

不止，不止，还有美丽的花蝴蝶在花丛里徘徊，寻寻觅觅，好像真的在找寻它的前辈子。当然少不了毛茸茸的大狗，蹦蹦跳的小狗；随着那首被用到烂的黄飞鸿的音乐要太极的aunties；讲话大大声的‘大长今’旅行团。。。。

嗯，还有养眼的six pack - 猛男。

是啦，家里那个也养眼啦，而且比猛男还多出一个bonus pack。

these amazing women in my life

2007-03-26T17:59:00.000+08:00

24 Mar 2007 was a memorable day for me.

In the morning, I attended the talk organized by Creative-O on environmental issues. And I learnt abt a NGO called Roots & Shoots (www.rootsandshoots.org) which invests its time & resources in educating the young abt caring for the environment. I was very moved by the short interview introducing the founder of the group – Jane Goodall, someone who has devoted much of her life to researching & caring for chimpanzees.

i am so inspired by her, i have this urge to get autobiograpghy on her and find out more.

The good news is one of the amazing beng sisters, beng chiak, is going to start the local branch of Roots & Shoots.

article from zaobao.com
英国著名黑猩猩研究家珍古德创办“根与芽”环保计划要在新加坡扎根
游润恬
　　“根向地下无尽地伸延，形成稳固的基础。芽虽然看起来娇小薄弱，却能够为了寻觅阳光而破土移石。”
　　英国著名黑猩猩研究家珍古德（Jane Goodall）博士以这两句话，形象地勾勒出选择以“根与芽”（Roots & Shoots）为一项环保教育计划命名的原因。
　　根与芽计划的主要教育对象，是从幼稚园到大学的学生，宗旨是鼓励年轻人主动关怀大自然、动物及社区。
计划的中文宣传手册印有以上古德博士说过的话，包括以下阐明：“如果我们为地球所制造的各种微调是一道道坚固无比的城墙，遍布世界各地生根萌芽的千万颗种子，就足以改变世界。”
　　古德（73岁）自从在1986年淡出研究界后，便把更多时间和精力投入在倡导环保及人权上。她刚于去年底在新加坡成立国际珍古德教育及保育协会（JGI）的第25个国际分会。该协会很大一部分的工作是推动根与芽计划。
　　本地分会才几个月大，台湾分会却已成立近十年。台湾分会执行长郭雪贞前天抵达新加坡，准备展开一系列中英语讲座，向本地人介绍根与芽计划。
当初决定加入这个组织，部分原因是受珍古德博士讲的一句话所感动：“每个人有意识或下意识做的每一件事情，都会对环境有很大的影响。”
　　爱护环境、关心社会可说是个价值观，同其他价值观一样应该从小灌输。根与芽计划最小的对象是幼稚园。
郭雪贞说：“从小就让他们接触环保意识很重要，这样他们长大后，一辈子所做的决定，也许就能不一样，跟他父母做的决定不一样。教育就是要教人们做出不一样的决定。”
　　在她看来，要解决规模庞大的环境问题，始于个人每天所做的决定。她说：“一个人的力量虽然单薄，但两个人、三个人、十个人一起行动，影响就不一样了。这个行动可以从很小的生活选择起步，比如今天出门，我该搭公车（巴士）、骑脚踏车还是走路？”
　　她认为一味反复宣导没用，“最有效的方法是让年轻人有亲身体验，让他们知道行动能带来改变”。

In the evening I went for the xin yao sing along at National Stadium! It was my last time singing there since the old dame will be demolished soon. It brought back memories of singing there during the Youth Festivals.

As always, there was a lone butterfly spotted. It meant something for some of us.

Spy was jealous bcos he couldn’t be there. So to compensate, we had our own sing along in the kitchen the next morning. While I was brushing my teeth.

Lucky & Flo

2007-03-23T10:23:00.000+08:00

these are the names of the 2 Malaysian police dogs that helped sniffed out the huge qty of pirated dvds in JB's Holiday Plaza.

guess what? the pirates now want these dogs assassinated, they actually put a price on the dogs' heads! the police, to protect the dogs, have transfered them to a safe secret place.

haahaahaa, this is really short film material - sure win award one.
spy said got potential to b Infernal Affair part 4 - wah Oscar material somemore!!!!

news taken from zaobao.com:
两犬捣毁盗版有功　马盗版集团悬赏取狗命

（吉隆坡综合讯）马来西亚盗版光碟集团已经发出悬赏，要杀死最近在捣毁南马盗版光碟大本营行动中立了大功的两只灵犬。
　　国内贸易及消费人事务部执法组星期二在两只灵犬“Lucky”和“Flo”的协助下，捣毁柔佛新山假日广场大厦内的一个盗版光碟大本营，起获百万张盗版录音光碟、影音光碟和电脑游戏软件，同时逮捕六名嫌犯。

当局也起获12台制造和烧录盗版光碟的机器。若以每片盗版光碟5令吉计算，当局所起获的盗版货市值估计逾千万令吉。
　　《新海峡时报》昨天报道，由于不堪蒙受重大损失，盗版光碟集团首脑已发出悬赏，要取“Lucky”和“Flo”的命，但赏金数目不详。
　　贸消部执法组副主任费尔道斯透露，南马盗版光碟大本营被捣毁之后，线人通知贸消部，盗版光碟集团的成员正在追寻这两只灵犬。
　　他说：“这两只灵犬对盗版光碟集团是个威胁，因此（盗版集团首脑）下令干掉它们。”
　　贸消部接到盗版光碟集团打算对“Lucky”和“Flo”不利的消息后，已把它们转移到另一所更安全的房子，严密保护。
“Lucky”和“Flo”是于本月14日空运抵马，投入服务，使马国成为世界第一个使用灵狗侦查光碟，致力打击盗版光碟或盗版数码光碟的国家。它们在英国受训，能够嗅出制作光碟时所使用的化学原料的气味，让盗版光碟集团无处遁形。
　　在星期二的行动中，两只灵犬先被带到假日广场大厦楼下的停车场，其中一只马上追住一辆正要开走的汽车，执法人员截停该车，从行李箱搜出大批盗版光碟。该车司机和乘客过后带领执法人员上楼，展开取缔行动。

my first opera recital

2007-03-19T19:44:00.000+08:00

wa haha, spy & i actually went for Renee Flemming's opera recital at Victoria Concert Hall last sat.

only because we got compli tickets. so we thought, just give it a try la.

and for the first time in my life, i heard the soprano version of Over the Rainbow & Summertime.

never knew the rainbow song could be this moving.

Ms Fleming sang both as encore & she brought the house down.

i didnt expect to enjoy myself this much, may be also bcos of the low expectation.

i like her not becos she has such powerful lungs (she impressed us w/o using microphone) but the fact that she sang in character. She was very expressive, using her body language.

i like her also bcos she tried to connect with the audience throughout her singing.
for me that's very important, something comes alive between the performer and the audience.
that's why we go for live performance right?

so even though i could not understand a word except for the 2 english songs, the emotions came through for me.

never heard of Ms Fleming before sat night. but i think she is a true diva, in the positive sense of the word.

finally he smiles

2007-03-16T20:08:00.000+08:00

went for my weekly chinese sinseh visit today.

finally, the stern father figure sinseh gave me a smile.

the reason for such a big hooha that it warrant writing in the blog was i kanna scolding from him during my previous visit.

well, i didnt appear before his royal highness bcos it was chinese new year and then spy's father came visiting and diagnosed with shingles the next day and the virus went to his eyes and we had to rush him to the eye specialist and so i had a very drama week.

after everything settled, it was 3 weeks later.

the sinseh looked me in the eyes and said in a i-am-not-joking-with-u tone: "i asked u to come everyweek and take medicine 6 times a week. u come once a month. do u know your tumour was not small and it may recur?"

for a moment i thought "even my late father would not have been so harsh with me!"

luckily, i have become quite thick skin & even smiled at him.

and i heard my friends agreeing that i deserve a little scolding.

shake legs

2007-03-11T17:44:00.000+08:00

my friends have been asking me "no need to work not bored meh?"

actually i am really enjoying myself.

in the morning i will do my taiji exercise then go for breakfast. and by the time i get home & read a bit of newspaper, hey, it's time for lunch. then rest a bit after lunch, go online, do my cross stitch or more reading, hmm, dinner time!

of course cannot day in day out repeat the same rountine lah. i started my volunteer work at Red Cross on friday. then i need to visit the chinese doc once a week, meet friends for dinner/lunch/breakfast, watch performances/movies (film fest is round the corner!), visit my nephew, go to the countryside (we have u know)........ so many things to do how to be bored?!

and i have been away from work for more than 6 months already.

nice.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

2007-02-15T11:02:00.000+08:00

CHINESE NEW YEAR so must be red red!

wah today i very proud of myself b'cos i am technically moronic but the fact that i actually set up this blog myself and now managed to change the look and add pic.....

heehee, actually very simple, clickingn does the trick.

and thanks to ngiap heng who took those beautiful photos.

WISHING ALL OF YOU

GOOD HEALTH

AND

A FULFILLING PIG YEAR!

bad bad me

2007-01-21T16:30:00.000+08:00

I have been a bad girl for not updating my blog.

Pure laziness plus the fact that I dun hv anything interesting to write about.
Too much naval gazing has made yixiunai a boring person.

Then I realized my friends, esp those overseas, have been very worried – “oh dear, kahwei must be too weak to write.” Plus the fact that I missed a surprise birthday party simply b’cos I didn’t update my blog!

So my dear friends, I am feelin better now – can talk on the phone and I have returned to my routine walks plus taiqi at the botanic garden. I have so far gone for a theatre production and a movie, gone shoppin at Vivo City, had meals with friends…….

Still have to deal with the excessive gas in the stomach – I went to see a specialist and the scope showed that the opening to the stomach is not closing properly which explains the excessive & violent burping. But now the condition has improved and I am eating better. And no more sleeping pills for me hurray! And my hair is growing……

So dun worry about me. I wil see another Chinese physician to improve my health. And for the next 5 years, I wil hv to take hormone control pill.

I won’t go back to work till another 6 months. So my friends in s’pore – u can call me or visit me now! I am good enough to play mahjong too!!! and dun forget to invite me to your next surprise party heehee.

guess I won’t be updating this blog so often now that I have the energy to talk. But I wil check my email more frequently so my overseas friends, pls email me.

The fact that I am scolding spy more these days shows that I am really recovering…….

i did it

2006-11-30T15:50:00.000+08:00

juz had my last chemo!

will not know whether still need to go through radiotherapy, dr will discuss with us at the next appointment 28/12.

now we wait & see how long the sensitive new age tummy takes to recover.

i cannot thank all of u enough for keeping me company through these months.

can't wait to see u guys!

sama sama

2006-11-15T17:51:00.000+08:00

hello people! i wrote the following on 15 nov but actually didn't post it & saved as draft & only logged on today 22 nov to check. ha!

"same same in Malay la.

since the 'gahmen' is so pro-elderly now, i, being the obedient loyal subject will follow wat the big brother is doing. so u see the font seize is bigger.

well, my dearest tummy continues with its growling business and generating juices. so be it, one more to go! don't think too much, everyone says.

and it's true i think too much.

but hah, easy to say. yours truly dearest me continue to be indecisive daily (much like the weather in exerter) - for eg. :

can't decide what to eat b'cos i don't feel hungry but mum is goin crazy thinkin of what to cook. so i try to 'siam' her whenever i feel that she is goin to pop THE question: what u wan to eat hah? aiyoh, hdb 3-room flat, run where?! OR

can't decide whether i am eatin too little or too much, should i eat another spoonful? or is it too much for the tummy to digest? i

and i have become a woman of few words. can u imagine ms low being gentle & quiet?!"

well, i am still very stingy with conversation conserving energy for my last chemo.

today i want to share with you the pic of my nephew who is walking on his own now!

looking forward to running along with him.

wah! so many friends are going to be in s'pore this dec!

phew

2006-11-09T17:48:00.000+08:00

i juz had round 5! thanks to all of u out there supporting & thinking about me.

today the rain big big luckily it stopped for a while for me to get home : )

i’m a bubbly girl

2006-11-01T11:10:00.000+08:00

For the past month since my third chemo, my tummy has been growling and growling and growling and growling. It sounded like I had a private symphony orchestra playing exclusively for me. There was so much acid, I was literally ‘foaming’ in the mouth – bubbles was forming in the mouth constantly. So when my nephew came visiting, I challenged him to a bubble spitting competition and of course I won!

When I described the condition to dr khoo, telling him that my tummy was unhappy, in his calm & reassuring manner, his exact reply was “简直就是造反了”. Then I realized my orchestra members are probably 小红卫兵playing a variation of <造反有理小夜曲>！

Then dr khoo decided to take away the steroid from the chemo. So for the past week, the tummy has been just growling and growling. I guess some of the orchestra members have decided to 下海become businessmen and I managed to convince the remaining members to play 胃胃不要怕instead.

So I am eating more these days, keeping my activity level low, reserving energy to go into round 5!

2 (more) is enough

2006-10-27T09:46:00.000+08:00

heng ah! the new drug contains steriod which my body doesn't take kindly to. so dr khoo is fine to continue with the treatment, meaning 2 more to go!

and the haze is almost gone so i happily went for walks but the body got tired very easily. so i am taking it slowly on doc's advise.

wah, got sunshine now.

YES!

2006-10-19T14:20:00.001+08:00

i just had my 4th chemo!!!

hmmm, but dr khoo has been talkin abt introducin a new chemo drug. if this happened, it will mean i need another 4 sessions. if we continued with the current combination, i only need 2 more. well, he said the new drug is better. the side effects are also different - a bit of pain in the bones, the fingers & toes will be numb for a few months(!) & less attack on the stomach. and i will get my hair back - my least worry.

in fact being bald now really got advantages - with the haze it's more coolin. and no need to wash hair & blow dry.

but i am not sure abt the numbness part & prolongin the process to another 6 weeks. well, we will talk abt it when i see him next week.

got to go, my eyes are gettin tired. wld like to blame the haze but no lah, must be fair and grateful at least i am not in malaysia or worse, indonesia.

add oil add oil yeah yeah yeah !

more pictures

2006-10-17T10:39:00.000+08:00

hah, more pictures of jackie foo's birthday celebration! sis vvery nicely brought him over on the actual day of his birthdate and we cut the cake together!

yixiunai reporting

2006-10-12T16:44:00.000+08:00

HELLO! wah really long time no ‘write’! doesn’t help that the computer kept giving problems.

well, this time the gas & acid from the tummy are like Durall cell battery – lasting.

actually, it is better now but still got acid. and i am eating in moderation. just that i am very anxious to get well, u know, must prepare for the next one mah.

guess i had it too good for the first 2 chemo, so i was expecting too much from the 3rd one. and when it didn’t meet my expectation, i got anxious. and being such an efficient administrator, i tried to fix everything.

and of course i shouldn’t be so ‘gancheong’ – i am learning very slowly. aiyah, cannot change the character overnite mah (as i am typing, i hv to keep telling myself to slow down, no need to type so fast).

it is difficult but i will hv to learn to live with not solving everything.

so with the haze, instead of the botanic garden, i now walk around in the flat. luckily the really bad haze like last Sat only lasted one day.

hey, my nephew celebrated his birthday 2 weeks ago! i was resting at home so I sent my representative – mum, to deliver the balloon.

three down!

2006-09-28T17:59:00.000+08:00

just had my 3rd chemo and resting at home.

there is a breast cancer fundraising event at Tanglin Mall this friday & sat organise by a new friend i hv yet to meet. initially i thought may be i can be well enough if i had the chemo yesterday. looks like i will still be under house arrest.

pls go & support if you can. See link http://www.quiltsncalicoes.com/

write again soon!

dreaming no more

2006-09-20T17:28:00.000+08:00

Singapore Dreaming – finally, when i want recommend a good local movie, i dun need to pretend Sepet is made by Singaporeans . Now i have SD.

of course this is very subjective & biased, i hv not seen all the s’pore movies esp not roystan tan’s latest 4:30 which received good reviews.

but for me, SD is sincere, touching, is about humble s’poreans like me – tho i dun share their dreams but i can feel for them. Most of all, the actors esp those who came from the theatre (yann yann, yu beng, serene & dick), they make me feel so proud. Because they are so at ease, speaking naturally acting naturally, whether they are using spore english/mandarin. The audience no longer need to suffer to hear the actors stressed on all the ‘la’s & ‘leh’s & ‘lor’s, or the actors to speak deliberate broken english/mandarin in order to act like the ordinary chinese s’porean. We dun need to have ah lians or ah bengs to show that it is a spore movie abt ordinary s’poreans. It is our story spoken in our languages and in a HDB setting that is not deliberately made to look bad or glorified like a HDB propaganda. Everything is presented as it is.

自然不造作，而且最难得是有心。it is obvious that the movie is made with the heart.

if u cant even tell a story well about your people, how are u going regional or even further to make movies with universal appeal? Mediacorp (dun know wat’s the name of its movie making unit) has so much money but they dun make s’pore movies.

the only complaint is - the film quality looks bad - wonder why.

if u hv not seen SD, wat are u waitin for?

the shameful thing is, i shld hv brought mum to watch SD rather the banquet with the bad after taste. becos i know mum is never ever to set foot in any cinema.

(btw, Sepet is made in Malaysian, checkout www.sepet.com.my or i can lend u my dvd)

two surprises!

2006-09-19T14:04:00.000+08:00

wah! two pleasant surprises - last evening i received beautiful purple roses from ttrp staff! delivered personally by my new colleague. dear people, u should be soooo busy unpacking and yet got me flowers. THANK U!

and i met kt and her cutie girl in the botanic garden this morning! she and tc tried several attempts to visit but always wrong timing. and fate arranged for us to meet finally. happy happy.

yesterday between mum & i, we finished a whole chicken (small one la) ! it was simply delicious, 100% hainanese chicken prepared painstakingly by my sis's mum-in-law. she really put her heart & soul into the cooking. imagine goin to different wet markets all over s'pore just to find the ideal chicken. now, that makes her our 大长今！

jackie foo did something incredulous last sunday. we were sitting at the dinner table and he reached out to my bottled medication. naturally, i looked stern (so very slightly) and said "no no". imme he face changed and cried as though i juz punched him! ten minutes later, mum, spy, sis & i gathered round him while he was munchin on his cutie biscuits. he gave one to spy, one to mum and when it came to me, he put the biscuit back into the container and avoided my eyes! worse, when sis handed him a biscuit and asked him to give it me, he shook his head!!! he was only 11 mths and 12 days old. (today he is 11 mths & 14 days) my heart broke into 1,000,000 pcs. BUT he did offer me later after a few more attempts. cannot imagine when he turns 2. oh no, i have not prepared his 1st birthday gift!

bad banquet

2006-09-17T11:04:00.000+08:00

aiya the computer kept 'hanging' on me the past few days!

anyways, went to watch The Banquet movie on friday but it is a very BORING movie! very sad u know, bcos i was very excited abt going to the cinema esp when mum was coming with us - she has not been to the cinema for 10 years! poor mum, she fell asleep during the show zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

very very very bad lines - whoever wrote those lines should be made to say those lines for the rest of his/her life! i know at this point of my life i should be peaceful & calm but aiyoh........ so if u hv time to spare, read my blog & leave comment lah better than waste 2 hrs on that movie. AND my blog is FREE to read somemore!!!

enough is enough. no more big budget expensive chinese period drama pls.

having complaint so much, i was still very happy to be out of the flat and see different things and people. and grateful for the company - thank u sy.

and my appetite is back! activities resume back to normal - the botanic gdn walks, reading, emailing etc and once a week i go to the Children's Charity office 2 blocks away to go very simple volunteer work like putting stamps on envelops. ahh, reminds me of those days at tns.......

yeah! 'jackie' foo is coming today - my mum started calling my nephew that name after he displayed his kung fu talent in the photos below:

重出江湖 i am back!

2006-09-12T10:50:00.000+08:00

谢谢你，干姐姐 e following is esp for someone who cut my hair for more than 10 yrs for FREE b4 she gave her business to care for her family. And who recently, came personally to my place to cut my hair again.......

台日美三国医生在国际研讨会上碰面，日本医生说，十年前我们有个年轻人车祸手指撞断了，送到医院手术后，今年他得到国际钢琴大赛首奖。美国医生说，十年前我们有个年轻人车祸脚撞断了，送到医院手术后，上次奥运会他一百公尺短跑得了冠军，台湾医生听了在旁边冷笑说：二十年前，我们有个年轻人车祸脑死了，送到医院，我们把一个猪的脑袋移植给他，现在他是我们的总统。

好笑叻？

sorry for dropping off the radar for so long.
the nausae from the 2nd chemo stayed a tat too long so i had to focus my energy.....
luckily the wonderful ladies at dr khoo's clinic introduced me to a nutritious drink, otherwise..... i am distracted here bcos the drink has a very corny name "Ensure Life"

which brings me to this even cornier name a friend coined for a cologne: Smelly No More.

anyways, things have improved but i am not back to the normal appetite yet. slowly lah. At least i have the energy to read and watch dvds again otherwise my eyes tired very easily and i could only listen to music.

thanks to my beloved friends who sent me encouraging and kind words and funny jokes especially for the past week......and those who remembered my birthday.....my sis for bringing the little man CY who brigthened mum's face & mine of course.

that's all folks, time to rest.
I'LL BE BACK!

best-est birthday gift

2006-09-06T15:35:00.000+08:00

today i received the best birthday present for this year - no booster jab required!
hurray hurray hurray!!!!!!

the white blood cell & neutrophil has gone up to acceptable levels, almost back to the level even before the 1st chemo.

so i had chemo this afternoon and now resting at home.

my heartfelt gratitute to all who have been praying for me.

i am so touched! yw called from slovakia juz now. got me all misty eyes.........

the real thing

2006-09-05T10:41:00.000+08:00

kawaii neh?!

hey, he looked glum not my fault leh.
his mother asked me to hold the car one.

毛孩 (hairy kid) no more

2006-09-01T13:25:00.000+08:00

yes, i really look stunningly good in my new hairdo.

if u need more of these pictures, pls visit
http://www.sinead-oconnor.com/

the time has come

2006-08-31T13:08:00.000+08:00

finally. Dr khoo promised me that the hair will start falling off this wednesday or thursday. It began yesterday with a few strands whenever i ran my fingers through it. Today, it is leaving its trail everywhere. If i was in a martial arts movie, instead of my blood trail, my enemy will have to look my hair trail.

actually if i had my way, i wld hv shaved my hair before my 1st chemo. But mum was very traumatised, she insisted that we wait for the miracle to happen. Well, it is true that not all who receive chemo lost their mane but that is an extremely minority group. If anyone had listened to the conversation between me & mum, explaining the advantages of shaving, one wld be confused who is the cancer patient!

u see mum belongs to the generation who believe that femininity is defined by such attributes like beautiful hair, being married, knowing how to cook, do housework, look after your husband. In reality, i only possesse the 1st 2 conditions and now i am going down to juz one!

though she never said anything, what she 'sim tia' (heart pain) most is the demise of my left breast. And i am feelin remorseful too - for not missing it a tiny bit - pun unintended! A friend asked whether i felt 'lop-sided' . Aiyo, such weight problem is only reserved for ladies with huge assests lah.

the only problem i hv to solve is how to wear my beautiful dresses which require to show a little curve. But i shouldn't call it a problem - these days with so many breast enhancer pads that come in different shape & sizes & material, the only problem is to find something cheap & good!

alas, i used to sneer & look down on these enhancer products. And i hv to turn to them now to fill the void. 做人真的要留点余地，以后好下台 - one must always leave some space, or else there will be no steps to go off stage.

yeah, a brand new me tmr! watch out for my new hair do.

the latest man in my life

2006-08-29T17:46:00.000+08:00

my nephew lah!
picture dated 27 Aug.

one breast left

2006-08-28T16:26:00.000+08:00

haahaahaa, i have waited too long to title my 2nd entry with this line. But sadly, only my theatre friends or pple interested in the local theatre scene will catch the joke.

so actually today's writing has nothing to do with the title : )

ok here's something for everyone: when i decided to engage the surgeon to take on the surgery, i sang her this line on the phone "Take my breast away..." of course she laughed lah, how else could she react?!

anyways, went for my blood test today after my 1st chemo and as expected, the blood count is low but Dr Khoo said i am doing better than he expected! As for the low blood count (which means risk of infection & illnesses is higher), i wil juz hv to be careful not get near or allow sick pple to get near me. If the level does not go back to normal before 6 Sept (my 2nd chemo session), i wil hv to get booster jabs. But each jab costs > $200 and i wil need 3!

Meanwhile, dun worry be happy. I wil continue with my morning walks in the Botanic Gardens, eat, sleep, watch HK serial dvds, and order spy around. Now, that's the life of yixiunai - in cantonese it is used to address the second daughter-in-law in an extended & rich family. The only problem is spy's family is neither extended nor rich.

akan datang - my latest photo! but wait lah.........

kahwei the blogger but i no gahmen

2006-08-26T07:30:00.000+08:00

Nano Nano...!

On this day , the post of planet was officially taken from Pluto.

Now, the Fellowship is down to 8.

Nine rings to rule them all, so Sauron must audition one more.

R.I.P, P.
Rest in Peace, Pluto.

my frens must be scratching their heads about my first entry. arent i supposed to talk about my condition? but i needed to get Pluto off my chest. Dear experts of the universe: Thanks for giving me the joke of the week. 2 thousand 500 hundred eminent experts discussing whether to call Pluto a planet or a dog.

now i have to redo my astrological chart.

anyways, below is the 1st email i sent out to frens on 11 Aug to update or inform them abt the new journey that i hv embarked on. Thought i wld juz hv a copy here so that the journal feels more complete....

My dear friends,

My sole reason for writing this email is to raise awareness for a medical condition which I have been diagnosed about a month ago. For those of you who already knew, this is my latest update.

I have breast cancer (stage 2b). Now don’t panic don’t worry. It’s early detection and I am doing all that I can to fight it.

Just very briefly for the new comers. I found out by self-examination. But I am not the good girl who does her self-examination every month. I only do it occasionally. So I found a hard lump in my left breast and almost immediately went to see a specialist. After a series of tests which included mammogram, blood test and the final tissue test, it was confirmed that the lump (3.7cm) was cancerous. Because there was another smaller lump (3mm) also cancerous found in the other quarter of the breast, I had to remove the entire breast.

The surgery was done on 28 July and it was very successful. However, 2 of the 17 lymph nodes removed were tested positive. Because of the size of the bigger lump, the involvement of the lymph nodes and my youthful age (and look :) , I must go through chemotherapy to reduce the recurrence of the cancer (remember I still have my right breast : ) or distant recurrence to other parts of the body.

So I will start my chemo on 16 Aug for 6 sessions (once every 3 weeks). And after that, 5 weeks of radiotherapy. Please don’t call my mobile or home or my husband after the 16th I will update you guys.

Ladies, please start your monthly self-examination NOW. And guys, please tell any women close to you to do it. If you need more info on this and breast cancer, log on to the Breast Cancer Foundation http://bcf.org.sg/index.asp?id=home

You see, breast cancer is not confined to older women ( I am 39 going on 40 still young lah).
Not only for smokers (I don’t).
Not only for those with family history (none in my family).
Not only for those with unhealthy eating habits (I eat very little red meat & more veg).
Not only for those with big boobs (heehee u know me lah)

I am not saying all these to frighten you. No. Early detection saves lives and a lot of pain & money.

Which brings me to another topic: insurance. Now, though I am on no-pay leave till next Jul, I am not selling insurance part-time. Please don’t depend solely on your company for your medical bill. I am concerned for my dear artist friends especially those who don’t even have a company to depend on.

Buy your insurance BEFORE you develop any condition and while you are young (cheaper mah). I am grateful that I bought and do not need to worry about my expenses now.

There are 2 basic insurance I have:

1. Hospitalization & Surgery
2. Critical illness (lump sum payout - pun unintended : )

For # 1, if you have money in your CPF Medisave, seriously consider AVIVA Myshield policy as you can use the Medisave to pay for the premium. Even my insurance agent from a rival company advised me to get it (but i was too late).

For #2, if you really do not have the spare cash to buy a comprehensive one, at least get a term policy (of $50,000) . Get something within your means.
Please speak to your insurance agent for further details. My advice is limited. If you need, I can recommend my agents to you (hey, I am not getting commission from them!).

Raymond from AXA , hp:96819341
Adeline from Great Eastern, hp: 97455448
Sarah from AIA, hp:97802352

Sorry my overseas friends, pls find your own agent.

Take care & smile,
kahwei