With reference to previous blog..

First item : Da Vinci Code - Watched..rather entertaining..as a movie..

Second item : Initiation - Initiated..0.5, Meiren & Twink..with beehoon goreng, tissue prata, roti john & teh tariks(now u know why i cannot afford to initiate alumnis one by one anymore..MsK..think you'll be the next..)

Third item : Flea market - Completed..sort of..ssc folks opened for biz on sat..raked in sales of $200++..not too bad at all..was supposed to be my duty on sun..but it was a wet sunday morning & wet sunday mornings are just not meant for flea markets..so we ended up going in search for Singapore's best wanton mee(as ranked by Sunday Life)..never knew it was just 2 mins from my house..after finding wat we thought was the perfect parking lot, we realised the kopi tiam's closed(yes yes, it's my fault..never see the 'closed on sundays' on the article)..so we went for Singapore's best chicken noodles(as ranked by ZXL)..followed by Singapore's one-of-the-best almond paste..yes, our flea market as somehow miraculously turned into a gourmet trail round chinatown :Þ

Hmm..maybe it's not just the initiation ceremonies tat costing me my waistline afterall..

This Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun

Thurs, 25th May. - Da Vinci Code movie session. Those who haven't watched, those who want-to-watch-2nd-time-cos-first-time-fell-asleep, those who can't find pple to watch with.. are most welcome to join in. Details will be confirmed closer to date.

Fri, 26th May - Alumni Initiation Ceremony for 0.5, Meiren & Twink. In view of the ever-growing alumnis(& chairman's waistline), initiation into alumni club will be held monthly. Patrons & observers are most welcome to witness the procession.

Sat, 27th May & Sun, 28th May - Flea Market @ Cineleisure open space (i just hope we dun end up buying each other's stuff)

Hup toh soh - part II

Much To-Do about nothing (Life, 21 May)

'It was past midnight last Saturday and tantalisingly close to quitting time at work. Hurrah, my weekend is about to start. I was looking forward to a relaxing two days. I would sleep in, read the papers over breakfast and finish reading a very interesting book about Japanese home cooking. There was also a pile of magazines by my bedside to read and a box of chocolates to indulge in.

But then I remembered I wanted to get my parents a new vacuum cleaner, had to go water their plants, had to go check out some stuff for work and before i knew it, i had scribbled two-page To-Do list; one for Sunday and the other for Monday.

Even before it could take shape, my lazy weekend had shrivelled up and died.

While ricocheting from errand to errand the next day, head throbbing and blood pressure up because the bloody carparks were all full, i wondered - not for the first time - if i was stark, raving mad.

I'm not the only one either.

A colleague told me how she had planned to spend the three-day Vesak Day weekend reading, with a pot of coffee nearby. But then, there was the laundry to do, the groucery shopping and this and that. Needless to say, very little reading was done.

Another could not just have a casual conversation with a colleague. She automatically separated a big bag of lychees someone had brought to the office from their stalks. Kill two birds with one stone - why not?

Then there's the friend who is in no danger of becoming a couch potato. While watching television, she reads, tracks her family spending for the day and plans dinner menus for her family 10 weeks at a time.

Why can't we just relax, kick back and do nothing?

I don't know about them, but doing nothing makes me jittery and guilty..

It's a strange thing, this guilt. At the end of the week, I can say confidently that i have earned the rest.

But there is the niggling feeling that life is short and i have to make the most of it. And i suppose nothing beats the feeling i get when i've ticked all the stuff on my To-Do list.

Like many working people who have no time to socialise or run errands during the week, i also feel compelled to cram sa much as possibile into these two days.

Sitting aournd, watching television and eating chocolates can wait till i finish what needs to be done. But, alas, something else always needs to be done.

Despite all this, I have become better at relaxing over the years. I can now read for a couple of hours without getting out of my armchair to do anything more complicated than making another cup of tea. Recently, i surprised myself by having a nap.

The world hasn't ended, so maybe i can do more of it. It could make me a whole new person; calm, collected, you know, Zen..'

Hmm..maybe i should recruit this writer into the Hup Toh Soh club..

How many ways can u eat a cake?

Or at least we like to think there's more than one..

There we were at the corner kopi tiam..after placing orders for san lao hor fun, chee cheong chicken & claypot tofu..we decided to tuck in to the 'dessert' first - Ms Chan's bd cake..leftover from tues..ermm..it's a weeklong celebration mah..

With no forks around, we simply took up our chopsticks and soup spoons & starting eating the cake..just like tat..

A Fullerton yoghurt cake..being eaten in a tze char kopi tiam..with chopsticks..hmm..wonder how it felt..?!

But who cares..like wat 10 said, it tastes better this way : )

hup toh soh

Someone just commented tat my blog is suffering from a drought..quick check on my blog..opps, realised last entry was a week ago..

So wat's up these days? Besides becoming a 'frequent visitor' to our neighour across the causeway these days(i set a new record for myself the other day - receiving a phone call to go in to JB..went JB..back in Sg..in a matter of <5>

When i was in Msia over the weekend, we met an ang moh who has been travelling round the world..& i really mean, round the world..he's started from Texas..went down to South America(Team SA, did u all come across a guy on motorbike? It could be him..his name is Jim)..then flew to UK..did both western & eastern europe..then down to Australia & NZ..& now on his Asia leg..he's been on the road for the past 2 years..& the best part is..he did all this on his motorbike..cool eh?

Always feel happy for people when i see them pursuing the dreams & appear genuinely happy doing so..some people can be (too)rational & say there's a price to pay to fulfil a dream..but i think u can't put a price tag when it comes to happiness..more money doesn't equate to more happiness..likewise, less money doesn't necessarily means one will be less happy..it's no secret tat i'm now earning a fraction of wat i used to..but i don't think my quality of life has deteriorated any..if any changes, it's for the better..

Just read 10's blog..glad she's happy(or perhaps happier?) with her lifestyle now..seems like she's starting to enjoy the slower pace of life..

Yes..it's really the simple things tat matter in the end..sometimes, all it takes is a hup toh soh..

Announcing..

..the arrival of CJ 0.5, who touched down in Singapore's Changi Airport on 6th May, 1816 hrs..

Yes, for those who are still not aware, she's back already..& even made her first 'public appearance' yesterday..

It's gonna be busy times ahead for alumni chairman liao..

Opps, it happened again..

Recall - Instructor's farewell dinner..instructor spouting Hoegaarden on Mrs Chua..

Earlier on..at a restaurant near to some Mango Tree..Mrs Chua spouting tea across the table..

Next merlion..predicted to be 10...beware of sitting next to/across her at next gathering..

4WD

Was just thinking..hmm..like nothing much to blog about recently..and then i suddenly remembered i had my first 4WD experience last weekend! I've always wanted to try 4WD(4 wheel drive, not 4D hor)..& though it wasn't me at the wheels(CMI lah), it was still rather exciting for an 'urban' driver like me..

First of all, i must emphasize..4WD is NOT a comfortable ride..we bounced & jerked so much i was quite sure some parts of my body will come loose..this was made worse by the fact tat ou xiang & i decided to be 'garang' & sat on the open deck at the back..rather than the internal seats..there were a few times when i felt i was really gonna be thrown off the vehicle(i wonder if this is how i-gallop feels like)..Sitting outside has its other drawbacks too..both of us suffered cuts & scratches everytime we 'bashed' thru the bushes..thanks to this particular thorny plant, my fingers have 5 holes now..

It's also not recommended for people with little or no patience..to cross a small gap sometimes takes 30 mins..to scrutinise the surrounding area..pick the suitable logs..carry the logs..adjust the logs(repeat the previous steps as many times as it takes to get the vehicle over)..there was this one trench..when we 'tio stuck' for more than an hour..cos there was a sharp turn immediately after the gap & our 4WD din manage to turn in time..so we 'jin tui liang nan'..go forward cannot, gostun also cannot..we practically had to move the vehicle inch by inch..cos one wrong move could result in the vehicle falling into the trench..this is also why it's advisable to have 2 4WD travelling together..in case u need to haul one vehicle up..

Ahh...when will i get to be behind the wheels of a 4WD..

ET phone home..or not?

There's this newspaper article today tat got me holding up 4 limbs in total agreement - Roaming charges yet to dip despite telecoms tie-ups..

It's almost like a marketing essay so i shall not bore everyone with the details..just let me pick out the para tat really got me nodding my head..'But there has been no real change to what matters most to consumers - pricing..One vital benefit is sorely missing : lower roaming charges. For some telcos in the region, roaming prices can be well over three or four times the domestic rates. The cost to the telcos? Just one or two cents to deliver a call to a roaming customer, compared to delivering a local call..'

And yes, i really dun get it..call rates have fallen quite a bit eversince the mobile market in Sg liberalised in 1997(dun pray-pray ah, i did my FYP on this topic) but as so rightly highlighted in this article, overseas call rates have not moved southwards as much as its local cousins..WHY??

It's not surprising for me to chalk up 3 figures amount for just ONE phone call..& this is despite the fact tat i'm not exactly one who loves chatting on the phone..i can understand if it costs US$2/min to call from the Himalayans..but can someone tell me why on heaven & earth does one bloody phone call from Germany back to Sg cost S$4.50/min??!! Do the German telcos have something against Sg telcos or wat?? Think even ET will think twice about phoning home if he knew about the charges..

And dun even mention SMSes..i still gripe about the $0.60 everytime i send a text in msia..esp when i'm just across the causeway in JB..c'mon..surely i'm not much further from woodlands than say someone in boon lay sms-ing to someone in changi..with my msia trips getting more & more frequent..pleeeease forgive me if i 'ignore' ur sms..

With frens(& one 0.5) all over the world..i'm looking forward to the day when i dun get a heart attack when i receive my roaming call bill..