Damn..it must be the tea again..

..if not, how do u explain why i'm sitting in front of my pc & typing wat i had for dinner..at the unearthly hour of 245am?

Met up with ex-sec classmates over xiao long bao tonight..had tried to limit my intake of chinese tea but think i still drank about 2 or more rather large glasses(not the chinese teacup size lah)..

& despite my claims to be 'on a diet' & my '70% full' principle..i still ended up wolfing down one whole bowl of la mian..putting away the many different kinds of baos..& clearing the last bit of fried rice tat nobody else could take in anymore..when dear wei had only managed to finish half of her la mian & some baos before announcing she's 110% full..hmm..maybe tat no-carbs diet did help huh?

Meanwhile, attempts to bring 'new faces' to each gathering have not seen much of a success..pretty much the usual suspects each time..it's not easy though..been some 10 years since we graduated..apparently, some classmates are aware of such on-going gatherings but are quite reluctant to 'appear' for fear of awkwardness..this problem can easily be overcome if only she takes the first step to join one gathering..since the core group of 7 or 8 wasn't exactly from the same clique back in our sch days..

But i suspect there might be another reason for such 'no-show'..when someone feels that a friendship is approaching its natural death & not worth your efforts anymore..I really dunno if there are any who feel this way..if so, so be it..i dun suppose i can do anything about it..i guess it's just the way life is..

Yes, this is the 'gan xing' zxl at work again..someone had recently expressed surprise tat i'll actually blog about 'sunsets'..saying it was rather 'un-zxl'..hmm..

Oh well, strange things happen when u have too much time(when i was in uk) or when u have too much tea(like now)..

Christmas pressies..

My friends are an interesting bunch of people..how do i know? From the Xmas presents i received from them..some of the (more bizzare) presents are :

My Melody clips
Disposable XXX (Hint : it's handy for travel..tat's all i'm gonna say)
Shower cap
Saucepan

But i must also give credit to them lah..these are actually very thoughtful gifts..like the MM clips..they were given to me by mama who had been faithfully following my travel photos & thus, came to the conclusion i must have liked MM a lot ^o^ (She got so stressed over the whole Xmas presents thingy she actually smsed me 2 days after giving them to me to make sure she hasn't bought Twinkle Star by mistake..)

And the shower cap was actually from the McMug series..to go with my McMug slippers..& as for the saucepan, i was shopping for one..so there..

Well..wat i can say..thanks folks!

1 year on..

It's Xmas..everywhere & everything is in red & green..

..& red & green reminds me of strawberries...

And of cos, for the past few months(& i suspect for the next few months to come)..everytime i see strawberries, i'll be reminded of my strawberry picking days..

Here're some of the strawberry wisdoms i gathered :

There is no such thing as a perfect strawberry
Tat's cos everybody's idea of a perfect strawberry differs..some like it big, some like it small
Life is like a punnet of strawberries, u never know wat u're gonna get
Never judge a strawberry by its look. The good-looking ones often taste no-good while the ugly ones, more often than not, taste much sweeter

Continuing on the looks..the good looking ones & the ugly ones can usually be found on the same plant..seems like life isn't fair to strawberries either

U need to work ur ass off to find the good strawberries..cos they're usually hidden under the leaves..as they grow better when sheltered

Oh, wat the heck..it's Christmas..so Merry Xmas to u!

Opps..she did it again..(Version 1)

Yes..dearest Ms Organics had sent a sms to my house line..again..

She has did it once before..when the rest was so worried about her sms-ing me by mistake(they were just as secretive about their movements as i was about mine before i left for uk), they actually deleted my mobile number from her handset..but despite it (or precisely cos of it), she managed to send to send me a sms..to my house no...(for those who are unaware, if u sms to a fixed line, it will come out as a voice message)

& history just repeated itself two days ago..when she smsed me about some xmas pressies..

Seems like some things never change : )

Opps..she did it again..(Version 2)

I've become the courier service for my dear ex-everton neighbour..again..it was quite common when we were living in neighouring blocks..hmm..think she must have forgotten i haven't moved together wif her..

Had met her yesterday in her new neighbourhood..when she dumped me this big bag of xmas presents..for me to despatch to the rest in ssc..

Some things really dun change..

why my frens call me xiao pang these days..

In the 2 or 3 weeks ever since i returned to Sg..i have yet to meet someone who did not mention about my new-found roundness(even the lady at the photo-developing shop couldn't help but comment 'ur face looks rounder hor?')

I had given all sorts of excuses..opps, i mean explanations, for my gain in weight..ranging from weather to my lapse of of 'white diet'(refer to previous previous blog)..but i came across an article in the papers today tat had me raising my (somewat chubby) arms & legs in total agreement..

Here's an extract of the 'main points'..perhaps it can explain my xiao pang status..

What's the point of going to Italy and not eating pasta?

..I often travel. When i do, i ignore my need to constantly diet and instead freely indulge in the pleasures of the table. What would the point, i ask u, of going to Italy and not eating pasta? Or turning away from a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam in England? You may as well visit Paris without seeing Eiffel Tower..

..A traveller also needs plenty of fuel for wandering and sightseeing. But when u're on the move, it's often hard to find non-fattening foods that satisfy and sustain..

..when i suddenly realised that my jeans felt tight in the middle..I looked down and discovered, to my dismay, that i was working on a stomach(urs truly had made the same discovery towards the end of the summer..when i put on my jeans for the first time in weeks of wearing shorts)

..I loved the way a cheese sandwich and an apple can taste better than white truffles and foie gras while i'm sitting in purple clover on the Emerald Coast of Normandy, where i once took a solo walking trip..I took a seat at one of the seafood restaurants on the waterfront, all offering the same special : half a dozen oysters, bread and a glass of Muscadet. When i finished the last oyster and drained my wine glass, i sat watching the dusk steal over the wide, flat bay, resting after my efforts. Then, without thinking, i told the waiter to bring me the special again..

..That decision - taken so instinctively, at a time and place so right - was one of the best i've ever made. It is, i think, almost as hard to know how to indulge as to exercise self-discipline..
I rest my case..