16 posts tagged “musings”
From my very smart friend, Strannik:
"The question is whether you should continue (with something)... if it gives you pleasure, continue. If not, stop. Pleasure should be your standard of judgment; not whether you're right of wrong to do so."
Excellent... :)
Oh how accurate... for I saw some stuff that really made me prone to fits of anger... but then again, after thinking about it, I realised, I'd fallen into a trap again... of some people's devious making. Why should I kill my cells unnecessarily for people who're just so not worth it? I think I'm going to be much better off just removing the cancer-like thingies in my life, as I should have done years ago.
Some people, even when you treat them as friends, and are patient and kind to them, are just so not worth it.
Trying this again today made me realise how accurate the analysis is. Perhaps, the time of change is really about to descend...
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You are striving to make favourable impressions all of the time and you are going out of your way to make the impression that you are something special. You are constantly on the watch to see how your friends and neighbours are reacting to your various ploys. But this is so unnecessary because most of the time you are in control of the situation - and you are, in the nicest sense of the word, a 'manipulator' because you use various strategies very cleverly in order to influence and obtain the necessary recognition.
Now there are many things in life that you require as essential to your well-being but, try as you may, something always seems to be getting in your way. A word of advice - 'keep trying' and you may be pleasantly surprised to see just how matters turn out.
You are very demanding - and insisting on total involvement but you do not reciprocate with the same depth of feeling. However, it could well be that maybe an unprecedented surprise is awaiting you in the near future. For just as one whilst paddling in the sea, could flounder into a whirlpool, so you may be drawn into a loving situation that has high emotional demands - and you could well respond with a depth of emotion that you never even dreamed that you possessed.
You pretend that you are a carefree individual and that nothing really bothers you - that you are so self-sufficient that whatever problems beset you they simply flow off you as water flows off a ducks back. You are experiencing considerable stress, trying to conceal yourself from the rest of the world. In actual fact - deep down, you are not at all happy. You feel lonely and you need someone with whom you can 'Let your hair down' and share your hopes, dreams and high standards. You are imposing unnecessary self restraint on yourself. You would like to demonstrate the unique quality of your character to all and sundry.
You are presently worried about your future and you feel that whatever you do will go wrong. At this time you are your own worst enemy. All the disappointment that you have experienced, coupled with the fear that there is no point in formulating fresh goals, have led to anxiety. You would like recognition and a position of trust but you are concerned that these hopes and dreams may not be realised. You are very argumentative and insistent that you are right - maybe you are - but you are pushing too hard. Take it easy, let go, and smile. Smiling and agreeing with people works wonders - try it and see.
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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/444466/1/.html
If the national language really shows up in attire and that the country's traditional skirts and jackets are a source of national pride, then why are the men exempted??!!
Stay at home. Or wear a mask when you go out...
The Courtesy Lions are supplementing MOH's message to increase the level of hygiene in these worrying times of the H1N1 virus. Isn't it adorable? :)
A few months ago, there were more than 10 of them standing on the grass patch next to MICA Building. Looking at them brought back childhood memories of having to sketch them during art classes. Over time, many were "deployed" to various parts of the island. Some came back, while others stayed at their new "posts". Nevertheless, the sight of them every morning never fails to bring a smile to my face.
Look at the cuties...
This is way overdue... On 9 June, I met up with an old friend, Daniel, and spent almost an entire day with him. Come to think of it, in our 16 years of friendship, that was the only time we had spent a full day together, barring the time we travelled along Great Ocean Road together for 1.5 days...
We first met for lunch at the Pan Pacific Orchard. I kept confusing it with the building of Pan Pacific Service Apartments and it was only minutes before I left home did I finally realise that it's actually behind Orchard Hotel. What a muddle-head I was. And then only when I reached Orchard MRT station and rechecked the map, did I realise that it was where the old Hotel Negara - the one with the very famous restaurant "The Drake" - was! Gosh! I had not thought about that place for such a long time and my only memory of that place was a Christmas dinner with XY and JA there many many years ago, when we were still very young and going to restaurants was really a luxury. But anyway, I found the hotel quite easily, although we were walking under the blazing sun and in mind-numbing heat.
We had buffet lunch at 10 at Claymore. It was a nice setting. The tables were far enough from each other, so patrons could enjoy their meals and conversations without disturbing the others. The spread of food was very good. There was plenty of greens, various types of stew, some carbohydrate dishes, plenty of different varieties of fruits, including green apples, etc. The chocolate fondue fountain was quite big, but it was the array of accompanying foods that struck me. There were all kinds of dried fruits imagineable and the usual marshmallows, etc. But I didn't really pay any attention to the chocolate fondue because I was attracted to the several types of cakes and pastries on display. And I have to say... the tiramisho was absolutely fantastic. It was soaked with enough alcohol to taste wet but not soggy and it was so soft, it literally melted in my mouth. I could have eaten the entire cake by myself... And with Citibank's 1-for-1 deal, the buffet was really really really worth it. I liked the place so much, I wanted to go back again with SH & Reg, but the place was fully booked till end of the week! Damn! Thinking of the tiramisho is making me hungry already... :\
After lunch, we went to Asian Civilisations Museum to view "The Kangxi Emperor: Treasures from the Forbidden City" exhibit. We were joined by Saresha. For $8, we got the view the special exhibit for as long as we liked plus whatever else was in the ACM. The exhibition was really amazing. We joined a guided tour which lasted about an hour. The docent was very informative and knowledgeable. She led us through the exhibits and showed and explained to us several of the items. She was very thorough indeed. We got to see a scroll of painting that was actually 22m long (but only 10m was on display), Kangxi's battle outfit, his calligraphy (which I fell in love with at first sight, and almost tempted a heist to get my hands on them :p), several glazed porcelain pieces (not sure if it's the correct word), robes worn by the Manchus, paintings of the 3 top emperors of the Qing Dynasty & Xiao Zhuang Empress, replicas of imperial edicts, etc etc. The exhibition was fairly extensive and we spent about another 2 hours there, just relooking at the stuff after our guided tour. I was very amazed at the amount of details put into the painting and the level of expertise for the glazing of some of the bowls and cups. There's a set of 12 cups which was supposed to represent the 12 months of a year and on each was painted a different flower. What was so special about them was that they were eggshell thin and the words of a poem could be read from the other side of the cup.
The exhibition basically showed that Kangxi totally lived up to his reputation as one of China's greatest emperors. He was not only an astute king, he was also a warrior and he was also a keen scholar. Above all, he was a patron of the arts and sciences - to me, he was the ultimate patron of the arts. He not only commissioned many artworks but he also practised calligraphy religiously and he was also very keen to learn more about the sciences from the west. In fact, it was recorded that he did so many things in his life, I started to wonder where he found all that time! But the thing was, he also had a rather sad private life. He outlived 3 of his empresses and at least 20 of his children. In fact, he was so sad after the death of his 3rd empress, he never promoted another concubine again. The saddest part was to learn that his favourite son - the original crown prince - was so impatient to be the emperor, he actually conspired with some other officials against his own father, Kangxi. For all that Kangxi was worth and contributed for the country, his private life was beset with various tragedies indeed. The museum didn't allow us to take photos of the special exhibition but we were allowed to take these:
After we were done with the exhibition, we decided to walk to the Esplanade for a cup of coffee/water. Along the way, we took more photos. I was again reminded of how pretty this part of Singapore was - with all the colonial buildings and tall beautiful trees - and how much effort the government had put in to style this region into a heritage/cultural/arts site.
The Victoria Concert Hall: Where I had spent many a memorable day with my Chinese music friends
The Esplanade: The emblem of quality and success and the pride of the arts in S'pore
Raffles Place: Symbol of Wealth
We cooled off at Haagen Dazs in Esplanade where Daniel showed me some of his photos. He's a really serious hobbyist photographer indeed! And I must say, he's got a pretty good eye. Some of the photos had really cool or interesting perspectives. It's really refreshing to see photos that are thoughtfully and artfully composed, rather than the whole slew of hundreds of photos of similar things which I always see people upload on FB, Flickr, etc. If he gives me permission, I'll post some of his photos up here for viewing. :)
We ended the day with a really good local dinner at Food Republic in Wisma, where JA joined us. We had chicken rice, laksa, char kway teow and hokkien mee. Yums! And we sat and chatted till the foodcourt was closing. Actually for the whole of the 1st half of 2009, I was so tied up at work, besides taking time off on the 3rd day of CNY, I didn't take any leave or time off at all. So, being able to enjoy a few days of rest, finally, and spending one of the days with some dear lifelong friends was a real precious treat indeed. Here's hoping there'd be more of such days in future.
Oh man... the last episodes of my favourite shows are just impossible cliffhangers!!! Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) gets shot in the last episode of Criminal Minds!!!
Sigh... he better return to the show in Season 5... he's an anchor... and the stories are getting better and better. In fact, Season 4 is the best I've watched... ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Why? Why?? Why???
I cricked my neck - right side. Bleah!!!
One of my favourite festivals and activities of the year - making dumplings (汤圆)! :)
This year, mum wanted me to make extra so that she could bring some to the columbarium to pay respects to my paternal grandparents. As I sat there at 7am, rolling the little balls of dough between my hands, the most ironic thought crossed my mind. The one and only time in my life I ever made food for my grandparents was after their lives were over. A friend in JC once described me as a person who lived life without regrets and till today I still try to live by that motto. But I find that as I grow older, more and more regrets just pile on my shoulders...
Nevertheless... this is not going to turn into a regretful post.
汤圆，汤圆，团团圆圆：
This is also the first year I did almost everything myself. Usually sis and I will take charge of rolling the dough into little balls (cos it's just so fun!) and mum or the maid will boil the soup. This time, I made the soup too. :p
And now, my little balls of unity are ready:
Jade wishes everyone a very happy 冬至 (winter solstice)!
So we were on the taxi with my guest from Taiwan at the unearthly hour of 6am, and we were just speeding towards the airport. I was just making casual conversation with him when the taxi driver rudely interrupted us and asked him, "Are you from Taiwan?" When the judge answered in the affirmative, the taxi driver launched into a whole tirade/rant/one-sided speech about the whole affair of the bail of the ex-Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. He just went on and on about how could the government allow such a thing to happen, that Ma Ying-Jeou would be ousted, there would be chaos, etc... CM and I were quite powerless to stop him from talking and yet my guest was still rather politely patronising at the beginning.
Eventually, the taxi driver stopped after 10 sentences or so and I tried to engage the guest into further conversation on other things, then the taxi driver continued to rant again. At some point, the usually easy-going and jovial guy almost kind of snapped and asked him to slow down his acceleration to shock the taxi driver into shutting up. In order to prevent the taxi driver from talking more rubbish, I chatted with the guest on as many topics as my 80%-fried and extremely tired mind would allow me to conjure. And I think at some point, CM also told the taxi driver to shut up. And yet, just before we arrived at the airport, the taxi driver still managed to make a few more snide comments about the Taiwanese parliament and how the politicians always fought in Parliament. His was the kind of "I-saw-it-on-TV-so-I-know-best-and-better-than-you" tone.
That was seriously the most incredibly embarrassing taxi ride I'd ever been on and the worst taxi driver I had ever met. Taxi drivers are actually the most basic service champions and ambassadors of Singapore. I shudder to think how many more foreigners he had already already embarrassed in the past and how many more potential tourists he would be embarrassing in future. Perhaps I should send a feedback email to LTA indeed.
