Have you ever gone out to eat on a "festive" occasion and felt let down? This happened to us during a Lunar Chinese New Year lunch I had with my in-laws at a supposedly reputable chinese restaurant that lay claims to being the restaurant that "invented" Yu Sheng and Chilli Crab. To add insult to injury, prices are unreasonably exorbitant during such periods. Since then, I have learnt never to celebrate the special occasions whenever possible on the actual day itself.

Being a typical Singaporean with the “Kiasu” syndrome, I celebrated Mother’s Day with my mum this afternoon. I mulled over the choice of venue for a few days before I finally decided to sho0t the arrow back to the VIP, my mum, to choose from our shortlist. Logic being if she made the call and the food fails to live up to expectations, the "blame" would not fall on my shoulders. My husband said it was quite a brillant move. Well, that goes without saying. = P

To cut the long story short, the selected option was a buffet lunch at Intercontinental Hotel. The spread was average with the run-on-the-mill local fares like mee siam, bah kut teh, fried chicken wings etc. I wasn't too impressed with that, however, the desserts were good!


The Banana Passion Fruit Cake (right) was excellent! Just imagine a cake with 3 layers (i think), chocolate, banana and passion fruit mousse, set in sponge cake.

In case anyone thinks I am a glutton, we "skipped" dinner, only had black chicken soup that we brought home from my mother-in-law.

Oops! Think I was so engrossed eating that I forgot to wish my mum Happy Mothers' Day. Haha...
I love Saturday mornings. Other than the fact the I get to rest, I also get a refreshing change of my boring bread and tuna for breakfast.

This morning, we headed out to our favourite breakfast haunt. Alexandra Village!


I simply love the Soon Kuehs and the Ang Ku Kuehs here.


Our favourite breakfast


This Soursop Avocada fruit juice was so good that we had to stop by the roadside to take a picture of it before we slurped it all up!
It was a long time since I last went to Wala Wala at Holland Village. As always, I had my all time favourite junk food – french fries and fried chicken wings! Yummy!

We finally met up with a good friend of ours, Grace yesterday. Though it’s kind of mean, I’m secretly glad that her overseas teaching in Korea didn’t fall through so that we have more opportunities to chill over good food and some beer. But of course, I didn't drink yesterday. The ex-teachers did! Keke.. = )

When we bought our flat, we were told that communal celebrations would usually be held on the large patch of grass in front of our block. We didn't think very much of it as we thought it wouldn't occur that often. I mean, how many deities' birthdays and Hungry Ghost Festival can there be right?

However, we were proven wrong recently. First it was the birthday celebration of the King of Hades (if I'm not wrong). Paper incense was burnt regularly and the wind mercilessly carried the ashes into the house. Hence, we kept our windows shut tightly for those few days. Finally, on the last night of the celebration, they ended their celebration with a huge bang with a dinner and an auction. I must say they had some very powerful sound system that could bring the house down!

We thought we could finally have some peace and quiet this weekend, but our hearts sank when we saw a new tentage being set up the very next day. It was the Senior Citizen Club 20th Anniversary Celebration! Arghh... not again!!

They had lion dance, Hokkien karaoke sessions and loud jamming for two nights! We tried to get out of the house in the evening to avoid the noise, only to realise that there was nowhere we really wanted to go. Hence, instead of gallivanting aimlessly outside, we stayed at home and locked ourselves up in our room.

Well, the only comfort is that I'm a heavy sleeper, I can just round up the noise and I won't hear anything when I fall asleep. Thank God! = )

Lesson learnt. We shall be more discerning in our next house purchase.

Why does the heart grieve?
Why did tears sting the eyes?

Because they are good people.
Because it was too painful to watch.

Don't be too quick to condemn, because we are no better. Let's all learn from this, put it behind us and start afresh.

They will always be endearing in my eyes.

It was just a moment of folly and mischief. Nothing more.
I don't know what got into me on Monday. Initially, I only wanted to accompany my husband to the park. I thought I would just walk around the park while waiting for him to finish his run. I must be delirious that day. I actually JOGGED!!!

Now, I'm suffering from the consequence of my impulsivity. My legs are aching pretty badly. Walking down the stairs has become one of the most arduous tasks for me. I can imagine what my husband will say when he reads this. "See, I told you. You must exercise!”

Recently, I tipped the scales at 4*kg (since I’m a woman, I shall keep my weight confidential!). Must be all the binging in Bangkok! That probably explains why I had the impetus to jog on Monday.

But all was done in vain! The prawn crackers that had been lying around the kitchen for the longest time was just too alluring and I thought I would just get rid of it last night before it became an eye sore.

Just when I was done with the crackers, my husband suggested opening a new snack. Being a meek and submissive wife (haha), I did what I was told. He didn't like the snack and he only took TWO helpings. As for me, I was compulsively eating away while watching some Korean drama on TV. Before I knew it, one quarter of the packet was gone or was it half a packet?

What's done cannot be undone anyway, so why fret over spilled milk? To end the binging session on a high note, I had some yogurt. It read "Non-fat" yogurt on the label.

So which Habit of Mind is applicable here?
Managing Impulsivity.
I should analyse the pros (if any) and cons before I indulge in a binging session next time! (Oh dear, I must be marking too many newspaper reflections lately!)
The greatest power known to man is that of unconditional love. It is this agape love that gives the father a boost of dynamic and powerful energy to lift his son up in the most difficult times. I'm deeply moved and challenged by how he persevered to provide his son with every opportunity to "be included in everyday life" despite his physical limitations.

Visit their official website to find out more about the father-and-son team.

This is one video that moved me to tears.

"He's just another William Hung."

That was my initial thought when my husband showed me a video of Paul Potts on Britain's Got Talent. I thought it was an April fool's joke and was gearing myself up for a hearty laugh.

Paul Potts was a mobile phone salesman. His lack of self-confidence during the interview was utterly unimpressive. For the auditions, he was sordidly dressed in a dull-looking suit. His looks, hairstyle, charisma were all a far cry from a star material. I quickly dismissed him as a superstar wannabe who was only after fame overnight.

I was dead wrong. My jaw dropped in astonishment and amazement when he started singing. He has an incredible voice that can move his listeners to tears. Ordinary he may look, but he is a man with an extraordinary talent in singing. Almost immediately, pangs of guilt hit me as I was deeply rebuked for judging a person based on his appearance.

One other thing about him which struck me is his humility. Very often, we are ever so ready to boast of our insignificant achievements, but Paul Potts is different. Unlike many contestants who exude an air of haughtiness about them when they got into the finals, he was absolutely unassuming.

Out of curiosity, I searched for more information about Paul Potts on the Internet and stumbled upon his inspiring and heart-wrenching story about his struggles and humble beginnings. Well, I just hope that all the fame and glory will not get too much into his head. Apart from his extraordinary talent, it is the down-to-earth personality of his that drew people to him.

Hope you are all greatly encouraged by his Cinderfella story. = )

Though the Lasik surgery was an awful experience, I can't deny that the advent of such a medical technology has brought about many positive changes to my life.

Last week, I finally bade farewell to those uncomfortable contact lenses which tend to cause eye infection. Also, gone were those embarrassing days of alighting from an air-con bus or car with my glasses fogged. Now, I wake up every morning to perfectly clear vision without having to grope for my spectacles.

My vision has improved significantly over the week. Though I still suffer from a bit of dry eyes at times and see halos at night, I was told they will eventually go away with time. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I still have another 12 years to go before long-sightedness sets in and I will need to wear glasses again OR to go for another Lasik surgery (that's if I'm crazy enough to put myself through the ordeal again). In the mean time, I shall just enjoy my perfect vision while it lasts!