嘟嘟 嘟嘟嘟......

In the humdrum confines of the office..suddenly..my colleauge went..

"嘟嘟 嘟嘟嘟 ， 青春一二三..."

Huh?? O_o

“哎呀，我（做到）块要疯了.." aka "my brain is releasing pressure by doing this nonsecical spontaneous act of unexplainable behaviour".

But anyway...that song is ancient! but somehow the song is just so distinguishable that once the "嘟嘟嘟" comes out, people will already know what song and show was that.


With all the SBC shows doing re-runs on tv, it was like reminiscing the time when getting to watch the 9pm serial was the best thing for the day. The voice over was ear jarring yes, but somehow the stories were those that you cant forget after so long. The same colleauge commented "Wah, 陈碧风is so cute can?". Of course la, she was the equivalent of the current Joanne Peh or Fiona Chin(I wonder where is she now..?)

And as we crapped along, we realised that the scariest tv show then had to be 迷离夜, which prob imprinted in my mind the sterotypical 桥段 of the omnipresent 老阿嬷whenever it's time for a eerie moment. And we also concluded that the scariest story in that serial was the one with the butterflies. I cant exactly reall what was the story about (was it about a small girl got bitten by a butterfly and then grow old?), cos both of us remembered that we were super scared of butterflies after a long long while.


I guess I lost touch with TCS and subsequently Mediacorp. Nowdays I see more variety on tv, and more glamourous stars;but somehow, the feeling is not the same. It was memory galore when you-tubed "SBC drama"

And now..

"Time by Raymond Weil. 8pm"

No lyrics!

I was hooked when I heard this song, thks to sunshine, who posted the link in her blog.

So decided to drop by HMV before dinner to hunt for the CD. I had actually wanted to buy this 2003 release



but I only found this





Oh well..I had wanted the 2003 release cos I thought the sleeve was nice, but since HMV didn't stock it, I guess the 2006 release wouldn't be any different. Moreover it prob is better since since it has tracks from her later albums - March of the Empress & Vegetal.

But as I was opening up the sleeve, I was suddenly thrown back to JC days, when a close friend lamented "The CD quite crap, doesn't come with lyrics one!".

I had wonder what was the big deal then, but at this moment as I was looking at the CD sleeve, my sentiments echoed my friend's words, uttered more than 10 years ago, exactly. The CD sleeve consisted of a smaller than A4 sized printed insert, with song listing, the acknowledgement to the background performers to the individual tracks, and a simple tribute to the singer for the writing/composition/arrangement/performance/production for the songs (yes, this was the reason why I was willing to part with almost 30 bucks for this CD..I think this girl is amazing..)

Well..yes, I really loved the songs playing over my car stereo as I was driving back, but somehow the overall experience was already marred in a way. I mean, in this digital age, if I had wanted to buy a CD it would be for keepers right? If not I would have downloaded it from the internet or something. After paying near to 30 bucks for a CD and it doesn't come with barely any stuff inside the CD sleeve, it can be very disappointing.


Compared to the other double-CD album I bought from 五月天 (no, not their latest one, I am also counting down to the release after hearing all the new singles on radio)，which I had also decided to buy to keep, it came with lyrics, illustrations, (for me to oogle at 阿信and 怪兽..heh~), anecdotes, it seemed a more worthwhile buy.

Perhaps we are more partial to such stuff, since there are just so many pirated MP3s or China parallel imports floating around, and production houses, esp the Mandarin songs market has evolved, improvising in order to tempt consumers to part with their money, which prob explains the larger (and thicker) packagings for the Mandarin CDs (which can be quite irritating cos the odd sizing made packing difficult). But in general, most of the records are still the normal 5x4" CD casings, which you really can't discern the content, until you paid, and "poh heng sway" that you will like what you see after you tear away the shrink-wrap.





Anyway, whatever it is, the songs are nice. Here's one, thought I still prefer "Flowers"

2nd attempt at Strawberry shortcake

I finally found wholewheat flour! And it means...another go at the strawberry shortcake!

This time round, I was more careful with the egg whites, which really became stiffer after beating, and held longer too with the cream of tartar.

Cut down on the sugar, more patience folding in the mixture.. Just pop in the mixture to the pot..45 mins to see whether if it'll be better than the first try.

*cross fingers*

---Verdict---

- Cake slightly burnt on the bottom,costing me much effort (and my manicure) to scrub the baking tin before my mum comes home, if not she will nag at me for being not using turning down the fire.But already turn down the fire to the smallest already..man.. I think I used bigger flames to cook maggi mee than to bake the cake lor. Patience.....

- I could have blended the wholemeal flour a bit longer.

- Overall, better than the first round, but not good enough leh. So rabbit..u wait longer ok? :p

new blogskin again!

As you can see, I hv reverted to my old blogskin, albeit a different template. I was so tempted to go for something darker, like how it was before the last skin. But well..I guess it's good enough to see my usual alcoholic treat back again :D

It's time for the real deal soon...

So busted...

my back, that is.

Was all ok during the run and after it, though a bit on the stiff side. Which was why I decided to stretch a lil before going to sleep. Of course, going a bit more to hear the back cracking which was the ultimate relief for a stiff back if you ask anyone.

But what I hadn't expect was that I cant even flip myself over in bed the next morning.

The last time my back acted up was prob during the season early this year, but I was careful. And I was sure it hadn't been so bad that I hadn't see it coming, or feeling the pain first thing in the morning. I had attempted to get it sorted out last year, but the inconveniene of visiting the sports clinic and the lack of interest from the staff there hadn't tempted me to followup with treatment. Serve myself right.

Needless to say, the whole morning was misery overdose when every movement had to be done gingerly without sending the back muscles into spasm. I dropped the eyelash curler in the morning, and took at least 1 whole minute to reach for it and stand up again, and even then was sweating with the effort. Getting into and out of the car became uncomfortable affairs. Someone in the office carpark was giving me the weird look when I had to slowly crawl out, grab the door and right myself up, wait for 10 seconds for the pain to subside before reaching for my bag in the car. At some point in time I was walking like a Liang Po Po cause it was simply too painful to stand straight to walk.

Desperation called for desperate measures. I had to resort to finding the nearest clinic to office that can deal with back problems and I called to make an appointment fixed at 1230. So giving myself enough time, I left office at 1215pm, only to bump into my Dir at the lift lobby and hv him asking "Going for lunch huh?". "Yes Sir, running some errands too." Damn, of all days...to be caught leaving office early..

So to the physiotherapy clinic..which had to be tucked in some obscure corner, when I was cursing under my breath already while walking with a rimrod back. So when I finally found it, I was so relieved..that relief (no pun intended) was here.

Attended by a physiotherapist called Cheryl, who I thought was carrying a fake australian accent while trying to cover her singlish intonations.... but hey, no rude thoughts cos she was going to be my saviour! According to Cheryl, the main problem was that my flexi joints on my spains are locked by the surronding muscles due to spasms, which was prob triggered by the crack I did last night, which now caused them to press on the nerves.

So 45 mins of diagnosis, stretches, massages to mobilise the back muscles, standing and sitting practises to ease the strain on the back area, and some exercises to do on my own.

And set myself back by a good $80

=.="

*heart pain*.

A followup was scheduled for this Fri. Seriously, I had obviously taking my back for granted until you realise that you cant even do the simple daily things like picking up things, bouncing down the stairs, or even just plain sitting down.

If every body part has an age attached to it, I think my back is probably like a 80 year old's. I better start taking good care of it; if not I would really walk like a liang po po after a few year.

Musing on a Rainy Day

Was out of office early for an appointment, and headed to Botanical Gardens earlier than usual for weekly run. And it started pouring on the way. By the time I reached, it rained with no respite in sight.

The original intention was to read the truman capote short stories that I threw into my bag, while waiting for my running partner to turn up. The best thing that anybody could possibly do now was to grab a latte, then a chair, and read the book. But I ended up enjoying the best frontview seat to glorious rain more, with this playing in the background.

Not that you really played attention to the piped in music, cos you would be as absorbed into the rythmic pattering of rain on the roof, the concrete grounds, accompanied by the cacophony of raindrops on leaves and stems of various botony.

Lulled by the soothing sounds, reclining back, inhaling with relish the scent of coffee infused with the fresh smell of new rain after a stuffy humid afternoon.

You cant see it, but I marvelled at the design of some of the planter boxes - overflowing rainwater cascading from alternate planter boxes, forming impromptu mini fountains. It's times like this that I miss my portable phone cam.

I'll always remember that someone told me that water, in whatever forms they come in - lakes, ocean, reservoirs, in the shower- carried with them positive ions, which could help to turn anybody's aura and mood around. That probably explained why I like beaches. Now, I wondered if that theory included rain, especially when they poured in such abundance.

How often do you get to watch, smell and hear the rain? Ah..it's nice.. the little joys in life.

独立新时代女性的矛盾

今晚，到了球场。 为了一个没有再加思考许下的承诺，虽然还有一段时间，责任也还没划分好 好歹也要下来探班一下。

仿佛，看到了十年前的自己。还记得，那时，别人在家吃饭，温书，看电视，我们却是在球场上- 讲好听是在奔驰， 讲难听是给教练骂得狗血淋头 （可我还真想念张教练）。哈~

也误打误撞，本来没打算，到后来，碰了俏和君子吃晚饭。君子这次中国之旅，不是很愉快。人的种种。她叹息地说了， 来新有十年了。

十年。

十年来，我们那队比较要好的几个， 好像物以类聚似得， 性格上，都那么独立， 那么强。

我啦，直来直往的火爆子。

俏 出了名的工作狂， 打球，工作都一样。

君子，直爽坦然，为了生活，适应能力超强。

秋给我的影像，是她娘家和她自己二人小世界的精神支柱。

艾 在最紧要关头，为她一人最冷静

莲是一个没人敢惹的小辣椒，现在一人在雅加达任工。

敏一向来，是个很有主见的新时代女性。


除了敏和秋 （还有俏明年也快了），其他的我们还都是孤家寡人。

君子中国的旧朋友们，意见纷纷 - 太硬了吧，让男人都怕。

则么，我吃中饭时还跟一个前同事说了 - 我太独立了吧，所以男人都不敢追。还哈哈大笑带过。晚上，竟然发现一个礼拜前，在中国内蒙的某人，也说了同样一番话。

应该是还没遇到一个有能耐的男人吧，我回君子道。能接受我们的独立，也能让我们偶尔靠靠一下。

她说了，没办法，没遇到，所以得自己变得更强， 更独立。

矛盾。

可没办法。

The Death of Punctuality

Since you can call to "alert" the other party that you will be late for dinner -

- so it's ok that now you can take your own time after your yoga class. Yeah, I could have try to wash up and leave in 15 mins, but why rush?

- so you can "clear" your emails since you were out the whole day for an event which prob ended before 5pm. No, never mind if you prob wont need 2 hours to do that, since you can also read all the usual junk and spam as well. The rest can wait one..

- so you just want to detour to grab whatever stuff you forgot to buy even if you had everyday in the past week to go get it, since the others are going to be late anyway. It's ok, you called the last person of the group so that the person dont have to go there so early and "stupid stupid sit alone there to wait..but you on your way there already? hahah..ok..you wait lor"

Just great. This was the worst experience I had with this group of friends who are perpectually late during one occasion or another. I can still recount the number of times that I have to wait for half an hour or more before one of them turns up for any of the gatherings that we have. If I make an effort to be punctual it means I'm committed to our agreement, and anything less without valid grounds will just show how lacking in that department on your part. The mere fact that you can wantonly decide what time you want to turn up without any regard for the other people who are in the agreement just show how shallow and inconsiderate that you can be.

"You can always be late also one what..."

Dont these people understand that it's too tiring to speculate how "late" to be cos you dont want to be left stranded waiting for the rest???

Grrrrwwwwwwwlll.........

Carnage

This is a sinful week

It started normally...until yesterday which was when the carnage started:

Tues dinner
Dinner was pork knuckle + sausage platter + beer

Wed lunch
烧肉+ 叉烧+烧鸡 for 6 (which looked like it could feed 10)

Wed dinner
2 black pepper crabs + 1 chilli crab + 海鲜油条+“黄金”豆腐 （which was the size of a rim of A4 paper block)+2 plates of negligible veg (for consolation that we are taking something healthy amidst the artery choking sutff) + Vermonster

Tmr

Lunch - I'm so going to either eat light or skip...cos.....

Dinner - japanese alacarte buffet dinner at Himawari = free flow of shabu shabu+sashimi+fried soft shell crab+ god knows what the rest will order.

The above detailed what I had gone through and going to go through with 3 different groups of people of 3 straight days.


It would hv more amazing if I had remembered to bring my cam on each ocassion to document the kind of food that I am feasting on. I better run them off soon.

NailsNailsNails...

The wine is chilling in the fridge. In the meantime, uploading some of the photo of my sinful escapade yesterday to Yishun.

Nice right?? Cant really see? OK, another one.

How's the closeup?

Another angle.

Ok, it is so untypical of me to be so hiao. But

• I was feeling sian
• Thinking of doing something to my nails, which were getting a bit too long and hurt when I bang on the keyboard in frustration, which was also getting a bit more frequent
• but quite sick of all those nail salon bars who always seem not be really bother
• Got like 4 weddings coming up in the next few months, the first of which is end of the month.

And then I chanced across this website. Thought her designs were quite creative, which is something I found lacking in the nail salon bars. So since I was on half day yesterday, I decided to check the place out. Which was quite worth the trip, esp talking to Cynthia (who did my nails - sweet girl!) and her mum while Cynthia slog away over my stubby fingers.

I was like looking at my nails on the way home; OMG - so pretty !:))

Darn.. even sound a bit lian-ish in this blog. That is so not me..but OMG, so pretty! Ok, thinking of next design to try out..

气。非常气。非常非常气。

This entry contains muted vulgarities and lots and lots and lots of anger and frustration.

xxxxxxxxxxx

A hamster docking station.

Despite my protest and apparent displeasure. Just cos my cube is "not so open".

WTF.

xxxxxxxxxxx

I was surprised when someone came to ask me something, which I hadn't told anybody other those on a need-to-know basis.

I haven't made any decisions yet, but the news had been broadcasted. Thanks to somebody.

WTF.


xxxxxxxxxxx

You dont need me, you just need someone to help do piecemeal stuff.

WTF.

Strawberry Shortcake!

Nope. Not this.

But this.

Or at leat what I tried to be.

First, I cant find whole wheat flour - after scouring Giant, Sheng Siong, NTUC..In the end, I settled for semolina, which is also wheat flour, but after checking with Sunshine, who told me that semolina is actually grinded finer. But what the heck..I already got the strawberry and whipped cream. It will do for a start :p

Second, I cant seem to be able to whip the egg white properly. I think I was probably too impatient, cos I threw in the sugar before the whites were properly peaking. and I couldn't really get the whites to form the "stiff peaks" after that.So it was half an hour of using the mixer until my arm is sort of achy now. Bleh. Straightaway after the mixture went into the pot (I bake with a cooking pot btw..), I googled for the best way to beat egg white until they peak . The wonder of the Ingtereck.

Third, I think I have a subconscious adversion to whipped cream. Instead of whipping the cream from scratch, I cheated and bought a can of whipped cream. Whih is not easy to spread on cake?! It sort of turned watery when I i tried to spead it around (how did people do it so nicely like in the photo?) Maybe also my subconscious mind keeps telling me "less cream. less cream. less cream". Maybe the trick for nicely spread out whipped cream is to dump lots of it? ( I did noticed the thick layer of cream in the photo which made the cake looked super delicious. Hmmm..)

The final product didn't do too badly, but my mum said it tasted like 鸡蛋糕 -.-"

Ok, the next one will definitely be better. The search for whole wheat flour is on!

Stay

Still ripping CDs. It's good that I cant download the software from Nokia Music Center..if not I think I will spend more money.

Remember I mentioned that those cds which I bought eons ago, I still like them? Came across one today. And I still liked.



I wonder where is Lisa Loeb now?

Next - travel speakers

My music collection

My laptop is reformatted and set up again. So today was playing with new toy day!

I was busy the whole afternoon ripping CDs from my collection. It was a good time too..since my CDs were like all over the place - room, hi-fi. car CD deck, boot of car, car visor, car glove compartment...well, I like my CDs to be within one arm reach where I can reach and pop them into the Cd player :p

Realised that although I had bought more english CDs, most of the ones which I decided to upload into iTunes were the Chinese one. Funny thing..I realised that my Chinese CD collections were quite erratic - I had a couple of 陈弈迅and 王力宏 though I wasn't much of a fan, but I had none of SHE?! Well, not that I am a big fan but I would have thought that inclination was more to the latter then the first 2. Of course 五月天,苏打绿　are in.

My choice of english albums had pretty much been quite stable through the years; those I bought them many years ago I still like, and were among the first few that I ripped- robbie williams, love actually sound track, and of course more recent ones like across the universe..somehow I wasnt too keen on those CDs which I had bought recently like Amy Winehouse. just wondering where some of my lounge, jazz and bossa nova music CDs are. Its weird that the whole collection is missing, just wondering when was the last time I took them out?hmm...

Talking abt 苏打绿，was just telling someone the other day that I regretted not going to their concert when they came to Sg recently. Think if they do come again, I will def go.