Good things to cheer about!

Two months ago, I told a friend that only one word could describe my 2009. LOUSY.

Feeling down under physically, emotionally and spiritually half of the time, it certainly didn’t feel like a fantastic year. Having experienced sudden chest pain occasionally, I sometimes wonder if I would just collapse on an ordinary day? More often than not, people said, “hey, you look really tired...气色不好...” when I actually didn’t feel that bad, but somehow the words ate into me. OK, so I looked worse this year. And yes, I often feel lethargic (is not the physical health). Too many times I found myself exclaiming “life is such a struggle!” to my most kind and tolerant workplace neighbour, Uncle S. Oh yes, I did attend Bible Study Fellowship classes, but the spiritual walk, in my opinion, is not considered good. Now, don’t you tell me I’m too harsh on myself.

And like so many other people, I go down the route of stocktaking when the year end approaches. Here’s the good stuff I found:

To my wise and discerning friends, appreciate your guidance

To the most studious CL I have ever come across, you spur me onTo the humorous ones, thank you for making me laugh so much

To be seated next to a most encouraging neighbour is one thing I appreciated from the move, which I didn’t like

To the ones whom I scare/disturb on a regular basis, thank you for laughing with me and allowing me to indulge in such “entertainment”

To SN for communicating with me using “wawanese”, it was great fun

To the oh-so-creative one, 你是我创意的泉源. (WL, may your goosebumps rise)

To BSF lessons, for tiding me through the year. It speaks of the love of the omnipotent one whom we tend to forget, even during bad times

Now the good things have outnumbered the bad ones, isn’t it? These are the things to cheer about, to cherish, and be thankful for.

Upon reflection, I didn’t do a fantastic job in the department of words (this is not a spelling error, is about words, not works) and deeds. Did I say something unkind even on Boxing Day? Yes I did. I am sorry.

There’s no point reminiscing about a good 2008, or lamenting a bad 2009 on matters not described above. Move on. Be a better person next year. There is a reason behind every experience, good or bad. The song below by the late Lou Rawls described the gratitude in this season.

Christmas is the time

Christmas is the time when we should get together
To share the happiness and joy
To see the smiling faces of the little girls and boys

Christmas is the time when we should all give thanks
To the Lord above us
For watching over us and sending down His precious love

There are so many things to be thankful for
Our health, our strength, our peace of mind
When we must not forget those less fortunate than us
We must give our love all of the time

Christmas is the time for us to pray together
Give thanks to God above
Christmas is the time for us to share our love
Just as God share His from above

Enjoy the 12 days of Christmas! =]

For Andre(brother/ 老爹*) and Becky =]

This flash forward poem(don’t read if you hate spoilers) is just for laughs…it would not be recited on the 28th …ha! Sing it to the tune of Joanna Wang’s Tikiville (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCRu_INwWtk) and let me know if you can as I could never, ever manage this!!



Come let us gather
for a celebration

Andre and Becky
the perfect union

And I think everybody here is
serious about partying
and it's quite alright

"Are you sure?
That you’ll be dancing? "
Like in high school musical
and that's quite alright

Oh! Have your hearty meal
Here at St Clare’s Hall
Raise your glasses high
Here at St Clare’s Hall

What you** say
Tis’ your working Saturday
But you really don't care
Yes let's toast to that

What you** say
that you have PSRs to vet
But you really don’t care
Yes let's toast to that

Here you find stuffed turkeys, desserts like bread puddings and other festive dishes tempting
On diet but totally weak to resist here’s where I want to be oh glorious food here I come glorious food here I come

What you** say
Deadlines are not met?
But you really don't care
Yes let’s toast to that

All day long we dance and we sing happy tunes that’s only for this joyous occasion
All the woes and troubles have now disappeared as the hall is filled with cheerful voices and sound of jolly feet tapping on ground

My goodness
all the wedding guests
sitting in this hall
are so good looking

But nobody beats
The dashing groom Andre
The beautiful bride Becky
Smiling in bliss

Now I'm done
with my humble poem
Good food and company
is waiting for me!



*for more information on the uniquely peculiar family structure, feel free to approach Andre, me or my “siblings”, LSM and CL =P
** “you” refers to the PSB guests attending the event

早点回家

我从来不是一个恋家的人，虽然有时候想有个家可以恋。

偶尔想象如果我每天开心地赶回家，因为能见到……哦，只是一闪而过的念头而已。一个极其奢侈的愿望，一个实现了天就会塌下来的幻梦。 作为漂浮的灵魂，与其浪费时间去想一个遥遥无期，还不如专注在辽阔的土壤扩大心的版图。

听到苏打绿的《早点回家》， 还是有些感触。

早点回家

那是在 被人们 感觉遗弃的地方
大马路 矮平房 黄梅布满闹嚷嚷
生命很短 山中开满的果铺成养老枝桠

日子很长 只要是站在等孩子的窗
我们都是 一个人加上另一个人的长相
时间的墙 从他们的手掌到我们的肩膀
流浪星光 代替着那么多眼神对我说话

早点回家 早点回家
光溜溜 黏答答 孩提时光被原谅
牵绊绊 踉跄跄 白发靠我们欣赏
生命很长 美好或者悲伤细数也数不完

日子很短 只要是陪在孩子的身旁
心款款 影恍恍 牵手的步履成双
天茫茫 月苍苍 你们的流域回荡

笑吟吟 声缓缓
尽头前的路暖暖
泥土中央 屋瓦顶上 升起太阳



携手了半个世纪，在生命最后一段路依旧相互扶持，很温暖的一首歌，却不概括所有人的经历。

换个角度看，依旧能得暖意。 其实回得了家，就是件值得感恩的事了。

安静

爱嬉闹的天使

转身

默念 殷切的祷告

无声 表达由衷的关怀
寄不出 字里行间的鼓励

选择隐形 穿梭虚拟空间 探听消息

她

其实很安静

Perth.1: 窗外

2/9/09













喜欢靠窗的座位。放眼望去，是不同色泽的蓝，我贪恋的蓝。
谁说蓝色代表忧伤？ 很不恰当，蓝天怎会苦着脸？那应该是灰灰的阴天。













今天密密麻麻的白云象特大羊毛棉球（人未到，脑海已浮现遍地是牛羊的画面），挺可爱的。

每一次离开地球表面看天空，意味着下一次的旅程，又是宠自己的时刻。

Perth International Airport

柏斯从不在我的places to go list，持着便宜机票，抱着到此一游就好(不可能重游了啦)的心态，来到袋鼠之乡。在机场遇见两个BSF的朋友，未免太巧了！

ML姐姐开车啰

ML自2003考到驾照后就没有开车了。EL和我竟然在异乡坐她的乘客,真是几"幸运"!!=P

午夜漫无目的的乱走,只拍到一树的荒凉。算了，还不如回Criterion Hotel 睡大觉。这个地方啊，可是我住过的旅店中最老旧的哦。单看我们房间的这一道门, 不难想象吧……哈哈。

Pixar Rules =]

Never have I cried within the first 10 minutes of an animation…but UP did it to me! GOSH. Even though there’s so many hilarious moments in the film, tears still flow( I shall use a pail when I watch it again) when Carl saw the final note from Ellie, to thank him for the adventure of their marriage, and to encourage him to go on an adventure of his own. Carl finally relinquished the house, realizing that the wonderful memories, not the possessions, was all he needed to remember Ellie. He already had her ingrained in his heart. With that, he moved on to touch other people’s lives. =]

Hats off to the director, for imparting such poignant lessons of life.







Just when I thought WALL-E’s robotic version of otaku meets sassy girl was unbeatable. UP came to break new grounds.







UP is Pixar’s 10th feature film and definitely at its best (credits to its nostalgic soundtrack too). I must say unapologetically, that their films are a cut above the rest (not comparing animations from other countries).








Behind the radical approach and creativity, one sees Pixar’s commitment to tell good stories illustrating simple yet timeless truths. Pixar films are incredibly funny, sad and wise. You don’t just watch it for a laugh, you’ll learn as well.





On a light hearted note, I sometimes wonder if Pixar’s past works had an indirect impact on me(and friends), subconsciously. I’ll name a few here:

1. Toy story 1 & 2 – perhaps it is a prelude to the birth of the story of Patrick, Eeyore, Da Dong and friends?

2. Monsters, Inc – maybe that’s how I got into the habit of scaring people? =P

3. The Incredibles – is Jac Jac a parallel to Jack Jack?


4. Ratatouille – aptly nicknamed ‘mouse’ for the love of food?

I guess it takes a child in you to appreciate animations. I hope, that these may never depart from me…a childlike sense of wonder…an insatiable curiosity… a vivid imagination and…a spirit for adventure (doesn’t need to be South America)=P


NB: Come get Pixar soundtrack and short films from me, if you wish. =]

A Good Script

Brozeit

C and I had supper after watching The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

One of the my favourite moment was when Hamlet was done backward(imagined Ophelia undrowning. Haha) You have to see it, I couldn't describe it.

And we started to talk about our lives, backward.

With gladness in our hearts, we shared about what the good Lord had done in our lives, and marvelled at how He shaped circumstances, for the better. The tenacity and resilience built in me didn't come naturally, for this I am grateful.

The play was London's longest-running comedy(10 years at the Criterion Theatre!), C exclaimed that all that was needed a good script, so they could carry on doing this for years to come. Wow.

Life is like a script. Any wrong move or poor decision would result in a lousy script that brings regrets.

O Lord, give us a humble heart that allow you to write good scripts of our lives. Amen.

Message Decoded

“You know we spend so much of our lives not saying the things we want to say. The things we *should* say. We speak in code, we send little messages. Origami... So now, plainly, simply, I want to say that I love you both.” -Michael Scofield, Prison Break: The Final Break

Why do people find it easier to speak in code than to put things in simple words?

A Spirited Affair

24/7/09
Brauhaus

Need a lift in your mood? Try having a spirited affair! =]

I have mine with A and the two Cs. Chairman M, altruism did cost you much. =P

" He who drinks gets drunk
He who gets drunk falls asleep
He who falls asleep does not sin
He who does not sin goes to heaven
So let us drink...
... and go to heaven" ---- print on Brauhaus' menu

And a heavenly time indeed it was, with the outpouring of beer and the indulgence of calories, plus my little occasional thoughts that the crocodile dish resembled white meat, tasted like chicken and hence, more healthy. Haha.

Amidst the chaos of the world, I'm thankful to be blessed with a jolly good circle of friends.

I shall not go into the details of the discussion, but I shall leave you with this quote of early (obviously obsolete) English that I came across in some literature. Surely you could figure out what it means. =P

"A friend is in prosperitie a pleasure, a solace in aduersitie, in griefe a comfort, in ioy a merrye companion.....I cannot tell, whether the immortall Gods haue bestowed any gift vpon mortall men, either more noble, or more necessary, then friendship...." - Lyly's Euphues

I fully agree.

Sidetrack:
I'm not done with blogging on Taiwan trip. The last entry would be up before I leave for Perth. =P

Taiwan #8：心里留个位子给你

13/6/2009

在台湾不吃吃喝喝，就是对不起自己。

上次的台湾行，就列出食物大清单。这次懒得做总结,只挑几个提。

就提随便炒都很好吃的台湾蔬菜吧。在新加坡可不是这个情形哦。

在花莲如诗如画的民宿吃到五色早餐，右上角的卷曲蔬菜叫过沟菜蕨(jue2) 。回国后好奇地上网搜寻它的庐山真面目，没料到竟是普遍见到的fern……

清翠爽口的山苏，在本地吃不到，在台湾有机会时就点这个。谁知上网一查，竟是新加坡遍“树”（you see them on rain trees often)都是的bird nest fern！哈哈！

当然，渔港的海鲜必吃，深坑老街的臭豆腐也必吃，水果随便哪种都好吃，但至于冰淇淋/雪糕嘛……就免了吧。给了台湾土产冰淇淋两次机会，每次都很失望咧。

我会怀念鲁肉饭……就算是本地分行，吃起来感觉还是不同的……

有杨妹妹在,真好

有个特别的小妹妹，不得不提。

它的存在，为我们三人增添许多欢乐哦。它举手投足又馋嘴的模样很憨，很好笑。

逗得大家很乐的杨妹妹（YX姑丈姓杨），姐姐们下次回来看你！

北投还没去？
下次吧！

墾丁还没去？

下次吧！

在诚品翻阅彭于晏的墾丁15X6 ，下次的计划，已有雏形。=P

台湾东南西北中，等待无限的下次。未来的旅途，我会留个位子给你。

小朋友们说：

台湾的50岚（KOI）泡泡茶，某些口味新加坡可没有哦！！

Taiwan #7：掉队的狼

12/3/2009

诚品/新光三越/五分铺/中正纪念堂/紫藤芦/台大夜市/师大夜市

前天才光顾台东的诚品，今天又去，可说是三逛诚品了。爱泡台湾的书局，不用言语形容，所以就不多说了。哈哈。

上次在日本旅行时看到同样内容的列车告示，新加坡的地铁很需要贴这个吧？和他国安静的列车比起来，新加坡的简直是……怎一个“吵”字了得？=[

还没到中正纪念堂前，和友人分头逛。我二探五分铺，发现原来星期五可是特价日哦！所以各位想拼经济的话，就选星期五好了！

中正纪念堂是一栋为纪念中华民国前总统蒋中正（字介石）而兴建的纪念建筑, 也常是大型艺文活动的场地。太阳底下，整个广场都挤满了排练军乐或舞蹈的学生。

紫藤芦原是日据时期海军职务宿舍，80年代改建成人文茶艺馆，是艺文界人士发表创作、演说或聚会的地方。

不是文人、更不是品茶能手，我只是个解渴歇脚的过客。

可能是气候的关系，在新加坡不可能完成的“壮举”，竟然在台北办得到！一路走走逛逛，在忠孝新生站到台电大楼站，有7个列车站的距离（回国只要从一个地铁站走到另一个就能热死在汗水里*YUCKS！！*）！！YX姑丈和姑姑都惊讶于我们的能耐！

从台大夜市走到师大夜市，没品尝到令人回味的美食，反而喝了史上最难喝的珍珠芋香奶茶。=[

今天最好吃的，反而是YX姑丈带回来的台湾啤酒、盐酥鸡、甜不辣和臭豆腐。累了，前几天说好要去的台湾啤酒餐厅，就留到下次吧。

掉队的狼

根据FACEBOOK的"which animal represents your spirit?"，我是一匹狼。我想，我就是那匹老是掉队的狼。每次在不同的情况下失散，每次都被寻获。

对不起，又让你们担心了。

谢谢你，不离弃我的朋友。

Taiwan #6：大风吹 吹绿岛

11/6/2009

绿岛

清晨7点，我们启程到富冈渔港乘船到绿岛。一路上，民宿老板一直感慨台东的就业机会少，年轻人往外头跑，留下的多是老人。他衷心地希望台东会好起来。在我看来,台东的城市规划胜过花莲。但为何花莲比较热门呢？唉，如果市政府和旅游局不做点事宣传台东的话，那从心出发的服务精神，世人怎能知晓？

绿岛这个海上乐园，适合骑脚车或电单车兜风。岛上有出租这些交通工具。但由于我们“情况特殊”（两个不会骑脚车，全都不会电单车。唉），所以驾卡车的浮潜教练得兼做司机哦。

其实卡车游绿岛也是新奇的体验。对自己的摄影技巧挺满意的，在卡车行驶时一边保持平衡，一边忙拍照, 拍出来的效果还不错吧？=P

第一次浮潜（snorkelling），惊讶四周漂亮的珊瑚礁海底景观其实非常靠近海岸（我泳术只能用“烂”形容，离岸太远我会担心的。=P），加上极佳的能见度，可以清楚看见我到底喂了什么鱼儿。哈哈！可是浮潜教练的一句“你头发长那么多干嘛，象海草一样！”， 让我觉得……怎么头发多都会被“酸”啊?

[Afternote:I bought a waterproof camera.....for the next trip("_) ]

接下来的朝日温泉，是露天海水温泉浴。自己去想象边泡温泉边看大鹿追小鹿，是怎样的感受吧。只不过，35度的气候，下了温泉，水也不热。等下了水，我们才明白为何早些时候别人会推荐晚上才在绿岛泡温泉，不只水的温度有变，还可以欣赏夜空的星星呢。

岛上某些商店都提醒我们，绿岛本是监狱（1970-1987年）哦！

连我们的浮潜教练兼司机都挺有江湖味的。呵呵呵。

岛上的风很大。我从来没有感受过如此强劲的风。在码头拍照，差点就要站不稳脚步。

当我们在东部享受艳阳天时，台北已经下了几天的大雨。我祈求好天气。感谢主，赐予我们每天的晴空万里。

虽然大热天窝在民宿也很舒服，但留下快乐的足迹、拥抱令人心醉的蓝天，
任由潇洒的风梳理头发，是更大的幸福。
我会记得那一片蔚蓝。

小朋友们有话说：

海风强得差点把我们吹走！好险！

不过能吃到美味的芋头地瓜海草冰，

冒险也值得。=P