I'm getting a permanent case of writer's block! Help! I hate it when I wanna say something, then sit in front of the computer and blank out. Argh! Ah heck. I'll just... Say whatever comes to mind.
Ohhh! I made pork vindaloo today! Well, um. Okay. I didn't MAKE it exactly. I.. um.. stirred it! I put in the ingredients and stirred! See? That does count as cooking right? Right? Oh well. At least I know how to make it now. I'd give you the whole recipe but I wouldn't wanna bore you. Heehee. But I do know it! I swear!
Went out with Davina, Ee May and Adrien to Fruity's for a "late tea". Lesson learnt : Esprit Passionfruit + strawberry milkshake = Something that leaves a guava aftertaste in your mouth. Then we trooped over to my house and had a uh.. noise-making session (it was good noise, though.. whatever that is :P), with Dav on the piano, Ee May on the violin, Adrien singing and me? Haha. Yowling my head off. Blah. I can't sing. Sniffles. And we did the Phantom of the Opera too. Scary betul. Hope my neighbours don't complain about me and my screeching *shudders* I'm a pathetico case, dahlings. But it was good fun. We should do that more often.
I'm going to Sarawak tomorrow baby! But for a retreat so I doubt I'll get to see anything of the state. Sigh. Anyway... off for now! Be back when my brain comes out of freeze zone.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Thursday, February 24, 2005
What Love Is..
What IS love? As we grow older, it's easy to fall back on the usual cliches of oh.. love is a decision, love is a feeling, love is giving and receiving... But those things are so general. Because of that, we never really see the amount of love there is in our lives. It figures it'd take kids to really (and accurately) say what love is. And it really is so simple! I was touched by these, and I'd like to share it with you. As they say, out of the mouth of babes...
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." Nikka - age 6
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who ! are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine - age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner of this contest was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing! , I just helped him cry."
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." Nikka - age 6
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who ! are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine - age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner of this contest was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing! , I just helped him cry."
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Legally Legal!!!
I'm now officially 18. I feel so oooollllllddddddd!!!!! *sniffles**sobs**wails*
Okay okay *calms down*. Well, the "big" day was yesterday. And as per the usual, I had a pretty quiet birthday. Bummed around in the morning and had piano class (ah the cruel-ness of fate!) in the afternoon. Sigh. Does that sound like a regular ol' day to you? I thought so.
Mum took me, Dave, Sharm, Steph and Sheryll to TGI Friday's in Section 14. Meal came up to 184 ++ bucks, I think. *wipes brow* But hell. Once in a lifetime la right... :) Anyway. My dear cousins and mum couldn't keep their mouths shut and announced to one of them waitresses (who happens to be Sharm's friend) that it was my birthday. Whoop dee doo.
Next thing you know, our table is surrounded by TGI staff and I'm being coerced into standing on the chair. Oh lordy. And if that's not enough, they shout to the entire room that "This is Elaine and it's her BIRTHDAY!" Way to wanna be an ostrich!! And if that ain't enough, I have to SING. Yeah. That's right. ME. Sing. Potential disaster, darlin'. Ended up singing True. Which was the easiest of the "requests". The others were "something from Alicia Keys" or "J Lo's My Love Don't Cost A Thing". Ahem. Elaine - Alicia Keys? Nah uh. That just takes away the "potential" out of "potential disaster".
And after I sing? I gotta give a speech. Eeks! I'm just about the worst speech giver in the history of mankind. So I end up sounding like I'm at the Academy Awards or something. "Thank you.. Thank you.. Thank you.." Oh the shame!!! *faints*
Okay, so it was good fun. But anyone who knows me will tell you that I hate being the center of attention. I keep to myself as much as possible and I hate drawing the least bit of attention to myself. Sigh. Oh well. At least I did it and it WAS an experience. *pats self on back*
Lesson I learned on my 18th birthday : I'm not a complete chicken after all! :D
Okay okay *calms down*. Well, the "big" day was yesterday. And as per the usual, I had a pretty quiet birthday. Bummed around in the morning and had piano class (ah the cruel-ness of fate!) in the afternoon. Sigh. Does that sound like a regular ol' day to you? I thought so.
Mum took me, Dave, Sharm, Steph and Sheryll to TGI Friday's in Section 14. Meal came up to 184 ++ bucks, I think. *wipes brow* But hell. Once in a lifetime la right... :) Anyway. My dear cousins and mum couldn't keep their mouths shut and announced to one of them waitresses (who happens to be Sharm's friend) that it was my birthday. Whoop dee doo.
Next thing you know, our table is surrounded by TGI staff and I'm being coerced into standing on the chair. Oh lordy. And if that's not enough, they shout to the entire room that "This is Elaine and it's her BIRTHDAY!" Way to wanna be an ostrich!! And if that ain't enough, I have to SING. Yeah. That's right. ME. Sing. Potential disaster, darlin'. Ended up singing True. Which was the easiest of the "requests". The others were "something from Alicia Keys" or "J Lo's My Love Don't Cost A Thing". Ahem. Elaine - Alicia Keys? Nah uh. That just takes away the "potential" out of "potential disaster".
And after I sing? I gotta give a speech. Eeks! I'm just about the worst speech giver in the history of mankind. So I end up sounding like I'm at the Academy Awards or something. "Thank you.. Thank you.. Thank you.." Oh the shame!!! *faints*
Okay, so it was good fun. But anyone who knows me will tell you that I hate being the center of attention. I keep to myself as much as possible and I hate drawing the least bit of attention to myself. Sigh. Oh well. At least I did it and it WAS an experience. *pats self on back*
Lesson I learned on my 18th birthday : I'm not a complete chicken after all! :D
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Laporan Sambutan Tahun Baru Cina
Methinks I've neglected this blog for a li'l too long. Sigh. Right. It's been a week since the start of Chinese New Year and yeah, you bet your guns I've been too lazy to get down and write. Although I've been itching to. It's just a small matter of turning on the computer and waiting for it to load and logging in and ... you get the picture.
Anyway, I'll just do this day by day.
Tuesday - CNY Eve
Travelled down to M'cca in a car that was filled with more food than humans. Word of advice : Never go on a 2 hour journey with a heavenly smelling, uncut brownie on your lap. It's sheer torture, I tell you!
Didn't take long for us to get around to going to the Jetty. As expected, the place was still heavenly. Even though in the last 6 months or so that we've not been here, two large holes have appeared in the wood. Bah. That didn't deter my pest of a brother from crossing over, though (and scaring me nearly to death half a dozen times).
Wednesday - First day of CNY
Spent the morning at the graveyard. Grandkids sat around and chatted in the blazing hot sun while the kids cleaned the graves. An exercise in futility if you asked me. Especially when you light joss sticks and won't visit the grave for at least another month.
But the experience was rather enlightening. Thanks to a filial grand-daughter of an aunt, we got to see our great grandmother's grave - Oh Bin Niyu, was her name. And believe me, we wouldn't have known two bits about her otherwise. And we got to see the grave of a grand-uncle that we never saw. Ong Kam Choon - my grandma's younger brother who died at 46 of kidney (or liver - they can't decide *rolls eyes*) failure. And also my great grandpa's grave. Weehoo. Family history. You gotta love it.
Went out at night in search of cafes. All were jam packed. Like sardines. With (excuse me, but I have to say this) Ah Bengs, Ah Lians and what my cousins called "Lalas". Malacca sure is a mini China! Anyway, we finally managed to find one with enough place for 10 people but BOY! Was the service slow! Someone tell me how long does it really take to open 4 bottles of beer? I really doubt it takes longer than to make an ice blended mocha latte. Sheesh!
We finally abandoned that cafe (and good riddance too!) and went in search of kerang celup. By that time it was... hm... 1 a.m., I think. But we found one! Oh yes indeedy! Bliss bliss bliss! And oh yeah. I reinforced why I detest beer. Beer in the can sucks. Big time. Ugh.
Thursday - Second day of CNY
Half the gang went home. *sobs* Mind, this wouldn'ta happened if ol' gran had been alive. Sigh. People dying sucks. 3 of us went to see Constantine. Man, it feels good to be (almost) 18!!! Now I can take out my ID with ease. Hehe.
Managed to convince my 58 year old aunt (who's a self-confessed lover of shandy) to try Bailey's Irish Cream. Which, as anyone will tell you, is a thousand times nicer than shandy *grins* Ended up at the Geographer on Jonker Street where David spent a 100 bucks ++ on drinks. (Their vodka lime sucked, by the way. Too much ice, not enough vodka. Bah.)
Friday - Third day of Chinese New Year
Trudged on home. With more things than we left home with. Sigh. That, m'dears, is the nature of the Lim Aunties. It's a taboo to go back with your car less than nine tenths full. Huh. Someone explain that to me.
Well, suffice to say, we'll be lobbyin' like hell for another CNY there. Too many memories. Lesson for the Day : NOTHING beats tradition. And you better believe it.
Anyway, I'll just do this day by day.
Tuesday - CNY Eve
Travelled down to M'cca in a car that was filled with more food than humans. Word of advice : Never go on a 2 hour journey with a heavenly smelling, uncut brownie on your lap. It's sheer torture, I tell you!
Didn't take long for us to get around to going to the Jetty. As expected, the place was still heavenly. Even though in the last 6 months or so that we've not been here, two large holes have appeared in the wood. Bah. That didn't deter my pest of a brother from crossing over, though (and scaring me nearly to death half a dozen times).
Wednesday - First day of CNY
Spent the morning at the graveyard. Grandkids sat around and chatted in the blazing hot sun while the kids cleaned the graves. An exercise in futility if you asked me. Especially when you light joss sticks and won't visit the grave for at least another month.
But the experience was rather enlightening. Thanks to a filial grand-daughter of an aunt, we got to see our great grandmother's grave - Oh Bin Niyu, was her name. And believe me, we wouldn't have known two bits about her otherwise. And we got to see the grave of a grand-uncle that we never saw. Ong Kam Choon - my grandma's younger brother who died at 46 of kidney (or liver - they can't decide *rolls eyes*) failure. And also my great grandpa's grave. Weehoo. Family history. You gotta love it.
Went out at night in search of cafes. All were jam packed. Like sardines. With (excuse me, but I have to say this) Ah Bengs, Ah Lians and what my cousins called "Lalas". Malacca sure is a mini China! Anyway, we finally managed to find one with enough place for 10 people but BOY! Was the service slow! Someone tell me how long does it really take to open 4 bottles of beer? I really doubt it takes longer than to make an ice blended mocha latte. Sheesh!
We finally abandoned that cafe (and good riddance too!) and went in search of kerang celup. By that time it was... hm... 1 a.m., I think. But we found one! Oh yes indeedy! Bliss bliss bliss! And oh yeah. I reinforced why I detest beer. Beer in the can sucks. Big time. Ugh.
Thursday - Second day of CNY
Half the gang went home. *sobs* Mind, this wouldn'ta happened if ol' gran had been alive. Sigh. People dying sucks. 3 of us went to see Constantine. Man, it feels good to be (almost) 18!!! Now I can take out my ID with ease. Hehe.
Managed to convince my 58 year old aunt (who's a self-confessed lover of shandy) to try Bailey's Irish Cream. Which, as anyone will tell you, is a thousand times nicer than shandy *grins* Ended up at the Geographer on Jonker Street where David spent a 100 bucks ++ on drinks. (Their vodka lime sucked, by the way. Too much ice, not enough vodka. Bah.)
Friday - Third day of Chinese New Year
Trudged on home. With more things than we left home with. Sigh. That, m'dears, is the nature of the Lim Aunties. It's a taboo to go back with your car less than nine tenths full. Huh. Someone explain that to me.
Well, suffice to say, we'll be lobbyin' like hell for another CNY there. Too many memories. Lesson for the Day : NOTHING beats tradition. And you better believe it.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Chinese New Year
Tomorrow's Chinese New Year. Yippee. Will be going back to Malacca today.... Can't wait. That's always, like, the best part of CNY. Everyone gets together, stays together, plays together, gets richer (or poorer.. depending on your marital status :P) together.... It's altogether a really fun time.
This year, though, is going to be slightly different - bitter-sweet's the word for it, I guess. Since my grandmother died last year, we won't be officially celebrating CNY. And to make things worse, this'll be the last year we go down to Malacca for CNY because with both grandparents gone, the uncles 'n' aunts find no reason for everyone to go all the way to Malacca when 90% of us are in KL.
Which basically sucks. Because ever since we were BORN we've been going back for CNY. Every single year! It's like a tradition - ingrained into us. I can bet that CNY without Malacca will never feel like CNY. To us grandkids, Malacca = CNY, and that's the bottom line. With everyone in KL, we'll probably meet for say... dinner. Then everyone'll go their separate ways. Sigh.
That said, you can bet us cousins will try and make the most of this "last trip". We'll go to the Jetty, tramp over to the Portugese settlement, buy instant noodles from the 7 Eleven, eat all the Malaccan food we can find (it doesn't taste as good in KL).... Argh! I'm still so so so sad!!!! :(
I suppose we'll give it a shot and go down on our knees and beg our parents to reconsider. Our reactions may seem extreme, but CNY in Malacca has always been very, very special to all the kids. Family-bonding time, and all that nonsense. I know for sure that I'll always feel that something's missing. It may fade in time, but I doubt I'll ever have as much fun as I've had every year for 18 years - ever again. Sniffles.
Anyway, wishing you guys a very Happy Chinese New Year and I hope you get lots and lots and lots of ang pows! God bless.
This year, though, is going to be slightly different - bitter-sweet's the word for it, I guess. Since my grandmother died last year, we won't be officially celebrating CNY. And to make things worse, this'll be the last year we go down to Malacca for CNY because with both grandparents gone, the uncles 'n' aunts find no reason for everyone to go all the way to Malacca when 90% of us are in KL.
Which basically sucks. Because ever since we were BORN we've been going back for CNY. Every single year! It's like a tradition - ingrained into us. I can bet that CNY without Malacca will never feel like CNY. To us grandkids, Malacca = CNY, and that's the bottom line. With everyone in KL, we'll probably meet for say... dinner. Then everyone'll go their separate ways. Sigh.
That said, you can bet us cousins will try and make the most of this "last trip". We'll go to the Jetty, tramp over to the Portugese settlement, buy instant noodles from the 7 Eleven, eat all the Malaccan food we can find (it doesn't taste as good in KL).... Argh! I'm still so so so sad!!!! :(
I suppose we'll give it a shot and go down on our knees and beg our parents to reconsider. Our reactions may seem extreme, but CNY in Malacca has always been very, very special to all the kids. Family-bonding time, and all that nonsense. I know for sure that I'll always feel that something's missing. It may fade in time, but I doubt I'll ever have as much fun as I've had every year for 18 years - ever again. Sniffles.
Anyway, wishing you guys a very Happy Chinese New Year and I hope you get lots and lots and lots of ang pows! God bless.
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