Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Some clarification
let me clarify something about my post about my kl trip. i am NOT a whiny and unhappy adolescent who loathes to be in the presence of older people and the cantonese they speak.
i am perfectly alright with all these... really.
but yea, when i can speak nothing to them and when i end up staring into space, at other people in the restaurant and their funny-looking leftovers, yes, you can say I WAS LONELY.
that's why i thought that the cantonese conversation-infused dinner was torturous.
ya, so now, take away the thought of me being a rude, ignorant and grumpy young lady!!!
hey rub that "i-know-you-are-ha-ha-ha" look from your face!!
hooked!
megan introduced me this online games website and boy it's fun!
i tried different games and some are rather silly (like the one where you get to dress up a bride.. ha.). nonetheless, i've never played online games before so i thought this website was an eye-opener. aha.
suaku, right?
Monday, May 28, 2007
The Trip
hi! i'm so glad i'm back in singapore because that kl trip nearly killed me.
well, before you do your shocking gasps, i have to clarify that the above statement is not literal. ok not that the entire trip was THAT bad but i said i nearly died because i was drowned in cantonese for 6 days.
there was one particular dinner, which i had with my nainai and her relatives that nearly murdered me because the entire conversation was ONLY in Cantonese. i thought to myself: this is soooooooo horrible. i am stuck in a table with a group of older people, speaking a language that I can only understand 30% of.
frankly speaking, i am socially inept when it comes to dialects. The same thing happens when my mom chats with her sisters and mom in teochew.
it's actually a shame to not be able to speak Cantonese or Teochew. i'm going to learn it.
it's actually a shame to not be able to speak Cantonese or Teochew. i'm going to learn it.
ok let me not digress. the highlight of the whole trip was living in aunty bernadine's bungalow/mansion... whatever you call it. the entire house has such an english/australian feel to it that you feel like you're living in a showroom. in my room, i even have my own movie theatre.that house was my refuge because i could finally converse in english and not cantonese with my nainai's sister and relatives. phew! anyway i enjoyed myself there, playing with megan (my distant cousin). she's only 9 years old but very intelligent and mature, so to her, i don't have to resort to any cajoling baby talk.
nice things in kl
1) delectable dim sum lunches. bring on the cheong funs (stuffed with prawns and char siew) and har gow!!!
2) dunkin' donuts. why did they leave singapore? hah, those people at KL don't have to queue for donuts!
3) afternoon teas
4) cheap shopping in humongous shopping centres
4) cheap shopping in humongous shopping centres
Monday, May 21, 2007
a cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.
proverbs 15:30 (NIV Bible)
mom said to me this morning, "put a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eyes".
she really lived out this maxim (ask angie. she can vouch for that!). looking at her sure brings joy to the heart and assurance for myself.
have been feeling under the weather for the past week. many things didn't work out well. for one, i flared up not long ago... and that was totally unlike me. very ugly. very not esther.
so for this week, God's joy has to rain on me! let me have a peaceable heart.
peace. create love not war.
things that make me happy
1) walking along the streets of bras basah/city hall all by myself on a breezy evening
2) heart-to-heart talks with my sisters at esplanade waterfront/somewhere at esplanade
3) afternoon teas and sweet treats with my dearest ny girlfriends
4) watching a funny episode of "my name is earl"
5) piping hot soups/broths on a cold day
6) finding treasures in second-hand bookstores at bras basah
7) a fun cycling trip with good friends
8) family gatherings (mom's side)
9) a good buffet spread (i can't take buffets nowadays but the sight of variety just excites me. don't give me that look please. i really have no idea why.)
10) pleasant surprises
i tell you, i can never ever finish naming what makes me happy. but that's all for now. perhaps i can make this a series... ha.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
obtrusive men on the train
one of the things that i cannot tolerate on the train is men opening their legs so wide that they end up taking two seats instead of one.
yesterday, i was on the train and this man, spreaded his legs so wide and ended up obtruding the space of a young girl (about 6 years old) who began to show signs of discomfort and fear. i was throwing erm-excuse-me-your-legs-are-opening-very-widely-and-it's-gross glances at that man but he seems oblivious to everything. hrmph!
what a bully! though the little girl doesn't take much space, he has no right to obtrude her space.
what's with opening their legs so wide?! can't they be more considerate? if you want so much leg space, then go take a cab or ride a bicycle... whatever. just don't do this on the train.
it's uncouth and certainly uncalled for.
He provides
as the deadline for church's building fund submission nears, i find it a difficulty to cough out the money that i've pledged. it is not a four figure sum but to me, it's pretty challenging cos my pocket money is just right.
but hey! guess what. i've got not 1, but 2 more tuition jobs! going to give english tuition to a sec4 boy and to another boy, gp.
wow! i don't have to teach primary school kids. phew! it's pretty cool. so altogether, i have 3 students, all boys with raging hormones. ha.
but now, i do pray that God will grant me good time management. with these extra tuition jobs, i better manage my time well or my church commitments and school work may suffer.
whichever way, extra income! God provides enough ALL THE TIME.
yue+char+me=good ole jc fun
last friday, we met before yue flew off to france. we shopped and had xiaolongbaos and our jc favourite, opposite zhonghua's tomyam fish beehoon!
whilst sihui was off to watch phantom of the opeerrraaa, i, together with char & yue went to watch my jc's lit dept production of shakespeare's OTHELLO that night. i thought it was pretty good for a school production and man, that guy who acted as othello sure is intense!
going to upload those silly photos that we took together soon. when i have the time.
*
Thursday, May 10, 2007
the post that's all about tv shows
sesshoumaru is *swoons* suave!
i love it when he strides across fields, forests... everywhere with such dignity - a sense of aloofness.
there is something enigmatic about him that's so attractive and leaves me intrigued. even my mom agrees that he's suave! mom watches "inuyasha" with me. hee.
little britain & my name is earl
hahahaha some shameless advertising here!
everyone should watch little britain and my name is earl. goodness. i watch them to milk some laughters out of myself on a sad sad mediocre day. laughter is good for health.
i feel lighter (mentally speaking, though i hope it would be physical) after catching them.
speaking of which, i think i've put on weight.
see, this is what happens when i stay at home, motionless like a potato.
i need to send my resumes to find a job and also... to exercise.
well, anyway, here's a clip of little britain. it features carol beer, an administrative worker who ALWAYS says "the computer says no". she's just cruelly funny. you may not get it but you have to catch more of it to understand the idiosyncrasies of the characters little britain feature.
Friday, May 04, 2007
my professor, j. lo (jonathan london, get it?) emailed me and said the following:
"Esther, (and another girl),
Nice job on the H20 blog assignments. Your care in doing the assignments has been noted.
Hope you got something out of the class this semester….I realize it can be a dry subject…"
oh goodness. i nearly did a somersault when i read this but well, of course, i didn't or you would see me in cast now. Praise God for everything.
my emotional professor (he gets temperamental at certain times, especially when students give him THE Blank Look when he is expecting some responses. well, face it. singapore is not the US. haha! ) actually wrote a personal email to me! this is encouraging!
i don't know if he emailed this to many others but at least he acknowledged my work :D it sure feels good.
The Witching Hour
if you ever read enid blyton's stories, you would know what is THE WITCHING HOUR. ok for those who are clueless, it refers to time when the clock strikes midnight, when all the toys come alive and play, and witches fly in their broomsticks in the sky.
i used to be fascinated by it but of course, as i grow older, i tend to sleep later than midnight and no, my bedside teddy bear didn't turn around to say hi.
nowadays, my body clock has been extremely rebellious. it refuses to let me sleep even when the Witching Hour has long gone past. my body hasn't adjusted from the exam period when i turn in only at 3am. URGH. it is frustrating! frustrating frustrating!
I'll leave you guys with some quotes.
"Politicians are all the same. They promise to build bridges even when there's no river." - by a late US statesman but i forgot his name!
"I was born intelligent. Education ruined it." - Lingsheng, my cousin.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
good riddance
1) end year exams (no more a freshie!)
2) late night 3am sleeps
3) messy, notes-infested table
why, hello!
1) temp job at iras (if possible)
2) many church meetings
3) reading c.s lewis' works
4) catching up with everyone. coffee or teh anyone?
after the last paper
headed to town with denise, van, weiching and seng keat to satiate our ravenous selves! we wolfed down our hearty mee sua and sinful fried chicken cutlet. calories? i don't care!
but pity i had to leave early cos my tuition kid/teenager (?? - he is 15) wanted more explanation on his literature text. blah spoiler.
can't wait for our spiderman movie outing next wed!
wilbur(ina)
recently, sihui realised that her dwarf hamster wasn't an Adam but an Eve! hence, we renamed wilbur to wilburina. haha!
sounds good doesn't it? i wanted wilberette but sarah suggested wilburina and hey, that has a nicer ring to it. so wilburina he, opps i mean she shall be.
Rev Huang Ruijun
she is a great, godly and spontaneous woman with a hearty laugh that's infectious ;) and i learned much from her today. from her, i learned to see how my parents' histories and childhood as God's plans to mould who i am in the future. I want to create changes in the community for Him in my future job!
He has a wonderful plan for everyone on earth and that is for sure. He plans for you. He knows what you are going to do in the future. You are not here by accident. He knows your name, your parents - everything. But first, you have to know Him better before understanding His heart for your life.
i am also always grateful to God for giving me the capacity and wisdom to study in university. because i was thinking... if God wanted to take away my ability to study, He could. He could have taken away all these from me. It is easy. Just a bad car accident, I can turn into a vegetable and lose my senses and rationality. But no, my good God blessed me with a chance to study well, with a supportive extended family. I am not saying that my life is oh-so-perfect. There were many many painful memories along my life which i would much rather forget, but compared to the blessings He has showered on me, those problems i faced were peanuts!
I've learned to count my blessings - to look at the things around me and be grateful for what i have rather than what i do NOT have.
What to expect from here
FLASHBACK
CREDITS