I had reunion dinner just this evening at Cafe Brio, Grand Copthorne with Nainai, Dad, Mom, 2nd Uncle, Aunty Helen and Sarah. It was the only day we could all make it this week.

The buffet spread was noteworthy and I would have missed out certain sections of the spread if I was not observant enough.
I love how the pretty desserts were displayed but because I was already full, I actually passed out on everybody's perennial favourite - the chocolate fountain!

It was fun looking at every dish offered. I think the drunken prawns were fabulously fresh. The broth that comes with it was full-bodied and appropriately herb-infused. It's my favourite dish for this evening.

My most adventurous dish for this evening was cheese. Not those slices of cheese which we have been having all our lives, but gourmet cheeses and yes, they are an acquired taste.
I'll just stick to Kraft.

As I was saying, their dessert counter was colourful and pretty, and therefore, it's my favourite section. I had their Raspberry and Almond Tart, Linzer Torte, brownies, Fruit Mousse, Aloe Vera Sago shots (they come in shots. cute), cakes and the yummy of the yummies - Banana Crumble.
It is warm and the banana was caramelised to accentuate the crumbs on top. Dribbled some white sauce on top and viola, DECADENCE!

You may think this dinner is pricey but with DBS card, we get the One-for-One offer. So basically, for the price of one, 2 persons get to eat. For 2 person, it's only about $52 (after GST and the sorts) for dinner!

Pity I did not try everything yet. There were simply so much more for me to have but gluttony would be wrong. I would come back again if I can find like-minded people who are willing to eat with me.

Nainai said I got thinner after my illness. I can't agree with her more. I don't like myself to be too thin on the arms and legs. I look odd.
So, I must build my body up and make myself fit.
Eat more and exercise!

Really, a sick body is spiritually weak too.
So everyone, be healthy and load up your Vitamin C!

A flurry of things have been happening recently. The skies look almost grey all the time because of the seasonal rain.

My nights have been mostly nothing but fatigue, a kind of ill fatigue, leaving me little concentration for my work.
It doesn't help that I am taking Statistics this semester. I thought I have already escaped the clutches of JC mathematics - normal distributions, Z-scores... but they came back to haunt me in varsity. Social statistics are not my best friends.

I am weary. Sick.

I just want to let go of all entanglements and go back to square one, when I was in Secondary 3, all eager to serve our Lord, free from the complications that come with age.

"Three little seagulls soaring in the sky.
Where do they come from?
We're quite far, I would think, from the sea, yet these seagulls come by pretty regularly.
They give glory to their creator in the way they fly, soar. flap their wings, for they do what they were made to do, and they do it beautifully."
-- a short excerpt from Corrinne May's blog

I want wholly to do what I was created to do, and to do it beautifully.

i slept in front of my lecturer today!

notice that i wrote chinese at the end of my page! i don't know why. this is a sociology module! i can't believe myself. rubbish. utter rubbish. the above lines are incoherent too. gaaaah.

see this line? "evoluting of epidemic infectious DINNERS!" which i later cancelled and replaced with the correct word "diseases". was i unconsciously thinking of food? oh no.

wow! see what the drowsiness after lunch can do to me!

i laughed myself silly after the lecture ended. i need new notes!!!

cs100 is a great module!
it helps when the lecturer is engaging and charming (he's really good-looking for his age!)
and... it's great when cecilia is around! she's one of my primary school besties and now we have the same module in uni - cs100!

reminiscing the times with her made me laugh all the time.
she remembered the silly magazine that I, and a few other mischievous friends wrote when we were in primary six.
i could remember we name it 卖歌金 ("magazine", get it?) and wrote loads of weird translations and class gossips which entertained many of classmates who were also crazy enough to read it. we even planned for different issues! gosh.

i think i really enjoyed my primary six days.

***
NOW THAT ANGIE's 21st is over, i find her to be more radiant and pretty.
there's this new confidence and assurance in her that's becoming attractive.
happy 21st my dear sweet cousin.

i can't wait for mine to come!
what shall i have...?
a thanksgiving session is a must!

you know these teenagers are desperate when they approached me
after school, i headed to causeway point to get my fix of gourmet yogurt from cold storage. as i walked towards the entrance, i heard some muffled grunts behind me.

turned around, and i saw 2 fuchun secondary school girls in uniform trying to get my attention. they started rambling in badly enunciated english while i tried my hardest to understand them.
first attempt: failed.
got them to repeat what they were saying. and they mumbled AGAIN.
but this time round, i caught the crucial phrase - "fresh faces".

ahhhhh talent scouts! they are those teenagers whom you see in orchard road, bugging you to give your number so some bogus model/talent agency can contact you and expand their pool of "talents".

poor girls. when they approached me, i knew they were already at their wit's end.
they just need a name and number so they can get their commission.

i rejected them.

things have to be so hard
and the hardest for me now?
a relationship.
this relationship thingy makes me afraid. i get too cautious.
too protective.
my ideals get onto me...
and in the end, i get nowhere.

but whichever way, i know i've made the right moves and settled everything nicely (or so i assume), at least for now.

God still loves and pursues me, and knowing this satisfies me already.

question: what do they both have in common?

answer: they're both 19, born in 1988.

but look at them. one is a celebrity who plays the fame game too far by posing naked for her boyfriend, zac efron.
the other one may look unfamiliar to you.
well, he's bilawal, the son of benazir bhutto. in case you don't know who is bhutto. she is the recently assassinated political leader of Pakistan People's Party.

because of her death, 19-year-old bilawal has to succeed her place as the leader of this big pro-democracy party.
AND HE IS ONLY A FREAKING 19. that's the same age as my sis, sarah!!!

what struck me was the polarity between the the 2 lives. both 19, yet with such drastic responsibilities. i really feel for bilawal. poor chap.
only 19 and he has to shoulder such a huge responsibility while the rest of us struggle with superficial relationships and having no money to play.

the world = new york?
from the poster for "i am legend (IAL)": the last man on earth is not alone
from the famous line in "heroes": save the cheerleader, save the world

these shows are all set in new york and we can see how american producers are so deluding!
it's just new york suffering. come on.
the virus from IAL merely attacked new york, so technically speaking, that will smith character is so NOT the last man ON EARTH.
people are china and sudan are still living.

and from "heroes"... need i say more?

lesson learnt: movies and tv shows are dramatised and highly exaggerated.
we need more reality.


some things i would like to accomplish... soon
1. disciple limin. we're starting soon! i got a great book, "a young woman after God's own heart" which we can do together. i believe i'll learn a lot too.
2. get my sec 3 cell together. ie. hunt down my missing boys!
3. mug mug mug and score a 4.3 and above.
4. eat more. gain some weight at the right places.
5. learn how to cook! i am sick of the greasy, unpalatable and increasingly expensive (no thanks to the oil price spike!) food outside!

God grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr, theologian

this maxim shall be prayer in difficult times.


thanksgiving
1) the first 5 days of 2008 were filled with loads of family fun because my uncles, aunts and cousins came back from auckland and chiang mai. last night, we had a bbq and i thought it was the best family gathering ever.
i got to have a better chat with stacy jiejie (my petite and pretty cousin in law) and found out how jude (another of my cousin in law) produced the 987 tv advertisement.
managed to strike up a conversation with madeleine (my cousin's girlfriend) too and she's really sweet, so unlike typical smu students. ha.

i was entertained by my little cousins and the bbq food was excellent! one of the best of all i have tried.
i love my extended family!

2) i thank God for having angie and deren work alongside with me on our sec 3 cell this year. after our meeting this morning, i feel ready and excited to guide our sheeps and help them soar in their youth!

3) praise God i managed to get CS100 registered as one of my subjects this coming semester! i heard CS100 is so popular and it's always hard to get.
this is the start of my minor in communication studies!


5 days into 2008, 360 days left to 2009!
let these days that i spend be glorious in the eyes of God!