2008 Unforgettable birthday celebration

I felt really blessed during my birthday this year because of the many old friends who still remembered my birthday & sent me well wishes & gift & also the many new friends who have slowly become an important part of my life & showing their appreciation through gifts & well wishes on my birthday too. I'm also really glad that I am aging gracefully, not afraid to let people know my age, & still maintaining a young heart & enjoying everyday of my life, despite the many ups & downs in my life.

I just realized that this is my 3rd birthday celebration with C already. Despite the many uncertainties in my heart, I'm glad that I'm still together with him, striving towards a common goal that both of us shared in Christ Jesus.

I had actually intended to have only a simple dinner at Fisherman's village at Pasir Ris beach as I always find it very tiring to go out on weekday night. However, I realized later that I had a discount voucher at North Border Restaurant at Rochester Park & coincidentally, I just passed by that place on 13 Sep. when I went for the talk by Wu dan ru. I had heard of this new hang-out place but do not know where it is. But now that I know it is near the Mrt Station & thus is quite accessible, I decided to have a special birthday dinner there.

This is the entrance of the Restaurant. There are a few other restaurants there which have quite good review too. I will try it again in future if C closes a big deal.

The indoor section of the restaurant was closed on Thursday evening, so we had to sit outdoor. It was a bit warm, but the ambience & decoration was great. There was jazz music playing in the background, & it adds to the atmosphere.

I decided to dress up for that day so as to make myself happy. A black dress, that I had wore for a few times, a new belt that I had never wore before, a hand-made necklace that I had wore also for a few times, & a pair of earrings that I had just received as a gift.

The food took some time to come, so I was busy taking photographs of the surrounding. That is the bar area inside.

All the restaurants at rochester park are housed in 100+ years old colonial house. Its a time for nostalgic feeling & remembering our colonial past.

The food here was a bit expensive, with all the main courses costing more than S$25. I ordered the baby back ribs which was cooked in their signature bbq sauce. It was great actually, but a bit too "strong" taste for me. But after eating their ribs, I won't eat the famous ribs at cafe cartel anymore.


C ordered the herb roasted chicken which I don't really like because I dislike breast meat. All the desserts were quite expensive too, with all of them costing more than S$10. But since I'm the birthday gal, I got a free warm bittersweet mexican chocolate torte. It was really great, with the warm chocolate flowing out from the crispy crust & melting in my mouth. The vanilla ice-cream was an added bonus too.

I had a lighted candle on my special cake to mark this special occasion.

After dinner, while I was on the way to their toilet upstairs, I passed through their special decoration along their staircase.

I was quite captivated by their beautiful toilet & so took a few photos of it. Here is one of them:

I ended off the day feeling really exhausted but extremely happy. I received so many presents that I really wanted this year. It must be god listening to the desires of my heart. I had no earrings, no black bags, no bohemian style necklace, & no alphabet necklace. But I got all of them on my birthday. Yippee......

These are the 2 black bags from cell group & SW:

This is the necklace from JX:

Lastly, these are the earrings & "bohemian" necklace from my beloved colleagues, bought by WL:
(PS(1): F will be giving me a treat on 24 Sept. ;) Its so nice that she still remembers my birthday every year. I realized that if you put your heart into managing a relationship, people will do the same to you too. I love all of you, my friends.)

(PS(2): I have so many wishes for my birthday this year, I just pray that god will really lead me to the path he has laid for me.)

多事之秋的九月，十年又一次的危机

昨天，9月16日，发生的AIG危机事件，才让我发觉到其实九月这个秋季是个多事之秋。九月发生的重大历史事件包括美国的911事件，台湾的921大地震，中国的918东北事件。其实我很喜欢9月这个月份的，因为我的生日就在这个月份，而我最爱的季节也是秋天。不过，这个月份似乎和悲剧脱不了关系。

1998年发生了货币危机。因为那个危机，有人跌倒了，从此再也爬不起来。也有人自杀身亡，从此离开了这起起落落的人生。也有人在“危机”中找到了机会，从最低的谷地爬到了山顶上。

十年之后，2008年9月16日，我又从朋友口中得知了AIG可能面对破产的消息。我昨天没看新闻，也拒绝去翻阅新闻。我听到了这个消息后，第一个念头就是：这个世界是不是要灭亡了，因为连在美国FORBES杂志排行前几名的AIG都要倒闭了，那整个世界肯定会陷入混乱中。六位数的投资与保障，说不担心是骗人的。但我更悲伤的是因为这个事件，又有多少人会被逼走上绝路呢。AIG的股票从60美元跌到了1.75美元，那损失可说是无以计算。

明天就是我的生日了。我现在唯一的愿望就是有一个救星能够把AIG从危难中拯救出来，虽然这一切都是他们自己不慎理财才造成的危机。这是多么反讽的事件啊，因为规模这么大的保险公司竟然犯了保险经纪最不愿叫客户犯的错误，那就是把所有的鸡蛋都放在一个篮子里。

中秋话圆月与月饼

俗语说“十五的月亮十六圆”，今天我终于目睹了这景色，就在我的睡房的窗外。这是个星期一的夜晚。我拖着疲惫的身躯回到家时，一抬头竟然看到了这“动人”的景色。我赶紧拿起了相机，利用相机的不同功能，拍下了以下的四张照片：


提起中秋节，怎么会少了月饼呢。昨天，我就在冰箱里找到了一盒SWISSOTEL的月饼，并品尝了一粒。月饼里面有酒的味道，中间还夹了一粒圆圆的东西。我吃不出是什么口味，但觉得非常好吃。今天，我在拍照时，才发现这盒月饼原来是迷你冰皮香槟巧克力月饼。我想它的价钱应该不菲，好开心能吃到免费的。


星期六那天，我也在学烹饪的地方买了一盒素的月饼。其口味是金瓜加芋头，就叫金芋月饼。月饼的盒子好美，名字也好美，所以便把它拍了下来。


《秋的浪漫》-多么诗情画意的一个名字啊。秋天本来就是属于中秋节的啊，也是属于我的，因为我就在秋天出世。我的血液里将永远流着秋天凄美与浪漫的情怀。而我也正期待着有朝一日，我能够放下我的工作，去和秋天赴一场毕生难忘的约会。

一场孤独的文学盛宴

星期六早上，我自己一个人报名参加了以上的这个活动，只为了听一听我的偶像作家吴淡如的短短一席之谈。原来我对于有兴趣的东西可以那么富有热忱，即使要起得早，即使要一个人千里迢迢地去“赴约”。


吴淡如的每一本书，我差不多都读完了。可是我真正喜欢上她的书是从读了她的《昨日历历，晴天悠悠》之后。那本书是写给她那因为感情问题而自杀身亡的弟弟。他的弟弟是个很聪明的孩子，生前也热爱摄影，热爱艺术，热爱生活。那本书就收集了他的弟弟生前所拍的精美照片。他的弟弟的事件完全改变了她的写作路线。她后来写的书都是跟生活有关，而书中也收录了很多精美的照片。我最喜欢的其中一本书就是《跟我到天涯海角》。她真的在写作中渐渐地成长了。而我也在写作中渐渐成长，渐渐找到了自我，渐渐重拾了自信心。

在分享会中，我又再一次与村上春树与张爱玲等作家“重逢”，也看到了在新加坡这个移民社会，有许多文笔深厚的青年作家正等着崭露头角。


在这场分享会中，我也认识了连士升这个人，也免费获得了以上这本书。很容易阅读的一本励志书，我在当天的路程中就快把它读完了。

在忙碌的教书生涯中，我也渴望拥有一片心灵的净土，让我可以躺卧在上面，仰望着浪天白云，倾听着微风从耳边掠过，呼吸着清新的空气。

我的学习之旅，他们的学习之旅

我今天又发脾气，生气，歇斯底里地骂人了。而他们会表现出这样的行为，也只不过是在宣泄、乘机发疯、疏解他们的压力。老实说，我也不是真的生他们的气。我跟他们一样，也是这个制度的受害者之一，只能够随波逐流。所有的压力都是从上而下的，而最大的受害者就是他们了。

其实生命中的种种考试，都会随着时间的流逝而变得一点都不重要了。有多少人，有多少雇主现在还会在意你的PSLE 成绩呢？可是这次的考试对今天的他们来说却犹如生死的抉择似的，只许成功，不许失败，因为失败就犹如死亡，再也无法翻身了。可是失败的意味真的是这样吗？你今天成功了，进入了好中学，就代表你一辈子都会成功、幸福快乐吗？你今天失败了，进入了邻里中学，就代表你再也无法好好学习，考取最终的那张文凭吗？不是的，不是的。

这一年的他们根本无法享受学习的过程，而我也无法享受传授知识的过程。这种不断填鸭的方式，不断“进补”的方式，我觉得只会弄巧反拙，造成物极必反的效果。一个人吃太多的补品也会生病啊！人生中要学的功课还多着呢！你们到底学会了吗？

他们今天的学习方式与学习压力，让我不断回想起我的学习生涯与学习成绩。我一直是个聪明的学生，所以非常享受我的学习生涯，因为没有老师逼迫我每天做两、三分试卷，每天下课后继续补课到五、六点，而回家后还要去上课外补习班。我的学习生涯中从来都不曾、也不需要有人帮我补习。

在小六会考中，我本来信心满满，以为我肯定能够进入特选中学，所以我就随便填了TKGS为我的第一志愿中学，因为我相信我还有多一个选择的机会。结果不出我所料，我考获了两个A*和两个A。可是，我的总分才240，不但进不了特选班，连TKGS也进不了。我被MOE分配去我的第二志愿中学TKSS。那也是我随便选择的学校，所以我还觉得蛮惊慌的。最后，我妈决定把我转去AHS的快捷班。那是我做的最明智的选择。如果让我再选择的话，我还是会选择特选中学，而不是其他的“英校”。其实我觉得我的程度还是在那里的，因为在第二年，我就从快捷班升上特选班。这一次，我又决定转校了，因为我哥哥都在DHS。那也是我做出的另一个明智的选择。

接下来的O水准和A水准考试，我就再也没出差错了。而每一次的好成绩都是在没有压力以及非常享受的过程中得来的。我甚至有这个能力选择我想读的科目，不想读的科目。

其实我的生命中充满了很多选择，而不同的选择则把我引领到不同的道路上。只可惜人生不能从来，要不然我好想知道若我做出不同的选择的话，我将会遇到什么人，什么事，最终还会活出怎样的人生呢？

生命中的失败并不可怕。失败只不过会让你经历不同的人生罢了，重要的是你如何把握和享受那过程。最可怕的是你一点都不享受那学习的过程，甚至因为压力而浇熄了你对学习的热忱。人生的过程何尝不是这样呢？到底有多少人因为压力和忙碌的生活而忘记了人生是一段过程呢，甚至对人生失去了兴趣与热忱呢？唉，可怜的学生与老师啊。。。。。。

An exhilarating holiday

It has been a long long time since I blog about daily life as life has been quite monotonous, which consist mainly of marking, exams, results, targets, meetings, remediation strategies etc. etc. But the break this week was really a break from the crazy drilling & the tremendous pressure put on us to achieve some goals which will surely seem meaningless many years down the road, both for us & for the pupils.

Since I will never have the chance to go for a long trip during one week break, I will always grab the chance to enjoy myself in Singapore & JB, & the main enjoyment will be catching up with friends of the same profession, eating, shopping, singing, listening to music, watching drama series & reading. With my parents going overseas this week, I also enjoy myself tremendously at home as I finally have no one to nag around me & having a quiet & personal space of my own.

On Monday(1/9/08), I met up with SW & her son for lunch at cafe cartel. The set lunch was already sold out at 2pm, so we had to settle for something more expensive. Alas, it was a pity, because only during the school holiday can we go for such value meal. But nevertheless, we had an enjoyable chat over lunch. After that, we took a 20 minutes walk over to MY's house as SW's son walk very slowly & we had to take a nice, relax stroll with him. This is the 3rd time we visited her since she gave birth earlier in the year. It was really a twist of fate, & god's blessing that she finally gave birth to these pair of twin boys. An unfortunate event happened during her 1st pregnancy, but it was really a good testimony that god will not forsake those who have being through much tears & heart-break. Below are the photos we took during our 2 visits:


On Tuesday(2/9/08), I had to go back to school for an exhausting 2-hr lesson. After that, I had to rush off to meet JX so as to accompany her to Ngee Ann City to make the NZ visa. It was nearly 3pm when we finally had lunch. I couldn't really think of any restaurant with weekday lunch promotion, so in the end, we settled for 翡翠拉面小笼包馆 as it was the only restaurant still open for lunch at 3pm. The food was really great, much better than the famous 鼎泰丰. The xiao long bao is one of the best in Singapore, and the la mian was not bad. Although I don't really like the dishes at 翡翠小厨, I highly recommend its la mian & xiao long bao. But I guess if you go to taiwan, you can just eat xiao long bao at any breakfast shop & it still taste much better than any restaurant in Singapore.

After that, we went to watch quite a stupid movie called "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Nothing much to talk about, just that the movie ticket costs us only $6 & we had a small packet of free pop-corn & I spent another great afternoon with JX. Never ate dinner that night as mum's not around & I had a very filling late lunch.

On Wednesday(3/9/08), I had to go back to school again for lesson & I had intended to just do my work & settle for a simple dinner alone at home. But in the end, I made a last minute date with MH & we went to 避风塘 to have dinner. Even when mum is not cooking, I settled for chinese food again as I ordered the roast pork rice, brewed soup, & side dish set. The restaurant has undergo a revamp & it is much classy now & the management has expand the menu to include more dishes. I love TM & CS, we are really spoiled for choice here. I can just meet up my friends in this area & there is really no need to go to the central area.

On Thursday(4/9/08), MH, K & I had quite a nerve-breaking morning taking part in a meaningless competition, presenting some meaningless stuff to some meaningless people. But all's well ends well & we had a sumptous lunch at the combined restaurant of 翡翠拉面小笼包馆 and 翡翠小厨. We ordered different varieties of dim sum, porridge, & xiao long bao again. This is the 3rd time this week I'm eating oriental food. We just ate & ate, forgetting about going back to know the result.

After that, I went for my free 1 hour massage at wellness spa at Marina South. It was great, & it was the reason I had the energy to walk from Marina South to The Plaze(beach road) to get the free humidifier & then to Midland House(Middle Road) to collect the free tickets for Japanese drum & dance festival performance & then back to city hall again to meet SW & SL to go for our free Singapore flyer ride.

We actually had quite high anticipation for our ride on Singapore flyer. But it did not really meet my expectation. Maybe if I had gone up when the sun was setting, I would have love it more. The night scenery is beautiful, I agree, but to see it through a thick layer of glasses, there is always something missing. I love the DHL balloon more because there is no barrier to the scenery around you. But then, i can't complain more since its free for me. Below are the photos taken with SW's camera. We went up at around 7pm, when the sky was turning dark:

These are photos taken from the net, but similar to the night scnery that we saw:

After that, we went to Canele at Raffles City basement for dinner. This is a restaurant that I have always wanted to try for a long time. The pastries, cakes on display have been "calling" out to me every-time I pass by. The ambience there is also great, giving me a cozy, "cooling" & romantic feeling.

I ordered the Croque Madame. Its actually Homemade pain de mie (white toast bread) baked with ham, Swiss Gruyère cheese, with sunny side up, and side salad with house dressing. I love the taste of the freshly made white toast bread mixed with cheese.

Another 2 dishes that I love are the Rustic Bacon & Pea soup & the strawberry crepe. I love the taste of the rich chicken broth. It looks like a very simple dish, but I doubt I will be able to brew the soup to such taste. The strawberry ice-cream on the crepe is also very special, as it tastes like strawberries that had just been pick from the garden.

It was an activity-packed day & I look forward to the next day as I am going to JB with SW & her hubby.

On Friday(5/9/08), I woke up quite early as we intended to go JB for breakfast 1st before heading off for our KTV session & shopping spree at City Square. However, SW & her hubby came to pick me up only around 10am, & by the time we reach Woodlands interchange, it was nearly 11am. We board bus 950 at around 11am, & by the time we reach JB, it was only around 1150am. We took only 50 mins from Woodlands interchange to the other side of the causeway. It was really great going on a weekday with no jam & crowd at all.

The first thing we did when we cross into JB was to change money(rate was RM2.37, very good) & then headed to our favourite herbal duck & chinese dish restaurant for our favourite herbal duck & roast duck. We ordered the set meal for 3 which costs only RM35. It consists of a big bowl of winter melon soup, fried vegetables(dou miao leh), signature dou-fu, a plate of herbal duck, 3 bowls of rice & also free-flow of chinese tea. I love all the dishes, the soup was really sweet & well-brewed, the hot-plate dou-fu was really fresh, the fried dou miao was tasty, & the herbal duck was the best. We ordered another plate of roast duck with honey sauce on it. Sedap too. The whole meal only costs 3 of us less than RM40. That's cheap.

After that, we headed off to city square for our shopping spree. It was a great joy shopping on a weekday afternoon when we were the only customers in the shop. No noise, no queuing, no squeezing. I didn't bought much stuff this time because of lack of time. The only clothes I bought are these. The top is from bossini & the bottom is from FOS. Bossini is having 50% sale, & the bottom costs only RM14, & you can't get it in Singapore :

After that, we went to Neway for KTV session. I had always wanted to try KTV in JB. The price is only RM30, & you can sing from 1-7pm & have 2 free drinks, & free-flow tidbits. But we reach only around 1.45pm, & we sing only until 5.30pm, as we still had lots of shopping to do. There are more categories of songs in this KTV & more songs that cater to different ages of people. Really great. We intended to stay for 1 night next time, so that we can really sing our hearts out, go for massage, manicure, pedicure, hair-cut, shopping, movie, makan, etc. Its really the value of our money that we find it worthwhile to really enjoy ourselves here.

The highlight of our trip this time was to buy moon-cakes & the only brand of moon-cakes that I really love is Lavender. Lavender is also a famous confectionary in Malaysia. I bought 4 flavours of snow-skin moon-cakes & they are durian, green tea, sesame & orange. I love only snow-skin moon-cakes, don't really like the traditional brownish skin ones. It costs me only RM45 for the 4 pieces of moon-cakes & I got $4 free voucher that I used it to buy bread from Lavender's confectionary.

It was nearly 9pm when we wanted to have dinner. We decided not to go to the food center for seafood & just settle dinner at any of the restaurant in city square. In the end, we decided to have dinner at the HK cafe which is considered cheap relative to the price of HK cafe in Singapore. We ordered main courses, side dishes, & desserts & paid only RM60 for 3 persons. The food was just alright, but filling & relatively cheap.

It was 12pm by the time I reach home. I was feeling really tired but exhilarated. I had forgotten all the stress & burdens of work, & played really hard this holiday. Two more days, & its back to reality again. I must continue to enjoy my weekends......