Drink of the year 2008

My first and last health drink of 2008...


Oxygenated Water! and i got it for free!

Tuesday with Aunt

If you have younger children, cousins, nephews or nieces, what is one thing you would like to know from them? Well, having spent time with them on occasional bonding, observing them and watch them grow, have you ever wondered what do THEY observed of you? Haha.. its evaluation time! As for me, I had a good time reading what their little minds would think of their aunt. The outcome was both freaky and funny, and for some, fulfilling.

The highlights for the children were nonetheless the Singapore Flyer and The Esplanade. As usual, they were initially “cool” about everything that was planned for them. But as the anticipation grew, they could no longer hold their excitement...

“Oh.. i’m so scared of heights!” one exclaimed even before stepping into the capsule.
“I haven’t been into the flyer before!” the youngest of them said.
“Are we going in yet?” my nephew was too excited to wait any longer.
“Wait, i need to go to the toilet first!” one was afraid of being left behind.



After a simple lunch, we adjourned to the ticket counters and made our way to the Flyer. The moment we stepped into the capsule, the squeal of excitement ceased.



Although it was momentary, they became quietened and sat on the bench. But as soon as our capsule reached its height, they were busking again, busy taking photos, challenging their guts by standing or sitting nearest to the edge, walking around and looking everywhere in awe of the beautiful landscape.



“Did you all enjoy taking the flyer?”
“YES! We wish to take it again!”

Next, we went to the Library at the Esplanade. Libraries are no new places for them. Very quickly, they made a bee line for the computers and register as members for themselves. I had a moment with the youngest, sitting by the window to read.





When she was done with reading, she hopped down from the window and was searching for something. “Foong-yi, i found something for you” I was amazed at how quickly she found a book for me. When i looked at the title, i nearly fell from the window!



Hmm... was she expecting me to kiss her?

After a tour at the library, we took a break at a cafe. Time for evaluation! I handed out papers for them to write and doodle. I threw them a question “If there is one thing you would describe of me, what would it be and why?” “Aw... thats difficult!” they all protested all at once. “Alright then, name a fruit or an animal that best describes me, and why you pick that” i tried to help them along.



The end results were hilarious!

Banana. “Because you look slender and long (tall) just like it” Alright, i take that as a compliment.

Durian. “You look stern on the outside but sweet and soft inside” Soft..? i attribute that to gentleness?

Apple. “Cos you are cute like an apple!” the youngest of them will always have something good to offer.

Pear. “Hmm... i dunno.. you look like one” my nephew, a guy, a visual being.

Lioness. “Cos...” Queen of the jungle i thought “... you looked stern.”

I felt they could do better than that and so i asked again. “ Alright, draw one thing that you enjoyed the most today”



Some enjoyed taking the Singapore Flyer..



one enjoyed the company..



do i assumed my nephew saw an imaginary Loch Ness peering from the river?!

It was a fun and lovely Tuesday. Seeing my nephew and nieces growing at different states of their lives, with one surprise after another, brings joy and comfort. Last but not the least, one thing they have asked of me “I wish Foong-yi will take us out again”.



(Despite looking stern, they enjoyed my company still, plus point. But what i have yet to figure out is the visual combination of a banana and a pear... hmm...)

Tues 2 Dec

"Whats up on Tuesday 2 Dec that you look forward to?"

Well, nothing spectacular.. i just took leave and decided to bring my nephew and nieces out for a day of sf, espl and marina..

"Oh wow... remember to take lots of photos"

Ok, will try.. ;)

August Dive

I finally made it! My long awaited dream... to become an Advance Diver! Not a big deal for some, but for someone who fear depth and darkness, its a great deal of challenge.

Along with the dives, I had a whole lot of first experiences, and for some, eye-opening.

1st time Night Dive
1st time Deep Dive
1st time i wrote my name spelled backward underwater
1st time i bunk with different nationalities of both genders

It seemed like a long journey from home to Palau Dayang till we stopped over for toilet break when i had my first reward, Ramley burger! That tiresome journey diminished the moment i sunk my teeth in the wholesome goodness, its simply yummy! (warning: not the Ramley at some bazaar in Singapore, it had to be specifically in Mersing).

Upon arrival, we were directed to our resorts, or “cave at its best” as one American quoted. “Do i understand that we, as in all of us including the guys and gals, are bunking altogether?!” this was bothering me. Yes, its the first time that i bunk with different nationals. Its kinda eye-opening seeing different people of different nationals’ sleeping-habits. The Americans wore boxers and went topless though the room is air-conditioned. Dutch sleeps in their jeans. French had the most unusual outfit for sleeping, a T over a pair of never-seen-before white tight shorts... I don't know about you, but why would anyone be sleeping in a super tight-fitting short shorts? Never mind that, “Goodnite everyone” and tucked myself to bed.

Next morning, i had the chance to watch the sunrise while brushing my teeth in the open. From a tint of yellow hue to its magnificent full bloom in golden glow... awesome! I stopped to watch the movement, rising gradually, forgotten my toothpaste watering down my neck.

We had our first dive after breakfast. It was a leisure dive, casually moving underwater, like i’m flying over the seabed. Next was our Nagivation Dive where we had to complete a square navigation using a compass. Ok, at least I was not lost underwater, managed to find back the right team after 10 complete finning at all 4 sides.

Finally, i had to come to term with my anxiety, Night Dive. Fear of the unseen, imagine dangling mid way down dark water, not knowing where you are heading, with the notion of “something” lurking nearby? “You can see much more than what day-dive offers, even at the same dive spot” my dive master assured us. I just gave a spastic smile.

“Ready? Descend!” The initial descend was almost pitch dark despite my expensive torch beaming like a lazar. It was like 90% darkness? Then 80%, 75%, 70%, 69% and so on... till i gained almost full sight. I was so proud of my beamer. It was the most powerful torch among all my divers’ including my instructor’s! While we went flying over the seabed, we tried to look calm and steady while most of the time, our eyes were darting at everything we could possibly see which was nothing much. Sure, i believe there should be a lot more marine to see at night if we hadn’t been too focused on where we were flying. When i held up my torch, it beamed the farthest. Gradually, the seabed looked like a stage with all the lights spotting on it and we the divers were the performers, dancing gracefully for the marine! When we ascend, we were welcomed by the starry night! The dark blanket over our heads was filled with sparkly diamonds! All of different sizes! I was so in awe at the sky... so beautiful! Never have i seen such a starry starry night back home! So, that was night dive for me, seeing more up in the sky than underwater.

Next day, was Deep Dive. “We’ll go slow right?” i was concerned about my ears as i did not managed to equalize at a certain level yesterday. But this time, i made sure i pop my ear-drums at every minute. Surprisingly, i like deep dive more. We had this experiment done underwater. Our instructor wanted us to write our names spelled backward. This is to test our reaction under more than 20m deep. Reason being deep diving may take you deep enough to feel the first mild effects of nitrogen narcosis, which may cause poor judgement and slow thinking. Anyway, when we hit the ground at abt 30m, we held one another’s arms to ensure safety and took turns to write our names. Time was recorded. When we ascend, our instructor gave us a de-brief. “Esther, you took 5 seconds to finish writing your name underwater but 7 seconds to re-write when onboard! How strange?” The team concluded that i think better underwater!

Next was Drift Dive. Supposedly a relaxing dive due to the current that will carry you along. Unfortunately for me, i was carried too far ahead of my instructor. Many times, i had to fin back to rejoin the line at the back. And every time i fin back, my team mates would look at me and signal “Hey, its you again! To the back pls...”

“Hey, we made it! We are finally Advance Divers!” my friend gave me a ‘hi-five’. We thought again, “It wasn’t so bad after all, isn't it?” Yeah, we both had a smirk on our lined-faced (lined caused by constant pressing of our mask on our face). No big deal for some, but for us, it was worth to call for a celebration!

*Ps: Incase you wonder, we saw turtle, sea-urchins, lizard fish, bump heads, moray eel, nudis, parrot fish, black/white spotted clown fish, a school of barracudas, plenty of corals and our bunk mates from other teams while diving.

July 2008

“Hey, you haven’t been blogging! When are you writing again? I follow up you know?” this was like a brick that hit me hard!

I know, i’m a week behind time. Suppose to post at least an article a month and even then, time beats me! No excuses, absolutely! I know, i am not forgiven! But i’m thankful for those of you who have been really patient with me. Thank you.

Well, July had been a reading month for me, 3 books in a row! Its no joke for a non-bookworm like myself. But i will try to accomplish them during these few weeks.

Introducing ‘STRIPPED’ by Brian Freeman, ‘MRS KENNEDY’ by Barbara Leaming and ‘A WAY OF BEING FREE’ by Ben Okri. My lovely colleague one day shoved ‘STRIPPED’ to me, “Its a page turner, you should have it”. Well, i took a peek at it and WOW... i was dumb-founded at the first chapter! “I think Esther will burn this book after she’s done with it!” one said. Hahaha! To that, well, i’m not done with it yet so i cannot comment on that. Anyway, enough of some explicit descriptive, i went on to ‘Mrs Kennedy’ for a switch of environment, for a while. I was reading about her life from childhood abuse to where she was now. She’s quite a classic, a struggling beauty of her time. Like an open gossip, peeping into the life of someone so private, a 425 pages of life journal. Wonder if i ever will reach to the end? ‘A Way of Being Free’ was the saviour of my blog! I love the poetry flow of language, its somewhat ambiguous yet so intense and so full of flavour! For once in a long time, i was hooked to a book! Unbelievable! Thanks to the sender who came to my rescue. And i’m sure she’s most delighted i helped save her sagging shelves. More books to come?

Seriously, i will try to finish all 3 of them; 3 of different characters of story. For these few weeks, perhaps i should chat less and blog more?

Amazing Combination

Teaming up with various combination of people can be really fun! The outcome? For my case, was effective!

Mr Talented: tall, friendly, approachable, thrifty
Mr Booster: fit, energetic, positive, faithful
Mr Quiet: quiet, accommodating, obedient
Ms Bubble: young, bubbly, creative, quick-thinker
Ms Clarity: fair, patient, mathematical, task-oriented
Ms Timer: meticulous, organized, (a little) perceptive?

Lets start with Ms Timer. She is one who loves to plan. Because she hates to rush, she will prepare her plan-sheets in advance, making sure everybody knows what was happening. Also, because she is a little imaginative, she tends to perceive what could possibly happen, thus she will try to convince the team into her idea. However, because she thinks she is perceptive, she gets upset when her team disagree with her, as she was concerned that the probability might happen “See, I knew it. If we had done that, this wouldn’t have happen” her occasional quote so far.

Next, our Mr Talented. He is adaptive and has leadership skill. And because he is approachable and timely chivalrous, he is well-liked among some ladies, a drawing factor. His talent in instrumental skill brings so much convenience to the team. Whenever there was a stand-still moment, all you need is him to strum the strings to break the stillness. Plus the fact that he is adaptive, he can play where and when you request of him. Wonderful isn’t it?

Mr Booster. He literally lives up to this name, emotionally, spiritually and physically. And because he is physically fit, he could dash from one place to another, sometimes multi-tasking, and never look weary. He has such a positive and possible attitude, you may begin to doubt if this is reality? A man of faith indeed! He loves to encourage. Whenever he can, he would spur the team by reminding us of our strength. An emotional pillar to the team.

Ms Bubble. She is young and full of ideas! Very creative and thoughtful. She’s always oozing with ideas... you wonder where did she get that energy? When all of us were brain-dead at the end of work week, she will be left standing with her creativity. Kudos to her! And because she has so many ideas, sometimes I wish I could stretch the day longer so that all these ideas can come to pass. So many ways, so little time. An added credential team player.

Ms Clarity. Sensible, reliable, systematic. With her around, you need not worry about calculations, such as how should the ratio telly when there were so many request; who to put on waiting list, who to move up to registration list; how to group the people so that there is no trace of unbalance. And because she is not bias, you can trust that she takes no “bribery” whoever request for specific grouping system. With her around, you can be proud of a clean record. Thumbs up for her!

Mr Quiet. Well, the name says it all. I attribute this characteristic for being new to the team? And probably new to organizing events? But he was most humble, willing to corporate and stayed with the team to the end. Although he seemed uncertain, he was willing to learn and listen to others.

Because of this amazing combination, the differences complimented one another. It was very encouraging to see various talents coming together to put forth a “show” that serves good to others.

Pointers I see of this team:
1) Able to appreciate one another’s strength instead of being jealous
2) Able to bring out the best in one another
3) Learning to be firm and decisive, humble and gentle
4) Never lacking in encouragement

Many things I have learnt from this short period of time. I truly enjoyed myself, never felt so satisfied in so many events! Its amazing how despite our differences, we brought us together!

Bon Appetite! (part 2)

Arriving at the Brit’s home, the first to greet me was Peter, her home-grown long-eared rodent. “Its so cute!” It was caged near the entrance. So my friend opened the cage-door, and pull it out by its ears, gently. “Oh.. wouldn’t it hurt?” “But this is the way rabbits are held” he seemed confident. I was drawn to the little furry, defenseless mammal, crouching in the arms of a man until I went forward to touch it, it hopped from his arm to under the dinning table! “Quick, catch it!” A cosy home now ran into a frantic chase! At last, caught it! and back to the cage where he probably feel safer. “Phew! That was close!” We had a good laugh!

I went to the kitchen to check on the host. She was completely into her work, totally oblivious of us chasing after Peter. She was preparing the side dishes, I saw blanched cauliflowers, mashed carrots and turnip (this is her home recipe), bangers and the oven was oozing with... its a whole roasted chicken! “Need any help?” “Yes please, just add some salt to the cauliflowers to taste” That was easy. I hold the dish and presented it on the table which was already laid with cutlery, neatly. Fork and knife by the sides, dessert-spoon above the plate, wine glasses standing tall by its side.

“Its ready!” This was what we were looking forward. A proper English dinner by our dear friend from Brit. “This is how we do at dinner” She begin to share how Brits should be eating, cutting, bringing the food to themselves by the fork and other protocols at a dinner. It was eye-opening for us yellow-skinned urbanites. She then cut the chicken and started to distribute food around. After saying Grace, dinner commenced. Clink! We drank a toast to our friend “Cheers to the Brits!”

I started with the mash... it was so creamy! She passed me the gravy and said it should go with the mashed potato. Indeed, the gravy enhanced the flavour and smoothness. “You know, I added almost half a tub of butter to this” Half a tub? How big was the tub?? Nah... I love the mash alright! It was what it matters! Thumbs up for a start.

I went on to the roasted potato and pumpkin chunks. The parts where it burnt, was a hit! Especially the pumpkins. It was genuinely sweet and sticky I could have it for dessert instead. It was perfect to have them with the roasted chicken. “Its the first time I did a whole chicken” Well done Brit! The best part of it was the skin, soft and slightly crispy. It was a tasty game.

The bangers and vegetables completed the meal, but hold! We have a big surprise waiting in the fridge! “Time for dessert” She seemed thrill. And there, we were presented a mega double-tiers Victoria Sponge, oozing with goodness of cream in between. It was humongous! It was more than 20cm in diameter, about 10cm tall.

The top was layered with generous serving of chocolate icing, in wavy design. Then a thick chocolate sponge, followed by the cream. This cream was no ordinary confectionery, it was whip with icing I believe? I could feel the tiny crisp in it. Lastly, another layer of chocolate sponge as thick as the first. The host had to stand cutting the cake. “Here’s one for you”, we held our plates for her.

And there, sitting before me, a triangular piece of chocolate Victoria sponge. As it was chilled, the icing resembled a chocolate bar, wrapped around a sponge. Combined the icing and sponge, it tasted like brownie with chilled chocolate. But when I came to the middle portion, I realized I had the cream of the crop! The soft creamy goodness was like ice cream that never melts! Now I know why there were so much of the in-between... Besides the cake, we had English tea as well. It was a soothing way to end the course. Once again, big thanks to the Brit!

(The Victoria Sponge was home-baked, courtesy of the Brit. Recipe anyone?)