The exception

On a very rare occasion, a cute little girl allowed me to hold her hand. *beam*

I say rare because little people don't like me and much less want to hold my hand. I think they sense my fear uncertainty towards them and tend to gravitate towards J who has greater self-assurance when it comes to kids. That plus he exudes more warmth towards them.

Me? I don't really understand them at the pre-speech phase. I don't know their needs and leave them frustrated. If I have to play with them, I want to play fair and not let them win all the time. Apparently, that's not how they perceive play with adults. :P

Breakfast without you

sucks.



In so many ways, on so many levels, I miss you.
I miss going to work with you.
I miss our meals together at the university.
I miss being at work knowing your office is just a block away from mine.
I miss picking up the phone, dialing your extension, and hearing your voice.
I miss going home from work at unearthly hours together with you.
I miss bumping into you in the library, at the cafe, in the canteen by chance and the surge of happiness that follows.

I miss you.

My first Nakamichi!

This is all I can afford for now! :)

Since our dating days, J and I have been taken by Nakamichi speakers. We promised each other that one day, just one day, we will give our home a set of fantastic Nakamichi speakers and sound system!


But for now, I shall be contented with my iPod Nano and Nakamichi mini speaker! Hahaha! :)

My heart goes out to them

On one very cold wintery night in Taiwan, we saw these dogs bundled in thick clothings, raising funds for a cause - Homeless dogs who need food and shelter to survive the cold winter.



Look at those sad eyes. :(



This darling has only 3 legs. He lost 1 in a car accident. :(



All 3 were cruelly abandoned. :(



The dogs were really sweet and did not resist human contact despite being mistreated by human beings in the past. I was so busy stroking them and taking photographs that I forgot to put money into the kitty. Luckily J remembered. :)

Blessed is the teacher who is loved

My favourite guests every Chinese New Year!

These gorgeous people who make an effort to visit me every Chinese New Year turn 22 this year. I taught them when they were 11, 12 year olds. Time really flies. I mean one of them is already married! I have nothing but good wishes for them. In my heart, they will always be my lovely 12 year olds.

The story of a man and three women

These are J's favourite food for CNY. Every year without fail, he buys and eats tons of these. Me? I like neither.


Muay Chee - a sort of sweet glutinous rice based treat.


Ba Kwa (肉干) - roasted dried meat. The Asian version of beef jerky? Just sweeter and juicier. Mind you, not any brand will do, only the one shown in the photo above.

Every year, I'll tell him to eat in moderation. He ignores me every single time.

Enters his mother-in-law who only has to say it to him once how we are what we eat and obediently he will stay away from these food for a good few days. This pattern repeats every year without fail.

My mother-in-law? She joins him in the merry eating! Hahaha!

福

Spotted in Chinatown





春到人间， 福满门！

Happy year of the dragon!

新年快乐！ 龙年行好运！


Before sunset


After sunset

A third store

Hello? I am still waiting for you to open!

For keys, thumbdrives, and everything else

On her recent holiday, Ondine helped me get this from the USA. Very useful when I'm carrying a bigger work bag. Everything small gets dumped inside!

Hong Kong #5

Dug up these 2 photos from my computer.



Days leading up to Christmas, the malls are completely packed. We love the buzz and managed to do some shopping.



I miss Hong Kong. If only we can spend Lunar New Year there. :)

Somewhere in Ang Mo Kio

A very retro pay phone. Love it!

Supper

at Fat Boy's turned out great. I love the fat basterd burger! But it's really HUGE and I had to share with J.



Best of all, they have my favourite cider! But for $10 a bottle, it felt a little like daylight robbery.



J prefers strawberry while I'm more partial towards elderflower.

Happy New Year?

It's taken me a while to blog about the arrival of 2012 because I can't think of what's possibly happy about this new year. Yes, I'm all dreary, bleak and pessimistic this 2012. Boo hoo.

But I guess there's always a silver lining no matter how dark the days ahead look. I got myself a moleskine diary for half the price. :) Well, considering it was already the 6th day of January 2012 when I chanced upon it and the store had piles of planners in stock, 50% discount is no surprise.



I told J that these days, going to work in the morning feels like booking in to the army camp by 2359.

Ever the optimist, he tells me that the worst will be over in 3 months then. Because it's the initial 3-month BMT that sucks, life just gets better after that. Wow! I'm so encouraged. :P

So hang in there I will. Meanwhile, let's pray I'd find some bureaucratic blood in me so I can survive my 'BMT'. :)