Parent influence on love life

A dear friend has just spilled her awful news to me… she and her bf* are now on the verge of a break-up. His last words to her during their most recent argument were “I don’t think I like you as much anymore”

I truly feel for her… I really do…

(*NOTE: She is Chinese and he is Caucasian)

But I felt from the start that it might end this way… and I feel a little guilty for feeling that way. Perhaps it was my silent disapproval or lack of inner support for this that may have contributed to this end. “Nonsense!!!” Okay, but that’s just how I feel.

White people may discriminate against Asians. But I suppose we Asians discriminate against them just as much too.

My parents have hammered into me since I was young not to have too much faith in the faithfulness of ang-mohs. They were not built for commitment and sacrifice… two very important foundations for a good relationship and a lasting marriage.

So although I could admire the dash and charisma that seem to hover around Caucasian men. I don’t think I was ever capable of falling in love with one of them. Through it all, I only saw all that as a false front.

Don’t ever deny that your parents have nothing to do with your feelings for the love of your life. Because their influence seeps in deeper than you could every realise.

Indians are --- CENSORED ---

Malays are --- CENSORED ---

So that only leaves, Chinese.

And it’s ironic that I can’t even speak our native tongue.

God help my Chinese husband.

Talking movies

We just came back from watching a movie... STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH

MH's company offers free movie passes to all its employees and families... well it used to be free for families but now they charge $4.00 for each family member... which is better than the usual $9.00 on weekends and $7.00 on weekdays.

(I miss how our family used to chat about movies and analyse the plot after a cinema outing together. We would talk about the different characters and try to extract some personal meaning for each of us... aaahhh, the magic of movies)

Have any of you watched it? The final puzzle to the entire saga is now complete and it helps us to see the whole picture and history of how this Sci-fi classic unfolds.

The plot on how Anakin Skywalker was influenced by the dark side made an impression on me. The way the Chancellor (a.k.a. The Sith Lord) slowly took Anakin into his confidence and fed his mind with thoughts of resentment and fear really reflects how the Devil works. He never once chided or scolded Anakin, but instead seemed to sympathised with him and step by step led him into his own trap of fear and pride... so sweet but deadly...

I wouldn't say this was the best movie of the year and I doubt that it will win any great awards. George Lucas has already won enough awards for the original episodes IV, V and VI. But for everyone who has been following the story, it's just nice to be able to have the final piece of this chronicle in place.

Next movie I'm looking forward to: MADAGASCAR!!! I mainly want to see what those pesky penguins are up to in this story... hehehehehe...

I was the Traitor!!!!

We ended a busy Sunday night yesterday at the cafe with an all night gaming session until 3.00AM this morning with our staff to play our current favourite game: BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ON THE HILL

The sequence of the game starts very simple. Each player takes turns to play a character to explore an abandon mansion. As we uncover each room, new things happen each time. We might gain new powers to strengthen our character... or pick up special items that will help us later in the game... or unveil an omen that will reveal The Haunt.

I was Madamme Zostra last night... and when The Haunt was revealed, things took a surprising twist and I ended up becoming The Traitor!!! I transformed into the monstrous giant two-headed snake Obeirus... and my ultimate intention was to envelope all 16 parts of my giant body around the house to crush the mansion and kill all the other explorers in the house... "Hissssssssssss..."

Unfortunately, last night all the explorers were too fast and too strong for me. I only managed to crush 4 rooms before they attacked each of my two heads and killed me.

Well, they managed to win this time... but there's always a next time... *Evil Laugh* If I become the traitor again, that is.

Whatever character you play, the thrill and excitement never ends at Betrayal at House on the Hill... Muahahahaha!!!

Our weekend getaway

MH and I just returned from a secret weekend getaway yesterday afternoon... well not exactly secret, but we just planned this trip just less than a week ago. We had a voucher from MH's Diners Club credit card valid during the month of his birthday. Since it was a long weekend over Wesak Day, we decided it would be a good time to use the voucher.

Location: Holiday Inn - Batam, Indonesia
Duration: 2 Days, 1 Night
Departed: 21-May-2005, 10.00AM
Returned: 22-May-2005, 2.00PM

Batam is one of the very small island part of Indonesia but very close to Singapore. The town centre is small, simple and quite 'ulu', perhaps like what KK used to be like 20 years ago.

We took a 45 minute ferry trip from Singapore to Batam. After we checked into the hotel, we spent the afternoon walking around the town. In the evening, we had our complimentary Japanese set dinner at the hotel's Manpuku's Sushi and Noodle House. The voucher also included a complimentary Bath Ritual, we opted for the White Rose Bath... which we thoroughly enjoyed... very relaxing! The following day, we had the usual breakfast buffet and enjoyed a swim in the pool and a short soak in the jacuzzi before checking out.

A simple and short, but still relaxing getaway!

Helping a friend

MH and I have been helping a fellow cell group member in his musical endeavours.

Z wanted to participate in a talent-time organised by the Youths in our church. He opted to sing a song which he composed himself. He wasn’t able to find someone to be his “live” musician during the auditions, but after some thought, MH agreed to play the song on his guitar and record it so Z could play it back and sing to it.

But the first thing we needed to do was to figure out the chords. Z is not exceptionally musically inclined, although you cannot deny his sincere enthusiasm and passion for singing (perhaps to some people’s dismay). We had to virtually tear his song apart and put it altogether to make it flow together smoothly... not only the chords... but the timing... and the transition between verse and chorus... MH and I sat down together - him strumming in the guitar while I hummed the tune again and again and documented the results accordingly.

MH used a software on his laptop to do the recording. It was a gruelling task of playing the song again and again to get the recording right. Then later we had to piece the song together bit by bit (the software only allowed us to record 60 seconds at a time).

But we were all glad when we finally had it all pieced together. I am sure Z is very happy and grateful for our help. I have no idea what the results of the auditions are yet... but it's a nice feeling to be able to help someone realise their ideas into something tangible.

Shhhh!!! Secret Undercover Agent spotted

Evidence on how cold my office really is...

Chicken Mackumbay Mystery

My brothers and I were obsessed with chickens when we were kids

We doubled up laughing over any "why did the chicken cross the road" jokes (even though those jokes are so lame)

And we were also into "Chicken Mackumbay"

What is “Chicken Mackumbay” and why did we find it so funny? Even now I burst out laughing as I try to tell MH about our “Chicken Mackumbay”… but he has no head or tail what I’m talking about.

We were so into chicken stuff then… we even made a song about chicken “A-May-Meh, A-May-Meh, A-May-Meh, and a Pok-Pok-Pok-Pok-Pok-Pok”

But the case of “Chicken Mackumbay” is still an unsolved mystery to me. Or maybe I’ve just forgotten this secret over the years.

Sam and Paul, pray, enlighten me (if you can) what exactly is this “Chicken Mackumbay” thing anyway? And how did it all get started in the first place?

The Evolution from wannabe "Baby Malaysian Idols" to the SSP Radio Show

My mom and dad are truly ingenious parents. Most parents will just be trigger happy and snap every single moment of their children’s daily activities on camera. My parents were just as trigger happy as other parents... but being such creative parents they ALSO recorded our voices on tape. The microphone must have been the most amazing invention in the world… at least to three excited children back then.

I really enjoy listening to myself and my brothers on tape belting out nursery rhyme tunes repeatedly… we must have sounded like broken records… all day long it was just “tinkle, tinkle, ‘ittle ‘tar, ‘ow I wonder what you are” or “baa baa black theep ‘ave you any wool”

Another thing we just LOVED to do was to tell fairy tales… Top on the list was Little Red Riding Hood, followed by The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks. Picture how animated we were as we passionately squeaked Red’s exclamation “grandmother, what big teeth you have!” and in the gruffly voice of the wolf “all the better to EAT you with, my dear!!!” The gruffly wolf voice was also used in “I’ll HUFF, and I’ll PUFF, and I’ll BLOW your house down!!!”. What power we held in those four magic words: "Once upon a time..."

The second recording we had was one July morning before school (afternoon session). Dad was at home that morning. Sam and I sang songs we learnt in school… Paul was still at the “twinkle, twinkle little star” stage… Paul had just turned two years old in January that year. So he was still the annoying toddler that wanted to butt into everything and kept trying to wrestle the mic from his older siblings. So our performances were interjected with phrases like “I want it, I want it”, “It’s my turn”, and “Stop it, Paul”. But Paul had his exclusive air time at toward the end when he was the subject of big sis’s interview questions asking his name (Paul’s reply: Pauuuuuuul”), his age (Paul’s reply: Twooooooo) and his residence (Paul’s reply: Taman Kim Leeeeeeeng”). Sigh, he was so cute… WE were all so cute!

The third recording we had was by the SSP Radio Station. We were older and more advanced by then… so you can imagine how interesting this show was. I played a couple of musical pieces on the piano… and so did Sam (self-composed pieces in fact - one I remember titled as “The Princess”). Paul told a joke - why did the chicken cross the road. Sam did some Thomas Edison “thing” (until now I still cannot really understand what his Thomas Edison “thing” was). And of course there was Sam and Paul’s “Chicken Hawk” and “Chicken Mackumbay”

Tribute to supermom

I was watching a movie on Sunday night called “Mom on Strike”. It’s about a working mother who feels overworked, unappreciated and burnt out. She’s a supermom to her kids but also works full time 30 hours a week from Monday to Friday. Everyday she makes breakfast for the whole family, makes lunch for her kids and sends them to school. After school she sends them to their various activities like sports practice, dance class etc. After dinner she helps her kids with their homework and gets ready for the same hectic routine the next day all over again.

It reached the point when this mom realised that she was doing practically everything for a family but not one appreciated her, much less helping her. They all just assumed that mom will take care of it and treat her like a servant and chauffeur. It was just “mom, please clean my sports jersey”, “mom, send me to hockey practice”, “mom, help me type out my assignment” and so on. So finally she decided to do something drastic… she went on strike. Her strike struck a chord with many other moms in the country and it soon became a national strike. In the end, the kids and husband realised how much they took their mom for granted and resolved to help out more and to appreciate their mom.

I wonder if mom feels like that sometimes. Although we have a maid at home, but when we go on holiday it soon becomes obvious who ends up being the default packer, cleaner and chef - mom. When we can’t find something, it’s “mom, I can’t find my socks”. And when we fall down and hurt ourselves, it’s “mom, I need a plaster”. And when we forget to prepare the stuff we need for tomorrow’s art lesson, it’s “mom, I need to bring coloured paper, ribbons and double-sided tape to school tomorrow”… and many times, it’s already 10.00pm by the time we tell mom this. Do you feel like tearing your hair out at those times, mom?

Mom is the one who arranges to have our school uniforms ready before the new school term begins. And mom is the one who goes with us to buy our text books and stationery. Mom is the one who makes sure that there’s always something to eat in the fridge. And the one who makes sure the poor dog has dinner every night. And when we’re down with the flu, she boils us leong cha to sooth our sore throats. Mom holds the strings keeping the household together firmly in her hands.

I wonder if I am expected to do the same for my own family next time. It’s a lot for one woman to handle. You sure set the bar high, mom. Will I be able to measure up?
In any case, I’m glad you had everything under control, mom. I was able to have a happy childhood because of all you did for us.

Morning routine with dad

As I was walking to the MRT station this morning to go to work, I saw a father walking his daughter to school. This is quite unusual because it is usually mothers that walk their kids to the school near our flat. It made me remember how my dad used to send me to school every morning at then pick me up afterwards during his lunch break. It may have developed into an ordinary routine. But even then, I treasured those moments spent with my dad.

I remember how we used to stop at the newspaper stall at Foh Sang on the way to school, I would run down and buy the Daily Express for dad. And after school, I would look out for his big purple 4WD to rumble up near the side gate where I waited for him. During my Pre-U days, I wondered if dad would become impatient as we inched through the traffic jam in front of the school. But he always had a big smile for me as I said good-bye to him before I alighted from his car. I can’t remember any time that he was ever angry or sullen or grumpy. What a great way to start my day!

It’s nice to have your dad as the first person you see every morning… and who said good-bye to you before you went to school every day… and be the first man who meets you after school every day… and listens as you chatter on about your day over lunch… I wouldn’t have traded places with any other girl in the world!

Which Are You

There are two kinds of people on earth today;
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.

Not the sinner and saint, for it’s well understood,
That the good are half-bad and the had half-good.

Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man’s wealth,
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.

Not the humble and proud, for in life’s little span,
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.

Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.

No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift, and the people who lean.

Wherever you go, you will find the earth’s masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.

And oddly enough, you will find too, I ween,
There’s only one lifter to twenty who lean.

In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner, who lets others share
Your portion of labor, and worry and care?

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ice Ice Bebeeeeeh….!!!

When I woke up this morning, the first song I heard playing on the radio was “Ice Ice Baby” from NKOTB. What a classic! I remember that song from my primary school days… The first image that jumped into my mind was Sam, Paul and myself making up our own silly dance to that song… “Ice Ice Bebeeeeeh… da da da da da da…” Hoooo...

Why didn’t I stay in bed this morning?

A new project has just been commissioned and handed to me. It’s been christened “Project Fast” because we need to complete it really fast in less than a month’s time. Final deadline is 1st June and no later. The project is quite straightforward… 100 telephone surveys across 10 industries in 3 countries: Hong Kong, Japan and India. But already this seemingly straightforward project is having rocky start… we have no access to company databases as the library is closed to renovation until 23rd May… our Project Support Executive is tearing her hair out of where to place the 3 temps we plan to hire to conduct the surveys… And I have to find the solution to all these… it’s times like these that I wonder “why didn’t I stay in bed this morning?”