:)

Hey, thanks for the little perk-me-up.



I appreciate it loads, despite it looking quite ridiculous.

Baa Baa Black Sheep...

Have you any wool?

Please stop raining. I need my endorphins at the netball session later real bad.

Aiyo, everybody has evidence of Mister Toto's lecherous nature. How embarrassing.

Starlight, Star Bright

The first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

There aren't any stars tonight.

Happy New Year, Y'all!

Ah, the time of the year has arrived once again. A time for feasting-till-you-burst, gambling, answering rheoterical or redundant questions, watching cheesy reruns on television, plastering bright plastic smiles till faces hurt, or well, simply merry-making.

Ever since my grandfather moved in with us, our reunion dinner has been a quiet affair within our own family. As usual, the dinner is a simple steamboat with lo hei as appetizer.

Here is my dear bro, preparing the yu sheng.


Look who's lurking and stalking our steamboat dinner?


My Dad is an advocate of red wine and so aptly, for the occasion, he opened a bottle. However, red wine does not exactly go well with yu sheng, ya know.


After a few glasses, I headed down to my neighbor's for a short gathering with some of the tennis mates I haven't met for a long time. After consumption of more alcohol, it was really quite a bad idea to start the mahjong game at my place. I think the rest of the mahjong kakis can certify that I looked kinda stoned at the game. It is a wonder I only lost 3 buckeroos.

The first day of the Chinese New Year was spent entertaining relatives. Questions range from "What are you working as now ah?" to "Why are you so tanned?" (How I know?!). They inquire the same old questions every year! I should really take a video of relatives asking me the questions, then replay to them each Chinese New Year. Like look here, can be more creative a not? Ask something different lah! Either that, I will compile a list of answers to potential questions, print a few copies and distribute amongst the relatives.

Well, the good thing about staying home for the new year is that I can always hide in the comfort of my room if I don't really want to entertain the relatives. Additionally, we can watch pretty much whatever we wanted to because it is OUR TELEVISION. That explains why DVDs of the '24' series is being played continuously, even right now. My brother and Dad is totally hooked onto it. The visitors, too! Hmm.

New Year Goodies!


My Gugu gossips over red wine.


As the evening approaches, we dressed up in our new clothes to visit my maternal grandmother's place.


Food, food, food!


Well, I must say I am pretty well-fed for now. Burp. :)

新年快乐哦！

Easily Forgotten?

It has become a norm of life that the act of remembering receives much more credit than the act of forgetting.

I do think my ability to memorize and remember is reasonably adequate. As such, sometimes, to forget is not easy. It takes effort too. People take effort to forget. Just because they forget, doesn't mean the act was easy.

Venturing Wilderness

For the Sunday's adventure, we delved into the wilderness up northern Singapore, specifically, the site of Kranji War Memorial. I drove along Woodlands Road for a good 15 minutes before making a wrong turn to the Singapore Turb Club, somehow ending up going towards Johor.

Well, entering Malaysia with a dog in tow is probably not an extremely advisable idea, thus I stopped and inquired a very helpful cab driver and subsequently muddled my way there.

Kranji War Memorial must be one of the forgotten sanctuary in Singapore. But being forgotten is probably a good thing. The place is peaceful, making it a very apt location for an everlasting resting place.

I arrived and was greeted by a strange sight of jack russells doing amusing acts of army crawl.


While waiting for our expedition to commence, naturally, I went trigger-happy.

Kingsley is my name, and frisbee is my game!


Molly Dolly - the object of Toto's lust


Well, Toto was berserk with lust for Molly. Everywhere Molly was, Toto would be right smack with his nose at her butt, totally forgetting the existence of his poor mistress. You see lah, when sons have girlfriends, they forget about mothers. :(

Vivien and her JRT babies


Me and Mister Toto


Ah, look who're frolicking on the green, green grass?




The ladies with the JRTs


Anyhoo, and so the adventure began.

Roll up the pants, and slush away...


Bring it on, we say.


Here is Molly Dolly, getting a helping hand.


After an hour plus long of trekking, we rewarded ourselves with an enjoyable feast at the end.






Here is Milo, one very knackered nut.


The ever-earnest Kaiser boy.


Vivien and Russell


Anderson and Milo


Woo. Playtime!




Ah, this is just the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning.

Before departing, here is the poor dejected canine boy, pondering upon how much he would miss the lovely Molly Dolly.

The Greedy Gene

Yesterday, my mum and I spent the late afternoon sniffing around our new place, deciding on various knick-knacks to be completed. Basically, I chose the furniture there were to be built and the color to be painted in my room. For the latter, the contractor helpfully proffered at my choice,"Eh you know the color you selected is quite dark and it is like for boys' room? You sure a not?"

Well, I guess there is a hidden masculinity within me and I would rather die (ok lah, exaggerating abit)than to paint my room ivory pink, like what mummy dearest is doing to her room.

Mum and me at the new place, taken with my (relatively) new 850i


Anyway, on the way home, mummy suggested adjourning to Haato for some afternoon delicacies. To my astonishment, my mother already knew the owner of the cafe like old pals, and has in fact already accomplished 10 out of the 12 stamps on the loyalty card. Now, I guess we all know from whom I inherited my greedy gene. Hee.

Here is mum with her double scooped geleto of black sesame and red bean. Mmm-mmm!


Here is my tongue-tantalizing happy symphony of watermelon sorbet and red bean.


I likey.

Doggy Busi-ness

One of the fantastic things about participating in the dog hashes is that I really get to discover the hidden magical areas in Singapore I never knew existed. I guess I have taken the urban city life in Singapore for granted and these expeditions just made the untouched, rural aspects materialized. It is amazing, really. It is like a breath of fresh air after all the stale hustle and bustle, crowds, traffic and whatsnot.

So yep, Saturday's hash was spent running on the trail at Chestnut Drive. At some parts of the trail, there were spectacular views of the reservoir.


Hashers admiring the scenic view.


Shanni's looking disturbingly happy despite exhaustion.


As mentioned earlier, I twisted my ankle on the uneven terrain. Well, I kinda deserved it because I wasn't wearing my regular running shoes in anticipation of all the mud and dirt. Instead, I dug out an old pair of almost-forgotten Adidas and wore it despite its faulty lacing. So yeah, you can all shake your head and spit "活该!". The damages of the day included a swollen ankle, scratches and bites on my limbs. Then again, the endorphins at the end of the run, in addition to the brilliant sights, made them all worthwhile. :)

Canines and humans alike, taking a well-deserved break...






Sunday was a busy doggy day again. Together with my two inquisitive dog-crazy cousins, I drove down to the Singapore Kennel Club Dog Show with Mister Toto in tow to display support for his doggy pals.

My little cousins had a grand time gawking at all different breeds of dogs and they were delighted that Mister Toto isn't the only border collie they could cuddle.

Looky, here is another!


I hope this poodle's hair grows out before 2007 is over...


Doggies galore!


Ah, there is the one we were rooting for.


'Twas a weekend passed in a blink of an eye. :)

Saturday's Damages

A sprained ankle from the dog hash.

Biggest loser at the table with 16 buckeroos dissipated in a game of delirious midnight mahjong, where my brain has already stopped working 90% of the time.

Lessons learnt:
Old shoes with bad lacing are bad for running uneven terrain.

Do not play mahjong when thoroughly knackered.

Haato!

Guess what? I have discovered another ice cream sanctuary nearby, apart from my favorite ice cream palor, Dailyscoops, at Clementi Arcade. What's more, it is within walking distance!*Gleeful*



It is a rather charming place, quiet with personalized service. I tried the red bean flavored gelato as well as the watermelon sorbet and I must add they are absolutely delightful!

Yum yum.

Ugh

I wish the weekend would come sooner. :(