A Not So Silent Night

2010 is coming to an end and I'm still trying to figure out if I had done well this year. The report book's out and I'd say I deserve a pat on my back. Several went into great schools. Now for the next report book on January 11. Apart from work, I'm proud to announce that I've completed my course in MTV by Harvard Graduate Sch. Had to do something to delude myself that things have been achieved otherwise, nothing else is noteworthy.

Am trying to decide whether or not I should be listing down my resolutions...seems like every year I don't keep them. Perhaps I shouldn't, so as not to jinx it. But one thing which I've been finally trying to embark on, is to take better care of my health. Cliche as it may sound, health is indeed wealth. These days, diseases are a dime and dozen. I'm not gonna lie to myself as I'm not getting any younger, thus have really got to keep the body in check. Exercise isn't my game these days. really wish to go back to pre-marriage figure, but the mind is strong but the body is weak. Despite having more time during this period, I still prefer to chill or go for a massage. Can't blame me for these. Been waiting for months! But the accumulation of nonsensical feasting is starting to surface. So in an attempt to stop the pulsating pain in my head and the constant nauseous feeling in the gastric area, I'm seeking traditional Chinese medicine help. Not the tastiest thing on earth. Some may even say it's putrid, but as long as it helps, it's worth a try. It's too preliminary to judge if it's working but the western doctors aren't giving me a long-term cure thus I've to seek alternatives. According to the Chinese physician, he says there's loads of "rubbish" in me and that I've got a cold stomach caused by years of crab eating and cold drinks! Found the following on the Internet:

TCM disharmony patterns	Headache manifestations	Therapeutic principles
Stagnation of liver qi	Distending or pulsating pain on one side of the head, accompanied by emotional depression, chest stuffiness and occasional belching	Soothe the liver, relieve stagnation, regulate qi and stop pain
Hyperactivity of liver yang	Distending pain in the head, accompanied by dizziness, blurred vision, ear ringing, irritability, insomnia, mouth dryness and flushed face	Calm the liver, subdue yang and nourish yin
Blood stasis obstructing the collaterals	Persistent and steady headaches, pricking or pulsating pain, accompanied by forgetfulness and palpitations	Activate blood, unblock collaterals and stop pain
Retention of coldness and static fluid	Headaches with cloudiness and heaviness sensations, or feel like a tight band around the head, accompanied by distention in the chest and upper abdomen, nausea or vomiting, excessive sputum, stomach upset that tends to be alleviated by warmth, cold limbs, no appetite and fatigue	Warm the middle burner and restore its normal qi flow, eliminate dampness and resolve phlegm

Apart from the no appetite bit, I belong to the last category. It's exactly what the Chinese physician said! WOW! Everything is related to my qi not flowing smoothly.
Under his semi-strict supervision, I'm now suppose to to drink only 3 types of beverages: Hot water, Milo kosong (plain without sugar or milk) and Homemade ginger water (no cheating using 3 in 1s). Food wise, needless to say, no crabs which according to him, is the most "Cooling" seafood, no other types of seafood except certain types of fish. NO to certain types of Veg, No to beef, lamb (hate them anyway). Minimal Chicken and pork. NO to coconut products, milk and cold stuff. NO to even Fruits! Go figure! So have I been a good girl? Not entirely. With the many festivities, how can one be good?

Phew am glad that December's not too overwhelming. Can really feel the body recuperating though I still seem to be easily tired out. Well, enough said, this is entry is meant to be a photoblog. A picture speaks a thousand words so here are several thousand words' worth of a quiet but priceless Xmas spent mainly at home.

Am very proud of my Xmas tree. Was so sick of the decorations I had been reusing year after year, thus what better way to spice things up than to get my nimble fingers to do the work.

Origami Mistletoe

Origami Angel!

Met up with the gals on Monday for our yearly Xmas gathering. It's really nice to see everyone again and to be bitching as if no one's next to us. We were so loud with our incessant obscene topics, I swear the waitresses were stifling their giggles.

Christmas eve was really silent. Had to work till 2pm and do grocery shopping. the crowd was amazing! It took an appalling half an hour before I got a parking space! Dinner was at the cousin-in-law's place. a quiet and simple BBQ.

This was one of our favourites!!

Xmas Day. Visually, here are some highlights:

Price of Saffron went up! Damn! Should have bought it last year!

let the battle begin! Started dealing with the first dish: Stuffed Eggs. PAINSTAKING to dig out the yolks!

Smoked salmon
Sweetie lending a helping hand. He was really enjoying it and I really appreciate his help.


The party strength was 12 and there's a reason for those happy faces. Look below!

Pepper squid, Casear's Salad, my specialty clams and Smoked salmon-stuffed eggs

Choo's Ribs
Garlicy Parmesan Baked Mussels. YUMS! But had a hard time selecting bigger mussels from Seng Siong. The big ones were all taken by kiasu Singaporeans!

My first attempt at Paella. I give myself a 8.5!

Swedish meatballs. Ok I cheated. It's from Ikea
Entree: Chicken with apricot brandy sauce

Bacon wrapped scallop. The cute little toothpicks were made by ME!

Turkey-enoki mushroom

The one thing which I can't or rather, not interested in experimenting, is desserts. These brownie popsicles were delectable!

Who could resist Ben & Jerry's?

With Christmas done, we can now look forward to NEW YEAR! :)

Today you are joined in marriage -- E&C

He + She grinned from ear to ear, displaying the gorgeous, melting smile and revealing a row of gleaming teeth. The rush of joy robbed them of their speech. I know, they have never felt such ecstasy coz I myself was influenced by the love that was so apparent.

19 November marked the big day of friends E & C. They met through a mutual friend, A , and after a whirlwind romance, they decided to bind in matrimony. hmm..a big ang bao should prolly be given to A who made "Lunch Actually" possible between these two lovebirds whose paths crossed. It's weird how love works. It's so magical and unexpected. I call it FATE. It was quite a hush hush affair and despite the fact that none of us friends were invited (the solemnization was witnessed only by an intimate group of family), we were all very happy and could feel the frission of excitement which went through. It really reminded me of the day I got married. I was alive in every fiber and shouting with laughter inside.


The radiant bride.
An absolutely gorgeous and unique gown. Talk about being at the edge of fashion.


When I showed my wedding shots to friends, some commented that they were raunchy and suggestive. Looks like I was not the only one who thought that it was art. :)

My favourite!

Love is patient, Love is kind,
It does not envy, it does not boast,
It is not proud, it is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth.

Love always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.

Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

Lover never fails

(Corinthians 13:4-8)

A flash of merriment showed in her brown eyes whilst his eyes shone in triumph and pride.
With warmest wishes
for the best in life
as you both look forward
to a shared future
of love, friendship,
and the wonderful closeness
that is marriage.

Congratulations

Pre-Christmas Bliss

Where has all the time gone? It's already December and what have I achieved? ok, to be fair, it has been a hectic year and to make matters worse, I had to be an itchy finger and sign myself up for "MTV" course, which, incidentally is coming to an end! PHEW! I can't believe I survived! 2010 has actually been filled with quite a bit of excitement. With my maiden Japan trip made in June coupled with a record breaking number of graduating students, I shouldn't be grumbling much. Shall do my reflections in another post. M gonna savour whatever's left of 2010

Met up with my "sisters" on Tuesday. Such consolation to be able to have a decent social life on a weekday! Vibrantly coloured bulbs formed distinct shapes of Christmas trees, snowflakes and even instruments!

Just outside ION Orchard



Dazzling lights lined the busy city roads while gigantic Christmas trees were put up in all the major shopping malls basking the whole nation in the wintry festivities. Went to the over-rated Ippudo for ramen and visited this nice cosy place called Wild Honey @ Mandarin Gallery.






It serves all day breakfast from all over the world. The person-in-charge was even introducing the menu via an ipad -- talk about being advanced. I love the place. The nectareous Christmas goodies smelled heavenly and tasted like food from paradise (ok, i did not exactly taste them but they DO smell heavenly!). There were no children running amok grabbing the latest toys, instead, we sat there for hours, embracing each other's company. I felt really blessed to be accepted into this family and have sisterly love. It's what I've been wanting since I was young.


Other randomness....I simply can't resist the urge to boast about my latest "artifact"

A little reminder to us both. A milestone created.

Recalibration of pre-marriage friendships

The weekend hadn't been good. I thought I had a good start on Friday, with a good booze with an old friend W, but alas, it's been downhill ever since.

Firstly, the effigy of my life (or rather, OUR lives) is back in action. This time, suggesting that the problem may lie in us. It's inevitable that marriage can change the complexity of previous friendship. I have no qualms about a married person maintaining a friendship with the opposite sex, but perhaps it's all a matter of degree and context. One should definitely draw the line at maintaining the platonic friendships with the opposite sex after marriage. The fact that intimate issues are discussed at unearthly hours is a cause of some hurt and chagrin. There should probably be rules on this. Yet such are not explicitly laid out and in general, women are more sensitive. How would one feel if his/ her partner is constantly texting or msging the opposite sex? Definitely not "proper" in my opinion and the partner may take it the wrong way. At the very least, even if we don't become best pals, we should at least be on friendly terms and know what's going on. It'd be great if our social circle dovetails. Right now, I sense deceit of some sort. Silly as it sounds, I feel cheated and unloved. Probably inadequate in fulfilling his every need. But I've an innate capacity for chatter so what's wrong? Maybe it's too much. There's a new person in your life now and she takes top priority, regardless of attention of time. However, the hub probably begs to defer as he casually puts it: we have our whole life together! Relationship experts say couples should make time for each other and make that time a priority. I have tried so hard, I'm fell really ill last night. It was miserable enough that I'm ill, but.....(not going to divulge too much for fear that I'm a nag) Alright, to lay the finger on this is absolutely ridiculous. I'm a hopeless romantic, something which is lacking in his department. Need to re-calibrate my thoughts.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
~ Lao Tzu

All I want for Christmas is.........

Some may wish for world peace (something we take for granted in Singapore). Some may wish for material wealth (i don't blame them coz I want some too!). Some may wish for great results (GOOD LUCK to those receiving PSLE results next week). Some may wish for love. My wish?

All I want for Christmas is a ___________________.

I teared and looked the epitome of sadness today because of this. Will Santa Claus grant my wish this year?

A day as a Star

Had a funfilled day @ One Fullerton today as a star. Well, not quite. An extra was more like it! haha Friend W & J were having their pre-wedding shots taken and some of us were roped in as extras. I must say, I'm rather bemused at how pre-wedding shots are these days. Loads of brainstorming and expensive overseas trips. Thank goodness I had mine way early, I don't think the hub and I can undergo such tedious episodes. What eludes me is how the bride is able to smile so radiantly at the end of the day. My evening shots were pretty stiff and the smile seemed plastered on my face. Rants aside, here's a peek at what happened behind the camera:

Chanced upon this structure whilst waiting for the happy couple. interesting concept. It's made of plastic Starbucks cups. Some parts even spin when the wind blows.


Looks pweety isnt it?


Look @ how professional the photograher was!



Hub and I were fooling around whilst they were doing the shoot. B had a pack of China Cigs, thus I used it as a prop for a shot. MISTAKE. The hub pursed his lips on the tip and B insisted that he take it. URGH! It's been a long while (at least to my knowledge) that he has picked up that nasty stick. Killing the bad habit for the sake of love and health has made me tremendously proud of him. Please don't go back to your old ways baby, I want you to grow old with me!


Presenting, the future Mr & Mrs L :) Ok we should probably wait for the professionally taken photos. Mine are so sub-standard! time to buy a DSLR? hmmm