First Weekend...

It was back in the company of old friends and familiar faces again, where I

1) Launched into MSN/phone/face-to-face conversation straight away without the need for cordial greetings or ice-breakers
2) Give the nearer bus stop a miss to walk down further just so there's more time to catch up
3) Are let off for skipping lunch/dinner without the need for wordy explanation or scrutiny
4) Feel safe enough to let my guard down, do away with the diplomacies and pour my heart out without holding back and worrying that I would be judged
5) Don't have to keep trying to fill those moments of silences- because even the silences, instead of being awkward and painful, relaxes and comforts

It's Time

When tomorrow comes,

There won't be...
- The struggle to recall what day of the week it is
- Short-lived guilt of being too lazy to exercise
- A leisure, multi-course breakfast
- The newspaper flip-through from cover to cover- even if it's only to glance at headlines and celebrity gossips
- Luxury of sitting and eating throughout the entire duration of the buffet lunch/hi-tea to make the money tt's paid worth it

I can't ...
- Be yawning out of boredom openly and tearing blatantly
- Smile/frown/laugh aloud at the laptop and type loudly on the keyboard
- Have 2 hours allowance to get ready to leave home and yet still be late, becos I HAD to pluck out the wisp of white hair I spotted
- Continue my experiments with naps and permutations with variables like frequency and duration of naps . The likes of having 2 short naps on a day and one long one on another...
- Retreat into my cocoon and shut off the rest of the world as and when I please/ feel like being alone

I shouldn't expect anymore of ...
The extravagance of having time and freedom on hand
The lavish splurge of months, days and hours away
The procrastination
The sloth

There would be no more of...
Concession for my inexperience
Sympathies for my problems and plight
Tolerance towards my self-indulgence and outbursts
Patience for my incompetence
Forgiveness for my mistakes

It's time...
To trade in the carefree, lazy lifestyle

Work is beckoning.

It's tough. It's fearful.
And yet, He only asks that I...
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
God, I need you. Every step of the way.

Crime and Punishment

I paid my dues
For stealing a piece of mooncake sample
When the promoter had her back against me.

How was I to know that it's quite a distance b/w the box of samples and me
It sure didn't look that way when others shove large chunks into their mouths and walked away unscathed
How was I to anticipate how flimsy the toothpick was such that the chunky piece got reduced to a bitesize one when it finally reached my mouth
How am I to envision that the auntie would do a flick with agility that can beat any gongfu master, with such perfect timing
To catch me tuck that tiny silver of mooncake in my mouth
So small I couldn't even taste wat flavour it was

Still, a theft's a theft
And I stood there meekly expecting my punishment
As she launched into a string of thick Cantonese accented Mandarin

A quick glance and assessment of me, and she recommended me the pumpkin, mixed nuts mooncakes to improve my complexion- there, there and there. See how meticulous she is, she even used her finger to point out those spots in question.

Sensing how unconvinced I was, she quipped and reiterated 3 times, that it was good for pple who needs to go on diet (a.k.a fat, a.k.a me)

Thanks auntie, thanks very much.

Seeing that I still haven't moved to take out the wallet, she goes on to wax lyrical about the box- very pretty, very presentable. Yeah. That, i gotta agree with her.

Mooncakes are very versatile. And it's very exquisite if packaged nicely in the boxes.
Can be used as gifts to parents, in-laws or, or, as wedding gifts.
Don't wait anymore, u already old enuff. Marriageable age. (= not young anymore= old)
She flashes me a brilliant smile.
Shoves me the pamphlets
Can discuss with your boyfriend and give me a call- discounts and free delivery for 20 boxes and above.


The government's call to hire middle-aged employees for their experience and wisdom really works. See how pro-active/pro-family they are? And how earnest and creative?


At the end of 12 mins, (when L finally decides to get off the phone and rescue me),
I was pricked with guilt, filled with regret for stealing
The emotional torment without her even uttering a single word of admonishment or raising her voice
When all she did was to shower, ahem, warm advice and concern
How lethal
How effective
The sly innuendo

I've realise my mistake.
I will never again steal mooncake samples. Never.

Not a Tai-Tai

A tai-tai: Someone who hasn’t washed her hair herself since she was 13.
(Urban, ST, 08/09/05)

No doubt I, like a tai-tai, have much free time on my hand (at least for the past 3 months)

But that, sadly, is the only luxury I have in common with them. The association stops there and then.

Differences are aplenty.

1) Not updating the blog may not have a correlation with being as busy, happening or action packed as a tai-tai.
It may just mean one was slogging it out and clocking OT on an MSN/phone internship which roles and responsibilities include:

• Deciphering tricky relationship problems
• Fielding inquisitive questions of my current status and personal affairs
• Listening to frens’ troubles, insecurities, doubts and woes
• Music/Photo sharing appreciation sessions.
• Partaking in a compulsory, high level module called GOSSIP where you are not suppose to take away what you’ve learnt(heard). It’s an art that needs much time to cultivate and learn. Serious.
  

2) Meeting up with friends for lunch/dinner/shopping/ KTV isn’t as glamorous as you’d imagine it to be. Yes, we do flash cards too. But the trump card in question is the matriculation card- in a bid to qualify for student discounts. Not Gold or Prestige card of tai-taidom.

3) Tai-tais meet and catch up with friends in style by sponsoring gala events and throwing cocktail parties, not indulging in cheap thrills like refreshing frens’ blogs incessantly, hoping for updates

4) Social butterflies eloquently furnish poised and interesting accounts of their day spiced with dramatic plot twists, humourous words and colourful personalities. They don’t dread, get stumped and mutter lame, mundane answers for a simple question like ‘what have you been doing today?’

5) And, the deciding factor that strikes me off tai-taihood:

I just washed my hair. Myself(Bleah). Using a non-salon brand shampoo(Double bleahs). Then being the wannabe, attempted to compensate/cover up by putting on a salon leave-in conditioner. (Triple bleahs)

So all of you out there, who have been calling me a socialite/ tai-tai. You would better stop. Before the real tai-tai hears it, snorts and scratches you for tarnishing her pristine image- with her perfectly manicured, won't-get-chipped cos don't-need-to- shampoo-hair nails. I won't be able to help.

Not a tai-tai, can't do the catfight.

The Sound of Music...

I like it when I hear my favourite songs on radio
Balming out those noisy and jarring music
Giving instant relief to the DJs incessant coo-ing
The refreshing breather, the welcomed change
A pleasant surprise
In the pre-dawn & post-midnight darkness and quiet

From the beginning when the prelude begins and familiarity hits
To the end when the coda calms
The sentiments flow, the emotions surge


Triggering those poignant stories and memories of the past
Conjuring images of the future
Pouring forth the words and feelings I have held back and stashed away
Recalling the chronicles with snippets and shadows of our lives

My songs- whose company chides, comforts, taunts and assures

Melancholic lyrics and soulful melodies
Witty lyrics and catchy tunes

Songs that make me sob a little and smile a little
That motivate me to run a little faster
Yet pull me back to linger a little longer
Songs that make me contemplate a little and enthuse a little
That strike a chord and tug the heart
Reviving the memories that aches a little and soothes a little

"When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad"
~ My Favourite Things, Sound of Music