One fine day in Orchard Road...

This afternoon, my son and I headed to Orchard road. My purpose is to take photos and my son will be the model. Hahaha.... We walked from Wheelock Place all the way to Orchard Central. Took whatever photos related to Christmas decoration. I collated it and made into a short video below. Hope you enjoy!!! :)

If you can't see the video (in your mobile), you can click into this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpg3cE5wSN0&feature=plcp

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

“We help other people because we can, or because it makes us feel good, not because we're counting on some future payback. There is a word for this; love.”

- Eric Weiner

I just finished reading "The Geography of Bliss", written by Eric Weiner few days ago. It was a story where one grump American searched for the happiest place in the world and shared with readers on what they can learn from it.

He traveled from Iceland (one of the world’s happiest countries) to Bhutan (where the king has made Gross National Happiness a national priority) to Moldova (not a happy place). He also traveled to Switzerland, where he discovered the hidden virtues of boredom (I agree with that :D); to the tiny-and extremely wealthy-Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, where the relationship between money and happiness is laid bare; to India, where Westerners seek their bliss at the feet of gurus; to Thailand, where "not thinking" is a way of life; to a small town outside London where happiness experts attempt to “change the psychological climate.”

"Place". That is what "The Geography of Bliss" is about. How place - in every aspect of the word - shapes us, defines us. Change your place, I believe, and you can change your life. (http://www.ericweinerbooks.com/books/the-geography-of-bliss/description/)

Honestly, I am not a book reader. Usually after few pages reading, I would fall asleep. If I can't sleep at night, I will take a book out and read on my bed so that I can fall asleep faster. Hahaha... But I found this book is quite interesting. Perhaps because I've been to some of the countries he mentioned and I would like to know what he wrote about happiness in those countries.

I will not tell you here about the story inside the book. It's better for you to read and find it out yourself :) Let me share with you some of his quotations from the book he wrote.

-------------------------------------------------------------

“Rule number one: wear loose clothing. No Problem.

Rule number two: no alcohol for the next three days. Slight problem. I'll miss my evening glass of wine but figure I can go for three days without and compensate later.

And the last rule: absolutely no coffee or tea or caffeine of any kind. Big problem. This rule hits me like a sucker punch and sure would have knocked me to the floor had I not been sitting there already. I'm eying the exits, plotting my escape. I knew enlightenment came at a price, but i had no idea the price was this steep. A sense of real panic sets in. How am I going to survive for the next seventy-two hours without a single cup of coffee?”
― Eric Weiner

-------------------------------------------------------------

“Part of positive psychology is about being positive, but sometimes laughter and clowns are not appropriate. Some people don't want to be happy, and that's okay. They want meaningful lives, and those are not always the same as happy lives.”
― Eric Weiner


--------------------------------------------------------------

 “Money matters but less than we think and not in the way that we think. Family is important. So are friends. Envy is toxic. So is excessive thinking. Beaches are optional. Trust is not. Neither is gratitude.”
― Eric Weiner 

-------------------------------------------------------------

“That's why we feel so disoriented, irritated even, when these touchstones from our past are altered. We don't like it when our hometown changes, even in small ways. It's unsettling. The playground! It used to be right here, I swear. Mess with our hometown, and you're messing with our past, with who we are. Nobody likes that.”
― Eric Weiner

-----------------------------------------------------------

“Some places are like family. They annoy us to no end, especially during the holidays, but we keep coming back for more because we know, deep in our hearts, that our destinies are intertwined.”
― Eric Weiner

------------------------------------------------------------

“Money sometimes buys happiness. You have to break it down, though. Money is a means to an end. The problem is when you think it is an end in itself. Happiness is relationships, and people in the west think money is needed for relationships. But it's not. It comes down to trustworthiness." I'd heard the same thing in Switzerland. Trust is a prerequisite for happiness. Trust not only of your government, of institutions, but trust of your neighbors.”
― Eric Weiner

-------------------------------------------------------------

“I would not have done anything differently. All of the moments in my life, everyone I have met, every trip I have taken, every success I have enjoyed, every blunder I have made, every loss I have endured has been just right. I am not saying that they were all good or that they happened for a reason...but they have been right. They have been okay. As far as revelations go its pretty lame, I know. Okay is not bliss or even happiness. Okay is not the basis for a new religion or self help movement. Okay won't get me on Oprah, but okay is a start and for that I am grateful. Can I thank Bhutan for this breakthrough? It's hard to say […] It is a strange place, peculiar in ways large and small. You lose your bearings here and when that happens a crack forms in your armor. A crack large enough, if you're lucky, to let in a few shafts of light.”
― Eric Weiner

I love you too Mummy....

Yesterday after work, I straightly had my dinner at home. The day before my mother-in-law cooked salty vegetable but I ate outside, so didn't manage to eat. Usually she'd cook a big bowl of it and could last for few days. So on the way back, I already imagined it to be on our menu for yesterday dinner, and yup, it was there... Hehehe....

I scooped a hot steaming rice from rice cooker, poured a soup into a bowl and got ready for my dinner :) With chopsticks, I took the salty vegetable, ate it with plain rice.. Hmmmm... A perfect combination... Hehehe.... It was simple but fulfilling. I was too much into myself then realized that my son was lying on sofa watching TV. Then my mother-in-law started telling me that Baobei didn't feel well the whole day and she measured his temperature, it was 37 plus.

I asked him, "How are you? What do you feel?". He said, "Ok." I asked him to have dinner with me, but he refused. He was like that whenever he didn't feel well, refusing to eat (not like him... Usually he'd eat eagerly and even scooped another one or two bowls extra of rice when the menu was his favorite). So I ignored him for a while and continued my dinner. In the kitchen, I saw few pots of cooling tea (tea cooked using Chinese herbs or ingredients to reduce heatiness of the body). Then I recalled that the past few days we had durian and deep fried food, so maybe he didn't feel well because of eating those food. So I poured 2 glass of cooling tea. One for me, and another one for him. "Come, sit properly and drink cooling tea," I requested. He then sat by my side and started to drink. I touched his forehead, a bit fever. But judging from his behaviour, he was still ok. I asked him to eat dinner again, but he still refused.

I took a bath. He was watching TV in my room. He told me, that was what he had been doing for the whole day. Lying on my bed and watched TV. Then I told him, "No wonder lah, you should go out and have exercise! You can go downstairs and play at playground, if not play your basketball." He immediately replied that the ball had not enough air.

These few days weather was hot in the afternoon, then it rained in the evening. It was so cooling at night, I almost took out my K5 (Bhutan whiskey) to warm up my body... But I told myself, no no, tomorrow work, better don't, otherwise I'll make it a new bad habit.. Hehe...

After finishing my bath, I took out pear and small oranges from the fridge. I peeled the pear and cut it into pieces. Baobei followed me to living room. I asked him to have dinner again, telling him how perfect the salty vegetable to be eaten with hot steamed rice haha... And this time he gave up. He went to the kitchen, scooped out a bowl of rice and finally had his dinner :) I sat at dining table next to him, accompanying him eat and talk. When finished, I asked him to eat the pear and the orange, while I went to his room, using computer to pay my ACCA yearly subscription and buy Baobei school's books online.

After a while Baobei entered his room, opened his two arms wide and came to me, "Mummy.....," he hugged me and I hugged him back.Then I kissed his two cheeks and his lip, then he kissed my two cheeks and my lip. I taught him this kissing style since he was a baby. I know one day he will grow up and will stop kissing me, so before it happens, I make that kissing style as a habit, as an expression of love :) His cheeks are so meaty. I love to kiss his cheeks, especially after he took a bath, you can smell the fragrant soap smell on his cheeks and cool feeling.. Hehehe.... He came and hugged me twice, means it was time for me to finish using the computer. Hahaha....

So I went back to my room, brushed my teeth, took out my contact lens, and went straight to my bed. Actually I asked him to sleep in his room and don't turn on the air-con since he was not feeling well, but he refused and preferred to sleep with us. Hubby was still working, so just the two of us. We watched TV for a while, then ready to sleep at 10pm.

He slept in the middle. I'd face him and he faced me as well. Suddenly I felt that one of his arms on top of my body (like hugging). Suddenly I felt blessed and loved. That was a great feeling. So I took my arm and hugged him too.. So that he'd feel the same. The feeling that someone loves you, cares for you, accompanies you by your side.

When I started to feel sleepy, he whispered to me, "Mummy, I cannot sleep." I told him try to sleep. Then, after a while, he whispered to me again. I thought he would say the same thing and I was planning to ignore him.. Haha... Then he said, "Mummy, good night!" Wow!! He was so understanding! I opened my mouth and told him, "Good night Baby... I love you Baby...," and he replied, "I love you too mummy..." Then both of us fell asleep... Zzz.... Zzz....

Approaching December - Gathering time!!!

Yesterday we were all busy with month-end closing preparation. My colleague was rushing, trying to finish her jobs and left the office on time, as she had an appointment with her church friends (there was a church activity and happened to be her birthday, so she didn't want to miss it out). I stayed back until 7pm, finishing my colleague's job and also rushed to do other things so that when I go back to work on Monday, I'd have myself prepared for the month-end closing.

My other colleague, Wee, and I went off office together, took MRT to Serangoon NEX. My other friends were already inside the food court waiting for us. All of us had a quick dinner before heading to Party World, a karaoke place. It's our first time trying the karaoke there. Usually we went to other places, which were usually located at city area.

At the entrance, we were explained about the charges. They offered us to purchase liquor. Since the prices were quite reasonable and there were 6 of us, we decided to buy the 2 bottles of Jim Beam plus 4 jug of mixers (waived off 8 pax cover charge). If we can't finish, we can keep the bottle there for 2 months.

Lam, Wee, PY, me, Joyce, ET

We're the usual khaki (people who have same interest) for singing karaoke. Hehehe... Although our voices were not good, we didn't criticize or laugh on it, but just enjoying the whole process, ignoring our weakness and be fun with it. We felt comfortable singing and dancing together. If you notice, there was only 1 guy among us hahaha... He is my colleague too, working together with me. I knew him from my previous working place. Since before, he had already liked to sing karaoke. I had asked him to join karaoke with my other friends and we were all very comfortable. So once in a while, we would arrange one, sometime we'll ask other friends as well, and had fun together.

We chose the songs that were shown on the other screen. We can select many language song, such as Chinese, Cantonese, Hokkien, English, Malay/Indonesian, Korean, etc. Since we went together for few times, we knew what songs that our friends like and used to sing, so we'd choose the song just like that. And when the song appeared, we'd ask the person to sing. Hahaha... They chose mostly Chinese songs since Chinese is common language here. I sang some of Chinese songs (but sometimes I would sing wrongly - didn't know how to read the words... hahaha...), English songs, and some Indonesian songs - obviously the rest didn't understand what I was singing about, but they just listened to the rhymes and beats.

Our friend, Wee, was having sore throat and lost her voice but she was still joining us. She drank the whiskey with green tea too and ended up having a headache. She tried to get asleep lying on the sofa, then after a while, she was vomiting. But she felt much better after vomiting. Since she couldn't sing, she took out her Ipad and played her farm and other games while listening us singing. She is a persistent player of those wasting time game - that's how I called it hehe...

Something like this..... hahaha....

We drank, sang, and dance. Lucky the songs were mixed. PY chose some sad songs. Before she even sang, we'd already feeling sad... hahahahaha...... (usually the broken heart songs). Gangnam style was chosen as well, but none of us knew how to sing it. So the picture above would explain how our situation was... hahahahaha........ :D

We were singing from 8 to 12am. Finally it was over... Lam was quite high. He was very happy able to sing with us and released his stress. PY and him was singing together in the last few songs and they were so entertaining... hehe... Wee felt much better too.. You could see her smiling on the photo above, was taken before we went back. Oh ya, ET left us slight earlier as she wanted to catch the last MRT, that's why she was no more be seen in the last few photos.

At the entrance, before we went back home :) Christmas is coming soon.....

Before we left, PY distributed early Christmas presents to each of us. Thank you PY!! We entered December now. In less than one month, we'll embrace a new year again. How time flies. Although time passes so fast without we knowing it, I just hope our friendship remains in many more years to come..... Thank you all!! It was a great session and see you again in 2 months time :)

Minor durian season

Durian - King of fruit

Last weekend, we went to our old house market for breakfast. I was craving for vegetarian wanton noodle while hubby and son were having kway chap. After that, we had a walk in a neighborhood and we saw a lot of durian stalls!!! The stalls were only around when there was a durian season. When passing by the place, we could smell its aroma... hmmmm..... It's been quite some time I didn't taste it - (the last one was during National Heritage Food Promotion at place where I work, some where in August). Since we took public transport back home, we didn't buy any, because the smell was very strong and bring durian to public transport (bus and MRT) was not allowed. You couldn't even bring the durian into TAXI. The driver has the right to refuse you for boarding, because the smell is very hard to disappear and some people don't like the smell at all. Too bad... I could only swallow my saliva and left the market without it.

We stay in new area, where the eating place, market, shops, and other basic facilities like clinic, dentist are not within a distance. We have to take bus, LRT, bicycle to go there. So, don't even think of having durian stalls nearby. And this evening, my mother-in-law brought back a packet of durian home. She said she 'smuggled' the styrofoam packed durian into her bag and went back home by bus and MRT. Hahaha... She knows I love durian the most and she brought that home for me. She even took a risk of embarrassment if being caught hehehe...  So touched!!

Mangosteen - Queen of fruit

However, today my hubby took the company's car and brought us for dinner, also to shop groceries. He knows I love durian very much and since he will only go back to work next Monday, he suddenly allowed me to bring some durian back too. Usually he was very strict, didn't allow durian to be put inside the company's car, scared the smell was too strong and remain inside the car. So I wouldn't miss the opportunity and bought another 3 packets of durian back home hahaha..... I also bought mangosteen as they believe that it will cool down the body (eating durian can make your body heaty).

We opened up the packet and ate it once we reached home. Hmm.... nice... The textures were soft and it was sweet with some bitterness. I ate more than one packet on my own... hahaha... Usually I can eat more than that... but now I can't eat too much and too sweet things. So we keep the remaining balance inside our fridge so tomorrow we still can enjoy it slowly.... ^^