Boxing Day

So today is boxing day !!! Happy boxing day!

Had great Baumkuchen :).... this is a layered cake (something like the one they sell at bengawan solo, except, the shape is different and the layers are vertical...). Now I am suffering for sugar shock.

Chiang Mai sounds cool. Acupunture as long as it is not on me is also cool :) . Yeah, you should go to sydney if you think it is better, but this means I will not get to meet you very often (now at least, I know you are there when I am back :) ), Hey, are you coming to visit me or not?

I am planning to go back to singapore for a vacation, maybe even go to one of these beach resorts for fun (eventually, some of my friends may come along...) I hope so, will be fun :)

Otherwise, Xmas is this consumer event, and my cards all bounced (that is bad spending habits :( ).... But my best christmas present is the nice foto at the top (sorry, I am to lazy to move it to the correct position)... It is my dad with the current love of his life (yes, I am now ousted :'( boohoo)

Hey babes, are you going for the reunion? Sounds scary, everyones married.. Hey Peiyun has a baby boy now! :) I should really write to her to get pics. Now I am starting a collage on my wall with pics :) and fotos, and I think there are quite a few wedding pics and quite a few baby pics....

And kisses, and thanks for the beautiful xmas mail. Keep your head up :), come visit me (for the snow, if not me)...

kisses

the Guillotine awaits...

i stand before u
m i worth it i ask?

when pp say love is difficult
i ask why
isn't it all encompassing?

i love u
i love u all
love is not perfect
it's not all bliss and happiness all the time

it's friendship
support
acceptance
acknowledgement
knowledge that we're not perfect
we are different pp
but we're willing to do what it takes

that's the difference btwn love and friendship

Sawadee Ka

Acupuncture in Chiang Mai Dec 2005

Chiang Mai is beautiful -- cool weather with sunny days. How I've missed those of Syd's. To feel cool enuff to walk for miles and miles, and when u need a break --- flop down onto a grassy patch and just laze in the warming sun.

I love the thai pp -- they're friendly, simple and caring. The hospitality that's extended is just so sweet -- u feel right at home even if you only understand them 1/4 of the time.

Spent the past 5 days going thru my 2nd acupuncture course and it is so much clearer. This course is excellent and I wld recc it to everyone. I can even do horses now!

The food is heavenly and so is the environment. Just being surrounded by the greens, being able to see the mountains just next to the uni is so relaxing. You feel re-engergised somehow. I do think we're really lacking in our connection to the real mother nature these days. I miss the open skies, the dry grass where i can just flop onto the ground without worrying about mozzies or ants etc... And to just lie there listening to the birds till it's time to eat.

Plan : back to Syd for Easter 2006 if possi.

PS. Envious of your white xmas!!! Love skiing!!

Sledding fun!

So this is what happens around here :)

Volley-nite

Phew, yesterday (night, as the name suggests), I participated in the Volleynite held at the university. Me, being super chicken, (or, actually, I prefer, super chick :) ), dragged along 2 replacement players (guys!) for myself. Fortunately, I was sick earlier this week, which justified my bad behaviour ...

Ok so anyway, although we didnt win, we did not end up being last either (nice way of saying almost last)... I would say, it is almost my fault that I didnt play that much :). We had a sister team (I supposed, they saved us the embarassement of being last). B

Our team was really funny, we had more supporters (they called themselves coaches) than players, almost .... actually, they were girlfriends and boyfriends, and friends of friends, and beer-drinkers :).

garlic-and-onions-and-socializing
One girl Ushi was really funny: On the bench I was talking to Adam who bought our dinnner, that he forgot to ask the shop to leave out the onions, so now we smell so bad, I can't kiss Julian (it was a joke, the kissing)... so the Ushi, looking really shocked, "So which one is Julian, it is really bad because I can even smell him from here..." (of course, she was smelling my onions, since, I did have the same dinner as Julian :) ).... Man, she felt so embarassed.... :) .... Later that night, Vijay went, "So i dint put garlic in my dinner tonight because I knew I was coming to meet you guys", to which I answered "Oh, we knew you were coming, so we made sure we had onions :) " I think poor Ushi nearly turned all red :).

We were almost always arguing with the referees, :), or at least our supporters, since we were mostly on the field (Me, doing the pom-poms (gimme a "B" , gimme a "H", gimme a "O-Umlaut" (damm this german language)...)). I did argue once, because they forgot to give us the points! Did actually play, but, the moment I am out of the field, and chatting up a good-looking (guy or gal), I didnt really get back into the field much :( ....

but I think we should really practice a lot more, for next year... we werent SO bad, considering that we were really beginners .... :) ... we were the only team that could not do smashes :*(

will post some pics of the volleynite, if Andreas will send them round. But boy, am I sleepy today ....

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich | Bernard Haitink, Leitung

Anton Webern Passacaglia für Orchester op. 1
Claude Debussy La Mer L 109
Johannes Brahms Sinfonie Nr. 2 D-Dur op. 73

--> was here last night, Haitink was conducting. The brahms was definitely much better conducted (i think), his left hand being fantastically great at coaxing the instruments to sing. What I liked was the precision of the (what's the term again? Sudden loud + sudden silence -- havent read scores for ages)...

Sorry, bad at blogging too much work actually...

ReNT

"Based on Puccini's classic opera La Boheme, RENT is the story of a community of struggling artists celebrating life, in the face of death and AIDS, at the turn of the 21st century. This anthem of today's youth is a surprisingly optimistic portrayal of growing up in our society. It is about friendship, sex and the struggle to pay the rent. Starring Karen Mok as one of the cast."

http://rentworldtour.com/rentWorldTour_cast.php


As usual, I turned up at this musical completely ignorant of the storyline and enjoyed myself hugely even with a hunched, stiff back of a 90yo. We forget that musicals are soul enriching -- the music, the singing, the emotions... all very comforting & exhilarating to the mind. I'm inspired to do this more often & the best part is having someone special to intertwine fingers with, esp during the "hoohoohoo" scenes. Yup, even with the embarassing tissue grasping & nose blowing -- she loves me and is secretly amused by it.

Back to ReNT -- Karen Mok is no trained broadway singer and her voice lacks the lustre and quality required for intensed emotional singing -- it actuallly made us cringe. She can hardly be heard most of the time unless it's one of those soft wretched scenes. Still, it's a big step for her to be there, and if she can loose the HK-ganster-GF look, she might eventually turn out ok.

The character I liked best was CAREN LYN MANUEL as (Maureen). Her debut song "Over the MOON" was totally hilarious and her voice excellent. She actually got the audience to "MOO" with her!! I must get this song. She also has a great body, very chic in her shiny black leather get-up. Reminds me a little of Karen in W&G.

The most lovable Kr would have to be ANDY SENOR as (Angel) -- the drag queen with a huge sense of humour and optimistic outlook to both life and love. She was also the most inspiring, therefore it's no surprise she had to die. Her ability to jump onto a waist-high table & landing suavely on heels, also had us gasping in admiration.

The best vocal wld be JEREMY KUSHNIER as (Roger). It's voices like these that serenades your mind, body and soul.

The euphoria felt after a satisfying muscial can never be replaced by movies or books. Hence I urge all who's reading this to pls go watch a musical today, and to get the best seats 'cos it's totally worth it (after the initial cringe).