First MC of 2011

This morning, I took my very first MC.
it was suppose to be a half day MC but it turned into a full day.
I woke up this morning and got ready to go to work,
coughing my lungs out and trying to unblock a block nose.
someone should invent one of those plunger things you use for the toilet, but for noses..
anyway, I took a really hot shower to make myself feel better,
wrapped myself up in a nice thick sweater
and made my way to the bus stop despite the rain and the cold..
but after waiting for the bus for 15 minutes (even though the board said ARRIVING since the minute I got to the busstop,
I decided I wasn't going to go to work.
the jam was crazy
I was already late since the bus was 15 minutes behind.

I felt terrible not going to work though..
I told myself I will go for the second session at least
but when 12.30 came,
I really didn't feel up to it.
So I decided to be a bum and stay home.
I did bake though..
which warmed the kitchen up
and I drowned myself with pi pa kao.

After that, I found out that if I DID go to work, it would have been the worse day ever.
I was looking for my wallet and I realized it wasn't in my bag.
so if I was stubborn and went to work anyway,
I would have been terribly late for the first session,
felt terrible (I always feel horrible when I'm late for sessions),
found out I couldn't take the cab from little india to my second session,
been even more terribly late for the second session
and come home in the most horrid mood ever.

So even though now I miss the kids,
I thank God for this day of rest
and I can't wait to get back to work tomorrow :)

I don't really like the person I've become.

It Flu Away

This morning I woke up at about 10.20, clutching a bunch of tissues.
I usually wake up at about 9 no matter how much I sleep in but I had been drifting in and out of consciousness trying my best to sleep the flu away.
My nose was giving me hell and I felt all stuffed and congested.
I whined a bit to Quen, popped two Lemsip flu tablets then prepared to leave for work.
I totally felt like taking a sick day and just stay in bed and sleep the flu away
especially since it was POURING outside
but I decided I only had to suck it up for 5 short hours before I could snuggle back into bed again.
So I stepped out and got really wet even though I had an umbrella,
sat in the cold bus willing myself to not be a wimp
but the second bus took so long I succumbed and took a cab for the remaining journey which was actually only a 5 minutes taxi ride.
And God is super awesome because the kid was so good today..
a bit of the usual tantrums but nothing major
and a whole lot of progress which made everything very worthwhile.
I came home popped another Lemsip pill because my nose was like a broken faucet
Then went on to magic clean the whole living area and kitchen just because I felt like I should do some cleaning

I feel so accomplished now.
I could have decided I was too sick to do anything and waste the whole day in bed
but now that I didn't, I feel quite good
My nose has finally stopped running :)
My fingers are crossed, hoping the flu's gone for good!

流沙包

(Image via Food and the City)

I just woke up from a perfect dream of dim sum, namely liu sha bao (流沙包)
A few months ago, Lydia introduced us to the very amazing dim sum
It is bun filled with sweet and slightly salty goodness: a very delicious mix of custard and salted egg
I have been told it is extremely high in calories but this is one food where every calorie is WORTH IT.
YES, it is that good.
You'll only know it's the real deal if you see a rich golden liquid flow out when you poke the center of your bun with your chopsticks
Although I usually don't do that because I'd rather every bit of it's filling go straight into my tummy instead of all over my plate.

The best place to have it would have to be Bosses located at Vivo City.
They also have a yam version which Quen likes more than the original one
Crystal Jade also has them.. and I think I might go there for some later :P

It isn't a gimmick :D

Spring Cleaning

I finally went to get a pest repellent to get rid of the lizard
I was going to power up the vacuum cleaner and suck the lizard out but I didn't think I would have been able to empty the vacuum if I did..
So I decided on this device instead.
what this device does is that it emits some kind of frequency which disturbs the nervous system of the pests and chases them away..
at least that's what the box says..
And I have to say it's been quite impressive so far...
I haven't heard from the lizard since I plugged it in, giving me the chance to have a very nice afternoon or rather, evening nap to catch up on lost sleep.
but we'll know for sure tomorrow morning..
if the noisy lizard doesn't wake me up at the usual 7am, we'll know this device is not just a gimmick.

These few days have been spring cleaning days and I must say I'm very proud of myself.
The house looks so much neater now and it's starting to feel a lot more pleasant to live in.
of course there is still much to be done..
but slowly and steadily, I will de-clutter the entire house :)

The Lizard War

I have a very annoying lizard that has been bothering me for the past couple of months.
I told my dad to catch it but he says if he can't see it, he can't catch it.
(I think he's just scared.)
but anyway, I decided I should try and remove it on my own because it is waking me up in the mornings when I want to sleep in.
So I googled it.
And this is what I found:

This is a true story that happened in Japan.

In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan tears open the wall.
Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls.

When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there
because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet. He sees this,
feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it
was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built.

What happened? The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years! In a
dark wall partition for 10 years without moving, it is impossible and mind
boggling.

Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years without moving a
single step--since its foot was nailed!

So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and
what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came,
appears another lizard, with food in its mouth.

Ahh! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by
nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years...

Such love, such a beautiful love! Such love happened even with this tiny
creature ... What can love do? It can do wonders! Love can do miracles!

Imagine? it has been doing that untiringly for 10 long years, without giving
up hope on its partner.

Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a
brilliant mind can't.

via SgForums

HOW is this relevant to getting rid of lizards?
And no, it doesn't make me change my view of lizards.
I still don't like them at all.
Just the thought of TWO lizards AND a dead bug makes my goosebumps swell to the size of watermelons.
promise.

Skibi on the other hand was very helpful.
Though something/someone has convinced her that 'sees' has an apostrophe in it.

Get a cat. My cat goes wild when she see’s lizards. They’re like free fancy feast treats to her. -Skibi

I'm convinced.
I think I might need a cat.
One that has a Masters in the art of catching lizards.

The rain came down and the floods came up

Today was incredibly wet and cold.
which was actually quite awesome!
Good thing I decided to bring my thicker sweater along to work today if not I would have been totally frozen to death.
Quen has started school again and although he only has two modules, his timetable isn't very nice :(
I don't like evening classes much.
Evenings are the only time I am free now that I have a full time job.
But I guess it's not too bad..
I'm thinking of rejoining the gym anyway...
key word: THINKING..
but maybe, MAYBE after CNY :P
I'll need to use my free time to spring clean in the meantime..

Brisbane is SO FLOODED.
Lydia got evacuated from our apartment and she's staying with Aunty Flick at chapel hill now..
and then chapel hill had a powershortage!
HOW EXCITING IS THAT!
I super duper wish I were there now.
The last time I was there and it flooded,
all that happened was that the pool overflowed and the water came into my room a teensy bit :(
so unexciting compared to this one..

Anyway, I can't wait for the weekend!
It's the first weekend in a long time that I have absolutely NOTHING scheduled.
I am going to sleep in as much as I can and then spring clean the house :D
CAN'T WAIT!

Lesson of the day: No expectations = No disappointment.
Most of the time I think that's the way it should be.

Hong Kong

Hong kong was a whole lot of food and fun :)
while Lydia, Leah and Mom went off to do their major shopping,

Quen and I occupied ourselves with spotting spelling mistakes and doing stupid things.

Quen kept taking photos of RANDOM PEOPLE as if they were part of our tour group.

We walked a whole lot which was good because we also ate a WHOLE LOT.



I think I ate too much to last my whole lifetime.

In the past, a family trip just meant some tour with my dad shooting at all the tourist spots and us having to pose for picture after picture..
and he takes REALLY LONG to adjust his camera.
but this family trip changed the meaning of family trips.
Can't wait for the trips planned for this year :)

The best thing that happened in 2010