Central at tampines mall

Try their signature wanton noodles for $4.80. Soup is tasty and their wanton is actually a shrimp dumpling. Fresh, meaty and all round good value :) oh, but the staff is a bit clueless.

It's a Soap

It's got deceit, betrayal, plotting and planning. Stepsisters, ex-husbands, friends-turned-lovers, gay son, drug-pushing daughter.

That's how you know it's a soap. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I've spent the last 6 hours or so watching TV programmes on the computer.

I - The Big Bang Theory for a little pre-programathon warm up:  

(Four clever if somewhat socially-lacking guys + one hot girl neighbour)

II - On to a regular-length series with a little humour and sleuthing to get the blood pumping:

(Hot female detective + ego-filled mystery writer with a crush on her)

III - Then for some spy action:

(The accidental spy + hot spy chick = romantic engagements)

IV - Now it's time to tone down the laughs and bring on the serious stuff:

(OK - 2 brothers after the same girl - what more can I say)

V - After that deep stuff, something totally different:

(A whole bunch of crazy talented kids + singing and dancing)

VI - Finally, 2 episodes (back to back) of my favourite soap:

(See below)

And why do I call it a soap? So this woman's married umpety-thumpety times, has cancer, doesn't tell her latest husband, runs off to be treated by one of her exes, now he's back in town and declares in a public speech that he regrets leaving; meanwhile new husband's daughter is plotting and scheming to break up step-sister and boyfriend so she can have the hot hot hot Chace Crawford to herself; new husband  himself is busy plotting and succeeding in keeping ex out of the building (yes, he was planning to buy an apartment in their building) AND discovers that daughter was dealing drugs; and there's so much more - sex and scandal, soppy, mushy talk, parties and galas; everyone's misunderstood, there are a million and one connections between anyone and everyone and then some.... oooh simply GLORIOUS!

No one ever told me staying in to watch TV could be so fulfilling!

======================================

WOW A Capella

I've always loved humming tunes and singing stuff. And the one thing that always got to me was that there were some classical tunes that I could never sing in their entirety, either because the range of the instrument was far beyond that of my voice, or because the overlapping of parts made it impossible for me to figure out how to sing them all. 

My current fixation is with Ensemble Planeta.

This is Air on a G String

and this is Canon in D

For originals (played by instruments) just do a Youtube search.

[I know I used to embed the videos directly here but for some reason with Youtube's new format I can't seem to get any codes to load.]

Now listen to that and till me it doesn't sound just heavenly?

Like the Seasons, they come and go

Friends.

They're a big part of my life. How do I know this? 

1) The posts I can remember are the ones involving friends or about friendship.

2) When I think back on BIG occasions in my life (ok, and even small ones) the first thing that comes to mind is the people who were around me then.

3) When I'm feeling lonely, I look for one. When I'm happy, I send another an SMS. When the weather's too hot, I complain to yet another. I kid you not.

Today on the phone, a friend was feeling down, maybe a little pissed off, but mostly just upset at HER friend. In the course of trying to figure out exactly what happened and how she could avoid similar situations in the future, I realised that friendships are truly, truly wonderful things. Said friend is someone I've known since I was 15 (I think) and over the last 22 years, we've watched movies, been best friends, lived together, had a cold war (lasting I think in excess of 5 years), shared a dog, played computer games, run the choir, gone on holiday, fought and argued, made each other cry - like globs of snot kind of cry - and much much more, I'm sure.

Yeah, yeah, we've had so many years to bond, we practically grew up together, you say. But is the duration of a friendship really a measure of how deep that friendship is - or ought to be? No, I say.  And having been friends with someone for ages and ages does not automatically guarantee that you will remain  steeped in friendship forever. (See Culled from the table) 

Over the last couple of years, a once shy, quiet student has found the nerve to actually have conversations with me. And not just about music theory either. She finally opened up and under that what-I-once-thought-of-as-timid exterior lives a monster! To say we get on like a house on fire is a gross understatement. She's still a student, with one last exam to go... but that doesn't stop us from having crazy chats - from boy problems (MINE, not hers!) to eating habits, singing at the top of our lungs, stuffing our faces with House Cheeseburgers and Skyping on a daily basis. 

Even more than that, when I found myself in the midst of an insurance dilemma, rescue came in the form of her mother. Over time, in the process of Advisoring me on my Finances, a friendship began to bloom and grow. [Cue Edelweiss from Sound of Music to accompany my singing the song right about now.]

I spent last Sunday evening slurping up Laksa, filling up Pie Tee moulds and stuffing Tau Kwa Paus into my mouth at their dining table. This was followed by the usual lamentations of over-eaters the world over - Oh, I'm so Full! Yeah, I'm stuffed! Shouldn't have eaten so much! Etc.

After about 10 minutes of that, the Bibik in me kicked in and I got round to wiping the table, sweeping the floor and generally just "kiok"-ing the place while the dishes were getting washed and settees were being straightened. The best thing about this is that I was glad to be helping and I'm even more thrilled that my hostess(es) didn't object to it.

Now is that any way to treat a guest? No. But I wasn't just a guest in their home. And for that, I'm truly grateful. 5 hours after I arrived, when the cake was all eaten (and yes, we were STILL stuffed at that point - but it was good cake!) when the tea was all drunk, when the songs were all sung, I bid them farewell and left with a smile on my face and a giggle in my heart!

In the time it took me to realise that some friendships had gone past their expiration date,  I also managed to find some new ones in places I never expected.

So bring on the tea, ladies. For as Martin Luther said: As long as we live, there is never enough singing!

(Dedicated to SL and AL)

Every Family Has One

I may be pissing off a lot of people here. But it has to be said. Every family has one of those - you know, the one who has their own ideas and values and doesn't seem to be part of the same brood that your mum brought up.

They know more, do better, are more successful, have more purposeful lives etc. and therefore MUST be the ones whose opinions matter. YOUR opinion? Pfft... it don't matter.

And no matter how you prove on paper that everything they've got is substandard compared to you (and/or your other siblings) there'll be a million and two excuses why you have no grounds to make a comparison. 

Even if they're arguing subject matter by which you earn a living, you can bet you're still less knowledgeable because they're older, younger, richer... take your pick.

So what do we do? Leave them be. Live our own lives. Ignore them- be cordial, at best. And pray that they're happy living in their little bubble world. 

(Dedicated to A.Neo)