Blessed Mother's Day

Music: 唐麼玫- 真实 Mood: Lazy Sunday afternoon

I'm not the neatest girl you hoped for,

I'm not the top scorer you wished I could've be,

I'm not the smartest daughter who could have owned her own business and supply you with pocket-full of money,

I'm not the most obedient child you would MOST probably wished for;

But, when you are getting from...

"Teresa Teng" and "Beatles" to "I can't hear you",

The personal chauffeur to wheelchair,

Size 5 shoes to walking cane,

The nagging to the babbling,

Underwear to soiled diapers,

Spectacles to cataracts,

"What time are you coming home" to "I can't remember who you are";

I'll be there to hold your hand till the end.

Your love and care have been tattooed in our hearts and can never be forgotten.

The Mother likes it :)

(Special thanks to Glad Tiding's Church-part of the beautiful poem came from their mother's day special prayers).

The Day When Japan Moved

Music: 大橋トリオ-- Dancing in the moonlight Mood: multi-tasking

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake. A dumbfounding 10,000 death toll. The panic gripping nuclear plant explosions. Body bag and coffin shortage. Food, water and electricity shortage.

All happening within days in one of the most advance cities in the world.

And you thought Malaysia is horrible.

Two out- of- this- world-fortunate colleagues were in Yokohama for training when the devastating event occurred. For your info, the distance between Yokohama and Tokyo is about 130km- that’s about the distance between KL and Temerloh in Pahang. The newly named colleague- The MAN who lived never grow tired to share his ‘near-death’ experience.

(“How do I feel? I almost kissed the ground when I touched down back here!!”)

Day one- 9 Mar 11

Training room was wobbly, like placing a cup of water in a moving railway train. The Japanese Trainer was almost cool and experienced, as if it’s something that happens every fortnight, “Don’t worry!” He ensures participants from different parts of the world, “It’s very normal, happens all the time!”

So they went back to training, then shopped and drank sake through the night.

Day two- 10 Mar 11

Training room was shaking a little more aggressive than yesterday. The smiley Trainer still confidently reassured the class, “no problem! It will stop!”

So they continued training, then bought Burberry Gucci Prada and drank sake through the night.

Day three- 11 Mar 11

Training room was shaking violently at about 2pm. This time, it wiped the smile off trainer’s face to replace with a grimace.

(Credit goes to The Man Who Lived- Freddy who provided all photos.)

Everyone has to stand against the wall, away from the middle. Notice there is nothing hanging from the ceiling? All buildings across the Japan Nation is designed that way, especially new-rise buildings are engineered to be quake-proof.

Bay Quarter Shopping Centre before earthquake.

Bay Quarter Shopping Centre during earthquake at 11 March in the afternoon- shoppers gathered around the al fresco area.

Road outside Bay Quarter is in a terrible jam after closures of many other major road around the city.

…It never die down till late night.

See how swiftly notices were posted at the hotel lobby for any disrupted services including subway operating time. I once read the newspaper with a picture showing two foreigners waiting in front of a lift at LCCT, not realizing an insignificant notice by the side that says “ROSAK”.

The quaking persists through the night, hotel guests are required to open up all doors to prevent from getting stuck with a jammed door. Staffs were even nice enough to provide a complimentary supper to all guests.

The badly damaged streets of Yokohama

Frantic Japs and tourists fleeing to Haneda airport and out from the deteriorating nation.

During the entire quake episode, all shopping centres and hotels kept their doors open as shelters and call out to any wandering people on the street. Although food and water supplies are running short, citizens are still lining up to pay at counters. The needy are helping the deprived, how disciplined and helpful can these people be!

We are a generous bunch, but I can’t image if such disaster is happening here, how would the locals react under such trauma? I’ve seen an overturned lorry carrying caged chickens with injured passengers on the highway, passersby stopped their vehicles not to help the injured, but to risk their dear lives to run after chickens that ran amok on the highway. Same goes to another injured motorcyclist who was carrying bags of shillings, all the onlookers did was to seize the spilled coins, some even took off their shirts to carry more.

I have just ONE of a kind in my home:

“Is the Naruto’s author dead??? I heard bad news about the missing One Piece and Bleach authors!! I can’t take it GAAAAAHHHH!!!”

There goes the howling otaku who lives next to my room, IT eats drinks sleeps anime for survival.

The Land of Millionnaires- Here I Come!

Music: T-Square- Morning Delight Mood: To Finish in 5 minutes!

This is the closest I can get to become a millionaire- I mean it, a real millionaire!


A Trillionaire!!

Hanoi, here I come!!

The Love That Counts

Music: Kotaro Oshio - Rushin' Mood: The lazy Saturday mode


The Court Order


The Arrest Warrant

It is never a child's decision whether to relinquish her gratitude towards the hands that brought her up; there should never be a choice.

Mum's birthday and Mother's day are very close to each other, so it's always a combo from us - to celebrate Mother's Day and 'kind of' forgo the birthday that comes later.

She had a few celebrations at office- a green tea cake from a department, a decadent chocolate mousse cake courtesy from the Hotel, a cheese cake from another department, another chocolate cake from yet another department; then came home with some leftovers.

All of that aside, it was this "tiny, horrible looking cake" that mattered the most to her.

The daughters who came back for dinner and the Birthday song sang by us mattered the most.

If love is tangible, I hope the fat stack counts!

To the heavyweight of the family, it is an undisputed love.

Pain

Music: None Mood: Blur

"Okay... We'll need to inject these medicine so your brain will appear clearer during the scanning process."

"Is this more painful or blood test is more painful?" I shrunk a little after seeing the bed of needles.

"hmm....you can tell me the difference in 5 secs later."

The young doctor routinely poked the needle in my largest floating vein while answering me.

"Please warn me when the painful part is... ouch. OUCH!" I twitched sideways unintentionally.

"Oh no don't move, DON'T MOVE," He quickly pressed my arm. "This is the painful part, if you move while I'm pricking." He sigh as he checked whether the needle has gone lopsided.

You'll be itching to move about when you are in the hospital from 11.30am until 5.30pm. I'm being scheduled to two tests, in the end only one has been carried out at 5.30pm, somemore not tentatively at 5pm. Rounding up, I'll just say let thy three parties, i.e. Company, Insurance and Hospital communicate properly before they decide anything, the suffering falls on you.

Took this picture outside the changing room while the young doctor prepared and explained the procedures to an old Belgian lady who doesn't understand English, whereas the persistent daughter demanded to stay in the testing room when the brain MRI is being carried out later.

I'm so cold my fingers turned purple with nothing but this orange jail robe.

Luckily the results were fine, nothing's wrong with my brain, probably a bit blunt for not working for the past two weeks. Now, my worst nightmare - liver and stomach.

Chinese New Year (Part 3) - The Office

Music: John Legend - Sun Comes Up Mood: Hooot!

The lion dance troupe visits the company every year, which is a norm to most but to me it's an absolute first experience and I'm as excited as a kid on Christmas day.

Our very own Choi San Ye a.k.a Mister Potato~

The troupe will proceed to every floor to spread prosperity and good luck which started at 11.30 am and ended at 1.30pm, to each manager's room and any cubicle that places mandarin oranges on top. I'm lucky as the President's room is located at the same floor as I am, thus we are amongst the first to welcome the troupe before they lay flat of exhaustion.

The big shots must HUAT first. If they don't HUAT, we all no need to think of HUAT.

They were so nice to give me a red packet to put in between two of the oranges I placed on my cubicle, which is deemed as the 'correct' way. I got a fat black lion but I'm still as excited as I can be.

The Marketing people were so nice to invite HR over for a final round of Lou Sang session by the end of last Thursday, a freshly home made one somemore.

I swear I can only hear "Promotion ah!" and "Increment ah!" coming directly at our faces.

The Japanese Manager who joined us asked, "Ne, what's the meaning of doing this during Chinese New Year?"

..........................

I'm like the rest, bury my face to the paper plate and continue eating.

P.S.: There, I've Wiki it, go read how Yee Sang come about.

Chinese New Year (Part 2) - The Mexican Dinner

Music: Jim Noir - I Met You Mood: Sticky

The Aunt from US is back for CNY celebration and volunteered to cook an 'unusual' CNY meal - a Mexican Dinner!

Women at work in their territory. You mess with them you don't get to eat.

They are baking gurus at home but totally clueless on how to melt the cheese using this microwave.

A table full of western goodies! Mashed potatoes, asparagus with mayo and anchovies, marshmallows, rasberry jam, crackers... sounds like a mixture of tea party and dinner.

The turkey to go with rasberry jam - I think the aunt brought it from US.

Tortillas with Salsa - I think she brought 70% of the ingredients from US as it cost so much lesser there. Imagine how much would a bag of taco chips that's equivalent to the size of a big bag of 2 kg dog food would cost here??

Fruit salad with loootsa greens. Mum said this is my ideal kind of dinner. Heh.

She taught us the correct sequence of savouring the 'unusual' meal: "we eat this every year during Thanksgiving, first you put in the asparagus, then the mashed potatoes, then the sauce that goes on top..." must STRICTLY follow the sequence!

"But...but... where's the meat??" Uncle whined after she plopped it into his hand. "You can have the meat after finishing this!" She commanded.

"No meat is just as good as not having dinner!" He scurried away with few big pieces of turkey after aunty turned to the kitchen.

This is Chloe! My cutest ever niece who called me "Aunty" (which by the way is being convinced by a group of evil brothers) until I buy her over by camwhoring with her.

Meet my mum's side's relatives from Johor!

Not forgetting a picture with the imported chef, the rosy cheek aunt who made us warm apple cider and cold apple pie in this hot weather ^.^