Kukup Day 2

From the annual chalet stays that we had, we all know that the older folks will wake up real early and will wake US up with their non-stop chattering. So at 8.30am, 4th Aunt came into the bedroom and announced that if we did not wake up that instant, breakfast would be gone.

I did not bat any eyelid, and sure enough, when I woke at 9.30am, only 5 packs of cold nasi lemak, porridge and coffee was left (Think there was an assortment of kueh going around while I was unconscious). Nasi lemak was in dwarf portions, but luckily there was hot coffee!

So we slacked around before packing up to leave the resort. Here are a few more pictures that I appropriated from Heng Lip's blog. 'Scenic' shots of Kukup.

During high tide

One of their modes of transport

Rubbish-strewn seabed

Flora

A lonely fishing rod

Sea snake

Mudskippers

Okay, I admit the mudskippers look nothing more like mosquito larvae.

Upon departure, my relatives stopped by a roadside stall to eat durains AGAIN. (My god.) When everyone was finally rounded up and packed in the coach, we realised that 1st Aunt was missing. The tour guide cycled to find her, and everyone started to come up with various theories regarding her disappearance. Some said she was stuck at the stall eating durians, and some even speculated that she was having a tryst with the resort's owner. When she was located half an hour later, it turned out that some selfish aunties (notably Bling Bling) used her to buy groceries for them, causing her to be late.

We were taken to Pontian, a busier town 45 minutes away from Kukup, for lunch. Lunch was at a restaurant called Shangri-La, popular with newly-weds who will hold banquets there.

3rd Aunt, 4th Aunt and Heng Lip

After lunch, we were allowed to shop around for 30 minutes. I came across a shop selling cheap local produce, and I bought yam cookies, marshmallows and grape gummies. Heng Lip was elated when he picked up a large pack of Crispy chocolate bars (a cheapo version of Crunch), and he was exclaiming "I ate these when I was a kid!". I bought that childhood memento too. All for RM20. 4th Aunt even bought lottery there. 4D addiction sure knows no (international) boundaries.

After that, we were taken to a touristy shop that sells MORE local produce. After comparing prices with the previous shop, I realised that this shop is out to fleece us tourists. Nevertheless, I still bought some pastries, snacks and honey.

Lastly, we were taken to the Woodlands Causeway and back to Singapore. Along the way, 1st Aunt distributed rainbow-coloured agar agar to us. Ah Sir and I were greatly annoyed by Enormous and the geeky girl because they were playing childish games and spitting drool all around. The ordeal ended when we finally reached Eunos. Home sweet home.

Kukup Day 1 (1)

Today is my 2D1N trip to Kukup! 4th Aunt, Kar Cheng, Heng Lip and I assembled at Eunos early in the morning to board the coach, together with 1st Aunt (who was the co-tour guide), 3rd Aunt and her husband, and a bunch of other tour members. 1st Aunt promised us our tour group consisted mainly of youngsters, but apparently in the eyes of a 60+ year-old, 45 is considered a teenage age. Kar Cheng and Heng Lip were furthered disillusioned when the sight of the group's only two prepubescents extinguished their lecherous desires. They were a geeky girl and an oversized girl in an oversized Betty Boop tee, whom we named Enormous. I shall not forget to mention Bling Bling, a boisterous auntie so-named for her dazzling purple-and-gold plaited belt which was so hip-hop. She did a gracious act of single-handedly occupying the whole back row seat of the bus while the rest of us were facing the predicament of inadequate seats.

That was because the coach was going to AMK later to pick up 6 more people, namely 2nd Aunt, Ah Sir, Ah Ping, 2nd Gu, 2nd Gim and a lonely woman in a red business suit (why she would wear a business suit to a fishing village is way beyond me). Someone in the group forgot to bring his passport and had to end his trip prematurely. It was a trip out of Singapore and he probably brought an extra pair of knickers or dental floss, but omitting the passport was ridiculous. Ah Sir brought a delightful array of snacks, including Hello Panda party packs, lemon candies and a tub full of nougat that Ah Ping bought from Australia a few months ago (and they still haven't finished it?!).

Ah Sir and me

The coach took us to the clean and efficient Tuas Checkpoint, and when we entered JB, the coach dropped us at a coffeeshop famous for its Amy Yip buns (don't overstretch your imagination) to have a late breakfast. After that, we were taken to a 妈祖 temple for a look / pray.

At the temple

There was a dodgy stall in the temple compound selling fruits, and being fruit fanatics, all my aunties (and Ah Sir who has an obsession with bananas) eagerly sampled the rambutans and durians. My strong aversion towards fruits drove me far away from them.

Fruits of the season

There was a mini pond overflowing with terrapins. 3rd Aunt bought stalks of leafy greens from another dodgy stall for us to feed them.

A messy pond of terrapins

Feeding them

Then the coach took us to Kukup after that. Along the way, the aunties were fighting over one another to be the first to spot durians and rambutans hanging from the trees by the roadside. The tour guide (a Malaysian) was informing us of the ridiculously low prices of mass-produced bungalows that we saw along the way, but we all know better than to invest in such property that has no lamp posts by the road and that is miles away from real civilization. I was unfortunate enough to be sitting in front of Enormous because her over-sized legs were constantly kicking the back of my seat. The whole coach was full of discussions on rambutan prices, durian varieties and the difference between Sarawak and Philippine pineapples.

We finally reached Kukup town. Kukup is a small fishing village west of JB, that has gradually opened up to tourism over the years. Singaporeans and locals flock to this idyllic spot for an overnight stay at one of the kelong-style resorts. While this brings the town an extra source of revenue besides fish farming, there is also a host of problems that includes commercialization, development at the expense of nature and pollution. More resorts are being built to accommodate the tourists, and I do not see any more of the simple and rustic kelong charm that I saw of Kukup nine years ago. More rubbish has been generated and carelessly disposed of, severely polluting the mangrove environment.

We had a sumptuous lunch at a seafood restaurant there. They served egg tofu, bok choy, chilli crabs, butter prawns, sambal mussels, lemon chicken and a large fish (tilapia, I think). After lunch, we were taken to our luxurious resort. It is a resort on the sea that houses several bedrooms, and each bedroom in turn contains many beds. So my relatives and I were allocated to a bedroom by the back hall and balcony that overlooks the sea and fish farms.

My lovely cousin Ah Ping

Houses on stilts

Houses on mangrove and mud (ick)

I realized that we (meaning our group) were actually sharing the bungalow with another tour group comprising of Malaysians (predominantly aunties and senior citizens). Unfortunately, the hall had karaoke equipment and as I was browsing through their archive of pirated MTV VCDs, two Malaysian bitches (from the other group) promptly inserted VCDs that they brought into the player and started playing crappy oldies at full blast. The worst part was when they started to sing. Their voices could made your innards quiver. Everyone in the hall were really irritated and started leaving one by one. 3rd Aunt even told them politely to lower the volume, but you could see in their slitty eyes and twitchy lips a pompous retort "I rule the hall". Unexpectedly, I lost my cool and railed at the two bitches. Before her husband could open his mouth, I snapped at him too. Everyone was dumbfounded, but they did lower the volume. Geez, I should have brought my techno compilations.

3pm, and it was time for durians. As everybody flocked to the main balcony for the feast, Kar Cheng sneakily removed the audio cables from the player and hid them. Good move.

Looking at the durian-opener expectantly

Ah Sir, me and Ah Ping

While they were eating, I took a walk around the neighbourhood. It sucked because it was drizzling and the scenery wasn't even attractive. Looking down at the seabed (during low tide) was a bloodcurdling experience. The mangrove population of mudskippers, snails and sea snakes was insignificant to the amount of rubbish lying all over the seabed. The rag-and-bone man will be exhilarated to collect the plastic bottles, durian shells, bicycle tyres and a big empty bag of Pedigree dog food.

Kukup Day 1 (2)

After the durian feast, we resumed our activities. Another bunch of aunties wanted to start a KTV session, but they did not suspect we had tampered with the player. They just stared blankly at the TV that emitted no sound. Hyuk hyuk!

At about 5pm, we were all taken for a mini tour to a fish farm. That was when we got to know the Malaysian Lolitas from the other group. There were five of them, but there was one with the best fashion sense. She wore a black mid-riffed top, a pink mini skirt, black sneakers, pink ankle socks, a pink cap and chunky plastic jewellery. We were mesmerized by her cutesie Bugis Village garb, but hasn't anyone told her she isn't Sweet Sixteen anymore?

Kar Cheng and Henglip were also mean enough to name the loner in the red business suit Frankenstein because of her slouch and the dazed look on her face.

We boarded a ferry to visit one of the many floating fish farms. Along the way, we also saw many plastic barrels buoying on the sea surface. The ferry driver said those were used to trap jellyfish. We also saw the REAL fishing villages / kelongs.

The authentic kelongs

Fish farms

We were brought to a fish farm, and a kid brought us around, introducing the angler fishes, horseshoe crab, shark and puffer fish to us. The whole place was shrouded in a fishy stench, because the farmers there were packing large bags of bloody kunning. We left within ten minutes. On board, Heng Lip was grossing me out with his personal encounter, where he stumbled across one of our neighbourhood grannies molesting a blind ah pek. But the highlight was Bling Bling flirting with the ferry driver. She said she would kiss him if he offered her five dollars. I bet he wished his ferry would snap into two and sink at that moment.

Fishes in a frenzy

Sunset

Then we were taken to a restaurant on the sea to have dinner. Bling Bling grossed me out again. I was washing my hands and she was waiting to use the sink. When she saw the water flowing slowly out of the tap in a tiny stream, she exclaimed "Ha! When my urine gushes out, it is even more powerful than this tap!". I was floored.

Dinner was AGAIN, egg tofu, spinach, chilli crab, sambal cuttlefish, sambal mussels, sweet and sour prawns and watermelon. Chilli crab is a nice delicacy, but having it twice a day is getting kind of sickening. No, I am not complaining, though.

Then it was back to the resort. While the others loitered around in town browsing through the shops selling fishing gear, pirated CDs and local confectionaries, Kar Cheng and I were smart enough to return to the resort first. Kar Cheng resumed fishing, while I had the bathroom to myself for a nice, long bath. Too bad for my relatives because the shower heater broke down after the third user.

We slacked around until 10pm, where we had supper. Supper was GOOD. The resort staff barbequed for us. There were rojak, satay, otah, BBQ chicken wings, fries, fishballs, prawns with mixed veg, sambal stingray and my all-time favourite, sambal sotong. The resort staff was nice enough to BBQ for us another packet of sotong when we (okay, it was me) requested for more. Stupid Henglip was suggesting for me to migrate here so that I can have sambal sotong everyday. Instead of resorting to such a drastic measure, I decided to buy the sambal chilli sauce from them.

Drool your heart out

Insatiable

Guess what, we found a tiny kitty in our premises! It was poking its nose into a dirty heap of boxes and plastic bags behind a sofa when we found her. That was probably why her nose was covered with a black sticky substance that was impossible to remove. It was soooooooooooooo adorable and got us swooning over it.

An asleep kitty

After that, Kar Cheng, Heng Lip, Ah Sir and I lounged at the back balcony and chatted while the two boys fished. Heng Lip and I were discussing the dreadful possibility of the Chinese becoming the minority one day, while Kar Cheng was grousing about the widening income gap in Singapore. These social issues proved too much for Ah Sir because she dozed off without our knowing. The night breeze was chilling to the bone, so Ah Sir, Heng Lip and I retreated to our bedroom to sleep. Crazy Kar Cheng decided to sleep on a hammock at the balcony. It was 2am.

At 5am, I awoke to hear chattering in the bedroom. Apparently 4th Aunt was complaining to the insomniac aunties (namely 2nd Aunt and 2nd Gim) about the snoring next door and the nasal grunts from an unknown culprit in our room. Irritated, she got up and kicked the wall that separated us from the other bedroom. The snoring died down temporarily before resuming full strength. We all suspected it was Bling Bling, in her gawdy rainbow spaghetti-strapped nightgown.

My Convocation

Today is my Convocation Day! A significant milestone in my life to mark my departure from a place that made me sick almost everyday.

Met Spongebob at CS, and almost everybody there had put on their graduation gowns. It was stupid, because it was quite hot and humid so wearing two layers of clothing then was pure insensible.

Spongebob and I (Oooo, I like her new hairstyle! Just like mine!)

We all walked from CS to the Auditorium to get ready to be seated at 5.30pm. It was a messy crowd which I had to wade through endlessly to get to the toilet. I was at an all-time frenzy because 1) it was already 5.45pm and my parents were late and seeing other parents holding their princes' and princesses' hands and strolling gloriously into the Auditorium Hall made me want to barricade the whole Hall until my parents come, 2) as such, I nearly forgot to register my attendance and it took 4 friends and 3 ushers to persuade me to do so, 3) and I could not balance the over-sized mortar board on my head and I was gasping madly "Is it slanted! Is it alright!" to innocent passers-by.

They finally came and I fled into the Hall. What followed was a speech by Cherian George and the ceremony. The procedure was to walk up the stage, shake hands with Dean Ang and receive the folder from him, flash a mega-watt smile at the camera and descend the stage. I decided to give my best smile that would make my parents proud, but I was so nervous that I forgot to do so after receiving my folder and was about to walk off when Dean Ang hissed at me "Smile!". That resulted in one crooked smile and mild laughter from the audience. The ceremony ended with our star student giving his speech.

After the ceremony, there was some photo-taking and mingling with some sweet people and it was off to the reception serving a buffet dinner.

Me and Joanie

Me, Kavita and Jasmine

Me and Limin flashing our folders

Me and Spongebob

It wasn't a magnificent buffet dinner, so I did not eat much. Then I had late-night supper with Sluggie because I was in high spirits. We ordered tze char at 496, sweeet!

At 496 coffeeshop

Yam ring overflowing with chicken chunks, cashew nuts, seafood pieces and assorted vegetables

A pretty kitty with which I shared a BBQ chicken wing with

My dream job

Thinking back on these four years spent at NTU studying, working on projects and squeezing with the crowd on Bus 179 during peak hours, they seem to pass by me quickly but in a lacklustre way. I never fully enjoyed them. If I were to offset my truancy days from my four years of study, I probably went to school officially for two years (excluding the half-year internship). Even when I turned up for a lesson, my mind was most of the times drifting to unknown realms. I hardly had time to keep up with my readings and in the middle of an examination paper, I spent more time combing my hair than actually penning down my answers. Friends came and went, but it was immunizing after a while. There just are too many superficial and hypocritical people around for me to waste my time on.

I am glad that I made it to this day. As I turn over the page to conclude this last academic stage in my life, I shall not dwell on my mediocre results, my inactive participation, my pathetic social circle and the discouraging and miserable moments that I have experienced in school. But I cannot deny I have emerged from NTU a more learned and insightful person, who has gained betterment in many aspects which I shall not elaborate here. What I can say is that as I embark on a new journey into the working society, I aim to achieve my dreams, strive for knowledge and personal growth, attain my ideal life and of course, keep my sanity in this chaotic and heartbreaking world.

A Day at a Childcare Centre (2)

Went to the childcare centre with Necks again! When we got there, a tussle between Euan and the elder of the twins had just ended. Apparently, Euan bit Kor Kor on his arm (leaving a DEEP indent) and the teachers were making Euan apologize to him. After that, all was settled with no ill feelings, and the children proceeded to get ready to sing children songs.

Necks was overwhelmed by the children again, as usual. Euan was one hyperactive kid with a non-existent attention span and a high oblivion to whatever is happening around him. When we tried to grab hold of him, he would not stop squirming out of our arms. But he is just so adorable.

Me and a wriggling Euan

When the teacher could finally seat the children down orderly (except for a few stray kittens like Euan), they then proceeded to sing Chinese children songs so corny that they made me cringe. One was a Chinese version of 'Old MacDonalds Had a Farm', one was an elongated version of 客人来, and the rest were apparently self-creations about rabbits and crows. Seeing Euan scampering around the room in his own world, the teacher finally caught him in the midst of singing and made him dance to the songs by manipulating his limbs. There was a song about goldfishes and at one point of time, the children fell flat on their stomachs onto the floor and swam around like fishes. Mischievious Bryan propped his feet on Euan's head, and got scolded by Necks for that.

The teacher led them to form a Too-too Train line, and Bryan was up to some insidious mischief again. He was standing at the back-end of the line and he deliberately let everyone go first and chose to stand behind Euan. Then he started pulling the chain Euan was wearing, and was promptly stopped by a stern Necks, because he could have strangled an unaware (as usual) Euan.

Any visit to the childcare centre will definitely entail an enthralling encounter with the twins. Di Di actually pointed to a picture of a shark and said "Shark's fins", then he said to me cheekily "Bite you!". With that, I pouted "Pain pain! Bite you can or not?" and he replied "Cannot!" and he broke into a peppy grin. He was all the more adorable when Necks wanted to take a picture of him with his camera phone and he obediently posed with a picture-perfect pout. Kor Kor kept testing me by pointing to a picture of a green dinosaur in a kiddie book and asking me what it is. According to Necks, they actually know their dinosaurs very well, because the children watch 'Living With Dinosaurs' (the 3D documentary on Arts Central some time back) at the childcare centre. They are so advanced now. I mean, we did not even have that in our younger years and the only dinosaur-based show we had was the cartoon 'Land Before Time' with its unrealistically kind, helpful and herbivorous dinosaurs.

Yong Heng, aka Di Di

After the singing session, it was time for some colouring activity and the teacher handed out some goldfish pictures for them to colour. Most of them coloured the goldfishes purple, green or brown, and in a haphazard way. Only Jiaxian could colour properly (as in the colour does not spill over the outline).

It was lunchtime and the children proceeded to sit at the tables in a corner and await their lunch to be served to them. Neck's mother was scooping the food into the bowls and I could see today's grub: macaroni soup with cabbage strips and chicken cubes. It does not look very palatable, but Necks said that this is actually one of the better meals in the weekly menu.

While they had lunch, we sneaked out of the centre quietly. However, the twins saw us doing that and they rushed to the door. Surprisingly they did not burst into tears on seeing us leave, but that was because Neck's mother bluffed them that we were going to buy sweets for them.

子ぎつねヘレン - Kogitsune Helen (Helen the Baby Fox)

Check out this ultra-cute creature in this heart-warming Japanese movie due to open next Thursday!



It is about a young boy from the city who discovers a 'northern fox' puppy near the side of the road. Unfortunately, the pup is both blind and deaf, like Helen Keller (thus named Helen). Despite the objections of the people around him, he decides to take care of Helen, and eventually, they become impressed with Helen's will to live on and the strong bond between the boy and Helen. I do not know if Helen will die in the end (seemingly so in the trailer), and if it does, I am gonna bawl my heart out.

Being a softie for such adorable animals, I cannot help but gush about this movie. Even if you have no compassion for cute little animals, you should at least be touched by the dreamy Japan countryside sceneries (or whichever way). Not for the hard-hearted like Bong, though.

Watching 'The Pirates of Carribean'

Watched 'The Pirates of Carribean: Dead Man's Chest' with Sluggie at Marina Square today. You sure bet this movie is value-for-money because the 155 minutes of high action, rolling balls and wheels, a hilariously animated Captain Jack and the gruesome sea creatures are well worth your $7.

But, for the best part yet, stay for the surprise at the end of the credits. Yeah, I know your baldder is near to tearing after downing that large Coke. I know your blood is running cold after 155 minutes under the freezing air-con. I know you feel stupid seeing everyone leave the theater and you do not want to be left alone with the theater cleaner who cannot wait to dispose of your empty drink and the popcorn bits under your feet. But I would say, the extra stuff at the end is well worth the wait.

The Aftermath

I kept questioning myself how this could have happened. I do not understand why I have to see the dark side of things which I least expect. At last, I decided to confide in a mutual friend. Although he did not do much to alleviate the disappointment I was going through, I was slightly consoled nevertheless.

He told me, "Now that the wall has crumbled and you have seen the true heart and underlying intentions, why do you still want to patch back the wall? It will take you even more years to rebuild it, and even then, you will never feel the same towards it again."

Maybe he is right.

Collection of my Graduation Gown and Miscellaneous Stuff

Went to school today to pick up my graduation gown, invitation cards for my convocation ceremony and certificate and transcript. A labourious process.

Baby rode to pick me up, then we headed to school. When we reached the Auditorium, we were at a loss because there were so many unfamiliar faces there. We were then ushered to update our personal particulars, and choose our graduation gowns, hoods and mortarboards. Then I collected my certificate and my very 'outstanding' transcript, but before I am allowed do that, I had to pay up the 30-cent fine I owed the NIE Library. Unscrupulous.

It was horrible because we were ambushed by the many pesky promoters around. Some were pestering us to join the Alumni Club or some business setup club, some were asking us if we want to make a dazzling gold-plated plaque out of our certificates (Puuleeease, with the kind of Honours I am getting, I would rather shred my certificate and never acknowledge its existence) and some were selling some stage phototaking services. The most memorable one was when we were bombarded with requests for donations to the school.

Then we went to SAC to claim our receipts (finally!) and on a more sentimental note, pay HK a last visit. Although there were changes here and there, my mind could not help but flash back to those FYP days where all the photocopying, glueing, slipper-packing and brainstorming went on. They are all over, but they are still an unforgettable part of my uni days. Aww.

I was hit by a great blow of disappointment today. Sometimes we may trust people so much that we may ignore the possibility that they may not reciprocate our benevolent intentions or actions. The tangible loss from the betrayal may be small, but the action itself causes a wall of trust that has taken years to build to crumble instantaneously. The disbelief, the hurt and the helplessness.

A Day Catching Up with Friends

Met Bong for lunch at the Yoshinoya at Marina Square, where she actually dared to order the Student Meal even though she obviously does not look like one. Then she treated me to nice creamy cheesecakes which are sold at half-price every Tuesday. Though she had to go back to work, I was glad that she took 2 hours to lunch with me!

Then I went to disturb Kar Cheng at his workplace, where I pestered him to go to Kukup and quizzed him about his desires to settle down and get married. Can you believe him, he actually went around checking real estate prices at Whampoa.

Then I met George at Suntec where we had waffles at Gelare Cafe and caught up on the good old times. Then saw Rosemary who passed by and learnt that she is having a fun job now working for MobTv filming the Superbands. Super envious. Sigh, it is still good old George but it is a pity that I do not get to chat up with her that often.

Today was a happy day because I had fun spending time with these lovely people. Sigh.

Another Day at the Library

Spent the whole of today holing myself up at the library reading. I picked up a delightful read titled 'Full Circle' by Michael Palin. It chronicles his 245-day circumnavigation of the Pacific Rim with his BBC film crew, and all the colourful adventures and people that they encountered. His journey went in an anti-clockwise fashion starting from Alaska, to Russia, Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Philippines, Kuching, Jakarta, Alice Springs, New Zealand, Cape Horn, Chile, Peru, Columbia, Mexico, Los Angeles, Seattle, Canada and back to Alaska. A great travelogue that stretches the imagination.

Today I received a honourable invitation to be a part-timer at RI. As if their comment that I "didn't shine during internship" wasn't disparaging enough, now they have to further belittle me by confirming my value as a part-timer. Sickening.

Started to realise that the air-con was getting increasingly powerful. Even pulling on a sweater wasn't enough. I suspect the library turns up the air-con so as to deter ah peks in shorts from dozing there. I decided to get some hot chocolate at the in-house Cafe Galilee. Sinking into the warm velvety couch did help, but the hot chocolate grew cold within 10 minutes. I accidentally fell asleep, but only to be rudely awakened by some whispering from the counter staff, "That couch must be very comfortable, almost everyone sleeps in it!" Nosey-parker. I hate people talking about me behind my back or when I am sleeping.

I think FYP has screwed up my biological clock. All those late nights slaving at the computer has rendered me nocturnal. As usual, I could not sleep early again but I was lucky to pick up a delightful Thai midnight movie on TV. Suddenly I miss Thailand.

A Day at a Childcare Centre

Met Necks for lunch at Tampines Mall, and after that, we were supposed to go to the childcare centre where his mother works to visit his 'kids', especially his favourite twins. He frequents there and has since took a liking to the toddlers there, especially the twins.

I think he is a changed person. When he opens his mouth, he is either gushing over the cute blunders made by the twins or filling me in with the background details of his favourite kids there. He even intends to open a childcare centre in future and it freaks me out to think he might become the next MJ.

It is their nap time from 1 to 3pm, so we went there at 4pm. When we reached there, the toddlers were already up and doing things like painting, playing with the toys or simply running around. The playgroup which Necks's mother is in charge of is a group of 15 two- and three-year-olds. When they saw Necks peering at them through the window panes, most of them swarmed to the windows and looked at us expectantly. The younger of the twins, Di Di, was the most endearing. He let out a loud and excited "Big Kor Kor!" and dashed for the window. Stupid Necks was all smiles.

We stepped into the childcare centre and Necks busied himself with the twins, ignoring the rest of the kids who were looking at them enviously. They were shy and guarded towards me initially, but Jiaxian (a girl who is of Chinese nationality) and Bryan (whose eyes have a physical deformity) soon warmed up to me. My personal favourite is Euan, an ultra-adorable boy who likes to lunge at us for rough hugs.

The twins (during their three-year-old birthday celebration)

My favourite handsome Euan (the one in the jacket)

When it was time to go to the playground nearby for their play time, Jiaxian and Bryan rushed to hold hands with me and would not let go even when I wanted to put on my shoes. But Necks's mother wanted me to hold Euan's hand because he is the naughtiest, so Bryan was ordered to hold hands with another boy. On the way, Jiaxian was telling me what toys her parents bought for her and Euan was rambling "Mitsubishi" to himself.

At the playground, all of them ran around and played freely. I did not know kids could sweat that much, until Jiaxian clambered to sit on my laps halfway through her playing and I immediately regretted putting my hands on her arms. Necks and his mother were cheekily asking the twins who do they prefer more, Big Kor Kor or Teacher Poh.

When it was time to go, I went to drag Euan, and Jiaxian and Bryan actually fought to hold my remaining available hand. Not wanting them to be aggressive, I had to let go of Euan. Stupid Necks was satisifed to have the twins holding his hands.

Back at the childcare centre, the kids washed their hands and drank water. Then they were sent to the main hall to watch cartoons with other groups of older kids while waiting for their parents to fetch them home. When Necks and his mother told the twins that they were going home, they were whining "Cannot go home!" and were ready to activate their tear ducts. So one of the teachers had to distract them by giving them stickers so that we can all sneak out of the childcare centre without their knowledge.

Now I know why Necks is smitten with these kids, even I myself find them so innocently endearing!

A Sianing Interview

Went for an interview at RP today. I was excited because I want to take up a market research career. But I came out from the 3-hour interview disappointed because the details of the job were too daunting.

The work nature is fine, it is what I expect of market research. However, the working hours are crazy. The researcher there works an average of 12 to 14 hours everyday, and 18 hours when the project deadline is nearing. She is required to work the graveyard shift when there are tele-conferences with clients in the West (due to time exchange differences). She is also required to work on weekends or Public Holidays, but do get compensated by having a weekday off. Lastly, she is required to be mobilised as and when required (even if you have put on your PJs).

Their job scope is slightly different from that in other research firms. Researchers here are required to carry out fieldwork themselves, rather than wait for the data to come to them. That means she has to be an outdoor surveyor too, besides monitoring a big group of unruly part-time surveyors. At the end of it, she still has to trudge back to the office to process the data. This tough work ensures the data collected does not get 'contaminated' as much as possible.

After knowing too much, the interviewer gave me the choice to consider whether I still wish to pursue a career with them. Bong thinks the pay is ridiculously low for the amount of time spent at work. Sluggie thinks he could have earned way more than that if he slogs away at a factory for 12 hours everyday. Spongebob thinks RI is much better. Baby thinks I am better off teaching.

I am in a dilemma.

My Try at Hair Cutting

Today I helped Sluggie cut his hair. Tomorrow he will be going for his annual ICT and he needs a decent hair style. Being stingy, he would rather not visit the barber and save $10, and entrust his crown of glory into my hands. He certainly asked for it.

Armed with an electric shaver (from a handy hair-styling kit inclusive of an array of combs and scissors), I meticulously worked on his hair. I snipped mercilessly at his fringe till it was 2cm above his eyebrows, and sheared the sides and back of his head like he was some sheep. The end result was an impeccably domical cap on top of his head and clean-shaven sides.

When I asked him "Is it okay?", he looked into the mirror and I thought I saw his eyes widen momentarily, before he turned around and mustered a brave "Not bad". His steely expression did not betray the slightest shock or disgust, no matter how much I probed for his frank opinion.

I think it is nice of boys to lie when they know the truth hurts.

Back Here Again (For Real)

Under pressure from some people, I have returned here to blog, something that I have forsaken ever since early last month. The oxymoron of an unemployed bummer having no time to blog does not deserve to exist.

If I can vaguely remember, these two months have been filled with transcribing assignments and patrols around the Jurong West neighbourhood. There was one horrible week where I had to face the computer for twenty hours for four consecutive days to do the transcribing shit. I did not even have the time to reply to SMSes and my irate pals found that incredible. When the workflow abated on certain days, Sluggie and I took walks around Boon Lay Shopping Centre (and the pasar malam outside it) and Street 42 in search of bubble tea, Ramly burgers and belachan stingray. I was unemployed, but I don't even mind. Because I was happy.

Last Saturday: went with Ah Sir to watch Scary Movie 4. Hilarious. Too bad Wee wasn't there.

Monday: spent the whole day at Jurong East Library reading. I finally had the chance to enjoy all the time I had in the world. I underestimated the power of the air con in the library, and I caught a chill.

Tuesday: the chill developed into full-blown fever, cold, cough and sore throat. My favourite clinic closed down so I left my body to heal automatically by itself.

Wednesday: felt much better. We cooked tauhu goreng and wonton soup from some recipes I ripped (not literally) from the library books. It was a success.

Thursday: went with Sluggie to watch Scary Movie 4 (again). After that went to disturb Kar Cheng at his workplace. He is one tee ko cousin who keeps looking out of his shop at the females passing by. Then met BoBo to catch up with her.

Friday: heard about Xian's friend who died in a motorbike crash. And I thought attending funerals is something for the older folks. Reminds me I got to pay BQ a visit soon.

Today: went shopping with Bong. She is one mad bitch who bought three jackets of the same cutting and colour. (The cute shopkeeper even advised her against doing so, and even offered to lend her her book 'Confessions of a Shoppaholic' in a helpful attempt to cure her fickle-mindedness) She is one mad guzzler who can only perk up when she has gotten her fix of peach milk tea. But she is a GREAT shoppaholic and makes my frivolous spendings all worthwhile!

An example of the kind of life I have been leading. I feel satisfied, nevertheless. However, I think I have been bumming around for such a long time that even George is extending an invitation for me to join her Unemployed Anonymous.