Run, 2007 is coming!

The end of the year has always been my favourite part but this year, it seemed to have whizzzzed past me (or me it, I'm not sure). Christmas was quite hectic, with work deadlines and gift-shopping and a looming job interview joining forces to knock me out.

I still remember how I scurried around the mazy mall a few times in a panicky mode, lugging my violin and trying to zig-zag my way through the crowd. I rushed into those crowded Gifts-n-Such shops and scanned their shelves up and down, frantically flipping their notebooks and cards or poking at their trinkets, trying to find something nice.

But if you want to talk about running in a frenzy, nothing beats new year's eve. Me and 2 other pals, W and YZ were basically driving around Sing*pore, first in search of a decent dinner, which was difficult because everywhere was full of people, and then a decent countdown party, which was much worse.

We first climbed down Fort Canning Hill and marched to the National Museum, but found it too arty-farty. We didn't want to usher in the new year watching a few contemporary dancers twirling around incomprehensibly. So we climbed up the hill again and drove to the Esplanade area at 11.30pm. But W's car was running out of fuel and we were caught in a jam while the minutes went by. "I don't want to count down to the new year in a car!" W wailed. Us spending the dawn of the new year pushing her conked out car in the jam was a real possibility. We had to turn off the air-conditioning to slow down fuel consumption, and I made helpful comments like "Hey, look, the sign says Esplanade Drive closed 8pm to 1.30am!" while W starts to hyperventilate.

Finally, we got ourselves out of the traffic mayhem and parked the car at a basement carpark with 5 minutes left. "Run, run!" we shrieked and bolted out of the car and ran up 3 flights of stairs to the exit which turned out to be locked. We were stuck, huffing and puffing in that stuffy, narrow stairwell but good thing there was an uncle and auntie who were as tardy as us. The mighty uncle wrestled the door open and we tumbled out into the open air. Freedom! And so we managed to join the countdown crowd with 3 minutes to go. What a thrill. Let's see whether we can top that this year.

Who wants to be a rocket scientist?

"Many people are held back in life because they think they can't do it when, in fact, many things are not rocket science."

Very wise words, if you ask me. This was spoken by a certain Mr Ang who graduated from the same journalism school as me, and who went on to become a VP of a US biomedical firm at the age of 33. Wow, super achiever.

It's quite easy to dismiss it, and gripe: "Oh, right, easy for him to say, he who was on a government scholarship and who graduated with 1st class honours". But what he says resonated--I often find that I put myself down whenever I'm thinking about embarking on something new, even for something as simple as a violin exam or learning how to drive.

I should learn more from the people around me who have that can-do spirit, like my neighbour at work whose favourite phrase is "Go (insert name) go!"

Oooh, juicy grapes

The Japanese must be voracious fruit eaters. Their local-grown fruits are so big and juicy and sweet and succulent and of course, scandalously expensive. I tried their grapes, peaches, and plums while there last year and gee, I really wonder how they do it. Is their soil more fertile, or their rainwater sweeter?

Anyway, it's a good thing I have doting sisters who lug back boxes of grapes (that was selling at 80+ bucks per box at Takashimaya) from there for me. :)

I ate these until my tongue turned blue, and I couldn't even be bothered to peel them and instead, just pop them in whole! Eating them is like drinking red wine because they contain so much of the intoxicating juice. Hmmm!

And they're big! Not a very good photo but you can see how the grapes usually sold here are totally overshadowed by those giant grapes. Yum yum. I want more!

Moderately addicted to coffee

In my own little ways I've been 1 of those people who are prone to excesses. And to think of it, most people around me has their own peculiar "overindulgence"--most, thankfully, in (somewhat) harmless things such as food or shopping etc., as opposed to harmful substances or behaviour. Our world is such that it actually implicitly encourages excessive-ness, because so many things can be bought as long as you can pay.

So what have been my excesses? I have a habit of craving for a certain food (it could be anything unhealthy, from chicken rice to coke) and eating it repeatedly until I get tired and move on to another. I used to stay up all night and sleep only when the sun rises. I listen to songs that I like almostly obsessively until I become mighty sick of them. I sleep too much, sometimes until I feel groggy and faint. And of course, I'm a coffee addict.

See, moderation is like a dirty word when we are still young. Why the restraint when you know you can afford to get away with it? But as 1 of my favourite singers John Mayer croons it: "Oh twice as much ain't twice as good", and as I get older, moderation is starting to sound like a good idea.

I was complaining that my health seems to be getting poorer. All sorts of allergies surfaced since I started working. It may seem like a bad thing, but I think it's my body's way of telling me that it's not going to overlook any more of my unthinking trespasses. It's time to take more care of myself, to be responsible for my own health. Nowadays, if I eat too much heaty and spicy food, my face breaks out in pimples. If I don't take fruits for awhile, I become sick. If I take too much of it, I get indigestion. And I struggle to stay up past 2 am.

Of course, it is not to say that I've changed for the better entirely. Otherwise I wouldn't be such a grouch before having my life-saving dose of coffee every morning, or to listen to music even as I struggle to concentrate on copyediting. But I try. Sometimes. :) Like how I restrict myself to 1 cup of coffee on most days. Sometimes I trade it for the milder tea. I'm one of those people who believe in the mind and body being 1 system and all, so it's like a vice versa thing, which means I have to keep myself in a moderately pleasant mood. Ooooh, now that's a challenge, since tomorrow is a Mon. Sigh! :)))

Pointless killing of trees

Well, I know I was supposed to blog about Perth (II) but I'm too lazy to do so and want to blog something snappy.

There's a Chinese free newspaper here called My Paper (http://www.mypaper.sg/) and when I saw its front page today, I get reminded why it's silly to study journalism in this country. I mean, where's the juicy news? Everyone is so law-abiding (and therefore uninteresting and un-newsworthy) that they resort to putting as today's leading headline: "Escalators: Some too fast, some too slow?"

It's a bit like the metrological department issuing something like: "This year's weather: some days are rainy, some days are hot".

I guess what I'm saying is: What's your point?