Words

The human relation is such a mysterious thing where communication, although is the bridge to understanding, but also brought destructive between human to human.
Have you ever experienced wanting to saying something from the heart but the things that comes out from your mouth, are what being processed by the mind? Many times, you wish to say A but came out Z.
Many times, the mouth wish to represent the heart, but some how, some words refuse to come out.
Some times, the mouth could not coordinate with the mind and what comes out are what others hear as nonsense (things that dont make sense).
At times, the heart was so overwhelmed with too much emotions that ran too fast before the mind could process and what came out from our mouth became rambling words.
And all the words that came out are not just words but they will either bring two closer or drift further. And thats when human relations get tested.
And why is it so hard to be truthful and face your ownself and say what you should say, but always say the opposite?
Pride? Ego? Consequences? Embarrassment?
And all these are rule by the mind.
And as long as the mind takes over, nothing comes from the heart, thus these words that came out, are not for the two who are in love, where both are bind together by the hearts.

Being sick

Its my third visit to the clinic. The cough persisted to haunt me. My voice is a little coarse and I feel there is no way I could scream no matter how I wish that I could.

Another bag of medication and this time, finally some antibiotics and something for the lungs. The medication were so strong that the moment I took them, I could feel it taking effect after 30mins. Hands and feets were cold and body turned soft and slump that I could only crawl back to the bedroom and rest till I sleep. So strong that I felt my breathing weak.

But being sick drew my attention away and helps me to be brainless so that I need not think at all.

And it feels like a thousand ants crawling in the throat

The G.D. cough is still pestering me like a thousand ants crawling in the inner throat. It has been one week and still no slight improvement at all. Either the cough syrup is not good enough or I really should avoid eating chicken? But as always, it never fails to make me feel drowsy and weak after taking it. Maybe that’s what it’s meant to be. To make the person sleep and hopefully, forgetting to cough.


I have been kept awaken in the middle of the night by the itch in the throat for the past few days till teary eye, choking to inhale some air.

And I wonder if I would be in good shape for the GE women run this Sunday. No way! I must go! Even if it means to die at the finishing point. I still want to earn that medal. To die in glory is better to die not trying hard enough.

Hmm...

Frida Kahlo and me

Was reading the biography about Frida Kahlo(the lad with moustache) online when I see some similarity in her and me and perhaps those who likes surreal paintings. 

To quote from the http://www.exploringabroad.com/art/kahlo.htm,

"She was a surrealist artist who expressed her feelings and thoughts through her paintings."....

"........Besides her incredible talent to paint surrealist thoughts and emotions on canvas, she also was an artist in her mind and body............ She walked through life happily, with a smile plastered on her face. She appeared full of spirit. However, she often covered her real feelings deep within herself, only letting people see the imaginary Frida"

".......Frida kept it all bottled up in her, eventually expressing it out on her canvas."

And how I wish I could paint all the surreal paintings but I know I cant cause I need to paint things that could sell. Therefore there will be limited pieces of surreal or maybe horrific paintings I could paint, bearing in mind, not to scare my folks when they see them. 

But I did try once! A painting I called it the "Hidden Skull". The painting suppose to describe the cold hard soul behind every beautiful faces, humans I see everyday. And how I wish to tear off that beautiful flesh to expose their true nature hidden behind, which I believe, and still believe, that every one of us are not what we are as seen by many others, and our true nature, is always hidden behind that face of ours. 

Hidden Skull: Sorry, pictures not well taken :( 

(Hand suppose to tear off the canvas from the board to expose the hidden skull behind)

(A closer look, wonder if you can tell the fore and background of the face and the skull behind, which I thought, should be more exposed)

(The wooden frame after the canvas was torn. Does it look like it?)

The eccentric world. We, living for others' empires

Beautifully written, I must say, those that I wrote in the past, so eccentric and full of pain and anger. Reading back those angry words, I realized how insane I could be. But insanity drives creativity isn’t it? When a person is in his/her sane mind, everything said and done is so rightfully and reasonably and politically correct. And every single day, we have to live the day like that. Talk sane in an insanity world so that others could understand us.


Many of us are always busy. Busy with other’s life and achievements, and forgotten to built on ours. We work for others and to make their business flourish, sometimes even at the expense of straining our own relationships with family members and friends, and health.


That day, after revisiting the clinic again for my bad cough, I went to buy my lunch at this Malay stall. While waiting for my mee soto to be prepared, I saw a little girl in school uniform standing next to me and talking to one of the hawkers. I looked at the 4 hawkers working diligently and efficiently in the stall. Although is it not a big stall, but each has a role to play. And it seems to be a family business. One was packing rice for the customer before me, another is cooking and preparing my mee soto, another was arranging the food on the trays, and the last one is busy cooking to refill the dishes. All of them were fully focus on their role, occasionally chatting among themselves and with the little girl in school uniform.


Then I looked on with envy. Envy that this group of people standing before me could spend their time working yet at the same time bonding with their family members, living each day for themselves and not for others.


Grabbing my mee soto, walking through the hazy streets which aggravated my itchy throat, bearing in mind the scene at the malay stall. What a torture.

All well, ends well

The Butler Dinner was a great experience despite the bad service we encountered, which was resolved the very next day when another staff called us back and confirmed our dinner. We had a little shopping a around at orchard, before heading to the Flyer to report.

It was a GREAT feeling to have an exclusive waiting area for us, express boarding by skipping the queue (how I hate queuing yet in this country, you just have to queue for anything, everything.) while seeing the rest in the queue looking at us with some question marks on their face.

We took quite a few wonderful pictures along the way and was amazed with the evening effect on the ferris wheel.....

There were 5 couples including us in one capsule. Everyone started wiping out their cam or phone cam once it started rotating. One round = 30 mins, and in the first round, a glass of fresh summer berries in ginger ale was served together with the starter of greenland pink prawn salad.

   

The main course was served during the second round. Baby had the pan seared lamb ribs and I had the baked canadian cod fish.

The butler was helpful enough offer his help in taking pictures for every table. It was a wonderful feeling to be so far away from the crowded land. But the moment ended too quickly after the second round. Then we were lead back to the VIP Lounge to have our dessert....

If you ask me whether I will ride on the wheel again, the answer would....definitely be a YES! Perhaps with all our family members the next time... :)

A long awaited occassion....... :)

Ta lah!

Another happy event is coming up! My gal friend of 22 years is getting married!!! It was like a blick of an eye...I still remember the time when she approached me when I just joined the new class after changing my school from Ghim Moh Pri to Xingnan Pri. The happy school days we spent together, not forgeting, even our childhood days. I remembered waving at her through the windows opp hers while we were on the phone. I remember the days, when I went down to collect the beautiful bouquet of roses she shared with me, which were given by her relatives from malaysia..

And she is, a beautiful grown up, busy with work, cleaning up her new house, and now, preparing for her wedding.....

No amount of words could be use to describe the beautiful friendship we share, and how amazing it will be, if we could even see each other grow old together..........


And these are what I have prepared for her! More will be uploaded after her wedding!!


The Groom's and Groom's men flower pins







The bridemaids' wrist flowers



Singapore Fly- er......................

One of the most iconic tourist attractions has got to be Singapore Flyer. Besides being in the lime light for being one of the giant observation wheels in the world, it was also in the centre of attention when news reported about the power failure that had happened, not only once.


I was still dwelling on the fact it must be a frightening experience to risk one’s safety, and at the same time, to cope with own disappointment after feeling “high” with excitement to be 165m above the ground, but left “dry” after being trapped in a capsule in the middle of the air.

Despite reading some bad (of cause, there were positive ones too) reviews, we thought, it’s still worth giving a try since it is set to be one of Asia’s biggest tourist attractions.

On 28 September 2010, we made a booking to experience the world’s first full butler service dining in the sky. Payment was made and an email confirmation was sent to us.

On 02 October, an email, informing we will not be able to attend the dinner and would like to postpone it to a later date. In the email, confirmation number, contact number and an indication that a copy of the email reply should be cc-ed to my personal email address were instructed. But an email reply was directed to the office email account, nothing was cced to the personal one.

On 08 October, upon checking online that there are available slots for the 09 October evening, we called up the Singapore Flyer at xxx, enquiring if the dinner could be schedule to 09 Oct.

The staff, whom we spoke to Mr Uncourteous cum Rigid, insisted that a copy of the email confirmation indicating that the postponement has been accepted should be forwarded to him before he could do anything.

We explained that we are not in office (and office email is not web based due to security reasons) and by the time we go back to office (which will be the day after), the available slots would have all been taken up. We offer to provide the name and confirmation number but was repeatedly turned down. I suggested if they could retrieve the email from their sent item, but was told impossible.

We requested to speak to someone whom could make decision, but was told, “no one is around now, call back tomorrow”. It was only after some firm request and insistence for a manager’s name and contact number. This time, Mr Uncourteous cum Rigid spoke raised his voice and spoke in a challenging tone (which I have to remind him that he need not raise his voice as I can hear him clearly on the phone), eventually gave me a name and contact number of a staff, from …… the call centre.

Despite the unhappy communication and bad service (or no service at all) provided, I called YYY and spoke to Ms Empathy and shared with her my unpleasant encounter and turn to her for help. Ms Empathy was very patience and understanding, putting herself in her customer’s shoe, and tried to retrieve the email with the help from another IT staff. As we could not remember what the sent email address was, Ms Empathy was not able to help me retrieve the email from their system and apologised. Because of her sincerity and going through the extra mile to help me, I was touched and accepted her suggestion to re-schedule my dinner.

It was like a ride from “hell” then to “heaven”, after experiencing two totally different attitudes.

I have several points which I hope the Singapore Flyer could assist in giving me some favourable replies.

1) Why should I be put in a difficult position when instruction has already been given, to cc a reply email to my personal email address (knowing that it will not be easy to check emails anytime from the office email account), but that was not done by the staff, and it becomes a trouble, having to return back to the office to retrieve the email, it was insisted that it must be done so. Imagine if the customer is a foreigner, do you expect him or her to return back to her country, retrieve the email from his/her office, then travel back to Singapore and show it to Singapore Flyer before arrangement could be done?

2) Despite providing my confirmation code, no one could retrieve the record and do a re-scheduling? If the confirmation code could not be used to retrieve records, and verification can only be done via email evidence, what is the point of a confirmation code?

3) Was turning down customers without even trying to help, the right frame of mind-set from the front line staff, especially in one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Singapore?

4) Why am I liable to pay another 300 plus if I insist to get it changed without the agreement email of the postponement when Singapore Flyer could not retrieve the email from their own system as well? And customers who has paid in full, are responsible in full too?

This is a feedback on my encounter with Singapore Flyer. It seemed to be working towards a first class attraction but it’s a shame that it have left a third class impression. I can’t even convince myself to introduce my foreign friends.