triciaseow

July really is a month for birthdays. Tonight the GC gang convened for Dr's birthday dinner at Ember. SSG brought champagne, which got the celebrations off to a nice start. We did the usual - reminisced about the good old London days, discussed the previous Malacca and KL Makan Missions, tried to confirm dates to eat Lor Mee together at Bt Purmei - it never seems to get old.

And on the subject of not old. Happy Birthday to our dearest, still-spring-chicken Dr! We sang him his song in Mandarin, Malay and English, to his embarrassment but our great delight.

Clockwise:
The dashing birthday boy, my yummy miso cod (that's gold dust on the plate ok!), GNK's homemade chocolate tiramisu, with Rampant's giant profiterole in the background and my to-die-for field mushroom soup with white truffle oil.

*The dessert photo was bluetoothed to me by GNK. It's too well-composed to be mine, obviously :)

The others were swooning over their own starters, mains and desserts too so I am guessing everyone enjoyed dinner. Thank you for the treat, Dr! And I hope that you find your book useful and then you can upload more decadent photos of food to make everyone hungry while they FB at work :)

The morning after the party, I woke up and soberly wrote my requisite 200 words. It's not much, but I thought that when planning my work for the week, I should go easy on myself. I am still amazed I actually could write something after all that champagne and whisky. But sometimes you need to work and sometimes you need to play. That's life, eh?

I also had a nice birthday dinner with my nearest and dearest. Mom always tries to make a big deal of my birthday, which is very sweet of her. I think in her eyes, I'm still a little girl. Check out the cake she got me, I love it!

My fat cat Garfield cake


Guess where we had dinner though? At Station Kitchen, at St. James *pengsan*. Apparently I haven't seen enough of the place yet! The food was really good, I thought.

Satisfaction!



Thanks for the dinner mom, and Greg, I love the top! How many people can say that their mom and bro buy them the BEST clothes. I'm even wearing a dress they bought me for my birthday two years ago here. Coolness :)

Thanks to all who turned up last night to make the party a blast. And to Eug for organising the whole shebang for me.

My gals


Every woman needs a harem


It didn't start off too promisingly at first. Someone went to the Marriott by mistake. Someone else ended up in Sentosa. Some made it to St James but got lost finding Bar None. And then my fave photographer didn't bring a flash, so it was too dark for photos. But things got better once people started streaming in and the alcohol made its rounds. Angie also saved the day by reliably turning up with her camera. I got serenaded, not once but twice. Such birthday decadence. Once on stage by the J-thing, another time by the band at Dragonfly (yes! we also went to Dragonfly, yo ah yo ah and all that!). Bar None on Sat night is really an oldies place, music-wise. Not good at all, but after a while, we didn't really care, as the pics will show.

Certainly there was a whole lotta love in the air. I vaguely remember hugging and kissing everyone A LOT. And from the pics, everyone else was at it too!


There was also a lot of manic posing and jumping around


But it was nicely balanced out with lots of sitting around and chilling too.


Ah good times. Bet you wish you had turned up after all huh? ;)
(The rest of the photos are on Angie's FB page)

Another year! But this musing is not about me.

I have a friend. She is a very classy lady. I've never told her this in case it sounds condescending, but perhaps she will recognise herself in this post. She is a classy lady because in the face of ultimate betrayal and heartbreak, she held her head high and kept her feet grounded. Her first thought was never to lash out, never to air her grievances or to blame. It was to protect those she loved best. I don't know if she's come out of it completely because she really holds her sh*t together, but I do know that I have such great respect for the way she handled the situation and I think that figuratively and literally she has never looked more beautiful.

I know I'm all grown up, but I'm not too old to learn grace from her.

Yesterday at my cousin's wedding:

Me: This is a cosy set up. Hey mom, when you get married again you can do an elegant high tea like this.
Mom: What? No way!
Me *thinking mom's going to say she doesn't want to marry again*
Mom: When I get married again, I want at least 100 tables and 5 costume changes. I want Indian costume, Japanese, Korean...

Heh. That got my brother and I planning what to do for our mother's wedding. We've decided (without her consent) that she will have a very subtle and classy wedding.
( Read more: The wedding extravaganza )

You know when you have something difficult to do ahead of you, like write a chapter? And you spend a few days reading, and thinking, then feel like it's time to write it or you'll burst? I am there now but instead of writing my chapter, I have to go attend a wedding. Problem is after the wedding I'll lose steam and will need to work up the need-to-write mood again. Darn it.

I also think that my friends are too good looking. I have this 1/3, 2/3 proportion which I think is important to keep me at a optimal level of self esteem. I want 1/3 of my friends to be better looking than I am. This is the proportion of people that will keep me focused on non-superficial things because I need to prove myself in other ways because I cannot possibly look as good as them. Then the other 2/3 of my friends should preferably look like dogs so I can feel good about myself.

But the problem is whenever I look at photos, I realise, wow you lot are a nice looking bunch. I need new friends. ;)

Since I got back from London, I've had these horribly vivid dreams that leave me exhausted every morning. They are very varied but what they all have in common is that they're stressful.

There's the dream where loved ones are trying to strangle me to death, and I actually wake up choking. There are dreams where my son passes away (always my son) and I end up sobbing over his assessment books while an uncaring daughter continues reading her manga. There are dreams where I need to save the human race from a dark monster that hates humans, and I have to run around squirting all the corners of the house with holy water kept in a giant Evian bottle. And this bottle of holy water is extra powerful because it's made up of the holy water from Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugore. I remember being very proud of my fortified holy water.

Last night I dreamt that I was in an audition for Les Miserable. For some reason I was auditioning to be the young Cosette. Except that I was a full grown adult going up against all these precocious young girls with stage experience. Oh, and for some reason Burbur was auditioning too but she kept singing Fantine's 'I Dreamed a Dream' and I got confused about what song I was meant to sing. And then at one point, we were all in these long dresses and were kicking our legs can-can style to 'Let There Be Peace on Earth'.

I'm so tired, I need a nap.

I love it when good friends get hitched. It's such a happy occasion. Wish I wasn't too zonked from the flight home to make it to the bachelorette dinner though. I'd have liked to coax the bride into doing something silly and most definitely naughty too. Still I guess the bride-to-be needs a respite (from the likes of me).

Anyhow here's the happy couple. So nice hor? Love her dress!


We really enjoyed the BBQ/buffet dinner too. Seems like such a good idea that people can eat what they want, as much as they want, in their own time. Between the oysters and the crayfish and the mussels (mixed with fennel no less!) and the sting ray, I was a very very happy diner indeed.

Although they didn't do table shots at the wedding, we managed to hijack them (and nearly sabo-ed them into having to do table shots from then on... sorry babe...) for the requisite LJ group pic.

Here's the normal one


And here's the normal one


It was a nice evening out and one of the most laid back weddings I have had the pleasure of attending. Here's to the happy new couple, wedded bliss and 14 sons!

(Thanks for the pics Angie!)

It used to be so simple getting from mine to Char's. Now it takes considerably more time because I start off at Xian's.

First I walk to the bus stop 5 minutes away and wait 20 mins (for bus) and grumble. Then I hop onto the bus and take a 15 minute ride, getting off at my old hood. I turn into the Shad Thames and pass the courtyard to the apartment building where SSG and I once lived in.

See, there's our old balcony that used to overflow with flowers. The car, Handsome, used to live in the basement carpark.


Then a turn into my old street, pausing to look up at the front of the building, and passing familiar grocery stores, the drycleaner, the luxury car rental store, the big statue of the horse (with balls) at The Circle. Such nostalgia. It is a quiet street, a little haven from the unceasing motor, pedestrian and tourist traffic that clogs the Tower Bridge/ City Hall area.



Then the familiar pubs and restaurants. Depending on which little adjoining roads you chose, there are British, Chinese, Indian, Italian, French and Thai places to select from.

This is where SSG and I would trot down to catch footie matches. And we always figured I could work as bar maid here and get rich on tips. They don't serve food so the chances I'd drop stuff and get my pay cut were smaller, see?

(Mom, don't you think this dress you got me from Thailand fits nicely?)

Then the beautiful cobbled Shad Thames walk, or a stroll along the river, before heading up the stairs to Tower Bridge. At this point I always recall how the SSG and I would discuss the weather and how the tourists would be feeling as we chugged slowly (at the speed limit) across the bridge in Handsome. SSG, for the duration of my trip to London this time, the tourists had lots of sunshine and were very happy. They like London too and were not wondering how people can live in such a dark and dreary place.

After the river crossing, turn towards St Katherine docks, look out for the swans and ducks, ogle the boats, then up into Char's street, go under the bullet-riddled (from WWII) archway and up the stairs. 

And here we are, outside her flat (where she was making wantons, not wanton erm, never mind...)


See you soon Char babe, and don't scald yourself showering!

On our last night in London, we went to The Easton for dinner. The food (Char, tell Alex there was no gravy on any of the mains we ordered) was as good as we remembered, and there is a lot to be said for the places one has solid memories of great meals past with best (GC) pals present of (such a clumsy sentence but my jet-lagged brain can't be bothered to rephrase that). I had a very good grilled seabass served with a brilliant pesto and pine-nut dressing on the side while the boys cried into their huge aged steaks served on the bone. I had some, and it was pretty amazing stuff.



And that concludes my London updates this time around. Sigh. Till the next time then, grand old lady...  

(Take care, Xian, thank you for everything, and enjoy the peace and quiet!  I'll be back to harass you again soon enough.)

Have spent the last half hour checking MOE/MOH websites. So far my kids can go to school even after I come home from London. Ho sei. I was told by my colleagues that I cannot go to NIE for 7 days. I have a lot of work to do and need to use the library so that sucks. But as long as I am not issued a HQO, I can still proceed with the rest of my life right? Right?

H1N1 seems to be a non-issue in London. No one is unduly worried and everyone seems to regard it as just the flu. I'm not sure what to think about Singapore's attitude towards heeeee-neeee. Do I feel grateful I live in a state that tries to cover the healthcare bases so thoroughly and perhaps even in an OTT manner? Goodness knows I am pretty kiasu myself. But still, to quote Craig, I am not sure...

We decided to spend Sunday visiting the markets and did ourselves proud by being thorough about it. And London did her best to remind us that like all grand ladies, she can be fickle as hell.

She was sweet and sunshiny while we walked crawled through the very crowded Petticoat Lane Market, which reminded me of nothing as much as the old-fashioned street markets from Singapore's past. All the streets were filled with stalls selling everything from cheap (looking) clothes, to fruits, to batteries and cutlery. All that was missing were backscratchers.

French Connection? Surely you jest...


Like a blast from the past


By the time we made our way to Spitalfields Market, London had turned sullen like a spoiled little miss. Her countenance was her usual lowering gloom, but it didn't really matter as we browsed the decidedly more arty (and expensive) market, where there was certainly more to look at and admire. There was no money to buy anything though, which is just as well. Spitafields is not for the chronically cheap.

And then that's when London decided to amp the variability and give it to us good. She drizzled when we hit the Brick Lane street market, driving us into a hip warehouse market in the adjoining street.

The items on sale in this warehouse were as always, remarkably trendy, but what attracted our attention was the food...



Then London dried up enough to fool us into thinking that the coast was clear, only to pour her wrath on us in full measure and force us into THE salt beef beigel shop. For the record, since we were already there, we had one salt beef bagel, one salmon and cream cheese bagel, and got four slices of cheesecake to go. Incidentally the cheesecakes are 60p a pop. I LOVE this beigel shop because it's good, always open and offers the cheapest bites in London (no pics because I've advertised this shop often enough in the past lah). Stomachs filled, we braved the rain again, rapidly got fed up and had tea in a Turkish cafe while waiting for the sky to clear. By then the state of my hair was beyond help. Finally, we had the chance to take in the stalls and the graffiti properly, but the sky soon darkened again, and we decided to quit the market (which was closing anyway).

The graffiti is ever changing (duh) and pretty awesome


Brick Lane's Sunday market is literally a street event


London then sobbed intermittently for about an hour, grimly reminding me that the sunshine (and smooth hair) I had enjoyed more or less uninterruptedly this trip back was an anomaly. After driving this sober fact home properly, she did an about face once again, turning positively balmy in the night, the crazy wench.

And then today (and the rest of this week), an absolute turn of events! A heatwave alert was raised and temperatures soared to 30 degrees. Now ordinarily 30 degrees is nothing if you're used to34 degrees. But London is not a city built to cope with heat. The windows don't always open and there is no airconditioning on the tubes or buses. Temperatures on the underground easily exceed 45 degrees and train services were disrupted because passengers started taking ill. There have also been other problems like the emergence of flying ants, and tropical storms (due to the heat) that took out the power in North London, and caused floods in other areas. Come to think of it, London's not built to cope with rain, or  or snow, or autumn leaves, or workers' strikes, or credit crunches, or people...

Still today wasn't completely a wash out. I met up with my supervisors for the last time today, got patted on my back for working hard the last two weeks, and got a whole lot more work to do. But I digress. Xian drove us to Hackney this evening, where we picked up fish and chips from a place that got the thumbs up from London's Time Out reviewers. The haddock was especially good, the cod was decent, and we liked that the focus was on the fish and not just the batter.

The chippy shop and its poster boy


Apparently I don't need to run after this meal because it's better than wheatgrass


It was nice to sit in the warm evening sun (read: no longer scorchingly hot) and eat our 'healthy' snack


P.S. Which of these photos were taken by me? Hard to tell, I know, but hazard a guess, why don't you? ;)

No, this is not about Michael Jackson (who unfortunately seems to have taken too many pills for his heart). This is about me OD-ing on food, which perhaps is also not very good for my heart.

An example. Yesterday.

Went with Xian to to MacDonald's for their bacon, egg and cheese bagels. Then to Fortnum and Mason's for rarebit (the crumpets were beyond scrumptious) and scones with clotted cream and jam. Then Eug and I had a very long picnic in Hyde Park where we had a lentil salad, cous cous, coleslaw and potato salad, a ham and mustard sandwich and strawberries and cream. Then we linked up with Xian and friends for supper at Gold Mine where there was roast duck (oh the London roast duck makes me cry, it's so good!) and other dishes but who cares - it's the roast duck I love.

And then as if that's not enough, today I took Eug for his inaugural visit to Borough Market. Uhoh. Food overload. Just wandering around the market we had: red wine venison and wild boar burgers, and a German sausage roll. We sampled Turkish Delight, at least 4 types of cheeses, olives and chocolate cinnamon-coated almonds. To wash all that down there was freshly pressed apple/ strawberry juice AND spiced hot cider. Eugene is of the opinion that Borough is 'insane'!!!' It is. Insanely good. One visit is not enough for the gluttonous. Erm, me.

See, this is me trying to wolf down a VERY large and delicious bratwurst. So not pretty, but in-your-face good!


And then there was all this (see photo below) we bought to take home for dinner. I just had dinner and I don't know whether to cry because I am so happy or because I feel so uncomfortably full. 

Freshly baked bread and the best brownies ever, dolma (stuffed vine leaves), artichoke hearts, olives stuffed with capers, Comte cheese and a cheddar matured in red wine (they call it Drunk Cheese), apple and strawberry juice. 


Not officially dinner but we picked up from The Whisky Shop at Vinopolis two bottles of whisky - a limited edition toasted oak reserve from Glenfiddich and a double wood Balvenie for our next SMAC meeting :)

Oh and we were also at Canary Wharf this afternoon and I had a wicked crayfish and rocket sandwich from Pret a Manger, and then Xian evilly suggested a Steak and Guinness pie washed down with a jug of Pimm's at Brown's for tea. Haiz. I found I just couldn't say 'no'.

Do you know how many calories I've consumed in the past 48 hours? I'm going to have to exercise till my joints creak to make up for this. But it's disturbingly worth it, you know?

Today a number of bands performed while I picnicked on strawberries and cream, salads and sandwiches. They were all good bands. But of course two were superb.

Shine on, The Kooks


And the inimitable The Killers. I was so excited when they came on I nearly pee-ed.


Yeah we weren't way in front. Because it was hours and hours and we wanted to chill and enjoy a day out in the park. Plus the Brits have a tendency to drink too much and then throw empty and half-empty bottles around when you're way in front. I had no desire to get drenched or a concussion on an otherwise gorgeous day.

So here's us slacking...


There was no sitting once the big acts came on of course. Everyone stood up and jumped. Some people in front of me unfortunately, thought that twirling and square dancing were appropriate behaviour at a rock concert. Yah, damn strange.

My fave people were these three little boys. They looked like they were 8-10 years old and were attending with their moms. They must have been the biggest (and smallest) The Killers fans in the whole place. They knew the words to all the songs, they screamed all the time they weren't singing, they sometimes piggy-backed on their moms to get a better view (so cute). And the best moment: when the concert ended, they sank onto their knees and did three kowtows to the band. Everyone smiled. Even me. And I needed to pee so badly at that point.

Altogether now... I've got soul but I'm not a soldier...

Yesterday, we wandered across the heart of London's tourist areas providing additional spectacle for the hordes of visitors enjoying a sunny day out. There was Char in her long gown with flowers in her hair, EO wearing a suit and a grimace, Eugene carrying his weapons of choice, poised to shoot... and me in my tiara. Well, the tiara is Char's but she already had flowers and I wanted to be in on the action too. I mean, I'm not just there to carry Char's paraphernalia, right?

So, tadah! I is be Princess.


We wandered around St Katherine's Docks, Wapping, the Tower of London, City Hall and Greenwich in search good sites and perfect light and then it was pose pose POSE! (Ok, for them... I stopped every now and then to have ice cream and adjust my tiara.)

See, Char's kicked off her heels to go lie on the grass. The slacker.


Eug had to go show them how to do it right. Menage a trois, anyone?


And this is my favourite. Here's me taking a photo of a tourist taking a photo of Eug taking a photo of Char and Alex. The lady sunning herself behind me giggled when she saw what I was up to :)


Lunch was steak and ale pie and chips in a pub called Town of Ramsgate (something like that...) and dinner was more Vietnamese fare at Cafe East (yummy!). We wound down the hectic day with drinks at a pub down the street from Xian's - The Blacksmith Arms that incidentally serves good Thai(!) food.

Sigh. Page 11 of my essay now... Bleah.

I've got 5 minutes to spare before I head out to buy groceries and I just want to blog a bit about food. In case anyone is going to London to visit and wants to try some other yummies not already mentioned in other posts. Yeah, London has lots of good food, contrary to popular belief, provided you are willing to look...

Yesterday, we were treated to BOTH lunch and dinner by a couple that Eug was shooting. We went to yum cha at Phoenix Palace, Tony Blair's fave Chinese restaurant. It's certainly comparable to Royal China and Pearl Liang - two other dim sum establishments much loved (by me). Of course different restaurants have different strengths, but if you're in the Baker Street region, Phoenix Palace is well worth visiting. We had so much to eat: har gao, siew mai, cheong fan, lor mai kai, chicken feet, char siew sou, xiao long pao etc etc fattened up with suckling pig at the end. We all KO-ed and napped after that.

Dinner last night was at the completely unpretentious Santa Maria del Sur (the Battersea branch). Good Argentine steak and wine and great company made for a very nice dinner. I love these small restaurants where they don't play House music and where the food speaks for itself. This place runs circles around Gaucho, the completely overpriced Argentine steak chain in London, and the service was really good too. I'd go again if I ever feel carnivorous. But note to self: next time get the fillet steak, not the sirloin. It rocks socks.

Unpretentious pic taken on my unpretentious (aka not good) automatic camera



Cafe East, the Vietnamese noodle place I used to frequent has moved serendepitiously to Xian's street. Guess where lunch today will be? I've talked about it before but it's still worth noting in my food blog, no? The noodles are yummy and my favourite is the raw beef noodle soup.

Here's a pic taken off the Internet


And the piece de resistance - Xian got us a Top Table deal for a 2-course dinner (@19 quid) tonight at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon. He's got 25 michelin stars under his belt, and I have it on good authority - Char's - that the French Onion soup is the best. I'm hoping the reality lives up to the hype. We'll see. As chi chi places never allow you to take photos, I thought I'd just steal this off the Internet. Long live the Internet.



Bon apetit to me!

Edit:
Cafe East turned out to be as yummy as ever though the new venue does not qualify any longer as a dodgy hole-in-the-wall. It's all white and pine and clean now. I kind of liked it dark and crowded, though not coming out of the restaurant smelling of beef noodles is a definite plus. Gone are the days where we used to dump our winter coats in the car and run for the restaurant rather than infuse our coats with the aroma of beef stock for the next two weeks.

As for L'atelier blah blah blah, the service was great, the ambience was upmarket and they played House music (bleah). The starters were just so-so and my broccoli soup gave me a stomach ache. The rabbit I had for my main course was pretty decent though, so that's one saving grace. Still, I would rather have taken my 20 quid and spent it at The Easton or on Borough Market produce. Oh well, it's always good to try new places and I stick to my mantra that if I want to criticise or reject something, I need to at least have primary data to fall back on! Back to work now...

Just drive a bit out of London and the landscape changes so markedly. Rolling green hills, grazing sheep and cows, charming little cottages with flowering gardens... and if you head to a national park like New Forest in Hampshire, there are the quaintest villages and farmhouses to dine at and gorgeous views that include herds of wild ponies, deer and horses. And when we went to the Isle of Wight, there was the most spectaclar coastal landscape, with a stiff seabreeze that must have good effects on one's constitution. Honestly I may not be able to live in the country, but it sure feels good to get out there once in a while and escape the city.

Wild horses rule the roads in New Forest



The coastal scenery on the Isle of Wight


Xian and I pretending to be real tough country folk of the wood-chopping variety


( The road trip pics and details )

Don't get me wrong. I came to London to work and my sups have given me enough to do to raise my stress levels a fair bit. But putting the work aside, I have remembered why I love London so much! Because it's a kick-ass little town.



( Click here for my adventures )

What a welcome back to London I gave me. Next post, our weekend trip to New Forest and the Isle of Wight. Shiokadoos.

The trip to London was a bit of a nightmare. Fourteen hours of a screaming baby, and a lady behind me who coughed the whole time. I had a headache by the time we reached London. Immigration was uncomplicated except that the customs official took it into his head to chat with Eugene for so long I was convinced they were going to haul him off as a suspected triad member. But eventually we were on the Heathrow Express and then two good things: Xian was waiting for us on the Paddington platform AND the cool of a London summer evening greeted us. It was such a big difference from the sweltering Singapore heat that I wanted to cry with relief.

My first meal in London after landing was pasta at Ciao Bella,  which brings back fond memories of the first time I got to London to study in 2006. I had my inaugural meal there too though I was a little more disoriented and depressed then. The food was as yummy as I remember and the din in the quaint restaurant with the happy diners and piano tinkling and impromptu singing in the background was reassuringly familiar. Xian's new place is comfy and (very clean... the boy cleaned!). We also visited Char and the EO at their new apartment at the old complex, and had lunch with them at Il Bordello at Wapping. The pizza was good (but I had overdosed on Italian within 24 hours).

I was also reminded of the chaos that is the London transport system. The bus we were on was diverted with no warning and we were trapped in snarled traffic as big buses tried to navigate tight turns and got stuck. The Londoners, bless them, take it all with equanimity, and no one seemed too upset. They just adjusted their travel plans accordingly. Fortunately I was familiar with that part of London so I wasn't worried about ending up in the middle of nowhere, and we did get home safely in the end, albeit a lot later than expected.

Xian's been great and it is fantastic to be able to chill with him and talk nonsense again. We had a nice time at Greenwich today, just hanging out and enjoying the sun. Oh and also taking silly photos! Like these.

Lounging in the sun


Or being a tad more active



A spot of gender reversal? Here's me being kingly, while Xian, well, erm...


It's so late and my system's out of whack. Definitely a little jet-lag is coming into play. I just handed in a report today and have to be at school early tomorrow. So it's time for bed, I suppose. Take care y'all and more soon!

I have realised that lunges or activities that simulate lunge-like motions are murder on my left knee. Yesterday I thought to nicely round off my run by climbing stairs. I climbed to the 13th floor of a neighbouring block twice. I took the stairs two at a time because the butt feels the burn that way. Yesterday was brutally hot. I don't think I could have managed anymore because my face was lobster-red by then, and as Craig and Gail observed, even the arms were turning pink (quite a feat if you're tanned like I am).

Then this morning, click click click. It's only the left knee. It does not hurt, it just makes a disconcerting sound.

Yes, I have started taking glucosamine again a couple of weeks back.

But what I should NOT have done I think, was watch an episode on ancient tortures on the History Channel this morning. In one segment, they tested the effect of the rack on a pork knuckle (because the joints are similar in size and strength to human knees). As the muscles and tendons ripped, and then the bone fractured, I winced and cupped my knee protectively. Interestingly the ligaments did not tear and the knee joint survived intact because the tension exerted by the rack was incremental and the ligaments could stretch to accommodate it. Still my knee has not recovered from the trauma of watching the show. TV can be a terrible and frightening thing.

Click!

I've been tagging my past entries (up to Jan 2003 now), both locked and open, and a number of things have leapt out at me, just from rifling through my past. In no particular order.

My children were really really funny growing up and apparently provided me with an endless source of entertainment. Apparently Craig's schoolwork has also been an endless reason to rant. That hasn't changed.

I really had a love-hate relationship with my job. I liked the students most of the time, but didn't like a lot of what the job entailed. I was also very tired frequently. 

I always seem to be resolving to exercise. Heh.

Apparently, I enjoy a good night out. Be it gigs, clubs, or just running around with friends.

I always seem to be organising some event or other, either at work or play.

I was scared silly when my closest friends were really ill but everyone recovered, thank goodness.

I loved living overseas, I really really did. 

I don't seem to scare easily. Whether it's insects or ghosts or mad people threatening to slap me in public.

I've mellowed! Goodness, I used to be a lot more hot-tempered, judging by my posts and how angry I used to get.

I love my family and friends, and they've been good to me.

In general, I am happy!