栽培孩子

看了這篇文章,很感動也學到了點新觀點

栽培他的天賦，也栽培他的視野 (click)

トイレの神様

トイレの神様 means "God of Toilet" if you do a literal translation from the Japanese text. :D

I came across this song by chance and thought the title sounded cute so I've decided to click on it and have a listen. Hiding behind ths seemigly cute and random title lies a 10 minute journey through a woman's memories of her grandmother.

very meaningful and touching song.

歌手：植村花菜

作詞：植村花菜・山田ひろし

作曲：植村花菜

小３の頃からなぜだが
小三開始,不知為甚麼
おばあちゃんと暮らしてた
我與奶奶住在一起
実家の隣だったけど
雖然就在本家的隔壁
おばあちゃんと暮らしてた
但我與奶奶住在一起

毎日お手伝いをして
每天幫忙奶奶做家事
五目並べもした
也會一起下五子棋
でも、トイレ掃除だけ苦手な私に
但是對於十分討厭打掃廁所的我
おばあちゃんがこう言った
奶奶這麼說到

トイレには
廁所裡面
それはそれはキレイな女神様がいるんやで
可是住著一位很漂亮的女神哦
だから毎日キレイにしたら
所以假如每天打掃的很乾淨的話
女神様みたいにべっぴんさんになれるやで
就可以變成像女神一樣漂亮的女生哦

その日から私は
自從那一天起
トイレをピカピカにし始めた
我開始將廁所打掃的乾乾淨淨
べっぴんさんに絶対なりたくて
因為一定要成為美女
毎日磨いてた
每天都刷的乾乾淨淨

買い物に出かけて時には
出門買東西的時候
二人で鴨なんば食べた
倆人一起吃了鴨肉湯麵
新喜劇録画し損ねたおばあちゃんを
泣いて責めたりました
我也曾經一邊哭著, 對著沒有幫我錄到新喜劇節目的奶奶發脾氣

トイレには
廁所裡面
それはそれはキレイな女神様がいるんやで
可是住著一位很漂亮的女神哦
だから毎日キレイにしたら
所以假如每天打掃的很乾淨的話
女神様みたいにべっぴｎさんになれるやで
就可以變成像女神一樣漂亮的女生哦

少し大人になった私は
稍微長大後的我
おばあちゃんとぶつかった
和奶奶起了爭執
家族ともうまくやれなくて
和家人也處的不好
居場所がなくなった
失去了容身之處

休みの日も家に帰らず
即使放假也不回家
彼氏と遊んだりした
與男朋友到處玩
五目並べも鴨なんばも
五子棋也好鴨肉湯麵也罷
二人の間から消えてった
倆人共處的時光已逝

どうしてだろう？
到底為甚麼呢?
人は人を傷付け、大切なものをなくしてく
人與人之間要互相傷害, 然後舍去重要的東西
いつも味方をしてくれたおばあちゃん残して
我留下總是支持著我的奶奶
ひとりきり
一個人
家　離れた
離家而去

上京して２年が過ぎて
到東京已經過了兩年
おばあちゃんが入院した
奶奶她住院了
痩せて細くなってしまった
おばあちゃんに会いに行った
於是我去探望變得瘦弱的奶奶

「おばあちゃん、ただいまー！」ってわざと
昔みたいに言ってみたけど
刻意像以往一般的說“奶奶， 我回來了!”
ちょっと話しただけだったのに
但是才沒說到幾句話
「もう帰りー。」って
病室を出された
就被一句“該回去了。”趕出病房

次の日の朝
隔日的早上
おばあちゃんは静かに眠りについた
奶奶她靜靜的離去
まるで　まるで
就好像 就好像
私がくるの待っていてくれたように
在等著我的到來一般

ちゃんと育ててくれたのに
雖然辛苦的拉拔我長大
恩返しもしてないのに
我卻還沒報答恩情
いい孫じゃなかったのに
明明是個不聽話的孫女
こんな私を
待っててくれたんやね
卻還是一直等著這樣的我呀

トイレには
廁所裡面
それはそれはキレイな女神様がいるんやで
可是住著一位很漂亮的女神哦
おばあちゃんがくれた言葉は
奶奶給我的一句話
今日の私をべっぴんさんにしてくれるかな
現在的我是否能成為美女呢

トイレには
廁所裡面
それはそれはキレイな女神様がいるんやで
可是住著一位很漂亮的女神哦
だから毎日キレイしたら
所以假如每天打掃的很乾淨的話
女神様みたいにべっぴんさんになれるやで
就可以變成像女神一樣漂亮的女生哦

気立ての良いお嫁さんになるのが夢だった私を
曾盡夢想可以成為一個溫柔女孩的我
今日もせっせと
今天也要很認真地
トイレをピカピカにする
將廁所打掃的乾乾淨淨

おばあちゃん
奶奶
おばあちゃん
奶奶
ありがとう
謝謝你

おばあちゃん
奶奶
ホンマに
真的

ありがとう
謝謝你

dog

few years ago,ever since i saw Ryan's blog and his dogs... i wanted a Affenpinscher.

I STILL WANT ONE NOW.

But i've NEVER seen anyone in Singapore having one and Wilson strongly abhors the idea.

WWWWWHHHHHHHHYYYYYYY!

ok fine! so it's kinda shaggy...
it's kinda black...
it can look kinda ugly almost gremlin like...



but it's the Johnny Depp of the doggie world!
given the right grooming... it can look... ruggedly charming! and least it's not just 'cute'.



Some stuff I read from a website:

PRO

• They tend to get along with other dogs and pets especially when they are raised with them.
• They are busy, bold, inquisitive and stubborn, but they also love to monkey around, being playful and mischievous.
• A lively sharp-witted, little dog that is courageous and confident.
• It is very affectionate and amusing. This friendly little dog enjoys being with its family.
• This breed sheds little to no hair.

CON

• A fearless defender, the Affenpinscher will quickly become an authoritarian, if owners do not give the proper rules, boundaries, limitations and constantly be this dogs pack leader.
• Without leadership, it may unwisely challenge large dogs and other large animals. They tend to bark and even climb.

temper check

一直這樣反反覆覆的鬧情緒...你不累我也累了。

white is my fav colour

i love having the house brimming with brightness conjured by sunlight (excluding the heat).
natural light against clean white/light coloured walls fills me with energy and i love them to death.

and i like good hidden storage spaces.

today, i stumbled across a new site, The Lettered Cottage, and i immediately decided it'll be one of my fav pages to visit now. i love what i see!

























omg! i love!! Read more here.

did i just mentioned hidden storage spaces?
it can be yet another joy waiting to be discovered once you open it.



hoho! Read here.

familiar faces from my past

my lousy stamina during the muay thai training session made me wonder where my energy has gone. hah!  in my younger years (bras basah era), i could run around whole day along playing soccer, rollerblade, block catching etc. now, i can't last long enough before i need to stop and catch my breath. brutal truth of aging. sigh~

then the thinking back of my long-gone younger years, reminded me of my fun-filled days in bras basah: the shouting across blocks, the games, quarrels and laughters, the young girl crushes i've had, tons of messages i received on my pager from weiming ask me to come down to play soccer... now that it's gone and will never return.. i'm just glad that at least, i had those memories before.

then this reminiscing had me stalked Jack's facebook for a while heh I was trying very hard to find old faces and hoping that perhaps.. some of them kept contact with each other. for my secondary school (CHIJ girls) friends, it was a breeze. but somehow, for these bunch of idiots (bras basah boys), IT WAS HARD!

geez!

i managed to only find Alvin cos he is Jack's cousin and i suspect William is Jia Hao but i'm not sure cos i can barely recall his looks... but.. WHERE ARE THE OTHERS!? my goodness. so damn hard to find! worse is the fact that they might have some self-given English names by now?? i know them all by their chinese names! they might not even be on facebook!

and the thing about childhood friends is there features will change over the years. either they look pretty much the same, or they look different (for the better or for the worse). i know i look different from what i used to be in those primary-secondary school years so i was surprised when Jack could recognize me when we bumped into each other again in Tampines about 4 years ago. noteworthy fact is that it did take him several minutes walking next to me while we were heading towards the same direction ahead and all we did was continue to walk and stare at each other with squinty eyes and after what seemed like forever, he asked "Maria...??". i replied him with a grin. he looked the same but i've changed.

i remember bumping into xinxian at bras basah and exchanged phone numbers with him but we barely contacted each other so once again, contact was lost. i'm just not thick skinned enough to keep msging someone randomly. i think partly it was due to low self-esteem.

so for a final count, i have Ivan and Jack in my list. i'm not sure why but i didn't add Alvin. The rest... are lost.. in the haystack. hehz

slowly but surely

knitting without my 'guru' around to consult on difficult or ambiguous stitches can be rather daunting. now i can only rely on youtube videos to figure out the stitches. if the instructional video is good, i'm in luck. if it's not... well, i'll have to just try and re-watch it a few times.

but i guess that's part and parcel of learning. the knitted babywear project is coming along fine and past (common) mistakes are occurring less frequently. i've managed to complete 5" of the bodice and i'm currently moving on to knit the skirt area. it's pretty twist and twirly around this part so i've been extremely slow and careful to make sure each stitch is right. took me about half an hour to finish a row. geez! 6 down 5 more to go!

i'm a little uncertain about sizing since i don't always play with babies so this is pretty experimental. i keep alternating between thinking it's too small or it's too big. can't make up my mind. just have to fit a baby in it!!! if all goes well, the end result is gonna adorable although everyone can't quite imagine "how" yet.

tonight is my 2nd session in muay thai training. well.. not the hardcore kind so i'm just learning some basic techniques, throwing a few punches and kicks while my instructor confuses me with his constant change of combinations... i'm just trying to keep fit otherwise knowing me, i'll never exercise. hurhur

my body ached like mad for days after the 1st session last Thursday. I've just recovered and it's time for another round. sigh. i can sense my reluctance to get back since it's not cheap and it's tiring and it's late in the evening after work but i'm trying to encourage myself to go so that i can support my husband in the activities he does and also to keep fit. i need to lose a few inches before i gorge myself to death during my much anticipated Japan trip.

sleep mode

think my brain is currently in "sleep mode".

it's pretty numb to what's going on and i'm tired most of the time. time for more gingko pills.

time is passing pretty slowly at work today even though i can't say i'm free nor very busy either. i have things to do, that's all.

start of a new year and back at work... how boring.
the day repeats itself again and again.

my obsessive japan trip planning has come to a close for now since i've drafted most of what i need to do and what's left for now is to monitor the foreign exchange rates and look out for good airfares.

then there's Heidi's birthday where i am making a point to knit something adorable for her.

i need to dig out my japanese notes to do some self-study soon.

how insanely boring.

ran out of holes to dig

switching off my handphone during the night so that i can have an uninterrupted sleep for the night (& morning) during a off day.

burying my face deep into my husband's chest to block out my folk's quarrelling from my left ear while flooding my right ear with random dialogues from the TV.

all these... are merely means and ways i developed to live like an ostrich.
to bury my head deep into the sands to escape even though nothing really gets solved.

i just need to... run away.

it started off as a rather distressful situation to be stucked in.

now...i know... it's becoming a mental condition.
i need to save myself from it but i don't know how.

i know it's becoming worse because i can literally jump out of bed once my phone rings even though i'm sound asleep...

i know it's becoming worse because my back feels cold and my fingers goes numb whenever someone calls me to tell me there's an issue or i hear my folks quarrelling.

i sit in a trance and break out in cold sweat.

i freeze.

my heart sinks.

it's been more than a year now. i thought i've developed enough coping mechanism but i'm wrong.
now i know how it's so hard to get rid of and so easily re-triggered.

all these while i have my husband around to keep me sane.
if my husband is not around... will i... do something drastic some day just to escape?
i don't know.

pray that day does not come.

otaku me!

ho ho ho

i found my new anime obsession. this time... it's KURAGEHIME (aka 海月姫)!

woohoo! something seriously otaku but hilarious at the same time. not sure who will share my cup of tea but i'm hoping the story line gets better. it's disappointing sometimes when the story goes haywire or boring on me after a few episodes.

27th Birthday

Had a great time hanging out with friends prior to my actual birthday. :)

last but not the least, a group shot.

AFAX

Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I spent (or rather, burnt) my weekend helping out at AFAX.

I don't mind having to work almost 12 hours each day, waking up before the sun is up and not being able to spend time with my husband BUT there were incidents that were undesirable and mostly irritating because of inconsiderate people.

However, I chose to retain the memories of only the good ones and soon, I'll forget about those unhappy moments.

I enjoyed meeting new people, working backstage, smiling and chatting earnestly with some of my fellow colleagues & the freelance production crews, seeing the artistes / famous cosplayers up-front, shaking the hands of Hironobu Kageyama of JAM Project, getting to listen to what Aniki has to say and hearing his earnest replies (which made me felt touched and teary for a very long time until I wanted to rush up and hug the old man), listening to JAM Project & Angela's concert & feel my adrenaline rush up to an ultimate high (saikou desu!), have Aniki grin at me (his mgr is very cute and his name is Ryohei), shaking hands & exchanging name cards with Danny Choo (actually this happened later in the office), Kaname-san giving me his printed cosplay card & wanting to give me a light stick during the concert, my playful elbow jabbing session with Angela + May'n's Japanese translator, Scandal's Japanese translator's surprised but kind compliment about my Japanese being good (when it sucked), getting to know first-hand that Kaname & Alodia are pretty humble and nice people, meeting my own friends there .... these memories are worth keeping.

So unhappy incidents aside, I've had rewarding moments and I guess it's enough.

 I had fun. :)

@ Carlton hotel

JAM PROJECT!

(sigh.. my hp sucks)

'She' who cannot be named.

hehehehehehehehehehe

Aniki anxiously waiting for his turn

KANAME, Me

(Cosplay character: Black Rock Shooter)

Stage

What's left of me.

rockouture

ROCKOUTURE
talented boy.
love his detailed fine lines and pastel colours.

midnight hunger pangs

worst feeling ever.

midnight hunger pangs.

the mental struggle against instant noodles.

workshops

pretty much sums it all up about what i felt.

Manga & Anime Exhibition

Made a trip to Japan Creative Centre located at Nassim Road with Mr Ho today.

There's the Manga & Anime Exhibition going on so I decided to pop by. We were supposed to go there with Sano last Sunday but it was closed. bleh.

From far, the place looked really nice. It's not inaccessible but it's away from the busy Orchard shopping areas and I felt comfortable there. Mr Ho stopped several times to stare outside as the wind blew and leaves shook. In case you're wondering since when Mr Ho so emo, I think he is just bored lol.

There were several boards explaining the history of manga which I found rather interesting to read.

Amusingly, I saw the project screen showing the video compilation my production assistant and I prepared.

Our channel, Animax, is partnering this event. :)

  

Nyanko sensei!!!!!!

(character from Natsume Yūjin-Chō)

Original artworks of Takahashi Macoto being displayed.

Great stuff. Dates really far back (~1984 and prior).

Mr Ho & I like this particular illustration.

It's very detailed and meticulously drawn. The hair, the eyes.. etc

The uneven curl is very natural, especially the fringe.

Mr Ho thought the Japanese handwritings on the left resembled mine heh.

I guess it does quite a fair bit. You can really see the western influence in the drawing style.

The tag reads as:

世界の少女　/　初春のパリの少女

I'm not sure how this reads exactly in English so here's a literal translation:

Lady of the world / Lady of Paris (in the beginning of Spring)

There were several illustrations by local artists (illustrators) but these two were my favourite.

These art works will be available on Fourskin t-shirts and on sale from Nov onwards.

Illustration on the left is inspired by Ge-ge-ge no Kitaro and the illustration on the right is an obvious influence by Nodame Cantabile.

Manga Magazines displayed.

I learnt something new today (cos I seldom buy these magazines).

Different magazines caters to different readers. They have something for the office men, another for girls who are into reading about happy marriage, another targetting women or house wifes about family stuff... some focuses on featuring works of new talents... some on strong storylines... it's really a mix bag of surprise!!

There's 2 TVs in the room showing anime snippets (about 3 mins over).

Notice the 'ANIMAX' logo on the top right corner? LOL yes. another compilation my production assistant and I rushed out. At least there's people watching lol make our 'hard work' worthwhile cos we rushed like mad to get this ready.

They gave me a free Japanese manga when I left the exhibition. :)

I grabbed ep 2 of 3X3 Eyes. A series which I collected in Mandarin. heh

This is something totally unrelated but I'm posting it cos it's damn cute.

Was at Ion buying food and while I ordered drinks from this new drink stall, my queue tag came in the form of this cute lemon-ko. Felt like dumping my drinks and stealing this instead hahahahaha

No. I didn't steal the tag. I took my drink instead.

Yum

cookies can be sexy too.

busted

yup. totally busted.

stupid me.
wanted to send a secret sms to sano telling him i wanna buy jacket for wilson...and ended up sending the msg to Mr Ho himself.

and Mr Ho checks sms in super sonic speed.
I called him the second i clicked 'send' and he told me checked his phone already.

but he's still happy anyway.

mastering japanese

I need to...... PRACTICES MY JAPANESE!!!! T_T
colleague of mine gonna give me a new PSP game to play *yay*
super nice graphics, deals with logic (to solve case with logic reasoning much like Kindaichi Jikenbo) BUT...the challenge is..... i have to read alot to 'analyse' and IT'S ALL IN JAPANESE!!!!!!!

brain pain.

but... GAMBARIMASU! i wanna play the game!! must.. must conquer it!!!

i can feel too

Not appearing affected doesn't mean I'm not.
Having what seems like a smile on my face doesn't mean I'm happy.
I know I'm affected when I repeat something said to me in the exact words over and over again in my mind.
I know I'm affected when I'm still thinking about it at the end of the day.
I know I'm affected when I find it difficult to just think about the person and what was said.
I know I'm affected when it might seem like a negligible little thing but I can't get it out of my head.

I know I'm affected... even if everyone else doesn't know.