Youth and Courage

Seriously deprived of sleep for the entire week, I force-opened my eyes to welcome a dizzy 645am. This Saturday morning began with an impatient brat hollering via sms demanding me to double up as we were running late for a good cause.

Indeed, an entire village of kind souls was waiting for us. They have been a bunch of kind and understanding folks and I have remained as a nonchalant, shameless and buay-pai-seh (Hokkien term for shameless, thick-skinned) jerk. Feeling warmed up with these people, I looked forward to a Saturday adventure with these kind souls and a group of young ladies and gentlemen.

This group of young ladies and gentlemen have spent their Saturday proving to themselves that they could overcome some of their internal fears by scaling new nerve-wrecking heights, leaping into the heart-ceasing abyss, entering into a creepy caliginosity…….

Almost all Achluophobics Acrophobics Basophobics and Claustrophobics have attempted and overcame the physical obstacle as well as slayed their very own latent phobias. A bunch of Courageous and resilient youths.

They must have felt very good and wonderful when their friends were cheering (some of them resorting to “taunting”) whenever they hesitate to proceed. We also had loads of sadistic fun and laughter teasing at each other’s twisted fearful face when attempting to clear the obstacles.

I am exceptionally rejoiced when I finally see some armored-faced introverts starting to chuckle. Most importantly, I can also feel their attempt to open up themselves to the rest of us.

Cheers for more to come and be free.

Alpha invasion

I finally got to meet my friend’s ex-landlady’s sturdy bundle of fur and paws, Alpha. I think he is a schnauzer – poodle cross breed , Schnoodle.




He is absolutely adorable, but quite a timid dog. My friend and I hesitate whether to bring him into our room to sleep as we think it is pretty inhuman to leave him in the living room. We felt worse when we saw him displaying this incredible innocent look when we are closing our room doors.




However, we also fear that he might start marking terrotories in our bedrooms while we are asleep. Good Grief............

Ok….I am bringing him into my room tonight.

G STRING CHANG

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month marks the celebration of the Chinese festival “DUAN WU JIE a.k.a. DUAN YANG JIE or DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL”. Like many Chinese festival such as Chinese New Year, Mid Autumn festival, Duan Wu Jie is also widely celebrated by the Chinese families all across the globe. It is an opportunity for the whole family to gather and feast.

I have moved out from my comfort nest a couple of months ago and this shall be the first time celebrating this festival without my family. It’s a little uncomfortable but I believe I will get used to it soon. I gave my mum a buzz last night and she started to complain that I should come back often. This has always been the start of my conversation with my dear mother. Although, the conversation seems to be extremely predictable, her nag has become somewhat calming… duh? Ok ok………. I miss her.

I believe everyone should have downed at least a couple of CHANG a.k.a ZONG ZI (Glutinous Rice Dumpling) last few weeks. I have decided to make some CHANG for myself, my family and my friends. Making CHANG is a very tedious and a patience-demanding process. It begins with proper planning of the ingredients, follow by cooking these ingredients individually.

The next challenge, is the bundling of this dumpling using the bamboo leaves. Believe me, this step requires a lot of skill and patience. Not too much ingredients, not too tight, not too loose etc. Many had failed and many thought they have succeeded till they found out that their CHANG disintegrated at the last stage -- boiling. This is somehow analogous to the way how one deals with another, be it at home, at work or among friends. Isn’t it?

Anyway, my housemates and I have great fun teasing each other’s masterpiece. We are all very engrossed in making our very own bundle of hope and joy, especially my friend, the proud-lover-of-her-husband's-inverted-nipples lady. I have never seen her so focus and so determined to get that pyramidal shape. But ended up, she has created her very own G-String CHANG!!!!

I believe at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how weirdly shaped your dumplings are (Typically, CHANG should be pyramidal), as long as we had fun.

We have put our heart in making these CHANG and I believe these CHANG will be exceptionally tasty and priceless. ( G string CHANG )

I think my mum will definitely be my number one fan, be it the only fan.

Cheers for more to come and be free…..

P.S. Popiah next week? Any contenders?