Glasses & Being Nonchalant

Recently I got myself a pair of red plastic glasses.

It has been giving me some problems. I was told that my astigmatism reduced to 50 degrees and the rest remained unchanged.

By default, it should be something worth rejoicing.

However I find myself quite hard to adjust to the new specs especially when I read a book.

The words became blurry and I suspect that I might be having some early signs of hyperopia. I told my mum and she was alarmed. She said how could it be and she felt disturbed. In addition, she called up my cousin who are 2 years older than me to check on her whether she had such a condition.

She became more worried when my cousin said no.

Then she asked me to make another pair and she will pay for it.

I took my old pair of specs which has the same degrees as the new one except that its astigmatism is higher by 50 degrees.

I can read the words in the book with my old specs at the same distance and when I put back the new one, the words became out of focus.

When I first wore the new pair of specs, I felt giddy and especially when I look at the sides of the specs... kind of look wierd as if the things that I see become "fish-eyed" view. The optician told me that I changed to a plastic one from a steel type and there is a difference in the distance because the plastic one would be nearer to your eyes compared to the previous one.

Mum told me to go for lasik which I feel quite apprehensive. I am not sure about lasik though my brother and his wife turned out fine after their operations.

Now I put back the old pair of glasses. I might want to go and make another one... maybe not a plastic pair.

Hyperopia is part of life. When you age , you get it some day.

Just like white hairs... When I first saw a few strands, they drove me crazy.

Now I am more calm now.

As for whether I starting to have hyperopia, it does make me feel kind of strange.

When I told ML, she chuckled and told me it is part of life and I should not be disturbed by it.

When I told FM, she said she might be having too and said she would still be my friend even I become more and more wrinkled. ( I felt like throwing her out of my window!)

When I told my mum, my mum's tiny beady eyes nearly popped up and her timbre shot up to G Major and railed how could it be.

I calmly reminded her that I am no longer the little child in her eyes.

My dad can't be bothered about my eyes but he is bothered with my level of ignorance and bochupness.

He questioned me last night why I seemed to be nonchalant when dealing with family matters. Most of the time I just stay indifferent and show slight concern over family matters.

I believe there are reasons to it. There were times I tried to argue over unfairness, I was only told to shut up and let the matter rest.

Yes, you resolved family conflicts but you cut my heart into pieces.

Have you ever tried to sit down for that very minute and listen to me?

Do you know that I have grown rounder, having more white hairs, more wrinkles around my eyes and perhaps going to wear progressive specs.

When I first told you that I have blood disorder, you refused to believe a single word.

Then when I started to faint and hyperventilate, you then realise that I having problems.

Do you know that a few years ago, I got myself into depression and nearly wanted to throw myself out of the window because I was being laughed "FAT and ROUND"?

Do you know that I was too dried up because every month I have to pay that much?

I want to tell but somehow I just couldn't...You might never want to listen, no time to listen, probably might not even understand...

Blood Disorder is genetic and there is nothing to be done but to live with it.

Hyperventilation occurs in the later part of my life. Something that I can't control it when it comes. But I can try to prevent it as much as I could. I must calm myself down, not to get too agitated, too disturbed and when I have this feeling that it is going to come, I must try to calm down and rest.

FAT and ROUND - I accept it with grace and control my diet in a healthy way. I dismiss people's sneering remarks and trash them out of my mind.

Dried out - control spendings, cultivate saving habits, be rational in buying, asking opinions with a money control buddy who can point out whether to buy or not to. (Cannot choose a spendthrift for a money buddy! )[FM and MK are good candidates if you need a money control buddy and if you want a superduper one, MK is champion when comes to shopping and food.She already sublimated (升华仙子）...LOL

If opera headpieces, wigs and pinky cute stuff, can "hire" FM...(She never lays eyes on those. LOL)

White hairs - can consider to dye your hair or just let it be part of growing process. Some of you already staying in the lead.

Wrinkles - part of growing process. (FM said I look cuter with wrinkles round my eyes and again I feel like throwing her out of my window. MK , you "catch" her okie, she is quite lightweight. You two can sing 18 miles together, LOL)

Hyperopia - part of growing process , let it age gracefully and graciously. I shall wait for you to join me. (LOL)

Yueju - SARS In Spring 隔离的春天

A very different presentation in Yueju.

Storyline as mentioned in the title is related to SARS.

You probably might not get used to this kind of presentation if you always watch the traditional ones.

But it is still a refreshing change.

Sit tight and enjoy watching.

Food @ Nexx

Yup, Nexx again! How to get there? Just get to Serrangoon MRT and there it is.



Who's that long-haired girl? MK lah, who else has such long hair? (LOL)

We went window shopping again and we bought something...



Bubble tea, what else! (LOL)

MK drank this brand in HK and she was delighted to know that there is an outlet at Nexx.

She drank her favourite melon bubble tea and I tried hazelnut milk tea.



MK was drawn to the opera picture on the wall of a HK Dessert shop. She said that she wanted to have her opera picture on her wall. She might even consider hanging her costume on the wall just like the Xian De Lai Specialty restaurant @ Nexx.



It is a steamboat restaurant. Xian De Lai has many outlets and this is quite different. It seems to be on the high end and unlike the common steamboat that is halved, you get your own IMPERIAL steamboat for yourself. Why IMPERIAL? Look at the steamboat and then you know why.



Yes, you use that individual pot for your steamboat. Isn't that IMPERIAL?



This steamboat is meant for a King or rather an Emperor. The menu even wrote "Long live the Emperor" in chinese. FM mentioned that MD should come and try it. (LOL)

I took random pictures of the restaurants at Nexx. Take a lookie and maybe you might want to visit Nexx too. :)












There are many more other restaurants of course. Many other shops that you can dress yourself from the top to the bottom.

I want to go again. Maybe I might spot other interesting things at Nexx. :)

FM @ Nexx

Bubble Tea from Taiwan Taipei at Nexx. It is as expensive as KOI. Gongcha is still cheaper.

Gongcha is still FM's favourite. She loves the signature green tea - 奶盖青茶

FM is a 好奇宝宝， if she spots something cute or funny, she explores. Not only that she also pokes, pinches, touches, and observes.



Now what has attracted her attention? A pink hamster and it can actually mimic you when you press its paw. This gal kept pressing the poor hamster's paw.



She tried out some specs at an optical shop. She chose all the lightweight frames and put them on. She felt tempted to buy but in the end she didn't.

They were out of her budget.



We spotted this cabbage-looking flower. She named it 菜花。。and asked me whether that was the name. How I know, I am not a flowery person...Maybe Shanice might know. (LOL)

We "walk the horse and see the flower" and then went home without buying anything except a cup of milktea each. :)

HP 7 & Nexx

We watched HP 7. It is a nice movie.

FM called me up and told me that the tickets were running out fast. I was still walking to the bus-stop when she called me...Do you know where was she? She was still doing her OT!

I called up MK, got the direction how to take a bus to AMK Hub. She seemed surprised that I did not know how to get there by bus.

I know how to drive there, I know how to take the MRT there...LOL

It is good that I now know how to take a bus there. ;P

MK was already on the bus when I called her again. I wanted her to queue up for me as I was worried that I might not be able to queue in time for the tickets.

When I reached there, I was hoping to spot a long-haired girl in the queue but she was nowhere to be seen.

Moments later, this long-haired girl appeared and was shocked to learn that I was already in the queue.

So we got ourselves the tickets and bought some food. We went in and that FM was still on the way...Poor FM, OT on a wonderful Sunday.

FM missed some exciting parts in the show and she has been waiting so long to watch HP.

It is indeed a better chapter than the previous one. The previous one was so boring!

Harry Potter does not seem to grow any taller... His friends have already grown so much...

I never read the books and I really do not know most of the details. Though I have watched all chapters , I do not remember all details.

I think I must be quite a nuisance, kept harping the one besides me, asking who the person was, what did that mean etc......

After the movie, MK headed for her COI rehearsal and we went home and visited Nexx in the later part of the evening...

MK went there too. We did not get to meet up... The place is so huge! The crowd is so BIG...

Shall go Nexx again...Yozz MK, shall we go there in the afternoon one day, preferably a weekday , crowd will not be that many, I suppose.

A Good Deed @ Bukit Batok Home For The Aged

I did not have the time to take pictures.

Too busy helping out and no time to take everyone's pictures.

The old folks were happy to see the performance. It was good to see them enjoy the shows.

I feel good to do something for a good cause. Though I did not participate in the acting, to help out was a good deed.

(Remember, I am not supposed to and of course I will not do it to risk getting into trouble with U-Know-Who. If you want to tell, go ahead but be reminded, there is no grounds which you can set me up with. Sounded serious? Well, you can't tell the good and the bad from Internet World. I am totally conscience clear and I did not break any U-Know-Who's rules. Wow, sounded abit from Harry Potter, He whose name shall not be mentioned....strikes fear into the hearts of the human beings...LOL)

Cailing from DO Troupe. It was her first debut and she acted as a fairy in [宝莲灯]。

YN acted 圣母娘娘. Her ponytail is very long...gosh....WMY and YN sang very well (as usual).

She made her own hairpieces or rather she "innovated" her hairpieces and her necklace. ;P

Miko and Susan acted Yueju's Butterfly lovers. :)

Is that the same fan that FM used last week?

This MK very funny, she said that she felt "paiseh" because I became the backstage crew putting the chairs on the stage and taking them out before the start of [18 miles]。

Well you do not have to feel "paiseh", I shall take it that you feel appreciated for my help. (LOL)

The performers on stage were really very enthusiastic and passionate. WMY as usual so serious but she showed progress. She sang more "gezai" now...You wanna sing GZX, then have to kick away the XJ's accent... I can see that she has kicked away more XJ's accent compared to her previous performance.

I was once like them......:) So enthu, so passionate.

Next Saturday at Hougang Mall, I am helping out KH mini show - The Seven Heavenly Sisters.

I am not acting...I am helping out in the OS...4 very important singing lines and I feel proud to sing them. ;P

The show starts at 2.15pm...If interested, you are welcome. :)

Another Opera Fanatic

Part 1



Part 2

I stumbled upon this show a few days ago.

Though I bought this show long time ago, I never really get to watch it.

I think this show is rather nice and the main cast (xiaosheng) reminds me of Jia Baoyu.

Baoyu is an opera fanatic and so is he.

Ma follows the dan, Wang, everywhere she goes. He manages to get her to accept him as a disciple. Wang is wary of him at first because he is of noble birth. As you know, rich people with status in old days looked down on opera artistes and some even treated them as their playtoys.

Ma is very different and the opening of the show featured him, his pageboy and the villagers running and watching the troupe with comical actions. I think it is really a very nice way to introduce the show.

I am yet to finish the show.

I am an opera fanatic except I am not like Ma who is willing to give up his noble status and his career just for opera.

MK, you sure are another opera fanatic...in fact more fanatic than I am.

Baddie Yang Weiwen

When I first saw Yang, she did a bad guy role...bad but cool. And that what attracted me to Yang. :)

She is quite a flirty xiaosheng in Honglou Meng as Jia Nian.

Hey MK, remember I said that you are more suited to be a dan rather than a sheng...

Look at the shengs' movements, like what AC mentioned, they are "sharp" in their movements and only shengs have this kind of "ability" in them.

If you manage to acquire such "ability", your dan is going to be ruined...so I would rather that you stick to your dan...

It isn't easy to be a dan, a dan has to be smooth flowing and kind of "curvy"..I think AC knows what I mean. ;P

Just a note, the sheng in black is their troupe's TOP, Zhang Xiaojun.

She is a Xu-style xiaosheng and when Bai Yinfei quit the stage, she became the TOP.

I Want To Watch This Show

You got to wait for a while for the clip to load.

The xiaosheng's hats so so so new fashioned....hahahahahahahahahahaha...

I am not so used to them..

But I like Yang Weiwen so I want to watch the show!

Yang Weiwen

Yang Weiwen might not be known to many in local context...

But I do like her very much.

She is a xiaosheng in Ningbo Yueju Troupe.

For several years, she played mostly the villian roles and in recent years she has been playing major roles.

I don't think she is the TOP of her troupe, Zhang Xiaojun is the TOP.

But I prefer Yang more than Zhang, can't say why...I think I just like Yang.

If you notice, my type of xiaoshengs that I like belongs to "refined-looking" types, like Jiangyao, Ah Kun...hehehehe...Koju Tatsuki...

Yang has something quite different from the other shengs... I would classify her under "邪气小生".. I find her quite charismatic...

Some may see Yang as too 秀气。。。

Well, I like 秀气型的小生。。。;P

Amai's Birthday - Steamboat Session

FM and my birthday are coming so we might as well jio friends out just to eat steamboat.

However they presented me with a nice birthday surprise.



The first thing that I noticed about Shanice was her red shiny fingernails...I must stress, her fingernails. For months that I have not met up with her, she presented me with her red shiny fingernails..(LOL)

I think they really look nice. Red is never her colour and to manicure is also not her.

She insisted that she does manicure...Well, I do remember long time ago, I asked why she did not manicure her nails. She told me that she did not like to keep her fingernails long and she rarely mani and she rather pedi. Another reason was that she played the piano...

Anyway, just to tell you, Shanice, your manicured nails are really nice!



Your Glace strawberry cake is really delicious and the cream is so light and tasteful!

Shanice is really a 美食家. She simply loves to eat and the envious thing is that she still stays long, slim and lanky.

I am getting rounder and rounder...Not just the face but also the body.

Maybe I shall do something about it during the hols when I am not so stressed.



Now you see it.




Now you don't.




And I still remained the same frozen smile with my signature "peace" handsign.

FM was so tickled with the blue sneaker fire lighter and she kept chanting..."Where are my shoes? Where are my shoes?"

MK, you have seen abit of the other side of FM's cheerfulness.

She is like that when Shanice is within the vicinity. (LOL)

Both of them will start to "squabble" and they surely can be very entertaining.



Recently I watched a HK series - 读心神探...Doesn't mean that the detective is a psychic, he simply studies people's body languages and expressions. He can tell who is telling the truth when he interrogates a criminal.

Look at this picture...you can tell they are good friends. Their body language "betray" them. (LOL)



Look at MK and I.... Me with my signature "peace" handsign as usual.

See the gap between us...We are at the initial stage...Though we know each other via online for so long and we do watch each other shows...

We are still abit 陌生. ;)

I believe we can bridge our gap soon. ;)

Our one thing in common is our round faces!

哇！！！！终于找到知音人哪！！！哈哈哈~~~




It was a HUNGRY day for MK.... She had not eaten and she waited so long for us to appear...oooopss.... At night, she became HUNGRY once more because she rehearsed non stop...The rain was pouring outside the void deck and she was pouring during the rehearsal.

Really amazes me, the way that she rehearses. She can go on non stop...Gosh...

It is very very tiring for her...I only stood and watched and I felt tiring already...(LOL)

She told me that she used to wield her spear , right hand 100 times and left hand 100 times frequently...

So 惭愧ing~~~, I am not that hardworking...In fact I slack alot already.



The steamboat food.... ;P



They whispered the birthday song. I do not think that they were shy...FM maybe but still depends on her moods...But not SHANICE and MK...

Shanice is definitely not shy (if you know her more，she can be very funny).... Maybe she is pai seh lah... She is a regular of that steamboat restaurant...

MK too hungry to sing I suppose...no energy...LOL

After the steamboat, Shanice met up with her hubby.

We stopped by MK's and watched her rehearse with Nick.



I saw MK's new round fan... very different from the traditional one.



I rumbled half of MK's boxes of hairpieces...

I think this set is very very nice and quite classic. I quite like it. ;)

After Nick left, we watched Takarazuka.

I wanted to watch Oscar and Andre and that irritating FM wanted to watch Elisabeth. (LOL)

Not that I don't like Elisabeth, I love to watch Elisabeth...

Just that I wanted to show my 深情Tartan to MK...

I wanted to show her how attractive my Tartan is!!!

We ended watching 1996 Snow Troupe Elisabeth...and that irritant kept harping on Tartan being so auntie...$&*%*%(&%&$**$%**%*%%*

Wait till I get my hands on your Zunko!!!!

MK, I must show you Tartan's Andre......I really love the way that she protrayed this role!

So 深情！！！It makes my heart go bling bling, you know.

When I watch Chinese opera, I am very 理智。

I only lose control when I watch Takarazuka especially when my favourites are acting in it.

Forever Takarazuka Forever!!!!!

The Peony Pavilion Part 2

I was surfing the net and saw Wang Jun'an's new CD.

Gosh, it is quite costly...RMB150.

I am still deciding whether to get it or not.

I still think that it is pricey or maybe Wang's popularity has heightened...

Anyway, enjoy the clip. Wang is a very pretty actress and she is as old as Wu Fenghua.

Think Wang has done good "maintenance" on herself. ;P

The Peony Pavilion (Yueju Version)

The Kunqu Peony Pavilion is very famous but have you ever watched the Yueju version?

I bought this DVD in an exhibition a few months back.

I just opened it and the DVD case is very very nice.

It is accompanied by a little booklet introducing the show's main cast.



Be patient, wait for the dan to appear...somehow it seems to lag..please start from 1.41 onwards...

Are you able to tell what singing style this dan is singing?

Can you recognise the dan, do you know who she is?

Well, I am not going to tell you the name cos once you know the name, then you are able to guess her singing style.

Give it a try, especially those who are learning Yueju now...(LOL)

Oh yes, u see the reindeer on the DVD?

She is Ramona, my Christmas reindeer that I bought long long time ago from Burger King. ;)

Cutie Ramona!!! ;P

A Bowl Of Mee Sua

Mum told me that it was my lunar birthday...

I didn't even know that and she told me that she would cook a bowl of mee sua for me.

She asked me to come home at about 6 but I told her it was not possible as the desktop wouldn't be ready by then.

I returned home late... almost to 8pm.

She was angry. She nagged and nagged while preparing the bowl of mee sua...

I sat, head low, trying not to cry, trying trying trying......

She is my mother...she remembers my birthday and yet..........she scolds me during my birthday.

She blamed me for causing her not to watch the TW serial - LOVE... (So that's the reason why she scolded me and I wasn't told in the morning!)

Then she saw me.....maybe she started to realise that I was very miserable...

She said that she wanted me to be happy...but her face told me that she was still mad...

I ate the bowl of mee sua...gobbled down painfully...

My mum cooked a bowl of mee sua for my birthday...no matter what I must eat!

Even though it tasted so so .... I can't just recall what the taste was like.

I must not cry, I must not blow my top...I must finish my bowl of mee sua...

Why can't I have a nice and memorable birthday?

At least one that I can smile happily and not hide somewhere and cry myself to sleep.

I am crying again now...

I hate MY birthday!!!

I am just an extra piece of jigsaw puzzle that can't seem to fit in a completed puzzle...

Simply because I do not belong...I just do not belong anywhere...

My Desktop Is Back!!!

So nice to see my desktop fit again especially after so many months being a white elephant at my lobby.

Great to have it all fixed and the speed is fast once again. ;)

I am hoping that someone would fix my laptop soon.

If the laptop can't be fixed, at least help me to get out the pictures and info trapped in its hard disk.

Thank you Dr Soh and ML for helping this to become possible. ;P

McCafe Caramel Coffee

FM gave me a McCafe card so that I could redeem a free coffee.

So nice of her.

I am not really a coffee person however I am touched by her act.

It may be a small act on her part but at least she doesn't waste food.

Not all Macdonalds have McCafe, I went to the Paya Lebar outlet and was told that the nearest McCafe outlets are at Kallang and Marine Parade.

I decided to go to Marine Parade and finally got myself a nice caramel coffee.

McCafe coffee doesn't make me uncomfortable. I can't take certain coffee, it makes my heart beat faster and somehow giddy and indigested.

I saw KOI at Marine Parade but I didn't buy...

Too full and also not to waste food unnecessarily. ;)

Esplanade Library

The collection at the library has obviously increased.

I borrowed some dvds home, I wanted to borrow more but it isn't the hols yet.

You get to borrow twice as many during sch hols.

For normal members, you are allowed to borrow 2 audio visual materials.

If you pay $21 or $42, you get to borrow 4 or 8 audio visual materials respectively.

The Chinese opera collection has grown however I still find them limited in variety.

I borrow one Yueju title and a documentary on Kunqu.

I finally saw a title that I brought to the Library.

You might want to donate some of your chinese opera dvds to the Library. ;P

So far no Takarazuka dvds, the possiblity isn't quite high because Takarazuka doesn't have any English or Chinese subtitles.

How I wish that Takarazuka makes subtitles so that I can watch them with greater understanding. ;)

Fat hope, I suppose......

Needs Vs Wants

Needs

- I need a new pair of spectacles.

- I need new blouse(s).

- I need to upgrade my desktop.

- I need to revive my dying laptop.

- I need my holidays to rest and recuperate.

- I need to think about more "Needs"...LOL

Wants

- I want a Kate Spade.

- I want to dye my hair.

- I want to buy new opera discs.

- I want a cake for my birthday.

- I want to eat Hotpot(s).

- I want to go Universal Studios.

- I want an iMac.

- I want a new laptop with Window 7.

- I want to go overseas for holiday.


"Needs" are targets and having higher chances of achieving them.

"Wants" are dreams and may not achieve in the end.

So what are your "Needs" and "Wants"?