New Baby, New Life

*sigh happily* Its always nice to hold a newborn ... especially when the child quietens down in your arms, makes me look damned good ... my record as the most boring Auntie is not broken ... I have a talent of boring babies to sleep *giggle wildly*

We still have no clue what his name is. My brother and his wife want a name that starts with the letter T. So for now they're just calling him Tax Break Baby. I'll call him peanut, since he's the smallest of the 3 babies born.

My niece is 3 yrs 5 months old, and I call her Princess. Her younger brother is about 18 months, and I've nicknamed him Piglet. So it is only fitting that the youngest, and smallest, will also have a P nickname, and he'll be Peanut. The alternative is Pipsqueak, but that's only if he gets annoying *wicked grin*

I think I know how Mother Teresa felt.

We're going to do a charity tea 2 Saturdays from now, and I have to get at least 10 cans of Abalone to make Abalone Porridge for 180 people from the All Saints Home in Tampines.

Got my first rejection today *whimper* ... Cold Storage turned us down even though I said we would like to BUY the cans of Abalone from them, at cost price. I mean, I wouldn't know what cost price would be, but it would have been nice if they could have given us a little discount, as it is for charity, and its only 10 cans worth.

I feel I've been spat on, even though I haven't actually been spat on, but that's how the rejection feels. Mother Teresa was spat on when she begged for bread for her orphans, and she calmly wiped it off, and said, "Well, that was for me. Now how about some bread for my children?" I should be doing that, being calm and slog on, but it really HURTS.

Its hard to beg, and begging for others doesn't make it any easier. *sigh sadly*

This is the latest painting I've done.
It's about 95% done. One more session and it should be completed.

Amelia's wordism

English, according to Mz Amelia.

"Have you been to the new NTUC in Marine Parade?" asked Amelia, "It has a walkalator, you know,"

Huh? WALK-A-LATOR?

She means travellator. Those thingies like escalators, but only flat, like those you get at the airport.

The Stupidity I see on the MRT

The MRT was pretty crowded today at 1pm.

I was getting off at Bugis station. PLENTY of people were getting off at Bugis.
Why was our door stuck?
This fat patootie of a girl (she's in her early 20s) stood at the doorway as the door opened, taking up half the door space. I kid you not. (someone else was at the door corner).

No cow sense in that girl, she just stood there like an immovable cow and the other people had to shove past her. I said to the girl "Have you no sense to move OUT of the doorway instead of blocking HALF of the exit?"

Whatever happened to education, both at school and especially at HOME.

Singaporeans are not taking responsibility for inculcating civic values in their children, who, as a result, grow up into thoughtless creatures, who will, eventually, have children who will continue the cycle of inconsiderate behaviour.

Just look at the number of badly behaved children at the shopping centres, with their ever-indulgent parents turning a blind eye to their children's destructive behaviour.

And our poor government is trying their best to groom our population into a nation of civic minded, well-mannered people.

Singaporeans are a long, long way off from civil behaviour.

I guess that's because we are not a nation of cows, otherwise we'd have cow-sense, yes? *roll eyes*

Why do I not feel Christmassy? (if there's such a word)

Maybe because I haven't heard much carolling ... or maybe I'm just not in the mood.
The weather outside is still frightful (with its downpours and gloomy skies)
And thank goodness there are no fires to delight fools.
Just a pity Singapore's way too hot
To let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Not that snowing is going to make me feel in the mood.

Perhaps going for the annual Christmas Eve Dinner at my 3rd Aunt's place might put me in the mood.
Perhaps peeling the ever-popular Francyn's Quail Egg Delight might put me in the mood.

gah. Christmas is for kids, and its up to us adults to make sure the kids have a good time.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Friends.

You never know how much a person is a part of your life, until there is a separation.

I've only known Seema since we both started oil painting lessons at the Tanjong Pagar Community Centre, in May 2008, so this makes it, what, one and a half years? Karen and I wanted to learn to oil paint, and decided that learning at the CC was helluva lot cheaper than learning at private classes.

So here we were, two beginners standing behind Lao Shi, who was painting a rather ugly pot with fake dusty lurid purple orchids, and lecturing us in MANDARIN on the basics of oil painting. I was already starting to go cross-eyed even though Karen was doing rapid translation into English, when we realised there was an Indian girl who was listening intently to Karen. She was new to the class too, and being Indian, we knew she was not going to be able to follow the lesson if Lao Shi was going to teach in Mandarin. That was our first meeting with Seema, our girl from India.

Amelia too, was new to class, and it was her canvas that Lao Shi was painting on. While Karen was doing translation, Amelia was nodding her head and making appropriate noises. The four of us naturally gravitated towards each other, being the newbies of the class and being forced to paint Really Ugly Orchids.

When class was over at 5.30pm, as we were packing up, we asked Seema and Amelia if they would like to have dinner with us. We didn't know where to eat, so we'd be exploring too. That was the start of a beautiful friendship, women of different ages, different characters and outlooks in life.

A rather odd quartet but bonded in friendship by our love for painting.

And now it looks like our quartet will become a trio. *sigh sadly*