Gracy Bee

Exercising

Posted on June 27th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

I felt quite sad as I read about the news yesterday, about the boy who died suddenly after finishing the SEA selection race.

Death is common in mankind, but what is so upsetting and scary is that, the sudden ness of the death and affecting someone who is so young and had so much ahead to do in his life. And this is not the 1st case like this. Through these years, I read in newspapers that people dying suddenly in their sleep or just after exercising. And the numbers seem to be increasing. And those affected were young: between 18 - 30+. It really make me wonder if exercising is really beneficial. I really felt sad for the families to lose their loved one in such a way and my deepest condolences to them.

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I started to trace back my exercising routine. I never exercise regularly ever since my JC days. When I was in my 2nd and 3rd year in Uni, I started Taekwondo. And after that I stopped till last year that I decided to do some exercises again as I felt tired easily etc. And so I started to jog or do some aerobics exercises at home.

I always felt good after exercising. I felt much more alert and had better stamina and sleep better at night. However, since I started exercising last year, I realised that I fell sick a lot easier and more frequently than the time I started taekwondo and the period I stopped exercising. I was surprised with that. Could it be my immune system is weak? Is it because of the pollen season in the UK that make me sick easily? Could it be cos my health is not as good as before that exercising don’t help at all? I have all sorts of questions but no definite answers. Well, for now, I don’t do strenuous exercises but daily 8 hrs walk at work does compensate. And I plan to do swimming when time comes.

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Shopping! Shopping!

Posted on June 24th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: Everyday life.

Oh…god………..GSS has arrived, and how much shopping I have done!!

Courtesy from http://www.greatsingaporesale.com.sg/english.html

I have told myself, must budget, must budget, but too bad………the sales are just too irresistable! What have I bought? Shoes, bags, undies, clothes,  bedlinens, cosmestics………………..and MORE!! hehe

Before the official 7% GST and before the end of sales at 22nd July, there is more reason for me to go shopping! haha

Happy Shopping folks!

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Changi Beach

Posted on June 21st, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: Everyday life.

When I’m feeling down or stressed, I always wander to the beach to have a quiet moment for myself. This time I choose to go to Changi Beach.

Changi Beach

A true Piscean I am, I turn to the sea and waves. Seeing the serene greenish blue of sea water, movement of the waves move along the shore and those coming to the shores, feeling the sea breeze and together with my soothing music plugged to my ears, never fail to calm me down. They seem to remind me that troubles don’t stay put at one place, but with time, it will disappear. And is time to move on.

Greenery at the beach

While I was enjoy the sea breeze, I am also looking out for the planes in action…hhaha..yes! It is near the airport! Ever since I started work in the airport, I enjoy seeing planes taking off and landing even more than before!

Plane in Action

Why I like that? Planes taking off remind me to soar to great heights. yeah…that is the aspiration.

Another one

Too bad, I can’t take more cos my battery failed on me Well, it is my fault, I forgot the battery is nearly flat. Never mind……………this is always ANOTHER time!!

The last shot I took before my battery surrenderred

OK! Time to head home…….and watch my now favourite Taiwanese serials! Feeling much better now yeah

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School Years II

Posted on June 20th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: Memory Lane.

SECONDARY SCHOOL

I was enrolled into Zhonghua Sec Sch. After I managed to get thru PSLE, I counted myself lucky and decide to work hard.

I remembered I felt scared and waited for my Pri Sch mates to go with me. They are in same class as me! Lucky!

Years went by with all sorts of incidents happening. Some are unpleasant, I have to say, but there are some that are pleasant. What are those?

PERSONALITY

As I was a very bossy and fierce person, I try to change my behaviour when in Sec Sch. I think I did improved, but old habits sometimes still die hard… At that time, I slowly to learn to control my temper. Still sometimes, I thought that being fierce is the way to control, but no………that is not the best way!

I worked extra hard, and managed to get good results. But that sometimes served as my achievement and enemy at the same time.

I was an ultra kuai girl as I had strict curfew that I can’t go out with friends etc etc. Thinking back, it was quite a good training, though I still prefer a little leeway somewhere there.

FRIENDSHIP

Friendship can be quite a tricky business while in School. While I did managed to find some good friends that I can share my thoughts and secrets and still keep in contact till now, there are some I would call the fair weather friends and those hi-bye friends. I do remember the pain when you realised the betrayal coming to you or the unusual treatments you get for no reason. Perhaps got to do with my personality which I don’t deny but there are some occasions I think were a bit too much.

Experiences to learn!! While I faced dismay, I do felt blessed to know many other good friends too. Thank you my dear friends!

DEATH OF MY SCHOOL & CLASS MATES

When I was Sec 1, I remembered 2 incidents vividly. 2 of my school mates died on seperated occasions, both shocking. One died while celebrating her birthday due to asthma attack; the other drowned while taking swimming exam (I was in the same swimming class)

I remembered feeling shocked and disbelief. One day I saw them alive and well, laughing and chatting with friends, walking around sch campus and the next day heard the news they passed away. Though I don’t know them personally, in my heart, I hope they RIP.

Another incident was my classmate, who joined us halfway when I was in Sec 5. I was not around when she was enrolled. But when I came back, I knew she was a sickly child, and cos of that, she din managed to take her O levels and so ‘retained’ and come to our class to take her exams. She was with us for nearly 3 mths and I remembered that after the June holidays, Temasek Poly accepted her despite not having O levels. However that good news din last long as she had a relapse and passed away.

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the news. She was starting to be part of us already and out of the sudden, she was gone. It was like one part of me was torn away. It felt so painful and unbelievable when we went to church to see her resting peacefully in her coffin.

It has been nearly 11 years since you have passed on, Laurette, but you still remained in my heart. I remembered your strong will, optimistism and cheerfulness despite having a deadly illness in you. I looked up to you for that sense and thank you. May you rest in peace.

TREASURER

I was put a treasurer in the Prefectorial Board. I was surprised to be ‘promoted’ to that level. At that time, the PB was facing financial problems, and so I decided to take charge to collect the funds. Looking back, I remembered I was quite strict with the money collection that my nick name was ‘Loan shark’. hahah…

ACCOUNTING CLASS

I was in the accounting class in Upper Sec. It was quite a class to attend as we had a very strict but nice tutor. Every time in class, we feared to be the target to answer questions, and those who can’t answered: have to stay back…hehehe…..Yup, I was part of it too! And our weekly test and the average time limit: 20 min to do the accounting questions. PHEW…… but challenging!

CAMPS, OBS & NACTI CAMPS

We had quite a few camps: 1 sch camp, one Outward Bound and 2 leadership training NACTI (now known as NACLI). Those was the fun times I had while in School. A break away from sch routine, yup fun! fun! fun!

ACCIDENT

Nope, not those road accidents, but an accident that happened in Physics lab. Things happened, and a straw liked tube went through my palm and ooooops…….that caused quite a stir in school! My principal decided to take me to the hospital to have that foreign body removed. She is kind to let me have her small piece of bread, but since doc say no no operation after I ate something, I gotta wait for 8 hrs b4 the operation. Woah liao…….gotta hold that thing for 8 hours, quite uncomfortable though no pain, no blood…strange eh?

My whole arm was bandaged and couldn’t write for 1 mth. I took 1 mth MC too. That was when Laurette joined us.

I was lucky to buy the sch insurance for $3 each and my hospital bill was compensated….ahhh…thanks Mrs Chua for let us buying that insurance!!

ok ok….those are what I remembered for now. Will update!

Sec sch life: bitter and sweet memories, but that was one of my best experiences ever that I was sad to leave when we graduated.

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School Years

Posted on June 20th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: Memory Lane.

Woah….can be quite a feat that have to dig out the past memories way from Pri Sch. Well, let me try~

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Chong De Primary School: the sch I was enrolled. It has been demolished nearly 8 years ago, but some memories still lingered.

I started school quite late, as I remembered I was still at home when my bro already started and after that, I joined in like much later. I was lost in school and was crying and walked round and round till one senior guided me to my class: 1BB. heh……don’t even know who he was and his name.

Life after that was fun. I made friends with my classmates and get quite talkactive, loud mouth and bossy. haha….I was like that when I was young. Geez……..how childish that was!!

I remembered few of my classmates from different levels going into different sessions; changing schools or moving houses and hence transfer to another school. Was quite traumatic as we couldn’t bear to leave our dear friends at that time. Now we totally lost touched with each other.  How are you all doing now?

I met my 1st love when I was in P3. Ah…sweet memory

I was very active that I joined librarian, skipping team and a prefect.  Before sch started, we always gathered with other sch mates and played 4 stones, skipping, zero point, doing prefect duties, delivering milk to class etc. Ah……nice time…

I started to slack when I went up to Pri 3. Thinking that I was clever etc etc, my results deteoriated through the 3 years. My turning point was my preliminary exam when I failed my maths. I was so scared that I started to buck up for that 1 mth b4 the real exam started. Geez….managed to get through.  So end my Primary sch days.

Strongest memory of myself at that time: fierce, bossy, talkactive and insensitive. (arghh…)

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Seoul Garden

Posted on June 18th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: Memory Lane.

Today is my colleague P’s birthday, and we went to celebrate in Seoul Garden in Marina Square, after much debates and discussion.

8 of us went and had a great time catching up with each other as we don’t meet each other quite often at work. After that, we went to visit the Esplanade and the Merlion. haha…..the Merlion still look so young after 20 years!!! haha

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Seoul Garden held much fond memories for me. During my JC years, that was the place my classmates and I would go when we finished school early or decided to pontang (ooops!) class. Then we had the student’s prices to go for and we always had a great time there eating, chatting and relaxing.

AAhh…..school days, kinda missing it sometimes, those relaxing days…

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Dragon Boat festival

Posted on June 16th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: General.

Dragon Boat Festival? It is this coming Tuesday (the 5th day of the 5th Lunar month)! Since I was in the UK, I have not been celebrating this festival. Hence, I was a bit shocked when my aunt reminded me . Ok~~ it should be the other way round right? Ah…..me getting old now!!

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I went to the temple yesterday (the 1st day of the 5th Lunar month) and I was thrown at the bustling of activities near the Kwan Inn temple near Bugis Street. OMG! They are already celebrating?! All about commercialisation huh?

We eat rice dumplings on this Dragon Boat festival, also known as Duan Wu Jie (端午节). The significance behind this practise is this. According to the legend that I was told when I was young was about this Qu Yuan, a poet in ancient times was wrongly accused by the corruption government and to prove his innocence, he threw himself into the river. However, the local people knew about his character and in order not to let the fish eat his corpse, they threw rice dumplings into the river instead. Hence the rice dumpling to mark his death and remember him. (OK I’m not the fish ok?? hehe…)

As for the dragon boat, I’m not sure about its significance, but I read it in Wikipedia and just found out that the dragon boat played another role in addition to the rice dumplings.

Qu Yuan, the main character of this festival

Look at those dumplings!!

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My aunt rarely buy dumplings and she always prefer to make it herself. And she makes the best dumplings ever!!

Our homemade dumplings….can’t wait to lay my hands on!

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I decided to have one for breakfast and here it is… a quick snap before I eat it~

ready for the opening ceremony

Unlike the black version that my grandmother did in Malaysia, my aunt did the white one (as in most in Singapore). Ta-da!!!

The white one

The Verdict: YUM! YUM!!

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Early Years II

Posted on June 12th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: Memory Lane.

While my cousins and I loved one another and were best play mates, our parents were not in the same position as us. The family pressures and problems thus lead to a big change in my life forever.

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At the tender age, my bro & I was sent over to Singapore for education. A lot of people mistaken that our family was rich and hence afford for overseas education. Sorry folks, that is not true. In my previous post I did mentioned that my parents was just handed over a business laden with debts. YES, with debts and family problems that my parents has to work doubly hard and take up extra jobs to pay our fees and expenses. WHY? so that we wouldn’t faced with unnecessary pressure from home. What a irony that while our GGM doted on us, our uncles & their wives were the different stories.

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Anyway I wondered how I have agreed to such arrangement to go foreign land. I only remembered this day.

One hot day in year 1985

In the car

Mum: Do you want to go Singapore to study?
Me: (holidaying??) YESSS!
Mum: ok

That was it really. Before I knew it, we were brought to Singapore and started our official schooling in Primary school. Still as blur as sotong, we didn’t even realise mum and dad not with us in Singapore. Perhaps we were not always with parents most of the time that was why we don’t quite miss them??

Now when I think back, I think that was quite a scary arrangement, esp for a 7 year old. Phew!!

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I stayed with my aunt (mom’s eldest sister). While staying there, we knew that we don’t quite belong to the family and so some arguements did existed between my aunt and her family; or us and her family. I think she faced quite tremendous pressure at that time. So at the beginning, I have to admit things weren’t going quite smoothly for about 2 years. I know my aunt loved us as her children, but sometimes the pressures don’t come from her but from her family. Thus I had what I called the strictest curfew which I don’t wish to mention here.

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During this time, they got a dog named Miki and he was a blessing to us. He treated us as his family and he was our main source of comfort and companion when we were feeling down. With him around, our lives did get better and I think he was the source that put us together as a family, though not yet a good one.

Despite all that, I did enjoy my school and life in Singapore as years flew so much that I have embraced Singapore as my home and my aunt’s family as mine. I have made good friends along the way too. (though there are some not so nice friendships, but hey, part and parcel of life)

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It was not till when I went up to JC and the birth of my niece that I thoroughly enjoyed my life in Singapore. I have my new freedom: I control my own money, has my own set of keys for the 1st time, the new niece into the family, the relationship I had that time made my life more complete.

I was in Singapore for the duration of 13 years.

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Early years part I

Posted on June 12th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: Memory Lane.

It is time for me to jot my childhood memories before I forget about them completely.

I was born into an extended family consisting of my great grand mother, grandparents, parents (of coz), my uncles and aunts. At that time, my brother and me were the only children in the family.

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I have heard stories from many sources about my childhood. The day I was born, my great grand mother and maternal grandmother was not too happy for different reasons. The first, as she favoured boys more than girls, was disappointed and the worst, why I was a girl when I looked so much like a boy!! The second thought I looked ugly for a girl. ok~~ no comments about that, but I do have people coming to my mother when I was older and ask where her 2nd son is (My mother has one son and one daughter). And they don’t believe when my mother pointed the 2nd child is me. OK a good indication how I used to look like when I was young.

(more…)

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Family issues

Posted on June 12th, 2007 by GracyBee.
Categories: Everyday life.

Different people have different issues with their family members. While some have close relationship and understanding parents/ sibling, there are some, unfortunately, don’t have such.

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One of the issues I realise, always concern money. Once their children joined the work force, some parents demand that they are to be given money. That is pretty normal, but what happened if there are siblings; one don’t cooperate to give some to parents, leaving the pressure to another who don’t earn quite enough and yet wanted to save for future education.

I felt quite sad to know such incidents. I mean, I thought there should be some compromise and coperation between siblings to contribute to the family? And also ideally there should have some understanding from parents to know that children does face some difficulties about parting their hard earn money, especially when there is not enough to give. So why that hard pressure to give them quite a big sum when we don’t even earn that much? The pressure get so bad sometimes children threaten to move out or parents argued not to cook or do housework for them. I mean, where has the family harmony gone to?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not implying that children shouldn’t give. I know parents do sacrifice their time and money for the family. But time has changed. Things cost a lot more and sometimes whatever earned is not enough. I’m sure children want to contribute, but sometimes there are constraints that children only hope parents would understand. On the other hand, I have heard another side of the story that X has 3 children, all successful with their chosen careers. However, they don’t give X any money that X has to find odd jobs to support herself and her illness. I mean that is sad too. In this case, the children can afford to give so why not give?? I mean, they don’t think how their mum slogged during her times to help raise them?? Really don’t understand them. Surely they must have their reasons, but I just hope in my heart those reasons are not selfish one.

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I felt lucky that for the time being I don’t face such pressures at the moment as my parents are self sufficient at the moment. However, I know that they can’t be like that forever, so when that time arrived, I would try support them wherever I can and hope the pressure wouldn’t be too great as I do face with one problem at the moment!!

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What to do when face such problems? I still believe discussing, compromising and giving in are the keys but said is always easier than done.

I wish all the best, I hope in time, all be resolved.

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