This Used To Be My Playground

Took my little niece to a the friend's place yesterday.

To make her day, I always take her to the playground at his place to enjoy some fun time. However, it irked me to find three teenagers in their school uniforms sitting directly in front of one of the two swings and thus, depriving others to use the swing.

As my niece was the only kid around, it was still fine to use the other swing. When she took off on the swing, I observed that she may hit the three students with her legs high in the air as they were very close to the other swing. Out of concern, I alerted them to watch out for my niece's swing. Much to my dismay, they did not sound grateful nor take the opportunity to move out of the way! In other words, they just turned a deaf ear to my feedback.

Frankly, I did not oppose to their seating arrangements or even enjoying the pizza dinner at the playground intended for kids. It did not help that they were littering the place as one chips bag was seen lying at the other corner of the playground.

Just that their indifferent attitude or lack of consideration make me wonder if the future of our country will change for the worst...

Never Gonna Give You Up

Yes, I am one year "wiser" last Sunday.

To catch up with the lost time, I have decided to create a to-do list including:

- Buy my Folding Bike Friday tikit
- Cooking/Bakery experiments with friends
- Do Volunteering
- Go for Tennis lessons
- Learn Japanese language
- One hour of Reading daily
- Practise my Swimming
- Sign up for Drawing class
- Take up Driving lessons
- Train up for my 1st Marathon
- Write my Blog regularly

Hopefully, my wish list would be reduced/fulfilled at the end of the year when I reflect upon myself...

Yesterday's Gone

Apologies for the brief hiatus...

To sum up my life for the past 2 weeks, here goes (not in order of sequence):

- Turned one year "wiser" (a more positive way of looking at age)

- Completed 1/2 marathon (albeit timing was mediocre)

- Initiated Tai Chi class with dad and niece (a great way to relax your body in an old fashioned Chinese way)

- Watched "The Dark Knight" (inspiring as I feel sometimes the trick to loosen up is not to live with any rules)

- Enjoyed being an idol at a karaoke session with friends (I was "blacklisted" by all for inserting my favourite songs readily)

- Caught up with hot action from Beijing Olympics on TV (Guo Jing Jing is a stunner)

- Created a list of must-do items for myself to make up for the lost time (to be revealed in my next blog)

So tuned in for more!

No Place That Far

"Welcome to NTU Alumni Party,Class of 2008", announced Dr Su Guaning, President, NTU to the current graduates at St James last Saturday.

To spare you from minutiae of my story, my co-workers and I were also invited to the University's alumni party for the graduates of 2008. Typically such event was organized to foster the bond of these students with their peers and senior even after they left NTU. The temptation of free drinks was irresistible, so I succumbed.

When we reached the destination, the graduates were strolling in sparsely. Not a promising night, I thought. To make it less pleasant, I couldn't get a discount for my friend, who did not have the complimentary ticket..

At the entrance of the club, we were greeted by finger food at the buffet section. Given that the light was dim, it was an uphill task for us to pick the food items. And it did not help when the snacks were cold and tasteless.

Still the night was saved by good company from my office, coupled with killer drinks. Being a non-alcoholic, I had to say that the drinks offered at the event turned out to be quite enjoyable, including screwdriver and cranberry vodka.

To make it sweeter, it was announced by President of NTU that we would play host to the Youth Olympic sportsmen at our existing campus: The NIE will be the Village’s central square where dining, retail, culture and education services will be located, and NTU’s residential halls will be used to accommodate the athletes.