<漢語拼音>

My niece's most recent acquisition from the world of knowledge, 漢語拼音.

I didn't believe my mum when she proudly told me that recently. So she called 慧 over to give me a "live" demo over the phone, asking her the difference between the "u" and "ü" sounds. Here's my niece's reply:

“U有兩個dot的是“wu”，U沒有兩個dot的是“yiu”。”

45 days to go.

Bright side

Looking at the bright side of things,

i) You guys will get two more weeks of blogging from me. OK, at least I hope this is really a piece of good news for you guys.

ii) Dan, Stef and Fred will be around during those extra two weeks.

iii) Foreign movies (hopefully good ones) on free-to-air TV for another fortnight.

iv) I get paid for another two weeks. Alright, so I'm really scrapping the bottom of the barrel for plus points.

Still 46 days to go.

P.S. This is the last time you will hear of this issue on the blog. I just want to close this issue on a positive note. Thanks for your patience. :P

They're off to Disneyland too!!!

Man Utd has just won the Mickey Mouse Cup!!! Giggs has added yet another trophy to his long list of major honours!

46 days to go.

Off to Disneyland

The day has finally arrived for my niece. They're jetting off in a few minutes' time to Hong Kong and will only be back on Wednesday evening. Grandma gets to take some well-earned leave in the meantime.

I can only imagine how excited 慧 is now, on her maiden flight (children these days are so lucky!) and meeting her 偶像s, Pooh and friends, in person. She has promised gu gu to take pictures with them so that mee mee can mail them to gu gu when they are back. *Grin*

47 starstruck days to go.

Season starts again

The tennis season, doubles especially, has restarted. Fred had just landed yesterday morning and we got back to business in earnest by the same evening.

Looks like Dan and I 寶刀未老. :P

Still 47 days to go.

Disloyal customer

I have two internet bank accounts over here. The first one is with ING Direct. When I first signed up, they paid out 5.25% interest. Shortly after, that was raised to 5.4%.

Then along came another bank, Bank West, which started a similar account giving account holders 6% for the first year and 5.5% thereafter. So I signed up and shifted all my savings over. That first year has just recently expired and it is now down to 5.5%. Still marginally higher than the 5.4% of the ING Direct, so I stayed put.

Today, ING Direct sent me a letter saying all deposits from now till the end of May will be earning 6.4% (6.4%!!! Compare that with the 0.5% kah moh you are getting in Singapore :P) up till the end of the same period. The 1% extra is like some sort of bonus, I suppose. Anyway, that means I am shifting all my money back to ING Direct this coming Monday.

I am a disloyal customer. HA HA HA.

47 days to go.

P.S. kah moh = leg hair in hokkien

The secret is out

The cat is out of the bag. Now my sis, and we heavily suspect my bro-in-law too, know about our secret visits to 育國. It came about because of the cold my niece caught late last week. My mum had then brought her to 育國 on both Monday and Tuesday to 推拿.

It was actually a combination of both 慧 and my sister's suspicion that brought about it. On Sunday evening, just after returning to our home, 慧 suddenly ran to the gate and asked,

“爲甚麽沒有去看華人醫生？”

It was so sudden, both her parents didn't catch her exact words. We had also never heard the words "華人醫生" from her before.

Then on Tuesday morning, my sis had called up to discover them missing in the morning for the second consecutive day. That raised her suspicion. My mum finally admitted to it in an afternoon phone call.

Suffice to say the much-feared backlash turned out to be pretty mild. I suppose they had seen how healthy 慧 had been over the years and connected it to the 推拿. *Phew*

48 days to go.

Famous duck

From: Mee mee
To: Gu gu
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:08 PM
Subject: Famous

慧 is down with flu and cough so she did not go to school today. I called the school to inform and the admin staff picked up the phone. When I said,"慧", she said "oh, the one with the duck right?"

I think she is famous liow, even the admin staff knows her. :)))


From: Gu gu
To: Mee mee
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:12 PM
Subject: Reliance

HA HA HA... Now that's really funny. *Grin*

Mum told me that the teacher advised against letting her becoming too reliant on the duck for emotional support. I suppose there is some truth in that.


From: Mee mee
To: Gu gu
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:19 PM
Subject: Re: Reliance

Yup and I met the teacher one morning and the teacher said she is trying to stretch the time that 慧 holds onto the duck.

Eg. at first, teacher will tell her toilet cannot hold duck in case the duck gets dirty and advised her to put it at the bag. After that, the teacher said art and craft, leave the duck in the bag. The teacher said she managed to stretch it such that only when she is going home then she is allowed to hold the duck, otherwise, it will sit at the school bag or water bottle area.

I think this teacher of hers is really good, takes care of little details.

You may like to know that recently, mum went to buy an identical duck so I told mum, maybe when she exhausted both ducks as in they got lost or become dirty, just tell her no more and thats it. 慧 is sometimes going overboard with the duck as in she insist on feeding it while she is eating, she wants it to drink water, wipe mouth, bathe... ie. everything she does, her duck must do the same treating it just like a fellow human being.

And of course, you can be sure that she *insist* on bringing the duck to Disneyland despite us telling her we only have 1 air ticket ha ha ha.


From: Gu gu
To: Mee mee
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:39 PM
Subject: Convince

So do you think you guys will be able to convince her to not bring the duck along for the trip?


From: Mee mee
To: Gu gu
Date: Mon 20/02/2006 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: Convince

I don't think we will succeed in persuading 慧 NOT to bring the duck. She said if there was only 1 ticket, she wants the duck to go instead. Wow!

49 days to go.

Snoopy red packet

Whilst I was doing some preliminary packing the other day, I came upon something that brought on a big smile.

During last year's Chinese New Year (the one in 2005), 慧 had received a specially designed red packet from a relative on the paternal side, i.e. siblings of my brother-in-law. It was a Snoopy red packet. Her first reaction upon seeing it was to pass the red packet to my sis with the specific instructions,

“Mee mee, Snoopy紅包給gu gu。”

How can one not dote on such an adorable niece?

50 days to go.

One-liners (rated G for general public)

Continuing slightly more with the food theme today.

She has returned. Her very first words to me (he had classes, so she had to come back from the airport on her own) were,

"So what did he eat last week?"

Still 51 days to go.

Food

With home getting ever closer, I find myself thinking of food, both Singaporean and home-cooked, with increasing frequency. I've therefore decided to write a post about the food I like and dislike.

First, my favourites:

i) Eggs

I love eggs. In any form. Omelettes, hard boiled, half boiled, cakes, 糕點 etc. But my favourite has to be omelettes. Especially 肉挫炒蛋 and 菜圃蛋. 慧 loves eggs too. In fact, she often hankers grandma for egg dishes,

“Ma ma煮egg egg！”

So it is very often on our menu. Good for me.

I thought I was a bad enough egg lover until Stef told to us a few months back that as a child, she would take FIVE eggs EVERY DAY. Our collective jaws dropped on hearing that.

ii) Soup

This is my mum's speciality. And also one of the things I want to learn after I finish with my actuarial exams (ah... let me add this to the list). My favourites are her 花生蓮藕湯 and 苦瓜湯.

For the former, she has to set things up in the morning, like 7a.m., and let the ingredients simmer the whole day until around 6p.m. before serving. If I were home, I would be smelling it for the whole day, especially when I venture into the kitchen. That's enough for me to work up a huge appetite by the time dinner rolls in. For the record, the main ingredients include lotus roots, peanuts, 枸杞子 (sorry, I don't know how to translate this) and a few chicken breasts.

For the latter, it is a simpler affair. The main ingredients are bitter gourd, tomatoes and toufu. My mum always manages to get the mix of ingredients just right so that none of the three overpowers the other two. So no, it doesn't taste bitter.

There was once when she had forgotten to buy tomatoes and had put in only half the usual portion (what was left in the house). One sip (without looking) and I told her the 苦瓜湯 tasted weird that day. She commented that my tastebuds are quite powderful. Heh.

iii) Roast duck

Oh, I love the smell of roast duck. The skin.... the SKIN. The lucky thing for me is roast duck is quite readily available in Sydney. Not only that, the quality of it is about the same as that I can find back home. So I do get to have my regular fix of it here.

iv) French beans

I think I am quite a vegetable person as well. Top on my vegetables list is French beans. I really like its chewy texture.

I've since realised that the French beans imported from Australia taste the best (they are a darker hue of green). Which is a good thing since I get to have it quite often here when I feel like it.

v) 海南雞飯

Strangely enough, I came to really like chicken rice only after a stall opened in the huge hawker centre (120 stalls strong) near my home. Needless to say, this stall is quite good. Prior to its opening, chicken rice was a 可有可無 kind of thing for me.

Many years ago, Le Tis introduced me to a restaurant in Fort Road that served very nice chicken rice. Not been there for ages; I wonder if it is still open for business.

Later on, I discovered the old style restaurant in Purlis Street. It has been there since the second World War, judging from some of the plaques I see there. I go there quite often now since it is so conveniently located.

vi) 炒粿條

The more sinful the food, the more tasty it is.

I started really liking it after my former colleague introduced me to a stall in the food centre at Hong Lim Complex. I still remember that we would leave office at 11:30a.m., walk like 10 minutes there so that we may put in our orders early, then enjoy our 炒粿條 at a leisurely pace and finish way before the lunchtime crowds move in.

vii) Sliced pork stir-fried in dark soy sauce

Another of my mum's specialities. She calls it dao eu ba (hokkien for dark soya sauce meat). Another one of those dishes where the saying of "the more sinful the food, the more tasty it is" applies. But given my BMI, I need all the fat I can get. :P

viii) Ice cream, Haagen Daz only

So now you know the culprit behind my niece's unconventional alphabet renditions.

When I first came over to Sydney, the local suburb's Coles stocked Haagen Daz. My Hong Kong coursemate and I would often be found seated on the benches just outside that particular Coles and digging into our Haagen Daz. After some time, we noticed that we seemed to be the only ones buying the ice cream.

We were right. Soon after, that same Coles stopped selling it. And I have gone Haagen Daz-less since (too lazy to try supermarkets of neighbouring suburbs).

ix) Japanese food

This, I learnt to love only after coming over to Sydney. There is a distinctly Singaporean flavour to Japanese food sold in Singapore that I dislike. The Japanese food I get to taste here has a distinctly Japanese flavour. So much so that I've taken to eating and enjoying sushi (which is unusual for me, see my dislikes below). I've never ever taken raw food in my life, until Sydney's Japanese food.

It is strange that a "less Asian" city than Singapore would have much more authentic and better tasting Japanese food to offer.

x) Watermelon

My favourite fruit. Since I was a kid.

I find the texture, sweetness and juiciness of watermelons in Singapore to be far superior to that I can find in Sydney. So I've been going watermelon-less over here too. *Sigh*

xi) Nata de coco

This I discovered during my NS. There was a canteen in my camp that sold this. This was really difficult to find back then. Some places call it Nata, some 椰果. I believe its full chinese name is 椰縴果. I like it as a dessert because it is not too sweet and because of its chewy texture. It is said to be high in fibre, hence its name, and good for your bowel movements. :P

My favourite combination is to have it go with 仙草 (glass jelly) and shaved ice. The slightly bitter 仙草 acts as a perfect foil to the slightly sweet Nata.

The fortunate thing for me is it has become increasing easy to find in Singapore. The dessert stall downstairs from my flat has it now. I've been told it is also available in cans in supermarkets. I managed to find them in oriental supermarkets in Sydney, but they just don't taste the same without the 仙草 and shaved ice.


And to balance things up, a list of my dislikes:

i) Fish

Before Sydney, I would say ALL fish. After Sydney, I have to 改口供 and say only cooked fish. Unfortunately for me, my mum and later on, my niece too, are fish lovers. So fish often finds its way onto the dining table. I would grudgingly take a piece or two before waving the white flag.

There is one particular fish dish that I like though. Deep fried pomfret.

But with a twist.

I don't take its meat. I attack its gills, fins and tail only. Yes, the crunchy bits. So if I happen to have my dinner before everyone, the deep fried pomfret will only have its meat remaining by the time I am done. Which is fine by the rest of the family, since they all enjoy its meat. Because of this, pomfret is a good compromise for my family. If we have to have fish, more often than not, it will be pomfret.

ii) Hot food (read spicy)

I don't like chilli. I feel it covers up the dish's natural taste.

iii) Beef

I don't like its smell, especially when it is raw. So no, I don't like steak as well. I only take beef when it is fully cooked. Even then, I take very little of it.

iv) Mutton

Same as beef.

v) Dairy products

Again, I am scared of the smell. So the milk I take has to be flavoured. Ice cream, is of course ok.

In the same announcement about taking five eggs a day when she was a kid, Stef also told us she took TWO full bottles of milk on a DAILY basis.

vi) Durian

Same thing, the smell. I had it once when I was a kid. Almost threw up. Have sworn off it since.

vii) Seafood

I find that for the trouble to get to most seafood's meat, only to find how little there is and how bland they taste, it is just not worth it. OK, so I am lazy. But even if it is already de-shelled and all prepared for me, I still feel no special affinity for it.


Most of my friends feel I am uniquely un-Singaporean after hearing my food preferences and dislikes. Heh.

Akan Datang: Three measures

51 days to go.

One-liners (rated M for mature audiences only)

I've also finally gotten around to telling my mum the full story behind the two weeks' delay (apologies to all about the constant harping on this issue). I had gotten my sis to pass word to her on Sunday because I couldn't bear to hear the audible drop in her voice should I be the one to bring her the bad news.

Anyway, I was explaining to her how he (who will still have to remain unidentified) had gotten into some trouble because of a misjudgement in character. And how part of it cascaded to hit me. Was just reaching my punchline when she interjected,

(Warning, explicit vulgar language coming up...)

"Ai yeah...一句話。Giah lan kah tao. Yee giah lan kah tao lah!"

(End of warning)

I will not even attempt to explain what that means. Too bad if you are not good in your hokkien. Oh, and she was referring to him, not me. :P

She always had the knack of giving catchy one-liners. This one was so apt, so 正中下懷, it made me forget mine.

52 "vulgar" days to go.

That's for consultation only?

I just made that much postponed trip to the doctor. My first, and hopefully last, visit to a doctor in my three years' stay in Sydney.

There weren't any clinics open on Sunday, so I could only bear and grin with it for that entire day. Woke up feeling better on Monday and thought maybe I do not need that visit afterall. What had really put me off was the thought of walking 10 minutes to and fro from the school's clinic in my weakened state.

But I had another tough night last night, so the first thing I did this morning was to make an appointment with the clinic (to minimise waiting and hence discomfort time). And of course, the next thing I did was to make that trip down to the airport.

I've just returned from that visit to the doctor. The only surprising thing about it was the fee! All AU$31.45 (roughly S$38) of it. And it just covered the consultation! I would have to get the medication from a pharmacy at extra cost to myself.

What's more, the prescription was, yes, you guessed it, Panadol (it also had Buscopan for my stomach discomfort).

My word, I knew all along about Sydney's high cost of living. But AU$31.45 for a doctor's consultation? A GP's consultation at that?

Fortunately, I have health insurance (mandatory for foreign students here) to cover for this. Stef had informed me on the cab trip back that the consultation cost was covered by our insurance. *Phew*

Still 52 days to go.

Their return, topped off with porridge

Despite still feeling queasy in the tummy and weak in the knees this morning, I went ahead with my plan to go to the airport to welcome back Dan and Stef. It's a good thing that I have been feeling worse at night than during the day for the past two days that I've been ill. The bus trip there went without incident.

Their flight was slightly delayed and Stef was put through a rather thorough luggage check before being let through. So I ended up waiting for an hour or so. Not that I minded. Gosh, they had tonnes of luggage! So much so that we ended up in a cab that looked more like a mini-van (I had never seen such a hybrid of a cab before). Dan told me they weren't planning on going home for two years, i.e. until their work is done here, so they had to bring enough "supplies" back to last that long!

Both of them seemed to have lost weight. They told me they had simultaneously fallen ill just after returning to Shanghai in early January, given the nearly 40 degrees difference in temperature with Sydney in summer. Perhaps that explains the weight loss.

I told them the full story behind my two weeks' (possibly longer) extension and we all had a good laugh (it was 苦笑) over it. I suppose only people in the research line will fully understand the frustration I felt over it, so having been able to share the story with them felt uplifting for me.

I also told them about my little bout of illness and how I craved for a little porridge (funny how I always connect porridge with being ill). Just as the cab reached their apartment, they insisted on inviting me in and making me some porridge. So I did.

My appetite isn't fully back yet and I only managed a small bowl. But that was the sweetest tasting porridge I've had for a long long time. Thanks guys! I'm still touched by your little gesture as I type this.

It's really good to have both of you back.

52 days to go.

<病假>

今天需要請病假。在此向讀者們致歉。希望明天能夠返回工作崗位。

還有五十三天。

P.S. 明天如有blog的話，估計會是在中午時分。請大家不要驚訝。小病一場，無需擔憂。

Violent reaction

My body reacted very violently to the bad news. The reaction certainly took me by surprise. I thought it was just being childish and throwing an unnecessary tantrum that served little purpose. Or it could have been hanging on all along from the sustained loss of sleep and chose to let it all go yesterday with the news being the trigger.

I had taken a bath upon returning home at 7:30p.m. Then I hit the proverbial wall. What had been a lower backache since the afternoon meeting quickly developed into a shoulder ache and spread to the rest of the body. At its worst, I felt like a used punching bag. I just laid on the bed, unable to move, from 8p.m. till 1a.m., when a little David Letterman provided much needed relief. I think I was also feverish because of the constant perspiring.

I'm not even sure if I was and am ill. Or this is just merely my body protesting. It has been more than a year since I last fell ill. The last thing I need now is to fall sick over here. I hope the body snaps out of it soon.

Still 54 days to go.

Physical education

I was very surprised to hear that they have PE lessons in nursery. They didn't have it during the first month of class. Presumably to let the children get used to the schooling environment first. But these started in earnest in February.

I was told they have PE lessons twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Tuesday PE lessons are held indoors whilst those on Fridays are outdoors. And my mum being my curious mum, she just had to spy on the children, especially 慧. So on Fridays, she will make it a point to leave home early and reach the nursery with plenty of time in hand. As the PE lesson takes place in the final hour of the 3 hour class, she will get to see 慧 in action.

The trick or challenge is of course how to keep out of sight from 慧 and the teachers. So far she has succeeded. Amongst the activities described to me was a game where the children were paired up and had to balance a balloon between their tummies whilst walking sideways from one end to the other. THAT, I gotta see.

I think I will take part in the spying too when I am home.

54 days to go.

<關雲長義釋曹操>

點子行不通。

I pressed for a clear and proper answer.

I got one.

I would only accept an explanation that showed it was an extraordinary situation and needed my sacrifice.

I got it.

I wasn't really looking for apologies.

But I got many.

After thinking about it with him for a while, there really wasn't any other way out. I certainly can't go home in the intervening months. And there has to be an extension to my date of return. Probably two weeks.

I felt exactly like 關羽 after he had set 曹操 free at 華容道, as I walked out from his office. Go read Chapter 50 of 三國演義 : 諸葛亮智算華容，關雲長義釋曹操 if you don't know what I am talking about. I'm too pissed off to say anymore.

Now where's that bloody key for the engine when I most need it?! Have to restart it. Again.

Countdown reset: 41+14=55 days to go. And even this is still pretty tentative. 如何洩我心中憤怒！

Missing half again

I must have been working really hard again. Either that or I bak jiu tak stamp.

It was only a few days after the late-night-red-lantern day that I realised I have not seen the one of my housemates, this time the female half, for a couple of days. And also noticed that it had been much quieter in the apartment lately.

I seldom bump into them, even though they are my housemates. Silly it may sound. It's primarily because of the vastly different waking, working and eating hours that we each operate on.

I finally did manage to ask the male half about her late last week. He told me she had gone home for a fortnight or so (it is STILL the school break now, even though I have been working non-stop since the break began in December).

The few times since that I had seen him around the house, I cannot help but feel how forlorn and lonely he looked. Not only that, I've also noticed how often he had been taking instant noodles for his main meals; the huge carton of instant noodles is already halfway in.

Heh... perhaps that was why there was a late-night-red-lantern day. :P

8/41/71? days to go.

<起伏不定>

今天心情起伏不定。我發覺自己一直在望著時鐘，日曆。恨不得時間腳步放快一點。我無法控制自己小心翼翼冷凍起來的心情開始融化。這些心情一解放出來，我知道自己就會百感着急。

原因何在？

因爲我已經想到了點子。想到了解決問題的點子。而且這點子如果行得通的話，我很有可能下個周末就囘到家了。雖然只是囘一個月左右，而且還得囘來悉尼把些瑣事解決掉才能真正的囘家，渴望與期盼已經開始輪流襲擊我了。

明天。。。明天就會知道結果了。

還有八/四十二/七十二？天。

Moonlighting

By the way, I've just started moonlighting for ChroniclesofChaos as a guest blogger. No, I am not paid for it. But if you feel I write well enough to be paid for it, then go bug her on my behalf when she is back from her tour. :P

請大家多多給與支持和鼓勵！

Still 42/72? days to go.

Packing

I know this sounds a little over the top but...

I've started packing!

Given that I've more or less decided and bought what I wanted to bring home.

Given that the final week will be frantic, what with an exam, submission of the final report and saying my goodbyes.

And given that I am just eager to get going.

42/72? days to go.

P.S. I wrote this a couple of days back, before THIS happened. I've spoken too soon again!

Concern

The nursery teacher has recently voiced her concerns about 慧's duck buddy. She told us it would be unhealthy if 慧 was to be overly reliant on it. We get her point. Something like Linus's security blanket (from Peanuts).

We've since started a weaning 慧 from her duck buddy campaign.

Between 43/73? days to go.

Bombshell

Yesterday, someone dropped a bombshell on me. After pondering over it and trying my darnest to rationalise it for one day, I'm STILL pissed about it.

So much so I've tried my best to avoid talking to anyone for a day, especially my friends and family.

So much so I was watching an excellent movie last night, knew at the back of my mind that it was an excellent one, but I just couldn't take it in.

So much so I feel like pounding a hole into the nearest wall.

By the end of this post, you'll know roughly what this is about.

The part about it that pisses me off is this is not because of me. I've done my bit and have worked my butt off to complete it. Then this.

And what REALLY pisses me off is I was informed about it only now. If I had been told about it in say December, I would have been able to make a more informed decision. But it is now mid-February and way too late for that.

I'm now trying to think of an alternative plan to get things back on track, if that is possible at all.

Still 43 (potentially 57 and I heavily suspect 73) days to go.

P.S. You can leave your condolences but DON'T BLOODY ASK WHY.

<多兩個月>

I was taken by surprise when instead of asking me when I will be back, 慧 said this to me in a knowing tone a few days back,

“Gu gu多兩個月就囘來了。”

I suspect someone had taught 慧 this. And I suspect she can't comprehend the concept of time and that of two months yet. But it was still pretty amusing to hear such an "adultish" statement from a 3 year-old.

43 days to go.

Coincidence

Heh, just after voicing my worries about my impending job search earlier today, especially that concerning my examinations passes heavily outweighing my relevant work experience, I came upon this article discussing this same issue.

So it looks like I'm not such an isolated example after all.

Still 44 days to go.

<放聲>

I've gotten quite comfortable with my work progress here. Comfortable enough to have sent word out to my ex-classmates, ex-colleagues and friends from my line of work about my imminent return.

Mmm hmm, I have taken that first step to looking for a job. A return to the actuarial industry, to the working world...


My plus points:

i) I have relevant work experience.

ii) I have programming skills (something often not taught in school for our course but yet quite valued in my line of work).

iii) I have a lot of exam passes under my belt. A very important thing in the actuarial line.

iv) I know quite a few people in the line. This is probably my biggest plus point since the actuarial field is rather small in Singapore. Almost everyone knows everyone else. Which makes it tough for fresh graduates just coming in and looking for that first job. But not for a journeyman like me. *Phew*


My minus points:

i) My actuarial exam passes is not commensurate with my work experience; It is heavily skewed towards my exam passes. To get around this, friends have advised me to leave the expected pay out of my resume. Wilco.

ii) I hope they don't find me too old. Reading all those reports on companies preferring younger people does worry me. This is probably a small worry as I am not THAT old yet, but it is still a worry.


I do not deny experiencing mixed feelings about returning to work. I'm hoping that viewing it as part of going home will make it easier for me to re-adjust my emotional and mental states to it.

44 days to go.

Down pat

Over the weekend just past, I went shopping in town. I didn't expect things to go so smoothly but they did. I now have part (i) of the plan down pat. Yes, I've gotten Jim, Dan and Stefs' farewell presents done!

Now I'm looking forward to March so that the rest of the plan can be put in action. Oh boy... oh boy...

45 days to go.

Mourning

Today, at this exact moment that I am posting this, I mourn the loss of a life.

Whilst I do not know this person well, heck I don't even know his name, I still mourn the loss.

Whilst I would have loved to have known him better if I had the opportunity to, I still mourn the loss.

Whilst this same person has not had the chance to accomplish much in the short lifetime he has had, I still mourn the loss.

Whilst he may not have been "normal", I still mourn the loss.

Rest in peace, little one.

Still 46 days left to go.

Welsh wizard

"Welsh Wizard" by Tom Croft(copyright), pic from AHA Premier Ltd. I just love this painting. It shows off Giggs' balance and athleticism so well.

Ryan Giggs is my all-time favourite Man Utd player. I had mentioned that briefly before. Actually, make that all-time favourite player.

Most football fans like players for their skills, flair, looks, hairdo... etc. I like Giggs for his fierce loyalty to his club, his country and to his mum:

Giggs has only ever played for one club in his life, Man Utd of course. Strangely, he was first spotted by a scout from cross town rivals, Man City. But he was a red devils fan through and through, turning up for training in red everytime despite warnings (Man City's colour is sky blue) from the coaches. Eventually, he got spotted by Man Utd scouts and was signed by Fergie at the ripe old age of 14. A gem stolen from right under the noses of their cross town rivals!

He made his debut for the club at 17 and a half. Before long, the left winger position was his. Over the years, there has been plenty of rumours linking him to other clubs, most notably the Italian ones. Italian clubs were known then to pay substantially higher wages than English ones. But he had always turned them down. Fans just love to adore loyal players like him!

He could also easily have chosen to play for England instead of Wales, which would have vastly improved his chances of playing international football at the highest levels, i.e. the European Championships and the World Cup. But he didn't.

He hails from Cardiff, Wales and has professed to have never ever thought of playing for any other international team. In truth, his international profile and game suffered as a result of it, for his skills have never ever been showcased at football's highest levels. Had he chose to play for England, he would have stepped right into their starting eleven on the left wing. It is a position England has always have problems filling.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking for him would be the most recent World Cup qualifying campaign. Wales were leading their qualifying group comfortably at one point but the second half of their campaign disintegrated completely. Given that he is already 32 this year, that should be his last meaningful chance of playing for his country at the highest level.

His international game may have suffered, but to us fans who know his reasons for sticking by Wales, he has our utmost respect.

He also chose to adopt his mum's surname when his parents separated. He stayed with his mum and took on her surname. It warmed my heart when I first heard of that story.Another pic, this one courtesy of ryangiggs.cc, that showcases again his tremendous control and balance. It is often said that when he dribbles and is in full flow, the football seems tied to his shoelaces.

Giggs is the most decorated footballer in the history of Manchester United, having won eight Premier League championships, four FA Cups, a English League Cup (also known as the Mickey Mouse Cup), a UEFA Champions League title, a Cup Winners' Cup (competition now subsumed into the Uefa Cup), a European Supercup and a Intercontinental Cup.

Given that Man Utd has just made it to the finals of the Mickey Mouse Cup, to be played on the 26th February, he has yet another chance to add to his already formidable collection of medals! Even if he doesn't win that, he has already won everything there is to win in club football. But us fans will of course hanker for more trophies!

Again, I will not bother going through his career statistics; They're easily available on the web. One thing of note though is, as of today 13th February 2006, he has made 658 appearances for the club. The all-time record belongs to Bobby Charlton with 754 appearances. Giggs has signed a contract extension that takes him till the end of the 2007/08 season. So it looks like he has a chance of breaking that record too!Pic from Icons.com, Giggs' official homepage. 大頭娃娃 of Giggs. Note the Wales jersey he's wearing.

And of course, how can a post about the Welsh Wizard not mention his slalom goal in the FA Cup semi-final replay on 14th April 1999? I was fortunate enough to have caught the game "live" on free-to-air TV. It had me glued to the telly throughout. It was absolutely hands down the most exciting, gut-wrenching, bladder testing football match I've ever watched. (You can get a detailed description of the game from the link just given.)

This is how Giggs remembered his infamous slalom goal:

"I will never forget the night of 14th April 1999. It was the night we kept our treble hopes alive by overcoming Arsenal in a dramatic FA Cup semi-final replay at Villa Park, and the night I scored a goal I might never repeat. It was 1-1 when I came on as a substitute, but we were a man down. We were playing for penalties when I received the ball in my own half and weaved through the Arsenal defence to score that goal, without doubt the finest of my career."
Pic from Man Utd Zone. Giggs just about to unleash the finishing touch to his slalom goal as Tony Adams tries a last ditch tackle. Note the floppy hairstyle and white away jersey.

So famous was this goal, it spawned a whole repertoire of memorabilia in the weeks that followed the match. Indeed, some of it is available now, e.g. this t-shirt.

Giggs' career will be ending soon, since he is already 32. That Man Utd's recent seasons' barren run coincided with the imminent ending of his career is not surprising to me. There are of course lots of other reasons, but I feel this is one of the main ones.

Akan Datang: Food

46 days to go.

Hindsight

You know, with the benefit of hindsight, I could have gone home for a fortnight or so during the Christmas-New Year period and still be able to make the 1st April deadline.

Or I could have gone home for the Chinese New Year period, though this latter idea is a little silly.

Hindsight has always been a beautiful thing...

Still 47 days to go.

Encore performance with detailed description

慧 did an encore performance of the calling up routine last week. She had gotten bored after her afternoon nap and started pestering grandma that she wanted to talk to me. Grandma offered the following solution,

“慧慧打電話給mee mee，叫mee mee e-mail gu gu打電話給慧慧，好不好？”

“好！”

So she dialled mee mee's office number as 慧 eagerly awaited for mee mee to take the call. Once the call was connected, 慧 started to blabber excitedly,

“Mee mee, mee mee！慧慧要跟gu gu説話！”

Followed by silence and an uneasy look from 慧. Grandma took over the receiver to check if mee mee had gotten the message.

*Girlish giggle* It was mee mee's colleague.

“Auntie, Jacqueline (my sister's English name) 不在。等她囘來我叫她打給你。”

Eventually, the message did get through to mee mee and I received that mobilisation e-mail again.

I was later told that immediately after getting through to mee mee, 慧 pulled her little stool over and sat beside the phone, waiting for my call. She got impatient once or twice and complained to grandma,

“Ma ma！為甚麽gu gu還沒有打電話囘來？！”

Well, she was lucky this time, as she was last time, that I was at home and available. The first thing she said when I eventually called was

“Gu gu！慧慧很想念你！”

No doubt this was taught by grandma, but I still felt my heart melting away in a hurry.

47 days to go.

P.S. 希望大家過個羅曼蒂克的元宵。

Voluntary career advisor

Of all my NS pals, I'm only in contact with one of them now. But we're pretty close pals. And being a friend from NS, we inevitably end up calling each other by our respective surnames. He has always been known as "Howe" to me. I always like to begin my e-mails to him with "Hi Howe!"; It sounds funny to me.

Howe is a mathematics teacher at a JC. Over the years, he has had quite a few students approaching him for advice about university courses and career choices, especially those associated with mathematics or statistics. Inevitably, some would ask him about the actuarial course and work. This he knew little about but fortunately he had an actuarial friend in me.

So he asked if it was ok to refer these students to me. I was more than happy to accede to his request.

In the initial years, I hardly received any enquiries. But lately, the numbers have increased appreciably. Not only that, the questions asked are much more indepth, perhaps reflecting a more serious consideration of joining the line. So much so I've taken to maintaining a Word file containing the most common questions and my previous replies.

The actuarial line is finally becoming more well-known in Singapore. I hope more widely respected too.

48 days to go.

Chinese New Year and my presence

My niece remembers. A few months back, she was asking me when I would be back. That has since subsided.

Until recently. When Chinese New Year came aknocking. She seemed to have connected Chinese New Year to my presence at home (which is not incorrect as I've been home every summer thus far, except the current one of course) and has asked her parents and grandparents repeatedly where I am. Then she took to asking me directly over the phone again.

“Gu gu! 爲甚麽沒有囘來？”

“Gu gu東西還沒有做完。”

“爲甚麽Gu gu東西還沒有做完？”

“老師給gu gu很多功課做囉。”

“爲甚麽老師給gu gu這麽多功課做？”

“因爲gu gu要讀書嘛。”

“爲甚麽gu gu要讀書？”

At this point, grandma intercedes (and rescues me),

“當然要讀書啦！沒讀書就不識字了！慧慧也是有讀書，對不對？”

“對！”

“Gu gu恭喜發財和happy birthday后就囘來，好不好？”

“好！”

49 days to go.

Missing two pals

I find myself doing another sort of countdown recently. A countdown to the date that Dan and Stef will return from Shanghai. I suppose I do miss their company and friendship.

Still 50 days to go and 12 days to their return.

Staying single?

Out of the blue recently, my elder sister sent me a simply worded e-mail. She asked if I was planning to stay single.

This is something that has never happened before.

I know that question has been on her mind all this while, but she has never asked it. I wonder what was the catalyst behind that e-mail. In any case, I appreciated her thought and replied to it in the same way as I've replied to all my friends who have asked me this same question.

I've become passive about it. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But I have to plan for my future based on what is happening in my life right now. And that's what I have been doing.

Thanks, sis, for your concern!

50 days to go.

If only...

So simple, so beautiful.

Just over 51 days to go.

A not-so-vital vital statistic

I just realised I've spent about 76% of my lifetime thus far in school. School referring to any institution of learning, including the kindergarten.

And I also just realised that is all about to end for good in less than two months' time.

Still 51 days to go.

A reminder everyday

Every morning, at seven something, my sister and bro-in-law will arrive at my place to pick up 慧 for nursery. My mum will have her all ready by then. Teeth brushed. Breakfasted. Toileted. And dressed in her cute sailor girl uniform.

And everyday, once she has worn her socks and shoes and is at the gate, she'll turn back and remind my mum in all seriousness,

"Ma ma! 11 o'clock 要來帶慧慧哦！"

Sometimes, my bro-in-law will chip in,

"Har lah, har lah! 慧慧 kia see ma ma 不會來啊？" (translation: Yes yes, we hear you! You're so afraid that grandma won't turn up, is it?)

51 days to go.

<大紅燈籠隨時挂>

1:30a.m.

I had just shut my room door and climbed into bed. I'm a slow sleeper (read insomniac) and would usually toss around a bit before sleep finds me. Finally, after maybe 15 minutes, I felt my eye lids getting heavy. Sleep will be here soon...

Out of the blue, a few moans. I remember wondering in my semi-conscious state,

"Am I dreaming? Have I fallen asleep already?"

But there were no pictures, only sound. I opened up my ears further. No, they were not playing tricks on me. Those WERE moans. And no, I was still awake, not asleep and dreaming.

Then the realisation, 大紅燈籠又上挂了！

I usually cannot hear "anything" in the day once my room door is closed. Perhaps the background noise is higher and drowns it. Perhaps it is my radio/music. Perhaps I am just concentrating too hard on my work to hear it. But in the death of the night, when everything is extra quiet, every sound is coming through crystal clear. The worst bit is, it would take a full 5 minutes for me to switch on my laptop and music if I had wanted to. *Sigh*

Then another thought. I suppose the thickness of the walls separating our rooms are the same as that common with our next door neighbour. Given that she (our neighbour) could hear his electric guitar playing previously (as I did), that should mean she is most probably listening to the same er... opera performance as I was.

I wondered if she would come over to complain again. :P

And if she did, I wondered if I would have the heart to knock on their door and the composure to keep a straight face. :P

Then I checked the time. 2 a.m.

Any time now, their room door will open, followed by the scamper of feet into the bathroom which also happens to be next to my room.

*Sounds of door opening, feet shuffling, another door closing, shower turned on*

Ah, there they go now...

Great, now I am fully awake. Might as well plan what work I want to do later today now...

Another time check. 2:10a.m.

*Sounds of door opening, more feet shuffling, another door closing, light switch off*

OK, 2nd try at getting much needed sleep can now begin. I can still remember my last thoughts before eventually dropping off,

"Good luck to the next tenant..."

52 days to go.

<邊緣地帶>

很多時侯，
話到了嘴邊，又沉澱下去。
手到了鍵盤邊，又縮了囘去。
思念到了自定界限，又被迫壓制下去。

還剩下五十三天。

Pop quiz answers

Alright, it has been two weeks. Here are the answers as well as whether my second regular reader had gotten each correct (in brackets):

i) wilco: will comply (correct)

ii) pancake: to land, e.g. permission to pancake = permission to land (wrong)

iii) serviceable: capable of service in war (wrong)

iv) scratch: destroyed, e.g. scratch one flat-top = one aircraft carrier destroyed (wrong)

v) ack ack: anti-aircraft gunfire (correct)

vi) meatball: any Japanese warplane, due to the Japanese warplanes' red ball insignia's likeness to the meatballs served in the US canteens (very very wrong)

vii) buster: maximum normal power, i.e. without using emergency power sources (I'll be kind and give you 1/2 correct, key word is "normal", and no, I don't want to know)

viii) Zeke: another name for the Japanese Zero, a famous Japanese fighter of WWII (correct)

ix) wizard: very good or excellent, often used in the Royal Air Force (correct and you're most welcome)

x) scuttlebutt: rumours (correct. During WWII, there wasn't a US Air Force yet. The US Army, Navy and Marine Corp all had their own aviation sections. So naturally, US Navy and Marine aviators used naval terms in their daily talk as well.)

So my dear second reader, you've scored 5.5 out of 10. A commendable effort.

And to the other reader who had tried 5 questions, you've got 4 out of 5 correct!

Akan Datang: Welsh wizard

53 days to go.

Twisted trousers

慧 has become more independent since attending nursery. She has learnt to ask for permission from the teacher to go to the loo. When that's granted, she will go and settle the deed on her own, unsupervised. At home, we usually will just follow her from behind, to ensure that everything is ok, although we do not interrupt. Except maybe when she's done, to re-adjust her shorts a little.

There was a day after nursery and on the way home when 慧 walked really slowly and somewhat awkwardly. Grandma must've thought 慧 was a wee bit tired and slowed down her own pace to accommodate her. After alighting from the bus, 慧 couldn't stand it anymore.

“Ma Ma, 慧慧的庫裏面有一條綫，癢癢。 ” (direct translation: Grandma, there is a line in my shorts. Itchy itchy.)

So grandma lifts 慧's skirt to check her shorts.

"Ai yoh! Wai gah ahn neh!" (direct translation: Gosh! Her shorts are way off centre!)

54 days to go.

Of peaks and troughs, global

I dreamt last night. I believe it's my first dream since October last year. Given the rarity of my dreams, they inevitably leave a deep impression on me. As did the one last night.

Suffice it to say it made me relive the feelings and events leading to the writing of "I preferred it empty", but under a different guise and context. I've read "I preferred it empty" many times since putting it down in black and white in the final week of 2004. And everytime I do so, I get the feeling I had exaggerated things when I wrote it. The dream reminded me I hadn't.

That suppressed glee of finding that "piece of furniture". That shock of realisation after "opening the door to the cottage". That beyond emptiness feeling... All of it was so real, I was wondering in the dream how I can experience the same set of feelings twice in one lifetime.

Another funny aspect of the dream was it was a long drawn-out affair. The events of the dream took place over the course of a few weeks. That seemed to heighten the emptiness feeling when it eventually hit me. I even remember getting that "I must be damn suay" thought flashing through my mind at the very end. Then, with that lament, I woke up.

I suppose it doesn't qualify as a nightmare. There was nothing scary, nothing life threatening about it. Everything in the dream was fine and dandy, with the only turmoil being in my heart. Oh, not that categorising it matters anyway.

I'm just re-starting my engines, full power setting, and deep freezing those feelings again. Blogging about it helps quicken the process. A lot.

Still 55 days to go.

Of peaks and troughs, local

Yesterday early afternoon, I submitted my letter of notice. It's like a resignation of sorts. I'm informing the school I'm leaving on 31st March. It is just something administrative that needs to be done eight weeks in advance (school requirement). I had thought for many months I would get a little kick out of doing this. I didn't. I was strangely subdued after it.

Then for the rest of the afternoon, I had a longish meeting with my boss. The publishers had gotten back to us on Wednesday, giving us only 48 hours to proof read the final version and to inform them of any typos we may spot. So both of us spent the whole of Thursday doing that separately and then putting it together in our meeting yesterday afternoon.

Two and a half hours of our three hour meeting was taken up by this. I had thought I would feel little if anything at all when this last act was eventually completed. I was wrong again. I actually felt a little kick at the moment I clicked "Send" on that reply e-mail to the publishers. Actually, so did my boss. We were both grinning ear to ear after that.

55 days to go.

Please call mum

I was just talking to my mum after dinner. 慧 was having her afternoon nap whilst we chatted. She woke up halfway through our conversation and my mum hung up in a hurry upon hearing her calls of "Ma ma!".

Ten minutes later, I received this e-mail from my sis:

"Mum said just now you all hang up, 慧 wake up from sleep and keep crying say want to talk to you. Mum ask you to call them now."

遵命！

Still 56 days to go.

Pair of suay hands

For some odd reason, I only found out about the draw for the 5th round of the FA Cup yesterday evening. Although it had taken place quite a few days ago.

When it comes to matters Man Utd, the first person I e-mail/discuss with is almost certainly my ex-colleague-cum-fellow-Man-Utd fan. That I did yesterday too:

"Did you know they've been drawn against Liverpool in the 5th round of the FA Cup? Siao liao...

And that just makes the coming Mickey Mouse Cup final all the more important."

Her replies to football related issues are usually caustic and rather entertaining. As was the reply she gave me yesterday:

"Ya, I know. The draw was held on Monday and was shown live on cable. And it affected my mood for the rest of that night as soon as the result was announced. You know which pair of suay hands picked Man Utd? Ian Rush's."

56 days to go.

Jim says and elaborates

Today, Jim again said I very the ROD mood. And this time, he elaborated; He said I've been in ROD mood since December.

Got meh?!

57 (MORE MWA HA HA...) days to go.

Drawing blood

Remember that ambiguous sounding letter from Health Services Australia I received before Christmas? And remember how I finally received word (it was verbal then) that I was ok? Well, I've finally received the official letter from them:

We have received your papers from the Department of Health and in accordance with policy, your pre-migration chest x-ray has been further reviewed by our chest physician and found to show an old scar. However, it shows no evidence of active Tuberculosis (TB). (their bold)


*Phew* I can cough without being self-conscious again.

That did get me wondering where the scar on my lung came from. I've since concluded it probably was due to my bout of pneumonia when I was 14. That was my only serious bout of illness for the last 20 years or so.

Funny thing about the pneumonia was, I don't recall feeling much discomfort from the illness itself. What I do only remember vividly is my hospital stay at NUH that was made very uncomfortable and irksome by the "doctors".

There seemed to be a steady stream of "doctors" examining me everyday. I didn't really know what was happening then. What a hassle, I thought. I didn't realise until some time later that these "doctors" were actually medical students or housemen.

It was always the same thing, they would come, ask to examine me and start doing that knock knock thing on my chest and abdomen. Then they will come upon a spot (always the same spot) where the sound is noticeably different, remark to each other and scribble excitedly into their little notepads. Where there was a group of them, this cycle would be repeated a few times consecutively. With the excitement part repeated as well.

But what took the cake in terms of irritation happened in one particular night. It should be around 11p.m. and I had already fallen asleep. I felt someone tap my shoulder lightly. It was a nurse.

"We need to draw some blood from you... er... for tests."

"Oh... ok."

I rubbed my eyes to get myself awake. That was when I noticed the entourage behind the nurse. There were three young "doctors" with some heavy duty looking equipment. She turned to them and said,

"Ok, all yours,"

and stood aside.

One of the "doctors" took my right arm and started placing pieces of some kind of adsorbant paper around it, leaving only the elbow area open. That done, he took out three bottles of something, dabbed cottons from all three and started cleaning (I think) the area where he was going to draw my blood from. I remember thinking in my half stupor,

“這麽誇張？Draw blood only mah...”

Finally, he is done with the preparations and takes out the syringe. It was a HUGE one. I remember wondering why so much blood was needed for tests. Anyway, he inserted the needle gingerly and started moving it around under my skin. I tried hard not to show any signs of pain, but hell it was PAINFUL!

"I can't find the vein."

"Try again."

"Ok."

So he withdrew the needle, redid the dabbing and cleaning routine, and reinserted the needle a little further "down river". Again, he can't find the vein. And again, he admits to it audibly.

"Let me try," said another of the "doctors".

Same result.

Eventually, all three "doctors" had their go, and still my vein proved elusive. All this while, the nurse standing next to them had gotten increasingly impatient, tapping her feet as she took in the whole debacle. Finally, she cannot stand it anymore.

"Hai yeah, let me do it lah."

"Ok..."

and they stood sheepishly aside.

The nurse didn't even bother with the dabbing routine. One prick and she found it. Not much pain too. It was over in a flash. I thought that was the end of that. But no.

The "doctors" produced three other larger jars containing some clear liquid. The nurse then released roughly a third of what had been drawn from me into each.

"Ok, you guys can keep this for your own specimen."

Then they left. If I wasn't just 14 then, I would have really made a lot of noise about such treatment. But I didn't.

And that is not the end of this little tale. There is a short epilogue to this!

The next morning, another light tap on my shoulder. Another nurse.

"Need to draw blood. For tests," she says curtly.

"Huh?!"

I looked around. No entourage. No heavy equipment. Only one piece of cotton on one hand and a much smaller sized syringe on the other. This looks safe, I told myself. It was. One dab, one jab, one draw and it was all over. What's more, I believe that was the real deal; It really was for tests.

57 days to go.

Torch Light (part 5)

(Source of pic, Leonid Mamchenkov)

Continued from Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4...

There was no reply.

But before I could decide on my next move, "he" had already raised his broadsword and was charging swiftly towards me. The sifting sands under his shuffling feet jangled my nerves. I stood fixated, completely paralysed with shock. Actually, I think I even dropped my own sword. Must have been a pretty embarrassing sight. A saving grace then must certainly be that no other person had witnessed the event.

That unplanned action probably saved my skin. The loud "clang" of my sword hitting the ground had a piercing and awakening impact on my inert mind, shaking me out of my temporary state of shock. In the split second between "him" raising his sword and putting a premature end to my young life, I felt for a shield and cowered underneath it. So this was it...

I braced myself for the anticipated blow. I re-braced myself. And then, again.

"Huh…?"

It took a while before I dared to peek over the shield again. A second and more audible "Huh...?" escaped from my gaping jaws. "He" was gone. And I was not at where I thought I was. Confusion abounds!

Looking around, I found my back pressed against the wall of the closed entrance of this cave. Yes, the very same entrance I had passed more than an hour back. I swiped the beads of perspiration that were skidding off my forehead, still gasping for air as I did so.

I recall myself shouting, "Hello?". It was a semi-desperate bid to make sense of what had just happened. I probably wanted to hear myself more than anything else. Only my own echoes answered my calls. I sat there for quite some time feeling stunned and limp.

It was as though I had just cheated death. It must have been at least a good half-hour before I could calm myself down sufficiently and muster enough strength to get back to my feet. Despite the rest, they still felt slightly rubbery. I stared at the shield lying on the ground. In that fleeting moment, a thought cut through my conscious state of mind. It suddenly dawned on me what this was all about.

That prompted me into re-commencing my journey immediately.

I began by walking briskly. But my impatience got the better of me and I broke into a sprint. Before long, I had tired myself out and slowed to a jog. I rested at regular intervals to catch my breath but the message was clear and I had once again found the impetus to move forward quickly.

Although my recent memory of this tunnel was one of a monotonous line of weapons, I could actually recall particular parts of my previous journey as I trudged forward. It helped me gauge how close I was from my destination. That just set my adrenaline pumping at a faster rate.

As sudden as it was not, I was there again.

And as I had thought, he was still waiting for me. This time, he waited for me to make the first move. I did not require any taunting or prompting to do so. Not that he was someone who would resort to that in the first place. I picked up another sword and went for the jugular.

I was able to match his every cut, slash and thrust. The angry impacts of our swords numbed my limbs. Ashamedly, my arms were never strong to begin with. Since I became an apprentice, I had been concentrating on my practice of magic and had neglected the physical side of my training. Now, I am living to regret that "oversight".

Actually, there is not much more I would like to add. A fight between two quite obvious novices was not a sight to gawk at. Both of us could not fight to save our own lives. So I should spare the reader the cringing and fast forward to the last bit of it...

With the last ounces of energy my weary arms could summon, I gave out a loud yell of intimidation and the strongest slash from my borrowed trusty sword. It worked! His sword twisted and flew out of his hands. The second "clang" of this two-round battle meant that victory and defeat were now both mine.

Such was the force I had used that he fell backwards, throwing his hands back to break the fall. His covering hood fell behind to finally reveal his true form. I observed his crew cut, unsightly stubble, broad nose and slightly sloed pair of eyes. He could not resist the chance to give me a naughty wink and grin before disappearing into thin air. "Poof!" So, was that some form of congratulation?

I resumed my journey. From that point onwards, my hunger and thirst dictated the pace. It rapidly deteriorated into a heavy anti-climax. Relief finally came in the shape of the other end of this tunnel.

I had not learnt any spells in it, much less any spectacular ones. I had not seen any precious artifacts other than the finely polished, violence-reeking weapons that decorated the entire tunnel. But I do not regret anymore my initial decision of choosing this particular tunnel.

As with all previous sanctuaries, the latest one I found myself in had all the required facilities. The trickles of spring water never sounded more refreshing and enticing, the drinking hole never looked so sparkling and cool and the crudely made bed next to it (another historical artifact left behind by a former apprentice!) never felt more homely and welcome. I was cured of my thirst and snoring away in no time.

My hunger? Oh, that can wait.

Akan Datang: Pop quiz answers

58 days to go.

P.S. That's where I stopped writing; There's no part 6.