The weekend and today

Ok I have to update my life here... Last Saturday was a Volunteer Appreciation Day at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. It was a fun day, my group partner and I went walking around the mangrove reserve playing a treasure hunt with about 50 other people. We even made a tailor bird nest with a Dillenia suffruticosa leaf and some dry wood and cotton. One other partner stayed at the visitor centre to paint a trashbin. I must say it's a good idea to get volunteers to decorate the trashbins, now they look even more attractive than some exhibits!
Sunday was a stay-home day, rather uneventful, watching anime all day... hahaha..
Today I went to collect my new lens! And bought myself a FBT sleeveless shirt! I'm gonna wear it in Thailand... :D

A feast

We went to Taman Jurong today for a feast after squash. Attendence wasn't bad at all, 4 of us came for dinner! We had bbq stingray, squid, 2 vegetables and sugarcane juice... Nice dinner! The stingray was delicious!

Boredom

I'm so bored these days, even though I have work to do... Does that mean I need a break? Then looks like my trip to Thailand is timely, but I wonder if it would be a bad idea to come back just 2 days before the workshop... I wonder what Stuart will say.. hahaha.. Talking about the workshop, looks like it'll be exciting, I hope Lillian can come! And someone from Oxford is coming!

Botanic Gardens

It was a good walk at the Gardens today, no rain. Shawn brought his students around and talked about ferns, aroids, flowers, basic plant anatomy... I learnt something too. After that we went to the Red Dot for some beer. It's quite a posh place near the garden, but the beer selection wasn't as many as Brewerkz. The vegetarian pizza was good though, very juicy. The music gets louder as more people come in, I don't think I'll frequent the Red Dot so often...

Kbox

This is the most popular KTV lounge in Singapore, with lots and lots of branches everywhere! Gai Heng, Yee Wei and I went to the one in Clementi after our meeting and sang our hearts out. The service was good, but there was a blackout in the middle of out singing, which was a first time for us. This time I took down all the nice song I didn't have, so I'm very happy! After that we went to eat fishball mee pok, the fishballs were huge but soft and spongy - not bad.

A grave mistake

Today wasn't really my day... I made quite an expensive mistake, just by not checking the date of delivery of a buffet lunch! Hmmf... I'm lucky they gave me a discount for that lunch, or I'll be feeling guilty for the rest of the week... :(

Visit to school

It was such a fruitful day! I saw almost all the teachers I wanted to see, except Mdm Tan my form teacher... But it wasn't too bad, Irene and I had a good chat with Ms Yap, Ms Seah was too busy walking around to chat for long, had a short sit-down session with Mdm Wong, watched Mrs Ng eat her lunch, and had a really quick one with Mrs Razal!
Yeah Ms Yap looks the same, Ms Seah looked pale, I wonder if she's tired and stressed. Mdm Wong looks the same too, Mrs Ng slimed down quite a bit, and Mrs Razal!! Same dress sense, short skirt with heels! Man... I missed all of them... I hope to do a home visit soon! They started sprouting babies the moment we graduated... I wonder if we're the reason that they didn't want to give birth.. hahaha.

Squash

I played squash with Irene yesterday evening... She really needs to play with me more often. She was tired just half an hour into the game, and I wasn't even panting! Haha.. I'm not insulting her, but I think this exercise will do her some good too, especially to ease her aching shoulders and neck after looking in the microscope for long hours and swimming with some diseased cells.. Urgh..
For me, I think I need an expert squash player to guide me further. :)

Brewerkz

To all my friends, local or international, you've got to come to Brewerkz at least once when you're in Singapore. It's a great place to hang out, and they make their own beer. I personally like the fruit beer, it's definitely an all-time favourite.
Today we met 2 of Koichi's friends from Japan, Kenzo-san and Yoneida-san, who are in Singapore to look for potential projects. They're both interesting people, and we had a good time talking and drinking. Surprisingly, Yoneida-san has been to Thailand many times, but each time for only 2 months. And he can speak Thai. Hmm... Should I take lessons??

An exciting day

Today started with going back to the optician to try contact lenses for the 2nd time. I was well prepared this time, and I could even imagine myself putting in the lenses! Which I did! Yeap but I had to try a number of times. At least I did it all by myself this time! Oh the first time seeing clearly without feeling the weight on my nose bridge is so fantastic!
Afterwards Irene and Jieying bought a Deuter bag I've been dreaming of for months for me! And then Irene bought a squash racquet under my persuasion, finally. Now I have a new squash partner! Man what a great day today... Of course not forgeting that I'm reading through Dia's proposal, while writing this post.. haha.

Calligraphy

This was my favourite art subject when I was a teenager, and I still like it. I recently took it up again for a certain purpose which I shall not say here, and now it has become my pastime hobby. I love the beauty of each letter written with a traditional nib, and I love the enlarged initials that begin every verse even more. They're so beautiful, especially after illumination. Too bad I could find any place in Singapore that teaches English calligraphy, or sell the special calligraphy equipment... Luckily I have friends who can help me! I hope you know who you are... :)