Showing posts with label Others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Others. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 14

To Market, To Market

I shop once a week for grocery at Bukit Timah's Fair Price Finest, and had never been to the wet market in the estate where I live, simply because it's inconvenient for car parking, not to mention that wet market in Singapore is really WET! And let's face it, our markets here don't really smell that good either. But I really do enjoy grocery shopping and visiting markets when I was travelling in Japan and Australia.

Last week, after letting my kids run amok discharged their energies at Turf City's Fidgets, we went to Pasar Bella for a couple of hours. A sea of fresh produces, delicious food and some unusual retail products dazzled us, adults and children alike.


It was nearly dinner time, so we headed to the fresh seafood section first. This area reminded me so much of Tsujiki Fish Market in Japan, where seafood is so fresh that they are ALIVE!!


These lobsters were still moving! That's just how fresh the seafood here is! Buzzing with lives!



My hubby and I really love oysters, so when we saw the huge USA Taylor Oysters going at only $5 per piece, we just kept wiping our saliva off our mouths! Sheng Siong was selling oysters, slightly smaller, at $6.90 per piece and we would have to shuck it ourselves, so $5 oyster here is a definite steal!


Then we ordered some sashimi from Oceans of Seafood and had them sliced and served immediately. The salmon was ordinary, but the swordfish was really thick and juicy! You won't get the cheapest sashimi here, but I bet, it must the one of the freshest, you can get in Singapore.



After we finished with our oysters and sashimi, our kids were dying of hunger. They can't eat the raw food, so they were rather edgy watching us enjoying our food. We went on to explore the rest of the food stores and came across one selling paella, which looks really really good. My kids refused to go until we bought them a portion of that giant pan of paella.



While looking for a seat, we passed by a store selling suckling pig. I would have bought some if I hadn't just had suckling pig at my aunt's place a day before. But this piggy looks so tantalizing!




Look at my cheeky son, doing his personification of the suckling pig. I just love this little guy so much!


Down the stretch, another store was promoting its crackling pork belly, giving out food samples. My children rushed up and were unembarrassed to ask for some. My gosh, I have raised some of the thickest-skinned kids ever. The crackling pork belly was indeed very tasty, so we ordered some.




My kids couldn't wait to sink their teeth into their delicious dinner that they had picked out on their own. They enjoyed the food so much that within minutes they had the plates cleaned out!



There is a store which sell wines and they were also giving out samples to taste, but I was with the kids so I had to give it a miss. Glass bottles and hyper kids, in confined area, is definitely not a good idea.




After filling up their little tummies, we were able to continue to explore the other side of Pasar Bella, where there are stores selling from organic fruits to fun balloons, all lined up neatly and their products merchandised with so much passion and pride.





Anybody with young children know that it is almost impossible to shop with kids tugging your clothes' end every few minutes, getting your attention just to show you their latest discoveries. So we were glad to deposit our kids in the TV corner of an organic shop while we continued to indulge ourselves with the sights and scents of Pasar Bella.



When we were done, we picked up our children and went in search of a good dessert. My daughter was glued to this shop selling pastries and macaroons. But they aren't gluten-free, so I had to convinced her to give up the idea.




Pasar Bella transported me out of Singapore, I felt as though I was in a different country, where market flavours are bursting with innovations and excitement, like those in Europe or other western countries. Hubby cautioned the sustainability of such a place, where he observed to have many more curious 'one-time' visitors, then loyal, long-term consumers.

I don't know, maybe he is right, because I will be heading back to my trusted Fair Price Finest for my next grocery shopping trip. But Pasar Bella will always be my once-in-a-while escapade, since I haven't got any chance to go to Europe or USA.



PasarBella @The Grandstand Bukit Timah Singapore
200 Turf Club Road
Singapore 287994

Phone: +65 6887 0077


THIS IS NOT A REVIEW OR AN ADVERTORIAL FOR PASAR BELLA.


Sunday, July 7

My Second Short Story - Breathless Love

I started writing this story more than two years back but never got to finish it. I finally dug it out and gave it an ending. 

To my hubby, 
Happy 6th Wedding Anniversary! You give me some of the best moment of my life! I love you!





There was soreness in Kristine’s throat, her mouth was dry, her body was aching and there seemed to be a percussion playing in her head. What a horrible hangover, she thought to herself. As her senses slowly aroused, she became clearly aware of her surrounding and this was not her hotel room. Kristine shot out of the bed only to realize that she was totally naked. Last night’s memory came flooding into her head.

Kristine was desperate to get through the mad crowd who turned up for the Ultra Music Festival; she wanted to get away from Bicentennial Park, away from Miami, away from USA or perhaps away from this world.

“Maybe I am just too old for this funk and punk.” She thought to herself. As she worked her way towards the beachfront, away from the roaring music, her tears began to well up. It was this sense of loneliness she had been so eager to run away from but every time without fail, it will soon be caught up with her. She must have walked for a long time along the cool sandy beach, with only the sound of the crashing wave, she knew she had came to the right place to unleash the grief that had built up inside her for so long. She bowed her head low and sobbed uncontrollably.

“Are you…OK?”

Kristine was startled by a voice.

The voice quickly apologized, “I am sorry, I must have frightened you. Erm…. I just want to see that you are alright.” And he handed Kristine his packet of tissue paper.

Kristine looked up, under the pale moonlight, their eyes met. John’s presence had made Kristine felt surprisingly comforted. Maybe it was John’s striking Asian look with that all too familiar accent, in a foreign land.

“Maybe you could use this.” said John as he passed over a bottle of vodka. “And maybe this too.” He continued; patting his upper torso and his bright smile seemed to have lightened up Kristine’s tension.

Kristine smiled weakly as she downed a shot of vodka which immediately knocked her breathe out. She found her voice and said, “Kristine. My name is Kristine.”

Kristine did not recall very much, except John had also found his way out from the madness of Ultra Music Festival and had been the most wonderful listener. He had the broadest shoulder and the most muscular chest Kristine had ever cried on. She remembered John stroking her hair when Kristine poured out her feelings to this complete stranger, she found solace in. It was absurd, but this tall, handsome man who came out of nowhere gave her the sense of security that she had craved so much for.

Kristine’s train of thought was suddenly intruded by John’s presence as he walked in on the naked Kristine “I sorry, I didn’t know you are awake. I am just going to leave this here.” “Those are clean clothes from Karen, my housemate. And she also had you cleaned out of your puke last night. Oh.. In case, you are wondering, I slept on the couch last night.” John shouted behind the closed bedroom door.

Kristine giggled like some high-school girl. She liked John. If only she was still a carefree young woman. Kristine sighed.

Kristine led a glamorous life back home in her country. At the age of 28, she had achieved what many young woman would only dream of. She was an owner of 5 international high fashion boutiques, an extreme wealthy socialite who appeared so frequently in magazines for the rich and famous, and the trophy wife of Ng Beng Lee, the self-made billionaire, who made headlines some ten years back with his late wife’s controversial suicide.

“Hey! I made you breakfast. Hope you like eggs and bacons!” John called out to Kristine from the kitchen, sounding ever so bright and cheery. Kristine felt her morning had never been better before. “Eat up. After breakfast, let me see you home, wherever home might be for you.” John winked. He was so sweet, he melted Kristine’s otherwise frozen heart. “I don’t want to go home.” Kristine blurted. “I mean, I am not ready to fly back home. I am on a 4 weeks vacation and I just landed yesterday. Why don’t you be my guide?” “Oh, it’s my honor. This spring break’s vacation job of mine is going to be fun, definitely better than Karen’s waitressing her ass off in the cafe.” John flashed his infectious smile.

Kristine had the best time of her life in the last ten days, spending them with John by her side. They went biking in the Valley of the Butterflies, laid beneath the great willow tree at Denver Park, shared an ice-cream in sunset, watched movies under the starry nights, danced in the rain and fell asleep in each other arms in front of the television. Kristine was living her life now; she had been a lifeless puppet long enough and for the first time, after so long, she realized she had a beating heart filled with immense contentment.

It was a warm summer night; it was almost as hot and humid as back home. The thought of going home depressed Kristine. John had stripped to his trunks and jumped right into the tiny swimming pool in the backyard after he failed to convince Kristine to join him. Kristine was at the kitchen counter overlooking the pool, sipping red wine sulkily as she watched John lapping up and down the pool. Suddenly, there were no splashes from the pool. “John?” Kristine called out. “John!” There was no response. Kristine panicked. She jumped off her seat and dashed across the kitchen, pushed the door wide open and there she saw John’s body sinking to the bottom of the pool like a rag doll. Kristine jumped right into the water and dived in to reach for John only to have him grabbed her by her legs and popped out of the water together.

“What the fuck, John! You are nuts!” screamed Kristine. John couldn’t stop laughing. “It’s not funny, John. You are making me so mad!” Kristine began to cry.

“Oh, sweet. I am so sorry. I thought that was the only way I can get you to come into the water with me. I don’t mean it.” John immediately apologized and hugged her close to his chest tenderly.

Kristine’s tears continued to flow. “Hush now. Everything is alright. I promise I would never do anything like that again.” John tried to assured her. Kristine buried her head into John and said softly, “I thought I had lost you there.”

John gently held up Kristine’s face, swept the water off with his both hands, “I will always be here for you, as long as you want me too, Kristine.” Their eyes locked, John moved his lips closer to Kristine’s; she surrendered herself into John’s kiss. Their passion ignited, Kristine felt like she was on fire, she wriggled out of her wet clothes and their bodies interlocked as they sank to the bottom of the pool, with their mouths on each other, John sucked the air out of Kristine as plunged himself into her. Kristine threw her head backwards and moaned with pleasure, sending ripples across the calm water.

Kristine made love; it was the first time that sex felt so imitate. She surrendered herself to John who injected life into her.

************

Kristine had been depressive since she flew back from USA, a month ago. Not a moment had gone by without her thinking of John. She made a cruel departure, leaving John while he was still asleep. She had the best moment of her life in those four short weeks but that was it. And she knew very well that she didn’t deserved to love and to be loved for she sold her soul a long time ago, in exchange for a lifetime of luxuries that many would have been envious of. The majestic bungalow she lived in, her expensive sport car, her fame and her fortune had cost her, true love.

Ng Beng Lee had Kristine’s arms and limbs cuffed to the poles of their opulent bed, his face was twisted with a lecherous grin as he bit and squeezed Kristine’s breasts like a ravenous wolf. Kristine just lay still like a piece of dead meat; her mind wandered off, she tried to imagine it was John and not the disgusting Ng Beng Lee who was tearing through her delicate skin.

“Hey, you slut! Are you sleeping or are you dead.” Ng Beng Lee slapped her across her cheeks. “This is going to make you scream.” Ng Beng Lee took out a new toy; it was a dildo in the most enormous size that Kristine had ever seen. Ng Beng Lee stabbed it deeply into Kristine. “Ahhrrgghh… “Kristine was greeted by the intense pain; she squirmed pathetically to break free only to get Ng Beng Lee more excited. “Now, you are awake, bitch!” He jabbed the dildo into Kristine, picking up speed as he went, making her shrieked with pain and pleasure.

Hot tears flowed out of Kristine’s eyes as she was freed from the bed. The cuffs had cut into her wrists and her ankles; she tried to limp slowly towards to bathroom. Ng Beng Lee caught her by her hair and shoved her face at his manhood. “Clean me.” He commanded. As Kristine kneeled over the towering Ng Beng Lee, licking him like a dog, he told her meanly, “You better thank God that I am not sick of fucking you yet. So don’t give me the kind of face like I owe you something. And my son is returning home this week, like it or not, you better pretend to be happy.”

Ng Beng Lee was on the phone when Kristine struggled to get up on her feet. From a distance, she could hear him speaking to his son’s doctor; a world class shrink who the rich and famous looked up to. “Thank you for the past ten years, Dr Gillman. My son would never be well again without you…” “Serve you right to have sick bastard.” Kristine muttered softly. All Kristine ever know of Ng Beng Lee’s son, was he left for the States, a very sick child, and had spent the last ten years in and out of the hospital, receiving multiple treatments. Kristine wasn’t looking forward to Ng Beng Lee’s son’s return. Like father, like son, Kristine thought to herself.

Kristine spent hours sitting inside the bathtub. She was in so much pain; she can’t tell if they were physical, mental or emotional. Memories of John filled her head, she felt extremely tormented. She would give anything to be with John again, even if it meant her life, she thought to herself. As she drifted to sleep in the tub she dreamt of being in John’s arm, tears flowed from her eyes controllably.

It had been more than ten years since Ng Beng Lee sent his only son away. Ng Beng Lee had always felt a great sense of guilt for his son. He hated for his son to grow up alone in a faraway land. But it seemed to be the only right thing to do then, after seeing how damaged his son became after the death of his mother. The once polite and charming little boy became violent and dark. He would lock himself up in his darken room for hours, only leaving it when he had to be taken by force to his psychotherapy sessions. His psychiatrist diagnosed it as post-traumatic stress disorder, triggering a second personality, which acted as the coping mechanism for the deeply traumatized boy. Chinese medium suspected he was possessed and Ng Beng Lee was desperate to save his only son who had turned into a sinister young boy with a horribly twisted mind. He knew he had to send his only son away or risk seeing him grew into a monster - a monster more hideous than himself.

John Ng, Ng Beng Lee’s only son, the man that Kristine was growing sick missing, had returned home. Kristine couldn’t believe her luck, but she wasn’t sure if it was good or bad luck that her perfect man, John, was his sadistic husband’s son!

When John walked into the house with Ng Beng Lee, Kristine stood rooted to the ground, she did not know how to respond, and it was all too shocking for her. She made up an excuse and hurried up the stairs, where she hid in her room. Her breathe was shallow, her hands were icy cold and her legs had turned numb. She felt incessantly guilty for making out with her husband’s own son, but at the same time she was suppressing an incestuous thrill of seeing John again.

It had been two days since John’s return; Kristine had tried to stay away from home. She knew she couldn’t do this forever but she hadn’t thought of a good way to face John, she was ashamed; ashamed to be the wife of Ng Beng Lee, ashamed of being John’s stepmother whom he never met until now. It had just past midnight when Kristine returned home from a fundraising party, instead of heading up to her bedroom, she wandered into the garden, alone. There she sat herself down and tears started to fall. Under the bright moonlight, her tears gleamed like jewels. She was indeed a beautiful woman, despite her detesting life with the obnoxious Ng Beng Lee.

“Sweet, are you going to go on avoiding me?” Then Kristine felt a pair of strong comforting arms embracing her from behind. “Oh, John…” Kristine felt a gripping pain in her heart and a lumped formed in her throat. Their eyes met. John grabbed her face with both hands, pulled her to his chest before pressing his lips over hers. Their tongues possessed each other. Kristine whispered, “I miss you. I miss you so much.”

Ng Beng Lee had his blood drained completely off his face, when he caught his twelve years old son ripping their foreign helper’s blouse while riding on top on her. A plastic bag was fastened tightly over her head and her hands were tight up with some cables. “John! Let her go NOW! You are killing her!” His son looked up, with a demonic pair of eyes. He said it slow, in a low growling voice; it was a voice Ng Beng Lee wished he had never heard, “Shut up, you old fuck. I will be careful this time.” Ng Beng Lee found himself screaming as he jumped up from his sleep. He was soaking in his own perspiration on a hotel’s bed. His under-aged and pricy prostitute stared at him with fear written all over her face. Ng Beng Lee ignored her totally. He placed a palm over his dampened forehead, rubbing it hard as if he was trying to erase the terrifying image that was coming back to haunt him.

Kristine and John had been very discreet and were careful not to be seen together at any part of the house, Ng Beng Lee’s house. They had managed to keep their secret rendezvous under wrap and had waited for a long time for Ng Beng Lee to be finally away; he was attending a business conference in China. Kristine and John had the house to themselves for some nights and they just could not keep their hands away from each other, from the moment Ng Beng Lee left. As they cuddled on John’s bed, enjoying each other’s affections, Kristine asked curiously, “Baby, I heard you were sent to the States for treatment because you were ill. Have you recovered? What was wrong?” John turned his face to meet Kristine, there was deep sorrow written all over it and it broke Kristine’s heart to see him like that. “Baby, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Kristine comforted, stroking his chin lightly.

“No. Sweet, it’s good that you know. Ever since my mother died, I had night terrors. In those nights, I felt as if I was trapped in a small pitch-dark box and I could only hear the familiar voice of a woman. She seemed to be talking to someone. Someone, like, her child, I think.”

“Do you love Mummy? If you do, you will do as I say. Your name is Don now. Hit me, Don. Harder! Hit me HARDER!” recalled John looking pale and distressed.

“Then a mixture of screams and cries would fill me up until I suffocate. Usually, I would go into an epileptic fit which wiped out some of my memories before anyone find me unconscious. It was .. Terrifying.” John said quietly. Kristine held up her finger to John’s lips and stopped him from continuing. Then she pressed her lips on her finger and gently sliding her finger away, allowing her soft lips to caress over John’s.

After an intense session of love-making, John withdrawn himself out of Kristine and then collapsed, breathing heavily on top of Kristine. “Sweetie, we can’t go on like this. I need you. I need you to be mine. You.. no. We have to leave my father. Let’s go back to the States, where we were once happy.” A tear rolled down Kristine’s cheek, she nodded and tightened her arms around John. She was exhausted but filled with hope; she thought John would never ask. She had wanted to elope with him, the day they met. They hugged each other passionately and fell into a deep slumber, naked.

Kristine stirred; she was lying with her face down, her legs were tied up. She tried to open her eyes but she was blindfolded. She wanted to reach for her blindfold only to realize that her hands were bounded by some tapes. She screamed but could only manage muffed sound, her mouth was taped shut. “On your knees now” It was a low growling voice of a stranger. “Who? What’s going on? Where’s John? Is he hurt? No… Stay away from me!” Kristine’s head was spinning; she felt nausea swept over her. Before she could decide if it was fear for herself, or for the safety of John, a fist was shoved violently into her vagina, tearing her apart, followed by slaps raining on her behind and then her nipples were stung by several swift pinches. She wanted to scream but she couldn’t. Hot tears were gushing out from her eyes, soaking the blindfold. She was now on her knees while her ass was being rudely violated; just as she thought the worst would soon be over, she felt a noose over her head and then something gripped her throat. She gagged and choked then convulsed as her assaulter let out a groan, as he finished off his last thrust. Kristine had passed out cold.

Kristine’s mouth was dry and her body was in a lot of pain, and she was still in restrain. She rubbed the blindfold against the edge of the bed to free her sight. She was finally able to peep with one eye as the blindfold flipped slightly above her left brow. The room was dark and silent. “John. John.” She called out softly and cautiously. Then she spotted John, who was lying face down on the ground. “John! John, wake up! Are you alright? No, please. John!” She sobbed hysterically.

John moaned as he picked himself up from the floor, still naked, he placed his hands on his temple as if his head was hurting. He blinked several times and jumped up to his feet when he saw how badly Kristine was battered and tied up. “What the fuck just happened, baby?” John asked. His face tormented as he freed Kristine.

Kristine was in such a terrible shape, she just couldn’t stop crying, “I don’t know. I couldn’t see. I woke up and… and….” She couldn’t bring herself to continue.

 “I am so sorry, sweetie. I am …Shit! What the fuck! I thought we fell asleep and then… Fuck! Oh, my God, I didn’t know, I must have gone into a fit just now.” John pulled Kristine into his arms and cried. They never left the room for the next couple of days, only briefly for some food and water, Kristine just wanted to be in the embrace of John and John wanted her just as much too.

Ng Beng Lee stepped into his house and was surprised to find it so quiet and empty; he walked up the stairs and entered his study. He was startled when he saw John sitting on his swivel chair, holding a stack of photos in his hands. “Oh, no!” Ng Beng Lee felt his scalp prickled and goose bumps rose. “Those photos.. John. Put them away!”

“Hi, old fuck!” John spoke, his face contorted with grimace as he released the photos from his hands, allowing them to litter themselves on the floor. As he made his slow exit, he paused and stared into Ng Beng Lee’s eyes. The same pair of cold, murderous eyes from ten years back, they seemed to pierce straight into Ng Beng Lee’s mind. He swallowed and a chill went down his spine when he saw John’s twisted lips mouthing the words, “I am back.”

After what seemed like forever, Ng Beng Lee composed himself and bended over to pick up the photos. He brought the photos over to the steel bin, hovered them over a lighter, setting them ablaze. His late wife in shackles and cuffs stared back at him from those photos. Then one smaller sized photo slipped out of his grip and dropped into the burning pile. It was a three years old John, sitting tall on Ng Beng Lee’s shoulders, looking happy, looking innocent as can be. Ng Beng Lee started to weep.

At breakfast, Kristine lied to Ng Beng Lee that she had to help out at the wedding of a business associate and would be staying a night in the hotel where the dinner would be held. Ng Beng Lee let out a grunt and kept his eyes on his newspapers. Kristine took the chance and winked at John, who was trying to hide a smirk. With John, Kristine felt rejuvenated, it was as though years of ageing had been lifted from her and she was finally able to feel youthful, even though she was six years older than her young lover. They went out in the sea, renting yacht, watching the sun set beyond the western horizon.

“John, don’t ever leave me, please.” pleaded Kristine as John wrapped his arms around her from behind and placing his chin lightly on her shoulders.

“Never” John assured her, kissing her hair gently.

“Baby, we have to think of a way to leave.”

“Sweet, we will.”

“The sun must have got to me.” Kristine thought. Her skin was hot and she felt weak. “Or it could be too much sex.” She suppressed a giggle. John was asleep beside her; Kristine examined this gorgeous young man with rock hard abs, glowing black hair and a very sexy face. “I can’t believe I finally found true love.” She smiled to herself.

“Please, Mummy, I am scared. Don is bad; I don’t want to be Don. No…” Kristine looked warily at John who seemed to be having a nightmare, talking in his sleep. “My poor baby, losing his mother at such a young age must have devastated him. Hmm.. I wonder who’s Don.” Kristine thought as she placed a comforting hug over John who seemed to be in a daze waking up from his all too familiar nightmare.

“Drive slow. Try to reach home fifteen minutes after me. He should be at home this time of the day.” instructed John. Kristine looked at him longingly and planted a chaste kiss on his forehead before walking over to her own Mercedes SLK, a very slick silver car, which she was ready to give up for the love of her life.

When Kristine pulled up at the driveway, there was a huge commotion going on. She quickly stepped out of her car only to see two men in some clinical white uniforms dragging John towards a black SUV. John was struggling to break free. Ng Beng Lee was standing at the door, with a wretched expression. Beside him stood a white man who looked like he was in his late fifties, holding what looked like a syringe and was heading for John. “Do it, Dr Gillman. Now.” Ng Beng Lee shook his head with despondency.

“John!” shouted Kristine. Her voice was desperate.

John looked up and saw Kristine. The two men holding John were momentarily distracted, allowing him to slip from their grips. John hollered as he ran over to Kristine’s car, “Get in the car. NOW!”

The SLK sped off at top speed, leaving Ng Beng Lee chasing and screaming wildly, “NO!! Stop! Stop the car now!” The car was out of sight within seconds.

Perhaps it was the chase that had heightened Kristine’s adrenaline level; she threw herself at John kissing him ferociously after she had parked her car. All her senses are pricked and she had never felt so erotic. “Don’t let them separate us, baby. I can’t live without you.” She urged as they stumbled into the apartment which Kristine had newly bought, with the lips locked firmly on each other.

John was quiet. He had not spoken a word throughout the journey. Maybe he was badly shaken, thought Kristine to herself. Who were those men? Has Ng Beng Lee found out? There were many questions in her head but she was not seeking for an answer. Not right now. For now, she had only desire to make love, passionate love to the man she would die for.

John suddenly reciprocated her sexual urge in a deviant, almost brutal way, sticking his tongue far into her mouth, exploring her before biting her on her lips. Then he reached for her top, ripped off the buttons and yanked off Kristine’s bra. This had made Kristine more wanton. Secretly, Kristine had preferred sex a little rougher. “Oh John, you being so kinky!” Kristine gasped breathlessly. John did not reply, he pushed Kristine face front onto the sofa and proceeded to tie her arms behind her back with her bra. Kristine looked on ahead shyly and asked in a whisper, “You like to play? Spank me, baby!”

John took off his pants and then slides his belt off from them. He looped his belt over Kristine’s neck slowly, sending Kristine panting with lust. As he plunged his erected manhood into Kristine, he pulled on both ends of the belt, denying Kristine of air. Kristine was shocked at first but felt an orgasmic pleasure built up instantly. She had never felt more aroused than now. She moaned and groaned as she exploded into waves and waves of contractions as John continued to slam into her.

“Asphyxiophilia. Your mind-blowing orgasm induced by strangulation. You love this, don’t you? Now my turn.” John finally spoke, but it didn’t sound like him, it was as though he was someone else. “The voice, it’s familiar, like .. That night!” Kristine turned around. It was John alright, but he had so much evilness in his eyes. Before she could figure out, her neck was compressed too tightly; she was choking and coughing while she tried to get John to stop. But John seemed to be in a trance. He was riding Kristine like a jockey on a horse, pulling mightily on his belt and watching Kristine’s face turned red, and then purple and then lifeless. He shot his load into the limp body of Kristine. As he collapsed onto the ground, he moaned breathlessly, “Ahhh... Mummy.”


************

Ng Beng Lee dashed through the doors and had straight away known the suspension bondage had gone terribly wrong. He cut the rope and then frantically loosened the noose over his wife’s neck with his trembling fingers. As he lay her naked body down on the floor, he noticed her face had turned purple and her wide-opened eyes were blood shot. She wasn’t breathing anymore. Ng Beng Lee yelled at his twelve years old son, “John, what the fuck have you done to Mummy!”

John replied slowly and impassively, "I am Don, not John." as he sauntered out of the dungeon of pain and pleasure.


Monday, January 7

Lasting Friendship

The best thing borne out of my last horrendous relationship is this beautiful friendship which I shared with this bunch of fun-loving girlfriends.




I got to know this group of girls about twelve years ago when I clubbed with my ex bf at the now dysfunction, Ridley's. At that time, they were partners of the guys in my ex bf's group. Although, many of us had not lasted long enough with those guys, we girls, managed to stay close and be supportive of each other all these years.

And now, many of us have settled down and have family commitments and children; we don't get to meet as often as we should, but when we do meet up, we are sure to have a CRAZILY GREAT time!




I am truly grateful to have this bunch of lovely girlfriends who share my laughters and my tears. Love you, gals! And let's not forget our promises to hold annual gathering, every first Saturday of the year!

Saturday, August 11

It is Goodbye

I am sorry if you think I was cruel to let you go.

I was young and naive, but I did love you; you were once my baby. You came to me pure and white. Everyday, for several year, we were inseparable; I was inside you, you kept me safe and comfortable.

However, things just didn't work out the way we wanted it to be. All these years I have kept you away from me. Sometimes, I hope you can see what lies in my heart. It was conflicted and painful to have you around.

I have already moved on and I needed you to do the same, but you just kept clinging onto me. Do you know that by doing so, you had bled me dry. I am sorry, I had to get rid of you.

I saw him today when he came for you...  I know that you will be in good hands; I am sure he will love you. You deserve someone better than me.

Goodbye and thank you for the memories.


Saturday, January 14

Seduced by nature





We passed by this lonely stretch of road along Mandai every weekday, driving to our offices. There is the unusual serenity of the Upper Seletar Reservoir that never fail to captivate us.

Earlier this evening, we were on our way home after dinner, we had to surrender ourselves and be seduced by the beauty of the setting sun against the horizon of the reservoir. Mr Hubby stopped the car and we got everybody out.

We watched strangers fishing by the banks and admired the colors of dusk reflected in the water. It is an epiphany to have this moment with nature.



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Friday, December 30

The night before the eve of New Year

2011 is a good year for me. In short, I lost some weight, got a better silhouette, went on several short trips with my family, intercepted a disease and prevented cancer, started running (something that I never dreamed I could do), deciphered my children's allergies and finally seeing some good progress with their health.

In 2012, my resolution is SIMPLE. I want to complete a 10 km run and study a course to enrich myself.

Meanwhile, here is some post-Christmas pictures, showing off our presents.



I bought Mr Hubby a Hugo Boss tie; I didn't know how to select a tie, so I bought him one in my favorite color - purple.



And my dearest Mr Hubby bought me a LV shawl in, you guess it right, my favorite color - purple.



Happy New Year, in advance!


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Tuesday, November 1

Go Green

I am not the greenest person by nature. I try to refuse a plastic bag if I really don't need one but I don't bring along a recyclable bag to my grocery shopping. I would drop my can into the recycle bin whenever I consume Coke Zero from my office but I threw away countless numbers of Coke Zero's PET bottles down the chute when I am at home. I tried to remember to switch off lights whenever I am not in the area but I need my air-con every night. Yes, even rainy nights.

Probably some iceberg in the Antarctic is melting away because of me; I do feel a tinge of guilt from time to time.

So last Sunday, we (Mr Hubby suggested and I just went along) left our two cars parked at home and took the kids with us on public transport. There is always first time for everything.

We travelled by train to Holland Village for dinner. The kids were over the moon because don't all kids have a strange obsession with trains?! But the best part wasn't until we made our way home.



Laetitia, our nearly 4 year old, had been begging us to take her on a double-decker bus ride like forever. So we decided to take a slight detour by taking Bus #7 from Holland Village to Clementi and then continue our journey home from there, taking the train.

She was ecstatic. The other passengers on the bus must be thinking we were some alien from outer space, for we were taking pictures of our kids like nobody's business while they were going "Woww!! Look! Mommy! Whoooaa!"




We made it home safely. And surprisingly, it had been an enjoyable trip, not just for the kids but we love just as much too.

Do your part. Go Green whenever possible.

Monday, August 8

Wisdom that I wish I didn't have

Some weeks back, I was experiencing a nagging pain in my tooth; a check with the dentist revealed more. I was having a wisdom tooth and it was impacted, that was why it was hidden out of my sight.  It wasn't just that, the wisdom tooth was also pressing on my nerve causing this on and off pain.

An appointment was made for a dental surgeon to cut it out. And today is the day.

You have no idea how terrified I was. Since young, I have this morbid fear for dental procedures (even polishing scares the shit out of me) and this was made worst by the root canal from hell which I had a year ago.

The dental surgeon gave me some shots of local anesthetic then the rest became fuzzy. I think I was trying to create some kind of mental block so that I would not suffer any post-traumatic stress disorder from all those drilling and cracking and yanking.

I was later told that my wisdom tooth was not only humongous but it was also very deep (close to the nerve) hence the dental surgeon had to break it up before removing it.



I brought my "souvenir" home. When Laetitia came back from school, I show it to her. It was a good chance to talk to her about oral hygiene and my bloody tooth was a good scare tactic useful tool to get her to brush her teeth every night.

When I was done preaching and was about to dump my tooth in the trash, Laetitia suggested that I keep it under my pillow for the tooth fairy. I didn't want to keep the yucky remains of my tooth, let only sleep with it. So I made up an excuse that the tooth fairy wouldn't want my tooth.

Then Laetitia said cheekily, "Why? Is it because it's broken. Next time, be careful ok!"

I just nodded and smiled back.

Well, I am just glad it's over.


 

Thursday, February 17

Something about the Foreign Domestic Helper (Maid)

The bewildered look on the faces of people, whenever they learnt that we leave our baby alone at home with our foreign domestic helper when we go to work, can be quite amusing. They would express deep concerns; telling us how we shouldn't trust the maid and all the horrors they had heard about abusive maids. I listened but do not necessarily agree.

What would they think, if they hear about how my helper is allowed to visit the library, the mall near our home and the neighbour's homes and sometimes we even bring her along for overseas holidays, I always thought.

My helper is open with me about having a boyfriend, but that doesn't bother me too much because her boyfriend is working in Malaysia and she knew him when they were back in Indonesia. She also has a lot of female friends, some are the other helpers working within our condo compound.

I permit some closer ones to come over to our place (not without my knowledge), and they are actually quite nice people who bake us cakes and make us pineapple tarts during CNY. Sometimes when I forgot to buy something after returning from my grocery trip, I would enlist their help to buy it for me if they are on the way to the supermarket. When my kids are at the playground, they keep a eye on them for me.

My helper knows just how to relax herself; she is definitely into work life balance. She has not one but two mobile phones and she received more calls and SMSes than myself and Mr Hubby combined. And oh, she even Facebook, but she is not on my friend list. I give her one day off every month, but occasionally if she needed some time off, like a couple of hours to meet a relative/friend or to run her personal errand, I might also grant her request.

I respect her religion; she allowed to fast during the Muslim fasting month and she is also allowed to pray in our home as long as work gets done. If we eat pork, we will get her something else to eat, separately from us. During Christmas, she received gifts from Mr Hubby and me. She gets 'ang pao' for Chinese New Year; presents and cakes for her birthdays too.

You might think that my helper is one of the most fortunate FDH in Singapore, but I am merely doing my part as a fair employer because I am an employee myself too.

My helper has been a great help to my family these two years. She is diligent, has good initiative, is positive and possesses willingness to perform. She whipped up tasty meals for us when we return from our offices. She does all the housework and washes our 2 cars to our satisfaction. She also has genuine love for my kids and she is able to look after them wholeheartedly, despite the ridiculous amount of phone calls and SMSes she gets everyday. But that's just her. She loves to talk and network, apart from that, I must say she is doing a fairly good job.

Of course, she didn't start out quite like now. Despite giving her a written guideline and aligning our expectations right from the beginning, she stole Mr Hubby's mobile phone on her second month with us. But I told her everyone deserve to be given a chance and she was truly sorry about her misdeed. It was after the incident that she became committed to working for us. She knew I was dead serious when I told her, "For me, nobody deserve more than ONE chance."

As she gets better with her work, she was able to access to more privileges and freedom, which also becomes a motivation for her. She also began to understand my style of employment. If you are good, you will be treated better. If you are no good, you will be trained for the better. If you are un-trainable, then YOU BETTER LEAVE. I am nice but firm, strict but fair, compassionate but rational.

There are many employers in Singapore who complain about their helpers, most commonly referred as their maids. I have my encounter of FDH from hell too, but I really do believe that not all FDH are outwardly bad. By denying them of day off, forcing them to work round the clock, cutting their contacts with the world beyond our own homes, disrespecting their religion, and treating them in a dehumanized way, aren't their lives worst than prisoners? Btw, most prisoners are allowed to have visitation from their families and recreation time.

I do not know about you but I believe a happy employee makes a happy employer and my happy helper definitely contribute to raising my sunny kids.



(Pictures above are courtesy of our helper.)


A peep into the perspective of a FDH in Singapore. Read the story of a maid, maybe you, as an employer, would become more empathic knowing that we are interdependent on these FDH, just as much as they needed us.

Instead of blame on bad luck, changing one helper after another, why not be pro-active in setting the expectation straight and incorporating a workable plan to improve the performance of your current helper. I am sharing my personal tools to help employers in Singapore foster a better working relationship with their FDH (see below).

For a sample of FDH work progress report checklist that I used to evaluate and improve the performance of my helper, click here.

For a sample of guideline, expectation and entitlement that I used, click here.


Good luck, even though you would need more than just luck to find the perfect helper.

Thursday, December 23

It's going to be Christmas!

I am ready for Christmas! The presents are spilling over from the bottom of our tree. We are going to need a bigger tree next year... or maybe lesser presents for the kids.



Monday, November 1

In love with 'Twilight'

Ya, I was actually slamming 'Twilight' in one of my previous blog entry but that was only because I hadn't watch it.

I caught all 3 series in one go on board my recent SQ flight to and from Melbourne. All thanks to Krisworld.

Now I am a total convent, loving all 3 - Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse; dying to watch 'Breaking Dawn', screening next year.


It's so wonderful to be young (18 yo +/-) and having two gorgeous guys going crazy over you at the same time. Oh God! I miss that feeling. Hahahahaha....!!


Go Edward Cullen!! You rock!!


Friday, July 2

Korean??

The condo which we stay has a good number of expat families, so Laetitia often get mistaken for a Korean or Japanese kid.

One fine day, the security uncle working for our condo, pointed at Laetitia and asked, "Is she Korean?" I smiled and replied, "No."

The security uncle then asked, "Are you Korean?" I shook my head, "No."

He was not giving up, "Then is her father Korean?" My jaw dropped. Why must he insist that my daughter has some form of Korean heritage somewhere, somehow.

Speaking in a 101% Singlish, I said, "NO leh! We are Singaporean, Chinese lah!"

Finally, he was convinced; Laetitia is NO Korean.

Saturday, May 29

A night at SGH

Woke up yesterday morning, after a night of painful backache, feeling awfully crappy. I spent the entire day resting in bed. My usually good appetite and my natural attraction to food were totally gone. By evening, I was in so much pain and had practically vomited anything I tried to take in. I was in a terrible shape.

Mr Hubby came back home and brought me to a neighborhood GP, who suspected that I had Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, he wrote me a referral letter and asked Mr Hubby to rush me to SGH's A&E. Then it was a night of endless checks, x-ray, jabs, pokes and drips only to find that it wasn't AAA but the doc in SGH couldn't be sure what was wrong with me.

When the doc wanted me to stay overnight for observation, I broke down and cried. I guess, the pain and the anguish of not knowing what was wrong with me, were all too much for me to take; plus I really missed double Ls, who were home alone with the maid.

Mr Hubby comforted me and assured me that our kids would be safe at home. Knowing he was worried seeing me in pain and tears, I agreed to stay in the hospital and get myself treated. So started my long night in the observation ward, lying on the uncomfortable stretcher which double up as my bed and waking up numerous time to the unfamiliar surrounding.

I was discharged in the morning after the doc was very sure that I do not have AAA but some infections to the bladder. I left the ward with 3 days of hospitalization leave and some medications. Totally exhausted, but at least I was no longer in pain.

What a horrible way to kick start my long weekend!

Sunday, July 19

Busy.. Busy..

Had been really busy last week and I am expecting another "hellish" week ahead.

Busy as can be, still nothing can stop me from having cravings. I love to have some Quiche Lorraine. So I baked myself some. And mine, they taste like pure heaven!!

DELICIOUS!!



おいしい! délicieux! 맛있은! очень вкусный! squisito!

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