One of those days ...

Michael Jordan, the great big basketball superstar from USA (formerly with Chicago Bulls) was quoted as saying the below & I'm fortunate to have got the book of quotes, including Michael's (The Quotable Athlete by Mike McGovern & Susan Shelly).

As I'm still gathering ideas of how to do a write-up on The Wedding, here's my take on "don't give up!!" The Wedding updates will come later, as I want to do a good write-up, since it is based on my good friend's wedding.

I must admit though, I've never really understood & hence, liked basketball much. However, Michael Jordan does seem like your regular nice bloke & have you guys seen him in that enjoyable movie "The Space Jam" with all those popular cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck?


"If you run into a wall, don't turn around & give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work through it."


Michael Jordan
former NBA superstar with the Chicago Bulls,
in I Can't Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence, 1994


Anyone would ask:"Am I going through tough times?" upon reading my latest blog entry. My answer is a resounding "NO". It is just that I was reading (yes, STILL reading ...) this book of quotes & I like this quote, never mind who the author of the quote is.

The only thing that I'm not comfortable with is that in this book, there seems to be many quotes by golfers. Go figure.

Day of THE WEDDING (Part 1)

It is 4.50pm & I've been up since 5.30am ... snoozed at 12 midnight last night. My friend, the bride, was getting herself in the "sleep mode", whilst I, one of the "sisters", was furiously trying to finish up my blog & knocking off to sleep. Probably disturbed her a wee bit. I am sorry for my intrusion.

She woke up first, followed at the same time, me. However, I continued my "extra 5 minutes' snooze" ... which lasted for about 20 minutes. This is what the bride told me: no need for me to wake up as early as her. I agreed totally with her on the previous night.

Her make-up artist-cum-hair stylist came in to do her hair & make-up at 6am. I complimented the bride on her look. She looks most beautiful on her special day. Me was over & done with my own make-up (with help from another "sister") & dress in less than 10 minutes.

Then, what time we gals had remaining prior to the bridegroom's arrival, were spent chatting to the bride before her groom came to fetch her & we discussed on what games/ teasers we as the "sisters" could pose to the guy's side. Those who attend Chinese weddings and/or are Chinese, should know what I am talking about. I will discuss about that in my next blog.

The EVE of THE WEDDING

It is nearly midnight & I'm in my good friend's home, the one getting married. We had a good chat that was not too long. Will need to snooze soon.

Basically, I asked her about some of the customs one associates with Chinese weddings. She is a very patient lady, telling me what I wished to know. I will update when I have the time either on Sunday or next week.

She showed me her lovely wedding gown & I showed her in return, my dress & the cosmetics I brought over to use. Heheee, I also told her that in honour of her wedding, I am going to use brand-new BRANDED cosmetics.

Ok, that is all for now. Tata till next blog!!

CHEERS!!! CONGRATS on your wedding, my good friend.

My Face, Part 2

It is THREE WHOLE DAYS to THE WEDDING ... and my face ... oh my goodness me ... is STILL having pocks here & there. That is why, I'm applying a doctor-only prescribed medication for the "pimple outbreak" evident on my lovely face.

Yeah, yeah. I know that I cannot compete with the female stars on Caldecott Hill (the likes of Zoe, Fann, Ann, Joanne ...). This does not mean that I sometimes think of myself as BEAUTIFUL.

The best praise I got on myself has come from THE MOST VIP MAN in my life ... my dearest father. It is he who said," You are good-looking, just like your dad who is born handsome ... the only way you are going to destroy your own good looks is if you eat rubbish (that is another blog entry another time) ..."

This is what my formerly pearly-white face looks like now:

1. Still pearly-white, presence of 2 brown spots
2. Panda eyes (yiiiiieeEEEEee!!)
3. Volcanoes here & there (some red, some purple)

Name of pimple medication that I smother onto my face: NEO MEDROL ACNE LOTION

1. It cost me a cool S$32, excluding the cost of a doctor's letter to allow me to buy the damm lotion from the pharmacist.
2. Comes in a little fist-sized box (so I lied, it is slightly smaller)
3. The word "POISON" comes clearly printed in RED (hasn't that always been the warning colour?)
4. It comes in a watery YELLOW liquid
5. Has a medicated smell
6. 30ml in all

Have been using this since the late 1990s, when I was introduced to it by my company doctor then. Way more effective than your normal commercial anti-pimple creams.

A note to end this entry: I NEVER had a single pimple whilst in Perth, Australia. Wonderful, except that I wasted spending $6 or so on a tube of "commercial" anti-pimple cream during my first days in Perth ... that resulted in me wasting the tube away.

A few days to THE WEDDING

My good friend (the bride) is getting married this weekend & it is indeed, a very happy occasion.

Alas, I've not found a pair of shoes to go with my dress that I bought especially to attend the wedding. There is the dream 'whole package of shoes, dress & handbag' to this lovely wedding. It is terrible, isn't it? Of course, I won't dress like I'm going to upstage her on her BIG DAY. Don't worry, my friend (if she's reading this).

I've not forgotten about make-up. All will be revealed in good time.

Lucky for me, the "stress" that I'm facing is minor, as compared to the stress that I imagine the bride must be feeling. I mean, yeah, you can say that the bride should have picked up tips from bridal/wedding magazines and/or people who have "marriage experience" (that could be friends who got married first).

Nevertheless, she would still be stressed but from what I could talk to her about during the few months leading up to the upcomind celebration, she certainly does not seem stressed too much. I wonder what is her secret? I must pick up tips from her to de-stress, which can be harnessed to good use for things like work.

More importantly, the bride has allowed me to blog about her wedding, minus photos. Do not worry, dear gal. The only type of fotos I like on my blog is on FOOD but it won't be the goodies we consume at your wedding.

There will be one more update prior to the VIP event taking place this weekend. This is due to the fact that I'll staying over on Friday night at the bride's (how do I say this properly in English without sounding funny) Mother House. In Mandarin, it sounds like this: Niang Jia (Mother House).

Hopefully by that time, we can all (the bride, me & other galpals) have a pre-wedding bridal chat, to replace the bridal shower/hen night. Hey, afterall, this is the "21st century". Ought not that there be a wee bit tweak in such traditions, provided they are positive fun, with plenty of ease for the bride.

CHEERS to your wedding, my good friend.

Life As It Stands

Reading through this book of quotations by famous atheletes, I chanced upon this quote by Muhammed Ali, the world-famous boxer, who has won in Olympics before:


I'm the best. I just haven't played yet.


Probably that sums up my feelings right now. Sometimes, when faced with a new venture's uncertainty, one tends to worry endlessly. You worry about how you might fail at the task spectacularly & how people will laugh at you. It is like shooting yourself in the foot & then saying, "AIYAH, I've been injured".

It is certainly interesting. Muhammed Ali was asked about golf, a game that he had not played & what did he reply back to the question? With the above answer, which I think is a classic.

The truth about a TV vs actual church wedding

Many, many years ago, as a student, I was invited along with all my classmates, to my teacher's church wedding. I gladly accepted the invitation; for how many times does one get invited to such things?

We all (us classmates) arranged to meet up at the church in question. Since we lived in different parts of town, it was the best arrangement & not meet each other, then go as one group together. What a waste of time it would be.

What did I get for my teacher as a wedding gift? Well, a "congrats to your wedding" card & a pair of drinking glasses. That, I think is suitable present from a student to a teacher.

Arriving at the church, we students sat awkwardly behind, keeping very quiet amongst the guests. We were at our best behaviour. There was no pushing & shoving, like in school.

When my teacher arrived, she looked so lovely (like all brides do, they look most beautiful on this special day) in her white wedding gown, on the arms of her father.

Now, this is the part where a real-life church wedding differs from a reel-life church wedding.

A reel-life church wedding has the wedding vows all said & done in less than 5 minutes. Guess how long the real-life church wedding proclamation of wedding vows took?

Over two hours was how long the vows took. There we were, up & down, singing the wedding vows. I wanted to ask (there & then) how come it was so different from what I watched on the telly.

Much later, I learnt that Christians consider the saying of the vows to be a holy & sacred thing & binding in the eyes of The Lord. Which is why, it was explained to me that that on TV, they have a quick but non-binding wedding vows proclamation. Plus, it makes TV sense. Who will want to watch a TV series on a wedding scene taking over 2 hours? They have other storylines to pursue.

Later, after my teacher & her new husband took their vows, there was a wedding reception at the church itself. After nibbling a bit & going up to my teacher to congradulate her, I left with my classmates.

Now, many years later, when my good friend is getting married, I think back on that church wedding that I had attended. These are 2 different types of wedding that I will get to attend, so it does not make sense to compare. Each has their own customs to follow.

One week to THE WEDDING

My friend's wedding, that is. Certainly NOT my wedding.

One week from today, one of my good friends is getting married. I'm so excited for her. She is the first one amongst us four to "tie the knot". The wedding celebrations shall be a happy & memorable one. I'm planning to use the family digital camera to record this glorious day.

It is certainly not easy planning for such a big occasion. Moreover, for a Chinese wedding, there are different wedding customs to follow, depending on the dialect group that either bridal side belongs to. Some Chinese wedding customs to follow include: the traditional tea ceremony, "brothers & sisters" having fun during the "fetch the bride" & others, which right now I can't remember.

All the Chinese weddings that I've seen are the ones shown on the telly. Not exactly what I'm wanting to know. Those are like a summarized version of the actual day. Now, I'll get to experience an ACTUAL CHINESE WEDDING.

My hungry tummy

Dear diary,

It has been this way since man started eating, that one of the best appetizers for consumption of a meal is a hungry tummy. Aww, come on, how about your fellow dining companions? That is not the topic being written here. Hehe ... that is meant for another blog entry.

Unless something out the ordinary happens, one will usually have an appetite for food. This can be in the form of breakfast, lunch & dinner.

How do I know that it's time for some din-din? Try these for sampling:

1. When my tummy growls
2. When it's been a couple of hours since my previous meal
3. When I'm being offered food by someone I know

That being said, even with the "hungriest of tummies" won't stomach any food if you are facing a crisis, be it big or small (the crisis, I mean).

• You won't feel like having food, even if it is abalone & lobster (if those are your favourite foods)
• You won't care that your tummy is still growling

The TWIST of FATE

Today, my mood is black, really black. It is not for me to tell the world why I'm this way. Not you, not anyone. I can't always be pleasing people. So, I will start by just pleasing myself.

I'm neither blaming nor angry at anyone. I just want the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth. Thus, upon learning the "truth", if there are areas that I can correct to become a better person, then I will act on it. Certainly, no nitpicking here. It is simply "growing older".

Recently, I picked up this book from the nearest branch of my local library. It is entitled," The Quotable Athelete", by Mike McGovern & Sally Shelly.

Let me tell you about these memorable quotes. (ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS)

These best describe my current mood. No prizes for guessing why I picked them, the quotes.

The first comes from Michael Jordan, a world-renowned basketball superstar, formerly with the Chicago Bulls, an American team. This is under the category of "Mistakes".


"I'm not allowed to make mistakes. You make a mistake & it's magnified. It makes you scared to live your life."


It just about sums up my feelings right now. Scared & confused.

Yeah, right. I'm an adult now, so why do I feel "scared" & "confused"? Shouldn't I be a "self-assured" adult?? Please explain.

I don't need to. However, here's the perfect quote from the book that I'm reading, in the category of "Women & Sports" (at least it is, for now) to end this blog entry:


"When we complain about conditions, we're just bitches. But when the men complain, people think,' Well, it really must be hard' "

Betsy King
Hall of Fame golfer
as quoted on Golfers on Golf, edited by Downs MacRury, 1997