"Star light star bright, first star I see tonight"

"Wish I may, wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight."

I was putting away gifts I received throughout the festive season of Christmas. Yes I do know it is much overdue. Just that there was a pile of opened pressies sitting in the corner of my room screaming "PUT US AWAY WOMAN!" Procrastinator number one I tell you.

By the way, I received a Wishbone necklace as a gift from a dear friend of mine for Christmas. Which kind of explains the title in a way and the rest of the entry. I really love it. Here's why.

(My dear and cherished friends and loved ones reading this please do not pick a bone {no pun intended} and misconstrue my intent to speak about this particular gift. I love you all the same, gifts included, and I know they all come from the deepest cushiest crevice of your big big heart. You know how random I can be so this is just me being whimsically random..whatever that means)

My little silver reminder and lucky charm!

So yes, back. Not just because it's pretty or the fact that I've been eyeing it on RedEnvelope.com for a while now. Well, I'm not going to lie and say it's not pretty la. It is indeed. But more so because of the meaning it holds for me.

When I was younger, mummy and daddy used to buy this salt-baked chicken (yummy!), a loaf of Gardenia bread and canned drinks. Then us the Simon family used to head down to MacRitchie Reservoir occasionally for picnics, usually on Sundays because every Sunday was 'family day' back then. We'd pick a spot and begin attacking the chicken with our fingers and chowing it down. Never wash hands....Eeeyer. Yes, just like that, on some grassy knoll getting our little fingers and greedy mouths all greased up. But the highlight of tearing the delicious chicken apart and stuffing our faces, is the moment the 'wishbone' starts to peek out from beneath the mess of flesh under our watchful eyes. Since there were 3 of us sisters then (before my brother Kevin was born), and only 2 spots to have a go at the wishbone, we usually gave up our spot if we were feeling like good little children, if not then fight for it la. So as you all probably already know, two people make a wish and break apart a wishbone and the one that gets the bigger half gets their wish fulfilled.

You: "What? You mean you silly children and gazillions of silly adults out there in the world actually believe that wishing on the bigger half of some bird's fused clavicle bone resembling the letter 'Y' actually works? Rubbish..." Well we did, and to this day I still do.

Goodbye salt-baked chickens, Hello wishes in waiting.
Had us poor children only known...

I guess what I'm trying to get at, is that every time I see a wishbone, it transports me back to those days with my sisters, daddy and mummy sitting down sharing a simple meal together... That memory and the connotations the wishbone carries make it special to me. It is mostly the child in me that believes in wishes being granted and dreams becoming reality. And at this point of my almost-adult-life, after experiencing and witnessing not just my own but other's pain, helplessness, injustice, disappointments, among many other awful things, it is so important to be reminded of hope and possibility. I hope the child in me never dies.

"Blood-duh! Not funneeee!"

This really made my day. Was a pretty humdrum type of day until I got this in my inbox. I think the story goes that this little boy had accidentally head butted and bloodied his baby brother's lip while playing. This boy sure is seeing red! I love how he gets majorly pissed at his Daddy for taking the matter lightly. Damn cute la!

I so wanna hug him and pinch his cheeks!!! Especially when he pokes his cheek to tell Daddy, "Derrr" ("there").

Soul searching on a rainy day...

It's been pouring intermittently between days. Am starting to wonder if the weather's working it's enigma on me lately. I love rainy days. You know, the smell of fresh rain, the grey skies, the first pitter-patter against the window pane, then everything around outside goes fuzzy...Like the world's going through some sort of spiritual cleansing. I've realised recently that I've stopped doing those things. Noticing that is. You know alot of us get totally caught up in a myriad of emotions we forget what helps take away the hitches in our lives (like the natural phenomenon such as rain or whatever it may be for you), if even for a few seconds.

So yes, 'soul searching'. If you try to be funny (which I am attempting to be) you could actually force some sort of double meaning out of it: A time to contemplate and reflect on past present behaviours and desires, or finding a Soulmate. The term as such a mystical affinity to it! Eeeeyer....

So even if you think you've found the ultimate half of your soul, surely the magic's going to dwindle as years crawl by? It's feeling like Christmas is magical as a child, and then finding out that there isn't a Santa. So, if keeping the magic alive is to carry on with the pretence that Santa's (let's use 'Santa' to replace 'magic' for a bit here *lol*) alive and kicking in the deep crevices of an iceberg in an igloo sipping hot cocoa with his elves in the Northpole, surely it MUST be denial? Maybe. But maybe not. Perhaps it's about having hope and celebrating it. OR, it's probably not about finding that perfect someone, but finding perfection in that someone? Tough right. But not impossible I guess. People say that you'll just know.

Clueless person: "How do you like, you know...KNOW?"
Person who knows: "Well, I guess you know....You'll just KNOW."

Like WOW that really helps eh. Tough! Starting to feel like this entry belongs on an episode of Oprah. *lol*

So drabby la my mood is. Anyway there's 'stuff' going on in my life at the moment that's difficult to discuss so openly. All I know is, that it is all in this good ol' head of mine. Just have to remind myself that it's just 'stuff' and I shouldn't sweat it too much. Whatever it is can't be huge compared to what the rest of the world is going through. Using that analogy somehow helps get me through whenever I feel really lousy about something. That, or a tub of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia!

Ok eeeeeenufff of whining. Time to do some actual soul searching, count my many many blessings in life which I should be so thankful for (and I truly am), pull the curtains apart and watch the rain slowly wash over the world. Shall leave you with my quote of the week, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars."

Embracing the new year with thanks

Performing with Robert Sunga at Countdown 2008, Vivo City.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZIgSJvjQAE

Here are some shots of the solo pre-show performances that night, googled and found on blog sites. :)

Having a talk on stage with hottie Max Loong. Blur pic...pity pity.

Happy 2008 one and all! Hope you all had a merry merry one. I don't quite believe in making resolutions, because there are just too many things I feel I need to do or improve. So my list would be extremely long. But one thing I do hope for me and for everyone else, is that we be happier and content with what we already have in our lives at present. You know, the simple things we greedy humans often overlook. Family is important, and so I really do hope to make more time for them.

So thank you mummy, daddy, my two beautiful sisters and my angel of a brother. Thank you mummy and daddy for always letting me know that I am loved and special, for being my silent pillars of strength, for allowing me to make mistakes and loving me the same still, for worrying about whether I've had enough to eat or sleep and for being supportive of whatever it is I choose to do. I hope that so far, I've made you both proud enough. Thank you Reen and Dra for teaching me what sisters do for each other, for laughing and crying with me, for always reminding me that God is with me in whatever I do, for being my big sisters even though I am older but not necessarily wiser, for loving me as I am faults and all. Kevin boy, I have always believed that you are our angel sent from above to teach our family Life's lessons; you carry something within you that constantly reminds me that life is precious and should be treasured, you've taught me that to be able to wake up everyday is a miracle in itself; and thank you for laughing with me on the silliest things and singing your Hokkien songs. LOL. I hope to be a better daughter and sister. I love you all greatly and pray that God keeps you safe and in his arms throughout 2008.

Also like to say how grateful I am to all who have been cardinal in my adventure (I like to call it that LOL) so far since Live The Dream. Thank you for showing me so much support and for your endless encouragement. God bless and hugs all round!

I want to do more in 2008, so I hope more doors will open with a little bit of luck being at the right place at the right time.

I just had a 'light bulb' moment. *ting!*

Instead of making resolutions which I am terrible at even remembering or keeping, I shall come up with a list of things I wish to attempt this year perhaps, or hope to do la. I once read somewhere that it is good to make and keep a To-Do Life List, and then set about doing them one by one. I've already started my list early last year and managed to cross off a couple of them. Think it would be nice to share it with everyone here.

Tomorrow, I have got to remember to pick up my jacket which I left behind at the hairdresser's last week! And and and...am happy that I'm going to meet my 'breast' friend for dinner tomorrow (actually later today...) and dessert and exchange gifts!! Yes we're still in time! It is still Christmas! I hope she likes what I got for her. LOL.

Till then, it's getting late and I should be in bed all warm and snuggled with my 2 kitties which I shall post pictures of soon. Sweetest dreams one and all!