Alden's Birthday!

Hey Dear,

Today we celebrated Alden's 1st Birthday at Novotel Hotel... The birthday boy is so cute lor and he's growing and learning fast! He was mumbling "mumm mumm" while being fed. Before long he'll be toddling around.. it'll be fun!

Was busy the whole week so did not have time during the week to buy him present...but this morning I rushed down to Toy R'Us at Vivo to buy him a BIG present. It's a learning set that allows him to sit on a musical chair while he plays around with the knobs, buttons which plays music, sound and story-telling. I am sure you'll like it as well... so it's our birthday gift to Alden's first birthday.

Peili and Huibin got him lots of balloons and a numeral 1 shaped cake:

Little prince cutting his birthday cake with a little help from the parents

Lil' piece of the b'day cake.. lychee flavour..yummy..

And I get to carry him! But he's clearly "disturbed".. hehe he's not used to unfamiliar faces carrying him... (must be fast and catch him off guard I was told)

Dear, I'm sure you're reminiscing all these fond moments with us...

Welcome Back Mr McDonald

Over the years we'd watched quite a number of Japanese movies together. Your interest in the Japanese language, culture, food, movies, basically anything Japanese, has indeed rubbed off me. Like you, I come to realise that a good Jap movie always have a strong storyline that captivates the audience rather than the actors & actresses.

And in the earlier years, most of the Jap shows that we'd watched were at the Old Picturehouse. Old timers like me will remember the Orange Julius restaurant at one corner.

Some of the shows that we'd watched there: Sada, Love Letters, Welcome Back Mr McDonald....

Welcome Back Mr McDonald? Not many people know about this show released in 1997:
A late-night live broadcast of a radio drama begins with none of the cast or crew being pleased with the project. When the lead actress Nokko Senbon decides she won't play her role unless she's allowed to change her character's name, the whole cast eventually insists on changing various parts of the play to their liking. This begins a chain of events that completely changes every aspect of the story and requires the entire staff to participate in completing the drama, all while live on the air.


We both like it... and last week I suddenly thought about this show and managed to find the DVD on sale at ebay. Just received it yesterday and I'm watching it again as I write... reliving the good old days.. Dear let's watch it together again.

豆花油条

好累好累啊。眼睛通红，快张不开了。要睡咯，明天又要早起。。。

刚刚放工后，在车里突然想吃豆花，油条，就索性到吾槽豆花，吃了吃豆花油条，过过瘾。

还好啦，辛苦了一天，有好吃的，值得。所以说，辛勤工作之余，有时也要宠一宠自己，不然真的会疯掉。。。

Rainbow....

!@#$%^, tell u what, there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Anyways, should not complain as I long expected the outcome.

The project is named "Rainbow" and the system called "Eclipse"..yeah right, what a name to call a system.. in ancient times when there is Eclipse, "chickens will fly and dogs will jump"..... the world will be engulfed by darkness... that actually happened this morning at work.

So many teething issues today... actually the challenge only starts now; how to solve the issues as soon as possible.

So so tired now, was back in office on Sat till Sun morning (2am?).. sigh cant join the guys to watch soccer... Nengjie called while I was in office.. told him that I was still busy. But everyone was back, bosses bought pizza, ice cream, chips etc for us ... not so bad...

Was back in office on Sun again (after a few hours of sleep) till afternoon, preparing for the system implementation on Mon when all the frontliners reach office to start work...

Starting to have gastric pain due to the irregular meal hours.. had my lunch at 4pm today, just had dinner now close to midnight.

As you've always wanted me to chant out loud in the morning "Today will be a better day".. Yup indeed.. really hope that today will be a better day (past midnight liao)

《禮儀師の奏鳴曲》Departures

离别。。。一提起离别，总是带着几许的悲伤，惆怅。从来没想过你会比我先行一步。

记得我们看了《禮儀師の奏鳴曲》Departures 之后，谈到离别这无聊的课题。我们俩的见解是一致的。我情愿我比你先走，因为我们俩都认为在这方面，你会比我坚强，会比我更能走出离别的阴影，比较能更快地站起来，从新面对现实的挑战。

真的吗？我多么希望，现在得回答这问题的人是你，不是我。。。也许我们俩是对的。现在的我还是不能接受这残酷的事实，还徘徊在离别的阴影，旋转在忧伤的漩涡。

想着想着，又再回想起最近发生的一切的一切。。。我又失眠了。。。已经开始习惯失眠的困惑。不能睡，没精神？不要紧，没事的。。。只要第二天能够醒来，已经是一种恩赐了。。。

借戏里面的一句，“总有一天我们要送别他人，也有一天要被人送别”。。。被人送别，对我来说其实是两者当中比较幸运的选择。

Les choristes

Hey Dear,

Remember this french movie which we watched in 2005? Just realised from wikipedia that it was incidentally released on 17 Mar, your birth date.

Remember that you were inspired by the movie; how the music teacher Clément Mathieu who against all odds organised a choir out of a group of "misfits". Movie starts with the wildly successful orchestra conductor Pierre Morhange recollecting his childhood inspirations through the pages of a diary kept by his old music teacher.

I am sure many years down the road, there would also be students of yours, recollecting how you've inspired them...

Attaching one of the scenes from the movie, where the kids were singing "La Nuit".. if i'm not wrong it's "the Night" in English (still remember a bit of french from my one year of french lesson in Uni). C'est manifique...

Dear Dear... Bonne Nuit.. Je'taime...

清明

清明，是细雨纷纷吗？
今天，可风和日丽喔！
人潮川流不息，车水马龙，
四周停着车子，站着心情各异的人们。
祭品推陈出新，琳琅满目，
到处放了食物，排着各式各样的祭品。
人们庄严地祭拜，表达了对已故之人的思念。
大家轻轻地祈拜，抒发了对往生之人的留恋。
今年的这一天，从此的这一天，我会以同样的方式来和你见面。
总有那么一天，直到那么一天，我会以另一种方式再和你见面。
安息吧，我疼惜的老婆，
再别了，我挚爱的老婆！

轻轻的我走了，不带走一片云彩

今天读到了徐志摩著名的《再别康桥》:

轻轻的我走了，
　　正如我轻轻的来；
　　我轻轻的招手，
　　作别西天的云彩。
　　那河畔的金柳，
　　是夕阳中的新娘；
　　波光里的艳影，
　　在我的心头荡漾。
　　软泥上的青荇，
　　油油的在水底招摇；
　　在康河的柔波里，
　　我甘做一条水草！
　　那榆阴下的一潭，
　　不是清泉，是天上虹；
　　揉碎在浮藻间，
　　沉淀着彩虹似的梦。
　　寻梦？撑一支长篙，
　　向青草更青处漫溯；
　　满载一船星辉，
　　在星辉斑斓里放歌。
　　但我不能放歌，
　　悄悄是别离的笙箫；
　　夏虫也为我沉默，
　　沉默是今晚的康桥！
　　悄悄的我走了，
　　正如我悄悄的来；
　　我挥一挥衣袖，
不带走一片云彩。

特别喜欢诗的前后两句。。。不知不觉地，心里又涌现了与你离别的悲伤，感慨万分。
===================================================
悄悄地，你走进了我的世界，也悄悄地，你夺走了我的心房。
为我那灰暗无色的黑白世界，上了色彩。
为我那寂静无声的单调心灵，谱了乐曲。
带来了心灵渴望的寄托，希望，喜悦，憧憬。

悄悄地，你离开了我的世界，也悄悄地，你粉碎了我的心灵。
让我那风平浪静的现实生活，蒙上阴影。
让我那幸福洋溢的美满爱情，划上句号。
放逐了内心潜在的恐惧，空虚，寂寞，失落。

人生的喜怒哀乐，酸甜苦辣，瞬时间我尝到了
人情的爱恨冷暖，悲欢离合，冥冥中我悟到了
我的人生？
人，有体却无魂。心，有灵却无情。
我的心境？
歌，有词却无曲。画，有线却无色。
我的现在？
尝到的，忘记了滋味。拥有的，失去了价值。
我的将来？
环绕的，失去了重心。渴望的，失去了意义。
===================================================
老婆，我不应该为你的离去，蒙上悲伤的色彩。
你的离别虽是可惜，也无怨无悔,
你的人生虽是短暂，也不枉此生。
你的过去与未来，永远是灿烂的,
你的到来与离去，其实是潇洒的。
恰是你悠然一面，向伊人倾诉,
仿佛你回眸一笑，向世人呼唤：

《轻轻的我走了，
　　正如我轻轻的来；
　　我轻轻的招手，
　　作别西天的云彩。
悄悄的我走了，
　　正如我悄悄的来；
　　我挥一挥衣袖，
不带走一片云彩。》

农历华人生日

华人农历二月十七。。你的农历华人生日。妈前几天已经再三提醒我，要记得为你庆祝华人生日。可是今天因为公司的事务多，我不能请假，只能一大早到福海禅寺陪你一会儿。之后又得匆匆忙忙赶回公司上班，不能和你多聊一些，对不起老婆。。。

昨天，妈特地搭巴士到大伯母介绍的一家专卖斋糕饼的饼家买了一个斋蛋糕。今天一大早，她又到附近的咖啡店买了一大堆斋料理。。。有饭，米粉，豆花，春卷，蒸菜，苹果，橙，包，豆腐等等。哇好丰富喔。老婆，妈为你准备的这些料理和蛋糕，你喜欢吗?

回想起平时，妈每隔几天都会提早打电话，问我们是否有空回家吃饭。她每次都特地准备些我们喜欢吃的菜，燉对我们身体有益的汤。你也很会讨妈的欢心，常说她煮的菜很好吃。她也总是说如果我们喜欢的话可以常常回家吃饭，不必在外吃没营养的食物。对一个家庭主妇来说，照料好一家人的起居饮食是她引以为荣的责任；是她对我们关心的一种方式吧！

上完班回家后，想起妈为你的生日忙了一个早上，又不能送她回家就赶去上班，有点过意不去。看到她房里的灯还亮着，想走进去和她聊一会儿，对她说声谢谢。推开房门，看到她已经睡了。。。可能是今天忙了一下，有点累吧。。。妈，谢谢你，谢谢你为慧琳所做的一切。。。