First Ballet Performance

I still remember my first piano performance.  In front of the congregation, I was a tiny 6 year old to play a simple piano piece.  I remember that I was calm and composed, not knowing what stage fright was, but definitely my hands were a bit cooler than usual even when the temperature was around 26 degrees celcius.

After that first performance, everything became blur, piano recital, orchestra performance, choir graduation performance, don't forget the odd bits of wedding performances, I liked those ones because I got to wear the nice party dresses instead of the boring black dress code.  However, with nice party dresses, came the odd wardrobe malfunction of slipping shoulder strap, and the rest.

This little girl I have, however, could not contain her joy of being told that this is her debut ballet piece and she'd remember it for the rest of her life.  That, got her behaving like a firecracker the entire evening leading up to the actual performance.

"Backstage pas de trois"

Totally messed up her ending courtesy bow because she opted to jump up and down in great joy instead.  Her joy was infectious because her dance partner followed her.

"Partners in crime" 

Of course, the hair bun I made at home,

 fell apart completely even before the dress rehearsal was started.  The dress she wore was soaking wet before she even had to change into her costume. 

Backstage after the performance, looking rather intoxicated I would say.  She ended up throwing up twice past midnight.  

Quite traumatic for me, but I think she would do it all over again and be exactly just like that.  

Marriage

Many people are afraid of being alone so they stay in a bad marriage.

Some are already lonely in their bland marriage.

Most just too lazy to get to know another person all over again, so they stay in their troubled marriage.

The lucky ones woke up one day, 30 years into their marriage, to find they don't really know who this person is that sleeps next to them every night.  Others thought they had a good marriage.
But they themselves know, that it is not.

So, for what reasons should you stay in a marriage?

• Love?  Trust me, after the ceremony, the bill comes and you start to wonder about this point.
• Kids?  They have their own future, unless you're a control freak and want everything to be perfect.
• Honour?  Hello?  What century are you still in?  If it's bad, get out of it.  

Stay in that marriage only when you know that you're happy being alone (single and lonely) and being in the marriage makes you happiER.

Think of marriage as a flavour enhancer, all ingredients are there in the pot, you can eat it without any additives, but add MSG, it tastes better.  Beware though, it is addictive and shrinks the brain.  e.g. Elizabeth Taylor R.I.P -married 8 times to 7 husbands- (guess Richard Burton was a powerful MSG).

Think of marriage as a bonus, it's a plus to be in a great marriage, but to have a great bonus, you have to work your butt off.  Unless of course you'll settle for a good one only.  There is a difference between good bonus and great bonus, you know what I mean, don't you?

But the point is, it is a bonus after all.

What really matter is whether you are happy by yourself, being alone, so single and lonely?

First Day Back at School

The question that I always get ask by her every morning is:

English: "Where are my shoes???"

I think she drew this because she grew tired of asking and decided to flash this instead the next time she misplaces her pair of shoes again.

Art Class

My question was: "Why the kid at the back is so happy compare to the one at the front?"

And at home:
No wonder I always run out of envelopes and sticky notes.

At the parent teacher meeting

"Playing in the snow"

New Novels for the Mid-Term Break

Another break at her school.  How it scares me, it means 24 hours of headache.
So we trot along the local imported bookstore and bought these for her:

A more story packed book with less illustration.

At first she refused to buy the Monkey King's tales, I had to tell her that it's for me.  But, at home, it's a different story, she read a page, and started to question about the immortals and enlightenment, this is the book she kept on asking me to pass to her.  How wonderful.  Surely it'll take her longer to finish, right, right?

Is there really?

A question came onto my mind amidst my already hectic day.
Is there really someone for every one?  Or will there be ones that will be left without a better half?
Perhaps they found that perfect person but can't settle down with him/her?  And would not have second/third best in line?
Ah well, I guess this piece of sentence that she wrote today sums it up perfectly well:

The Bed Sheet that Did the Deed

Any of you who ever got married, will know that one of your friends/ family, will give that precious set of bed sheet for your first night with the husband.
Likewise, I had my set of bed sheet.  Not 1000 thread count Egyptian cotton, but it was nice enough and perhaps NOT have those sweet memories they were supposed to produce.
After the marriage ended prematurely, the bed sheet was a permanent resident at the back of the wardrobe until........one day, I had the urge to snip snip snip away those memories.
So this is what I did:

Humming the "Sound of Music" tune....somehow I'm reminded...of the movie that is...

The 2 pieces of the pyjama pants to be

After the right sewing (I managed to make it into a skirt, before making it into the pants that it should be)

A closer look

How's that for a lazy Sunday afternoon?

The (only) Downside of Singledom

So, I have 2 invitations for 4 tonight, to attend the lucky draw function held by one of the banks here.
My parents already bailed out when the invitation came.  Who can blame them, they're aging and had 2 friends that tag along with them all the time, namely Mr. Parkinson and Mrs. Osteoporosis.
What a girl got to do when left with 2 invitations for 4 people?  So, this is what I did:

1. begged my daughter to have her afternoon nap so she can boogie the night away with me.
Result: She gave me 2 choices, either she goes to the function tonight and skip her ballet lesson (which she has an upcoming performance to do), or, she goes to her ballet lesson and skip tonight.  Tough choice, obviously I'm a good mom and discipline is numero uno.  So, I'm left without a partner again.  Who says it's easier to have a little girl than a little boy?

2. called my BFF in town and ask how she likes to have free dinner on me.  She can drag her husband along therefore giving her the freedom to come and go as they like (I thought what's the point of calling her if this is the option she's taking, silly me, I'd still be left without a partner).
Result: She's probably a sweetie and doesn't want to make me feel bad in the end by coming with her husband and leaving me yet alone in the middle of the function because it was getting too late.  So, I'm left without a partner yet again.

3. took a deep breath and start thinking that I've been to a lot of functions alone since I've became a single mom.  Certainly beats having to carry a sleepy girl all the way to the car park.  Beats having to try to have a conversation the whole night with whoever I came with.  And most of all, it beats having a lifetime of headache from a lifetime partner.
So, is there really a downside to being single?  I think not, hey, if I win that major prize tonight at the function, at least I'll be anonymous enough not to share it with anyone.  Ha ha ha.  What a lie, I know what I'd do first thing first.  But it'll also be anonymous.  ; )

A Parenthesis

LOYALTY in question.
A break from the "real life"?
What is the "real life" and what is the parenthesis?
How loyal are we to each?

For some, the parenthesis is their real life.
Jet setting from one airport lounge to another, coming back to an empty apartment, staying for less than a day, before settling in again yet in another airport lounge.  They'd be lucky if they get 48 hours in where they call "home".
The warmth they get is from the free blanket on the plane.

For others, they'd be lucky to jet out of their real life once a year.
They're always wishing there's more than 24 hours in a day because they feel they could've done a better job dressing their sick mother by just spending a little bit more time putting her make up on, or because they just feel that they could've stayed a while when their daughter asked them to sit and chat over afternoon tea.  There's hardly enough time to groom themselves.
So many people in their life, wanting a piece of them.  Any kind of break would be savoured to the last bits.  Even when that parenthesis would jeopardise their sacred-est vow.

So, what do you think is the parenthesis for English rugby captain Mike Tindall?
Read here and judge for yourself.

In the land of the long white clouds...

the once was bright blue sky and sunshine...

had just turned overcast and gloomy