Another year

I wanted to blog about many things over the past 2 weeks, but was kinda tied up at work. So I'll attempt to put things in chronological order as I remember them.

The high-school reunion
It was good to see so many old friends. Some I hadn't seen since I left school 10 years ago. My head reeled from retrieving names stored in long-term memory. A handful of them looked as if they could still wear their pinafores and not look out of place, while some awkward ducklings had blossomed into swans.

Our favourite headmistress, who survived breast cancer, was there. As well as some teachers. A decade barely touched their youthful faces. And it was nice that some could still remember us by name.

23 December
JH's housewarming-Christmas party was fun, with lotsa food. Her wonderfully wholesome chicken soup and angel hair pasta, my roast turkey as well as satay and braised pork & chicken feet brought by some friends.

I roasted the turkey breast-down this time, and flipped the bird over towards the end to brown. It was quite a scary job for one pair of hands but this method worked (Spot, you so crever)! The breast wasn't dry at all. And it was so easy to carve.

Christmas Eve & Christmas
I was ill for most of Christmas. Massive headache and general lethargy. It was so bad I actually left LY's Christmas Eve party unceremoniously at 10.30pm.

Ipoh on Boxing Day
It was quite a production bringing a puppy outstation, but it was a true family trip. All 4+1 of us in the car. We were lucky the parking attendant next to the dimsum place we went to was a nice old man who loved dogs. So he babysitted Sunshine while we had breakfast. Sunshine was such a good girl. When we went to get her, she was quietly sitting on a rattan chair with the old man. He got a well-deserved tip.

While my parents and brother went off to visit some friends, I took Sunshine to my godparents' place where their granddaughters went beserk playing with her. If the pup wasn't overwhelmed by them, I was. I had to pry them off the pup when it was time to leave.

Sunshine also made a new friend in Mandy that day, Geekchic's lab-rott mix. Mandy had a beautiful shiny black coat, friendly brown eyes and was at least 6 times bigger than Sunshine. But our little friend was hardly afraid (I was!). The odd pair looked soooo cute together.

A stiffy neck
It could have been from travelling or from scooping the pup away from mischief (she's 5.5kg). It got so bad on Thursday and Friday I could barely turn my head. I felt like Robocop. And it hurt to even walk.

Mom recommended a Chinese physician-physiotherapist. And I was desperate enough to try anything.

(I'm lying face down on a massage table)
Doc: Use computer alot ah?
Me: Ow. Ow. OW. Ya. Ow.
Doc: Here all stiff ah. Have to tahan pain ok?
Me: Ow. OK. OW. Ow.
Doc: Eat breakfast already?
Me: Not ye... *CRACK* (he twists and realigns my neck) OWWWWW.
Doc: Should get better. Few more times and you'll be ok.
Me: Ok (bracing myself for more).
Doc: No more computer ah. No cold drinks. No sour food. One week at least.
Me: Haaa?
Doc: And no alcohol too. Happy New Year.

My turning radius improved alot.
But I'm not quite 100% yet.

I guess God is trying to tell me something,
this being the New Year and all...
- Don't look back and think of what could have been. There is little I can change.
- Don't get too caught up with what's around me and lose sight of what's ahead.
- Life is full of twists. Some may hurt. But absolutely necessary.

I have no resolutions this year.
Not after THIS attempt last year. Haha.