Ch-ch-ch-changes

The university we were supposed to hold the Engligh camp at in Korat has cancelled on us, and for a while, it looked like we had purchased a ticket to Bangkok for nuffin'. Just as I was planning a change in the focus of my mission trip from "Teach English and Be Holy" to "Buy Me More Bags in Chatuchak", we had another meeting and conclusion: the Korat trip is still on.

Now, instead of teaching English to university students, we will be visiting different areas around Korat, maybe a couple of orphanages and giving a performance at a public park, with the help of a local church (for translation, which I strongly need cos all I can say in Thai is "Hello, my name is...") and our missionaries who are stationed there. So far, the list of 'talents' which we will be entertaining the locals with are: a sign-language version of "There is None Like You", some songs, a musical interlude, balloon sculpting and 2 mime skits.

Can I just say I really hate mimes? They rank up there with tambourine dancing. What is it about Church that produces bad skits, painful mimes and dowdy peasant-skirted tambourine dancers? I know it's all about the heart and not how good/bad the performances are, but surely there is a better way of bringing the message across? Am very glad I'm not acting in the mime, and hope the Thai people are more forgiving of lame, but well-intentioned performances.

Vainpot

*sparkle sparkle*

My grandaunt left me some loose jade pieces before she passed away about 9 years ago and they sat in my drawer for years before I finally got round to setting them. I got my earrings over the weekend and am now very happy with my new bling. Now can wear and show off at the next wedding. hurhur.

Les bien, les mal (weekend version)

Eh, this was an exciting weekend, this was.

Car story
My car battery died on Sat night while I was looking for a parking spot near the French Stall in Little India. I was running late and had stopped the car to call my friend to say "I here oledi, but just looking for parking spot", and when tried to turn on the engine, it wouldn't start. Fishballs. So I called AA to come rescue me, and at the same time called another couple of friends who were also on their way to dinner. Since it took about half an hour to 45 min for AA to arrive, we strolled off to meet the others for dinner, leaving my car blocking the Sinda Association's 'Out' gate. wahaha. Halfway through dinner, I got a call saying the mechanic was reaching my car, so I bolted down two more mouthfuls, and went over to meet him. I was told my alternator had died, so there was no point changing it. (It turns out it was just a flat battery, as I found out this morning when I called AA to jumpstart my car again) I still hadn't finished dinner but obviously couldn't switch off the engine again as it would stall, so I drove round to the restaurant, evicted H from his parking spot, and left the engine running while I continued with dinner. And of course turned around every minute to check that the car was still there. H's wife and I were a little concerned about leaving the engine running:

J: Is it OK to leave the car like that?
H: Well, look at how long you're stuck in traffic or driving from one place to another.
J: Yah, but that's when the car's moving.
H: Well, look at it this way, people park their cars and leave their engines running when they're making out.
Me: Hmm you're right, but how long does it take for people to make out?

We didn't stay for too long. The other sucky thing about that night was I had to cancel my plans to watch The Great Challenge i.e. hunky french boys climbing buildings and looking hunky. Bah. Also, I had to contend with issues like being CAR-LESS on Sunday. Travesty. But it turned out ok, cos I had friends who were not car-less and could drive me around and take me to nice places like...

Sunset Bar and Grill
Some of us from the raucous BBQ night were brought by J&H (they being Punggolites/Punggolians and more familiar with the area) way north into Seletar Air Base into the East Camp, close to the Singapore Flying Club to this nice little relak place where we pigged out on chicken wings, chili con carne, cheesie fries, deep fried mushrooms and burgers. Definitely a fat-ass filling experience. The drive in alone was quite an adventure, as we twisted and turned around a golf course, colonial bungalows and army barracks, and passed oh-so-British street names like Picadilly and Baker St. So green, so deserted! Are we still in Singapore? And we finally found ourselves sitting on the verandah, being dripped on by the overhead trees, with mosquito coil to protect us and listening to the sounds of little planes landing.

Beautiful way to end the weekend.

Les bien, les mal

Two days of non-stop rain means:
- no rock climbing this week...bah
- must carry umbrella, shoes get wet when walking out

However, also means:
- no need to go car-wash, save $6
- can wear long sleeves, pretend Singapore has fall weather

Hmm...

Glee

I had a meeting at Upper Thompson yesterday afternoon, and it was finished by 3pm. So because I did not have lunch before the meeting, I felt it was perfectly alright to stop by the row of eateries and have lunch (sliced fish shoup and ling yong pau). And because I finished lunch at 3.45pm and it would take me 45 min to drive back to uni, which is just silly, I felt it was perfectly alright to go home. So I was home by 4pm yesterday. I love meetings outside uni.

Of Russian diamonds

My sister's 21st birthday is coming up next month, and I still haven't gotten her a present yet. Since it's her 21st, I feel I must get something more lasting and more "dai-fong" as my mother would put it, rather than the usual clothes/accessories genre. Unfortunately, something lasting also translates into something more expensive.

I have recently acquired some knowledge on how to look at diamonds, thanks to an eager-beaver friend who made it his business to find out about the ENTIRE diamond industry when he was out shopping for an engagement ring. He now can tell me that the price of diamonds has gone up, and is the proud owner of a special tweezer to hold stones, magnifying glass and one of those pink thingies jewellers look through to determine the cut and clarity of the diamond. He practises looking for flaws in diamonds by shading his lamp with tissue paper and peering through the glass at a loose cubic zirconia. I think he would make a very good gemologist.

Anyway, because some of this new knowledge that has been imparted to me, I have been looking around town off and on for something for my sister. Diamonds are very expensive lor. Yesterday I looked at the Goldheart display and saw a teeny-weeny diamond dust ring for $700. I could barely see the diamonds in that ring, might as well not wear lah!

Then, when I was wandering around Isetan Scotts, I discovered another kind of diamond. Russian diamonds i.e. look and sparkle like diamond kind. Fwah they were very big and super sparkle-sparkly. But somehow, I think they still look a little fake, maybe because of the cheap setting. Or maybe the colour isn't so good. "Quite yellow", my mother knowledgeably intoned. But I did see a loose pink diamond solitaire of about 2 carats that looked quite good. "Eh, quite real leh", my mother said. And it only costs about $200. With another $100 to set it into a ring, maybe I have found my sister's birthday present after all, hehe.