The 41st Pilsbury BakeOff has found a new champion. The creator of Oats 'n Honey Granola Pie beat 100 finalists in a nationwide competition that features the best of American homecooking. Click on the link for more great recipies.

After spending nearly a week cooped up in the house with work, I broke out. Ran off to Orchard Road and spent the afternoon browsing through Kinokuniya, my favourite bookstore. I had 4 20% discount coupons to use before the end of the month and I was determined to get myself a book or two or three...! *wink* Ended up with 3 books and a complimentary VCD. I could have done some serious damage to my wallet: there were so many interesting books tempting me. I could easily have walked out with at least 10 but I controlled myself. "You can always come back," I reasoned. "Wait for the paperback versions!"

Determined to catch "Day After Tomorrow", I flew to Orchard Cineplex for the later afternoon show but not before stopping off at Esprit to pick up 2 pairs of sneakers for only $10 EACH with discount coupons I found in June's Female. A thoroughly satisfying feeling that.

The movie was great although I hardly doubt a major global climate change can happen overnight. The funniest part I felt was the scene of Americans clamouring to get past the Mexican/American border and being held back. It's usually the other way around there.

Now it's back to work again. And Fireflys' preparations for the Rastafarian Reggae Splash 2004. It's going to be a month of rehearsals, rehearsals and more rehearsals for the big night at Sentosa on 31st July. So if you're around, get your tickets to this premier event!

It's finally raining!! Not torrential monsoon type rain but rain nonetheless! Yippee! I can actually feel a cooler breeze now.

Wonder if anyone out there is watching the Euro Cup 2004? Did you catch England's Beckham's spectacularly lousy penalty kick against Portugal? It's not so much the game I want to mention but how this man, who's soccer failures have earned him derision and scorn, rises from the ashes of each very public knock-outs and stands his ground. He isn't the world's greatest soccer player but you have to give him credit for his guts. To fail on an international stage must be excruciatingly humbling and scary; you'd think he'd freeze, run and hide or even give up 'the beautiful game'. But the man whose career sports journalists' declare is over, is fighting it out. He's staying.

I have to admit...I fear failure. And sometimes I find that very fear holding me back from even trying. Thankfully, I'm not a public person. The world is not looking on if I make or break it. So what do I have to lose?

Heard on the news last night and confirmed it again on the Internet; there are now over 300 hotspots in Sarawak, slash and burn fires that are the source of the haze. And with dry weather forecasted for the next few weeks, looks like the haze will be around for a long while.

A piece of mind-boggling news: Indonesia, who's total ineptitude in dealing with the fires in Sarawak, has insisted that Singapore and Malaysia are partly to be blamed for the haze. *HUH* It seems that much of the lumber from unlicensed loggers make their way here and therefore we 'have to help so that Indonesia won't create the smoke and haze'. So says Indonesian Vice-President Hamzah Haz (see page 2 of ST 25/6).

I realise that Indonesia faces an uphill task to control, educate and monitor their farmers and loggers. Not to mention their own government agents in the area who may or may not be looking the other way way as fires rage on. And with the government in the midst of elections, how can anything be resolved now?

Meanwhile, Malaysia is going on the defensive: Instead of publishing the daily air pollutant index (PSI), they are classifying it as a state secret, in fear that it will jeopardise the nation's trade and tourist figures.

Any one know a good rain dance?

I hate this weather! No thanks to unscrupulous loggers and or ignorant farmers in Indonesia, there are now forest fires raging in Sarawak. And there's a haze over much of Peninsular Malaysia, and it's starting to blanket Singapore! With my sinuses in hyperdrive and what looks like late evening light for most of the day, all I want to do is lie in bed and nap! Thankfully, the PSI reading is nowhere near 100 yet (although several years ago, it broke the 100PSI mark and there was an acrid smell of smoke in the air for a long while). I'm praying for rain to flush the skies.



It's Chinese dumpling season again. There's a legend to this humble delicacy famously known as 'bak-chang' (glutinous rice dumplings stuffed with meat or sweet fillings and wrapped in lotus leaves) and you can read about it here. There are so many variations to the dumpling but my favourite is the kind stuffed with pork, chestnuts and maybe an egg yolk or two.

Yikes! A whole week just slipped by without an entry. I didn't forget but with clients breathing down my neck, chasing for projects...I just didn't have the time! But that's good, right?

Tried to catch a performance at the Singapore Arts Fest. However, MIX from Brazil had some technical difficulties and were forced to cancel Saturday's show. We were offered a refund but were also invited back the next day for a re-scheduled performance. Damm! Couldn't make it because of a meeting but the parental units went and proclaimed it a great success! Double damm!! There was one number where the dancers were literally climbing the walls! The audience went wild and gave them a standing ovation after each segment.

Someone complained in the papers that this year's Art Fest is more middle of the road and mundane than ever before with less esoteric and challenging performances. I disagree! This year's had a mix of both, although less on the mundane. But sometimes mundane is good. It's comforting. It's familiar. How do you appeal to the heartlanders with performances that are so avant-garde in its interpretation that leave one perplexed and alienated? And that I feel, has been the case for the last few Art Fests and even some of the theatre/dance pieces performed by companies here. While the culture vultures love them, can't get enough of them, and name drop like crazy, many shows lack mass-appeal. While it's good that we're trying to establish our own artistic identity, exploring themes and ideas relevant to Singapore, but does everything have to involve sexual identity and Singlish comedy? Don't believe me...go count them in the last 2 years! Sometimes I feel there's hope with plays like Emily of Emerald Hill (the one with Ivan in the role of Emily is my favourite to date) then something like Dim Sum Dollies roll out, and I cringe. We shouldn't become victims of our own desire to push artistic boundaries. I believe there's a fine line to be tread but with every art group rushing to out-stage the others with cutting-edge performances, what's left for the rest of us?

It has been an exhausting weekend!

It started Friday night with a late night movie of Harry Potter. Loved it even though I thought it was rather choppy. Over coffee later, I realised that there were a number of key scenes in the book didn't make it to film, especially the part about the Shrieking Shack which is closely linked to Voldemort.

Saturday saw the fireflys at the green patch opposite the Heeren in Orchard. We were to give to a 20 min performance later in the night but were there from 3pm cause we were given a booth to sell stuff. Bex was selling her Reggae Fest tickets (first time ever in Singapore on 31 July at Sentosa!), Sheila from Poppi was selling handcrafted earrings and the flys had 'saggy balls' and glowsticks on sale. I contributed some 'barefoot sandals', hastily made between the hours after Harry Potter and the time I had to leave for Orchard! Saturday's entertainment was headed by bellydancers. Although we were the closing act with 4 performances, I think we stole the show! Will have the link to the fire pictures as soon as Xin puts them up.



Later, we trooped over to Ice Cold Beer on Emerald Hill to wind down. Much later Ees, Bex and myself left for the Mitre around midnight for a BBQ with Charlie, Jimbo, Xin and company. We had not eaten for the whole day and were famished. There's something to be said for charred sausages, baked potatoes and chicken wings fresh off the BBQ, on an empty stomach. It was the BEST meal I've eaten this week!

Sunday, today...I'm recovering. I feel hungover even though I only had one beer and gallons of water the whole day! I guess we all can chill out for the next few days till Wednesday evening, when we start planning for fireflys' participation at the Reggae Fest in July!

Michael Moore's most controversial movie to date, has a trailer. Looks like it will soon be seen in the US after all.

It's been a good week with lots of work and the final resurrection of an old job. It's been lying dormant for the past 3 months. This morning's email from that client signalled it's impending return. What's so annoying is that I quoted so so cheaply on this that I've lost money! It was suppose to be a relatively simple 6pp folder with some copy-editing. But the client had some very definite design ideas, one of which was that there had to be 1/2 inch margins all around. Go figure cause I couldn't! 3 visuals later and the whole project went into hibernation. Till this morning. And now...that doofus wants it on MONDAY!!! You've got to be kidding me! And I'm still missing a ton of photos which won't come in till after that. *Grumble, grumble!* I hated doing it, but I put my foot down and insisted for everything BEFORE I start work again on the brochure.

I love running my own design company, and working with the few client I have. They give me enough work to keep me busy and in the black. But generally...I hate it when I get rushed to meet crazy deadlines, bending over backwards to fit last minute stuff (which sat around for weeks/months) into a pre-planned schedule only to find later, when I rush them for approval and much later, the check...that I get stone-walled! *Arrghh!*

It's for reasons like that that make a return to corporate life so bloody attractive although that too comes with it's own set of problems. And sometimes, it's getting out of the pan and into the fire. Problem is, you won't know see the flames around you till you realise you've got 3rd degree burns! And I've been burnt a couple of times already.

I'm holding a small hope for some thing to happen. Will write when it does...or not. Stay tuned.

There's a stream of gold on the horizon as the dark clouds of night give way to the dawn. There's something coming...I feel it. I know what shape it will take. And I will embrace it totally.

God...
Thank you for all that you've given me,
For what you've have taken from me
And for what remains.

--Stephanie Hansen

Finally, after nearly 6 months, Fireflys was back at Siloso Beach on Sentosa again. It was great to be there, in the late evening with music, drums and poi. Today's meeting was in preparation for the Street Festival on 12 June near the Heeren. The drummers (Jim, Wen, Serene and Cheryl) worked out a couple of pieces while the rest of the Flys (Xin, Ees, Yap, May, Sean and later Bryan) got busy choreographing. Bex and me vegged out on the mats, enjoying it all; once in a while looking up to yell for her two dogs who kept wandering off down the beach.

I realised that in these last few months, we all never got together. The last one was in March for pancakes at Ems! Everyone has been so busy with work and stuff that we've not arranged anything as a group. And I miss that. Phone calls and SMSs are great ways to keep in touch when we are on the go but nothing beats the physical presence of good friends. I hope we don't take too long before we come together again.

Just when I'm about to give up hope that I'll get another new client or new job...*BING!* They pop out of woodwork! I've now got several new projects and was asked to quote for a couple more. I also had to turn down another job as it was just a pitch although it would have paid well if I got it. I noticed that these things happen in waves and it has happened several times before. There's a sudden deluge of new jobs just as a slow spell is setting in. Now don't get me wrong, this is not a complaint. I'm eternally grateful for the opportunities. It's like someone up there is telling me that being on my own can work, that there are jobs out there and to just hang on.

So ok...I'm hanging.

Think about them one at a time BEFORE going on to the next one:

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla or strawberry!)
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke.
24. Friends.
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29. Playing with a new puppy.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies.
37. Having your friends send you home-made cookies.
38. Holding hands with someone you care about.
39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the _expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
43. Knowing that somebody misses you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

After several days of procrastinating, I finally buckled down to finish a 4pp brochure that's been sitting on my table since early last week. Copy editing and design started around 2pm this afternoon.

My little SOHO is in one half of my bedroom; I divided it up with an IKEA desk and low-rise bookshelves where my printer, scanner and stereo sit. The desk is perpendicular to the bookshelves and faces my bed. Now you see why it's sometimes so hard sometimes, to get started with work. With the overhead fan creating a nice breeze, rain outside and that bed beckoning...it can be torture.

Even more so now when I'm in desperate need of a holiday. Somewhere with a beach, white sands and blue blue waters. A never-emptying jug of ice cold sangria by my side, a good book and jazz in my ipod. And I really don't care if I go alone or with some friends. It has to be somewhere nearby, I don't think I can handle a 24-hour trip to the other side of the planet right now, despite what my sister in Memphis says. ACK!

Soon...soon...

Well, if you didn't hear me jumping up and down screaming over the weekend, that's because I didn't win. Came close for a couple of numbers though. I guess I'm just one of those people that have no luck with the games of chance like this.

Still, am hoping that I'll strike another kind of lottery. Just submitted a query letter to a children's book publisher here. Hope they like what they read and call me back. Now that would be a major cause for celebration, wouldn't it?