When the inappropriate gift troubles more than pleases

Someone i do not know well (but had known for many years) gave me a diamond pendant on my birthday.


I didn't realise what it was until much later as i had met him at my place carpark and had to rush off to meet a friend. It was much later when i met my friend that i had a chance to open the gift and it was too late to return him. I felt flattered for the thoughts but more so troubled.


It was an expensive gift and i do not know him well at all to deserve this.


Thanked him for the gift and chided him that it was too expensive and that now i have to buy him lunch.


I know gift giving is an act of kindness and it's rude to reject a gift when people meant well. Yet, i truly feel uncomfortable. I asked if i can return or pay him back which he refused. This is actually my first diamond pendant but i don't feel excited. Perhaps if it's from someone i like, i will be like over the moon. But it will not be because it's a diamond.


I found a bouquet of flowers when i reached home that night and it was from the same person. But I love flowers and it brought a smile to me.


Anyway, now this guy is asking when's our lunch and somehow i'm just feeling totally sianz. Sigh.

Honest folks at Dome cafe and some pics

My heart really dropped last night when i realised that i had left my new camera at Dome cafe @ Dempsey. The cafe was already closed for the day when i realised that my camera was missing. Hence, it was really nice to learn this morning that a waiter had found and returned the camera.

Just downloaded some pictures tested with the cam.

Here's the first pic, me at the electronics store where i bot my new cam.

A totally blurred picture took last night which i like anyway

And KwangMengSan, which i drop by on the way home today.

西界

今天, ipod 反复的播放这首你喜欢的歌.

林俊杰-西界

歌曲：西界

歌手：林俊杰 专辑：西界

阳光越过窗沿
我在阴影里面
才过正午13点
就漆黑一片
没有人看得见
我心深处的阴暗面
只能眺望东边
你的世界太远
撑到想象的极限
幸福有多甜
可黑夜已吞噬我

就是拉不到你的手
因为我活在西界
只拥有半个白天
一到午后夜色就蔓延
虽然和你面对面
却看不到我的脸
感觉到你不安的视线
在西界的那一边
只能有半个白天
暗自祈祷上天的垂怜
在长夜的边缘
给我一丝光线
让你能多看我一眼

The Little Prince chapter 21

"...So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near--

"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."

"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . ."

"Yes, that is so," said the fox.

"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.

"Yes, that is so," said the fox.

"Then it has done you no good at all!"

"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields." And then he added:

"Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."

The little prince went away, to look again at the roses.

"You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed no one. You are like my fox when I first knew him. He was only a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But I have made him my friend, and now he is unique in all the world."

And the roses were very much embarrassed.

"You are beautiful, but you are empty," he went on. "One could not die for you. To be sure, an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you--the rose that belongs to me. But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.

And he went back to meet the fox.

"Goodbye," he said.

"Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

"

A Nice Weekend

It has been a nice relaxed weekend. Nothing spectacular, leisure, laid back but filled with a general sense of happy-ness. And three feel good sessions with 3 different frens.

Had planned to do some work over weekend to clear some backlogs and i'm glad i had the good sense to decide against it. Need to draw a line on work else will be too 对不起自己 liao.

I realise that we are all generally too busy, trying to squeeze more and more activities into less and less time. That we fail to slow down, to savour, to enjoy and appreciate, all the potential sources of happiness that is all around us.

Such as waking up naturally and not to the sound of alarm clock on a saturday morning, and nauwing comfortably in bed, in a semi dreamy state, listening to the sounds outside, thinking of whatever things that comes to mind.

Such as a good movie and catching up with a fren over a nice piece of chocolate walnut cake and reminiscing the past.

Such as doing nothing but just spending time at home. Letting mom fuss over you, making you a cup of coffee and chat and taking videos of mom for no reason but just for fun.

Such as meeting a sweet fren who comes fetch you and see you home and takes care of you, not for anything but just because that's the way he was brought up to treat a lady with chivalry.

Such as listening to stories of fren's recent vacations and being inspired to go on a trip soon too.

Such as spending some alone time hitting some golf balls at the driving range.

Such as spending some time with a dear fren who is based in states and going back soon.

Life is good.

Fund Manager Pays $2.1 million to lunch with Warren Buffet

NEW YORK, June 29, 2008 (Reuters) — A Chinese fund manager has won a lunch with famed U.S. investor Warren Buffett after bidding $2.11 million for the opportunity in a charity auction, more than three times what the lunch fetched last year. More details from this link. http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/n29460010-buffett-lunch/#

Would anyone pays me $200K for lunch?

I should go to bed now.

The problem with Being Single at 30

is that many people can’t wait to peddle any single guy they know to you. It is as if you are without choices. That any Tom, Dick or Harry would do for you, as long as the person is single.

They meant well of course. But such blind enthusiasm is often more an irritation than anything else. And it often happens with people who don’t know you well. Such as one kaypoh ex colleague, who once remarked, “Why don’t you consider XX. He not bad ma. All the gals here are either attached or married. You also not young anymore…”

I felt like telling her. “No thanks. I’m a lesbian.”

Of course I’m not a lesbian. But the point is, how do you know if a guy’s my type? You don’t even know me. How do you know if I’m not dating? Why must I be attached or be married at this age? What if I made the choice to come out of a long relationship, risking marriage plans and at an age where most of my peers would be looking to settle down because it works best for me? Why are you not single? It’s great to be single and without attachment? Why don’t you join our club?

I believe there are two sides to every coin. There are things I missed having someone and being in a relationship. But there are equally many things which I really appreciate being single at this point. I guess we all go through different phases and experiences in life, which shape where we are now and how we view and appreciate life, people and things around us at a particular point.

Only we know ourselves if we are better off or not. And we should respect others for the personal paths in life they took, whether it is to remain single, divorced, married, dedicated to work, religion, dreams, whatever.

I think it is pure rudeness to try to impose one's values upon others without knowing the person behind.

And I’ll like to end off here with this poem I used to recite to a dear fren of mine whenever he tried to tell me what he thought was best for me (who at least has the right to give advice being a good friend who knows you and have your interest at heart).

AFRICA’S PLEA
Roland Tombekai Dempster

I am not you –
But you will not
Give me a chance,
Will not let me be me.

“If I were you”
but you know
I am not you,
Yet you will not
Let me be me.

You meddle, interfere
In my affairs
As if they were yours
And you were me.

You are unfair, unwise,
Foolish to think
That I can be you,
Talk, act
And think like you.

God made me me.
He made you you.
For God’s sake
Let me be me.

He wrote " two and two is ten, the Moon is made of cheese and Christmas Day does not fall on December 25th.."

Meant to do a quick check of my emails and get down to complete some work tonight. Side tracked to read some news on channelnewsasia instead. Ended up googling on Gopalan Nair, the ex Singaporean lawyer and ex Workers Party election candidate who is now charged with "insulting a Singapore judge in his blog.."

Anyway, think i super jilat. rather do boliao thing than to do my work which is in dire need of my attention. Hmm. should i go to bed now or work a little to feel better. Hmmm...