Loopie - Joop

2007 has been a "happening" year. Hao-e and i started this year as newly-weds (in the eyes of the Church and God at least!). Not much adjustments in that cept for the fact that one, it is officially the final bolt (i.e. no turning back now or you'll incur the wrath of HIM...), and two, we have another certificate of marriage from the church. (yes, we have 2! aren't you jealous?!) Early in the year, we were presented with a new, exciting opportunity in a faraway island, not unlike home in terms of size, and had to make a decision - to go or not to go. We'd decided that this opportunity was too good to pass, for Hao-e's future and our financial security, the final decision was taken - to MOVE! However, the real question was really, were we going to move together as a couple? We tried our luck and through some mystic wonders, God answered our prayers and we moved together here in April. It has been 9 months of adjustments, adjustments and adjustments. I had never...

We watched this movie yesterday afternoon after breakfast at Specialty Inn and shopping in town. This 2nd installment of National Treasure was still filled with excitement and humour, not unlike the first, but it was slightly less entertaining i think. there are less riddles to solve here, and Benjamin Franklin Gates ( Nicholas Cage) got away too easily from the FBI at each step of the way. The baddie isn't a mercenary British man this time, it's a man who wanted to leave a mark on history by discovering the legendary City of Gold. The car chase in London was pretty alright, the banter with french policemen near the Statue of Liberty in Paris was cute but it was the ancient trap inside the City of Gold that is awesome. Trust the movie people to think of such a majestic trap - a 2-d square piece balanced in the middle. perhaps the 2 movies were too much alike, following the same formula of heroism, honour and adventure. it was entertaining, but still a little disappointing...

We rented 2 movies last evening. i chose Amazing Grace while Hao-e chose a B-flick Shanghai Kiss. i know, "what the..." must be flashing in your mind now. Shanghai Kiss has the cheerleader from Heroes (the NBC serial)... that's about all... you can google it and find it on imdb. (i ain't gonna say much about it, cos it's not worth the effort.) but anyway, i digress. Amazing Grace is what this post is about. if you are bored like i am and you are taken by grown men in tights and wigs with thick english/scottish accents and girls with huge skirts and heaving breasts, i mean chests, in plunging necklines... OR just simply, you would like to be amazed (pardon me!) by the abolitionists who worked tirelessly in the late 18th and early 19th century to stop the British slave trade, and marvel at the origins and power of this hymn, then this movie is perfect for you. The protagonist William Wilberforce (acted by Ioan Gruffudd... just the name is enough to intrigue....

Got chided by sis that my blog wasn't interesting.... darn... so here are some pictures of my dinner last evening... curry chicken with broccoli and sliced carrots. the recipe includes mcCormick's curry spice powder, a splash of mirin and soy sauce and some low-fat milk. my alternative to the 南 南 Curry at Bedok interchange.

On Christmas Eve, i got let off an hour earlier than usual. Was back home at 5pm because my driver got lost while trying to pick me up. Yes, he still gets lost on the island. don't know why... Made some tiramisu for a party on Christmas day while watching Madagascar and waiting for time to pass. We decided we weren't going to the crowded 6pm mass with the kids (!) and their poor parents, so the only other option was the midnight mass. But their midnight mass STARTS at midnight, unlike the 11pm mass at home which ENDS at midnight. so i was yawning away by the time we got to church. nowadays, my bedtime is granny 11pm. this was way past bedtime!! it was still enjoyable and we got to wish father jerry a merry christmas. that was nice. Yesterday we went to F and C's house for turkey lunch/tea. there were sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts and parsnips too. bursting at the seams after that meal. then we watched national treasure on DVD. it was a pretty exciting show ...

We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year!!

it's friday darlings! yippee! and it's the weekend before christmas!! super exciting. tis the season to be jolly, everyone's in a holiday mood!! we went over to hao-e's big boss' place for dinner on wednesday night. their house is gigantuous and so well-decorated for the season. and their chef (you'd heard right, they have a live-in chef) made such good food!! there were 3 soups - pea, banana (?! amazingly delicious did i mention?!), and a third i can't remember what. the soups were served in small little cups. super cute! for mains, there was roast turkey with gravy/cranberry sauce, peas, roast potatoes and red cabbage. i'm drooling as i recall them... and for dessert, there was a date cake with vanilla ice-cream. absolute HEAVEN! i want their chef john. such a darling. one day.... when $$ isn't an issue, i want a live-in chef too! and he must be able to make the date cake... if he comes with a cute scottish accent as well, all the better....

btw, i'm quite pissed that i lost an earring. can't find it anymore. darn.

was irritated by the girl from the agency. first she told me i didn't need SI. then she claimed she told me it was necessary and pressed me to apply for one immediately. then she told me i needed a bermuda dollar bank account, that my US dollar account wouldn't do, they can't give me a cheque blah blah... irritated. thank goodness i could open an account via internet banking. (PS: can this be done in Singapore too? took me all of 30 seconds to login and click through till the end confirmation.) if not, i'd have added her to the list of people who do not deserve christmas presents this year. not that i intended to give her any cookies this year. nah... i saw her (the same girl as above) in town last saturday while we were shopping for hao-e's secret santa present... the town ain't big so we're bound to bump into someone familiar...hao-e bought his colleague headphones costing $40 -- $10 above budget. weird. he's usually not "extravagant" like th...

update on the M&S sale: i bought some opaque and some sheer black tights. hao-e got his cookies to feed his inner cookie monster. and we went to coconut rock for some sushi after that. can't wait for the sale after christmas. btw, we'll be back in 45 days. woohoo!

These photos were taken at the aquarium some weeks back. i'd clean forgotten about them until tonight... the place was that interesting. somehow, i'd never really taken to the scaly beings with gills, tentacles, etc. much prefer the mammals e.g. dolphins and seals. ugly and prickly big blue mouth thorny cute!

Hao-e and i have been asking each other, what do you want for Christmas this year? Seriously, we both have one wish, the same wish. we both hope it comes true. in the meantime, i am looking forward to spending hao-e's birthday voucher on a good yummy christmas dinner. tomorrow's M&S' corporate shopping day. 10% off. i think i may get a few tights to tide me through winter. it's getting chilly. that way the skirts can still be worn. will see if hao-e has anything he likes. What do you wish for this Christmas?

Forty-five boats participated this year... here are some for your viewing pleasure. No.20 - "Peace" No. 21 - "Sylvester and Tweety" Santa and some palms More Santas (they're coming by the hoards) Colourful Christmas Tree The Pirates! Unicorn Another Palm Bacardi's entry Huge Tweety Goofing around waiting for the fireworks to begin. The night sky was filled with bright beautiful sparks for a full 10 mins. Woohoo!

We have been going on siew mai shopping sprees for the past few weeks. hao-e has been consuming the shrimp-filled siew mais from amoy at an alarming rate - 1 packet or 12 siew mais every other day. i have to admit, they are really quite delicious. there are about 6 packets left in the freezer so he'd better ration. haha.

Christmas is a big deal to the island. Headed to the eastern end of the island (technically a separate island linked to the main island by a causeway and swing bridge) last evening for the walkabout organised by the national trust. the town was prettily lit with choirs and kids dancing on a really tiny stage. a bunch of us went around hunting for drinks and food (cos it was dinnertime) which meant we had to walk into some of the really old houses that have been restored and open for public viewing specially for this evening. i was initially worried about parking but was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as crowded as anticipated (i'd over-estimated the island's population and the popularity of the event, yet again) and parking "appeared" relatively quickly. after walking around and exhausting the sherry and mulled wine supplies near the town hall, we went to a house party and had some of the best chilli (not the spicy kind we have back home, the minced bee...

Hao-e's look for the evening... Tis the season to be jolly and attend D&Ds. (My sis alone has clocked 3 D&Ds so far. Hats off to you!!) Last saturday, we attended the D&D organised by hao-e's company at lido restaurant, not to be confused with the cinema back home. this is the first time in years i'd attended a private sector D&D. many many differences. let's see... no fees - used to have to pay a "token sum" to get a seat at the D&D. i of course being quite anti usually avoided such occasions, but there's always some bugger i know and love in the organising committee, who will persuade/beg/coerce/blackmail me into coughing up the sum. this time, i went as a partner and still didn't have to pay a single cent.. woohoo! fantastic food and free flow of alcohol - take your pick of the starter, soup, main course and dessert. and have i mentioned the alcohol? me have graduated from being the designated driver now that hao-e has h...

Last thursday was corporate shopping night at Gibbons, the local department store. There was 20% store-wide discount as well as free sampling of Bailey's 2 newest flavours - peppermint and caramel. I was looking forward to it cos i needed a new pair of pants (i'd outgrown some of them... yeah, i'm bad...) but was a little disappointed when we got there. *raised eyebrows* no crowds, no long queues outside the changing rooms, no queues at the cashiers, no queues to sample the liquor with accompanying cakes. so unlike the sale situation in singapore. well, i guess one, people here unlike us, have enough $$ not to be perturbed by sales and discounts, and two, there aren't 4 million people here in bermuda. so naturally, there won't be crowds. *shrug* i was so not used to it. i recall the mass hysteria when sale season hits the streets back home, where you snatch first then find an occasion to wear/use it or otherwise chuck it to the back of the wardrobe never to be...