Still Breathing

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I'm still alive.

Simplicity & Happiness

I taught the kids how to play table tennis. Actually, it's more like teaching them ping pong if you know what I mean. It turned up to be quite a disaster. The kids did not even manage to hold the racket in the proper manner. In the end, I gave up and they ended up in free play. Yeah. Hitting the ping pong ball to each other in badminton or tennis style, hitting it towards the ceiling, sweeping it to one another and chasing after it all over the mass hall. They were having a whale of a time, screaming and shouting in ecstacy. I, on the other hand, stood at a corner and watched in amusement.

It did not take long for exhaustion to kick in. I then decided to give them an ice cream treat. The kids followed behind me like I was the mother hen as we headed to the beach cafe. Each of them got a strawberry and vanilla ice cream cone. I had my usual Orangina drink and we picked a table facing the sea. The kids chatted and joked amongst themselves while licking happily on the cone. They were smiling and laughing all the time. I couldn't help but marveled at how easily contented they were with the very simple things in life. No Mac Donald's, no Ben & Jerry's, no Nike, no Adidas, no Billabong, no Rip Curl and yet life can be happy without all these material wants. Simple things like having an ice cream, a bar of chocolate, hand-me-downs and even a bottle of mineral water would just make their day. How I wish our kids back home could be more like them.

Having ice cream at the beach cafe.

Secret Recipe

Who says you can't get Char Kway Teow in Ali Baba Land?

Presenting to you my version of Char Kway Teow!
Sans bean sprouts, fish cake, cockles and lup cheong!

Looks like Char Kway Teow right? My darling says very nice leh...heehee... =)

Worried

A suicide bomb killed 43 people in Algiers today. The news said 38 were wounded. This is the second suicide bomb this month. The first happened on 10 August which killed at least 6 civilians. Now, I'm seriously worried about our safety especially if we were in Algiers. So, if I stopped blogging for a long period of time, you know what had happened to me. CHOY!!!! Heh!

Chef in the Making

I attempted to make pancakes this afternoon. The results? Bad.

Seriously, does it even look like a pancake? I followed the instructions on the packaging and even looked at the illustrations on the box. I thought it was idiot proof but hey, looks like I'm no better than an idiot. Hmm...on second thoughts...no lah...I think it's becos this brand no good lah! Heh!

Sordidness

It's amazing how much filth can pour forth from a man's mouth who's sick in the head. No amount of disinfectant can clean up that immeasurable amount of smut. I wish there was a cure for such a malady.

Anyway, I LOVE my buddy's latest status update on Facebook! It says "XXX never wrestles with pigs. You get dirty and the pigs love it". How true!!! *Applause*

I Can't Wait...

I'm going to Paris and London! Wooooo Hooooo!!!!

Super duper excited!!! =)

What's up?

The boys decided to come out and play one night. What did they do?

Mahjong under the stars!

Model Answer

"So, what do you do since you are not working?"

That is a tough question. I often fumble for a model answer but end up listing the things I do in general such as surfing the internet, watching TV/DVD, reading, teaching the kids EL, going to the beach, cooking (once in a while), washing clothes (very often!) etc. My reply would ellicit 2 kinds of responses.

The first one would be "Wah! So good life hor! Leading a taitai life!". That would inevitably set my eyes rolling 360 degree. I didn't know taitai needs to wash her own plus hubby's clothes. The conversation usually ended prematurely.

The second one would evoke a mixure of feelings - disbelief, disappointment and sympathy. They couldn't believe that is the adventure I have been embarking on and even more disappointed to know that I lead such an uninteresting and mundane life. Hence, they concluded that I must be suffering immensely from boredom and sympathized with my situation. As a well-meaning gesture, they would advise me to have a daily routine, take up a hobby etc.

But what is a routine? Well, I wake up, wash up, watch tv, surf the net, have lunch, wash clothes, watch more tv, surf more net, read, have dinner, shower, watch more tv and sleep. Is that a routine? I would think it is. What about a hobby? I read. That is definitely a hobby. So, I do have a routine and a hobby!

My point is no doubt life can be boring here, I seriously do not mind it at all. In fact, I appreciate and enjoy such an idyllic life. I do what I like each day even if it means doing nothing at all.

So, next time when someone posts me that question again, my answer would be "Nothing. I'm a bum."

My search for model answer ends here.

Summer Bliss

Happiness is enjoying an ice cream and getting sand between my toes.

Sleep

Let's see what I did today.

I woke up at 11.45am.
I had my lunch in my pj's in front of the TV.
I drifted in and out of sleep while watching the Olympics opening in the afternoon.
I woke up again at 5.20pm.
I watched more TV.
I showered and finally changed out of my pj's with much reluctance.
I had dinner at 7.00pm

Now, I feel lethargic all over despite 17 hours of sleep.

I think I need more sleep.

Wedding

I attended a wedding yesterday. It started off with a wedding lunch at the bride's house. Lunch was served on the rooftop overlooking the mountains and Mediterranean Sea. The weather was perfect - sunny and breezy. With such picturesque scenery and great weather, I reckoned I could take a nap right after lunch there and then.

Lunch was not some 8 or 10 course meal. It was made up of salad, (lotsa) bread, harira soup, lamb with prunes and fruits - simple yet satisfying. Mint tea or coffee and peanuts were served after the meal. While sipping our tea/coffee and munching on the crunchy peanuts, we were introduced to members of the family - mostly the grandchildren and also the bride who's just 18. It's a norm for girls to get married at such a young age. When I got bored snapping away and almost ran out of conversation topics, we decided it was time to take our leave. Before we got into the car, the father of the bride reminded us to be back for the wedding party later that night.

We went back to the house at about 9pm. Dinner was served at nearly 10pm. Algerians typically have their dinner at about 8 plus 9pm. Considering it was a wedding, like a typical Chinese wedding banquet, dinner would be served late. The dinner menu was uninteresting as we were served the same kind of food we had during lunch. Anyway, I shouldn't complain as they are not very well-to-do.

Food aside, the interesting part was that women were not allowed to dine together with the men. As I was a foreigner, I was made an exception. I dined with the men while the women and their children were gathered at the rooftop dancing away to the beat of the pulsating music. I supposed they already had their dinner before the party began. After dinner, I was invited to join them at the rooftop. The bride was among the crowd, all dolled up, sitting alone on her 'throne' (refer to the pic above). I was told later that the groom was not supposed to be at the wedding party. He would only arrive the next morning to pick up his wife and bring her back to his house where there would be another round of wedding celebration. This was sort of a sending-off-the-bride party.

I sat there watching the women around me. Some looked rather bored and I wondered how they were going to survive the long night ahead of them. The party was supposed to end at 4am or later the next morning. Others, young and old, were busy dancing away, gyrating their hips and shaking their shoulders as if they were blessed with an innate talent for dance. I was completely mesmerised with their sensual movements. Too bad Darling and the rest of his male colleagues didn't get to witness such an interesting sight.

It was also interesting to note that the father of the bride came up to the rooftop a couple of times with a rifle. He would fire a few shots towards the sky. I was told that was part of the tradition.

I had so much fun watching the women dance that I completely forgot that the guys were waiting for me. When I joined them, I could tell they were getting restless and ready to head home. We left shortly after. It seemed that I was the only one having fun that night. =)

On a Diet? Try This!

Here's an effective way to shed some pounds.
Try looking at half naked man with a towel around his tree trunk lookalike waist, his breasts sagging and fats jiggling as he walked around with that 'Oh! I'm such a cool hunk' look. It's an instant turn off. You lose all appetite and feel nauseous. Food will be the last thing on your mind. Probably, you would never want to eat for the next few days cos it's darn tough to rid that revolting sight from your mind.
Try it.

All Kids Love Jelly. Yes?

I was in the mood to make some jelly - fruit cocktail jelly. I thought that would be an ideal dessert on a super hot day. It was extremely easy to prepare. I just had to follow the instructions printed on the packaging - almost idiot proof. In less than 20 minutes, 4 trays of jelly were ready on the table, ready to be chilled in the fridge.

The kids came later on in the evening to try on some used clothings which I have brought over from SG. They were so delighted especially Nabila who happened to get a Snow White dress which fitted her pretty well.

After the 'fashion parade', I decided to give the kids a little treat. I emptied a tray of jelly on a plate and offered to the kids. Most looked at them dubiously and declined my offer. Finally, 3 courageous kids took up the challenge and each took one jelly. With one bite, the enthusiasm drained from their faces, leaving behind a disgusted look. I was puzzled and a little disappointed. I thought all kids loved jelly. Glenn and Gwendolyn do! Not knowing what to do with the unwanted jelly in their hands, the kids looked at me helplessly. I pointed to the rubbish bin and they rushed towards it. Was my jelly so repulsive? While the rest did not appreciate my jelly, Taufik (unsure of spelling) was the only one still holding onto it. 'Taufik, is it nice? Delicieux?', I inquired. Taufik nodded his head. I was extremely happy. Finally, someone was behaving like a normal kid.

The kids had to head home before dinner. I sent them off. On my way back, something familiar caught my attention. It was a half eaten jelly discarded on my doorstep. That kid lied! My poor jelly! I was heartbroken.