a man & a woman

"She must know I love her; I wouldn't spend all weekend building her a bookcase if I didn't love her."

"He spent all weekend outside building that damn bookcase to get away from me - he doesn't love me."

"She must know I love her; I wouldn't have so much hesitation before I kissed her if I didn't love her. I treasure the relationship and care for her feelings."

"It took him so long to kiss me - he doesn't love me."

"She must know I love her; I wouldn't have offered to cook her noodles at home if I didn't love her."

"He is reluctant to dine out with me. He prefers to save money - he doesn't love me."

amethyst is my birthstone

Morning walk is a therapy to the body and soul. Along the seaside. Breakfast at McCafe. Latte & sandwich with mayo egg & tomato.

Dimsum with Mamma, Mike & his family.

I have been listening to the album "faithfully" by Anita Mui for the whole afternoon.

I will be dining at home by myself. Some beef ribs from Jusco and a Campbell soup.

Is loneliness enjoyable? Yes, solitutde is a retreat from the worldly hustle.

I have bought a ring with amethyst and another one with prehnite. Both are set in silver.

Dubai - Burj

Will there be another financial crisis resulted from the debt default by Dubai World?

Odalisque

By Jules Joseph Lefebvre (1836 to 1911), a French figure painter. Many of his paintings are single figures of beautiful women.

Odalisque was a female slave in an Ottoman seraglio. She was an assistant or apprentice to the concubines and wives, and she might rise in status to become one of them. Most odalisques were part of the Imperial Harem, that is the household of the Sultan.

ttul

"talk to you later." That is the usual acronym that Min uses to end our chats. The younger generation has so many of these, especially for online communication. Language grows from culture, geographical regions and different ages and classes.

Meryl Streep has a song "The Winner Takes It All" from the movie/musical "Mamma Mia". I listen to it for a thousand times. I have been thinking who is the Winner, what is a Winner, takes What and what is All.

How much in life have I won? Anyone, anything is a "must to be won"? For what? Anyone wants to win me? What happens if I fail? How many times have I failed? With the hind sight, was I stupid in pursuing at all? Anyone, anything right in front of me to be won?

To win means to be victorious in a battle, contests or a race; to obtain or achieve something as the result of a bet, competition or race; to obtain or reach something especially as a resulf of hard work or perseverance.

The Winner Takes It All! What happens to the Loser? Who is the Loser? Why join the game?

sociable & lucky

Seek people who respect and appreciate you, and respect and appreciate people whom you choose to be with. Be around happy people - moods are contagious. Let others infect you with their happiness; don't bring them down.

Unlucky people are tense and anxious and not relaxed enough to notice unexpected opportunities. To be lucky, we have to trust in luck; trust that life is on our side. Have faith that good things can and do happen.

Lucky people listen to their intuition and respect and act on hunches. They usually have an optimistic outlook and try lots of strategies to get a positive outcome, thereby transforming bad luck into good.

To be sociable and have good luck are my daily tasks. :)

diamond hill

After pingpong, Marga & I treated Coach Wu with lunch at Waterloo Road. Shanghai cuisine. Then, we went to pay respect to Grandma. Nice to be on an ordinary Sunday. No one was there. No fires and smokes all over the place. We enjoyed the peaceful session with her.

Another Sunday leisure with curry pie, coconut tart and Lipton tea. How lucky I am to have a decent job and some relaxation every weekend.

Dinner at Mamma's home. Cant ask for more.

Herb tea, please cure my cough and give me a sound sound sleep tonight.

Obama visits China

It is as cold as 10 degrees C. I had bought an orange cardigan from Chinese Arts yesterday after work. 100% cashmere, made in China.

Min has bought a pair of UGG boots, chestnut classic. A pair trendy sheepskin boots, unisex and with wool lining. Synthetic soles and stylish to have tight and elastic jeans tucked in. UGG means ugly. Made in Australia. She feels great wearing that. As long as Mom can afford ........

After a night's sound sleep, I feel much better today.

UGG boots - chestnut classic

the Rockies & Dublin, Belfast, N Ireland

Lee went to San Francisco and the Rockies in Canada. Betty went to Dublin and Belfast in N Ireland during her her stay in UK.

Taiji tutor said remaining motionless and quiet is a means to regaining energy. Very amazing.

Anis is learning fast. I am happy. I enjoy sitting in their Panasonic massage chair after dinner.

A nothing-to-do Saturday.

the bad cold is lingering

Much improved.

I need more rest. I need more relaxation. I need deletion of unpleasant experiences. I need doing nothing.

Min is happy with her dress and necklace. She promised me to work harder and spend less. See how much she will fulfill.

Anis is so cute. She brings along tremendous joy to all the people around.

Bravo!

Breakfast with fried eggs and bacon, bread/butter and coffee. Yummy!

Pingong.

I had a wonderful time with Porpor and Mayee at Sun Kong Theatre, North Point, to watch the Cantonese opera - A story of the Purple Jade Hairgrip. This is my masterpiece of translation. From 1:30 pm to 5:10 pm.

I met Agnes at QEH at 6 pm. We visited YM. He is fine. I am so glad to see him a healthier man than before. He will be discharged tomorrow.

Dinner at Yat Tung Heen with Agnes. When we walked towards Jordan MTR station, I saw Su & Robert strolling on Nathan Road hand in hand. How enviable.

pearl ring and pearl ear-rings

Miranda showed us her finger ring with 2 big pearls - one black and one gold-coloured, both of irregular shape. The ear-rings are of one black pearl each. Very very expensive.

Mj from 10 am to 1030 pm. A new acquaintance - Mrs Miu. I am definitely a member of the retirees' club or ah por club. Youth has no return.

skive & skiver

British slang: skive - avoid work, esp by staying away from where it is being done

skiver - person who skives

Play Truant: Stay away from school without permission

A game I never enjoyed. Could it be lots of fun? Was I self-disciplined or stupid?

daylight saving time

Min is 8 hours behind. Skype is so useful. She is having French lesson on Wednesday afternoon. Once she said something to me which I did not understand. She was amused and told me that is "I love you" in French.

Anis b has 4 teeth coming out. She is a happy baby.

Amused

Humour is one of the best and most psychologically mature and healthy defences. It is a good way of controlling negative emtoions. Even when in great emotional pain, humour helps us detach from an event and maintain our dignity and a sense of self. When we make jokes about a bad situation, we still feel the bad feelings, but we can control them better.

Play peek-a-boo with a baby. Get a puppy. Hang around with funny people. Rediscover the old silent movies. Try to see the world through the eyes of your favourite comic. Laughters make us more receptive to new experiences, creates emotional intimacy and encourages us to take ourselves less seriously.

Like yawning, laughter is contagious. So mix with happy people and maintain happy relationships with friends.

:)

monday is longer than sunday

When I was a teenager, school girls said this to indicate their underskirt is showing beneath the skirt or dress.

Now I mean it is really an exhasting working day after the relaxing weekend.

I failed to operate on e-banking. Wrong date for the first time and wrong currency for the second time. Stupid me.

Hurray! Chu told me Tam has gone through the surgery and waken up already.

We had a cake for Anis b - 11 months old. A has a fever. Van treated me for a massage on Thursday near PP3.

my darlings

Min wore a black vampire's cape with devil's horns and held a long walking stick. She put on very red lipstick on her full lips. Boys got pink strings and girls got blue strings. They had to give to someone they thought handsome or beautiful. Ivan gave Min his pink string. Then, Min started to collect as many as possible from other boys by asking them to give their strings to her. In the end, she got 14. Another girl got 20 and became the winner.

That is Min. So jolly!

Anis knows to cover half of her own face with a white handkerchief leaving one eye peeping. When Van pretends that she cannot find her and calls out baby's name, Anis will remove the handkerchief and starts to laugh.

2 angels - one in Guildford and one upstairs.

Wenxi - he calls himself Mosquito Food because there are so many mosquitoes in his flat. He discussed the definition of old and young with me. Lots of fun chatting with him.

Halloween

Min had effected payment for the tuition fees through internet at last. One month late. Luckily, no extra charge. She will be paying the boarding fees on Monday. She was going to buy a ticket for the Halloween party when I called her last night. Not yet fully recovered from her cold and sore throat. She enjoys this festival ever since she was a kid. I remember bringing her to Causeway Bay, Tsimshatsui & Lan Kwai Fong at different times upon her requests. The waitress in Marco Bistro drew on her face for several years. We took photographs of her. Creative & jolly Min.

Pingpong this morning, then Van will treat us to Miramar Hotel arcade for some yunnan food. Porpor & the Paus are invited as well.

My prayer for Tam.