Leap Year

A gift given to us once every 4 years - an extra day.


How have you spent this extra day?


For me, I have spent the entire evening alone. Yes! ME Time for myself. I have eaten my favourite noodles while admiring the breathtaking CBD view of Singapore. Singapore's night scene is definitely comparable to the Bund at Shanghai or Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, don't you think?





You? Was it also a special and memorable one?

Lunch at Delifrance

I haven't been to Delifrance for a pretty long time. Although I have heard of their new menu, I have never had the chance to try it. Today, the few of us decided to try out their food during lunch.

All, except one of us, ordered pasta. We then ordered a Caesar's salad to share. The strange thing was we found no egg at all in the Caesar's salad when we were all under the impression that there should be eff in Caesar's salad. Four or us ordered Pâtes Forestière (lingune with chicken and mushroom), one of us ordered Pâtes Bolognaise (lingune with beef bolognaise and mushroom) and the last one ordered seafood chowder. Again, it was another meal which was damaging to our stomach and calories balance.

Nevertheless, there was sense of satisfaction and bliss after such a hearty meal.

Farewell Lunch with Thai Cuisine

One of the executives was resigning, so we decided to give her a treat at the nearby Thai restaurant.


I have not had Thai food for a long time. I always favour Asian cuisines more - Japanese, Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, Thai. My mouth starts to water just by the mention of these food. There were 8 of us and we ordered many well-known Thai specialties - pineapple rice, stuffed chicken wings, Thai fish cakes, barbecued squids, green beef curry, Tom Yam soup, fish maw soup and even red ruby.


There were simply too much food and we could not finish all of them. Moreover, the richness of the Thai food with its lavish use of coconut milk does not sit well on a full stomach. In the end, a couple of us actually skip dinner. Ok, I did not skip exactly. I had peanut soup with dumplings for dinner as it was not meant to be too filling.

Taking Things Slow…

Deadlines after deadlines. Multitasking is the new culture. 24-hour days are never enough. With so much to do and see, we need to spend our time more and more efficiently. We need to walk faster, talk faster, type faster and eat faster. It is a race to see who can get more things done within a minute.

Yet, this race with speed may work against us sometimes. When you talk too fast, it means that the listener may not be able to completely understand you. When you walk too fast, it means that you never notice anyone or anything along the way. The journey becomes plain dull. When you type too fast, our carpal tunnels may suffer. When you eat too fast, it is bad for digestion and we may not fully appreciate the efforts in the preparation of the food.

There is this TV program on Saturday morning on Channel 5 where the host will visit grandmothers from different countries each week. These grandmothers will share their lives stories as well as the traditional food of the family. In the last episode, the grandmother was formerly from Singapore. She was brought up in a traditional family where her father instilled strict discipline at home. She was trained to chew her food slowly. Her father would make her take a mouthful of the food and chew. She would then start lining cutleries along the table. Only upon reaching the other edge of the long table could she swallow her food. To her father, eating and chewing slowly was an essential dining etiquette.

Similarly, the benefits of chewing our food slowly before swallowing are emphasized in So Simple 2. At Brown Field farm in Japan, all the helpers are encouraged to chew their food slowly. This is believed to better release the energy from the food and to create overall wellness for our bodies.

In yoga lessons, one of the most important techniques to pick up is also breathing. There are all sorts of breathing methods – abdominal breathing, cleansing breathing, rhythmic breathing and slow breathing. One of the observations is that many young working adults have ignored their breathing when they are too caught up in work stress. Forget breathing is a prevalent trademark among the workers. Such disruptive breathing has dire effects on our health. Hence, yoga re-teaches us on breathing, especially slow breathing. Slow breathing is supposed to calm our minds and bodies.

It may be difficult to reverse our lifestyles to a slow pace. Moreover, such a reversal may have adverse impact on our economy. However, we should try to spare a few minutes a day or even an hour a day to do things slower. It is to rebalance our mind, our soul and our bodies.

Cumulation of Work-Stress

After the stress I have undergone for the past 2 months, it has finally resulted in flu outbreak. Actually, the flu virus might have already been 'hibernating' in my body for weeks. I have always tried to prevent the symptoms from reaching full-blown by swallowing Vitamin C pills.

Finally, the virus cannot be contained anymore and I have to be confined to my bed for the day.

I have not realised I was so tired until I slept the entire day away.

Travelling Alone

As one grows older, one's social circle seems to be shrinking, especially for singles like me. Much as I hate to say, but it is inevitable that you will start to grow apart from married and attached friends. Being married, they need to devote more time to their family to adapt to the new family life. The remaining time has to be spent with their parents and in-laws. While attached friends may need to spend time with their better halfs or in preparation of the impending wedding.

Recently, I am experiencing slight burnt-out from the hectic budget exercise and long for a escapade to a foreign land where the different sights and sounds will offer a haven for recharging. Yet, when I turn around to see who, among my friends, can accompany me for this vacation, there seems to very few people I can approach. For the few I approach, they are currently either not planning on any vacation or are planning vacation to destinations which I am not keen. Hence, the notion of travelling alone starts to take root in my mind.

Driven by a sudden sense of adventures, I am almost certain that I will be able to achieve alone. However, when I articulate this plan to both family and friends, many start to dissuade me. The initial excitement soon turns to infuriation for their lack of support. When the emotion cools down, I have to admit their concerns are touching and not unfounded. Indeed, travelling alone in a foreign land can be lonely and even dangerous.

Putting the vacation plans aside, the sense of loss associated with my shrinking circle of friends still leads to a cloud of gloom that cannot be waved off. Indeed, for some of my closest friends, I have not seen them after their marriage or even for months. Nowadays, meeting with these young couples or parents are difficult. I need to find a slot among their schedules of visiting parents, in-laws, household chores and other friends. I am not sure if it is transitional or it is a permanent difference drawn from the different experiences, but the topics of our conversation seem to run on parallel and mutually exclusive planes. I cannot offer any advice or inputs to the issues that they face; while the problems I encounter seem too work-related.

Despite the bleak prospect of finding anyone to go on a vacation with me for the next couple of months, I still hope I can find companions to go on vacations with. After all, a vacation with friends add more excitement and happiness to the trip when there is someone to share the beautiful scene with.

Sharing of Responses

Some of my colleagues from another department started this sharing of response form where there are some personal questions and we were supposed to send and share with one another. As usual, being really caught up with my work, I was one of the last to respond and many of them had expected that. How did I know this? One of the questions in the response form was "Who do you think will be the least likely to respond?"

Here is the response form. Maybe you can send me yours so that you give me a chance to know you better.


1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM ALOT?

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

15. RED OR PINK?

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

27. HAIR COLOR?

28. EYE COLOR?

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

30. FAVORITE FOOD?

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

35. HUGS OR KISSES?

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT?

42. FAVORITE SOUND?

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?

48. WHAT TIME IS IT NOW?

Final Rush for the Presentation Pack

It is the final weekend before the start of the Group CEO's budget moderation exercise. Once, this moderation exercise is completed, the budget exercise is more or less drawing to a close. We will be able to start preparing for the next phase - monthly phasing of the yearly budget and start of the new year's product costing.

Although I have been relieved of having to prepare any presentation pack, I was still the one who had been collating all the information and analysis up to the CEO (Singapore)'s moderation session. Hence, it is inevitable that I need to chip in for the last mile. Despite all the information we have gathered, there are still missing pieces or data which we have not thoroughly checked previously. This last minute scramble was to tidy up and rationalise through the numbers.

I spent the whole of Saturday and Sunday afternoon in front of my PC and on the phone running through the various simulations with my boss. Needless to say, my office phone 'died' after one-hour of talk-time even after I had fully charged the day before in anticipation of the busy weekend. Blur me. I did not realise the phone had 'died' and continued to hold it for some time, thinking that my boss seemed to take a long time to think. I was not the only blur one. In fact, my boss carried on talking even after my phone had died, not knowing that she was talking to herself. In the end, we had to continue our 'discussion' over MSN.

The next day, I had to rely on my personal phone to finish up the last bit. Again, my battery nearly went flat after 40 minutes of talk-time. Hmmm, 3G phone seemed to consume alot of battery during talk-time.

During my incidents, my ear was scorched red from the heat generated from the phone. Although I had been tempted to place my phone on speaker for both times round, I decided against it eventually to prevent creating noise pollution to my neighbours.

Finally, it was over FOR THE MOMENT and we sent out the pack in time.

P.S. It was only for the moment because there was another mad rush the following Monday when we were back in office as I had to bring my CFO through the numbers as my boss was still at home recuperating from her ankle injury. Poor boss, for the past few weeks, she had to constantly work at home to review all our budget materials.

Annual Lo Hei Lunch with Colleagues

We settled on going for our Lo Hei lunch on the 7th day of the lunar new year before the start of the budget moderations. This year we had it at Crystal Jade in Paragon. Frankly, the dishes are similar to what I have eaten on Reunion Dinner since I had my Reunion Dinner at Crystal Jade as well.


It was a very expensive lunch. Fortunately, it was a once-a-year splurge and all in the good company of my fellow colleagues.

So Simple

I have recommended So Simple in its first season. I strongly recommend you to watch it again as its second season is currently being aired on every Tuesday, 9.30 pm on Channel U.

This time round, the theme has expanded from D-I-Y in Singapore to D-I-Y practises overseas. Currently, it revolves around some of the D-I-Y gurus in Taiwan which include a group of people who set up a mosaic workshop in the Taiwan's famous Cheng Ping Book Store and Ah Yuan soap.

I have decided to add in the link to the blog of So Simple in my blog. Hopefully, you will enjoy the show and the blog as well as I do.

Halo Effect

Perhaps seeing what Nanfeng Jin enjoyed as the successor to the Huangpu Enterprise in Romantic Princess, you may wonder why he would want to abandon what he had in pursuit of beng a nonentity. His vision may sound silly. His determination and actions even more baffling. Yet, I think he is being extremely brave.

Since young, he has been groomed to be the successor. He has always lived under the expectations that one day he would hold the helm of the Huangpu Enterprise. His capability hinged on only what he had achieved for Huangpu Enterprise. As he was associated with Huangpu Enterprise, things became more smooth sailing for him. The halo effect of Huangpu Enterprise was so pervasive that he lost himself. He was no long sure if without the help of Huangpu Enterprise would he be able to survive.

Why go through a more difficult path when there was a smooth journey awaiting him?

I can perfectly empathise with such thinking.

Sometimes, when you are blessed with many opportunities, there are equally many expectations to live up to. such expectations can be extremely pressurizing and stressful. Being in such a prominent positions mean that he must watch his performances at all times. Without the predetermined expectations, you will be able to enjoy the work more instead of constantly watching over your backs and critically self-evaluate.

Of course, the next dilemma that you will be grappling with if you are in Nanfeng Jin's position is whether you will be able to succeed elsewhere when you are stripped off your privilege position. Being successful in one place may not mean that you will be able to survive elsewhere. Being young and idealistic, you will want to prove your worth without all the privileges.

Fortunately, he has managed to prove himself when he managed to secure a contract for his company. Without the help of Huangpu Enterprise, he was still able to prove himself. :-)

Romantic Princess in Poverty...

It was slightly amusing when I watched several scenes in Romantic Princess which depicted Xiao Mai in poverty or when Xiao Mai and Nanfeng Jin escaped from Huangpu family to be independent. Maybe Taiwan's lifestyle was different from Singapore's. Being raised up in a family where we did not enjoy so much financial liberty (euphemism for plain simple poor), I found some of the details in the story not quite reflective of someone short of money.

Xiao Mai was initially a poor student who had to part-time to earn her school fees, yet her fingers were perfectly groomed with French manicures. Well, in Singapore, indulging in manicures are expensive who are mostly done by Tai Tais. If one is a poor student who needs to work part time and do housework, it is very wasteful to do manicures as the colour will chip after 2 days of washing plates. Moreover, it is luxury which will normally be foregone when you are faced with limited financial resources. Even if you attempt to D-I-Y, it takes time off other activities such as doing part-time, catch-up on homework or rest.

When Xiao Mai and Jin left Huangpu family and stayed in a small rented flat together, Xiao Mai was responsible for taking care of the house. She cooked dinner daily and waited for Jin to come home. Despite being cash-strapped, Xiao Mai could afford many dishes on the dining table daily. Firstly, to cook for 2 people, one would normally not cook so many dishes as food would likely go to waste.

Did I read too much into a simple show? Or maybe the lifestyle in Taiwan is indeed different from Singapore's?

Romantic Princess (公主小妹）

My primary activity during the Chinese New Year was to watch Romantic Princess over Youtube. I finished the entire series over the 3 days, excluding the first day which I have dedicated to visiting.

Xiao Mai was the long-lost daughter of Huangpu Xiong - the weathiest man in Asia. This started her adventure of getting used to her new and elevated status and her quibbles with Nanfeng Jin - the named successor of Huangpu Enterprise. From the initial quarrels, they developed affection for each other.

It is a simple plot with a good looking cast and a fairy tale. Yet, there are few lessons that are worth mulling over.

1) Not only those who are related by blood are families. Some who are not related by blood can be your closest kins while those who are related by blood may be strangers.
This is what Xiao Mai said to her grandfather in fury when her grandfather sent her adopted parents to Brazil to prevent them for meeting her.

2) Success from your own efforts is the sweetest. After putting in your best efforts, even if you never make it big in life, at least you have put in your best.
When Xiao Mai asked Nanfeng Jin what his dreams were, he confessed that he wished to escape from Huangpu family to see if he would ever be able to stand on his own.

3) When a person is submerged in extreme materialism, his values will become distorted.
This was the central theme of the entire series. Despite Nanfeng Jin being immersed in a wealthy family since young, his personality has not been affected by extreme wealth and success from a tender age. Similarly, even when Xiao Mai became the heiress to Huangpu family, she has not become materialistic or arrogant.

Start of the Rat Year

Last year, I have spent the first day of CNY in Bangkok. Somehow, once you miss the first day of CNY, it seem as you have not celebrated the welcoming of the lunar new year properly.

This year it is back to Singapore. As usual, the first day of the new year is devoted to visiting all my relatives. My paternal uncles and aunties have the practice of everyone going to one another’s house before we can call it a day. To be fair to everyone, we will need to visit all the houses so that no one is left out.

Hmm, after a while, it gets abit tiring and confusing as I may not be able to recall whose house I am at. Anyway, I have grown past the age where I get excited over the food and ang paos. In fact, I worry about the calories that I will pile on and the indigestion I will suffer. I am sheepish about still collecting ang paos at this age. Somehow the day ended up as if I am following the motion.

The visiting ends around 9 pm in the night. By then, I am deadbeat. Visiting during CNY is certainly more exhausting than an 8-hour shift in the office. How is the first day of your new year?

New Year's Eve & Reunion Dinner

I thought it would be a R & R day at work. Who knows I was still sweating and rushing out the presentation pack for budget. To make matters worse, I was suddenly called into a meeting with CEO at the eleventh hour and totally unprepared. Needless to say, I was also not quite dressed properly - in dress-down clothes. Fortunately, my CFO was too busy talking through the budget to notice me.

I was only off work at 2 pm. I rushed home for a quick lunch and nap. Then it was time to do my last minute preparation for CNY before the reunion dinner. I also had to iron my clothes for visiting the next day. Since I was ironing, I decided to iron all the other work clothes which were washed for not ironed. It took me about more than an hour to finish ironing. Soon, it was time to go out for reunion dinner.

Dinner was at Crystal Jade. There were 7 dishes.

Lo Hei Yu Sang (raw fish and colourful vegetable salad)

This dish is 'made-in-Singapore' where it is Singaporeans tradition to consume this during CNY after tossing in the ingredients. This signifies 'scooping up' of great prosperity and ushering in the good fortune. The golden crackers bring gold and money to all places. The raw fish slices symbolise abundant supplies. The honey creates sweetness and happiness. The pepper adds spice to our lives.

Fish Maw with Shark's fins

Shark's fins are one of the most expensive delicacies among the Chinese. Together with Abalone and Sea Cucumber, they form the 'heavenly kings of the Chinese new year goodies. The fish maw looks like a bag soaking in the soup. This dish symbolises bags of safety and fortune.

Roast-meat Combination

In the past, the people are poorer. Meat and seafood can only be seen on the dining table during festive seasons. To see the 3 roast meat of chicken, duck and pork (char siew), it symbolises the wealth of the family and the importance of the occasions.

Oysters

Oysters, in Chinese, sound like "good" in Chinese. Everyone wants to begin the new year on the right note with all the well-wishes. Hence, eating oysters will mean that we are receiving all the goodies in our lives in the new year. Similarly, oysters look like bags to hold all our treasures.

Glutionous Rice

Rice is a staple in Chinese families. The stickiness of glutionous rice symbolises the stickiness of the human relationships and the bonding of the families.

Sauteed Prawns with Celery

Celery, in Chinese, is pronounced in the same way as hardwork in Chinese. Hence, eating celeries will mean that we continue to work hard to pursue our careers, our studies and maintaining our home. Chinese believes that hardwork is critical for achieving greater success and wealth. Prawns, in Cantonese read as "Ha", which in Chinese and other languages often associate with laughter and happiness.

Red Bean Dumpling with Lotus

Dumpling is often consumed during the last day of CNY and during the winter solstice. Dumpling symbolises reunion. Red bean's sweetness complements the slightly blend glutinous dumpling. The sweetness of red bean will bring sweetness to the family while the red colour is THE auspicious colour of CNY.

What did you have for your reunion dinner? Did you also eat all the typical CNY food which all have 'hidden' and well-intentioned meanings?

Fireworks at Marina Bay

I have seen fireworks close-by in Hong Kong, but never in Singapore. Finally, I get to see the fireworks in Singapore skies. It was the opening ceremony of the Ang Pao at Singapore River. I chanced upon it when Ah Peng and I were going home after our dinner. Too bad, the fireworks were too low for us to see more of it.

Oblivion to Smell

Do you find that our nose can get used to certain smells so that we can cease to find the smell stimulating or revolting? We may even cease to detect the smell. This is especially so when the smell is on us or on people close to us.

It is hard to smell the acidity of our perspiration, but it is easy to smell others. After using the perfume for some time, we often think that the fragrance has reduced in intensity, but our friends can still detect it when they are near us. Maybe this is the way nature works. The sense of smell is nature's way of equipping us with another 'tool' both for protection and bonding. Sometimes, we may not hear or see something, but an 'unfriendly' smell can warn us of imminent danger. On the other hand, we like to smell good for our friends and family and we like to hang out with people whose smells appeal to us.

There are certain jobs which are closing associated with smell, both good and bad. If our nose do not get used to the smell after a while, the job can be too unbearable. For instance, someone working in a food factory may cease to notice the intensity of the smell after a while. A fishmonger will need to tolerate the fishy smell in order to enjoy his job. If our nose always function at high alert for all smells, it may be difficult to attract people to these industries.

Oblivion to smells may not be as good in certain situations. For instance, oblivion to smell may mean that we cannot enjoy the healing aspects of aromatherapy. Oblivion to smell may result in less platable and appetising cuisines. Oblivion to smells may cause certain embarrassment - we may not detect the dank smell associated with un-thoroughly dried clothes.

If you see me the next time, do let me know if you smell undried clothes on me before I embarrass myself further by standing close to too many people. If you enjoy the whiff of perfume on me, please let me know so that I know that my perfume has not evaporated leaving only water in the bottle. Being a thin-skinned person, I would also appreciate it if you could let me know subtly and discreetly. It's a pact. *Grin*

Jingen and Sirui, It’s a Pleasure Meeting You.

Jingen is slightly older than Sirui by about a month. Having seen their photos, I was honoured to say this was the first time I met the two ladies in person.

Jingen is chubbier with her round cheeks and dark hair. Sirui has bigger and brighter eyes which follow everyone’s movement. I have never seen a few-months’-old baby so up close and personal. From the small fingers to the burps, they were simply adorable.

I might be great at admiring them, but I had little confidence of being able to handle them. When Mingshan generously asked if I wanted to hold Sirui, I reluctantly declined. I was afraid I would mishandle Sirui. I had not carried a baby before. I did not know where to place my hands, how to hold her firm and how to ensure that she was comfortable in my carry. Being a blur and clumsy person, I dared not undertake this responsibility of carrying a baby yet. I was quite happy simply looking at Sirui and cooing and wowing over her every little action. Period. To hold her, maybe after I observed more on how other people carry babies before I try.

Jingen was crying sadly – pre-napping tantrum when I first reached. Then, it was her nap. After her nap, it was time for her ‘tea-break’. After food, it was time for her burps. She was very busy throughout our visit for us to have much time to interact with her.

Hopefully, the next time we meet, we will have more interaction. So long, my ladies. Till we meet again.

Travelling Beyond the Familiar Routes

Despite NEL being in operation for many years, I have not really explored the NEL. I have only taken NEL to go to VivoCity and Chinatown. The places I am at ease with are often the central and the west – where I used to stay and studied. Hence, when Nat invited us to her house, it was a great opportunity (gives me a purpose) to travel beyond the familiar areas.

I have always equated Boon Keng to industrial area – some of the most well-known manufacturing companies in Singapore are situated here. I have never realized it is also a residential estate.

Taking NEL reminds me of the MRT when it first starts. It is filled but not overcrowded. The passengers at least have enough leg room while standing. Strangely, without the claustrophobic feeling, the train journey is a much pleasant and seemingly shorter one.

When I step out of the train station, it is amazing to see that the entrance of the station is framed by 2 blocks of flats. Most of the train stations in the north-south and east-west lines are never this close to a block of flats, partly because the train stations in the those lines are normally situated at the town centre and are above grounds. The underground train allows the residents in the area the accessibility without the noise inconvenience.

Having always stayed near a main road, I have forgotten the tranquility of the places away from the roads. Time spent in such places seem to slow down. It takes some time for me to get used to.

Singapore has always been known to a small place. Yet, for someone who has lived in Singapore for twenty odd years, I regret to confess there are still many corners in Singapore where I have not been to.

Chinese New Year's Preparation

5050, KW and I met for lunch again. It has been weeks since we last had lunch together. We have to meet before 5050 departs for Hong Kong for his CNY.

As CNY is just around the corner, the topic of the day is of course CNY related. From the celebrations overseas (Hong Kong and Malaysia) to the type of food and the preparation, we have loads to talk about.

This is also the year I feel I am most ill-prepared. I feel so lazy that I even bypass my usual spring cleaning. I still run through my things to throw away the unwanted, but I do not wipe and clean. Somehow, I just feel lethargic and cannot be bothered. Moreover, very few people hardly notice the dust inside the drawers. Cleaning them is often a way of making yourself feel good instead of to meet the scrutiny of your guests.

In terms of food, I have cut down on replenishment as well since year-in-year-out, most of the food goes to the dustbin at the end of the 15 days celebration. To promote environmentally friendly, we should not waste food, so I have just bought the minimal new year goodies.

Next week, CNY will be here. Have you completed your preparation?