''Sins''

It is fitting that I spend new year's eve listening to my favorite operatic tune; this one is a gem lost more than two years ago, and if not for Youtube I wouldn't be listening to it right now. The music video I'm referring to is the Cantonese operatic tune sang by the late Anita Mui at a charity concert to help the China flood victims in 1991. I had taped the event together with a cantonese opera movie called the `three smiles'. Those days, you, Saw Hong and I used to watch the tape every time you visit because `three smiles' is a comedy opera movie and you like comedies. Before the tape finishes, we would listen to Anita Mui singing the ''Sins'', a lament about paying the sins for a hard life and its accompanying poverty. Some call it the beggar's song. Sang beautifully by Anita Mui, the song evokes a sense of despair and inevitability about fate in life. One day, I threw away the tape not because I grew tired of it but it was destroyed by mold and moss as humidity set in. For the last two years, I was thinking about the tape and recall how much fun we had watching it together. Two weeks ago, Lady Luck smiled on me. A colleague of mine who is also an Anita Mui fan forwarded me the link to Youtube showing the video clip of the charity concert! I was naturally thrilled, but if only momentarily as the reality of you not being here to share it with me sank in. To think that we always hang out together on new year's eve, this moment is the hardest to accept.

What a year!

2007 has been a good year, although it didn't quite start as well at work. I lost my boss and half the research team, but somehow we still managed to produce some decent work. We moved to the 9th floor end Sept. and I had great pleasure setting up the new wing and the team settled in very nicely. I have a cosy corner where I have a complete view of my team-mates. Since we moved up, I have been happier with my team and work as we are left alone to do our job even though we are still short of staff. It's been very tough to find people in booming Singapore where unemployment has been the lowest for decades. Cost of living is fast rising as housing rentals and taxi fares zoomed up. Still, I prefer working in Singapore than KL with its never-ending traffic problems.
Outside work, I'm learning how to relax and stay fit by going to the gym 3x a week. Sat. morning is when I work out with a personal trainer (hmmm, he's got a great build with 6 packs) who literally pushes me to the limit, ignoring my moaning and groaning when the pain becomes unbearable. I have lost 4-5kg since I took up gym and now weigh between 50-51kg. looks like i have to get a new wardrobe!
A few weeks ago, your mom came by on her way to the UK and US. I took half a day off to spend some time with her and in the evening, Raj and I celebrated her birthday at Original Sin where the food is rated *****. She will be spending about 5 days with Chean Shen in Liverpool before flying off to Illinois to see Ross. Oh, and Li Huey was home for two weeks. We talked over the phone and I was pleased to know that she is doing well; finished her Masters and starting her doctorate program.
While it has been a good year, nothing is the same without you. Sometimes we just do things to get by. I really miss you very much.
aunty choo2