what have you done lately?

Went to the British Museum today. It's fantastic. It boasts of the biggest Egyptian collection of mummies outside of Egypt. And just today I can see why. Never seen so many sarcophagus(es?) in my life. And I saw a dried up uterus of a woman from thousands of years ago - not a good sight.

The British Museum has a very grand foyer area. I think it must have been used for location shoot in some movies, cos it looked really familiar. The cool thing about the place is that they have all these artifacts and they are not in glass cases. Good and bad. The good is that you can go real close up and STARE... or in my case, start taking macro-shots. I was thrilled to see real hieroglyphics. And to think this was done like 2000BC i.e 4000 years ago... it's just amazing. The bad is that people and I hate to say this, but based on my observation, a lot of them happen to be Asian, were touching the artifacts. I mean one touch is fine, but you have a whole load of them touching (and there were shitloads of tourists)... you can imagine the etchings are all slowing being erased.

I took some pictures of Assyrian carvings of a lion hunt. The details are just so fantastic, you can even see the muscles of the dogs on a hunt. (Pix to come when my cousin eventually downloads it from her camera).

Anyway they have this section on Alexander the Great, some student of Aristotle and the guy who unified Greece and sparked off the Hellenistic Age. He started his rule at age 20 and he not only unified Greece, but set off to expand his empire that stretched from Greece, across Europe, towards the east to the borders of India. Can you imagine how fucking big that is?! And at age 20!!! He died in his 50s, but within a short span of 30+ years, done so much.

And what the hell have I done with my life?! Does put things into perspective doesn't it?

Best that I get my ass into gear and start job hunting seriously. Afterall, it's not like I'm conquering the world!

chewing gum removal solution that works! (not that we need it in Singapore)

While on our way to Bournemouth last week, I sat on chewing gum at a pitt stop. eeeeeek

For once I was glad of the ridiculous policy* that my country's govt made about 15 years back - sale of chewing gum is verboten**.

So there I was with a patch of old chewed up chewing gum stuck to the back of my right leg of my favourite birthday capris from Giordano. S's mom and dad were furiously trying scrape it off. S, of course, just looked.

So anyway, I searched on the internet about "removing sticky chewing gum from clothes" and the solution was: pour washing liquid on the stain, add salt and rub.

Was a little skeptical - washing liquid and salt? I mean honestly who the hell came up with that combination?

So okay, anything is worth a shot at least once right? And hey, it worked, perrrrrrfectly. Chewing gum blob actually came out real easy.

But once again, not that anyone from my Vaterland*** will need to know this trivial piece of information. Cos our smart govt has already thought out everything for us.

*Poll of people in foreign country who agreed about the ban of sale of chewing gum - so far most of the 10-15 pax I've asked were supportive of it.
**verboten = German for forbidden
***Vaterland = German for motherland. Literally translated it is Fatherland.

i feel loved

It's weird, but I have a feeling that I may be heading home sooner than December. You know, Piscean intuition that is so dead accurate that it's a wonder why I haven't won the lottery.

I always thought that I'll dread going home. But I am quite looking forward to it. Enough of cold summers and hot winters. Enough of days with no char bee hoon and luncheon meat, no ex-CCH support group meetings that are usually pig out sessions, no long we-do-absolutely-jack-all hanging out with cousins, no cursing in Hokkien and having another person understand me. And most of all, enough of life without my darlings.

One thing though, S and I haven't had the chat. And it seems weird that everyone else in my life is focused on my post MBA life, asking me the big question "When are you coming back?". And yet S and I haven't talked about it.

I know S and I have a good thing together, but all this avoidance of a chat and stall tactics for an answer makes me more more determined to just go home where I feel wanted and loved.

Most people are planning for my after MBA life back in Singapore - BBQ, drinks sessions, diving, more food and alcohol. Heck, one of my friends even volunteered to chauffeur me from Changi Airport to home. (Which is like a 20 minute ride by cab, and completely unnecessary for her as it is a big detour for her to drive from her home to fetch me... but it's sweet.), and take a few days from work to bum around with me.

It seems really strange that in 2 months, what I know as "my life in the UK" will completely be over. You know another closed chapter in the great big and oh-so-interesting book of my life. What a year. What a fantastic experience and great people I've met. I'm just so glad that I did it.

life of the unemployed

Tomorrow I'm off to my promised Bournemouth trip! And although I've just been promised a holiday for a day, I haven't been able to work all of today... bad, bad, bad.

Then I'm back in Bath for a drinks session on Friday, Saturday morn I head for London to spend the weekend with my cousin. London Eye, here I come!

Monday evening, I hop on the coach and it's a ride back to Bath, rest and presentation on Tuesday to HP management. I hope I get some work done in between all this partying. It's just that I've been all work, no play the past few months, and suddenly promise of fun comes...all at once.

Hahahha... I can so hear it now... "She is there partying and not actually studying!"

but hey... I can and so I am doing it! nay nay ni boo boo!

disciplined by age

I hate to admit it - I am getting old.

You know how it is when you wake at 11am in the mornings and feel that that is an accomplishment altogether?

Well not anymore.

I woke at 9am yesterday when my alarm went off. Jumped out of bed, changed, sorted out me laundry, went to do laundry, made coffee, had breakfast, collected washed laundry and hung it out to dry. All this by 10.30.

And felt a sense of accomplishment doing all that before the day started.

Mistake was, I had expresso in the afternoon and slept 3am last night, and couldn't wake till 2pm this afternoon. Woke up feeling "Where the f**k has my day gone?" Was disoriented and directionless for 2 good hours, before deciding that I will make lunch and apply to a few more jobs.

Not sure if I would have been happy having to decide that I need to do work on my Sunday in my past life. But the truth is out - I am old.

motherfuckers

I seriously hate communal living.

Last nite, for some reason, a bunch of 6 residents from my accommodation decided to do an open air unplugged performance - at 2am.

KNNABCXYZ.

Since when in the history of mankind is that considerate behaviour?

I don't fucking care if you are fucking drunk or your creative juices are just about spilling. It's 2 am. There are about 100 other people who are trying to get some rest to work the next day. Like me. I was counting on getting some sleep, and I even went to bed early at 11 yesterday night so that I can catch a few more minutes of rest - seeing that these days, with S and work I've been emotionally and mentally tired.

But oh no. Motherfuckers started strumming their fucking guitar. Doesn't help that the accoustics in the open air area is fantastic. So I was fucking being sernaded. But I am not pleased.

The other mother fucker is the guy Joe has 3am parties in his room, messes up the kitchen and then fucking doesn't appear in the day so that I can tell him off!

Bloody fuckers. They should all be struck by lightning.

photo time

Went to Strada last nite for a meal with me mates, cos it's Tomo's last week in Bath. He is going to SINGAPORE to do his MBA. Sigh. I wish he could pack me in his luggage and ship me off home.

K back to important stuff - the food at Strada. It's gooooooood. Shall bring S there next week. I had the Pollo alla Milanese, it's just chicken breast meat with breadcrumbs, pomodore sauce (tomato lah), roasted veg and butter sauteed beans. Yum. And serving was huge. Antipasti we had pesto e pomodore bread. Just thin crust with a layer of tomato sauce and basil pesto sauce. To die for.

If you click on pix, you can zoom in to see the spaghetti on the table, just between my hair and hand. That's how spaghetti bolognese should look like. Ooodles of noodles, with just about enough sauce to coat it and lots of mince and freshly grated Parmesan. Food orgasm


Got me cous to take pix of B1 and B2 at play at vivocity that day. :) The two are adorable! And B2 is wearing the swimsuit I got for her. Isn't it sweet?

flavour of the month

and the award goes to...NECTARINES!

Omg u won't believe how sweeeeeeeeet they are. When pix was taken, it was my second nectarine! :) yum.

Tissue in hand cos it was soooooooo juicy. Dammit, feel like eating another one..

the many taste of coke

Some months back, I did a case study on Coca-cola.

In the 80's when its management decided to go head-on competing with Pepsi on the drink's taste (remember the Pepsi Taste Challenge?) and came up with a new flavour of Coke. Many people opposed. Sales plummet. And I suspect in some places, riots.

Anyway, they retracted the new flavour, put the old Coke back on market and called it Coke Classic. And Coke lovers everywhere rejoiced and happily gulped down tons of of that familiar taste.

However, since then, Coke has sneakily put other flavours onto the market. 1982 - Diet Coke, 1986 - Diet Cherry Coke, 2001 - Diet Coke with Lemon. There's even a caffeine-free version of Coke, why?! That's like taking panadol without paracetamol in it!

And now there's Diet Coke Plus - with added vitamins and minerals. Since when was Coke known for it's health and therapeutic properties? oooo I wanna get healthy, start exercising and drinking Coke Plus. Doesn't sound quite right to me. I mean it's a soft drink, it's unhealthy and I accept that. I take full responsibility when I decide to "poison" my system with stuff that supposedly can clean toilet bowls and old coins. Just don't try to make sound more healthy than it is. That's kinda pushing it a bit too far.

I wonder how sales for those are doing.

Coca-Cola trivia: did you know that the present day Santa who is clad in his jolly red and white suit is a result of a super effective marketing campaign from Coca-cola? Though some may dispute that Santa was depicted in red & white before Coca-Cola's famous version. But I believe that perhaps only Coke co. has the power and influence in the past to popularise the jolly old Santa in his red and white suit, and is how we imagine Santa to look like today.

cupcakes

I am back to my cupcakes obsession. Not that I was ever off it. Why suddenly cupcakes? I got sidetracked while reading a friend's blog that had a link to baking and that, of course, led to all things cupcakes. Might have been sparked off from my recent diet craze. My last major diet I was baking non-stop. Think psychologically was trying to fatten all those around me.

I can't explain my fascination for them; granted they are just glorified butter cake in small paper cups. But there's always something sweet and even with simple one color frosting, it looks absolutely to die for.

So am proclaiming in this post, this is one woman's quest to track down pictures and websites that feature cupcakes!

I quite like the look of the cupcakes from C-Cup, which looks yummilicious and I suppose business is booming, cos they are not taking orders till 14 July.

Found some more - Couture Cupcakes anyone?

And of course, who can forget Martha Stewart's range of cupcakes are just such a thrill to look at. I wonder what they taste like?













Picture credit: Taken from Martha Stewart Kids' website Martha Stewart's Shark & Beach Cupcakes and Clown cupcakes

angels

I called my darlings today. B1 had just woken up from his afternoon nap. And B2 was busy munching on food. I called because I bought a pair of sunglasses, spider-men 3 sunglasses no less, for my darling B1, while Sue May was here, and didn't get anything for B2. And Sue May was going over to my mom's to hand the gifts over to the rascals. I called my mom to make sure that she had bought something for B2, so she wouldn't feel jealous or left out. But as usual, since B2 was furiously shaking her hand in response to the "Do you want to speak to Yee Yee" question, I ended up talking to my other angel - B1.

"Hi Yee" B1 said when he picked up the phone.

"Hi my sweet, how are you?"

... a bit of silence

"What did you say Yee?" B1 asked.

"I asked how you were."

"Yee yee, can I ask mama something first?"

"Yup sure, go on then."

(In the background) "Mama can I watch 05 please?"

"Sweetheart, do you want to watch TV or talk to me?" I asked B1, knowing that TV is a big thing for 4 year olds.

"No, I'll watch TV after I've finished talking to you." B1 said in his usual sweet, heart melting and super honeyed reply.

Sigh. It is true, I will give up my entire life for that little boy.

On another note, I am still waiting for British Summer to begin. It's been raining in the UK the past 3 weeks. And in a country that rains as much and as often as the UK, even the Brits are saying this is extraordinarily bad weather. I mean just look at the floods in York.

I've only seen the sun for a total of 30 minutes in the past 3 weeks. As much as I like rainy weather, this is a bit too much, and it's inconvenient when I do want to go out! But the weather looks promising tomorrow - sunshine and clouds with quite a bit of wind, temperate at 19 deg Celsius. And over the weekend it goes up to 23 deg. Let's hope it stays that way.

visitors

My cousin in Singapore just told me that she is going to LSE summer school for a month, and will be in London on 17 July. I am sooooooooo excited at the prospect of seeing another family member here on foreign soils.

It'll be good. It's already 2 July and before you know it, it'll be August and September and when the rascals are here! Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh!

So I've got a whole string of visitors lined up for the next few months. Cousin in July - August, Sally in August, rascals in September. Can life be anymore wonderful? hmm yes, a full bank account would be even better.

It's just scary shit, just over the weekend 3 people asked me within like a period of a day - "Are you coming back?" me mom included. To be honest, I don't know what my plans are at the moment. I would love to work here for a few years, it'll be a great experience, not to mention it would appear damn tokgong on my CV.

Be facilitating a session for 15 year olds for HP on Wednesday, it'll be fun. Scary shit but fun, when was the last time you spoke to a 15 year old? It's a completely different generation I believe! Geez, I am old enough to be their mom for crying out loud.

'Nuff said. I think I shall shower, and remove all thoughts of ageism right-about-NOW!

*Poof*

days of butt ache ahead

It's come to a point, (had this same revelation about 9 years back) that I hate the sight of current self - ie. all lardy. Just fed up with comments made by other people about me as well.

So in view of many butt-ache, muscle-ache,and many a rumbly tummy days ahead, I am declaring that I am going on diet extreme. hmmm well not exactly extreme, cos that was the diet I went on years back. This diet extreme part II is tailored for the active woman who needs to tone up and feel good.

Maybe a better sense of self worth at that too.

So over the next 2-3 months, it'll be a tough battle between lazy self and "I can't take this anymore" self and get my ass in gear to doing something about it.

i am singaporean, therefore i eat

But I just cannot understand why certain food can be so popular. Doesn't even taste or look good. And some smell really bad.

List of really yucky food (fruits included, you know what's coming up) which I don't know why people like:

• Durians
  
• Banana in its unadulterated form
• Papayas
• Bak Kut Teh
• Chicken wings/thighs
• Fish with bones
• Kong Bah - the pau I eat
• Braised pork anything or roasted pork.. hang on pigs in general. Their purpose should be for viewing not eating.
  
• Duck done anyway (except Peking duck)
  
• Kuay chap
• Lor Mee (didn't realise it had shit loads of vinegar and starch in it.)

I'm sure this list will grow. Just can't think of anymore. I mean I am easy to please just beans on toast* will make me a happy girl, so I cannot understand how things like Bak Kut Teh is even FOOD!


*Beans on toasts - thought I invented it as a kid, till I realised it has been around - daaaaammmmmnnnn you fish n chips nation!

would you like fries with it?

It's the best £27 I've ever spent in the last 10 months - me new Logitech Premium Notebook Headset

Just 3 weeks back I was on MSN with ah bons telling her I was tempted to order the headset, but at £34.99 it was kinda steep (this was off Logitech's website price). But I ordered it anyway. Good thing it was rejected the first time round, some credit card verfication that didn't permit my order to go through. Was a sign, I saved like £10 when I ordered it though Amazon.co.uk.

"Eh, then next time I want burger call you lor." That was Bons' first statement to me.

"Simi burger lah?" I asked.

"Machiam like those take orders one for drive through at Burger King lor."

"Hmmmm that's a thought."















Top pix: Me with live demo - Uncle, you want ketchup or chilli sauce?

Anyway, I was so happy it came, and as usual excessive packaging in a HUGE box. I really hate stuff which are packaged the way it is shown in picture below. So damn hard to open. I mean, when I buy a new gadget I am dying to try it out. I do not want to fight with plastic packaging for 20 minutes only to be all hot and bothered to try the product out.



















Picture above: Example of baaaad packaging. Baaaaad

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So first order of the day - call my darling rascals.

B1 was going on and on about his birthday. My mom was saying B1 is so excited and keeps telling her that I was going to get him the transformers optimus prime voice changer helmet.

Oh yeeeeaaah, trust the little rascal to remember that.

Apparently he is planning for his birthday, which will happen only 2 months down the road.

"Then we'll have a piñata (he said it with perfect spanish pronounciation too) and there will be a lot of sweets in there, and we'll need 2 sticks to beat it. The person who can hit it down will win the the BEST prize of all - the Optimus Prime helmet. What do you think Yee yee? Is it cool?"

"I think it's a fantastic and cool idea for a party."

"Then I am the organiser, but I can play in the games too."

"Can the organiser win a prize?"

"Yah, if I hit the piñata, I will get the best prize, and since you are getting the Optimus Prime Helmet, you will be getting the prize for me."

"That is really exciting sweetheart"

This went on for a bit, till my mom decided 10 minutes of party organisation and Spider-man talk was a bit too much for an IDD call. Then I asked for B2, who surprisingly, wanted to talk to me.

"They have this in UK too!" said B2.

They have Baby Alive? What does Baby Alive do?"

Some muffled conversation about feeding the baby and then...

"Bye yee yee." in her sweetest little voice.

Now job for the weekend - hunt for the Optimus Prime helmet and Baby Alive (or imitation) for the rascals.

work power - reactivate!

I am knackered! Me body seems to have adjusted so well, erasing all thoughts of how tiring work can be. I actually slept through S's loud snores last night, that almost never happens.

I've just settled into HP Labs and actually knowing exactly what to do next on my project. It has been a month of groping around in the dark. But thankfully my supervisor has been most patient and keeps initiating talks to make sure that I know what's going on.

For the first time in months, I am sitting in front of my computer watching youtube and not feel guilty about it. No thoughts of "Oh shit, I've got to finish another 4 articles of reading" or "Dammit, another 2,400 words to go."

Today I am completely at ease, sitting here with a clear conscience that I've cleared all my work and I truly deserve this break and it's okay not to do anything.

I'd forgotten what it feels like to blank out all thoughts of work and just have time for myself. I needed those periods of blanking out especially when I was at CCH and dreaded work days so much that during weekends my mind would completely switch off.

On the subject of work, I officially applied for a job in the UK yesterday and it is scary. It is a consumer marketing manager position for EMEA and I have all the qualifications that they want. Including an MBA.

*Gulp*

Today a colleague (A) at HP was just discussing with another colleague (B) and A was prompting B to do a business plan. That was where I heard my name come up, and not just once.

"Go ask T how to do it, she has an MBA, she'll be able to help you do the business plan."

*Double gulp*

Expectations. Okay, sure if guy B had approached me, I would have been able to help. But that was just more from work experience than my MBA course. After 10 months and £20,000 later, I am not quite sure if I've gotten smarter and more analytical than when I first started. One thing I do know though is...I can speed read now.

It'll be really interesting to go back to my friends and back to work and see if I've changed with this experience and if I am supposedly more astute in my views of the vicious and backstabbing business world. (Highly unlikely) Some people, it seems that their MBAs have changed their lives. Almost a religious experience (no offense to the religious), but you know what I mean.

Weird thing is, I feel less confident about myself in terms of work than I before I started my course! hehe, Best that I get my ass down to applying a few more jobs and trying out for some interviews!

renault clio

I am utterly in love with the new Renault clio.

By sheer accident, went up to Stratford today (again). A friend of mine rented a stickshift renault clio and didn't know how to drive on left hand side. Initially I was reluctant to go, cos I'd gone to Stratford with Sue May just 2 weeks back. But when I saw it was the Renault clio, I was just dying to test drive it, and before I knew it I heard myself say...

"If you want, I could go up Stratford with you gals." DOH!

Of course my friends weren't expecting me to go with them and spend the rest of the day on a road trip, instead of reading glorious articles on advertising, ad recalls, digital media trends... But under yesterday's circumstances, they were stuck and asked if I would go with them.

But am glad I did.

We went to Stow-on-the-wold and it is this little quaint village with lots of delicatessens (hear hear) lots of pastries, cafes, restaurants and kitchenware shops. You know me and kitchenware - I could have stayed there for the rest of the day looking at them.

Of course we had to go the Eagle and Child - which they claimed to be England's oldest inn. Seems like their cooking time lasted just about as long since the inn existed - AD947.

Okay it could be me. But when I pay £9 for a sandwich, I kinda expect more crisps and less wilted salads. And when the waiter takes my orders and tells me he can exchange crisps for chips, you expect chips. But noooooo.

The sandwich was kinda small too. It probably shrank in size while sitting on the counter waiting to be served. It took them a good 30-40 minutes getting our sandwiches. Honestly, after paying £10 for a sandwich and diet coke, I felt cheated and had to have an ice-cream to compensate.


Oh but the best part of the trip - the Renault clio, how could I forget...

It's fantastic. The interior is a lot more spacious than you expect. The pick up speed is definitely better than my good old Nissan March, the Vauxhall Corsa or Zafira. It was just such a smooth ride! Plus for the same distance that we travelled from Bath to Stratford on the Corsa, it was a half tank fuel consumption, but on the clio, to and from, the fuel gauge hardly budged!

I need to strike lottery and buy that car, so that I can use my tiffany key chain with new car key. Muahahhaha!

DAMMIT suffering from car ownership withdrawal symptoms

Top photo: Picture of the town centre in Stow-on-the-wold. Bottom picture: Nina standing outside Eagle and Child

summer solstice

Today is summer solstice. The longest day of the year and where the sun is farthest north in the sky. At this very minute as I write too - 18:08

Which never used to bother me, cos all days are roughly the same in Singapore, variation is about half an hour of the sun setting early and late. But here, I kinda appreciate the sun more.

It's the day when Stonehenge is open overnight to allow hippies and druids in. I can understand why they celebrate this paganistic event, particularly when you're in this part of the world.

Here's an extract from BBC- Science and Nature

Summer

The day the north pole is nearest the Sun is called the 'summer solstice'. Looking from Earth, the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky all year. This means it takes the most amount of time to cross the sky. So this is the longest day of the year. Its called the 'summer solstice' and happens around 21 June. Astronomers call this the start of summer and after this date, days start getting shorter.

The sun rose at 4:50 this morning and will set at 9:30hrs tonite.

The bright side (no puns intended) is that it is officially start of summer - woohoo shall go submit my essay in my bikini tomorrow! The not so bright side is, we lose the day a few minutes a day. Till it gets to be that horrid horrid time when it gets dark at 3pm.

Oh well, you gain some you lose some. I just have to start scheduling some vacations in winter then. Muahahha.

suddenly stefanie

Got a sudden karaoke attack! Haven't gone to my fave karaoke place in Bishan. Sigh... the sacrifices I make!

New song which I am determined to master.



These are the lyrics to the song

• 歌曲：我怀念的
• 歌手：孙燕姿
• 专辑：逆光

• 作词:姚若龙作曲:李偲菘
  
  我问为什么
  那女孩传简讯给我
  而你为什么
  不解释低着头沉默
  我该相信你很爱我
  不愿意敷衍我
  还是明白
  你已不想挽回什么
  
  想问为什么
  我不再是你的快乐
  可是为什么
  却苦笑说我都懂了
  自尊常常将人拖着
  把爱都走曲折
  假装了解是怕
  真相太赤裸裸
  狼狈比失去难受
  
  我怀念的是无话不说
  我怀念的是一起作梦
  我怀念的是争吵以后
  还是想要爱你的冲动
  
  我记得那年生日
  也记得那一首歌
  记得那片星空
  最紧的右手
  最暖的胸口
  谁记得
  谁忘了
  
  想问为什么
  我不再是你的快乐
  可是为什么
  却苦笑说我都懂了
  自尊常常将人拖着
  把爱都走曲折
  假装了解是怕
  真相太赤裸裸
  狼狈比失去难受
  
  我怀念的是无话不说
  我怀念的是一起作梦
  我怀念的是争吵以后
  还是想要爱你的冲动
  
  我记得那年生日
  也记得那一首歌
  记得那片星空
  最紧的右手
  最暖的胸口
  谁忘了
  
  我怀念的是无言感动
  我怀念的是绝对炽热
  我怀念的是你很激动
  求我原谅抱得我都痛
  
  我记得你在背后
  也记得我颤抖着
  记得感觉汹涌
  最美的烟火
  最长的相拥
  谁爱得太自由
  谁过头太远了
  谁要走我的心
  谁忘了那就是承诺
  
  谁自顾自地走
  谁忘了看着我
  谁让爱变沉重
  谁忘了要给你温柔
  
  我怀念的
  我还有想要爱你的冲动
  我记得那年生日
  也记得那一首歌
  记得那片星空
  最紧的右手
  最暖的胸口
  
  我放手
  我让座
  假洒脱
  谁懂我多么不舍得
  
  太爱了
  所以我
  没有哭
  没有说

darling B2

It's been almost a year since I last saw B2. And when I left Singapore in September, she had just about turned 2 and could hardly say a word, much less a sentence. I believe her vocab at that time were: - mama, kor kor, yee yee, mommy, oh oh, oh nooooo.

So that's the impression that I have of my favourite darling niece whenever I chat with my sister.

Last Saturday, I was determined to get the little girl to talk to me. She has been successfully evading all mandatory "hi yee yee I love you" phone conversations just by screaming,"NOOOOoooooooooooooo." Well, it worked for me as a kid, so I thought, in all my yee yee biased-ness, that it was a smart tactic for a 2 year old.

It got to a point where, while trying to get me mom to get her to talk to me, and at the very slight mention of the word "mei" she'll scream,"Nooooooooooooooooooooooo." So I told me sis that I wanted to do a webcam with the little girl. And at 815pm on Saturday nite, I called me sis, and heard the little girl over the phone, just before the webcam was connected.

"Hold on a while yee yee, hold on alright?" the little girl parroted me sis.

"Princess, will you do a picture for gong going?"

"TOMORROW YEE YEE, I WILL DRAW A PICTURE FOR GONG GONG TOMORROW!"

I can't believe the little rascal can now speak so much, and she was even doing a muffled version of Christina Aguilera's song from Mulan.

Apparently she told some of the big boys off for cutting the queue at a birthday party, and had a conversation with me sis's friend's aunt about going to China. At 2!

I can't wait to see her in September. And have a feeling will be crying buckets when they both go home.