5 minutes

Al: Oh look, it's on the floor!!
S: Eeeeeww!

1 minute before...

S: Can you please not stand over me like that? You know I'm not going to forgive you if that grain of rice lands on my shoulder.

2 minutes before...

Al: *violent snort*
S: What's wrong?
Al: Got a grain of rice up my nose. *frustrated snort*
S: Hahahahaha!

1 minute before...

Al: Look, I'll show you...

1 minute before...

S: But how do people scoff food without choking? I can't even try it without feeling like a grain of rice is going to get lodged at the back of my throat.

You Will Be Remembered

To find out about the death of a friend on a Monday, and then to find out about the death of another friend on the Friday of the same week; it hasn't been an easy week. Just when you thought your heart couldn't break even more.

My biggest comfort is that without a doubt, I know they're both in heaven.

F: You were such an inspiration. Your courage. Your passion. You made a difference. May those responsible for your death be brought to justice. You did not die in vain. We will make sure you are remembered.

A: You were singlehandedly the most important turning point in my life. Thank you. My biggest regret right now is that I never told you that. I hope you knew.

"If I should die and leave you here awhile,
Be not like others, sore undone, who keep
Long vigils by the silent dust, and weep.
For my sake - turn again to life and smile,
Nerving thy heart and trembling heart to do
Something to comfort other hearts than thine.
Complete those dear unfinished tasks of mine
And I, perchance, may therein comfort you."
(Mary Lee Hall)

We will honour your lives by continuing on your unfinished tasks.

Dreams

If you could have any talent in the world, what would it be?

S: I'd choose singing. I really really wish I could sing.
Al: I wish I could compose music.
S: Oh cool, you could compose songs for me to sing!
Al: Well no, I meant music for film scores and such.

*pause*

S: Do you realise we're coveting my sister's talents?

Now we wonder if she's secretly wishing she were a dancing martial artist.

Animals

If you had to be killed by an animal (touch wood!), which animal would you choose?

Al: Shark.
S: No way! I HATE sharks! What a horrible way to go.
Al: But it'll be really fast, and it'll be over before you know it.
S: So bad! Imagine if I were there and I saw it! I'd choose a snake.
Al: I HATE snakes!
S: But at least I'd have time to go to the hospital, and say goodbye to everyone.
Al: What if the snakebite killed you within seconds?
S: Cannot. I choose a snakebite that gives me at least a few hours, and is not so painful.

Hero

My friend was trying out her new belly dance costume.

When her two-year-old son saw her in all her shiny splendour, his eyes grew wide and he pointed at her excitedly; "Look, mommy! You're Superman!"

White light Yellow light

It's close to midnight, and Al and I were having dinner on the balcony.

Al: Have you ever looked at windows and imagined what's behind them?
S: Hmm...actually no. I like looking into windows and admiring the furniture; like little doll houses. Ooh...let's choose a window and make up stories about who lives there!

I decided to choose two units instead; one with white lights, one with yellow. Because Al prefers white and I prefer yellow.

S: Ok, so you see right across? We'll make up stories about those two. White lights below, yellow lights right above. So we can compare and contrast stories.
Al: Ok! You start.
S: Ok, white light...It's a young family, with a housewife who's depressed. She's got so much work to do, and she's very practical, hence the white lights. Looks like a factory. Very sterile.
Al: I think it's a young professional, single. Who's still at work, but forgot to turn the lights off from the night before.
S: Oh look, there's a child in white pajamas.
Al: Yerr..that's kinda freaky.
S: *smack* Don't say things like that!!
Al: Ok ok. Alright...so the young professional...
S: But wait. We just saw the child. So I'm right. It's a young family.
Al: Child? What child?
S: The one that just walked past?
Al: Huh?!
S: Stop it.
Al: But I didn't see a child!!
S: Wait. Which units are you looking at? I said the ones with white lights on the bottom, and yellow lights right above.
Al: Yalah! Those windows there, on the far left!
S: Haiyah!!!! I meant the balconies over there, in the middle!!!!!

Lousy. Freak me out.

To be fair, Albert was more freaked out. Because not only was he looking at the wrong units, he was looking at bedroom windows, and the curtains were tightly drawn.

S: Ok yellow lights, your turn.
Al: Pretentious yuppy-wannabe, hence the yellow lights for the living room. And all those paintings on the wall.
S: Hmmph. I was going to say young romantic couple. Oh look, a child!

We decided to stop playing the game.

coffee break

Al and I were discussing what we would do if something happened to either one of us.

Al: Well, if anything happened to me, maybe you could get Pat to move in with you.
S: Ok! *thinking about the different ways to boss Pat around* And if anything happened to me?
Al: I'll get Pat to move in with me!
S: Yerr...so confident. What if Pat is married and has a family by then?
Al: *breaks down in hysterical laughter*
S: Yerr...so bad!!

Jo, Pat and I meet up for coffee.

S: So, if anything happened to Al, you're moving in with me.
P: Nooooooo!!!
S: Yay a free driver!
P: Wail!
S: And if anything happened to me, you're moving in with Al.
P: Yess!!
S: Huh?
P: "Hello, ma? Yeah, I'm not going home. I've got my own place now". Yay boardgames! Now...how can I kill S?
Jo: So if anything happens to S now, we'll all know..."Pat did it!"
P: Hmmm...I'll have to kill all the witnesses too...
S: Yeah, you'll try telling the police, 'It looks like an accident', and they'll say, 'But she was strangled!"
P: Yeah, and it looks like a jiu-jitsu choke! Hmmm...Ok, I'll tell them, 'Oh look, it looks like she stabbed herself 10 times in the back!'
S: Hmmph. Anyways, I was asking Albert, what if you were married and had a family by then, and...
P: He laughed, didn't he?
S: Haha yes!
P: Hmmph!

What For?

I wasn't happy.

I'd rather spend more time at the pyramids, rather than at some perfume oil shop. My friend nodded in agreement. I'm not interested in perfume. What for? What for they bring us here? What a waste of time.

10 minutes later...

"Ok, I want this, this, this and this! How much?"

Yes, yes so I bought 4 bottles of perfume. Thank God my friend stopped me from buying the pretty perfume jars that were selling for USD 10 each. (We later bought the same jars for about a quarter the price at the market).

I wasn't happy.

Really, we rushed through our tour of the pyramids to come to some papyrus factory? Yeah yeah so it's amazing how they made paper from papyrus, but I can always watch that on youtube or something. What for bring us here?

10 minutes later...

"Could you help me carry this, please? My hands are full."

How could I resist? They were writing out names in hieroglyphs! And besides, the artwork is not for me, it's for the dance studio. So there.

Boo hoo. Such weak self-control.

The next day, I was careful not to bring money, and I sat on my hands.

Look what happens when you've not gone shopping for ages. "Ooh...a pencil! I want!"