Just came back to France after being back in Singapore for 3 weeks. It was great to be home again.

My mom called me out of the blue sometime back to tell me that my granduncle suffered a stroke. He is 84, and for that age you can't really do much, since most treatment for strokes would probably kill him, so the doctors decided to wait and see. He had his second stroke 3 days later. Me being me, I freaked out, and jumped on the next financially affordable plane home. July and Aug are the french vacation periods and air tickets are super expensive during this time.

My granduncle is doing well now. He survived his stroke, but the thing with strokes is that one can survive but rarely recover fully. So now he has to go through at least a year of rehabilitation. He can't walk or talk or eat. I think its the eating bit that gets him the most. He mumbles and grumbles about not being fed for weeks! Well if he can complain then that is a sure sign that he's getting better. I went to the hospital almost everyday to read the chinese newspaper with him. I found that after not reading anything in chinese for some time, there were really many characters that I don't recognise anymore. 

And there were so many things that changed in Singapore this time round.
There is the new ION orchard that just opened up. The building was quite impressive. A landmark that forever changes the landscape of my old orchard road.



It is connected directly to the orchard mrt station. When I got out of the MRT I got lost in the ION and could not find the exit for 30min! It's that huge. And all of it is underground.

http://www.longtaizi.org/2009/07/22/ion-orchard-a-love-affair-at-first-sight/
more pictures from this guy's website.

There are also smaller malls like the somerset 313, which I didn't have time to visit at all. As well as another mall in Bugis, don't even remember the name of that one.


and while driving along the ECP we can see the beginnings of the new integrated resort.

I also went down to arab street and china town. They were as usual buzzing with people. But these areas have also been given a facelift. So they look the same and yet different.



This is not the arab street I remember... The paints on the buildings are so fresh, the tiles on the floor are so new, the palm trees were never there. Yet in the distance there stands the old Hajjah Fatimah mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Singapore.

Its not just places, we even have part a new line of MRT that opened up. The new circle line. Saw the new station at Lor Chuan.
Was starting to feel so suaku about everything! hahahah

Can't wait to see what else would have changed when I go back for Xmas!

Been really busy with work as of late so did not have much time to update my blog. Went to london to attend (you are not going to believe it) SINGAPORE DAY O9. Apparently Singapore holds Singapore Day every year at different locations where there are large populations of singaporeans. Last year it was Melbourne and this year its London.

So good for me la. I just planned to visit my cousin and I ended up stuffing my face! haha! 

https://app.singaporeday.gov.sg/

check out the I heart singapore logo, quite cute actually. I thought I would feel that its a little OTT, but actually it was very fun! They flew in 20 hawker stalls!! Chilli crab, carrot cake, satay, mee siam etc etc All free of charge I was very impressed I was thinking to pay. I was there with my cousin, her husband Neil and his two nephews.


The event was held at the very nice Hampton Court garden.

Here are Neil and the nephews and me and shuyi


Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and expecting 10 year old kids, there was this 25 year old man!! hahah Neil's nephews are 25 and 23!!



GOodness you're not gonna believe this but there was also... Lee Guo Huang and Hui Ge! OMG.... that was  a bit strange and kinda maluating... cos hui ge started to sing... very badly hahhaha



and that marks the end of our stay



I was only there for a weekend, and when I came back to Marseille, I found that I gained 2 kilos!! OMG!! So now eric laughs at me and calls me the michelin man!!! :( of course he does it in french biben d'homme (i think its spelled like this....)
time to lose the chicken rice weight man!

Today is the last of the Chinese Lunar New Year for the Year of the Rat. Tomorrow will start the new year of the Ox.

GONG HEI FATT CHOI EVERYONE. :P

Normally it never snows in Marseille. Apparently, the last time it did was about more than 15 years ago. So it's no surprise that when it snowed this morning, everything came to a standstill. Remember, this is Marseille folks.

So I woke up this morning, and it started to snow. Eric said, "Maybe you should stay home today." I thought, well yeah, its only like 2cm of snow, that's nothing. So we packed up and started to leave. Took the metro to Rond Point du Prado to take the bus. Once we got there we found out that there were no buses, they have all gone back to the depot. For security reasons they are nolonger taking anyone. WTF.

Ok so there is noway to get to the university. So me and Caro decided to go back with the metro. It was just packed full of people who had nowhere else to go but back home since there were no buses. In Marseille when it snows its like a calamity. Nothing works. No bus, no tramways, the metro barely works properly, the highways are closed, the airport is closed, the TGV is closed, cars get stranded in the streets, all the kindergartens, highschools, day care centers, universities are all closed. All for what? 10cm of snow.

Apparently because it rarely ever snows here, the city does not have the facilities to clear the snow off, so we have to wait for it to melt on its own.

So I got back home, and the snow started falling more heavily.



Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.


views outside my window.


There was this little boy who decided to build snow-people downstairs. So cute.


Snow-people.


The street infront of my place.

Thinking that well, since I have nothing to do today, Maybe I should sort out some administrative stuff with the social security people. Walked to the social security office while slipping and sliding, only to find that it's closed. Like what did I expect right?? haizz... So I walked back via the 26th century park. Don't really know why they call it that... since it doesn't look very futuristic. And to be honest, I think by the 26th century, we'd probably not have anymore trees at the rate we're destroying everything. Nonetheless, the park was a good idea. It was full of families and little kids just playing the in the snow. Some of them probably for the first time in their lives.








Artistic tree! So proud of my photo skills, although you can see my little finger at the bottom right. tsk!

So that ends my crazy snow experience in Marseille!

My lower wisdom teeth are now growing in a 90 degree angle to the rest of my teeth, so I went to the dentist at Killiney Road and she convinced me that it is time to remove them.

DID YOU KNOW, that if you have wisdom teeth that are growing in weird angles the dentist has to CUT THE GUMS, CRACK THE TOOTH, PULL THE TOOTH OUT BIT BY BIT, AND THEN SEW BACK THE GUM. OMG.....

Anyways here is the damage:

PS. don't look if you are weak of heart...



this is the top right tooth, that we pulled out entirely.

the bottom right one they had to crack the tooth, here is the damage:

I was reading the NYTimes today and saw that a worker at WalMart was trampled to death by rampaging shoppers trying to get "bargains" on the first day of christmas shopping...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/nyregion/30walmart.html?ref=nyregion

?????????????

Honestly, what is the world coming to?? A person's life is less significant than a colour tv? He was just a poor guy working as a maintenance man for the holidays. And he got trampled to death! By shoppers! And apparently noone stopped to help him. I think consumerism and materialism just make people become really ugly.

So got the results from my blood test. I have to say that I am actually quite relieved to find out that I have an infection! That can be easily cured by doses of antibiotics!
So we finally figured out that I had a mild ear infection. ??? For the last week or so I have been feeling vibrations in my right ear. I didn't think much of it. It was not too comfortable but it didn't hurt or anything. So obviously I didn't care right? But the doc checked that today, and found slight inflammation in my right ear. Plus the ganglions on the right side are all swollen. So fingers crossed that this is it!
Well at least now we know its not mad cow. hahahahhahah
Copy of my blood test but you can't see anything though....

I am sick. Been having a fever for 5 freaking days. It all started out as a cold and runny nose, so I took antihistamines and paracetamol for 3 days and felt much better. So on the 4th day I thought I was fine already, and stopped taking my meds, and suddenly I really crashed. Basically I felt like shit.

Anyways, went to doc today, and she also cannot figure out what's wrong with me. I have no signs of infection. No funky coloured mucus, no muscle ache, nothing. The only real symptoms I have are

1. irritating fever
2. initial runny nose that stopped, now its just more clogged
3. swollen lymph node on my neck.

That's it! Anyways going for a blood test tomorrow morning to make sure I don't have some weird shit.

link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid18617176/bclid18584623/bctid1755337986

best break up song ever

My mom and my ku mah came to France to visit me in Marseille for a week. Super happy! Mommy brought me all sorts of goodies! yum yum yum and all I did was just eat and eat for one week! buahahahhahaha. And then at night the two old ladies just fuss around the kitchen to cook me dinner. I think I put on weight. but I DON'T CARE!

During the first weekend they were here, we went to the Pannier, the oldest part of Marseille, next to the port.



This is the VIelle Charité, it used to be an old hospice. It was built in the 1600s I think. During that time there were several plagues in Marseille, and many of the patients were sent to this place. You still see the old wards and stuff. Now they have renovated this place, and it has restaurants, and a small cinema and several museums.

Next we saw la Major



this is actually a recent church build in the 1800s. Mom and auntie liked this one, they say it looks very grand. But most of the marseillais actually don't like this church much.

And on the weekend, Eric drove us to Cassis, a small village next to Marseille where we went for a walk and mommy went for her boat ride along the Mediterranean coast. I didn't go. Motion sickness is not my friend =D

Most of the time they were here though, they mostly spent shopping. I really don't understand why people come here to do shopping. The things they buy here and at home are exactly the same brands anyways. But my aunt is just like that one la. Mommy wanted to see several things but because my auntie didn't feel like it, mom felt bad to insist.

I wanted to bring mommy up to notre dame de la garde, the church on the highest point in marseille!


Here's a picture of the church from the other side of the port at night! But my aunt didn't want to go, as she said that she doesn't want to climb etc etc. So I told her, well my mom wants to see it so I will bring mommy up and you can wait at the bottom. She was not too amused. :P hehe so me and mommy we climbed all the way to the top of the hill and we had a view of the entire Marseille! I showed mom where the port was and all the previous places that we saw, then she pointed out to an area of Marseille and she said that area was not very nice. I laughed and told her that's where I live! hahahahahha

Actually there were several things. I wanted to show mommy. I wanted to bring mom for north african food, and try some cous cous, but my aunt has tried it before and she didn't like it and so I couldn't bring my mom to try it. Well never mind la. Next time lor. But I think mommy had a nice time in France.

To be honest, mom was supposed to stay for 2 weeks, but when she was here the first day, she already tell me that she wanted to change the ticket and go home one week earlier. I was a bit sad. But then I realised that well.... travelling with aunty for 4 weeks can be a bit bad for the health hahahahhahah. Plus mom was also getting a bit homesick. She learnt that my brother and my dad were ill, and the house was messy and my cats are smelly. So then she panicked. hahahahaha But also my aunt is very nice to me la. Every night they will cook and then after that we will sit around the table and chit chat the 3 of us, its very nice. When we were at the airport, mommy said goodbye to me, and then she turned to Eric and said, "you help me to take care of my daughter ok, she is my only daughter." Aiyah so maluating and so sweet at the same time. When I reached home my flat suddenly seemed empty and a bit quiet :(

Mommy must take up alot of space :P
I can't wait to go home!