The last 2 weeks just zoomed by! The whirlwind of joyful activities started with V and P's beach wedding at Bintan on the 4 July weekend. It was a simple but sweet ceremony attended by family and close friends, where her parents performed a song for their march in on the sand. Awwww. V waited 47 years for her true love and she didn't give up. Well done, mia amica! L and I also enjoyed the short getaway together and came back with quite a nice tan (me, not him lol).
After that, I busied myself with putting the final touches to COTW exhibition which opened on Thursday to many positive comments! The framed cat photos looked great and it was worth the time and effort organising it. The stress melted away with every encouraging word from friends and strangers. A lady came up to me at the opening and said: 'Are you the organiser? I must congrat you on such a great exhibition. We enjoyed it a lot.' A few other folks also thanked me for making it happen - which made me feel so proud of myself. *pat pat*
Michele 'il sindaco' (my classmate from Seychelles) was also in town since martedi and we have been painting the town red and pigging out everyday. We sweated over cheap $3 lunches at Maxwell hawker centre, licked our fingers clean at Little India, chomped down on sushi at Sushi Tei, chicken rice at Yet Con and slurped up spicy chilli crabs at No Signboard Seafood in Geylang. M also splurged generously on $380++ cena at The White Rabbit and a $500++ decadent pranzo at Iggy's! It's great that we didn't spend much time at the shopping malls (only 1!), instead I showed him the enclaves of bustling Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street and Boat Quay.
As nature lovers, we also enjoyed an evening stroll in the lush Botanic Gardens where he pointed out the huge Coco de Mer palms, native to Seychelles. He had hand-carried a female coco fruit as a gift - and to illustrate its distinctive shape which resembles a woman's hip. Do you know Coco de Mer palm trees are either male or female in nature and one can't tell untill 20 years later when they mature and bear fruits? The male tree sprouts penis-like long fruits which flower and wither away quickly while the female fruits bear the seeds and can live on forever.
I must say nature is truly amazing. Which is why I have this nagging urge to get back to nature and start volunteering on local farms; to feel the dirt in my hands and sun on my back. How wonderful it'd be to run away and farm for a whole year (I'm convincing L)! Sometimes I feel a tad sick of the rat race and city life. I crave the fresh air, greenery and the sense of freedom. And I keep my secret dream close to my heart. Maybe it's my birthday that's stirring me and setting the stage for another transformation.
Usually I get quite emotional on my birthday and would rather lock myself in and have a bloody good cry. Strangely this time, I felt quite unaffected. Maybe L's presence comforts and cheers me. I got tons of well wishes from family and friends on FB and via sms, including a text from mom which read 'Yen, happy birthday to you'. It was a simple and sweet message, and it made me sobbed like a baby on the MRT, with no tissue to blow my nose! Mmph. 
We took the day off to relax in town, met mom for dim sum, and also tried to change the size of the diamond ring which L surprised me with the night before. It's not an engagement ring, darlings (not yet lah). We call it a 'birthday ring' - which will complement the diamond earrings he got me last year (which he reminded me I've not worn them since). He's such a sweetheart and I'm thankful that he has great taste too! In the evening, we whipped up a mean dinner of white wine and tom yum mussels & clams, followed by 'Benjamin Button' on dvd. 
I didn't expect much from the film but it turned out to be very touching and sad, esecially how apt that it's about the ageing process and one's life journey towards the end. The main character (played by a very understated Brad pitt) was born old and as he aged, he became younger and younger. The message revolved around age, that we should not judge a person based on his/her age and it's also never too old to do what you want and live life to the fullest. As Queenie in the movie always said: 'You never know what's coming for you...' The film made me cried like mad (I was inconsolable, just like that time I watched 'Madison County') and the next day, I woke up with damn swollen eyes lor.
