My love for stuffed toys

Happy New Year To All My Dear Friends

The year has just begun and I received news of 'abandoned pets' this week. Someone has packed 4 cartons full of unwanted stuffed toys for giveaway, simply because her kids no longer want it. I feel sad each time I hear of such stories. Although stuffed toys are not living things, the joy and comfort they bring to stuffed toy lovers can be comparable to that of a real pet.

Do you remember the time when your teddy bear was your confidante, your ever faithful best friend who always listen to you attentively no matter how sleepy he is? How those empathetic eyes look back at you when you were feeling down, telling you 'it's ok, I understand what you're going through'. Not forgetting those times when your teddy looks much bigger to you. But as you grow up, your teddy seems to have become smaller in your big hands.

I always find it very sweet when I see toddlers hugging their beloved stuffed toy. If stuffed toys have emotions, they have must felt like being on top of the world. Unfortunately, most children either chuck aside or give away their childhood stuffed friends when they grow up. Imagine how fearful that teddy must have felt, being stuffed among the shelves in the store room!

Believe it or not, I still have my very first teddy bear with me. It's now a vintage bear, those type with movable limbs and black/brown glass eyes. I also have my bunnies, doggies, duckies, hippo... with me too. Each of them accompanied me at my different stages of life. They have shared my happy as well as sad moments together. If they could talk, they would be able to tell you my life story :)

On and off, I would ponder over the future of my furry friends should I be gone one day. The news I heard this week triggered this thought again. I ever thought of donating my collection to the museum but I'm not sure if they want them. Alternatively, I can open my own stuffed toy museum :D but I'll need sponsors and investors (anyone keen? :P ) I don't think I'll bear to have them accompany me on the way home. It's so cruel to burn them, and I know they won't be with me even if they're burnt.

One way which I thought might be feasible is to will them to people whom I know will take care of them and love them as much as I do. This can also serve as a way for them to remember me. The only issue is, I have too many stuffed toys and not enough friends to adopt them after I'm gone. Hmm... I still don't have the perfect solution. If you have any bright ideas, do share with me :)

Thots on last day of 2008

Today is the last day of 2008. I had wanted to spend some time quietly and slowly progress into the new year. Unfortunately, my social calendar has been quite packed towards the end of 2008. Perhaps, I've been unrealistic to set deadlines and plan personal tasks during the last 2 weeks of the year, ignoring the fact that most of my friends are clearing leave and wanna have gatherings or outings.

Arrgh..... in a few hours, we'll be ushering in the new year but I'm not ready for 2009 yet. With activities lined up for the next few days, it looks like I can only do my reflection and have my quiet moments next Monday. Well, better late than never.

I got something to say

I cannot comprehend why Vivian Chow wants to marry Joe Nieh. Just 2 few weeks ago, he was caught having an affair with Mifty Zhang. Then came reports of teary-eyed Vivian wanting to break up. And now, suddenly they have patched back and are 'rushing' to get married?!?! This just don't make sense to me at all.

If Vivian can hear me..... Why marry him when he's not been good to you? Even if you want to marry him, you should make things difficult for him before saying 'I do'. Are you (two) trying to prove something by getting married? Or, you think he will change after marriage? Fat hope.

And the last thing I wanna say is .... if you can be together for 19 years without getting married, why not wait a little longer to prepare a 'proper', if not lavish wedding? Why rush into getting things done for an important lifetime event? If the ceremony is insignificant since you've been together for so long, then just register your marriage will do. Why bother to even have a few tables?....

I've banned this stall

If you ever go to Banquet foodcourt at Causeway Point 7th floor, think twice before you buy the chicken rice. I was there 2 days ago and got pissed off by the seller. I ordered a plate of chicken rice and he gave me a plate of rice with chicken skin and bones. I hardly see any meat underneath the skin. If it's just one or two pieces, that's fine but almost all the 'chicken' were skin and bones. The indian guy after me got a plate of nicely chopped chicken meat laid on rice.

I asked the cashier auntie why she gave me chicken bones when I ordered chicken rice? I flipped the chicken over to show her there's nothing but bones. That's when the seller stepped in and said in a loud voice to pass him the plate n he'll replace the chickens. As if it's my fault, he went on and said 'next time, if you want more meat, tell us when you place order'. Hey, I didn't ask for more meat ok, I only ask for chicken meat. I simply couldn't stand the arrogant attitude of the seller. If he thinks I'm a small eater hence give me bones, then he should be charging me lower price. Since I paid the full price, I should get what I paid for.

Anyway, the chicken rice wasn't fantastic either. The rice was too oily and salty. If you are at Causeway Point and have craving for chicken rice, go to the foodcourt on the 5th floor. They have Carona chicken rice as well as traditional Hainanese chicken rice. Taste and attitude are certainly much better.

Firefox-ed

I finally downloaded Firefox today. Thanks to the latest security threat on IE, I finally action upon what I've procrastinated for quite some time. The download process was a breeze and all my bookmarks etc were also imported effortlessly :) My initial concern of hassles were unfounded. Firefox also seems faster than IE. Hmm... looks like I might not return to IE anytime soon.

I also went to check out Google Chrome yesterday. Looks impressive and rather different user interface compared to IE browser. Why didn't I choose Chrome instead? It looks so clean and minimalist, I'm afraid I can't find what I want :P Then again, I believe it's a matter of getting used to it. Maybe I'll download Chrome sometime later, but definitely not before end 2008.

Not sure about you but IE does hang on me every now and then. If you've encountered the same and have had enough, maybe you wanna get Firefox too? Or maybe you already have it? (I'm considered a latecomer in Firefox :P )