How do you know you had double happiness without being in a matrimonial occasion?

When you have 2x2 bottles of nail polish, complete with nail stickers, two pots of eye shadows, 2 hand creams, 2 bottles of shower gels, 2 tissue masks, 2 pocket tissue holders, 2 boxes of chocolates, 2 organiser diaries, 2 table calendars and 2 books for Christmas. What is it with the number 2 and me this Christmas? Well, beats me why I’ve got just twice of everything I received over Christmas this year, but I like to think that I had double portion of blessings and twice the supply for my needs. There’s something I don’t need though, putting on 2 additional kgs! A bit hard when I’ve been eating twice the meals everyday, i.e. 2x brekky, 2x lunch, 2x dinner, with 2x snacks in between. Coupled with twice over the amount of rain over the season makes exercising outdoors doubly hard. Need that lazy bone to move on down to the gym before all is too late.

Although it’s been so rainy for the past two weeks, but it was one of the best December I’ve enjoyed. With the Stan Chart run, job change, 2 weddings, birthday celebration, ethnic costume shopping, keeping in touch with my long lost secondary school teacher, pre-Christmas service dinner and the HSBC treetop walk on Christmas eve, it was quite a busy but enjoyable month for me. Of course, there are Christmas dinners and lunches nearing Christmas and the busiest evening for me has to be the Bollywood Christmas, being the only and thus, most sabotaged girl at the table. What ever possessed me to change seats to another table? Becos’ my friend was there? I know, must be the Holy Ghost, cos He has a divine purpose for me there. To be the most “outstanding” girl for the evening? OK, good try, but… nahhh….!

Well, many moons ago, some wise man said that one shall not dwell in past regrets and hurts, but shall move on as life continues. Alright, I forgive all who’s been involved, in one way or another, in my night long sabotage (sniff, sniff, sob sob… God, help me heal!). Jokes aside, it has been a very memorable evening for me. Then, one of the other day that has “feels like eternity” was the HSBC treetop walk. It was a walk that began at 9.30am and ended at about 2.30pm. Oh yeah…. Have not walked non-stop for 4 and ½ hour before…. at least not that I can recall. Meihui’s legs almost couldn’t go on any further while I was getting hungrier each step I take. All the effort’s worth it though, when we reached the bridge for the treetop walk. It’s not often that people get the top of a tree, more so, the tree of a rain forest.

However, the height that we were at made me and Meihui think twice about walking on it, but we haven’t got much of a choice as there were signage everywhere that says “no turning back”. Why did those words remind me so much of a Christian song? So with wobbly legs, we walked on the bridge, holding on to the handles for our dear lives. For Junming? This is nothing to him, man! Why? Probably because he’s army-trained? Anyway, he used to climb mountains and was into extreme sports, so the height and the swinging bridge is chicken feet to him. Hmmm… what can I do if I fear nothing? A potential terrorist, if without God? But with God, probably I’ll be in mid-wifery? Hears my spirit man sniggering: Haha… hee… ho….. nice try… bleah!

Fortunately, it only started to rain and drizzle when it was almost the end of our hike. Christmas eve ended with some knee and ankle ache, but good fun nonetheless.

Early in the morning 5.30am, I got up on Christmas day and wonder why am I up so early this day. It must be my biological clock at work. In any case, I didn’t quite mind it cos’ like an excited child, I started to unwrap my presents. Yelp! On Christmas day, not on boxing day as it has been my practice since I can’t remember. It was a morning filled with joy and excitement as I unwrap each present I received. For many of the gifts, I really appreciate the giver who put so much though into selecting the right gift for me. Some even took the effort in wrapping and even details like doing up their own cards. I really take my hat off some people really do have an eye for beauty and exuberate creative juices in the things they do.

All that unwrapping must have woke Dad up as he got off bed earlier than usual to prepare for his morning exercises. As I woke up way too early and couldn’t go back to bed anymore, and wouldn’t go back to bed in case I overslept for my friend’s wedding solemnization in the late morning, I decided to tidy up a very dusty part of my room. I long to do some spring cleaning in that area as I know it’s been left neglected for an extremely long time. Before long, I was bringing on the vacuum cleaner which the noise woke my sister up. Sorry sis! Not my intention to wake up the whole house early Christmas morning. But, since I am so “free”, I might as well do some spring cleaning and before my shower for the day.

One principle must be applied spring cleaning: in order to clean up the room, you’ve got to be cruel! Yes, things that we really do not need should be fit for the bin and not just keep them for some sentimental values. Items like the Belgian’s university prospectus from the last millennium (when I was still sourcing for the right university to study), some hand puppet which I got from the aircraft during my flying days, some face toner which I’ve left untouched for ages, an unfinished cross-stitch when she was still a maiden, and heaps of dust is also uncovered during the cleaning up. Can’t believe I lived with them for so long.

After I was done with the spring cleaning, I quickly took a shower as I spent longer time than I thought I would at cleaning up and was running a little late for my friend’s slomenization. Fortunately, the ceremony also started late, so I didn’t miss any bit of it. Jamie (the bride) looked a little stressed because the JP emphasized that the ceremony has to start on time as he had to run off to another venue, but there’re friends of the couple that had still not arrived. Oops… guess I was one of the guilty ones who made her delay the ceremony. She said the JP was kinda stern to her and that probably thrown her of a happy mood. When it was over, I told her that the event went well and the JP had made the whole atmosphere quite light-hearted. Eventually, she got over the episode and was enjoying herself during the reception. She’s got a cute grandmother too, whom Jamie actually quitted her job to take care of for a few months. So noble! Where to find a wife like that? Don’t you agree, Mrs Tan? :)