Family is important

Scene from Oxford Circus, London. Chinese New Year

It's 5.30am in the morning in Singapore. I am, yet again, awake. Have been in Singapore Wed, Thurs, Fri, and have slept through all three days! So, I am nursing a slight guilt for "wasting" my holiday sleeping, when suddenly, an epiphany strikes: I am on holiday. heck.

Slowly, but surely, though, crawling out of my hiding nest:

Tues night - reunion dinner, or feast, as recounted before. To be repeated this Sunday. Also watched the new (and final) Jet Li martial arts movie, Fearless. In a cinema within the first few hours of being in town - even I'm impressed!

Wed night - family dinner al fresco in Tiong Bahru. I truly miss this in London. The balmy night breeze and rustic surroundings of old Singapore, the fairy lights above dancing in the moving air, no pretences. The kind of setting where you make inner peace with yourself. It reminded me of al fresco nights in recent Tenerife, when everything was just the way it was supposed to be.

Thurs night - cleared my cupboards and threw away my old diaries, the same way I had burned all of mine in London. Diaries. I decided to destroy all of mine. For me, diaries are a process. Once inexpressible thoughts have been converted to words and ink, they have done their job. As an old friend once put it, 写了就算了. They are lost to me after the last full-stop. I don't know why I kept them for so long. What about blogs, I wonder?

Fri night - pilates with Emelia. Dinner at Kuriya - I had the sushi gozen, with zaru soba. Have been craving cold handmade soba for the past week, for some unknown reason. I think I just like to watch sesame seeds bobbing on the surface of the fish sauce that you're supposed to dip the soba into. Watched Memoirs of a Geisha - definitely a film made for commercial release, and which I enjoyed accordingly. I think the cheongsams in Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood For Love make for a richer visual feast.

Weekend - visiting various friends to 拜年. And of course, the now much touted CNY feast. Cooking with mum, learning, practising, bonding. Resting.

It's good to be back. Family is important.

"you believe in him and are [note: present tense]

filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

for you are receiving the goal of your faith,

the salvation of your soul"

~ 1 Peter 1:8-9

Burberry's, London. Christmas sale.