Tag Archives: University

No Clearance to Migrate

19 Jul

I don’t normally do mass migration for the Citizens of Gigglesville. Every now and then, only one or two would leave with the max being five. The last big migration was back in January when M1 brought nine Citizens and one Friend (Spiny Lumpsucker) of Gigglesville with her back to the US. Thankfully, all passports issued had no problems.

This latest mass migration, a huge one with 36 Citizens, had been very challenging. First, to meet the deadline, all Citizens were carved almost daily. Then they were prepped just about every other night. However, I encountered a major hiccup at the last hurdle.

Sixteen Citizens have no clearance to migrate just yet because the passports issued for them had control issues. The numbers did not tally in other words. The immigration officer must have be sleeping on the job to cause such a boo-boo. The affected Citizens are the orange, red and purple species.

Luckily the next day the problem was resolved and they are ready to join the 20 to migrate. Thank goodness.

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What Are the Girls Up To

26 Jun

The school holidays have ended and M2 is back in school. During the two weeks, we didn’t do much except for that two day-trip excursions. And although on break, M2 would still go to school for cheer practice when we went to the office. It became a routine albeit a short one and not too cumbersome.

As for M1, she has finished her Junior year at University and is now having her Summer holidays. She has opted not to come home though but to work for her Professor at the Lab on campus instead. It will be a good experience. Come Fall, M1 will start her Senior year and M2 will be in the final stages of preparation for the year-end big exam.

Dang… they grow up so fast.

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Reunion Dinner 2018

15 Feb

Yesterday was our last day at work before we break for Chinese New Year and boy was it a busy day. I managed to clear most of my work – the boombox in the office has been inspirational, and looking forward to a stress-free break. I’m sure I am not the only one with this feeling.

Reunion Dinner 2018 is sans M1 again with the occasion at my sibling’s home. Every year it’s a debate whether to have this auspicious gathering at home or in a Chinese restaurant and many a time, the choice of having it at home outweighs the eating out choice. This is because the Chinese restaurants will hold two dinner sessions for families and this feels very rushed. Imagine having to eat an eight-course dinner within a hurried and noisy environment. Whereas at home, it’s at a leisurely and comfortable pace.

I hear these days some restaurants are now even doing three dinner sessions capitalising on the occasion! Well, however it is done, it is an all important gathering for the Chinese. We look forward to the Year of the Dog tomorrow to usher in a prosperous and healthy year ahead!

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Getting the Priorities Right

13 Feb

My goodness, it suddenly hit me that Chinese New Year is three days away! And I am so not prepared. The customary red cloth is finally up, but no further festive decors in the house because I chose to carve instead!

I have not stocked up my fridge with real food because there’s chocolate and candies hogging the space. And hubby bought drinks to fill the fridge – beer and more beer plus some soft drinks, all of which I cannot consume. Wait a second, I shouldn’t be thinking of drinking any alcohol with my current situation. Furthermore, the drinks are for visiting guests during the festivity! Need to get my priorities right here…

To add to my unpreparedness, I have not even started packing for the trip up North to hubby’s hometown on the First Day of Chinese New Year although I made the effort to pack my golf set. My priorities seem to be skewed.

So this year, the Reunion Dinner will be with Mom and my sibling and his family. Only M1 remains absent as she is still in the US. Nonetheless, it will be a boisterous affair with lots to eat and drink with everyone around but poor me, I have to be careful on my intake in case there’s a reaction. At least I am getting my priority right on this.

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Stuck

22 Jan

After the completion of Dinky the Dinosaur at the towering four inch height, I find myself stuck to progress with little Citizens which are only an inch tall. Oh no!

I thought I could whip out more Citizens after M1 went back to university but somehow, I can’t seem to get the carving motor going. Suddenly a Citizen’s size, being so tiny to hold (compared to Dinky), seems like a gargantuan challenge. How did I ever reach 120 Citizens and a handful of Superheroes, Friends and Gnomes in the first place?

I had to will myself to stay focused and over the weekend, Monument 5 came about. Perhaps I should get a few more monuments or bigger pieces done up before settling into the carving mood on the smaller ones. The township needs to grow to enable further migrations this year.

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Happy 21st M1!

19 Jan

Two weeks ago, we had an early birthday celebration for M1 prior to her return to the US. Today she turns 21. Dang… I feel old and no wonder the dinosaur sentiments are stronger than ever!

Although she is not here with us, the three of us will go out to celebrate this evening. But I am sure she will go out with her friends and celebrate, sensibly I hope, especially now that she is of legal drinking age.

I remember when I turned 21, I was in class and a classmate brought a six-pack of beer (in a brown bag) and gifted me. He thought it was significant, I thought he was being funny. Thank goodness the design lecturer did not notice or pretended not to notice. And yes, I did go out to the bar and celebrated sensibly.

Happy birthday my dearest M1! May you stay sensible and wonderful. And like what I said last year, I will say this again, no matter how grown up you have become, you will always remain my baby. Love you to the moon and back! Mwah.

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Dinky Takes Shape!

9 Jan

Now that M1 has gone back to university, the home front is back to normal. In other words, no trips to the mall for shopping or eating out to check off a To Eat List on a weekday. I can go back to carving, hubby can tend to his air plants again and amazingly, M2 has even started doing her revision without being told.

The first thing I did was to finish up Dinky the Dinosaur. Chopstick limbs were added (with ice cream stick feet) and over the weekend whilst tracking her flight path flightaware.com, I gave it a gesso base. And Dinky will be given a good sanding down before a second gesso base and colors are added to bring it to life.

Finally, Dinky is taking shape. Next in cue, a whole new batch of Citizens and perhaps some new species.

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We Say Goodbye

8 Jan

After almost a month being home, our firstborn M1 returned to the US on Saturday evening. It had been simply a wonderful month, spending quality time together as we did so much or sometimes nothing at all. We had our family vacation in Hong Kong which was really fun.

And we enjoyed a sinful gastronomic journey covering her To Eat List; I think we managed all on the list. Needless to say, my waistline expanded and I gave up standing on my bathroom scale.

But how fast time flew by. My heart broke a little when we hugged her and saw her into the Departure Hall at KLIA as she headed back as a Junior turning Senior for her final year. Sniffle…

Fast forward to today—a Monday but a Sunday for her—she finally arrived, surviving the 3-leg journey with an unavoidable ten-hour layover in Hong Kong. I feel a sense of relief now.

Have a great year ahead M1!

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Mass Migration, Part 2

5 Jan

Every now and then, the Citizens of Gigglesville do a mass migration. This time it’s en bloc for ten Citizens, with Lab Owl leading the way. Lab Owl is following M1 back to the US with giant Citizen #100 tagging along too while the rest, Citizens #96, #97, #103, #108, #109, #110 and #114 are migrating to spread love and giggles.

On top of these citizens, I actually managed to find a little time to carve a Friend of the Citizens character because M1 requested for one. In Gigglesville, there’s the normal Citizens, the Superheroes, the Monuments and this; not a gnome but a fish specifically, a Spiny Lumpsucker.

Named Spiny Lumps, it even has an occupation – a Marine Researcher. An apt career considering it is an ocean creature and Spiny will assist Lab Owl with research. Who knows? Maybe the storyline can evolve with flair… Hahaha…

With the mass migration, looks like I have to carve up more Citizens for Gigglesville to grow!

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Together Again

11 Dec

As one would know, coming home from the US would take over two days, and with one day having never occurred in your life when you cross the International Date Line. And depending on the flight’s origin, time and connections, it may take even longer.

M1 actually left campus on the evening of 7 December after the last exam paper. She had a ten-hour layover at LAX before the long journey began the next day. Throughout the day, I was tracking the flight path on Flightaware.com.

Everything was on track and it was reassuring. I could even carve up a Citizen to while away the time. But coming into the last stretch of the flight, the aircraft approaching HKIA went off track. It looked like a time-wasting ten minutes diversion. Maybe CX 885 was early and there’s no landing rights, nothing major. It was scheduled to arrive after 14 hours 39 minutes but in the end, it was captured at 15 hours, still an hour ahead.

This then gave the layover an additional hour to two and a half hours before the final leg to KLIA. Unlike a previous trip, she had only a 50-minute layover and she had to run the length of the airport to the gates before they closed for boarding! Nothing of that sort this time. Phew.

The flight arrived ten minutes early at 12.27am on 10 December but knowing her, she’d be the last one out. Sure enough one hour later, she strolled out from the Departure Hall. And in a blink of an eye, another year has gone by, my firstborn is back and the family unit is complete again.

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