周末料理

I made an appointment for us to have scaling & polishing done before we even left for Sg. Let's not waste the free scale we get with HBF. The tea stain on my teeth were removed & I was told 1 of my filling had partially fallen off. So I made another appointment to get that fixed. We paid $116 for both of our scaling/consult/xray, compared to almost $400 for the original price. Health insurance is a must in Oz.

No rest for the wicked. When we got home, it was time for me to leave for yoga. I usually do it either at 9 am or 5 pm, depending on Shan's schedule. But becoz I had the dental appointment & happened that she had a day off, she was able to accommodate me for an 11 am start. I hadn't done any yoga for 3 weeks & was totally looking forward to it.

I started on the kimchi the moment I got home. The cabbage needed to complete a brining process where excess water content is leached out by salting the cabbage. This process takes several hours & in the meantime, I got the other ingredients ready. Cut the radish into strips, chopping the spring onion, chives & blitzing the ginger/garlic/onion into a paste in the food processor. Then I had to cook a sweet glutinous rice flour porridge & leave to cool completely. Once the cabbage is limp, it gets rinsed out thoroughly. All the other ingredients plus the chilli flakes gets mixed together to form a paste. 

I used to do it the traditional way by keeping the cabbage segments intact, rubbing the chilli paste between the leaves before rolling it up. But I found it to be a hassle when I need to cook with it as I need to unroll & cut it up. So this time, I cut the cabbage up before mixing with the chilli paste. Doesn't look as pretty but doesn't bother me as long as it still works. The kimchi is then left on the table to ferment.

Sunday morning found me working on chee cheong fun for breakfast. It's really simple to make & I kept it vegan by keeping it plain. Immediately after, I started on the yam cake. Swapping out the heibi for chaipo, the yam cake became a vegan dish as well. We had the yam cake for dinner while watching an old Hong Kong drama series. 

A Little Surprise

Half dead thyme.

This is what I came home to. I was totally expecting to find 5 pots of dead plants. Shortly after we left, Nix sent me a picture of the weather forecast, showing temperature in the 40s for 7 days straight. In fact, the temperature remained high for the entire 12 days we were away for. I didn't want to trouble J any further since they're already looking after the dogs for us. All I did was to move all the pots into the garage & gave them a good drench the day we left. Surprisingly, only the thyme was looking worn. Everything else was healthy & the chilli plant had even sprouted a few more leaves.

Pinkish red frangipani flowers.

The frangipani that I was seriously contemplating to get rid of even bloomed for the 1st time since we moved in. Perhaps it read my intention & gave me a reason not to. The flowers were of the less common reddish in colour. I was told this is the more expensive variety compared to the white ones. Alright, I shall keep it.

The kombucha I left to ferment before we left was ready. I had plenty of SCOBY now. But as I was too tired to bottle it on Sunday, I waited till I got home from work on Monday. 12 days is a nice period for fermentation. 15 days resulted in an overly sourish kombucha. It's alright, the next batch will be fine. Also, I figured out the hard way that brewing 9L at 1 go is way too much. I ran out of bottles & had to use food containers. This time round, my plan is to make 5L every week so there is a stagger in maturity.

Over fermented kombucha.

Plenty of SCOBY.

Back To Perth: Valentine's Day

When we woke up, there was another serving of bird's nest waiting for me. As hubs refused to have his share the previous round (supposedly smells like fart to him), the serving was much smaller this time round. We didn't have much time before we had to leave for the airport. I couldn't wait to go back to Perth last year. But this time, I was really emotional about it like I was when we 1st migrated to Oz. 

I didn't want to leave Wang & Puggy behind. But of course, I can't leave Ton & Basil behind in oz either. The only thing I can do is continue to send reiki to them. Before going back to Sg for CNY, we were discussing to visit Kyoto during the December shut down. But we decided to scrap the idea & contemplate going back to Sg instead. Kyoto can wait. But our family & dogs won't have forever.

As we were taking budget, we wouldn't have meals on flight. Hubs saw the Krispy Kreme outlet in the airport from far & announced that he wanted to try it. They were having special heart shaped donuts as it was Valentine's Day. We both agreed that there was nothing special about their donuts & couldn't fathom what the fuss was all about. 

The flight was on time, unlike our flight from Perth to Sin. It was back to routine once again. It was already 8 pm by the time we got home & once we set the luggage down, we headed over to D&J's to fetch Ton & Basil. They obviously had a good time as evidenced by their missing waistline. Lol.

Nothing fancy on Valentine's. No presents, no fancy meals. But then, we've never really celebrated it before. Hubs asked if I wanted flowers but my answer is the same to him every year. The money will be better spent elsewhere. Even if he gives me cauliflower or broccoli, I can turn it into lunch. Much more practical that way.

The old familiar flight schedule board.

Pretty evident that it is the year of the monkey.

"Lunch".

Heart shaped donuts.

Our flight awaits.

Back To Sin: Day 11

Home cooked meal by MIL.

"Last day" in Sg. Sunday didn't really count since our flight was at 1 pm, which meant we had to be at the airport before 11 am. We had lunch at my MIL's & I still couldn't get over how convenient it is to travel from BP to Punggol now with the new Downtown Line. My MIL had this bunch of "I don't know what it's called" ?flowers/?plant thingy. I've loved rubbing the furry buds between my fingers since young. I got my fill rubbing them & even contemplated pinching a few buds for the road. My MIL had to go to work & we headed home. Nap time again. Seemed like I did nothing but eat & sleep the entire duration of our visit. 

9goubuli.

I left for MBS to meet friends from my previous work place. Direct train on the Downtown Line once again. I was the 1st one there, followed by Dolly. The moment she arrived, she said she needed to get another dress as the 1 she was wearing was too tight fitting. So we headed to Zara & by the time we were done, J & C were already waiting for some time in 9goubuli, the restaurant J had chosen.

We quickly placed our order for an abalone louhei, fish maw soup, 狗不理包, mapo tofu, crispy chicken & seafood fried noodles. We were stuffed. But like the day before, we still went for round 2. The 4 of us shared a Hokkaido crepe cake & a chocolate lava cake. 

We're so Singaporean. We always connect through food & catch up over meals. Just sitting down to have a chat is never enough. Heh. How I've missed them but such is the fate of migrants. There's always something you have to give up to enjoy another life elsewhere. But at the same time, it is exactly becoz our time together is so precious, that we really value whatever we can squeeze out.

So pussy willow it is.

Back To Sin: Day 10

Friday. The reality of our visitation coming to an end was on our mind. Our 2nd week was much more relaxed, less packed. We finalised what we wanted to bring back to Perth in the morning. I even took a short nap before heading out to meet my poly mates.

There once was nothing in Tanjong Pagar. Nobody ever goes there except for the people working in the vicinity. But in recent years, it's become something of a Korean town, with plenty of Korean restaurants & eateries. Korean it is for dinner.

We had kimchi pancake, crispy fried chicken, spicy seafood ramen & watermelon soju. This meal later prompted me to make kimchi when we got back to Perth as hubs whined about being left out on the Army Stew (which we didn't have) & the kimchi pancake.

A long queue began to form outside the restaurant & we actually walked to Chinatown. We sat in the hawker centre & had round 2. How I miss satay! I wouldn't have ordered the yam cake & chee cheong fun on my own but surprisingly, they tasted superb. 

The night wore on & soon it was time to part. We agreed to meet again the next time I'm back in Sg. 1 more group to meet the next day. I still feel the same: people are the hardest to leave behind.

This Korean meal prompted me to make kimchi.

The chee cheong fun & yam cake later prompted me to make them when we got back to Perth.

Back To Sin: Day 9

We spent the morning packing. Time flew by & we were already on day 9 of our visit. I had gone through plenty of CDs to be brought over. Chinese albums that are no longer available for sale nor are they available on Play Store. I packed some of my favourite HK drama series as well.

We used to have buffet dinners at Carousel for special occasions. Back then, Carousel & The Line were the higher end buffets available. Personally, I prefer Carousel, not only that it is more accessible but I felt the food was more to my liking. So how can we come back to Perth without revisiting 1 of our favourite hunts? 

I had 5 lobster halves, equivalent to 2.5 whole lobsters. I miss seafood. As many times as I've tried my hand at making creme brulee, I've never been able to get it as smooth as the ones available at the dessert section. So I had 2 serves to scorch into my brain how it should be. I'll get it right. Eventually.

After dinner, I suggested watching From Vegas To Macau 3. Hubs initially wanted to watch it at Carousel (Perth) but I thought since we were there & Lido is just a short stroll away, why not? Probably the best decision I made that night. We paid $8.50 instead of $19 per pax. The movie was just crap. Not really funny. Not exciting at all. No fanciful gambling that we were expecting. 

It was 12 mn by the time we got to the bus stop & we managed to catch the last bus back home. Our visit was coming to an end...

Lobster & oyster.

Desserts.

Crap, crap & crap.

Back To Sin: Day 8

The posts stopped after CNY day 2 becoz that was as far as I got. I got lazy & stopped typing every night. So now I have to make up for it. 

This was the day I met 1 of my ex boyfriends for lunch. We dated for 15 months when I was 16. He was & still is a great guy. It's a shame that things didn't work out between us. He made a huge impact in my life. 16 years on, I realised that somehow, we ended up having the same beliefs & interests. He studies Buddhism (though not Nichiren Buddhism), is a full time vegetarian (I've always wished I can be) & has the same views on marriage as I do. If we have met now, perhaps things will be different. But such is fate. Our paths crossed then spilt. He was in my life for a reason, he fulfilled his part & had to leave. 

We met at Fortune Centre for a vegetarian lunch. He actually suggested Orchard as he didn't want me having to accommodate to his dietary requirements. But I told him that I truly wanted to have a vegetarian meal & that was how we ended up at Fortune Centre. He told me about his recent divorce from his ex & I totally got it. There were many similarities between our circumstances surrounding both our divorce. We headed for a Korean cafe for drinks after lunch before parting ways on the NEL train towards Punggol. I wished him all the best & I truly wish he'll find the amazing woman he so deserves to have as his wife.

I got off the train at Bugis & met up with hubs. We circled Top Shop & Top Man but everything was just so ex. It was finally time for dinner & we took the bus to Mandarin Oriental. Our 1 & only ultra extravagant dinner in Singapore - Morton's Steakhouse. 

Onion bread.

Meal @ Morton's.

Mandarin Oriental.

Back To Sin: 2nd Day Of Lunar New Year

The most laid back day thus far. We stayed at home the entire day. Slept half of the afternoon away in fact. After hubs finally dragged me out of bed at almost 3 pm, I suggested trying the new Nene Chicken outlet at BPP. They supposedly have fried chicken that are very spicy. The 1st time we had Korean spicy fried chicken was when we visited Korea a few years back. It wasn't even a hit in Sg back then.

The food came. Spicy yes. But not as spicy as the Korean instant noodles I love but no longer selling in the Asian shop I frequent in Perth. Probably due to low popularity. As quickly as the heat came, it went away. Even my nose dried up shortly after I finished the last piece of chicken.

As it was still day 2 of the lunar new year, most shops were still closed for business. We walked around a bit before heading home to finish off an uneventful day.

Soy & Freaking Hot.

Back To Sin: 1st Day Of Lunar New Year

I slept for as long as I could, waking up at 8.30 am. Nothing to do, I finished reading my novel, discovering that I had guessed the killer correctly. I changed into my new dress at 10 am & waited around for my relatives to arrive. At close to 11 am, Iris informed me that she was on her way to my place. My 2nd uncle arrived shortly. I went downstairs to meet Iris, Ben, & their 2 dogs, Velvet & Cotton.

We've always been in contact via FB messenger. I 1st met Iris 10 years ago when she groomed Ton Ton when he was 4 months old. Subsequently, she started grooming from home & I would bring Ton to her house for grooming. She even came to my house to teach me how to shave Ton before I left for Perth (for free). She's also the 1 who told me about reiki & even informed me that Perth is holding reiki seminar.

She wanted to buy this pet futon which is a product of Oz. But to order it online & have it delivered to Sg made the futons not worth its price. The giant sized futon is selling for $80+ but delivery for just this 1 item to Sg already costs an additional $50+. So I offered to order it for her, have it sent to my place & I'll bring them with me when I come back. I ordered it back in Nov & they've been sitting in my wardrobe till now. She ordered 1 giant, 1 original & 2 mini (for her friend) & the delivery charges was only $20+. We caught up for a bit at the playground downstairs where I brought Puggy with me.

When I returned upstairs, my 4th uncle & family had arrived. My dad's the eldest so we didn't have to go anywhere. Shortly after my 2nd & 4th uncle had gone off, my 5th aunt & family arrived. When everyone had gone off, hubs went down to buy lunch. I only wanted 2 plain pratas whereas he had a full portion of briyani. Knowing that we would be out late, we took a nap. Yeah, we were just eating & sleeping the entire week. Hubs woke me up at 5 pm to get ready to go to his mom's house. I had a pounding headache which I knew was from partly the nap & mostly from dehydration. I hadn't drank a single drop since I woke up in the morning.

We arrived at my MIL's at 6.15 pm. Hub's cousins, uncles & aunts were already there. Hokkien tradition, steamboat. Next stop was to Alan's (hub's friend) place where they have an annual gathering. As per tradition, we had yusheng, followed by steamboat. I had the yusheng but I couldn't eat anymore.

真的是很难得。As we grow older, our friends start to diminish. But there they were, always meeting on the 1st day of CNY & had been doing so for so many years running. I've always admired friendships men form. They may only meet once a year, but they're still as tight as ever. I'm such a failure in this aspect. My heart is there but of course, people don't reciprocate. You just know when you're of no importance to them. Do I give up then? But of course, there're a few who will still make time for me. So all the more I'm thankful to have them in my life.

Back To Sin: Day 5

Hung over, hubs refused to get out of bed except to go to the toilet puke. I finally managed to drag him out of bed at 12 noon as we were supposed to have lunch at my MIL's at 1 pm. By the time he got ready, it was already 12.30 pm & we had no choice but to take a cab. I downloaded the app that everyone was raving about a couple of months back - grab taxi. It worked so well we barely had enough time to get downstairs.

We made it just before 1 pm & waited for hub's uncle, aunt & kids to show up before starting our reunion lunch. The same old taste of her cabbage soup (with fish maw, abalone, dried scallops, pork, mushrooms), steamed fish & steamed prawns with 花雕酒 & cilantro. Familiar comfort food to me. There was also store bought roasted duck, roasted chicken & roasted pork. Hub's relatives left after lunch & everybody took a short nap (including hubs on the sofa) except again, for me. I spent the time reading the novel I would soon be finishing & nibbled on CNY goodies. Guess I'll just have to work extra hard to burn off the extra calories when I get back to Perth.

We headed off to my 4th uncle's place for reunion dinner with my extended family. As per yearly tradition, we had lo hei (by my 2nd uncle), DIY popiah (by my 4th uncle), braised duck (by my dad), stir fried tang hoon (by my 4th uncle) & ngoh heong (by my 4th uncle). This year, my 5th aunt brought some malay kueh that she ordered from a friend while we had cream of pumpkin with sago for dessert by my 2nd uncle.

The best part of the dinner wasn't so much the food. Honestly, I had been eating so much over the past few days that I felt really sick of food. I feel like I can swear off food for the next couple of days, which of course, isn't going to happen. It was either eat now or hold my peace till the next time we return. The best part was being able to catch up with family again.

My 4th uncle drove us home & here I am, typing this entry with eyes that are half closed due to sleeping less than 5 hours last night. Alright, time for bed.

Back To Sin: Day 4

Finally, a day that wasn't completely filled with activities. Basically, there were only 2 destinations. 1st was to Causeway Point. I was after a nice, reasonably priced dress to wear on day 2 of CNY. I've heard so many people complaining about high prices in Perth. When I came away empty handed, I knew for a fact that it isn't true. A dress of similar quality as the dress I intend to wear on CNY day 1 cost $99. I bought mine at Carousel for $50. Thou shall not complain about pricey clothes again.

I did snag an affordable deal. 2 pairs of Giordano shorts for $38. All the shorts I've brought with me to Perth can no longer fit, due to an overly successful gym/yoga/diet program. I did hesitate as I was worried that I won't be wearing these new shorts for long. So I bought both pairs at a slightly more snug size. That way, I can still accommodate it comfortably for another 5 kg loss.

We went to Uniqlo but I felt that the quality doesn't justify the price. We browsed a few more shops but nothing. Businesses are charging exorbitant prices for clothes made out of lousy material. I might as well stick to Target or Big W, which is better yet cheaper.

We had lunch at a steamboat restaurant. I got pissed off at a PRC guy right from the start. I was dishing out sauces into my bowl & had barely started putting the scoop back into place when he snatched it out of my hand. 1 second seemed to be too long for him to wait. It's not that we want to condemn PRC people. But their actions certainly don't command our respect. The rest of lunch proceeded uneventfully.

We headed home & had a super long nap in preparation for the night's program. We were to meet hub's friends for drinks at 10.30 pm at Boat Quay. After many rounds of throwing up (hubs, not me), we finally made it home at 4 am. He continued throwing up while I sat in bed playing games on my phone. Lol.

Back To sin: Day 3

If I say this is yet another packed day, will you believe me? Lol. As I slept late the night before, I woke up at almost 9 am. 1st stop was to the newly opened BP hawker center where I had vegetarian beehoon & hubs had nasi lemak.

We then took the bus to Jurong Point where I finally got to buy the body shaping bras by Impressions from John Little. Their bras in this range has high side panels that tuck in the fats from beside the boobs & armpits. This isn't something I can get from Oz. So I bought 2 to bring back. We walked around a bit but I felt claustrophobic from the crowd.

So onwards to the next stop: Marsiling. There's a Phoon Huat outlet there & I bought 2 tubs of lactone (for making soya bean curd) & a chiffon cake tin. There wasn't anything to do there & we headed back to BP.

By the time we got back, it was already 3+ pm. I suggested having sushi in BPP for "lunch". The sushi sold in Perth are expensive & doesn't taste good at all unless you dine at a proper Japanese restaurant. So sushi fix, checked. When we got home, I fell into bed & fell asleep. Hubs went out & when he came back, he told me he took the MRT for a round trip to Ubi. For no particular reason.

Having eaten so much over the past few days, I was bloated, constantly tired & grumpy. Probably some hormonal imbalance from rubbish eating. So off to the gym we went at 7.45 pm. This gym is located in the CC just a 5 mins walk from where I live. We paid $5 a head for entry.

Their 1 & only rower was out of service so I used the eliptical machine as my cardio warm up. 20 mins later, my workout top was drenched from neck to navel. I've never sweated this much before even after a full session in the gym in Perth. It must be the humidity. Then, I did my weights & instead of sets of 3, I pushed to do 5 sets of each exercise. Finally, I finished off with a 3 km jog. I felt so good having sweated it out.

We left the gym at 9.40 pm, 20 mins before they were scheduled to close. I was wet throughout. My sports bra, my undies were totally soaked with sweat. My pants were damp all the way down to the thighs. Then it was time to retire for the night after a nice shower. I even had time to read the novel I brought with me from Perth.

1 of my favourites. Vegetarian bee hoon. 

Back To Sin: Day 2

Our 1st stop for the day was lunch at Si Chuan Dou Hua with my parents on the 60th floor of the UOB Plaza. We boarded the feeder service & I was trying to ask my mom where the BP MRT station is. Turned out neither of my parents knew & a young lady within earshot informed us that the bus will stop just in front of the station. Only 10 months. The neighbourhood is familiar yet unfamiliar.

We walked my parents to the 190 bus stop just in front of Central & headed over to Marina Square at my request. Before we could even make our way to the bus stop, the sole of my left shoe came off. Not surprising, since I hadn't worn it since I left 21 months ago. So 1st stop was to Charles & Keith. I promptly selected a pair of royal blue lace flats & chuck the old ones in the bin.

My aim was to go to John Little but alas, it's gone. It certainly feels like the changes in Sg is happening at lightning speed. A new Japanese emporium has opened up & we had a walk through. That nice Hitachino Nest white ale we had during our last degustation, that we simply couldn't find in the liquor stores in Perth, we found it there. Then it was back home for a quick snooze.

I knew we were going to be out late as hub's friend arranged to meet us for dinner. Arriving home at 4.15 pm, I dropped into bed & I barely stirred when hub's alarm went off at 5 pm. He finally woke me up at 5.40 pm after he was done showering. Yeah, I don't know which 1 of us is the woman here. He spent 40 mins showering, leaving me with 20 mins to get ready. Thankfully, I'm not your typical woman & I got the job done in 15 mins.

D arrived promptly at 6 pm & drove us to Tuas for lok lok. Another couple joined us & we had a good catch up. We then made arrangements to meet on the 9th for drinks. It was almost 11 pm by the time we got home. Another packed to the brim itinerary day.

Dai Dai (Orange Peel) was the worst of them all. Too bitter for both our liking. Red Rice isn't too bad.

Lunch @ Si Chuan Dou Hua. Seafood Bamboo Fungus Soup, Wasabi Prawns, Mixed Vegetables & Mushrooms with Seafood, Peking Duck 2 Ways, XO Fried Rice.

Back To Sin: Day 1

Despite sleeping at 3 am the night before, I woke up at 7.30 am. Hubs started sneezing & it would continue for the rest of the day & probably for the entire duration of our stay. I wonder what it is in the air that he's reacting to.

I was excited to see Wang Wang (Chihuahua cross) & Puggy (Pug), the 2 dogs I left behind in Sg. I got very emo when I 1st laid eyes on Wang. He aged so much & is now looking frail compared to when I saw him last March. It makes me so scared that I won't see him again after I leave this time. Even Puggy's fur has turned white around his face. Immediately, I reiki-ed Wang & when I'm done with him, I'll do Puggy.

We headed to BPP & I had Pontian wanton noodles while hubs had economy beehoon. We walked around a bit & got prepaid sim card for use in Sg. We got home around 10 am, had a shower & left for Chinatown. There's a money changer that offers better than most rates that we use all the time. Having converted our Aussie to SGD, we headed down to 2am Dessert Bar in Holland V.

As we were early & hubs was hungry, he suggested having some food at the hawker centre. I told him to just get me sugarcane juice. But of course, he never listens. It's no wonder I find it so hard to lose weight. He came back with 1 plate of char kuay tiao & 1 plate of chai tao kuay. Zzz...

After watching last season's Masterchef Australia, I said I must try the Cassis Plum when I do come back to Sg. It was a pressure test dish. We had that on top of a 3 course dessert degustation. We actually preferred the Apple Gold which is similar but in a different flavour.

We were trying to solve the problem of carrying large amount of SGD & was considering heading to the bank the next morning. It wasn't ideal as we have a lunch at 11.30 am which is kinda tight time wise. It was then I spotted the DBS branch & problem solved. I even got my expired ATM card changed.

We headed back to BP & bought some CNY goodies as my parents haven't gotten them ready. Then he went to Old Chang Kee while I was busy paying for purchases, got himself an extra spicy curry puff, a string of fishballs & sotong head. He doesn't eat the sotong head. He bought it for me. Without my consent or knowledge. So I had no choice but to eat it. Men! They just don't listen!

Pontian wanton mee & economy bee hoon.

Top: Puggy.
Bottom: Wang Wang.

Char kuay tiao & cai tao kuay. Plus the sugar cane juice I asked for.

Coffee, Purple, Cassis Plum, Apple Gold, Chocolate H2O.

Back To Sin: Day 0

A house devoid of dogs is so quiet, so empty. That was my exact thought as I sat on the bed, waiting for the taxi to arrive to take us to the airport. Hubs said he felt emo but he couldn't explain it. Neither could I understand it. I told him that we're just going back for a visit, to spend CNY with family & friends. We're not going back for good.

We left the dogs with D&J again. Before we left for the airport, I sat down & chanted for their health & for them to behave. I felt this sorrow coming from Basil who thought we've abandoned him. I gave him reassurance, telling him that we're just going away for 2 weeks & will be back to get him. Ton Ton was the complete opposite. He gave a happy whoop when he saw J. I think it must be vacation for him too.

The taxi came on time & the driver helped us load the luggage into the boot. Taxi 坐的多。但是在珀斯还是第一次。Our fare estimate was $80 & the meter jumped 10 cents every 3 to 4 seconds, depending on our speed. We finally arrived at the airport with a final bill of $70.

Hubs began to lighten up & we were cracking jokes before long. He said he could apply for a job in the airport & that he didn't mind driving the luggage around. I pointed to the airport lavatory service & told him that he's more suited to 驾抽大便的. Lol.

Our flight was delayed for 30 mins. But we finally arrived in Sg at 12.45 am. I'm no longer used to the taxi drivers' propensity to speed. He was doing 100 km/hr in a 70 km zone & 130 km/hr in a 90 km zone. He then changed lanes left right center without signaling, weaving in & out of traffic. When we alighted, hubs told me that I can never drive in Sg. I totally think the same way. We finally fell into bed at 3 am & hence ended day 0.

Thoughts On Divorce

I called home this morning & my mom told me that my 2nd paternal uncle & aunt had split up. My 4th uncle who is very against divorce is naturally very angry with them. It's no secret my 2nd uncle & aunt don't get along. Their marriage had been on the rocks for so many years, probably more than 20. They've spoke of divorcing for a long time as well. In fact, my 4th uncle was against me & my ex divorcing as well. He's not a bad person, just very traditional in thinking, that marriage should be literally forever.

I used to feel that having been divorced is a shameful thing. But after so many years, I do feel that rather than suffer by staying forcibly together, parting ways isn't a bad idea afterall. If my 4th uncle had insisted that we not divorce & we didn't, I probably will be living in misery. Waiting at home for a husband who doesn't come home becoz he's with the other woman. What kind of life will that be? If my 2nd uncle & aunt had split up long ago, they probably will have a 2nd chance at happiness (maybe). But now that they're in their 60s, they've already lived majority of their life in misery, hating each other's guts. They have wasted their prime years in a loveless & unhappy marriage.

So, while I'll not encourage people to divorce, I won't persuade them out of it either. This is especially true if 1 or even both party has no desire to save the marriage. If it really is the end, why not just let it end? It'll be better for both involved. 人生已经很苦了, 何必让自己更苦?

修

看穿却不识破需要很深的修行。Why must we feel the need to take vengence into our own hands? 到头来, 损人又害己。为什么要做对自己不利的事? 你怎么觉得我叫你尽量做的最好, 其它的视而不见是在害你? 你怎么不明白我是在帮你呢? 也许, 你就是我的使命吧。