“We’ll prescribe you a cat” & 五月天《5525回到那一天巡回演唱会》+ tuition w Schylar & 7-day stress relief class @ Bodhi Meditation + “Squid Game 2” + 《独乐乐不如众乐乐2》+ Advanced lyrics writing course with Xiaohan + “Wonderland” + reunion dinner with in-laws + orientation @ SPH + neck, back and shoulder opening yoga + 《默杀》+ 《阳光普照》
10/1/25 Fri: Rainy day and I used up the left over pork belly slices, some mushrooms and cabbage to cook sesame oil chicken maggie mee for lunch myself.
11/1/25 Sat: Finished reading “We’ll prescribe you a cat” by Syou Ishida.
There were five short and cute stories on people who needed “cat prescriptions” and Dr Nikke and nurse Chitose handed them Bee, Margot, Koyuki, Tank and Tangerine as well as Mimita respectively to help with their lives. The descriptions of the cats were detailed and readers can visualize these creatures “alive” in front of you~ gives one the warm, fuzzy feeling.
Rating: 3.5/5
PotaTOHs headed out to a coffee shop near Kallang Mrt and had some nice black wanton noodles before Mayday’s concert《5525回到那一天巡回演唱会》($508 for two tix) at 7pm~ Had to walk quite a bit before we arrived at gate 4. We sat down by 5.45pm or so and was there till 7.10pm or so and did not realise we were at the wrong section…
Although I was a bit worried about Ashin’s voice at first because it felt shaky and a bit off, he managed to pull of some difficult songs of Mayday’s like 《我心中尚未崩坏的地方》、《转眼》、《雌雄同体》with his “rocker voice”~ loved it!
12/1/25 Sun: Had my first tuition with Schylar in the morning. His aim is to go from “just pass” to A1 in sec 2 this year. As laziness is his weakness, I told him he’d have to work hard!
Had nasi lemak ($3.5) at Nurul Delights and it was value-for-money. The rice was fragrant and the chilli was sweet but had the spiciness too.
Went for day one of 7-day stress relief class at Bodhi Meditation in the afternoon. *No photos nor videos were allowed but I求了个上上签regarding my job. May it be as good and smooth!* We were taught their standing大光明禅修 and did that and also seated meditation for about two hours in that 3.5hour class. Also watched interesting videos like the research of the degree of happiness measured in the brain of Tibetan monk Matthiew Ricard who meditates six hours a day.
Came home to Potato’s soy-sauced garlic chicken with chinese spinach and onions, as well as radish soup~ nice.
13/1/25 Mon: Sleep was not bad I guess? Second day of Bodhi meditation and besides大光明禅修and化骨法which we did on the first day, we saw a video about a Japanese author Dr. Masaru Emoto who claimed human consciousness could affect the molecular structure of water. He did a famous experiment exposing water to different words, music, or thoughts and then freezing the water to examine its crystalline structure under a microscope. It was found that crystallisation was beautiful when you gave water positive exposure while ugly if it received negative feedbacks. Very intriguing.
PotaTOHs tried KFC’s cereal chicken burger to get the Mofusand red packets but it’s too salty for us. *Learned the meaning of Gen Z/Alpha’s term “mewing” from Trinice… keep quiet. But what’s that got to do with “jawline”? Lol.*
14/1/25 Tues: Nice pilates reformer session with Monica this morning. Third day of stress relief class this afternoon and we did the usual: Chanted Master JinBodhi’s mantra theice, practised two大光明禅修(35mins each cycle) and化骨坐禅. I am very awake while I was doing the latter but still almost “dozed off” at a few points… probably because it was the aim to put us in a meditative and relaxed state. Ended the day with simple song-and-dance session. I was shy and reluctant to dance along to the “kiddish” moves at first but after seeing one senior danced so happily, I followed her intuitively and I felt happy! *反正没人注意我。Managed to throw away the “stereotype” and “ego” in me too. 放下“身段”，从头学起，我很开心自己勇敢做到了！*
Mum cooked prawns with chinese spinach, pork intestine and fish maw soup and fish for dinner tonight~ the午鱼fish maw was good!
Finished watching the last episode of “Squid Game 2” with Ian and Linh tonight.
No prize for guessing it “ended” on a cliffhanger. It was as bloody as in Season 1. Besides the male lead, I also enjoyed Gong Yoo, TOP, Park Sung-Hoon and Kang Ha-Neul’s acting in the drama. TOP was so annoying but I thought he suits acting!Rating: 4/5
15/1/25 Weds: Tried a new 30-min seated meditation this afternoon but because I was not fully focused, I doubt I benefited from it that much. Master Jin Bodhi talked about balanced diet, the presence of anger and some reactions one will have after禅修. Seemed like many would tear. I did not but I do feel warm and hot sometimes and weird pain at the sides of the head and my left eye. However, in general, I feel more energetic in the later part of the day too now. Also, I felt I sleep better at night, albeit it still took me some time to fall asleep and I still have vivid dreams. Even if I wake up once in a while in the middle of the night, I can still wake up at pretty much the same timing these few days and not feel tired.
16/1/25 Thurs: Went earlier for photo-taking at Bodhi Meditation. Guess what? We had to practise大光明禅修three times today! That’s 1.5hours of standing~ sure I felt my calf muscles improved but it still was quite a challenge for my calves and heels! *still prefer bone melting seated meditation compared to the new one* Plus the usual收工, two and a half hours has passed then. Watched a video on Jin Bodhi sharing what he learned from skiing and although it was funny the way he described his experience, he taught that what’s difficult for us will never be the external obstacle or challenge itself, it’s always our fear and lack of confidence to overcome it. *The Buddhist teaching is that all sentient beings have the potential to become a Buddha. Not going that far yet but let’s have confidence in whatever we do!*
17/1/25 Fri: It’s the sixth day of the stress relief class, and the last one I’m attending because I have other commitments tmr. It’s another three reps of大光明修持法and one清净观想法. With收工, another 2.5hours flew past. Bodhi Meditation seniors introduced their social media platforms and also offered these audio recordings for these practices we did to be downloaded for free. I felt they were genuinely kind people. There were two major benefits that I reaped from this free class. One, I’m certain my daily energy level has improved rather tremendously since the start of the meditation. I used to be tired by evening time everyday, no matter if I was working or not, but now, I feel generally energetic till bed time at night and I can focus must better on conversations even at night. Secondly, I felt that my sleep is better these few nights, albeit I still don’t fall asleep fast and I still have vivid dreams.
It also happened that I’m on my period during this period. Not sure if it was coincidence, but I did not feel the usual lower back pain on the second day nor were there dark blood clots which I used to see on the third or fourth day of my period. I supposed that’s a good sign. All in all, I’m thankful I took the time to attend this 7-day stress relief course and grateful for Bodhi Meditation’s teachings. *Will definitely incorporate the practices into my life from now on!*
Downed nasi lemak at Eunos market centre before a 20-min walk over to FM Pop Music School for my first进阶歌词班with小寒! There were six students, one only 15 years old leh! *我中学的时候也开始乱写歌词了，但不知道有课可以上的，就算知道也没钱来上课哈哈。*
Other than sharing her own life and how she began as a lyricist, she gave a rough outline of this “bootcamp” and I look forward to learning the different genres of lyrics we can write! The more difficult parts could be the numerous times of editing our own lyrics and coming up with a proposal for our showcase towards the end I think? Was interesting to hear her work experience with artistes like Stefanie Sun, JJ Lin, Jolin, Tanya Chia and Sandy Lam. I guess there’s a whole lot of challenge for commercial lyricists nowadays since the market seems rather saturated, so she’s right about standing out with your own style. My goal at this stage? If I can get to write a few “hit songs” someday, I’d be more than happy lol!
Went to Bugis but my raw walnut was out of stock and the auntie said they might not even take in new stocks haiz. Bought a pair of forest green ballet shoes ($99.9) from Anothersole because I rarely wear that style and it suits daily wear! *Bugis area on a weekend is a nightmare. Is it because CNY’s around the corner?*
Potato cooked snow peas, steamed fish and winter gourd soup with carrots for dinner~ the fish was tough because it was steamed together with rice… probably a bit too long, but I appreciate his effort after wiping all the windows and grilles this afternoon too! <3
Watched the Korean movie, “Wonderland” with Potato.
It’s the idea of using AI to keep the consciousness of a dead one alive in a virtual world. People subscribe to the service so the consciousness can keep in touch… just a phone call away. Some ethical issue of course… like would the living ever “face reality” then? Or is it a lucky thing they can keep in contact with their loved ones’ consciousness forever? Is that a “true connection” there or would there ever be a “disconnect”?
Rating: 3.75/5
19/1/25 Sun: Did大光明修持法and化骨功at home but while doing the latter, my legs numbed so badly I had to change the position halfway through. My meditation practice was disrupted but I hope it still helped me to some extent!
20/1/25 Mon: Scaling and polishing by Dr Ting was quick and over in about 20 minutes~ there goes $109 lol. Took me 1hour and 15 minutes to get to SPH for my work orientation.
Mike brought me around to get my laptop and staff pass done, and I had to learn the CUE system for about two hours. It was a lot to take in mentally on “day zero” of my new life as a freelance contractor at ST racing. I made the choice to work three days a week as a sub, so I can have more flexibility in time management to attend my exercise classes, teach tuitions and go for other enrichment classes! There is always the cons to being a freelancer like no employer’s CPF, no bonuses nor full-time staff benefits, but I will give myself the chance to try a “different lifestyle” and see what more new doors this can open to! *Had to take a Gojek home in the evening and it costed $22+ tsk. Haven’t even gotten my first paycheck here and I need to spend in advance already haiz.*
Potato cooked meatless Japanese curry with mushrooms, carrots, onions, potatoes and king oyster mushrooms in butter~ delicious! Ian and Linh came over at night to give us pineapple tarts and bacon bah kwa for CNY~ thanks!
21/1/25 Tues: Pilates reformer class with Monica this morning was quite easy. First day of work at home as a sub and it was a long, tiring day for me. I started work after lunch and almost literally glued my eyes to the computer screen the whole day. It's not easy to "cut" words. Mike helped a bit here and there. *My left hip acted up after sitting for hours.*
22/1/25 Weds: Tried neck, back and shoulder opening class with Victoria this morning. There were quite intense stretches but I always enjoy stretching! Collected my new CNY notes from UOB too and the whole process was fast.
Stir-fried winter gourd and shimeiji shroom in random marinate I saw on an online recipe and it turned out not bad! The bibigo shrimp dumpling was only okay. My fried egg was also the prettiest I have made so far haha!
23/1/25 Thurs: Went for Jessie’s basic aerial yoga class this morning. A lot of foundation moves and warm-ups in which some I found tiring, like holding plank in strap for 45 seconds seriously!? She taught a simple pose but I think it was the way she gave instructions and execution so many of us had difficulty doing it.
Ate hokkien mee ($5.5), which was so-so, at Bukit Timah Hawker centre and I saw YF Leong and his wife there. We caught up a bit before I went to Bodhi Meditation to take my certificate.
TCM massage with HL this afternoon was quite painful, especially around the neck and hips! She said my neck and shoulder areas are very tight now and that my arms are too. *signed up for their 11 hour-package which is now $550*
Watched 《默杀》at night.
Very disturbing after I finished the movie, when one realised the real perpetrator was probably the mute high school girl, XiaoTong. She manipulated every adult involved, and led to the killing of the bullies. We can’t deny the fact that her best friend with special needs that was killed was the trigger of this whole murder, but the director was skillful in bringing out the story layer by layer, peeling off and revealing the darker past that XiaoTong had: she killed her stepdad after he sexually assaulted her, and then the mum buried him and covered up for her. Further more, in the end, the detective in charge even chose to cover up for them regarding the murder of the stepdad. He’s eventually punished but omg, 天理何在? And in the end, XiaoTong got the freedom she wanted but we will never know if she remains the devil or would, perhaps, grow up different eslewhere?
It’s said to be based on a true story where people kept quiet when unlawful things happened, but this was no way like the korean drama “The Glory”. This was layers deeper and darker… somewhat twisting the belief that children are “pure and innocent”. Well, maybe hinting that youngsters nowadays are no longer so?
Rating: 4.5/5
24/1/25 Fri: Had Pilates reformer class with Sylvia and she’s rather chatty and bubbly compared to other instructors. It was okay overall but the one move involving triceps was tiring for me.
25/1/25 Sat: Had a nice mhk ($3.8) at Eunos market before starting my advanced lyrics writing class with XH. She shared some techniques when it comes to analysing song demos. *enjoyed the bus ride over to Marsiling as I listened to songs XH mentioned and did some pondering...* Met Potato at Sembawang MRT station and we walked over to SD and Mervyn's. The magnets Galv and Joan bought for us from Perth were cute because they are the mini representations of Coco and Kuro haha!
Had dinner at a coffee shop nearby and they played "Unlock" at night. SD made us some冰粉which was not bad.
26/1/25 Sun: Second day subbing and with Mike’s story, it was difficult because I wanted to keep all the facts and details so had to focus on shortening the sentences with logic intact! Glad Potato cooked liang teh (too much tidbits from the day before and my throat’s very sensitive) and bought salmon don and cooked enoki shrooms with miso soup for dinner~ so nice!
27/1/25 Mon: Cooked meatless bibimbap for dinner. The king oyster shrooms tasted good on its own already!
XH recommended we watch《阳光普照》so I finished it at night.
Nice movie. But parents’ love for kids… how far should it go? And kids’ mistakes… should parents pay for it?
还有，模范大儿子承受的压力是否太大？所以他找不到遮荫？这个对“太阳”好残忍、好不公，因为他好像用牺牲自己来温暖着家人…
Rating: 3.75/5
Comments