Happy Jack-O Day!

Are you home yet? Don't stay out too late ... the vamps and ghouls and spirits and werewolves and ... are roaming the streets tonight.

Better be indoors, like where I am now ...

... but mostly, it's really because I'm so zong'ed out from staring at the computer screen scanning headline after headline on a gazillion websites ... I need a break fro Bits!! Luckily I'm just sitting in for my colleague ... phew.

Well, anyway, just a reminder it'll be November in a few hours. The last two months of the year. Where did the year go?

Facebook Addict Now

Aiyoh, I've resisted joining this notorious online social network for the longest time but finally succumbed to peer pressure and now I'm an official addict!

Ahhh ... I spend time (that amounts up to hours!) everyday biting friends, and growing my slayer and zombie armies. Or staring blankly at sea creatures swimming in the Huizquarium. And now blogging about it. Geez ...

Plus I love my (fluff)Friend xue to bits. Come pet him sometime, he's a little homesick here in tropical Singapore (and a lil hungry too cuz I lost his food munny at the races! Poor xue!)

香港迪士尼乐园~好玩!

Everytime I go to Disneyland, it's MAGIC. Besides, it's Halloween so there're special costumes for the characters ... Mickey is handsome as ever, and Minnie coquettish. Unfortunately, we didn't get to take pictures with all the characters :( - only with Mickey and Minnie cuz there's simply no time! Even when the park's the tiniest in the world ... sigh. To think we actually had a 2-day pass ... but only spent 1 day at Disneyland cuz we wanted to see more of HK (my sisters and mom were on their first trip there).

Sitting here on a Sunday night, on the threshold of another work week, I wish I was back in the magical world of Disney.

The magic really begins with the train ride into Disneyland. The special train comes with plush seats and Mickey windows and wrist rings for standing passengers (though this is quite redundant cuz the train's empty all the time we were there ... maybe during peak seasons like school holidays or the Chinese hols, then it'll be packed)

I was really there for the shows. Didn't care much for the rides although this is the first time in Disneyland where we don't have to queue up to 30 minutes for any ride. Although they have Fastpass for a few attractions, I dun think it needs to be exercised except for maybe during major holidays like X'mas or CNY.

The 3D and live musical stage shows were superb. I'm convinced only Disney can pull this off. The experience is all encompassing - sound, visual, tactility - u name it ... e.g. when they bring us into the 3D underwater world of Ariel the mermaid, they spray just the right amount of water on us and then sea bubbles and Flounder float before our eyes, just within reach. You really feel like u r part of that world!

The park may be the smallest but there're interesting things all the way, unlike at the Movieworld at Gold Coast, I was bored by noontime. Good thing is, the HK Disneyland is still expanding. They are building new attractions so eventually it may reach the size of the other parks.

Also, within their own constraints, they manage to pull off a magical finale. The regular finale for the American Disneylands is a spectacular performance of Fantasia followed by fireworks. In HK, it's just pure 20 minutes of fireworks display, played to Disney's animated features' soundtrack from Beauty & the Beast, etc. There're also projected images from the cartoons on the walls of the Sleeping Beauty castle ... I never thought fireworks can be displayed in so many different configurations! It's a pretty awesome show in its own right. The fireworks show is probably even grander than the American ones (maybe cuz it's cheap in China ... but really, it's not doing any good to HK's hazy skies)

The disappointing bit is the famous Disney On Parade - it's so short and unimpressive. Also, the food is so lousy and overpriced I wish we had brought our own sandwich. And the cast members (staff) are not as friendly and enthusiastic as the Americans who seem to really enjoy their jobs. Here in HK, it seems like just another job dealing with some stupid irritating customers ... there are some nice ones though but most are just plain bo chap. Worst of all, the park closes at 8 PM!!!! The American ones open till midnight.

The Disneyland Hollywood Hotel where we stayed ... nothing special. Just a regular hotel but with Mickey ears plastered on everything - bathroom slippers, shower foam bottles ... the cutest is the way they fold the hand towel into Dumbo. Have taken some pictures ... will upload later - damn, Imagestation is closing down ... need to migrate my albums :( and update my links here!

Oh well, anyway, here's the link to those pictures :)

4th Pilgrimage to HK. Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, this time, I'll be in Hong Kong. Haha ... I realise it's been like an annual pilgrimage - I've been going there every year since 2003, except in 2005 when I was unemployed :)

Looking forward to it. Especially this time round, there'll be Disneyland and we're staying 2 nights at the Disneyland Hollywood Hotel! Cuz Hui Ching gets a 50% discount, thanks to SIA. This is really the prime reason why I have to make this trip for God only knows if I'd ever stay at a Disneyland hotel ever again. They are too expensive, completely not worth the money but it's gonna be a blast having breakfast with Mickey v(^_^)v

Dream. Believe. Dare. Do.

Okie, off to bed now. Flight's at 0645.

爱: For Elaine!

Two more weeks to the wedding ... you must be real excited girl :)

3月9日: Sangatsu Kokonoka

I've found my theme song. At last. Lol. Why someone would write a song with this title is beyond me. It's by a Japanese band Remioromen from their album Ether. According to Wiki, both singles and album were released on Mar 9, a year apart, in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

A song about finding strength in new challenges, I can easily identify with the song, especially when it is also the soundtrack of an inspirational true story about the struggles of a girl who continues to live optimistically even as life fades away from her with each passing day.

3月9日 is featured in Japanese drama, 1 Litre of Tears, which is based on the true story of Aya Kitō, a 15-year-old who was diagnosed with spinocerebellar atrophy but carried on living for another ten years more earnestly than most of us who have taken life for granted. During that time, she chronicles her struggles as a spinocerebellar atrophy patient in a diary, 1リットルの涙 (1 Rittoru no Namida).

The series has 11 episodes, and I've just finished episode 3 on Youtube. This is the episode when Aya and her class perform the song at the school choir contest in the morning. That afternoon, she confirms that she's been stricken with the disease. And hence her life will change, as she tells best mate, Haruto.



I've also found the music files for 3月9日 here.
And the OST of the drama here.


3月9日: Sangatsu Kokonoka
March 9

Nagareru kisetsu no mannaka de
In the middle of this drifting season

Futo hi no nagasa wo kanji masu
I suddenly feel the length of the days

Sewashiku sugiru hibi no naka ni
In the midst of these quickly-passing days

Watashi to anata de yume wo egaku
You and I dream away

San gatsu no kaze ni omoi wo nosete
With my feelings on the March wind

Sakura no tsubomi wa haru he to tsuduki masu
The cherry blossom buds continue on into spring

Afuredasu hikari no tsubu ga
The overflowing drops of light

Sukoshizutsu asa wo atatame masu
One by one warm the morning

Ookinaa kubi wo shita ato ni
Beside you, I’m a little embarrassed

Sukoshi tereteru anata no yoko de
After a huge yawn

Arata na sekai no iriguchi ni tachi
I’m standing at the door to a new world

Kiduita koto wa hitori ja naitte koto that
What I’ve realized is that I’m not alone

Hitomi wo tojireba anata ga
If I close my eyes

Mabuta no ura ni iru koto de
You’re behind my eyelids

Dore hodo tsuyoku nareta deshou
How strong has that made me?

Anata ni totte watashi mo sou de aritai
I hope I’m the same for you

Suna bokori hakobu tsumuji kaze
The dusty whirlwind

Sentaku mono ni karamari masu ga
Tangled up the laundry, but

Hirumae no sora no shiroi tsuki wa
The white moon in the morning sky

Nan daka kirei de mitore mashita
Was so beautiful, I couldn’t look away

Umaku wa ikanu koto mo arukeredo
There are things that don’t go the way I planned

Ten wo aogeba sore sae chiisa kute
But if I look up to the sky, even they seem small

Aoi sora wa rinto sunde
The blue sky is cold and clear

Hisu ji kumo wa shizuka ni yureru
The fluffy clouds float by quietly

Hanasaku wo matsu yorokobi wo
If I can share with you the joy

Waka chiaeru no de areba sore wa shiawase
Of waiting for the flowers to bloom, I’ll be happy

Kono saki mo tonari de sotto hohoen de
From now on, I want you to be quietly smiling beside me

Do You Know?

       I have a secret.
       I can't tell it ...
        ... so I post it.

PostSecret: You Gotta Read It. See It.

I've heard of this project before - PostSecret - but haven't actually seen it, read it. And the fourth book has already been published! Oh boy. What have I missed.

Anyway, I am blown away. It is such an amazing project. Makes me wanna tell one of my own secrets. A secret a day makes a lifetime of secrets. And if one was off-loaded each day, I should be floating from the lightness of heart ... sweet :)

爱: 我好想睡觉！

Memories of Manila

Just came back from another whirlwind research trip. This time, to Manila. While it's not exactly a tourist destination, the city does have its own charm, where you know to find it :)

Like Jollibee. And Grower's peanuts. And Boy Bawang, which eluded me when I was there last week, and which dear Chevy, a good friend from Manila who is now based in Singapore, just told me as I recounted my nutty obsession. Peanuts were the only souvenir I brought back from this city. A mega-variety of them. All of them delicious, like nothing we can find on the shelves of NTUC or The Happy Place (Carrefour).

It seemed I had a misunderstanding, thinking we'd been checked into the New World Renaissance whose rooms were to come with free Internet access. So I lugged my laptop all the way there to find that we were booked into the Mandarin Oriental.

Nothing I could complain about this luxury hotel, except for the lack of free Internet. And that housekeeping threw away my almost empty bottle of talc powder and tube of toothpaste, and my toothbrush cover! The over-enthusiastic housekeeping also 'helped' me hang my clothes in the wardrobe, which I almost forgot to pack into my luggage when it's time to go home. Out of sight, out of mind. So thank you very much, I'd rather you just leave my clothes sprawled on the couch, just the way I'd left them.

Sigh ... other than that, I only have praises for the warm staff and super breakfast spread, though out of the five nights I stayed there, I only enjoyed two morning's worth of meals. Alas, sleep wins.

The research went pretty alright. Like previous trips to developing countries, it's a reality check for me here in Manila; witnessing the juxtapose of two economic extremes within such close proximity - slums with emaciated kids running naked, skin glistening with sweat inflicted by the merciless late morning sun, at the gate of a prim 'n proper plush neighbourhood - was mind-blowing.

We had a cheery driver, Bernie, who was despatched to rescue us when my colleague fell ill on our first day in Manila. A short ride in a claustrophobic cab from Makati City had left her queasy so we had no choice but to request for the office all the way in Quezon City to send us a SUV. They sent Bernie and he'd been our driver everyday except for one. Bernie and his Air Supply-era music on the stereo. Priceless.

Tara, the local researcher (whom I thought looked incredibly young!), made us feel so at home, making sure that all our needs were met. I've learned much about mobile phone habits and pricing from her. Excellent.

Although I must say that Manila is definitely not a tourist's choice given the bad traffic and low quality air, there are the lovely sides - the hospitality of her people, delicious food and flavourful peanuts - you can't find elsewhere in the world.

Back for Now

Arrived in Singapore this afternoon. The girls went to the airport to meet me (after having me wait for half an hour!). Then we went to have Indonesian food at the Sundanese restaurant at T2. Very delicious! Highly recommended, at least as far as I'm concerned, but not what we'd have every other day because it is kinda pricey.

The flight was very short, just 1.5 hours. We arrived ahead of time in spite of heavy turbulence along the way. It must have been one of the worst turbulence cases I've ever encountered - my coffee was spilling out onto my tray and one of the passengers in my section was air-sick. Guess it's all those clouds piling over HCMC and the South China Sea that the aircraft had to negotiate on its path to Singapore.

Yesterday was a pretty relaxed day for me. Went out for a walk from the hotel to the Ben Thanh market which was perhaps just about 2 km away. Took some pictures on the way, but the shots seemed never enough! There's so much to this city that I love. Oh ... except the over-zealous independent motorbike tour operators who can be so persistent it's a real pain in the butt.

Against my sound logic, I splurged on bags again at Ben Thanh. Hehe ... I have a really soft spot for those things. I had to hurry out of the market before I caused further damage to my pocket.

After that, I worked for a while in the cozy and free-flow-drinks-and-snacks Club Room while housekeeping attended to mine. There was wireless facility here; in fact there was wireless anywhere in the hotel except the rooms, which was wired. I wonder why.

Our last round of observation was in the evening. This time, the respondent had steamboat dinner at a local deli so we had the same. As usual, the soup base is more flavourful that our version. A fairly satisfying meal. By the end of the observation and interview, a heavy downpour had set in, sending pedestrians into the deli for a hot steamboat dinner. It was so crowded and noisy, but I was glad to have the chance to observe a slice of HCMC weekend lifestyle; to be a part of a local community, having local food and listening to local banter (although there is not a word that I understood). Most families will eat at home on weekdays and the weekend meal out is a real treat.

Being in HCMC is like taking a trip down memory lane. Back in my childhood, this is just the sort of lifestyle we had in Malaysia. Such lifestyle is slowly disappearing as more people settle their meals outside after work, just like Sugus and Sarsi, my favourite soft candy and soft drink respectively. Yet, I found them in Vietnam! And the day before yesterday, when we were in a 'garden cafe', a lounging place for youngsters set in a tropical garden style complete with foliage and tiny bridges over flowing creeks, New Kids On The Block's "Happy Birthday" played. I had not heard that song in ages and that really put a smile on my face!

Where R U Now?

       A fortnight of absence
       the heart grows fonder
       or colder.

The Vietnam Chronicle Continues ...

It was pouring. Like the Mekong was hurling its body of water across town. As I stood on the pavement beneath an umbrella that was on the verge of yielding to the combined strength of rain and wind, waiting for a passenger to alight from the cab which would take me into the safe harbour of the Sofitel, one tiny mouse laid lifeless next to the taxi's tyre in a fresh puddle, its tiny body still to the whipping rain.

That was a poetic moment for me. As one who embraces life with all my heart, I think of death often. I do not wish to pass from this ephemeral world the way this poor mouse did.

This is the rainy season for Ho Chi Minh City. The months of July till November make the monsoon season which bring higher than average rainfall. As the cab made its way to the hotel, the water level had risen to ankle deep at some parts. Fortunately, the torrential rain abated soon after; otherwise, the city might just come under water.

The rain today had continued from last night. We were out for dinner at a local diner which our Vietnamese colleague had recommended. It's great having him with us on this trip for he's from HCMC itself and knows the local haunts. The place he brought us to was some distance from the hotel. We had to walk for perhaps half an hour or so. Of course, it was a casual evening walk which turned out to be quite interesting, especially the stopover at the model ship maker, where ancient sails and Chinese junks came alive as miniatures on the shelves of their artisans.

We cut through what must be the Little Japan of HCMC where the streets were lined with endless Japanese restaurants serving what looked like authentic Jap food. At least one of them was, according to Lauran, which served the okonomiyaki, a pizza-like pancake which is hardly found anywhere outside Japan. Even restaurants in Singapore, the cosmopolitan city, does not have it. So if anyone knows of any place in Singapore which cooks up this dish, hollaback ya!

At the same local deli, Nhu Lan, we had the largest mooncake ever. Haha ... the one we had was a pea next to one 5KG mooncake on sale at the counter. I wonder who will ever buy such a huge one and what for ...

As legend would have it, the founder of Nhu Lan used to be a roadside phở hawker. After years of hard work, she accumulated enough money to buy a property and founded a small phở shop. This little shop grew into a chain; in HCMC, there're at least two according to its namecard. Because she's a single woman, she's also compassionate towards destitutes of all kinds. Hence, she takes them in to help out in her shops while earning a roof over their heads and a decent livelihood in this harsh city.

The phở was simply delicious (the key reason why we asked for namecards!) We had crab paste phở which came with a small helping of rice noodles in flavourful soup topped with a lifetime supply of crab meat and roe!! Hehe ... 有点夸张 but Lauran couldn't finish her noodles after stomaching all the roe ... our cholesterol meter must have shot through the roof last night. The soup was simply delicious; the sweetness came without the help of MSG but hours of boiling the crab and God-knows-what other natural ingredients in water. (By the way, the Vietnamese diet is doing me a whole lot of good. Every meal comes with fresh and raw veges, which i duly ate. Voila ... my bowel movement is never smoother :)

We decided the night was still early after dinner (though it was already past 10 pm) so we decided to bask in some of HCMC's night atmosphere. Our friend recommended a couple of clubs, which, to our disappointment, had closed down. We finally stopped by the Q Bar, went inside and found it to be the most 'unhappening' bar we'd ever seen. There's no dance floor and the people were so listless like they were really better off in bed.

So we left. That's when the rain began; first, with a drizzle but soon it became a downpour. We were headed for a walk by the riverside but took shelter from the rain in another bar whose ice-cream parlour attracted us first. The rain never let up even after we were snug in bed after a quick drink at this cozy bar.

Today, I stood on the pavement watching the poor mouse in the rain outside the IndoChina boutique. I was there for a fitting of two tops I had tailor-made during a visit yesterday afternoon with Lauran. Tailor-made!! These are my firsts! I've always bought my clothes off the rack, having not the patience to wait. But the tailors here are incredibly efficient. It would only take two days - they'll be delivered to me tomorrow. Even Lauran's ao dai can be delivered on Sunday! I'm excited to see how these traditionally-designed tops can be modernised with my smart casual sense of haute couture :)

Tonight, we had Vietnamese chicken rice for dinner. Boy, did they give us a lot of rice! But even so, I'm feeling a little hungry now as I type ... hey, it's way past midnight alright! (Maybe it's because there wasn't much oil on either chicken or rice). Perhaps it's because of the lack of oil as in the case of Hainanese chicken which is literally drenched in oil (usually sesame oil), the steamed Vietnamese chicken was a bit tough. Perhaps it's a kampung chicken instead of a commercially-bred one. You know, a chicken which runs freely in the village builds more muscle than one that has little room to strut in its cage ... The rice was fragrant and nice, but sans the garlic and ginger which permeate the rice grains of the Hainanese version that I prefer. Instead, they served ground gralic with ginger separately, just like the chilli. The chilli sauce is also different, more diluted. So I'd say that the Hainanese wins the Chicken Rice War!

These couple of days, we did a couple of observations in the supermarket with our respondents. I almost went crazy checking out the prices of groceries and toiletries. Half price! Or even lower! For example, Lip Ice is only SGD2.50, Carefree Ultra-thin pantyliner 40s pack for only SGD 1.60! I had no intention of buying anything at all when stepping into the supermarts but ended up with 2 big bags of essentials. OK, these on top of the bags, purses and pencil cases - beautifully embroidered with Vietnamese designs that I couldn't resist picking up at the Ben Thanh market. It'll be tough packing the luggage tomorrow ... oh, the beef jerky is also friggin' delicious. Buy the Tuyen Ky brand. Very nice!

Day 2 Ho Chi Minh City

The city looks more familiar today. We had the chance to go shopping after our focus groups. We hit the Saigon Tax Trade Centre at around 5.30 pm. Nothing very much here; most of the things are tourist-oriented so we moved on to Ben Thanh market. Picked up a coconut ice-cream on the way. Sounds exotic right? Before you think it is rich as the curry or laksa, let me tell you that it is deliciously light. Yet, the taste of coconut is not lost. Indeed, it is characteristic of the Vietnamese diet of light, healthy food.

On the way to the Ben Thanh market, I found myself in familiar territory. We walked past the KimDo Royal City Hotel where we stayed back in 2002. I took a quick peek at the lobby to see if that log of a chair was still there (that structure reminded us of an evil character from the movie Little Otik about a childless couple who adopted a tree stump as their child, and it came alive just like Pinocchio, and ate everyone). It was not.


There are also fewer street vendors. I guess living standards are getting better for everyone. There used to be many hawkers hawking the phở (rice noodle soup) from giant cooking pots holstered on both ends of a bamboo pole which balanced precariously on the shoulders of hawkers who moved from place to place selling the noodles from the sidewalks of HCMC. Now, many of these hawkers have been replaced by the highly popular Phở 24 chain where the phở is sold in a cleaner environment.

When we got to Ben Thanh Market about 7 pm, alas, many of the shops were already closed. So we had dinner at this little hidden treasure of HCMC called Nam Giau Restaurant. It is found at the end of a dark alley that a regular tourist would have been unlikely to venture into. We had noodle soup and shared a combination platter which served up delectable bites reminiscent of the 水晶包 and stuffed 猪场粉 back home. The final total bill for three - VND106,000 (SGD10.60)!

It is very affordable to eat well (in the sense of health too!) in Vietnam. For lunch, we had a more sumptuous 8-course meal which cost USD10 per head (SGD15) which would have cost way beyond that price back home. I can totally live in Vietnam, especially in Huế, which is the country's equivalent of China's Sichuan (especially 成都 where I'll find myself completely at home with the hot and spicy food, laidback lifestyle, Chinese tea all day long and pandas for neighbours :). Huế serves up spicy stuff too; food from this region is what Nam Giao specialises in. Yummy yummy.

中秋节快乐！

I think tonight I can begin to appreciate the poetic phrase 但愿人长久 千里共婵娟.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the day of the year when the moon is at its fullest and most beautiful (although someone once told me that the moon is actually at its fullest on the 16th due to the legend of 貂蝉 - the Moon goes into hiding for the shame of paling in comparison to the great beauty of 貂蝉 when she appears in the courtyard to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival every year. The Moon only reappears on the following day in its full glory when 貂蝉 is indoors)

Well, anyway, on this day of reunion (it is also the Chinese valentine's other than Chap Goh Meh), I am on a business trip in Ho Chi Minh City. It's been drizzling so the moon is really in hiding tonight! Ha ha ...

It's been a pretty light day today. After arriving in the city, we checked into the splendid Sofitel Plaza Saigon. We're in executive rooms with free-flow access to beverages and snacks on the Club floor ... hmmm ... nice if we have time. We had the same at Sheraton Karachi last time but I didn't get to enjoy the privilege even once! Ok, except for private dining during breakfast but the spread was so limited we eventually chose to have breakfast everyday at the common breakfast buffet floor.

After a comprehensive briefing session to the local team here, we had the rest of the evening to ourselves. Brought the respondents' photo-journals back to browse before the focus groups tomorrow. Very interesting! As I blog, I'm only half-way through those. Gotta have to sleep a little tonight I guess (though I'm dead beat cuz woke up really early this morning to catch the flight despite having turned in really late last night). Luckily, it's an hour behind Singapore here in Vietnam ...

Well, anyway, the reason why I'm still not done with the journals is cuz of the wonderful massage that Lauran and I had just before dinner. It's been a long while since I've had one. USD31 for a full-body massage that lasted 75 minutes - well worth it. I'm so amazed how such a skinny girl like my masseuse can have such great strength in her hands.

That was followed by a Vietnamese dinner at this place called Quan ... something. It's recommended by one of our HCMC friends. The menu consists of specialties from different regions of the country but there's no indication of which dish came from where! So in the end, we still had the normal wrap and some fresh prawns cooked in coconut juice (this one is quite a novelty for me cuz I've never had prawns in santan before though the ones we had tonight were not as flavourful as the ones Lauran had in Brisbane!)

Look forward to resting in the super-comfy, super-huge double bed I have. Nice room. Though not much of a view from here, it's spacious with a nice toilet and best of all, FREE Internet! Or else, I won't be spending time here, blogging on a Vietnamese interface ... haha ...

Okie dokie. Gotta get the work outta the way for tomorrow. Then watch some Korean programme maybe. Gee, the Korean culture is so pervasive here in HCMC - is Korean the new French?

爱: 我抓不到！

Hoho ... my 100th post for this year. Make a wish ... v(^.^)v

My Girl, My Current Favourite

Last year, it was My Lovely Samsoon. This year, it's My Girl.

Just finished watching the series on Mobtv's Asian Dramas (it's a premium channel that my sis subscribes for Falling in Love, that Mediacorp-NTV7 co-production which aired its last episode today during the 7pm slot).

Don't know why I'm hooked on My Girl. Maybe cuz it's really funny, especially the female lead Joo Yoo-rin. She sometimes does completely illogical, stupid even, things with or without male lead Seol Gong-chan, but totally things that I'd do myself so I can totally relate to it ... ha ha.

I also like that the show, though true to the template of Korean dramas, mocks the formula of poor girl meets rich guy, the family opposes but the lovers are inseparable, more obstacles stand in the way including one of the leads dying of a terminal disease, or after overcoming innumerable hurdles, they live happily ever after!

Or maybe it's just all that tour guide thing (I have a soft spot for that profession, you know) ... wanderlust is setting in on me again. Many scenes are set in the airport, one of my favourite places on earth!

Nevertheless, don't think it'll have the staying power of Kim Sam Soon, which I've watched repeatedly many times. But still, it's too early to say. He he ... if I have time, I probably will get the DVD and play it one more time ... or twice more ...

Miss

       In the name of Miss
       empty feelings
       remain hollow
       Today. Tomorrow?

上善若水

       Like water ...
       modestly flows, as
       great strength grows
       Latent 'til summoned.

Sleep and Fatigue

       When sleep sweeps me
       under her weathered wing
       Fatigue retreats.