Four notes

1. I'd to give tution yesterday morning and i was, as usual, trying my best not to be too late. But i needed some decent food to at least suppress the morning hunger. Instead of waiting for the traffic lights to turn green (which i never do whenever i have to cross the particular road), i walked a few metres away from it and cross the road without thinking twice (the hawker centre and wet market is over at the other side). It was when i was crossing halfway that i realised a police car had just gone past me. A lady officer was driving the car, and i was dead sure she was looking at me when she drove past. Thing is: the traffic lights had turned red, the car had to stop, i was just a few metres away from the traffic lights, and hence the stationary police car. Of course our police officers have got better things to do than to nab jaywalkers every minute of the day - which if they really do, they could easily round up something like 90% of Singaporeans in a day, i reckon. Nonetheless, i hastened my steps. It's not exactly comforting to know that you've broke the law right under the watchful eyes of law enforcers, you know.

2. After relief came agony. I was delighted that i bought my peanut pancake without having to wait a very long time for it to be made. But just when the bus-stop from which i was going to take the bus at came within my sight, i agonisingly witnessed the bus that i had to take leave the bus-stop. So in exchange for being very late for tution, i got to eat my hot peanut pancake unhurriedly at the bus stop.

3. A cyclist friend of mine is a lawyer. Whether you look at him from the front, back or side, he looks my age, or even possibly younger. And it's not just me who thinks that way; practically everyone can't tell his real age. But alas, he's a good 13 years older than me, and as i've just said, there's no telling he's in his thirties. Tell me he's a few years older than me, i can still accept; but he, with his oh-so-flawless complexion and baby-face looks, is actually many years my senior - I adamantly refused to believe. Other friends had to assure me that this is the truth as they've seen his age from his IC before. Certainly, for this lawyer, the stress and demands of his profession, and Age, have not taken a toll on his physical appearance. When we parted after one of our not-so-regular rides of late, a humourous friend of mine asked tongue in cheek: 'Don't bluff, you going to meet Sammi Cheng right?' (Sammy Cheng endorses the skin care products of SK-II).

4. I received a birthday card from a friend yesterday, and that was all that was needed to make my day. In this day of cutting-edge technology, I really appreciate and delight at receiving letters, cards or the like the traditional way, that is, via the snail-mail. I would like to believe i am not out of sync with today's world or that i've failed to recognise the intrinsic value of technology -which is to make our lives more convenient. I do also appreciate emails, greetings and messages communicated through other means besides the snail-mail. However, precisely because it takes that little bit more effort and inconvenience (so to speak) to still rely upon snail-mail to transmit one's greetings, cards received via the laborious post-system are just so much more heartfelt and appreciated. I know, because it always takes me time and effort to write and send my christmas cards every year, a ritual that i insist in carrying on every year to reach my friends.