[sketchy writings guaranteed]

Nature's palette

2005-12-23T12:08:00.000+08:00

Quite some time ago, when I kept a real diary-blog, complete with whining and fussing over the smallest things in the world, I did a template called Nature's Palette. In my opinion, it had poor image quality and somehow didn't quite do justice to the true splendour of Mother Nature's palette. I was reminded of that image I put together when I came across some flowers yesterday.

Actually, this photograph doesn't do it much justice either. (You can't expect much from an amateur, you know!) But I am sure that you can see that the clumps of lantana flower are a beautiful blend of colours. I like the red & orange ones most for their vibrance and fire-like appearance.

In the process of capturing these flowers on film, I chanced upon a little visitor.

Thank goodness it wasn't a red ant. I left it alone, except that it might have been freaked out by my camera lens looming over its tiny head.

I think pink looks better on flowers.

Just a thought

2005-12-22T12:15:00.000+08:00

It appears to me that I have become an avid blogger. (Well, maybe not a blogger who blogs about her life, friends and adventures, just one who chooses to materialise my random thoughts. After all, this is a place where you will find sketchy writings.)

Today, my random thought is about family.

If there is one thing that I hold dear to me, it is my family. This envelopes the entire bunch, regardless of whether I hold biases against any of the organisations they are associated with. Lol. The thing about a family is, it is one of those things that money can't buy you. (Others being happiness, health etc., you get the idea.) I have a big extended family. I can't say that I know all of them as well as I do for my friends and similarly, neither do they know me well. What I do know is they are my blood relations.

I lead a double-life. With them, I am just the quiet 'nerd' who plods on doing whatever non-physical activity she has to do. I don't dance, play music, do extraordinarily beautiful art pieces and neither am I the sort to play computer games around the clock. As such, we don't have much in common and I appear aloof and unconcerned when I don't communicate much with them.

Fact, however, is contrary to fiction.

I am concerned about them. They are my family. Hurt any one of them and I will still wring your neck. This applies especially for my sister.

Hiral once said to me that I shouldn't be angry with a certain her because she grew up in a different environment and thus has a different value system from me. Somehow or other, I couldn't digest this at first. I guess, I was too overwhelmed with rage to heed her wise words. Now that I'm thinking about it again, I concede defeat. Hiral, you're right. I feel more at peace with myself now:). I can safely tell you that I am not angry with her anymore. I shall embrace the fact that no one is perfect and that in life, you will always meet with unfairness. (Then again, fairness is relative.)

This year, I got my wish. You see, I am not Christian, but the wonderful thing about being Singaporean is, you have the license to celebrate literally every festival or special event, regardless of race or religion. I understand that Christmas isn't, and should never be about just exchanging gifts and having a hearty meal. I know it means more than that to my dear friends who are celebrating it in its true spirit. (I wish you all a great Christmas.)

So this year, I got my wish which I had held close to my heart for 8 years.
And let me tell you, I am a happy person.

Now, I think I shall look for a recipe.

I Am Not My Hair by India Arie

2005-12-21T14:28:00.000+08:00

Recently I went to the hairdresser's with my Dad. (Unfortunately for him, I'm not a boy, so no barber for me! *phew*) This place is my mother's salon and when I entered, I was pleasantly surprised by the many Cantonese and Hokkien-spouting aunties from the neighbouring blocks. They were all dying and perming their hair in outrageous tones of red, maroon and brunette. Their dye jobs turned out well but I was thinking of the health problems associated with chemical dyes versus the short-term contentment with their outward appearances.

So anyway, for the first time in eons, I conversed with the hairdresser in Mandarin. It has been a long time since I last spoke a word of it. Thank goodness she could understand me! (Just one problem though, I think she was a little overzealous and overdid the thinning of my hair. You see, it's not often that she gets young clients.) The last time I visited the salon, she did a mushroom haircut instead of a bobbed cut. It was, to put it simply, a disaster. But all in all, she is a nice amiable lady who is gentle with one's head. I would still commend visiting her for a very good thinning job for people with bushes for hair (like myself).

Note: I am not whining about my hair because it looks ugly (who cares anyway), it's just that it is now too thin for tying purposes!

My hair-raising adventure (of sorts) has just refreshed my memory about a song I heard on the airwaves recently. It is aptly entitled "I am not my hair" by India Arie.

(Verse 1) Little girl with the press and curls
Age 8 I got a jerry curl
13 and I got a relaxer
I was the source of so much laughter
15 when it all broke off
18 when I went all natural
February 2002
I went on and did what I had to do

Cuz it was time to change my life
To become the woman that I am inside
97 dread locs all grown
I looked in the mirror for the first time and saw that (hey)

(Chorus) I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations (no)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within

(Verse 2) Good hair means curls and waves.
Bad hair means you look like a slave
At the turn of the century
Its time for us to redefine who we be
You can shave it off like an African beauty
Got in on “loc” like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight like Oprah Winfrey
It’s not what’s on your head, it’s what’s underneath (say hey)

(Chorus) I am not my hair I am not this skin
I am not your expectations (no)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend
Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity
Expressing my creativity

(Verse 3) Breast cancer and chemotherapy
Took away her crown and glory
She promised God if she was to survive
She would enjoy everyday of her life
On national television her diamond eyes are sparkling
Baldheaded like a full moon shining
Singing out to the whole wide world like hey

(Chorus) I am not my hair I am not this skin
I am not your expectations (no)
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within
(Repeat)

If I wanna shave it close or I wanna rock locs
That don’t take a bit away from this soul that I got

If I wanna wear it braided all down my back
I don’t see nothing wrong with that

Neat freak

2005-12-20T16:31:00.000+08:00

I have found my neat freak self again. (Yes!)

And this means I will reorganise everything again and word process all chicken scrawling on the phone board and label everything to the last detail. I must make use of the neat freak self to the maximum before it deflates and leaves me miserable again.

Go me!

Meanwhile, in an extra productive streak this year, we have completed almost all the Christmas shopping. The extra hardworking worker-bee (yours truly) has also finished the wrapping in an hour.

Alright, back to work!

In the end, it doesn't really matter anymore.

2005-12-16T11:11:00.000+08:00

I shall be a good girl and go down to school to collect the GW souvenirs from the front office. I have to admit I am a little disappointed by my poor showing but I understand that someone had to win at the expense of another. I believe that I have been a fortunate winner many times this year. I guess, I did take away something from the competition. Winning this did not mean as much as having the people around me today. :)

For whatever has passed, I am thankful for the love and help I received.

Ol' pal, please check your email when you read this. Thanks.

To all my Christian friends, have a blessed Christmas!

Quiz koped from H am sie

2005-12-13T12:28:00.000+08:00

Hamsie, I have shamelessly koped this quiz from your blog. I hope you don't mind. (:

1. Start time? 1238 hours
2. Were you named after anyone? Not a person but more of following tradition, perhaps.
3. Do you wish on stars? Nope.
4. When did you last cry? It's personal, you know.
5. What is your favourite meat? I don't exactly like meat very much.
6. What is your most embarrassing CD on your shelf? I would like to think that my collection is decent.
7. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? I already have eccentric friends, so this one more should be ok lah.
8. Are you a daredevil? Nope. I'm rather risk-adverse.
9. How do you release anger? I draw or I sleep.
10. Where is your second home? School.
11. Do you trust others easily? Although I don't show it, deep down I actually do.
12. What was your favourite toy as a child? My plastic mini bear collection.
13. What class in school do you think is totally useless? N.A.
14. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Me? Sacarsm? You've got to be joking?!
15. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? No.
16. What do you look for in a guy/girl? I've got better things to do.
17. Would you bungee jump? Uh-huh. One day.
18. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? I slide out of them.
19. What's your favourite ice cream flavour? Tiramisu. (:
20. What is your favourite colour(S)? Lilac, blues, greens, lavender, barley white and silver.
21. What is your least favourite thing? The smell of cigarette smoke and bird droppings.
22. What do you miss most right now? School. The whole package.
23. What are you listening to right now? In my mind, I've got a dumb song stuck in my head.
24. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? A ridiculously bright magenta. I don't know why I said that.
25. What is the weather like right now? Sunny. Birds chirping and all.
26. Last person you talked to on the phone? My supervisor at work ex.
27. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? I don't notice that I notice anything.
28. Do you like the person who sent you this? Duh.
29. How are you today? Feeling sick because my doctor doesn't know what is wrong with me. Let's see, many things.
30. Favourite drink? Cold water.
31. Favourite alcoholic drink?Sparkling juice! (haha hamsie, I'm MORE pathetic)
32. Natural hair colour?Black, though not that black anymore. It's the Sun, I tell you.
33. Eye colour?Dark brown.
34. Wear contacts? I like my spectacles.
35. Siblings? Aye, one older sista.
36. Favourite month? November.
37. Favourite food? My mom cooks great. Oh and those Nonya and Indonesian food places-- Rajah Inn and Dulukala. I love Nonya food most though.
38. Last movie you watched?Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
39. Favourite day of the year? Let's see, it would have to be the first public holiday of the year.
40. Have you ever been too shy to ask someone out? Like what, my sista? Lol.
41. Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings. Life has too much drama.
42. Summer or winter?Summer
43. Hugs or kisses? Hugs to a minimum please. The back is weak.
44. Do you want your friends to write back? From HK, yes please.
45. Who is most likely to respond? I don't know.
46. Who is least likely to respond? How should I know?
47. What book/magazine are you reading? Sophie's World.
48. What's on your mouse pad? Don't have a mouse pad.
49. What did you watch on TV last night? The 9 o'clock Chinese show and 10 minutes of Project Runway.
50. Favourite smell? I'm allergic to most perfumes.
51. Do you regret ever breaking up with someone? Break-up? In what sense? Primary school classmate over an eraser, yeah, I guess so. But she was mean anyway.
52. Time of finishing?1258 hours

Just another habit.

2005-12-09T15:16:00.000+08:00

If pain was an organism, I'll hunt it down and wring its sickening neck.

If pain was an old hag, I'll send it away on a holiday, lest I hear more of its constant nagging.

If pain was a sharp blade, I'll run its edges blunt on a solid rock.

But pain is just a feeling.
Yeah well, it's still formidable, well almost.

Nonya Kuehs

2005-11-29T10:33:00.000+08:00

[Ignore me. I'm just being random as usual.]

I need to find the recipe for Pulut Tai Tai. (Strange, I recall it has another name.)

I have a penchant for Nonya Kuehs, especially Pulut Tai Tai. (Note that the latter is a real kueh that is blue and white glutinous rice.) I need to find the flower or at least the flower juice for the dye. But where?

Another one of my mood swings

2005-11-28T16:10:00.000+08:00

You could blame it on my lack of self-discipline, or better still, get mad with me over my inability to go to bed or to start the day early. Mood swings, they say, result from a lack of sleep. Oh really?

It appears that I live life in tandem with mood swings, swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other. Sometimes I am pessimistic and I can only think about the dark side of things. Those are the times in which I hate life. It's not about being sad because I'm just brimming with teenage angst. I hate that side of me. It's self-absorbed and irrational but I have to accept that it's part of me too.

Then it's down to 90 degrees from the plane. This could only mean that I'm down in the dumps, sulking and mulling over the past, perhaps regretting wasted chances and times when I should have done something else. It is times like these when I feel an impulse to pick up a pen to write something down, do some sort of reflection but the words are constipated in my mind. The pen is useless without an able mind. What is the use of having piles of paper and good pens when all you can put to paper is scribblings of nonsense. I never am really satisfied with myself. It's sort of a nagging feeling that I'm never good enough. I don't need reassurances from others; I don't heed their kind sayings. You can tell me that I have strengths but I will lash out at them, like a caged lion that is finally freed from captivity and doubtful of any human that ever approaches it. I know it is irrational behaviour. Does this make me insane?

The number of times that I really smile from the bottom of my heart have been dwindling. But they still exist. I still smile but it takes so much to smile and really mean it. Sometimes I think I like to put up a front and get on with life. Maybe it's just that the year has worn me thin. I have been asking questions to myself. But answers, if there are answers to all questions, don't come easily. I don't believe that I think too much. In fact, I am fundamentally a very shallow person. Or so, I like to think.

So here's a confession from within me. I let life run its rounds around me and it's getting tiring. I haven't actually felt that I'm living life. It's like letting things flow without control, as if its a river running its natural course. Sure enough, some people enjoy such pleasures, partly because theirs is a smooth-running one. But what happens when yours is filled with boulders and rocks that are suspended and add to your river load? This river is a burdened one yet humans can stand by the river and watch it trudge forcefully through the rocks and marvel at its sheer strength. I'm not wallowing in self pity or expecting any outbursts of sympathy. There are people around me with even greater burdens, if only they would admit that their emotional baggage is over the weight limit.

I can accept that many times in life, things are beyond our control but being the control freak I am, I have still yet to come to terms with it.

May be someday I will.
Meanwhile I'll just have to pick that pencil up again.

Help wanted!

2005-11-21T11:15:00.000+08:00

Random note of the day: I received the cutest baby seal ever! It is white and soft (duh it's a soft toy) and it has got 4 whiskers. Thank you ol' pal! Me likes it very much. (It is NOT a whale!)

Moving on, I need help with my computer. My monitor keeps blacking out once the Desktop first appears. At first, I had to reboot it twice to get it to work "normally" but just yesterday, I had to reboot 5 times! If there is something wrong with my monitor, I will gladly replace it. But at the rate I to perform shutdown manually, the operating system might go wonky too!

I think I shall stop procrastinating and call up the computer technician. Or maybe do some reading on operating systems and diagnose the problem first. I recall the last time I got a computer technician, he took the CPU away for one week and came back with so many missing programmes. I almost cried in dismay!

Help wanted: RELIABLE, EXPERIENCED help please!

What a day!

2005-11-20T23:23:00.000+08:00

I watched HP and the GoF today. I thought the movie lacked some poignant scenes of the novel but nonetheless, I still enjoyed it, all thanks to my dear aunt.

As the supreme Random one, I shall add a rather Random thought: I dress old.
Lol. My aunt's other companion looked younger than me even though she was a whole 6 years older than me. See what fashion can do to you? When you're too bothered with other things to care about fashion, you easily end up looking old. I'm behind my time, I know!

changed templated!

2005-11-19T17:37:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone.

(Swatto! I changed my template!)

For the first time ever, I painstakingly coded my template using only HTML. I am proud of myself. Yes, I did that mad border too! It took quite a bit of time but thoroughly enjoyed the whole process. it's not the most beautiful thing in the world but still, I have to say that special place inspired this border. A pity I have a phobia of that special place. Sigh.

P.S. Give me a while to fix up the tagboard/comments page!

IMISSSCHOOL.

2005-11-12T18:25:00.000+08:00

I know this sounds ALL WRONG.

Here I am right smack in the middle of a HOLIDAY but I can't help but feel lost. It's like I lack a purpose in what I'm doing right now. (Conclusion: I miss school. Sad fact but I can't get over it. I need something intellectual to do! NOW!)

So anyway, what have I been doing besides making visits to various hospitals all over the island? Hmm. Let's see.

1) I have been trying my hand at cooking and baking. I can make instant mee-pok (!), jello, agar agar and fruit tarts. I think my standards are quite low so my family will have to bear with all the peachy desserts until I decide I can move on to greater things.
2)After cooking, you clean. I have assured myself that cleaning is more fruitful than cooking. At least I can see my face on the pot after cleaning and polishing. Baking = heartache when your pastry crust disintegrates halfway!
3)Watching TV. I blame my sis.
4)Agonising over the fact that I have many medical problems that have resulted because I am now certified overweight. But who cares, I shall continue to bake.

P.S. I hate phone calls when I bake. Baking is serious business.

Taking it all back.

2005-11-09T16:33:00.000+08:00

I take it all back.

You don't need no moolah, big cars or houses to know they matter to you.

I love them all for their quirks and weird behaviours.

Please be alright. Hang in there.

Fourtune tellers fourever.

2005-11-05T12:30:00.000+08:00

This entry is dedicated to the funky fourtune tellers clad in gypsy gear (a burst of originality, fashion mishap or identity mix-up? You decide yourself.)

Untitled
You wreck havoc in my life
And this is no rumour that is rife.
In fact, I have put together the evidence and figures
In this pathetic attempt to make my memories linger.

I suck at rhyme
So bear with me
No moans
No groans
I'll hear none
I have started this agony
So you'll just have to read this monotony :P

You drive me up the wall in very many ways
Even infinity wouldn't do me justice
Even infinity is an understatement (right, Sus?)
Wait, make that into the ground
Burrowing away from your sheer cries and shouts
In Mandarin, Hindi, Punjabi, Hokkien, Singlish, "broken" Japanese ...
(Makes me wonder what else you know that I don't!)

I heard a "doushtei" somewhere (I suspect it's either Simin, dE, aik and Clarice)
What's that? (I ask and Jo grimances)
Broken Jap lah, someone yells.
Never mind who
I'll just turn behind
And shoot them that dagger look
They know I'm grumpy
Or just being sulky
Well at least they know me and my quirks
And that I don't appreciate a good display of hollering.

I recall the day I told Hiral
"They are so noisy that I need to bang my head against the wall"
I promised myself not to go out with them
For fear that we'd get thrown out
For fear that I would embarass myself
For fear that ...
Come to think of it
I really haven't gone out with them (Clara reminds me)
Isn't this is more fearsome?

In which class in our coloured school
Can you find PRCs and a whole Village from India (ok fine, Bangladesh)?
And you can know anything
From Huanzhu gege to Korean soap operas to Spongebob
And how could I forget,
CRICKET! Bollywood, Hilary Duff, Hello!Magazine, manga, PoT
Oh I knew that! You didn't need to tell me.
This class is one of a kind.
Most definately.
Undoubtedly.

Hah I fooled you.
My rhyme (or rather, the lack of) isn't going to end.
Didn't you know, it's never-ending!

And it's growing l o n g e r by the second.

Ok, quick fact:
Did you know that there are 55 ethnic minorities in China?
(Ok Hiral, I know that I'm random)
Ah ha. You didn't.
RS, the bane of our lives,
(Min Min's RS project, to be exact)
Told me this, how nice.
So, to that nimcompoop who told me
Chinese only wear cheongsam what
PLEASE do read up!

And who said anything about me being able to sew?!
(Oh that trip you went for Cultural Landscapes options!)
What falsity!
You think you know
(A little knowledge is a DANGEROUS thing)
But no thanks.
I'm a modern Nonya you know.
So fine, I'll admit
It's in my roots
But I'm not 'tu'. (Mandarin for old-fashioned)
Yeah, beading and sarongs ain't my thing
Just ask Mrs Woo, my sewing teacher of two years
Someone should award her for NEVER losing her cool.

So to the Bandits, the Village,
the Smartie pants, the Chinese, that special 8,
and the rest of you (sorry no name for you people),
Thank you
I salute you
For being the unbeatable annoyances
And pains of my school life.

Ask me no more tricky questions
About Gameboys and playing music in class
Don't argue with me over where your waistline is
And don't even think of telling me you have no ankle bone
I've heard it all
And have to hand it to you
For your creativity is overwhelming and unappreciated.

So there there
This is going to end (after all)
Ask me why and
I'll just tell now

It has died a natural death.

But 404, we haven't died yet!
Yours fat/ce still lies in our hands.

Love, mel

Down Memory Lane

2005-11-05T11:15:00.000+08:00

Four years have flown past so quickly.

Some things have changed.
We don't have dance classes anymore. (Woohoo. (((:)
But they took away cooking and art classes. (ARGH!)
No more "floating" classrooms. (no more wasting time!)
No more prep time. (who said anything about sitting in the amphi stoning?)

But some things haven't.
Sus still loves buckle, with a capital B.
Balpz is still well, Balpz, she's one of a kind. (maybe just a tad more ______)
MelH has been with me with 4 years. Haha evil twin who really rocks!
Fianza! (Our batch blog has just died on us. -_-)
Library. (Hah I always knew Xinhui was going to be chair. AND you owe me TWO ice-creams!!!!!!)
The list goes on.

But one thing's for sure. Times can pass us by but memories don't. As long as you remember the best of it, it'll stay with you. Class of 2005, people may call us the guineapigbatch but who cares. We've been through so much together, be it whining, stoning, complaining, hollering whatever. We have SURVIVED pts, eois, eoys, summative assessments and formative assessments alike. You know what? I salute YOU.

If you ask me what speeches I can remember, I'll tell you:
1) it's not Speech Day 04', Mich&I were running around too much to be listening.
2) not msemmay's this year at pi because i was having butterflies in my stomach
3) for some strange reason, it was the one mrs d tan gave on Bamboos. Remember that?

Most memorable functions:
Founders' Day 05. I loved the decor, the BALLOONS and the people. (hugs to the floral bunch of 404 05'). I mean, where in the world do you get a class who gets to school so early to blow up balloons, much less burst them! I won't forget how many balloons I innocently and accidentally released. I tell you, it's the wooden thing's fault. Thank goodness for tall people like Balps and smart people like Zilin. And duh, celebrating your hatchday with the whole school. (=

Speech Day 04'. Here's quoting myself, "Sometimes you shouldn't trust your own instinct, you should try trusting your batch instead." Enough said. Fianza, I salute you. Of course, we couldn't have done it without the threes, who rock too.

Most impressionable corners in school:
1) Pavillion and that fountain (heck about the algae! what do we have chlorine for!?)
2) Athena gate
3) Koi pond (call me loser but I've always loved it. And the fishes that behave like vacuum cleaners)

My next entry shall be dedicated to my funky Fourtune tellers.
Your fat/ce is in our hands.

Thanks for the memories, class of 2005. No words can describe how proud I am of you guys.

Vagus/ Vegas!

2005-10-01T17:36:00.000+08:00

Damn you, vagus nerve. It hurts alright.

Quote: If you don't die of a heart attack, you can die of an anxiety attack.

Oh ha ha.

Madness

2005-09-25T16:31:00.000+08:00

It's been one heck of a weekend.

For fours hours of sleep on Saturday, I'd say adrenaline does wonders. I was and still am high on adrenaline. I love my family. I really do. I just realised how much I love my parents but never tell them. (: We're not that kind of folks. This year has seen me make 3 visits to the ICU in different hospitals. One mad year all right.

And they're not so bad after all. Though I must admit I was shivering in my pants when she was looking at me. You have to admit, she is a real matriach of her own. I salute power women, well, sometimes.

Nurses. I salute them. They are really inspirational people, at least the ones at Gleneagles. I feel like taking up nursing. Looks like hard work, but then again, what isn't?

Ambition

2005-09-12T17:40:00.000+08:00

Ambition. One big word.

When I was 5, I wanted to be a firewoman. (Playing with water was my primary concern then.)

At 7, I wanted to be a cool lawyer, complete with the spunky brief case and killer heels.

At 9, I wanted to be a teacher, now really, with the thick glasses and that signature one-metre ruler.

At 11, I wanted to take on fashion designing. I hardly look like it, yeah? But hey, I wanted to. Fashion still fascinates me but I don't bother with dressing up myself. That's too bothersome. I watch and draw. You could call me a closet designer. But that's then.

At 14, I was all caught up with the service sector and hospitality. Actually dreamt of working in the frontline of a hotel, offering services to lost tourists. It's still an interesting occupation but... not now, not later.

Not when I lack a real ambition.

What if I wanted to do something outrageous and unconventional?

You can't stop me, right?

Of emails and ginger tea

2005-09-10T12:26:00.000+08:00

Just to dispel a few myths, double-bee is not just any nickname. It has, like Xinhui pointed out, a hidden meaning.

If you know who I am (hah I will not be so stupid to proclaim it out loud), you will notice that I have Bee appearing twice. This first one is very obvious. The second occurence, however, being more subtle, is Bee in Greek.

What about the Double-bee-complex?

It's just having to grapple with the expectations of living out the qualities of a bee: hardworking, dedicated, high achiever, working behind the scenes without expecting recognition etc. Well, I guess, everyone has a name to live up to. I try pretty hard, but well, sometimes life is not always smooth-sailing. I'm not saying my life sucks. It sure is better than many others out there. I just lead a double-life in many ways, sometimes too dark for me to share with others. It bugs me every now and then. But that's life.

It's never fair.

And so it begins.

2005-09-02T23:56:00.000+08:00

This is not another blog.

I've decided I can't sustain a blog so this shall be where I write when I feel like it. (In other words, a rather rare occasion!)

So stay tuned.