About 3 or 4 years ago, there was a stall that sold Hand-made noodles(手工面) near the Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange, which I regular eat from. Almost daily without fail I would order dumpling noodles, and eat it with chilli sauce. One day, after eating there for like 10 times and she can recognise me already, the lady boss told me that the dumplings are traditionally eaten with vinegar and ginger. I tried it once, and I got addicted. After that, she'll always give me vinegar and ginger, while she gives other people chilli, since that's what they usually want anyway. Sadly, the stall is no longer there.

However, some time later (like, 1 or 2 years later), there is this stall other near to the Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange that also sells Hand-made noodles(手工面), and I would order the dumpling noodles. Without fail, the waitress(can tell she's from China) would serve me the dumpling noodles together with a saucer of chilli sauce to my table. However, I still prefer to eat dumplings with vinegar, and I'll walk back from the table to the stall to get a saucer of vinegar, pouring a black liquid from a red jar into a saucer. And without fail, she'll turn to me quickly and say an a surprised tone, "那是醋啊!" (That's vinegar!). I would always reply, "对啊!"(That's right!) and walk back to my table with a saucer of black vinegar. It kinda made me wonder that perhaps, the dumpling with vinegar and ginger thingy isn't really a "traditional" thing after all. But heck, I just like eating it with vinegar anyway, traditional or not.

Sometimes I wish that the waitress would recognise me, and just give me the vinegar instead of chilli, or at least not look so surprised when I pour myself a saucer of vinegar. I always feel a tinge of guilt when I waste the perfectly good saucer of chilli. But today, when I ordered dumpling noodles, she gave me vinegar and ginger instead of chilli sauce! Pleasantly surprised, I couldn't help but show a wide grin, and she returned with what seemed to me the most sincere smile that I've seen from her.

Man, that really made my day.

Oh my!

There's no "I" who can force myself to do something; the parts that makes me want or not want to do something are just different parts of me. What with "fighting spirit" to overcome the odds and the external influences! I have not fully realised the implications of a soulless self. I'm gonna take a while to get used to it.

Can I know the right path and want to take it?


Ah crap, I'm getting existential all over again.

Somehow, happy songs don't sound the same when you are sad.

Still, "You are a Pirate(Lazytown)" is a pretty darned jolly song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFzylCng2Zc