Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

goodbye Sunny;hello Max
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Just hours away until I go down and collect our brand new fangled car. can hardly wait. but at the same time it is a bittersweet moment as I hand over the keys to Sunny to a complete stranger. I am a sentimental sort of guy towards things and people that have played a major part in my life. and Sunny has been around for many of the highest and lowest moments of my existence of the last few years. so it will be sad to finally part ways. but at least I have been preparing for this day for a few years now, so I am more or less mentally prepared for the inevitable parting of ways.

Bangkok Bound
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we are also heading up to Bangkok tomorrow morning. been looking forward to this trip for some time now. but the recent political situation has cast a dark pall over our holiday, as there is the slight possibility we may encounter some delays. but I am optimistic that things will work in our favour during this trip, and that all will be peaceful and calm until we return. the thai people are one of the nicest people you will ever meet. and the recent troubles are the work of an elite few and not a true representation of the hopes and aspirations of the thai people. there seem to be a dead heat between the so called royalist and the PM. and things are not looking good for him, as evidenced by the queen and princess attending the wake of one of those killed in the recent bloody crackdown of protesters. as in all things political, there are no good and bad guys and just shades of grey, when it comes to which side is right. a democratically elected government has the mandate to rule. but the much revered monarchy also needs to be preserved in it's present form. in the midst of all these 2 pillars of governance, there is a plethora of 'interest groups' who want their needs to be maintained and their future assured. and there is no better way to get your opinions heard in Thailand than to invoke the name of their beloved King.

Obama vs McCain
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over in the good ole USA, elections are coming up. by all accounts Barack Obama should sweep the board based on polls conducted. but not all has been said and dusted as far as the election results go. things could change in the weeks and days to come, but things are surely not looking too bright for John Mccain, as the world economies grapple with financial crisis and such. the conundrum for McCain is to differentiate himself from the incumbent,George W. Bush, yet also toe the party line when it comes to policies and philosophies. then there are the issues of his age which seem to make him look decidedly ancient in comparision to his much younger and dynamic opponent. Sarah Palin herself was once considered a master stroke as McCain's running mate as it re-energized the Republicans. but the subsequent very public gaffes and mis-spokes on her part seem to cast her as a political novice. the very thing that the McCain campaign has been trying to portray Obama as being not ready to lead from Day One. a little potty and black when Palin is but a 'heartbeat away' from being the next president.
with time running out, McCain has of yet failed to derail the Obama juggernaut in any of the televised debates or on the campaign trail.

wedding stuff
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- we went down to view the wedding photographs on Sunday. I must say they have come out better than expected. it is amazing what a good photo editing program can do. agnes requested some adjustments to be made and we will be going down on Monday to take a look again with the girls. on monday, we will also be submitting the photographs for the wedding montage to be displayed on the day.

- we have also chosen the style and wording for our invitation cards. it only remains to find our way down to their service centre at Excelsior Shopping Centre to relay our request. but we will be busy over the next week or so, so it will be a squeeze to find time to go down.

- Agnes found this shop in Chinatown selling cute wedding stuff. we may go down and pay them a visit soon. I wonder if it is anything like the shop I went to the other time to collect our complimentary tea set.

table grill
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on saturday we tried out our new table grill. we shopped at Giant for the food and other stuff we needed and then headed home to prepare. it was a lot of hard work buying and preparing the food. and then there was the cleaning up after. in all it took nearly 7 hours to buy the stuff, prepare it, cook it, eat it and wash up. not something we will do again anytime soon. but at least we now started to cook at home in a way. maybe we can have an even bigger one the next time with family and friends.

electric stove
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in the course of cooking that day we discovered that the electric stove caused the power to trip. not exactly sure what the problem is. will have to consult either Mona or an electrician to rectify the problem.

pop-up toaster
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we plan to buy a pop up toaster for the house. will be a fun and good way to prepare breakfast. can hardly wait.
with that we will also probably buy a microwave as well.

farewells
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yesterday we had a farewell dinner for mrs soh. she has been working in my department for well over 30 years. but all good things have to come to an end. she has been getting on in years and her health issues have done her no good. she is one of the few 'aunties' I actually like.
and more people to leave in the months to come.
ali...cheng..ko koh..yvonne..wong...hasli.. khim..??