Little-Wonder.Net - Personal domain and blog of Brenda Tan

I ain’t going to talk about Chinese New Year cos’ I presume almost every single person out there who celebrates it will be going on about it. So … it’ll be pointless for me to do the same. Nothing out of the ordinary on my side worth mentioning, so I guess I’ll skip it.

I’ve uploaded photos though - so I’ll let them do the talking.

Headed to Orchid Country Club yesterday with cousin David though - also as part of the Chinese New Year festivities. Things were a lot more interesting there.

Distant cousins - Jessica, Berenice and Grace.

Haven’t seen my distant family for quite a while (almost one year, in fact), so it seemed queer seeing them again. In fact, it was downright awkward.

I wasn’t particularly close to the kids on that side as I’ve only gotten the chance to bond with the older ones - so most of the younger kiddos were eyeing me as if I’ve sprouted an additional head. Thank goodness, kids are easy to bribe. All you have to do is to give them attention and they’re hooked. Okay, just kidding.

David and I did quite a bit of exploration of the grounds of Orchid Country Club - killing almost two hours in the process. All that wandering around reminded me why I love the place so much.

I recall falling deeply in love with the place sometime in 2003, but all that fizzled away slightly as the years went by. I guess it’s been a long time since I’ve had a good walk around the area. Peaceful surroundings, really huge swimming pools (they have a particular big pool that’s only about a metre deep, with a slide and waterfall and all the schizzle for non-swimmers like me, which is a big fat plus), much greenery and little gardens here and there.

T’was fun.

Wheeness at Orchid Country Club’s playground.

We strolled, we yakked, we took loads of pictures before heading back to the family’s suite.

The suite had a jacuzzi which was oh so huge. (?!?) But the sheer number of children who wanted to use it made it impossible for anyone else to gain access. They even had a piece of paper taped outside the bathroom for them to book their slots! Classic.

Oh, and last night was the first time I’ve touched a bowling ball in … years. Indeed, I’ve been an ex-school team bowler and all that shebang - but I’ve sustained quite a few injuries (twisted wrist, injured knee), fallen ill far too many times, and lost a grand total of seven kilograms ever since the last time I’ve attended a bowling training session so, I wasn’t expecting to be in tip-top form.

Neither did I expect to lift a ball without any difficulty. I was in actuality, already bracing myself for a fair bit of ball-dropping.

Nevertheless, I had the biggest shock of my life after having bowled scores like 157 and 174 which are waaaaay above my usual average.

I guess the fact that I was bowling without any form of competitive pressure helped a lot. Put me in a stressful situation - like a tournament, and watch my scores dip below one hundred. (In fact, yesterday’s bowling brought back back vivid images of my failed IVP and how I broke down crying in the middle of the competition, which was the exact competition in which I busted my knees and twisted my wrist, putting me out of action until now.) Yes I know, I’m my biggest enemy.

It was evident that my love for tenpin bowling is still there. Although I am not exactly in good physical condition right now so … I’ll relegate it to simply being for leisure.

Oh crap, I deviated.

So, there you go. That trip to Orchid Country Club yesterday brought back a fair bit of nostalgia.

And in case you missed the links for the photos: Chinese New Year, Orchid Country Club.

Oh, and Happy Chinese New Year to one and all.