Brenda

   Tug of War

You stand on one end
I stand on the other
We pull the string with all our strength
as if  to make it longer

Sometimes you win
Sometimes I lose
But what I really want
is not winning but a halt

For we love the same person
that's what we have in common
Confrontation do us no good
I have seen it in my childhood

Why don't you make your compromise
I do my sacrifice
and let peace arise?

I think I have found an oasis in the middle of the desert. 

Today is my birthday. It is an unusual birthday because it is the first one I spent with Jensen.  I don't know how other girls feel and act when they celebrate their special occasions with their boy friends, occasion such as birthday.  But I do feel a bit pressured. Of course, on such special day, you would expect a nice dress, a fancy restaurant, a lovely present and a kiss.  Me too, I look forward to all these and I have it all.  But at the moment when I was in the restaurant and was about to unwrap the present, I didn't know how to react.  Should I smile or cry or kiss him or do all in one time?  What if I don't like the present? Should I still smile or should I cry but save the kiss? 
Luckily, he bought me a book holder - a standing board which helps hold a book for easy reading or typing.  Although I should say, as a birthday present, it is a bit odd, it is very considerate of him to have bought it since I will need it for my study (and you can see he had given much thought with such limited time given). Then I realised, it is not the present that matters, it is him and his idea that matter. Whether it's a diamond or it's a rock, it is a dear present as long as he thinks it suits me.   The theory is: "when you are deeply  in love with someone, you would like whatever he buys you".  Of course, I may still be pissed off if he had bought me a miniature of George W. Bush or the Statute of Libery but I don't think he would.  So other than that, I would love everything he buys me.
So Jensen, if you are reading this, I want to say thank you, not for the present but for your presence. Because I love you and so I love everything you present me.   

Didn't notice how long I haven't written anything on my blog until one of my friends asked me to post something good about him few days ago.  His request actually flattered me, since it made me feel like I am one of those celeb authors that their books sold out even in a country with the highest number of  illiteracy. So today I visit my blog and try to write something. Then I realised my last post is actually dated back March 17.  Nine months ago - Wow, I would have born a baby if I was preganted during the period of my last publication!  But I didn't.
The first question came to my mind is not " What should I write about this guy" but "What have I been doing during these 9 months"? I must have been very busy that I couldn't even manage to update the blog. I contemplated for a while.......yes, there seems to have many things going on in these 9 months, or, I should say, many changes have taken place.  Among those major ones are the kick off of the study and the acquintance of Jensen.  The combination of the two have pretty much turned my life inside out and upside down....I mean positively.  Anyway, I want to apologise to all my friends who used to and who still love to read my writings and I truly hope I won't stop writing this time.    
    

Saw this special collection of UK coins.....very elegant.

Originally I love my blog very much, not only because it has a uk host but also because it has a very simple, modest layout. It matches my theory of "the beauty of simplicity" - beautiful things don't need too much decoration. That's why when all my friends are deliriously creating their own blogs under Xanga and MSN Space, I have mine with Blog.co.uk.  And honestly I don't regret any at all. Well, not until I saw the Liverpool FC ads on the bar of my blog! 
"What"!! For all the people who know me, no matter well or not, should realise that I am a MU fan.  What an irony to have Liverpool ads all over my blog while nothing I can do about it. Worst, I found out yesterday that they are not just promoting the Scousers but also the Gooners and the Blues - selling tickets, introducing the field....I had enough!
So I decided to write to the host and ask them to remove those ads although I assume they will ask me to pay for such service.  Anyway, I have no choice.
During dinner, I told my friend the story; she raised a good question - What if they refuse to do so? "Well, I would rather get rid of the blog than abide such a humiliation", I said without hesitation.  "How can I seemingly promote Liverpool while deep down am supporting Manchester United"? "How can I be such a hypocrite"? My friend echoed, "Yes, hypocrites only appearered among Labour politicians but not among football fans". I gave her a smirk.
Surprisingly, all the Liverpool ads are gone within an hour and are replaced by "Payroll Bureau UK" and "Etiquette Table Manners" kind of ads. No words I could find to express my gratification to the host so I want to take this chance to thank you for doing so.  Deeply appreciated!! 
I rang my friend to share the good news.  What she said is "Even the blog host acts faster than the government"!!   

Many of us take for granted towards everything we have, have you ever thought about some people came to this world where everything else is a bonus? If not, think about it and please support the NCB to help improve the lives of children and young people.
http://www.ncb.org.uk/Page.asp

There is a man I wanted to find out more about.
He is a friend's friend who sometimes appears in one of our gatherings organised once a month. He just looks like someone lived next door, meaning he does not have a pair of Paul Newman's eyes or a body of  Brad Pitt. However, for some reasons, I find him attractive.  I guess it has something to do with his personality?  To me, he is always warm to be with and he can easily light me up with just a smile. 
But in fact, I think it has more to do with his appearance - he looks very clean and tidy. I really can't stand dirty people, not even if someone given me just a sense of untidiness when actually he is decent enough to shake hands with Angelina Jolie. I once dined with a friend who cleaned his mouth only at the end of the supper but not in the middle and I found his look, while eating, very unpleasant.  And someone who rubbed their used tissue papers in one of their palms like a ready-to-throw-away rubbish is no good either. But this man just pays much attention to his personal hygiene and that's why I like him. He may wear the same coat every so often, but it always looks clean.  He may not clean his hands everytime before dinner but he does not have long fingernails and his fingers are always clean too. 
Although I understand that the level of one's cleanliness shouldn't be the only angle of judging one's true character,  and it certainly shouldn't be the basis of a relationship, it's a big deal to me.
First of all, I wouldn't even think about  going out with him if his clothes are ragged or his face is oily. Even I did so, I don't see I will agree with another out if he splashed some soup on the table or used again the napkin that he just dropped on the floor.  Whatever situation, it's hard to believe dining out with your lover in a fancy restaurant where chandeliers are on top of you and roses are at your side while he polished his fork with one of his sleeves. So this man has just passed one of the most difficult tests that I have always given to my opposite sex. But for the rest of him, as I said in the beginning, I have to find out.

Have watched "The Queen".
Before watching the movie, I would have wanted personally the film to win the Oscar award for Best Movie.  After watching it, I immediately transformed my subjective will into a rational hope.  I know how easy it is for you to imagine how disappointed I was when Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton announced that the award actually goes to "The Departed".  Although I like Dicaprio, I think his performance in both "The Departed" and "Blood Diamond" are outstanding, I honestly think "The Queen" deserves the award more. For the movie has presented the Queen beautifully. No need to mention, Helen Mirren's performance is outstanding, but also worth giving credit to Stephen Fears, for his courage in documenting such a sensitive story.  
While the movie is beautifully done, I dislike it incidentally recalls our memory of the glorious period Tony Blair once had, as if we are still enjoying in that period and we should all celebrate it.  I should remind all viewers that the glorious period shown in the movie is passed. And one shouldn't be mistakened by the plot. The movie presented Mr Blair as a shrewd, visionary reformer. However, for 10 years, we don't see any major reform being carried out to bring our nation to another level, and we don't see how shrewd our PM is, especially on the matter of the Iraq war. What we see, though, is one of Mr. Blair's secretaries, Ruth Kelly, opted his son out from the state's school and go private while the Ofsted report revealed that students' passing rate in GCSE is actually falling.  
I supposed to watch the trailer to once again enjoy Helen Mirren's performance, but now I decided not to.                 

The happiest thing for tonight certainly is the winning of MU over Liverpool.  The victory actually reflected the complete eagerness of MU taking over the premiership title from Chelsea this year.  
The saving done by Van der Sar in the second half was definitely brilliant while the finish by O'Shea at 90  mins further secured the 3 points for MU.  Although I think the match would be more satisfied if it is without Scholes being sent off and  the injury of Rooney, the result by far is happy enough for widening the gap with Chelsea for 9 points.
Some people said that the victory is just a fortunate one, but I bet if someone had gone to Rafael Benitez before the game started and asked if he would accept a 1-0 win over MU, he would say yes. What I want to say is "a victory is a victory"- forget about how you get it.  In fact,  if we admit the victory is just a lucky one, is it even more ironic since the Scousers is always proud of their unbeatable record at Anfield but tonight they just ended up giving away 3 points to MU just because they are not as lucky as the Reds?  

Today, after work, I went shopping.  Visited a pen shop in Causeway Bay and in there I found something gorgeous - the Lamy Dialog 1.   Ballpoint pen, metal body with triangular cross-section and rounded edges. Surface finished with titanium-coated PVD. With pen case made of beech. Costs £80.

Today is my first day of posting in this blog and I am happy to share with you the story of Faber-Castell. 
Faber-Castell is one of the oldest companies in the world, and surely the oldest of its kind.  Beginning making pencils in 1761 and with the celebration of its 100th birthday in 2005, the company has established a series of products ranging from crayons for children to fountain pens for connoisseurs.  Among all the fine products, I personally recommend the E-Motion Fountain Pen Series.  But the one I adore most is Graf von Faber-Castell's "The Pen of the Year 2007".