quick fact of the day:

According to numerous web sites, such as Professional Jeweler Magazine and Normans of Mosman, tennis star Chris Evert was known for her diamond line bracelets. She lost one during the 1987 U.S. Open, and the game had to be temporarily halted while she prowled the court for it. The "tennis bracelet" incident sparked a new name for the item, as well as a huge jewelry trend.

source: Ask.Yahoo

It's not often that a piece of jewelry is named for an accident, but such is the case with tennis bracelets. Tennis bracelets got their unusual name from an incident involving professional tennis player Chris Evert during a match in 1987. Evert had been wearing an expensive bracelet featuring an inline string of individually-set diamonds. When the clasp snapped, she asked the officials to stop the match until the jewelry could be found. Since that day, bracelets featuring an inline array of diamonds have been called tennis bracelets.

source: WiseGeek

now you know why it's called a tennis bracelet. cool, eh?

what a night. Y organized something absolutely nuts for my bday. extremely traumatizing. but i had good ol' J to count on and keep me sane as he provided a shoulder to hide behind whenever uncomfort overwhelmed me. and a car to send me home with since i live along the way to his gf's place.

yes, i dedicate this post to J, a sweet big (physically too) brother. anyhoo, by the time i got home, i told B about the night's events and he replied,

"what they have is carnal pleasure. what we have is eternal salvation."

i stared at B's comment last night and thought about it. my mind drifted back to J in the car telling me he wished he had more self-control. and how much he actually admired guys didn't think about the carnal pleasure as much as he does. i look at my big brother and said,

"trust me, they struggle more than you do. they struggle with knowing that while their friends are out there getting some, they need to hold on to that faith (and restrain)."

the conversation carried on about the christian faith and i found myself explaining that sex, in itself, was not evil. c'mon, God created sex. one part i missed out was that it's in the context where us fallen sinners take sex into and turn something good into something impure and yet "right" by the fallen world's standards.

one thing i love talking with J is that he never does try to impose the world's view on me. he listens to me. never once did he tell me that when the time comes, i'd find it hard stick to my values. last night, he looked me in the eye, smiled, and said,

"don't open that door for as long as you can. once you do, there's no closing it."

it was one of those moments when it felt like he was telling me to stop growing up. that it was alright to stay the way i am. that i've a whole life in front of me to grow. but there are things that i don't have to face.

that's why he's the big brother. one of the few i trust to keep me safe in the big scary world. one of the few i want around to protect me from whatever the world throws at me. right now, i can only think of 2 friends whom i trust enough to share everything with. and the same 2 to be there when i need a hand out of whatever mess i'm in because i trust them to look at me when i'm crying, crack the knuckles and say,

"who's ass am i kicking, babe?"

so to big J, i will fly to ozzie for your fairy tale wedding when the time comes. i promise. :D

i've been craving big breakfast in true blue ozzie style. imagine this:

buttered toast. hash browns. sauteed mushrooms. ham n bacon drenched in worcestershire sauce. grilled tomatoes. poached egg with luscious gooey yoke. sausage. topped off with a skinny latte to make yourself feel less guilty abt the calories.

delish. really.

on the side note, i'm still running into random people (no sean, i never fell down) and making connections with nameless faces.

when i got back to singapore, i took the mrt to tanah merah to save on the airport surcharge. at the train station, i noticed two caucasian dudes looking lost. i paused for a second before approaching them. naturally, i helped with directions and taught them how to get to dhoby ghaut from changi, including all the random platform changing.

next thing i knew, we were chatting on the journey to tanah merah. gave nibbles of advice abt going to malacca and talked about the random touristy spots around SEA. also learnt that the older guy was 22 (i feel old. really.) and both of them had dropped out of the Dutch air force and were going back to college with two months to spare in South East Asia.

i contemplated exchanging contacts for quite a while. another contact in Singapore for them to find out information from. but my shyness and nerves got the better of me. we parted ways at tanah merah after i reminded them of the route they should be taking.

and it struck me.

it's those nameless connections that i remember more than ever. 'cos you no longer identify these people by names but the way you felt during that moment of connection. the things you say and the little laughter and jokes may be forgotten but that lack of discomfort when interacting with a nameless stranger..

it's just knowing that it's raw emotions sans names which remind you that truly, it's the feelings that help you relate to people. maybe if i meet them again, i'd get their names and contacts. but for now, i'm going to let that encounter linger on as just a memory of feelings and nothing more.

**

girls! i found pure blonde in Singapore:

Boomarang Bistro & Bar Australian. #01-15 The Quayside, 60 Robertson Quay, 6738-1077.

they have all -day brekkie (tb ozzie style) on weekends. when are we going????