Happy Birthday Mama... Told you much earlier on to take off and be at home today but you are just to busy. Bought the thing you wanted. And there's more. The only thing missing is you.. Why must you think so much about the shop and why must it be today. What's the use of the staff if they cant even help with the work. Why must you run here and there just to do the work. And most importantly, why must you care so much when your need wasn't even attend to? Just forget it mama.. We have a family of our own. Just be happy with us. I promise I'll make you happy everytime we are together. Big hugs....

~~Shikin's Engagement~~

Vincent van Gogh, for whom color was the chief symbol of expression, was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland. The son of a pastor, brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Vincent was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, van Gogh had two unsuitable and unhappy romances and had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore, an art salesman, and a preacher in the Borinage, where he was dismissed for overzealousness. He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. The works of his early Dutch period are somber-toned, sharply lit, genre paintings of which the most famous is "The Potato Eaters" (1885).

In 1886 he went to Paris to join his brother Théo, the manager of Goupil's gallery. In Paris, van Gogh studied with Cormon, inevitably met Pissarro,Monet, and Gauguin and began to lighten his very dark palette and to paint in the short brushstrokes of the Impressionists.

His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. Gauguin did join him but with disastrous results. In a fit of epilepsy, van Gogh pursued his friend with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a portion of his ear lobe off. Below is van Gogh's self-potrait with his ear being bandaged after the cut.

Van Gogh then began to alternate between fits of madness and lucidity and was sent to the asylum in Saint-Remy for treatment. Below is the entrance of Saint-Remy.

In May of 1890, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr. Gachet. Below is a potrait of Dr. Gachet by van Gogh while he was in Saint-Remy.

Two months later he was dead, having shot himself "for the good of all." During his brief career he had sold one painting. Van Gogh's finest works were produced in less than three years in a technique that grew more and more impassioned in brushstroke, in symbolic and intense color, in surface tension, and in the movement and vibration of form and line. Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and content is powerful; dramatic, lyrically rhythmic, imaginative, and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature.

Let's go back to Primary 3 Science... The life cycle of a butterfly.

Those butterflies were really beautiful.. I envy their wings. However they gave me goosebumps everytime it flew past or near me. One or two is okay but more than that it is just too many. I took few pictures. Will show you a few here but the rest will be at facebook. In fact, already in facebook. So here's my darlings..

Let me tell you what happened on Friday. I started lesson after recess which was at 3.25. I've only 2 periods of English and a period of Maths with my darlings before we proceed for our PE. This is what happens every Friday. But what not supposed to happen on last Friday was, a bee visited us while we were doing Maths. Being an adult, I told myself to stay calm eventhough my heart was shrieking like mad. I told my darlings to stay quiet as the bee is attracted to noise (I don't know where i learned this theory). The bee being bee, they love the light. As calm as I tried to stay, my heart told me to do something about the bee. To shoo it away. So i ran to switched off the lights thinking that I'll use the broom to chase it away. Unfortunately, after I switched off, POOP, the bee dropped to the floor and that's when my darlings jumped out from their seats and dashed to me. Some even hugged me. Haha. I switched on the lights again, then switched off, then switched on, not really knowing what to do. Not so brave after all.. At last, I decided to go for an early PE lesson. What a day.. I already planned my lesson well and that bee sibuk only. PE was fun. My favourite subject. *grins* Next Tuesday, there'll be no lesson as we are visiting the.....Butterfly Park! @ Sentosa. Maybe I should bring a camera. Then you can see my darlings. *rubbing hands*

My blog has been stagnant for a month. Ha ha ha... New school, new environment, new colleagues, new stuffs, so of course I hardly have time to rant about whats going on. But. But but but, I do have time for facebooks. The games are just so addictive. It's just my kind of game. *winks* So updates are only on facebook. Mostly photos. Great time at East Coast. Planned to meet again soon. Hopefully will as the saying goes action speaks louder than word. Back to facebook, I feel like foregoing my friendster. There's nothing fun about it anymore. However, lots of sweet encounter/memories happened in/through friendster. Those comments left by my friends, it brought back the times when we were having great moments together. And through friendster, i found a real true friend. Whom I really treasure. Who is like a gem to me. Priceless. Through friendster, I felt love. From the day I knew this true friend, and till now, its been exactly 4 years. Happy special friendship relationship, whatever ship you want to call it, dear.. I pray we will be even happier together in long years to come. And this prayer is my "prezzie" for you.... hehe. *hugs*