on clergy sexual abuse

the hubby and i have recently moved our gramaphone movie rental subscription to the parkway outlet, and we have since watched the oprah anniversary dvd set and a documentary called "deliver us from evil".

this is one directed by amy berg, and is a collection of interviews with the priest that blew the scandal open - oliver o'grady - some of his victims and their lawyers. it seemed that they tried to get a response from the US catholic church and the vatican, but they did not respond to the producers' requests.

so they had to use archived deposition footage during oliver o'grady's trials.

i work the morning shift this week (we take turns to start work at about 6am), so you can imagine how tired i am at 10pm.

but that was the time we started watching this show, and it held my attention for the full two hours (or slightly less).

if you're expecting drama and guns, you'd be bored stiff. again, it's just a collection of interviews, not unlike michael moore films.

the difference between amy berg and michael moore is the classification of their work, the former's being a documentary, and the latter's being a movie. i'm not sure if that really makes it more "credible", but what we saw in the show did seem like the director tried to get views from both sides.

in essence, o'grady started sexually abusing kids in the early 70s. and everytime a complaint was filed with the bishop, he would just move o'grady to another parish further away.

when a case finally went to the courts, the church cut a deal - which includes him being financially cared for, for the rest of his life - with o'grady. as long as he refused to testify.

it was really interesting to see o'grady being so candid in his comments. it made him more human, and the catholic church more distant.

the bit that got me really upset was when the father of one of o'grady's female victims started crying and blaming himself for not being able to stop the abuse.

he has not been able to step into a church since.

again, this documentary may just be another michael moore-type thing.

but where there's smoke, there's fire.

this is definitely worth a watch. even for catholics.

vesak day weekend...

our weekends always seem extremely fun, and most times, it's our spontaneity that gets us going.

yesterday was spent at mom's baking cupcakes and playing mahjong.

here're my bees waiting to take off...*buzz buzz*...

today, the investor central gang spent the day at belinda's house in the west. we barbequed, ate a whole lot, and played a fun round of taboo. =P

as we barbequed, we discovered a toad resting peacefully behind belinda's ice box in the garden...

then there were the oh-so-cute children. =)



the butter choc-chip cupcakes, salad and kueh salat were hits. and verdayne did a really tasty flourless chocolate cake. all round goodness.

i'm glad snuffy hubby enjoyed the day as much as i did.

we love being able to do things like these with our friends, and are really glad when people tell us how good we are for each other.

especially when belinda told snuffy hubby and i that we both married "champions", and that we were made for each other. =)

more hunting...

dog hunting is pretty much like house hunting.

especially if you dog hunt like snuffy hubby and i - driving all around the island to people's homes, looking at their litter.

the hubby and i believe in home breeders, because most of them do not overbreed, nor inbreed, their dogs, and believe in finding the puppies good and responsible owners.

i won't go into the details on the homes we visited yesterday because snuffy hubby's already done so. though i can be slightly more reflective. =)

given snuffy hubby's easy-going nature and spontaneity (most times), he would be more of a golden/labrador retriever person. if you can picture a goldie or a labrador, you can almost see "LOVE ME! LOVE ME!" in their eyes as they bound toward you. they are also very affectionate and will probably seek attention from owners...and you probably can't help but just love them. that's very eric.

i've always seen myself as more of a husky, given my independent streak. the husky is strong, has a mind of its own and may not be as well-liked as a golden retriever purely because of how it looks, and how it behaves. it probably isn't the sort of pet that everyone would like because it may not be as affectionate as the widely-popular goldie.

i was slightly disappointed at the huskies i saw yesterday. not that they weren't any good, but perhaps they were too good.

the show dog owner spoke of his dogs with such passion, but he also said things like "if you put my dogs in a show next to other normal singapore huskies, they can't even compare to mine." it made me feel quite sad.

i want a husky, but as much as i want good lineage to ensure good genes and i can then carry on the breed, i don't want to be so particular that i start treating my dog as a tool, and not a companion i want to shower my affection on.

i'm all the for the underdog. and as long as i get a husky with good lineage (not from just any dad and mom), i believe we can train SCOUT to be a good pet/possible future show dog. even though potential is genetic, dogs can also exceed our expectations at times, just like humans.

snuffy hubby has left the decision of the breed of our dog to me.

and i have to say that the more i read about huskies, the more i'm sure that our first dog together will be a husky.

though at the back of my head, i know he will have loads of fun with a goldie. because eric is like a goldie - unconditionally affectionate and giving.

it's been a long time...

i'm not quite sure when the last time i felt this pissed was.

it must have been some time ago because the last time i swore this hard and felt so angry was when i was with you-know-who.

when i met eric, my personality evolved somewhat, for the better.

upon reflection though, recent events have had me reversing backwards to my angsty self.

and it's precisely because i CAN'T STAND watching my husband being treated like crap.

we've only had the joy of the house purchase for over a week, and this nonsense happens.

ABSOLUTE NONSENSE.

BLOODY HELL DYSFUNCTIONAL.

i really cannot watch my husband get subjected to such ridiculous situations anymore.

because i WILL bitch-slap the hell out of any idiot who bullies eric.

i got especially upset when a colleague pointed out that i seem a lot more angry these days, than when she first met me.

i am not upset at her.

i am pissed at how i'm back to dealing with people like my psychotic ex.

i really need a break. f***ing hell.

a milestone in our lives...

as eric mentioned in his last post, the last weekend was special.

we made a decision that had our hearts racing for a good few hours, before celebrating the decision with a good dinner with the family.

and for those of you who've seen our msn tags, and wondered what the numbers mean...

well, perhaps this would be a clue:


these are pictures of a condo unit at The Madeira.

and as of august this year, we would be the proud owners of this place!

without whatever else is in these pictures, of course. =P

it's a development of three blocks near the bukit gombak mrt station.


the saying "if it's yours, it's yours" couldn't have described this purchase better.

everything that happened over the past week had sorta led to the hubby and i seeing this place and falling in love with it, pretty much at first sight.

we're extremely excited, but it also means we may need to save a little for the time we need the cash to pay for this big purchase.

we're happy still. very much so. =)

it's now snuffy hubby's turn. =P

watch this space...

...for a special announcement.

soon, i hope. =P

a break in the week...

labor day wasn't so bad after all, especially since the hubby didn't have to go back to work. =)

so we spent a leisurely brunch with the folks and bro at old airport road, before heading over to their place for our second baking session.

today, we tried out josee's maple cake recipe. =P

and thanks to mom's powerful mixer, we got fantastic consistency for the cake and the icing!

i had grand ideas for the icing, but mom had limited tools so this was something we tried...


the family verdict was: IT NEEDS MORE BUTTER!

ah well...they just like their cakes heavier and more buttery, i guess. =P i personally still like josee's recipe, especially her icing.

we then trotted down to jac's place for some fun with ollie the doggie...and my goodness, has he grown!


then snuffy hubby got into a sneezing fit and had to excuse himself. ollie followed him everywhere as he sneezed about...


i love that puppy...even though i still have a slight teeth mark on my chin.

watching ollie plop around, waltzing through life, makes me wonder why people tend to make life so difficult for themselves.

perhaps it's just like josh groban wrote, "perhaps marley's got it right all along".

there are more things to be learnt from having a dog than you'd think. =)

to think we brought him back as a wee little pup just a month back.



they grown up so fast, don't they?

i can't wait for a little snuffy of our own. =)