i am intoxicated

Happy 2012

2012-01-04T21:39:00.000+08:00

2012, is the world coming to an end? Really? I don't believe Doom's Day is the gist of what matters. I saw a message on someone's FB, part of which reads, "Remember you will die one day". Six simple words that synergised to a strong sentence, so brunt that I thought it is a wake up call. The whole world knows humans die. But the whole world hardly notices it, until it is almost too late.

I hope it is not too late for me, age is somehow catching up fast for most friends and elderly, my father and mother.

I have absolutely no idea what my resolution is. Due to the holidays and happenings, I haven't gave it much of a thought. Maybe subconsciously, I refuse to push myself to commit. Life is already this hectic. Perhaps, I should find a resolution that eases all pain, as and when necessary.

The start of 2012 isn't too bad. Apart from meeting good friends, I welcomed the year with loss of 2 wisdom teeth, sore throat, headache, cough and a runny nose all happening together. I am so pleased with the pain killers I received for my gums, which eased the ailments in the head and throat too.

I must promise to be glad that I am alive, so are those who are healthy and friends who are battling with death or death of their dear ones. May all of us lead a good year, one that reaps much fulfillment, contentment, joy, blissfulness, freedom and many more. Importantly, breathe like there is no tomorrow.

Loves

2011-12-06T21:50:00.002+08:00

Hush now, let's go quiet to the park where it first started
Cold night, us lying in the dark
I felt my heart was trying to find a place for you to stay
A place where I'd feel safe

Anything we have known
Anything we've forgotten
In the rain, in the dark we'll lay
In your arms, in your arms I'll stay

Take my hand, let's go into the trees
Behind the branches, falling on our knees
I remember feeling like this part of us would never change

Anything we have known
Anything we've forgotten
In the rain, in the dark we'll lay
In your arms, in your arms I'll stay

Follow me
We both know the way
It's always been the same

Anything we have known
Anything we've forgotten
In the rain, in the dark we'll lay
In your arms, in your arms I'll stay

=)

When I heard this on radio today, a rush of emotions just came over me. Loves ♥

One year anniversary

2011-10-10T21:24:00.004+08:00

Today is special for many reasons. Exactly one year ago, we pledged our vows to each other. Wondered if we were showered in bliss, so much so that we lost track of time? Happy one year anniversary, love! Thank you for the super duper special dinner, which included my favorite dishes. The desserts taste extra yummy for some reason. Big big hugs and loves for going far south by PUBLIC transport just to get my present and my favorite desserts! You have mastered the art of winning your dear's heart, hands down!

And ya, happy one month too. To our customary wedding. Haha.

Much much loves!!!

I love you =)

Ambition

2011-10-09T21:09:00.002+08:00

What should I write? What do I want? At times, I would look back thinking what could have been if I have stood on my own ground, against all odds. Do what I really loved, despite being the risky, minority few. People would say I was being foolish. But am I? Who is to control your future, but yourself? Like what the great-thinker, Steve Jobs once said, we have no time to waste. To put it short, he is such a great inspiration to learn from.

A break-through awaits.

Life beyond marriage

2011-09-25T22:17:00.000+08:00

I didnt think I would be back to type nonsense and rants here anymore. But here it is.

I am (finally) done with that big event of my life, thankfully! It was such an exhausted and tedious affair, compounded with conflicts and differences. We are extremely glad with how every bits and details turned out. The day couldnt be better in any other way, to simply put it, we thought it was beyond awesome.. =) Words cannot describe how I felt when he ended the thank you speech with a long and heartfelt message to me. That was probably one of the best memories of the day, not forgetting the crazy dance that he did.

Life seems perfect in many ways. How should I put this, I am so lucky to have our own apartment, a doting Dear, a simple job, a few great companions. I wonder. What is there to complain?

Happy birthday, boy

2011-07-20T21:55:00.000+08:00

This birthday of Dear has burnt a huge hole in my tiny piggy bank. Let me elaborate further........ He happily chose an expensive pair of very branded specs. It looked really good on him, sadly though he would rather wear a cheapo/ugly pair of specs over that Tag Huer (told u it's branded!) which has since been banished into the chamber in his drawer! Next, he carefully psycho-ed from me a full series of his childhood cartoon a.k.a TinTin which has since vastly reduced my precious time to communicate with him every night. Then, we went to our all-time favorite Japanese Buffet at Vivocity for a sumptious meal, which has caused the significant gain in our body mass in recent days. Yesterday, he found himself yet another present, a cool iPhone cover, which is possibly the best present my colleague and I picked for him- cheap, nice and very well-utilised. The search for this present brought much laughter, for me anyway! Evil right.. Haha. With a tiny piece of instruction sheet, he had me entertained while he searched high and low for it at home. But that wasn't the end of it. The finale finally came to an end today, thank God! We indulged in delicacy such as sharksfin, courtesy of his dad. And I sponsored the best durians and cake which cost me almost 100 bucks..

So, is Dear lucky or super duper lucky??? I think it's more like I am damn suay/dumb for getting tricked not once, not twice, but thrice!!

Anyway anyway, Happy birthday, my Dear boy. Lots of loves. =)

Pretentious me

2011-07-17T12:52:00.003+08:00

I am such a hypocrite, for saying "THANKS" to someone for something I didn't ask for.

Guess what, I don't even fancy having it the least bit. Question now is, the level of pretentiousness to which I can and want to withstand.

This is one of the times I would hate myself, that piece of timid, useless rat.

The most ugly day

2011-06-21T08:40:00.002+08:00

I know how blessed I am and I appreciate the finest things in life, from the lovely self made breakfast prepared by Dear to seeing smiley faces in the office. Despite that, I admit defeat hands down to the circumstances that challenged me. In relative terms, I mark today as one of the most lousy day of the year. I just can't wait for tomorrow to come.

All about the wedding

2011-06-18T15:08:00.001+08:00

Unlike many, there isn't much excitment or anticipation brewing within us. We just hope it will be over and it's hard to believe both of us actually have the same thought.. We hold much reluctance to the actual day simply because we are doing it for the others. So much for following the chinese tradition for the sake of doing it. There is only stress and worse of all, I don't see how the ceremony will bring more happiness than what we already have. We are happy as a couple living together, no doubt it is a great experience - Peaceful, fun and spontaneous. I stand to my belief that one's wedding is up to one to decide. Even though that isn't going to happen for me, this belief shall apply to my child if I ever have one. No one likes to be maligned and for as many regrets and misunderstandings we have, there is no turning back. It is a tough world because we are very complicated creatures. We may not understand others well enough to prevent such situation from happening. Pissed as I may be, I know I won't explain myself because I hate confrontations. To be involved in such a shitty senario is exactly what I had wanted to avoid. But there will always be a constant reminder in me.... Please only the significant. To the less significant, whether they like it or not, just smile and walk away.

2nd HK Trip

2011-06-08T21:34:00.000+08:00

Alright, off to HK in about 24 hours and i haven't started packing. Haha. It's about time I leave all work and worries behind and finally breathe for the first time since a while.. No local delicacy will be spared, same to all worthful shopping malls, districts and museums. It is gonna be fun and gluttony no illness will bring me down. A 2nd visit to HK Disneyland is enough to keep my happy spirits up! For a really long whlile.. =))

Paddy

2011-05-15T20:52:00.002+08:00

Ever since I got my hands on this pet, we find ourselves doing silly things like squabbling over who gets priority attention. Of course it's apparent who wins the "fight", but this is all fun. We let our new pet tag along us- From the living area to the bedroom then to study room. It entertains us, doesn't mind our tickling fingers and obediently goes to bed when we nudges it sleep. Best of all, our pet is fun to play with, it runs pretty damn fast but is also sensitive to our touch. Importantly, it has an awesome learning capacity and response. It's no wonder why many of its cousins were sold out islandwide the past weeks. I read it on CNET somewhere that its closest competitors are lagging far behind in nuturing a pet this close to perfection. Given its good behavior and talent, there is no doubt my pet, Paddy will roam the streets with us next time... Haha.

The general election 2011

2011-05-10T21:50:00.001+08:00

The GE has been an eyeopener for first timers like us. We witnessed how our mainstream mass media got overshadowed by newer technology. Some don't agree. But the fact is politics will never be fair. The main objective is about winning the game more than anything else. Apologies started pouring in, ideologies that sounded too good to be true were spoken without any basis. As pathetic as it sounds, the ones that make the cut got eliminated due to the given circumstances. And the story has no end to it. As a first time voter, the GE has given me a greater understanding of Singapore politics, its significant players and what it means to be against the force. For me, participating in such an event was a time worth every minute. It is a shame that some would deliberately void their votes instead. GE2011 has a strong impact on the Y-gen cohort as well as PRs alike. Now that it is over, so will the saga surrounding it, slowly but surely. From an optimistic view, we are one tiny step closer to becoming a transformed Singapore.

淘汰

2011-04-17T20:01:00.003+08:00

陳奕迅 - 淘汰
曲/詞：周杰倫

Update

2011-04-10T19:55:00.000+08:00

Much has happened since the beginning of the year. Some happy, some sad, some stressful, some comical.

Here is the story of THE CHIHUIHUI. Just recently, Dear and I were at this pet shop looking for cute eye candies aka puppies. One of the puppies caught my attention. The breed name that was written on the label was "Chihuihui". Everyone has heard of the common breed, Chihuahua but Chihuihui is a breed I have yet to hear of. And I actually believed it could have been a mixed breed between Chihuahua and some other breed. I truly believed I learnt a new breed! As I casually told Dear my thoughts, a pet staff nearby (who probably heard my words) went up to the puppy with a marker on hand and changed the two I's in "Chihuihui" to "Chihuahua". Haha, man was that hilarious. It made me feel dumb for a moment, for believing in the existence of THE CHIHUIHI......

Dearest Huiqin got hitched! I am so happy for her, having seen her through her down state and now, being the most well-loved. Now that her wedding has ended, she has been so enthu about others' weddings, aka mine. Well, I haven't been too bad either. We found ourselves a comfy house we can call HOME, which leads us to be DEBT-RIDDEN for the next few decades. Ever since we share the same roof, there is no few boundary between us. Other than his Liverpool and my variety shows, we are basically stuck with each other for a great amount of time. Haha too bad huh? There are bills, household chores, grocery-shopping, moodswings and so much more we have to endure together. One cloudy day, we took a day off for our wedding photo shoot which finally ended at dusk. We felt like celebrities, it was a great experience to be in a photoshoot for the first time and it was done together with him. We covered many parts of the island, which includes the railway track, National Museum, St Andrews Cathedral, Marina Bay Sands, the Flyer etc. But the outcome to me is somewhat average. Don't get me wrong. The pictures are nice, but I wasn't in awe on first glance.

There is more to come, I reckon. Three more weddings to go, not including my own and I truly hope that it doesn't come so soon...

Preview of Home

2011-02-28T20:42:00.000+08:00

Buying a home is not easy, but I say the renovation part is worse. It has caused us so much incovenience, headaches, not to mention the large sum of hard cash required to pay off the heavy bill that never stops coming. We must thank my mom in law for the loan, really. After 7 gruelling months of planning, discussion and after COUNTLESS hiccups, the final product is very nearly, almost done. We had so many issues, such as failing to find compatible tiles, the intricate layout and planning needed for the master bedroom and walk-in wardrobe and also the cost to simply demolish existing structures such as their wardrobes, cabinets and bath tub. There were also those sudden calls from contractor who'd deliver bad news such as extra costs we need to fork out, or mishaps like the blockage of toilet pipe and the accidental disposal of the balcony grille we had wanted to keep. Just today, we were told we need to pay extra for the interior compartmentation of our wardrobe! Then came the endless meetings sometimes till 10 at night, and those weekends that were burnt on discussions. But the worst part was getting stood up for meetings by contractor who couldn't be reached.

While this project is extremely taxing, exhausting and stressful especially for Dear, we both feel that it is an extremely fulfiling and awesome achievement. I can proudly say that most part of the house is designed by yours truly. It is like playing SIMS in real life! I had to rack my brains out to find the ideal colour combinations for the living area and kitchen, taking into account the furniture size and designs. Then came the huge headache for the master bedroom, where I saw the need to seal up the extra door, build a partition for our walk-in wardrobe and hang those pretty lights. I would say I enjoyed the process of planning, the discussions with the contractor and most definitely, the SHOPPING part! I absolutely loved checking out cool TVs, sound systems, fridges and beds, sofas, tables etc. It was so fun, mostly because Dear was the one stressing out and doing the accounts. Thanks Dear for taking up the lousy role. He deserves most of the credit, for doing the accounts and for enduring my endless requests. Haha... Ultimately, we know we are doing all these for the benefit of our home.

Here is a preview of our home, still rather unorderly, the walls are still smudgy and some lights are not up yet. More than 80% of the work has been completed.

Give me a break.

2011-02-23T21:37:00.003+08:00

This moment, this night. I have nothing more to say other than..

Need. Break. END.

Battered Knee

2011-02-22T21:52:00.000+08:00

Dozing off intermittently on the bed of white sheets under a sheet of white blanket, the quick-tempered and fastidious lady seemed to have found some inner-peace. The operation seemed to have fixed her messy emotions, for as long as the nausea-inducing effects of anesthesia lingered. We know she is fine, apparent from the nagging remarks she is making as soon as a new day begins. But only time will tell if the battered knee will become good, as new. Sadly though, we have to make do without yummy breakfasts and make do with just takeaways, for now. Haha…. Rest well, mom.

Failures

2011-01-26T12:55:00.004+08:00

After countless times of failure and despite those hard work, I am still stuck in this shit-hole. Whatever positive feedback and assessment may well be documented but I can gather all of this is nothing more than a passing phase. What is the future in this? Many times, I wonder if I am cut out for this. Maybe I have lost my way and lost the courage, to fulfill those unthinkable dreams.

Gone is the spirit in me. The only thing left of me is a sense of defeat.

The Shoe-holic

2011-01-09T18:35:00.002+08:00

I had a great time shopping for shoes, shoes and more shoes. I spent 240 bucks just on those today, six pairs in total. For the sole purpose of retail therapy, replacement or for that special day, they are very much needed. It's about time I chuck away those comfy but broken ones, that are with me for far too long.

Renovation for the house has began. That brings us one day closer to owning our perfect home. =)

Hello Bali!

2010-12-03T09:38:00.002+08:00

Off to bali for a good adventure-filled trip.
It's not honeymoon! But we will be living on a high.

Mr Chuah has to thank me for footing all the daily costs minus his shopping sprees.

Whee! Well....... Thanks mister, for the villa stay and air tickets. Hahaha =)

Love Mi More

2010-11-06T13:21:00.002+08:00

In order to alleviate our financial issues, I have listed concert-going amongst others (shopping, holidaying) as one of the bad habits to kick. So many sacrifices, but giving them up is only right. Thankfully, our mini honeymoon is an exception. =)

These are for the future and today, Love samMi More concert will rock the stadium. It is not even too early to say it. I shall not elaborate on how phenomenal she is! Then I won’t be able to stop to get ready to go.

This short-lived performance, or rather congregation, will live in our memories for a really long time. =)

The Peanut Story

2010-10-31T22:18:00.001+08:00

Ever since Twinkle's passing, such hyped euphoria only comes along at that pet shop in Vivocity.

Anything that is sizeable from a maltese/poodle to a shepherd/golden retriever is OK. The plus point is being toilet or paper trained. But the only criterion is that it possesses a great character as such; intrinsic, steadfast affection for all humans alike, with the exception of burglers.

That unshakened love for these cute, snuggly, little pups is revived. Just give me PEANUT, that cute little pure white maltese who licks and nibbles, but never barks. Awww..

And you may have a Gucci. =D

I miss her already.

The story of Chubby boy

2010-10-13T20:41:00.000+08:00

I encountered an incident today which made me completely feel like an idiot.

I was on my way home and was walking towards the lift lobby, there a boy was already waiting for the lift to arrive. As the lift door opened and the boy went in, I thought I would just wait for another lift since I was at the other end and was lazy to run -as usual.

To my horror......

A little head and arm popped out of that lift, intending to stop the door from closing! I was in shock! The tiny boy who was barely 10 years old held the lift door with one arm and a 'shop & save' bag with the other. I was stunned for a second before realizing he was doing it for me! I was surprised by his kind gesture. How gentleman.

As I sped into the same lift as him and thanked him for his kindness, he replied, "Welcome". Goodness. I feel like melting just thinking about it! On closer look, he resembles Mr Chuah when he was young! - spiky hair and chubby face! Cute! But Mister was definitely the exact opposite in terms of behavior- obnoxious and mischievous. =D

I'm not making a story up. Chubby boy asked,"what floor?" although he stood at the opposite side of the lift button. How adorable! I replied "11" while pressing it myself. And he said, "Okay" even though he couldn't help but wanted to. Is that cute or what?

As the lift stops at 10th floor, he bade me goodbye and attempted to wave his hand. Awww.. Isn't he such a sweetheart..

I shall conclude chubby boy is my new eye candy.

PS: Mister do not eat sour grapes over chubby boy k. They are both love but in different ways. =)

I salute chubby boy family for such good upbringing. It's not about being wealthy or well educated, but class in a whole new level. A rare find, indeed.

Becoming your missus

2010-10-10T22:14:00.000+08:00

10102010
The day filled with anticipation, as strong as the afternoon sun that shone upon us.
It was a perfect day for our special get together.
We held our hands, exchanged our solemn vows.
Witnessed by our closest family members.
In God's name we pray.
Till death do us apart.
Despite future hardship and whatnot.
Being your missus is my honour. =)

But let me keep my maiden name k.
Hahaha. =)

Letter To You

2010-09-23T22:04:00.006+08:00

For 5 long minutes, I sat here thinking where and how I should begin………..

I swear I have never thought we would come this far. Six years back, you were just a happy-go-lucky bloke who cracks people up, one who never fails to wear a huge smile on your face and you still do. Your jokes are lame but I find myself laughing just thinking about them. If I may say, you are certainly qualified as a comedian. You are the only one who have not just seen me laugh so much, but also cry so badly. Sigh.

I, on the other hand, was that tall girl in plain jeans, who is seldom seen crazy in public. One who would rather be the audience in a standup comedy setting. One who stays and shares mostly with close friends. You can say we are the opposite of each other, apart from a handful of common traits. How we are tall, silly and amazingly childish towards each other, in a blissful way. We would bring them up just to tease each other. You said you never expected that side of me.

The chemistry that brought us together is quite amazing. From complete strangers living on the same tiny island to becoming hall mates abroad. The irony is finding you somewhere we don’t actually belong. Six years have gone by quickly. Like a saying that goes, good times passes in the blink of an eye. How true… Remember, I actually told you on the presumption our lives end prior to 80, we have already shared one eighth of the time that is left of us….

Who’d have known, in a couple more weeks we will be lawfully engaged? We have never expected ourselves to eventually find a perfect house after harbouring so much hope and lost much. At this stage, everything feels surreal to me. Like a sweet dream.

However, we know it is not going to be easy. We have seen real life examples of break ups in the events leading to the actual day. Needless to say, the upcoming events certainly will put us to a test of give and take. I am not perfect and we had our bad days. But you have been compromising in many ways. You make me feel like no other guy can measure up to you. I have asked myself if I am good enough for you.

Am I not blessed? Of all the ladies, you choose me. I just want you to know, that I will hold you till the end. No matter what happens. Trust me when I say I will love you each day, everyday and always…

Loves,

Tiff =)

Jay Chou - The Era World Tour 24th July 2010

2010-08-17T19:22:00.005+08:00

The tickets were not cheap, neither did they come by easily.

Cheers for those who sacrificed (many reasons) for the tickets, who enjoyed the visually-stimulating effects which was quite geniously constructed. For those who laughed at the little remarks he made and his creative replacement of lyrics to fluently deliver messages to the audience. For those who are simply captivated by his raw voice, music style and talent. He is worth every cent, the night we stood there. =)

Khai Ying's Wedding

2010-08-12T20:45:00.003+08:00

She is the gal whom I call the gal next block- she stays directly next to my block. She is one who never fails to bring laughter to our group, whose laughter is extremely infectious, so was her influence to skip lectures in college. She was one whom I took bus no. 180 to school with, be it rain or shine. That was 10 years back!!! Being a Westlife fan she used to be, I would always have a fair share of their songs from one side of her earphone throughout the bus rides. Haha.. Now, we have all grown up leading our stressful lives yet holding on to the friendship.

She was most likely the first from 01S2 to say the vows, donned the most glamorous dress while receiving our hugs and blessings. Interestingly, this year also signifies the 10-year anniversary to our friendship, it was a double joyous occasion. =)

Congrats to you Khai Ying! Bless you, bless love. =)

Khai Ying's and Winson's Wedding @ Fullerton Hotel

The gorgeous Bride!

Pretty Bride and charming Groom with sisters

Happy Birthday, Mom.

2010-07-21T11:05:00.006+08:00

To Mom,

Owing to the fact that my mom's birthday is a week apart from Dear's, how can I forget to mention about her? She had wanted to borrow my silver necklace to go with her black gown and a pair of golden heels. But silver doesn't go well with gold, does it?

There, I knew what I could buy for her birthday. =)

After some scouting, it was at a tiny corner of Tangs that I found The One. I was literally beaming knowing I had completed her outfit with that glittering necklace. Haha, silly me. For much things she has done for us, I know we can do more for her.

Mom is a superwoman, very strong indeed. She could have rested half hour more each morning, but she would much rather show her love by preparing a hearty breakfast for us all. She could be out shopping/resting on her day off, but she chooses to change our bed sheets, clean the house and wash our dirty linen. Despite the petite size, my mom is a strong woman physically and definitely at heart.

A simple steamboat dinner had made the children silently speak their thoughts, each of which felt deep-down. It was a gathering to show gratitude towards their mother who has a tireless, undying love for them all. Despite their differences, the children love her much. Very much.

And this custom will continue for as long as possible... =)

Not Any Other Birthday

2010-07-20T22:22:00.000+08:00

To Dear,

I was VERY impressed he could recall our past birthday celebrations, in that chronological order. And getting all correct, well maybe except for only one tiny bit.

Having gone through six birthdays with him, there is more of this every year.

L.O.V.E

I know money cannot buy happiness, but since I got that DSLR he really wanted (right?), he has to be extremely happy no less! I know he is.. =) This is like killing two birds with one stone.

Yay! I am a proud co-owner of a DSLR, all geared up for the up and coming Jay Chou concert. Haha.

Happy Birthday to YOU! I love you, as always!

Loves, Tiff

Excursion to KL

2010-06-11T20:30:00.002+08:00

Off to KL by car.. Loads of pitstops for toilet break purposes, movie screenings during the journey, heaps of food in KL- Krispy kreme, Nandos, Penang hokkien mee and fried kuay tiao etc..

And most of all... Free world cup screening from the comfort of our hotel. Brazil shall prevail!!

Woohoo! =)

Love Mi 2010

2010-04-06T22:15:00.005+08:00

I like this very much.

Love the arrangement of the medley.

Adore her rendition of "You Raise Me Up".

But it has to be this song. I am sure it wasn't just about the lyrics or melody. It was her sincerity, her presence and the genuine connection which I couldn't find the perfect words to describe. Feel it.

Love Mi 2010

2010-04-04T18:34:00.002+08:00

Thanks Dear for his birthday treat to this awesome show!
Love Mi Concert on Fri, the 2th of Apr 2010. =)

I had anticipated long enough for the day to come, yet I was extremely upset that it was going to end within a short span of 2 hours. Sigh, such irony of life. It was Sammi’s only performance in Singapore. I have always been a fan of hers, way since adolescent years. I was so overcome with emotions, at some point, I was moved to tears. The only pity was that most songs were sung in Cantonese, which was difficult to sing along with, nevertheless it was a superb performance if not the best. She has lived up to expectations, projecting strong vocals along with dazzling outfits.

During the concert, she mentioned she fell sick sometime back and I assumed she was referring to depression. But she seemed to have gotten up from where she left and regained her strength. Her performance was filled with zest and she carried a mega watt smile throughout the show. She had either put up a really good disguise or she had truly, wholesomely recovered -- that we all hope.

Gonna list my favorite Cantonese tracks from the concert for reference.

默契, 長恨歌, 回來我身邊, 不要驚動愛情, 上一次流淚, 不要驚動愛情, 終身美麗, 不拖不欠, 落錯車, 唯獨你是不可取替 (original singer: 許志安)

wo ku guo, ye rang ni gan dong guo...

Thank Youuuu......

2010-03-28T21:34:00.003+08:00

I have to agree with the others, have to love Glee! The first few episodes are entertaining, funny, novel and at times an episode comes along a tinge of sacarsm. This year's American Idol somehow can't beat last season's.

Lunch at Hyatt's Straits Kitchen was so-so, given that it costs $51/pax for local hawker cuisine. That aside, I appreciate Dear's dad for his great deal of generosity and for treating me like part of his family. His kindness is beyond any words can describe. Over the past 5 years, he has made a great impression on me and that has made me harbour greater expectation from Dear. Hahaha. =)

I have come to witness his dad's every move as a wonderful father figure, husband and uncle. Thankfully, Dear has (some) mirror image of his lao pa. =) In return, I have only contributed minimally to his family, and am ashamed of that =(. His family has all that they need, honestly they are the model family that I have envisioned. Dreams aside, Dear always assures me we too can create one such as his. =)

While they are financially independent and are living comfortably, I hope I could contibute in other ways- share the best foods, run some errands, buy something for his little bro etc. But of course, nothing beats being filial, right? And doing little stuff like these is part of working towards just that. =)

They have done much, helped me much and cared for me like parents would. Deep down, I would always thank Dear and his family for their acceptance, kindness and loves... =)

Thank you...

Baggage lost

2010-03-19T18:46:00.002+08:00

This is the shittiest thing to happen during a vacation.

My check-in baggage was misplaced. Totally ~~fucked~~ screwed up man. It happened when we checked out of the hotel and the hotel staff kindly took over my check-in baggage. They were supposed to send the baggage to the airport for us. When it went missing, the first thing that came to my mind was, some idiot has stolen it and the hotel has screwed it up. Obviously, it was the hotel's responsibility to look after our belongings. I was nice and didn't throw my temper. I waited for their explanation. Then we received a piece of comforting but not entirely happy news. And this was the story...

Instead of transporting my luggage to the airport terminal, a newbie staff had categorized my luggage wrongly, directed it to the ferry terminal with another group of travelers and ended up in a ferry to God-knows-where. The manager apologised to us profusely.

My most priced possession in the bag was probably my Gucci sunglasses and my cosmetic set. The problem was I needed my cosmetics more urgently than ever as I have to attend a wedding tomorrow.

After we touched down in Sg, I was compelled to go Orchard Tangs to get the essentials which cost me a few hundred bucks. The hotel management knew about my predicament but they refused to compensate us. The luggage will only arrive tomorrow but it would be too late for me. How ~~fucked~~ messed up??

The morale of the story- Buy travel insurance, which luckily we did. Without that, I could have felt much worse and pissed off.. It's like if our luggage is ever stolen, we will be compensated.

PS: As of 23rd March 2010, passage was edited to cater to younger generation readers. =)

Redang Getaway

2010-03-16T14:45:00.002+08:00

Tomorrow at this time, I will be in another paradise, I can forsee.

We will embark on a journey to a resort where the clear blue sea prevails and white sandy beaches lure you to sink your body into. The only worry is the crowd, since it's the March holidays. But as a loyal fan of Sammi Cheng I am feeling stoked! She once stepped foot on the island to shoot the film: Summer Holiday. Haha... And what's more, she will soon hold her long awaited concert in Sg.

This is simply mad happiness for me. Hahaha...

Conflicts

2010-03-01T20:31:00.000+08:00

Communication is a double-edged sword. It is both the root of, as well as remedy for conflict. Who can deny the existence of conflict? As long as humans exist, there is bound to be conflict. Most people perceive it with a negative connotation. After all, who in the right mind would deliberately create a conflict without any reason, or whatsoever?

The rise of a conflict leads to another. Before you realize it, it has become a part of your daily routine, it takes over your life and becomes a vicious cycle throughout your very existence. Until one day, your angelical side awakens from the nightmare, hit your head against the wall for reality check and most of all, apologize with sincerity. The forgiveness expressed by the other party is an added bonus. And whether or not the past is forgotten is another thing on its own.

Life is too short for unfulfilling thoughts, acts and such mental mutilation.

To the one who had brutally sunk a hammer onto my foot, you are forgiven although you have yet to apologize and probably never will. How angelical of me? =)

Happy CNY

2010-02-21T01:09:00.007+08:00

It’s been two years since I last met Syerna and that was lunch at Ding Tai Fung. This time it was her failed trip to Phuket that made our meet up possible. I see that as a blessing in disguise that she had stopped over in Sg. We had a very filling dinner at Tonkichi, but it was the catching up that mattered all the most.

Going back to 2003, that was when we first met. It was our first lesson of our first semester in Year 1. Everyone was new and people were thronging into the lecture theatre for the very popular unit, Human Biology 101 - there were up to 500 people who took that unit. Then out of nowhere, of so many people, this gal said ‘hi’ and asked if the seat next to me was taken. From then on, a friendship is formed and in all possible means would it last for a very long time.

It is the simple decisions we make that can drastically change our bonding with people. That being said, it's also something easily overlooked and taken for granted. I shall continue bonding with people tomorrow, for those with affinity for mahjong tiles, that is.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! =)

The Conversation with BF

2010-02-10T22:49:00.001+08:00

This is a conversation I would remember for the rest of my life. =)

While on the way home after a long day, I wearily said something in a soft tone, but of a certain degree of importance.

Boyfriend nodded.

But instead of turning down the volume, Boyfriend went on to increase the volume of the radio, with one of the Muttons chattering away - his fav DJs on 987 fm. The DJs were not cracking jokes, there wasn't any cool songs on air. But even so, he isn't that kind of guy to abruptly interrupt or ignore me.

Feeling perplexed, I questioned him only to find the craziest answer....

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Several moments later, he giggled, "I couldn't really hear what you were saying, so I turned up the volume control, attempting to increase the volume of your voice, it wasn't directed at the radio station."

Before I could react, he laughed, "But it was all subconscious."

Boyfriend had subconsciously treated his gf as a radio. If I have known, I could have played along. Like the moment he turns up the volume, I would speak louder. And the more he adjusts the volume control, the more I roar at him, to make the effect dramatic. Haha!

It's way too funny, too cute and too classic!

Whoever says change

2010-02-09T22:20:00.000+08:00

"Have u ever realized that when people say u changed it’s just because you’ve stopped living your life their way?"

-Daniel Ong

Big Night Out 2010.

2010-02-04T14:00:00.007+08:00

Definitiely living up to its name, it was a ~~great~~ best Big Night Out! The pictures really did no justice to the quality of the performance. Time for the recuperation.

Green Day in Singapore

2010-01-16T23:57:00.005+08:00

Meet the celebrity

2009-11-11T23:33:00.002+08:00

This is breaking news.

A local (considered famous i.m.o) celebrity by the name, Joanne and her partner sat ten feet away from us. And that was for the entire t.w.o hours in the movie theatre. Haha. I was clearly more focused on the couple than the show.

I was excited but totally contained any act of overreacting. Haha. I reckon they deserve the normal social life like everyone else.

I am happy, already.

2009-11-05T19:10:00.002+08:00

Most people make chocolate cake on a daily basis. For me, I made the banana walnut cake.

Like other cake-making processes, it was a messy affair, no doubt. I had to read and reread the recipe umpteen times to make sure things went ok. The source was obtained from Peng's Kitchen which was awesome. The baking part was FUN, it was the cleaning part that was tedious. It was never easy. Haha.

The final product was not entirely pleasant-looking though, it was blackish-brown, almost overdone. For some reason, it wasn't as fluffy or bouncy as what I had expected. On the contrary, it smelled so good and was definitely pleasant to the tastebuds. Haha. =)

Mr Fantastic

2009-10-14T22:22:00.003+08:00

Awesome video. Damn hilarious too! It's going to my archive.

Predeparture to HK

2009-06-09T12:45:00.002+08:00

Bye bye Singapore. Nay ho Hong Kong!

Shall be back on the 16th this month.

Of game and gaming

2009-06-05T21:51:00.000+08:00

Check out this beautiful piece of creation that smells nice too, the Asus F6VE white colour limited edition laptop. It's not just about its looks, it's powerful enough for my only gaming purpose, to play SIMS III. The rating for this game is high and it has earned praises from many reviews, there is no question it will sell like hot cakes. Woohoo...

The RJA

2009-05-10T20:03:00.005+08:00

Hooked on this band at the moment, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. They may not look hot to some, they may not sing to pitch during live concerts, their members were constantly being replaced, but their songs are too good to resist, for me anyway. Love their first album, which included great songs like these......

This is the only MV I can find. Pardon the obscene dialogue at the start.

Shopping spree

2009-05-09T20:41:00.003+08:00

My calves are tired, the feet ache. I am beat. I spent the past five hours or so........ SHOPPING! I was hoping to get a dress for the upcoming church wedding. Instead, I got more than what I bargained for. One dress ($89.90), two pairs of heels ($160), two belts ($70), one watch ($155) and five undergarments ($48). Total damage came up to more than 500 bucks. To add on to the pain, I am having bouts of heartache too.

Well that aside, I was imitating what DJ Rozz said on 98.7 FM and was telling my boyfriend, the purpose of having men is to procreate and to carry those freaking shopping carriers. Haha.

Of love and more love

2009-05-06T12:01:00.003+08:00

Some updates….

An overdue CNY picture.

(Courtesy of Wenjun, my bestest cousin. Miss her…)

Our company Staff Appreciation D&D. Who’s Da Geek? There was tombola, arm wrestling, horse racing, dance competition etc. Something also worth mentioning was the Lucky Draw, which comprise heaps of good stuff, despite the economy downturn. The top lucky prize was a 42’ Toshiba plasma TV which was sponsored by our client, Siemens. The 2nd and 3rd prizes were a lappie and a PSP, respectively. It was a success many thanks to the hard working committee members and the very entertaining host. Credit for the decorations goes to the graduating batch of poly students. Hui Ing and Hui Xian, the students in the committee, custom-made cards for each committee member. How sweet and creative. =)

We had a healthy walkathon. The excursion began from Hort Park, past Alexandra Arch into Forest walk and finally Hilltop Walk. We had to U-turn at that point all the way down to Hort Park. Total distance covered was about 4.8 km and it took us a whopping 3 hours by then the sky was almost dark. Despite the blisters and insect bites, it was a great session, the bonding and workout that it didn’t cost us a cent. I reckon we would patronize that place often. =)

Some random pictures which include those from Valentines Day, beach at Krabi (scanned at last), Sakura @ Clementi, Marina Barrage, Hilltop walk and dinner at Billy Bombers. And of course, that Celestial ring from Goldheart. Loves =)

Then there was Junwei and Michelle’s ROM at a hotel in Marina Parade. Best wishes to the loving couple who is getting married next month. =)

I had a gathering with the girls in Sakae Sushi at Wheelock Place followed by the movie, The Confession of a Shoppaholic. We were planning a trip overseas, but that would probably take time to get everyone to apply for leave. But our next local outing would be pretty soon. =)

My birthday was a simple affair spent at Carousel. Of Angie cake, prawning and chili crabs. Woots. =))

DREN_01286

2009-02-27T16:27:00.004+08:00

Owing to the success of science and technology, check out my clone, DREN_01286.

DREN_01286 looks exactly like me. Yet it is odd in a way, just can't put a finger to it huh. HMMM...

Haha, I think I should stop my lameness and crap, and get to the the company's party soon! For all the effort we put, hope everything turns out all smoothly. =)

Regardless of what, I am proud of us all... =)

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T00:44:00.002+08:00

Chinese New Year has long gone. I enjoyed reunion dinners best, and this year hasn’t changed either. It was a busy affair, having to visit both my parent’s families and also my boyfriend’s. It was not the most fun, having to engage in the same old conversations over again. But it’s nice meeting new people in the house, be it a new-born or someone’s spouse. I had a huge ang bao return of about $450. Before I knew it the money was gone, and I don’t have a clue where it went. But the good thing is another packet is coming to most Singaporeans’ way next month. KA-CHING!

I have caught a handful of movies….

All’s well ends well
Love matters
The Curious case of Benjamin Button
Ip Man (on DVD)

I guess for most movie-goers, we’d know how expensive it is to catch a show on the weekends. I am guessing getting a HSBC credit card would save much costs. It has movie discount to GV theatres and 10 movie tickets on either weekdays or weekends cost only $75, which is dirt cheap.

Just yesterday, I watched Slumdog Millionaire. I like it although I didn’t recognize any actors/actresses. I like how the show depicts Mumbai, so truthful and real. It’s one of the best shows.

Valentine’s Day was spent at Aquamarine in Mandarin hotel. The food was excellent although it was a pity that I couldn’t eat much raw food because they were good. I guess I could be suffering digestion problems, as usual. The roosted foods such as the duck, chicken and pork knuckles were so good. There were chili crabs too, although they were too spicy which overpowered the goodness of the crabmeat. I received a stalk of rose, complimentary from the dinner buffet, which costs a staggering $230 for two, including 2 fruit punches, service charge, GST, the rose, etc…. I am not just a seafood person, I loved their desserts best. They have the yummiest cakes! My boyfriend and I could very well be the best partners when it comes to eating. I felt almost nauseous from all the over-indulgence. I only wished we had a common interest of place to go after the dinner…

Thanks dear for the set of clothes from Victoria Secret, ordered and shipped from the US. They didn’t come cheap due to the surge in the exchange rate as a result of the US bailout plan. Instead of getting him a Braun Buffel wallet, he’d rather have an Oakley bag, which was fine with me. It was cheaper. Haha!

I will skip the pictures, since the pictures don’t do the food justice and I don’t have my laptop to use.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day.

A Rocky Year

2009-01-11T22:05:00.002+08:00

To sum up 2008, I earned my first pay as a degree holder. I published my first scientific paper. I got my first credit card. I finally have Starhub TV in my room. I discovered the pleasures and displeasures in the workplace. For all I know, I have never tasted turtle soup until now. And some where in the middle of the year, I was asked that special question. Lately, dear and I applied for a flat together for the first time. Then, an unprecedented warning for speeding came for the first time. I aided an elderly to jay walk for the first time, and the heartwarming part was his nod and smile whenever he sees me again.

When 2008 came close to an end, I had to work on Christmas eve, countdown to Christmas day without an atmosphere, ie mahjong. Christmas lunch was spent at Suntec Kuishinbo with the JC pals, and dinner was with dear at Jurong Point and we caught a movie. I missed a cousin's wedding due to shift work, one whom I haven't talked with. There was more mahjong sessions, more japanese food at Hanabi and Yaki Yaki Bo later.

There has been some good movies lately. Seven Pounds, Yes Man, and then, Red Cliff II. Of these, I really liked the sequel of Red Cliff. It's one of those that left me with a deep impression, one that was very intense, coupled with a good sense of humour and charm.

I am looking forward to the Curious Case of Benjamin Button and the Singapore-made New Year movie.

Anyway, there has been nothing to talk about. Except that I was on leave for a week. And what a fine week it was. The shopping and walking along window panes pasted with ON SALE POSTERS had done me good. My new year clothes are more or less settled. I went for a facial session after 3 years. I had my dental appointment arranged. Rock Band sessions has been going on frequently nowadays which rock. I was the drummer and I didn't know I would enjoy being one until now. You could have firmer arms after all those jamming. Haha. =)

That is to the start of 2009. It rocks. Just hope the economy will improve, slightly maybe?

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T15:12:00.006+08:00

A new year, still the same old me. Except that my honours research was a success and my supervisor created a scientific paper on it which was approved by Drug Metabolism and Disposition and published online, for the first time. I guess that would mean I am a step closer to being a research scientist I suppose...???

For my own keep sake, here is the link: http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/dmd.108.025619v1

Have a Happy new year. =)

Virgo Cruise 17- 19 Dec

2009-01-02T14:23:00.004+08:00

The trip to KL was one with minimal walking, maximal slacking and eating. I like the nice cool breeze and the good weather throughout the entire trip. The food was good too, not to mention the ambience, nicely designed with Christmas decors.

Most cruise staff spoke either with a Philippino accent or a China tone and they were extremely friendly. I absolutely love the so-called “honeymoon package” we opted for although that wasn’t our honeymoon per se. The cake, champagne and the breakfast in bed adds romance to what was already romantic.

Shopping in KL would have been more fun if not for the lack of time. We had a bare minimum of 3 hrs to walk only at one mega mall.

The trip has been quite fun!!! We even owned a certificate issued by Star Cruise Virgo.And I got a snow globe of my own!!?!!!

One thing we learned though, avoid cruise during the school holidays season.

Happy 4 years...

2008-12-17T17:55:00.001+08:00

Last year this day we were in Krabi. Two years back we marked the day in Bangkok a couple of months late, and three years ago, we spent the day in Changi Village Hotel.

This year, we will be cruising our way to Kuala Lumpur in 3 hours’ time. And we are so looking forward to it, just the two of us, enjoying the breeze and stars, candle light dinner, balcony suite, and most of all the food!! And loads of it. Haha. =) And maybe do some shopping too!

Dear is really sweet. He got me a digital alarm clock that comes with a FM radio ‘cause he knew I wanted one. It also has functions to upload digital photos onto the main screen. And that’s cool. In retrospect, he had gotten me a couple of phones, one of which was iPhone. In returning the favour, I got him one touch phone too, the iPhone lookalike Omnia. He likes it but he has been complaining about how the battery life runs low so tremendously fast.

Anyway, I wish us a Happy 4 year together and many more to go. =)

Hmm… Wonder what’s for next year?

Happy 4 years...

2008-12-17T17:55:00.000+08:00

Last year this day we were in Krabi. Two years back we marked the day in Bangkok a couple of months late, and three years ago, we spent the day in Changi Village Hotel.

Anyway, I wish us a Happy 4 year together and many more to go. =)

Hmm… Wonder what’s for next year?

GUCCI!

2008-10-14T22:11:00.004+08:00

I went shopping today!

And after hopping from CK Tangs to Wisma then to Taka, I finally found what I wanted. So happy for now, the indulgence I get for OT yesterday, for which I worked for a whopping 14 hours.

I guess I will feel the pinch at the end of the month.

Oktober

2008-10-04T23:40:00.003+08:00

This is one weekend to catch up with old friends, Huiqin, Qijia and Zhenmin. We had a great lunch at Waraku at Hereen, thanks to Shihuay who recommended the place. The cod roe pasta gratin set meal rocks, and the bill came up to 20+ per person, reasonable for a Japanese restaurant.

It’s refreshing to hear about Zhenmin’s new bf and his quite unique nationality… Haha. Qijia’s hubby wanted me to leave her at home so that she can complete her household chores. Haha. Then Huiqin repeatedly mentioned she was getting old and how she went, “$160 is so cheap” for a Fred Perry polo shirt! Haha now everyone knows that girl is rich. I personally don’t like action movie, but we caught Eagle Eye which was a fairly adequate show to kill time… And with UOB discount, we spent only $8 each, sweet deal!

But I like Wall E better. I wasn’t interested in it until my colleague highly recommended me to watch it. It did turn out to be meaningful and touching. But quite surprisingly, it offered far more than what I had expected. =)

Yesterday’s dinner at Sketches (Bugis) with dear was absolutely delightful. It’s one of the best restaurants I have been to. The foods were great! We especially loved the pizza. It’s one rare place where all ingredients in the pizza were decided by us, even the base, sauce and spiciness. I’d love to make another visit soon.

We saw Paul Twohill while driving past Orchard the other day with another gal. And gosh was he tall or maybe it was the girl who was vertically challenged.

I had one hell of a food and laughter overload on the day I met Gisela and gang for a birthday treat for Meiqi. We had Sushi Tei, icecreams and brownie at Earle’s Swenson, then to Coffeebean where Gisela bought her daily dose of caffeine. It seems like Jiayi has turned her angst towards her poor primary school kids. Hasn’t seen Khaiying for quite long but she hasn’t changed a bit, being the one with the wittiest ideas and of course the most unpredictable and -duh- ones. Haha. Meiqi has never stopped challenging Jiayi, from ever since our JC days. Lame as can be, the girls are such funny bunch who probably can write a comic script out of our conversations.

Well one more thing to look forward to, star cruise Virgo in December! =)

The Singapore Formula One

2008-10-01T20:52:00.008+08:00

The Singapore Formula One Grand Prix has got to be one of the most talked about and successful event for the year. I am most glad dear and I had free tickets to the race! =) All thanks to dear’s dad whose colleague gave him 6 tickets in total, a pair each for the 3-day event. Haha… Being a Ferrari crazy, or more specifically a Kimi Raikkonen fan, dear went there for 2 days straight, on Sat and Sun. Qualifying round was with his bro, and the finals with me. I was tagging along, simply soaking myself in the raoring atmosphere. It was a pity we only received the set of tickets on Friday night, the tickets that day were wasted. =( The 3-day tickets cost like $180. Woot. We are happy!

What was challenging was that on Sat night I was working night shift. By the time I knocked off on Sunday at 830 am, I managed to get into bed at 10 am, barely had 5 hours of sleep and off we go to the race venue. Hell was I tired. But we had to “chop” seats as we had the walk-about tickets. So it was crucial we reach earlier than others to get the best view. Haha and sure we made the right choice. =)

Expecting traffic congestion on the road, we drove and parked at The Cathay and took a one stop ride to City Hall station. Parking charges were $1.10 per hour, which was fair enough for parking in town. Hehe.

At the entrance of Gate 3, we had to go through a thorough bag and body seach. Saw a couple of people with like 5 tickets hanging around their neck, probably selling them off at exorbitant rates. Tickets like ours were sold at $400 on ebay…!

In the arena, there were booths selling F1 merchandise. Dear bought the F1 magazine for $20. He wanted so much to buy the Ferrari shirt selling at $180, which was a rip-off as it cost $30 lesser to buy elsewhere… We had a walk nearby only to end up perspiring like shit. Haha. The Porsche Carrera finals started soon after we found a good spot.

It was funny how all the Porsches zoomed past us with such zeal and power except for one belonging to Singapore team, which came after like 60 seconds later?? Yes there was indeed a Singapore Team! It wasn’t hard to spot. There was our National flag printed on the car! Anyway, the race ended after 20 rounds around the track and the eventual winner went to Hong Kong. But the Singapore team should come in tops for the car design, should there be one. Love it!

The rest of the entry is about F1. The drivers’ parade was a pretty slow-moving one, which was great. But only Kimi Raikkonen photo was taken for dear liking. Haha. Most people waved to the famous drivers, except for dear, who screamed for his idol like he would during a soccer match. Then he boo-ed at Lewis Hamilton. And like everyone single soul turned to look at him I would go invisible if I have the Harry potter invisible cloak with me. But I only had ear plugs on, and took them off for like 10 seconds and decided to pop them back on. Haha. The race was exhilarating, mainly at the start of the race, during “mishaps” at pit lanes and after crashes where safety cars appeared. Haha. I was always looking out for RED Ferrari, if not for SILVER Maclaren. These outstanding cars were the easiest to identify anyway. Haha. We both were in red of course, in support of the idol.

More cars.

I thought Massa would win until his miscalculation at the pit stop cost him the cup. From first, he finished last?! But I didn’t hope Hamilton to win, a well known playboy. It was rumoured that Piquet might have crashed the car so that others could catch up with Hamilton who overtook Massa as the safety car was activated. But who knows. Then it got boring for awhile, my tired eyes wanted to give up on me. Then there was a twist in the event for Alonso who started off last and won the race which I thought he very well deserved. Many hearts sank when Raikkonen crashed his Ferrari in the last 4th lap. So sad we cried, hugged each other, packed up and left before the drivers reached the finishing point.

Then I was wowed when I saw crowd at the balconies of each suite of Swissotel, that was an amazing and rare sight. =)

After this experience, we are hoping perhaps to watch the next grand prix in Singapore, but on grandstand at Gate 1 with live performances instead. =)

Overdue

2008-09-09T21:17:00.004+08:00

O.v.e.r.d.u.e.

No work today. And this basically means I am in my slackened mood. A tv brings much contentment but a tub of B n J chocolate brownie fudge makes up for everything else and that includes an empty stomach.

This blog has been stagnant for so long, if there is anyone missing out on this space, it would be the writer herself.

On contrary to a long entry, there won’t be one. Rather, the content shall be summarized in its briefest form ever.

From since my last entry, I went to Penang, for the first time. It was a major food fest for the four of us. There was the Gurney Drive and all… And apart from that, the best recollection of Penang was its immense similarity to the olden days of Singapore, my views based primarily from the media, from the old TV series created by the good old SBC.

Dear’s birthday was sweet, his present being a chio Tamiya RX7 toy car which he chose off the rack. Not cheap. Not something I can’t afford either. The car is drift-able but it has been neglected, like what a child would do to it when he finds another toy as a substitute.

Dinner at One Rochester was excellent for couples. The place has an excellent service, romantic surroundings but the food was a tad overpriced. It came with a heavy price tag of $140. It is definitely the place to drink, chill and simply just relax. He loves the baby from the Build a Bear Workshop. =)

Dark Knight was an excellent movie choice to wrap up the night. =)

We went to the exhibition at the Singapore Garden Festival on complimentary passes with Dear’s dad being one of the officials. It’s a pity for anyone to miss it, especially that underwater garden which was fabulously designed.

Hanabi at Katong Mall served really cold salmon. And that was probably because the restaurant was freezing cold.

It was Gisela birthday celebration few weekends ago at The Hot Pot in Suntec City. The most incredulous thing happened in connection with the present we got for her. It was a bag from Guess. And it was the same freaking bag she carried along to meet us! They were same in colour and design, just different in price and the place they were purchased. My god. To put it simply, it was shocking! Then the gals went on to play bball at the Arcade, something which I couldn’t agree with.

Watched Money No Enough 2 at Ang Mo Kio Hub with Dear and his mom, make that our first movie in the theatre. We laughed so hard and certain scenes touched many hearts in the cinema, that included his mom. At the end of the show, she said the saddest thing in life was to live in an old folks’ home like in the movie. I nodded in agreement. Then she added it is an exception if she has the company of 3 other kakis who would play mahjong with her at the home… That was her and her obsession with the game. Haha. The show dramatizes cold hard facts, brings out the harsh reality of society, and in the smaller domain, the bonds between family and friends. Somehow I enjoyed it as much as I hoped to.

Met up with Ruby for dinner in Suntec City at The Teppanyakki. It was about 40 per pax for the sets we chose but the food did us justice. It was simply great. So was catching up with her since we both graduated from uni last year. It was a good sharing session. I do wish everything works well for her and that she is happy, always.

Some random notes…. I like Jason Mraz’s new album… His songs make people smile. I bought a book which I was told was good; The Kite Runner. I ain’t sure if I will like it. I thought Adam Sandler was funny until I watched ‘You Don’t Mess With the Zohan’. Hancock, Iron man… All the superheroes, I like them all.

Singapore Flyer ride was cool, at the start. I didn’t go gaga over the Singapore view or its tremendous height, but it was good for the price I paid for and had the whole cabin to us. Teachers get to take the ride for free and their companion, that included me, receives a 25% discount. Haha. Not sure how long the promotion lasts for though…

Recently there was a lot of visiting show rooms, getting excited over condos or condo-like flats which were clearly over the budget, and not having come to a consensus decision yet. It takes up to two years to find a new place. And probably another 3 years for the building process to be completed. So, the mystery if any is cleared. I ain’t getting married yet! He merely proposed… =)

So much for a short entry.

Updates

2008-06-11T21:09:00.007+08:00

It’s been quite long since I last updated. Some updates....

That’s my birthday…

That’s mother’s day celebration at Let’s Clap.

That’s night safari trip with dear and his bros.

That’s my granddad’s 90^th birthday at my eldest uncle's place… Baby Junjie is so cute! That was the first time I saw him. He always give that blur innocent look. Haha. Dear is also Junjie, only more chubby than this baby. Haha. OOOPS.

More pictures of him when he was a few months old, taken during CNY last year.

Junjie and his sister Jiaxuan. So cute!

And I have watched like half a dozen shows….

Speed racer. Street Kings. Definitely Maybe. Iron man. Sex and the City. Kung Fu Panda.

I simply love comedy. If I were to choose, Sex and the City is the must-watch, probably ‘cos made me laugh the hardest, although its plot is predictable and it involved several sexual connotations. I have watched some episodes of its earlier series and somehow I find them similar to the desperate housewives, and some people don’t like it.

Morning traffic can be very excruciating. After 4 days driving alone, I am accustomed to driving a car already. Apart from traffic congestions, I take delight in having to wake up later and reaching my destinations early. The thing now is I am tempted to get my own car next week when dad returns for his car. Nevermind me, getting a car is just me in my dreamland. Haha.

The iPhone

2008-04-13T13:04:00.005+08:00

I don’t like having to go iTunes for each PC to phone file transfer, which is quite inconvenient for Windows users.

But other than that I’d say it’s “Coooooooool”…Too cool for a 24th birthday present.

It’s a revolutionary phone. One that gets covered with the entirety of oily finger print marks.

Nevertheless, I adore this gadget to bits.
Thanks dear. =)

Best friends

2008-03-29T20:18:00.003+08:00

It was a fairly mediocre dinner at TCC… Ben & Jerry’s Icecream… Long chats… Humourous stories… Last bus ride home…

And most of all, cheers to our 11 years of friendship!!! =)

Love them all.

Shopping sprees

2008-03-16T21:30:00.006+08:00

Recently, a new member has been added to my watch collection.

Levi’s ladies style. =)

It is my favorite colour, for a watch. It has crystals or diamanites surrounding its face, has no digits and the second hand resembles a cupid arrow. =)

Then there was Robinson’s, CK Tangs and now the OG Sales….

During each shopping “spree”, I limited myself a few items to buy. It has been fine thus far. Most times, I’d shop for formal wear which is a requirement at work on weekdays, as stated by my supervisor but no one really bothered. My spending power exceeded this month’s limit because of a Guess bag I bought, which was meant for someone else. As a consolation, I only bought 3 items yesterday…. I should stop finding excuses for myself la…. Haha.

Crocs. Undeniably unattractive but comfy to wear. I bought the slightly nicer design, Prima. Comfort outweighs anything else from since I got 3 blisters on each feet for 1 month….

A dress and cardigan which I think suits me the best, for an upcoming ROM (not mine) at the Singapore Flyer.

Valentines’ Day had been great, with crabs and the best of Chinese cuisine, at the usual, unexploited price.

Twelve lovely roses.

A 300-pieced, glow in the dark puzzle.

Another new possession worth mentioning is a white Coach wallet. It isn’t my kind of brand so I won’t buy it myself. But I like the design on the whole. Thanks Dear!

In return, my Vday present for him fell in place yesterday at the Max Pavillon. It was Jeff Chang’s concert. =) I know some of his classic songs, “不要对他说”, “爱如潮水”, but I like his performance on “过火” the best. The lights danced to the hip version and the hall became more happening. “用情” is really really like super nice. He cracked the audience up on several occasions. The orchestra reminded me of days in band. They put up an excellent muscial concert and performed synchronously with the singer and it was a perfect combination. This so called Prince of Love Ballads has such a superb pitch and a powerful vocal, it’s little wonder why he still has so many supporters till today, people like Minhua who is part of Jeff Chang’s fan club. Cool right. Overall it was a good experience. One thing though, I didn’t expect the seats to be chairs you get at home. Haha.

Money spent during the weekends ON FOOD!

Sakkae Teppanyaki. Garlicky rice with garlicky fresh oysters, beef, shrooms, etc.

Starbucks. Chocolate cream chip.

Ajisen. Crayfish and volcano ramen.

PepperLunch. Pepper Lamb.

Pastamania. Tri-shrooms pizza.

MOS Burger. Unagi and Octopus rice burger and all the yummy side dishes.

Hog’s Breath. Go beef and calamari.

Boon Tong Kee.

More money spent ON MOVIES!

Sweeny Tood.

American Gangster.

Kungfu Dunk.

CJ7.

Charles Wilson’s War.

Step Up 2.

I haven’t depleted my earnings as yet. But I need to work harder and earn more and keep to my resolution! HAha.

Work wise, remember today, forget about yesterday. Shall update on it again. =)

2008 RESOLUTIONS

2008-01-04T02:33:00.000+08:00

2008 RESOLUTIONS

Resolutions are so damn easy to make, but fulfilling them wise, it can be so damn difficult. But having resolutions do make a difference if we keep them in check. And so have I made a few for myself.

1) Be punctual for work and meetings.

- Being punctual is an important factor and so I am keeping up on it again (as of 2007).

2) Be a sister who does the best she possibly can.

- What can I say except I am no psyche or God, but I will do the best I can.

3) Be more of a miser (but not living miserably) and less of a spendthrift.

- I guess this resolution is the greatest challenge for me. I am quite generous when it comes to indulging good food, and my spending usually turns overboard during shopping sprees. Oops. So I probably need to put in a lot of effort! Haha. But for the sake of saving up for a decent car in 2009 (finger-crossed), hopefully determination will naturally set in. =)

In retrospect, I can’t think of any thing extremely bad that happened to me or people around me in 2007. Even if there was one which I can’t recall of, there wasn’t regret but more learning a good lesson. In fact, 2007 was a year filled with wonderful memories of good friends like Ruby, Kai Min, Liann and Serene and other Perthy friends like Syerna, Amanda, Richard, Aygul, Mark and Vicky. I have a very supportive supervisor whom I would hope to meet up with when he comes over to teach periodically. My scientific skills have been enhanced all thanks to his teachings. Whenever I think of 2007, usually a feeling of joy comes to mind. It is a feeling of me being satisfied of my achievements and me telling myself that I have gone through and survived the worst academic year, by far. =)

2008 which marks the beginning of my career has a lot to offer. Even though I am super lazy, I am certainly quite excited in carving myself a good career path now that my chance has come. Most friends of my age have already niched a career pathway for themselves. And I am thankful we still get to meet up during such busy times of their lives. Thanks Shuwen for always organizing meet-ups throughout these years when I am back home, the most recent one was on the 29^th Dec and the upcoming Mahjong session this Saturday, organized by Meiqi.

Some friends are working as engineers, some in the financial sector, and the funny part is when sw they all told me our JC click are all working in different career sectors. Whichever that may be, may 2008 will be a good year for all.

Krabi 161207

2008-01-03T16:56:00.000+08:00

Dear and I went on a 5-day trip to Krabi on the 16^th of Dec. It was our anniversary holiday which we planned to have one every year. The trip to Krabi was absolutely an unforgettable experience. Despite the limited shopping opportunities, we had our first experience of many things which far out-weighed the satisfaction gained from solely shopping. These included snorkeling, elephant trekking as well as the very well-known thai massage! Ouch!!!

We took TigerAir to Krabi and from there took a cab to Ao Nang, a small village. Since it was already night time by the time we checked into our hotel, Krabi La Playa Resort, the fun only began on Day 2. Our hotel was situated in Ao Nang, the famous tourist destination. It was easy to spot young and aged Caucasian men walking hand in hand with local thai women, predicted to be social escorts. We spend the morning exploring the beaches and restaurants alongside. The beach in Ao Nang wasn’t that fantastic and what caught my attention was the greenery and mountains. The village was pretty small and was accessible by tuktuks. We did some shopping and booked the exciting 1-day speed boat tour & snorkeling for Day 3, the highlight of the trip.

We had our first taste of the salt water in Thailand and snorkeling, which Dear adored so much he was reluctant to leave the deep and bumpy ocean when our speedboat took off. We saw corals and the guide took us to some of the most beautiful beaches ever, namely the Maya Bay (where the movie ‘The Beach’ starring Leonardo Dicaprio was filmed) and Bamboo Island. We also went to several other beaches around the vicinity like Phi Phi Island.

Unfortunately the snorkeling photos are not available yet because we took the pictures with a water-proof single -use camera suitable for snorkeling shots and I have to scan them before I can upload them when available. =)

Day 4 was extremely fun as we went on a 1-hr elephant jungle tour. We rode a 30-odd year old elephant which was so obedient and steady as compared to the 9-year old calf in front of us, ridden by another tourist. It was like a playful little kid whose trunk picked on anything that came its way. It was hilarious when the calf suddenly stopped during the tour and decided to release its enormous amount of yellowish and surprisingly odour-free manure which Dear and I had to witness in close proximity. Haha. Our pleasure was shortlived as it was gained sadly in exchange of the elephant’s suffering, having to sustain the weight of 3 persons (Dear, me and the guide) which probably summed up to a gross 200 kilos. The tour was an eye-opener and albeit fun, elephant ride is slavery and should not be encouraged and re-attempted again. On the same night, we had thai-massage, which was extremely ticklish and super uber painful almost throughout the entire process. Haha. Basically, it was just me laughing and pleading to the auntie to show mercy and Dear? He was laughing too, but was directed at me. I think I floated during my sleep that night. Haha =)

On Day 5, our final day, we booked a cab for the entire day at SGD75. Whoever goes to Ao Nang has to try the delicacies at the authentic Italian La Luna Restaurant. They serve thin crust yummy pizzas and seafood overloaded pastas which we can’t find in Singapore. And although a tad pricey it was worth every cent! During our stay, we went there twice, ordering the same dishes. =) We checked out from our hotel and went to Krabi town, which was a haven for Dear, who bought all sorts of jerseys at pretty cheap deals. Then we were off to the huge shopping complex in town, known as Tesco Lotus where I finally got to buy the bulk of my stuff! It was not until 7pm before we headed to the airport and was faced with a 1hr flight DELAY. Zzzz… But guess what, if not for the delay I won't have spotted Kendrick Lee (national badminton player) who beat Thai to clinch a Silver in the SEA games in the boarding area. Haha.

A REVIEW OF 2007 RESOLUTIONS

2008-01-02T01:31:00.000+08:00

As we welcomed 2008, 2007 had written its own history. It had been a pretty smooth sailing year for me. Despite the many difficulties, things eventually worked out fine at the end of the day. I guess the effort I put in was countless, and so had everyone. Most people I know did well for Honours, or at the very least they were satisfied with their achievements. I had learned much in Honours, in terms of being absolutely independent of my lifestyle, cooking and doing household chores, taking initiative and showing consistency in work. As I looked back at the resolutions and entries I wrote in 2007, I realize although tough as it could possibly get, 2007 was one of the most fulfilling year in my life.

2007 RESOLUTIONS:

RESOLUTION #1: Be punctual : ACHIEVED

- I didn’t achieve 100% punctuality, but it’s the consistency and effort in being on time that counts, right?

RESOLUTION #2: Achieve a good honours : ACHIEVED

RESOLUTION #3: Go hongkong : UNDERACHIEVED

- The trip to hongkong did not work out and the destination was changed to krabi. It was so fun and very romantic I’d recommend couples to go together. =) Pictures will be up in later entries.

RESOLUTION #4: Ring up a friend on free weekends : UNDERACHIEVED

- Most weekends were packed with grocery shopping trips and lab-works and sometimes, I would catch up with uni friends. But there is no excuse and with better time management, I am sure I would have done more in this area. =)

Sharing

2007-12-14T02:39:00.000+08:00

This incident happened some time back, but I thought it’s worth mentioning. I was in Australia packing up my belongings, selling and giving away others to friends. Apart from that, there were many other things left and it would be an absolute waste to chuck them away. And if we were to keep going to friends, I doubt they would need all of those. Dear and I were uncertain of the turn out, but we decided to take a chance and give the things away. After all, many students stay around the uni. If I may recall, these included a wireless modem and router, speakers, a printer, story books, alarm clocks, a torch light, CDs and a pencil holder, just to name a few. We pasted posters around the vicinity to inform anyone who might be interested to pick them up at our doorstep.

We didn’t expect all the stuff to be collected, but we were wrong. A guy came to collect the printer and modem and insisted on paying but his offer was kindly declined. We were also happy to give away the tennis balls to a Dad who was gonna bring home for his kids. =) The other stuffs were subsequently picked up by unknown(s) and even so, we were happy as we might have helped the individual(s) one way or another.

While unpacking my luggage yesterday, I came across this note, which reminds me yet again the joys of sharing. It was a note slipped under the doorstep at my Aussie home. I actually kept it with me and brought it home. It wasn’t the individual’s capitalized letters and he/she probably didn’t know the enormous effect his/her words had on us. =)

TO: THE KIND RM 14 OCCUPIER.

JUST A WORD OF THANKS FOR GIVING US YOUR VALUABLE ITEMS FOR “FREE”. IT’S SUCH A VERY RARE, KIND GESTURE. I MIGHT PERSONALLY HAVE MISSED OUT ON THOSE FREE ITEMS, BUT WHEN I CAME @ 1600, I FOUND MYSELF A VERY VERY PRECIOUS ITEM STILL IN THE BOX = A BIBLE.

THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH FOR THIS VALUABLE ITEM – WHAT A SPECIAL XMAS & BIRTHDAY PRESENT!

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ALL THE BEST IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVOURS. HAVE A SAFE, ALMIGHTY GUIDED JOURNEY.

RM 2 OCCUPIER.

We were happy to give and were not asking anything in return, but it was an added bonus to receive appreciation responses such as this thank-you note. In a peculiar yet perfect sense, it means more than monetary returns. This is what brings meaning to life I guess.

Sharing. =)

In the same way, I am happy I was offered the position at NUH, which came as a surprise. It is unbelievable to receive a job offer that soon and it’s soon because I have only been to 2 interviews so far. Allow me some time to think through.

Embrace

2007-12-04T20:36:00.001+08:00

I am back. The storm is over, the rain has stopped and the sun has risen in heavenly glory. =) As much as I am enjoying the holiday season, I am also aware that I have grown up and it is (unfortunately) time to depend on myself, find a decently-paid job, support myself and contribute living expenses for mom and dad.

I had my first interview with A*Star, which I was anxious but confident with, reading and memorizing their job description, checking out on interview skills and had all my certificates arranged, zapped and properly filed in a folder. It turned out I read the wrong job description, the result of applying for too many positions of the same job title in the same organization. Haha. I underwent two interviews, one with the Science department and another with the HR department. The 4 interviewers were really friendly and that made the interview like having a casual conversation with friends.

The interview with NUH was a tad tougher. I was tested with biological and medical terms, and had to handle some tricky questions. While being truthful with my answers, I probably didn’t handle the question well when asked to choose between A*Star and NUH.

I have always told my friends working life sucks and leading a taitai life was my ambition. I don’t mind the boredom and it is the stress and pressure at work that I thought I would get tired and sick of. I had chosen to solely pursue the luxury in life and since been enlightened with another perspective which ties our purpose of life with reality. I still believe in living a taitai life. However, when the time is ripe, I want to be able to retire, look back and be satisfied with my achievements from education as well as in society. I told my interviewers that being a fresh graduate, I have a lot of learning to do, experience to gain and knowledge to absorb. There is no satisfaction until we know where our limit is. Plus, I guess I am overqualified as a taitai at this age. Haha.

While applying for jobs, I will embrace the luxury to read cosmopolitan and newspaper instead of scientific articles, watch dvds and movies instead of scientific demonstrations, edit my resume instead of my bloody thesis and meet up with long lost friends instead of examiners. Haha…

I definitely need to congratulate Mrs Tan in person, the first to get married in our click. It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t make it for her wedding and be her jie mei. Serene made me seem like a heartless (which is totally untrue) bestie by flying back home for that special occasion. Everyone was happy for her and Mrs Tan looked absolutely stunning on the most important day of her life. Hopefully, the married woman keeps her promise to spare some time for us after Christmas. Although a tad late, I wish the newly wed happiness, bliss and the best of health. I owe the couple a big red packet.

May we embrace as we face new challenges in our lives.

End of Honors

2007-11-09T19:34:00.001+08:00

Tuesday: Fever, took phenylephrine.

Wednesday: Fever, took phenylephrine.

Thursday: Fever and rash, took phenylephrine, went to the doctor, took panadol, oral defence.

Friday: Fever, took panadol.

Oral defence is over, which marks the unofficial closing of our Honors year. It isn’t difficult to see I haven’t been having a good time for the past week. The days before that wasn’t fun either ‘cos Dear was down with fever, which probably infected me next. I was feeling better on Wednesday but I woke up on Thursday, oral defence day, with a pounding and boiling head. Dear insisted on going to the doctor, afraid I might be down with hay fever even though he doesn’t know the difference. Haha. The doctor only advised me to take panadol ‘cos phenylephrine could have caused the allergic reaction. I wasn’t sure if I should proceed with my oral defence initially. She gave me an MC for two days, which didn’t come in handy as ultimately I chose to go straight to school and went ahead with the defence. Supervisor and examiner dissuaded me without success, although I was almost swayed. Examiner asked if I really wanted to go ahead with it and my reply was I really didn’t wanna wait till December. Haha. They are so nice though.

While in the room with the 4 examiners and supervisor, I was high, dizzy and tired probably due to the medication I took for rashes. The questions asked were very general, though I couldn’t answer some of them. To one question, I asked the examiner if I answered his question and he said he would say no but he didn’t wanna be mean. Haha funny it came from him. At the end of the interrogation session, I was asked in retrospect if I had any thing else to add to my answers wrt the questions. I was being honest and said I couldn’t remember the questions already, which brought a round of laughter to the room. Haha.

Dear has been wonderful, supporting and taking care of me these days.

Honors is now history. Yeah! Regardless of the outcome, I am happy ‘cos if given the chance I won’t change anything. Now, I am wondering when I can gain full recovery. Sigh.

The Wait

2007-11-03T03:08:00.000+08:00

The wait...

I guess at least two persons have been waiting for tomorrow to arrive. It has been a long wait. Sometimes we just wanted to chuck the date away because it seemed like a ridiculous wait. Sometimes tomorrow drew closer without much realization because then, it still seemed so far from reality. Sometimes, we would count the number of days left, and make a mistake during the process. Sometimes the longing gets tough and we become desensitized by the passing of each day. Even sometimes, we wondered if tomorrow was ever going to come at all. Only gradually, we could count days without making mistakes. But soon enough, days got longer and they felt like weeks. And hours felt like days and the cycle starts all over again in micro scale. The wait isn’t physically taxing, but it is, mentally. And after the long pursuit, the day has finally arrived. It has, indeed.

4 hours left.

Anyway, I have to apologize to him in advance. For having traveled 5 and a half hours just to eat a crap banana cake. It is a surprise and I can only hope it tastes as good as it smells. =)

IMISSYOU

2007-10-06T23:12:00.000+08:00

you are right.

i miss you.

i really miss you...

GOODSYNC

2007-09-28T01:07:00.001+08:00

Advertorial:

I wanna share a good stuff. (especially to all you people doing Honours or PhD)

Whoever wants a fast and effective tool to sync and back up important things in your computer with your external harddisk or thumbdrive, here is an excellent program that can do these tasks for you. You don't need to manually copy and paste info into the storage devices any longer. If you think you are too busy to spare any minute to learn, think again 'cos this program is very easy to use. I mean super easy...

http://www.goodsync.com/

Thanks to Vicki for recommending this!

GRATITUDE II

2007-09-20T00:04:00.000+08:00

My life revolves around too much lab work, results analysis and thesis writing. A sign of lack of sleep is when my head hurt the moment I wake up. The ang mo friends are still working at their own steady pace, while I am like an ant scrambling on a boiling pot. Haha. Under the stress I was in the other day, I casually told kaimin my plan of staying till the wee hours and the first thing she said was she wanted to accompany me. I insisted on her not coming ‘cos that would mean she had to go through the same agony as me and she corrected my reasoning by giving me lame excuses. But what stirred my emotions the most was to hear this...

“wo men yao tong gan gong ku yi hou cai hui you mei hao de hui yi ma”….

只能说我是真的被感动了….

The best part was she made a huge sacrifice of swallowing a flying insect while making her way to the lab after dinner to keep me accompay. Sorry that I laughed so hard ‘cos the way she put it was super uber hilarious lor. She tried to dig out whatever insect it was at the same time lamented, “wo you bu shi qing wa”…

It was so comical I am not kidding. I could only advice her to glup the whole bottle of water to drown the insect. The moral of the story is to laugh but with demure. Haha.

Although sometimes she likes to aggrandize a small issue into a mountain full of problems, I still wanna thank her for listening to my incessant complaints about honours, her company, her imitating what dear says and stories about her not-complicated-but-she-made-it-complicated life. Haha. Thanks for this friendship that is uncovered 2 years later. =)

On Monday, the office was flooded with cakes. Seemed like everyone was in the mood to make cakes. We had pumpkin, honey and don’t-know what cakes made by Mark, Aygul and Paul. You name it we have it. Tuesday, Mark and Vicki’s supervisor baked brownies for the office. Today, I shared cookies and Minh bought Heaven’s chocolates. I dread honours year but I love being in school. =)

Work just gets more intense by the day and by me blogging means I am slacking, so I am trying to cut the slack. Although I have overworked, given the amount of junk I get from the office, don’t ever say I have lost weight when you see me back in Singapore.

Presentation. Thesis. Then it is the long awaited Oral defence. 38 days to freedom. yeah!

57 days to happiness. =)

You never know what interesting knowledge you get from your daily conversations. Today I learned something new from Aygul. Russian language is so super hard to write.

ЯТеЬЯ ЛЮЬЛЮ

我爱你

GRATITUDE

2007-09-02T18:11:00.000+08:00

A gratitude towards you, who has been so willing to give and receive.

Lately, a lot of things have happened. By that, it does not suffice to the notion that i am not ok. The fact is i am really ok. The clearer fact is i am really happy to meet these people who has stood by me in the midst of bleakness, although this is an overstatement since the situation is nowhere near bleakness. Haha.

Thanks ruby for her help.
As i have said to her, a friend in need is a friend indeed.

Thanks su may, kaimin, vicki and aygul.
Now i am overloaded with cadbury, mars bar, macademia chocolates.
We have sharing and caring environment in the office -kaimin being part of the office since she always come and disturb me. Woops.... It works both way though. Haha.

Thanks mark and kaimin for listening and sharing meaningful lessons along the way.
And giving me their support and advice. And mark always says i am fat.

Thanks rob for his advice and guidance.
For being the most supportive supervisor one can ever have. Seriously.

Thanks dear for always being there for me, unconditionally.
I couldn't have made it this far without him.

A million thanks, you guys rock on!

Happy 21st to Amanda

2007-08-26T21:25:00.001+08:00

Saturday @ Hawker Cuisine

Happy birthday to you,
Amanda (far right)

It's Amanda's 21st this coming Tuesday. Syerna, Edith and I shared a CD, card and cake for her. I bought the cake which is full of cream and coconut flakes, both of which I don't fancy. Haha but it's great as long as the birthday girl liked it. It was a good meal with great company but the only shortcoming was the duration they took to serve the dishes. Basically everyone went from being chatty and hyped to casual word exchanges to absolutely stoning to hibernating 'cos we were on the verge of starving. That was how slowly the food was served. We could only start smiling at the camera after a hearty meal courtesy of Amanda. Haha.

Happy 21st birthday to you. =)

Apart from yesterday's dinner, I spend my day in school doing chromatography, similarly for today. 7-day week is considered hard working huh? It's all worthwhile 'cos finally something worked. =)

22 days till end of lab work + 63 days till thesis is due, formulates to this expression: I Am Stressed.

82 days till I see you again. Peace be with us.

It's all in the mind.

2007-08-23T15:30:00.000+08:00

We were chilling at ruby’s place last Sunday. Out of the many serious conversations we had, one of them was on our views of staying in Perth, getting a job here etc etc. That session struck me hard as I realized how little time is left. I probably will post an entry about the goods of Perth and Singapore another time. I am glad that all of us have come to the same stage in life, studying like mad people, being loved and trying to keep ourselves sane each day. We may not lead the same life, yet I can feel the plight they are going through, so different yet similar in terms of the stress level we have to endure. Thanks ruby for the magic concealer which in her own words made her look like a reverse panda, but works very well on me. Haha. =)

Anyway, yesterday Serene accompanied me get the ‘thing’ for Amanda’s coming birthday and she rented her Texas Chainsaw dvd. She passed me a box of oversized strawberries from swan valley which I doubt I can ever finish. Haha thanks girl! =)

It’s Minh’s birthday today. She came in with apple strudels from Corica, received a dozen of champagne roses from her fiancé, chocolates from my sup and gerberas from Aygul.

Aygul: What did you buy for Minh?

Me: A Mouse.

Aygul: Oh, is it a white little mouse? (using both her index fingers to estimate the size of the mouse)

Me: No, it’s purple.

(Pause)

Aygul: …...Oh, you bought a mouse!

Me: Yeah, MOUSE.

Aygul: Holy cow, I was thinking how you’d know Minh will like mice.

Haha… I hope that humble little retractable mouse for PC will come in handy for her.

I relearned a moral:

1) A guy strikes 4million pounds in lottery says he is unlucky as he guessed all the numbers by himself and someone simply stole his numbers and won 4million too, which halved his supposed 8million winnings.

2) You were queuing at a bank when a robber dashes into the bank, fired a bullet which hit your arm and you thought you were unlucky though you survived.

3) I couldn’t do my experiment today as my vitamin won’t dissolve. I thought it was bad thinking I have wasted the day by not doing lab work when I am barely half way through writing my thesis and can actually do something on that.

Lucky or unlucky? Good or bad?

It’s all in the mind, kiddies. =)

Long distance relationship

2007-08-21T14:31:00.000+08:00

As we are going through this stage of our relationship, I did some research and voila.....

Long distance relationship (LDR) has become very common, credits to technological advancements etc etc… Worldly issues like war have increased the incidence of LDR. Besides, societal forces, personal aspirations and job requirements can also compel one to go through LDR and many students like me fall in this category etc etc. Of the many LDR I have come to witness, only a hapless number has made it through successfully. It’s not out of extraordinary that people adhere to the belief that LDR will never work. I have my doubts too. After all, the couple whom I held absolutely no reservations faltered in their relationship etc etc…

If we casually google “long distance relationship” on the search engine, there are abundant self-help guides and “rules” in keeping us on the right track. From my collection, here is a summary of the must-do:

1. Plan for the future

Have a light at the end of the tunnel.

–. During our phone conversations, we are always discussing what we want to do together, which includes the annual trips we plan to go at the end of each year, our plan after I graduate and… marriage.

2. Meet regularly

– There are restrictions as to when we can visit each other. After anticipating for so long, the times we got to see each other were simply awesome. =)

3. Establish an effective communication channel

– We use webcam occasionally as it is fairly time-consuming and although he doesn’t mind, I have to end most video conversations when work piles up and fatigue wears me out. Then there are the common Msn, Skype and calling cards.

4. Be clear about expectations

– We have been talking things out. Like how I know he would expect me to let him know my whereabouts and spare time for him, like how I would expect of him to give me the freedom I need and to keep himself fitter.

5. Share the burden

– Sharing our daily lives makes one understand the other party better, even when apart. Sharing problems further enhances the bond we share.

6. Send a written letter once in a while

– I did send him an extensively written 4-page letter during one of our monthsary but it bloody didn’t reach him. He doesn’t write long scripts, but usually sends me gifts which come with small little greeting cards. =)

7. Beware of jealousy

Jealousy is a very dangerous thing and can threaten every long distance relationship. Jealousy is commonly a lack of trust and understanding. It very often reveals insecurities and bad experiences in other relationships.

– We have our fair share of jealousy. And we always reason our way that we don’t trust the other party. I agree on dissuading ourselves from harboring such thoughts. Although jealousy can’t measure the intensity of love, a mild portion of jealousy is good as it shows the fear of losing one’s partner. Well, blame it on evolution and the survival of the fittest theories. Haha.

8. Avoid dangerous “situations”

Simply avoid temptations that could distract you from each other. Better safe than sorry!

9. Keep the faith

– This is so cliché but what can be more true? Even if majority failed and barely a handful believes in LDR, faith shall keep us going. =).

10. Stay positive

Always assume that your partner loves you and cares about you. Never assume anything negative, whether you disliked how he/she made a weird comment on something. Don’t interpret too much in it. The problem with non-face-to-face communication is the lack of facial expression.

– This is for him, for his silly nightmares and insecurities. I love him and we thank each other for the reassurances we give. =) I don’t go “I love you” in every conversation and sms and that’s ‘cos I tend not to overuse and devalue the significance of such terms but say it to an extent it reassures him. I hope?

Links:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Long-Distance-Relationship-Work

http://love.ivillage.com/snd/sndcouplehood/0,,doyenne_s213,00.html

http://lovesagame.com/10-rules-to-make-long-distance-relationships-work/

The above are easier said than done. It requires time, commitment etc etc…. While everyone seems to focus on the negatives, LDR has its benefits too, like the opportunity to embrace and appreciate each other’s presence more and it allows us to invest time on other people, new hobbies and interests. If we overcome this obstacle, it serves as an affirmation to the sturdiness of our relationship and during the process, we earn our own independence. With the increased in accessibility, the world has shrunk. But in this smaller world, LDR has become more prevalent than ever. YAWN…. Haha. Ciao.

You.

are the most special existence.

Escargot rocks

2007-08-15T17:49:00.000+08:00

Mark and Paul are always baking cakes and strudels for us, so on Monday, I made some instant almond jelly with longan for the peeps in my office. The making process was an easy task and that made me an easy target too. Mark, the self-praise-brilliant-baker/cook, snatched this chance to ridicule me, by saying I was slack, which isn’t entirely true ‘cos I had to wake earlier to prepare all that. But more importantly, all of them who tried the dessert liked it ok! Haha.

Today, I started work early. So I decided to head to Barette’s to takeaway escargot (pronounced as Es-Ka-Go) for brekkie for everyone in the office, including myself. The cost rounded up to $18, which isn’t cheap for merely 6 pieces, plus a raisin roll. But it tastes so GOOD, with sultanas in the bread and sweet fillings in the centre, I shan’t complain. And their breads are normally sold out by noon, so there you see, the testament to the quality of their breads.

Bad news 1: My current experiment is potentially failing again. I took two full days, equivalent to 18 hours, in the lab for that. If this fails, I would have wasted so much enzymes this almost becomes a sin…

Good news 1: Going melbie straight after my honors, maybe Goldcoast as well with darling!!! Love him very much! =)

Good news 2: I am not the best, but I am happy, not complacent though, with my current grades. There are still heaps and heaps of rooms for improvement.

Worked from 730 am till 6 pm and still going. I am physically going to break down, really soon.

PS: I have proper Caps in this entry as Microsoft Word does them for me. Or else, I cannot be bothered. Haha.

THE AUSSIE CULTURE

2007-08-12T21:50:00.000+08:00

i was invited to my supervisor's place for dinner with his family yesterday. as a form of courtesy, i brought along some chocolates as a small token for his family, which we had them as dessert anyway... minh, her boyfriend and su mei were there too. they brought wine and minh made some pastry. it was pleasant to meet his family except during conversations where his wife and him started to bicker. haha. his youngest son, andrew is only 8? or 9. he plays the piano. his elder son, steven, plays guitar in his band. and the ironic thing is that his daughter, katherine, plays soccer. haha. i know it isn't unusual for a girl to play soccer nowadays, but it becomes bizarre when the boys aren't even playing any form of sports. haha i was kinda puzzled and almost wanted to ask why. maybe i was misunderstood. andrew is really cute though, he tagged along with us as my supervisor showed us around the house.

his house is cosy, albeit cool! the plasma tv in the living room is at least 4 times the size of my tv at home. his backyard is a FARM. you can get your grocery shopping done in the backyard.. mandarin orange, lemon, grapes, orange and even PEACH trees! i would love to grow grapes peach trees although both are not in season. then there were all kinds of vegetables. bean sprout, long beans, onions, potatoes, capsicum, sweet potatoes.... i am sure there were more. my guess is they only buy MEAT from the supermarket. so uber cool ey.. and i haven't mentioned he has blossom trees too. it was dark and cold so we didn't stay out long.

my sup and his family were all dressed up in their own house. he was in shirt and jeans while his wife wore a dress. his wife welcomed me at the door and i entered the house without the need to take my thongs off. on the dinner table were wine glasses, plates, forks and knifes arranged properly. there were even napkins placed above each plate, just like what we would see during wedding dinners. the formality, their value for table manners and eating etiquette form the essence of the aussie culture. we had starters, main course, some desserts and to end the dinner, his wife asked if we wanted any tea or coffee..... i didn't think a dinner at home could last for 4 hours.

after all these years in aust, friendships are built, paradoxically mostly with local asians (ABC), singaporeans, malaysians, indonesians, hongkongers. but this year round, i realise things have changed a little, in a surprisingly pleasant and refreshing way. i meet and make aussie friends, i go out with them for dinners. i learn that in their culture it's only appropriate to order starters. the main course only comes later. i receive and return hugs and very occasionally receive a peck on my cheek as a gesture of kindness, which made dear very sian but bobian. haha.. he has been very giving and big-hearted.

somehow, this experience has completed my stay in aust.

dear wrote me a poem... he claimed that's his first ever attempt on poetry writing. i told him it is very sweet, albeit repetitive.. hahaa... =) i am tired now, but i still miss him heaps...

The morning light flashed into my eyes,

It is you I see in my mind.

I brushed my teeth and go to work,

Wondering if you dreamt of me last night.

Whiteboard markers I held dozens of times,

Wishing I can just hold you tonight.

The bell rings and I pack my bag,

Looking forward to hear your voice at night.

The webcam lightens and I see your face,

What a delight to see you again.

The night light dims and you said good night,

How I wished to hug you tight.

The clock strikes and its twelve midnight,

One day less till I’m by your side.

2007-08-06T21:14:00.000+08:00

past two weeks.

anyone who knows should know how glad i was after my 2nd presentation was over. never will i be asked to read up on 14-3-3 protein, i felt lighter literally as i chucked all the 50 ought articles on 14-3-3 into the bottom of my drawer. it was a great relieve after all that i had gone through. overall, i was pretty satisfied with my performance, whats more was to hear nothing, but compliments from supervisor. i couldn't be more delighted, and reminded myself not to be complacent, ever.

it was a busy weekend following my presentation. i paid my virgin visit to dragon seafood restaurant for a dimsum session with liann ruby and navin for brunch. good service, good food, as good as northbridge chinese rest's which i usually patronise.. and more importantly, a good company to share our lives with and laugh at the silliest things. finding parking lot at the butchery at wing hong was kinda funny, if you saw how liann stop her car almost to the centre of the road, having the car parked one arm away from the kerb. OOPS.. haha she got back into her car and realigned her car.. haha so cute.. good brunch came at a price as i spent the rest of that dreadful weekend in the dreadful lab. lab was much bearable when mates like kaimin was also working in the lab on the same weekend. haha.. =)

then i wasn't looking forward to last week either, as another assignment was due for "inspection" by supervisor. experimentations and rushing the assignment at the same time were stressful. poor results obtained from my experiment didn't help either, especially not knowing what exactly had gone wrong with my experiment. it could just be anything. might be the declination in my techniques?? problems with the old and groggy HPLC machine, or even due to the very nature of the substrate itself. oh well.

i sent my friend to work during the week. it was hard to apprehend why a guy would tell his girlfriend he doesn't want to pamper her and would avoid doing so at all cost. then which guy is he waiting for to come along and pamper his girlfriend? perhaps he was right not to spoil her. but it was pouring and which boyfriend would let his girlfriend take a bus by herself to work..... hmm.

by sunday i was rushing to get my work done as mark invited us to his cosy lil rented house for dinner. i was glad i was on time and i made it to his place without losing my way. haha. he whipped up a spanish dish called paella and made two desserts, a chocolate cake that tasted like yummy MUDcake! and a pear dessert which i didn't try 'cos i was already bloated, but aygul loved it. it was an awesome dinner! there was aygul, julian and kylie and i and all of us agreed unanimously apart from being a good host, mark is a great cook.

AND SO IS DEAR (he would have added if i haven't mentioned) haha dear is my great cook, and his family members can vouch for that.. and i'll always remember the first time he made a 3-course meal for my birthday... champagne and roses by the riverside, he is such a sweet baby =)

anyway i am excited. while having dinner at mark's, we caught the first episode of aussie idol! it's finally back! woohoo! that's a little something i will miss in singapore.

i am very excited, as dear is bound for perth on the 17th of november! woohooooo!! start counting down =)

that's someone i'll always miss in perth.

THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES

2007-07-23T23:04:00.000+08:00

THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES Total A - Words of Affirmation:	5
Total B - Quality Time:	7
Total C - Receiving Gifts:	5
Total D - Acts of Service:	4
Total E - Physical Touch:	9

vicky was telling me she has this book about the five love language. she is probably one of the most holy youth in this modern world who has dignified the prestige of marriage to a new level.... kudos to her.

Happy birthday to him

2007-07-20T21:38:00.000+08:00

i cancelled the lunch date with syerna and amanda when i said i was free today... =( which made me feel bad and am sorry for having poor time management. boo.. i have a presentation rehearsal this SUNDAY... the theatre is fully booked for lectures on weekdays. so i had to skip school today to get the slides done. i will organise a date as soon as my presentation is over.

instead i got my slides done by evening. so met up with girlfriends liann, ruby n her housemate for dinner which gave me a break from work. these blissful women got to spend their holidays in the eastern states... while me? i only wish i can spend dear's birthday with him.. he was always zealous when it came to guessing presents (he is usually hyper anyway), sometimes his reactions were silly they made me laugh so bad.. haha =) besides i hardly ever spilled the beans, he would only uncover the answer when we celebrated the occasion together. and the most delightful moment, was to see his face lightened up upon seeing the present.

this year, i missed that moment.....

i spilled the beans before he received the present. afterall we have to cope with not having each other by our side and by letting him know i got him something made his day better. it was a simple Boss wallet which i personally handed him 1 month ago. the card reached him early this week.

something else weighs me down. despite dear's worries over not finding a job then, he flew to australia to spend my birthday with me... but i couldn't reciprocate the same sacrifice that he had made. i was quite affected when he smsed me he ate alone for dinner on his birthday eve. i just wish he is happy and is enjoying himself right now. i miss him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR!
love and misses, tiff

Vodafone MayFly Ad

2007-07-16T21:50:00.000+08:00

Vodafone MayFly Ad

Love it the instant i saw it.

Happy birthday

2007-07-14T22:46:00.000+08:00

although yesterday was the friday of 13th,
it was a fine day, no thunderstorm or bizarre incidents.
although i had a rather lousy day in school,
i also had a good night sleep, finally!
hope mom had a good birthday =)
the card i sent her is so gonna make her smile, or so i wish.
part of it reads "stay pretty always!" haha.
if i ain't wrong, and don't know if she'd read this, it's shuzhen's birthday too =)
and also to anyone else whose birthday falls on that day.
the date is nothing but another damn fine day!
it also marked the 7th year since the CCKMB Crescendo concert we had.
how bad can my memory be to recall that!
happy happy birthday.

today is a damn fine day too.
made plans on cooking. maybe i should bake something too, when time permits.
serene made a healthy set of dinner, which tastes uniquely special 'cos i have never had pasta with "pesto genovese" (don't know how to spell) sauce. a bottle of premium non-alcoholic sparkling wine is as good as alcoholic wine.

on a random note, my supervisor has gone to singapore. i wish i were him, for just a week, anyway. so was dear wishing. haha can't imagine me in my sup's body looking at dear though. that would be the most awkward moment. we must have been thinking too much about the movie, Just Follow ~~The~~ Law.

SUPER TIRED

2007-07-10T18:40:00.000+08:00

carried out TWO SEPARATE EXPERIMENTS on the same day... 7 hours straight. although i planned the protocols myself, they confused me when i had to carry out both concurrently. i haven't even had lunch... my fingers and limps hurt due to all the pipetting and walking.

thanks to supervisor for contributing this idea. but ya, i know it's all for my own good. the good thing is i did not stuff up anything.

super tired physically though.

this is the achievement for a day's work.

i forgot to mention it's 645 and i am still stuck in school with these unfinished lab work.

---

on a totally unrelated topic,

i got pranked!

i didn't realise until when i was packing my stuff to leave, SOMEBODY IN THE OFFICE super-guled my calculator face up with its cover stuck behind most probably stuck together permanently!

the culprit is obvious. not A then it's M.

ROAR!!!!!

it's kinda funny though, esp when you don't know why and the calculator just doesn't budge no matter how much force you used.

now i have another "protocol" on my agenda.

whoever it is should play jokes but learn damage-control la....

UPDATES

2007-07-06T19:25:00.000+08:00

i have been so busy with writing protocols for lab work, reading loads of articles and correcting and writing up part of my thesis which hasn't been much of a progress yet. and lately i am compelled to direct my attention on the upcoming presentation.

many things happened the past few weeks. had been back home, time mostly spent with family and dear. a brief father's day dinner, though courtesy of bro, it was a rip-off. shrek 3 movie. dinner with dear's family at yuki yaki. nintendo wii at dear's place. dinner with my family at long beach restaurant. a short meeting with bestfriend. also spent 2.5 year anniversary with dear. ocean's thirteen at gold class vivocity and a sumptuous jap buffet dinner at Hanabi restaurant. it was $40 per head, and its worth the price for any sashimi lover. i love the bear from dear, from build-a-bear workshop. if you press its palm, dear's voice will surface. you don't wanna know what was said though.....

it had been tested and proven, when my elder bro came into my room. he casually took the bear and pressed its palm before dear could stop him. and boy did bro regret his doings, at the expense of dear. both their reactions were so funny, one red-faced embarrassed. one wished the bear will listen to him and stop talking. hahaa.. was a super funny moment. in exchange dear's gift, i got him a pair of cool gucci cufflinks from ebay at a pretty good deal, for the reason that i knew he envied sean's! haha.

it was amazing how i spent one week going out almost everyday. tired and wishing all those moments didn't have to come to an end.

after all the fun, i was back to perth, feeling guilty for not having done any work at all.

many thanks to grant and serene for sending and picking me up at the airport despite your exam schedule. and for looking after the car. thanks also to david who is doing psychology. i went to the airport with a luggage weight 8 kg over the limit for tigerair, it's not called a budget airline for nothing and i have learned my lesson at a cheap price. anyway if not for him, i would have to pay for 2 or 3 kg more worth of overweight baggage. we exchanged opinions about everything. i hope like how he assured me with glowing smiles filled with confidence that long distant relationship is workable, he will sustain his long distant relationship with his gf.

i miss your sideburn.. your smell.. your hugs and your kisses . i miss you dear.

one super long entry.

Edit friends

2007-06-11T01:12:00.000+08:00

don't we all wish we can edit friends? depending on each situation, then we can have no conflict, no disagreement, no hatred, no disappointment, no lie between each other.

but, would that mean we are tampering God's will? then there is no juicy topics to gossip about. no uniqueness, no thrill, no regard for different opinions, no need for compromise.

after all, i don't want to change you. just be you.

the you i knew 3 years ago.

Limericks

2007-06-07T22:39:00.001+08:00

Lab limericks written by research associate, paul. it is pasted at the back of our office door. the one about mark is so hilarious! hahaha.

we were just talking about movies and dear told me yesterday he wants to catch Eragon 2 when it's out, which led me to write this...... haha.

There is a big boy named Aaron,
Who has a huge crush on Eragon.
He rides the dragon,
As he doesn't want to be a peasant.
Now he can fly, even to St. Louis to meet Akon.

something random... an email which mark received and shared with us... haha.. aygul decided to change the name to mark.... absolutely comical!

and by the way, i am coming home in 7 days, haha... i have even lost interest in my studies... and very inherently have automatically switched on my holiday mode.

can't wait to see you... =)

stickgal

2007-06-02T21:49:00.000+08:00

SWEET TALKER. (haha.. sweet)

FROG LEG PORRIDGE!
(when love is misunderstood.)

CATCHING A FALLING LEAVE IS LUCK.

IF ONLY I COULD TURN BACK TIME.

WHEN STICKGAL COOKS. (sounds like err... somebody. haha)

THINKING OF YOU. (unreachable.)

HE WILL CALL! (every single morning without fail.)

A GIRL'S NIGHTMARE. (how true. haha)

A GUY'S NIGHTMARE. (more like a miser's nightmare)

the drawings are so cute right! i copied them from www.stickgal.blogspot.com. visit her website for more laughs.. haha =)

lastly...

.
.
.

.
.
.

everyone's all time favorite movie. (so cute!!!)

SURPIRSED

2007-05-29T22:54:00.000+08:00

Hope dear and his siblings have a safe flight tomorrow!

and have fun!

and enjoy 3 days of indulgence and feast!

this time round be cautious not to eat the wrong food eh?

i have been surprised!

i got a gift for no apparent reason or whatsoever!

not cheap at all.

something that corresponds directly to my name.

am i not pampered enough?

thank you, baby... thank you so much.

loves & misses!!! =)

FRIDAY'S WOES

2007-05-24T16:46:00.000+08:00

Fridays used to be my favorite other than Saturdays.....

I hate Sundays, for too many reasons, but i don't look forward to this Friday either.

I so wish i can SKIP this day...

I don't wanna meet this "sleaze bag"!!!

My main concern is ways to keep myself alive or from fainting due to any possible causes of air poisoning.

And does anyone have an Angelina jolie mask? which i might borrow.

With a mask that should entertain him, i can have my arms folded and wince whenever he pisses me off.

Dear told me not to worry. Make the meeting as short as possible.

*shrugsssss*

I so hate this.

GLOOMY WITH HOPE

2007-05-20T18:07:00.000+08:00

Is this what is meant by even in gloomy times, there is still a tinge of hope...?

(picture taken at matilda bay using my krzr K1 phone (no proper functionality), so explains the quality of the photo. i was on my way to school when i saw the flamboyant colors and instinctively decided instead, to head down to where the rainbow was. silly wasn't i?)

that day, i smiled.

Gloomy as it seems, but live with Hope.

just for laughs

2007-05-17T23:24:00.001+08:00

JUST FOR LAUGHS....

mark has a cat, and we were chatting about how the little tigers would care for their young, which aygul thought was cute. she said sharks don't look after their young, just like how fish drop lay their eggs (demonstrated with a farting effect) and just swim away. she added even turtles don't look after their young., which i disagreed. look at the Nemo movie, the turtles do swim together in the sea, right?? -_-

we were talking about using deodorants, and only aygul doesn't use it. her reason being they cause breast cancers.... when i distributed tictacs to the people, mark was having his lunch and he asked me to give aygul some for her underarm... and we all agreed unanimously the "used" tictacs can all go into mark's bowl. haha.

the people in my office are not just funny, they are so nice. mark made hot chocolate using his chocolate bars for our "tea breaks". on monday he bought us crossiants from subiaco and that was the best crossiant i have ever tried! just yesterday, vict bought us toblerones. aygul baked us cakes.. and i am sharing my sultanas. we share everything and help each other. an honors gathering is up next week after we hand in our 5000 word review. they make me look forward to school! besides, i have never seen a 27-year old so eager to get her hands on an Enid Blyton's (children story writer) books... you will find one in my office.

i am due for another talk in july and this time we are to prepare a powerpoint which is totally unrelated to what we are currently working on. i find such seminars nothing but a waste of time, and it's probably my examiner who boosted my interest in his topic, which is 14-3-3 protein. he looks like a genius with that Einsten-like hair and it makes me wonder if Einstein had a similar sense of humor like him, then would they look like twin brothers. i am glad a friend of mine is doing honors with him though. you see, i ain't his honors student, yet he spent an hour going through his slides with me and gave me a handful of articles as a head start. i remembered to send him a file and the email goes like this:

Hi Thomas,

Knowing you don't have the updated version of the Honors booklet, and it is crucially important for you to know the marks allocation so that you may perhaps wanna give me and/or your Honors student you are examining a 99% mark (if not a full mark), here is the Honors booklet, hope it comes in handy.

Thanks so much for the consultation and the articles you sent me, it was enriching and the articles will definitely come in handy for my brain cells next week.

PS: I ain't sure if this is the updated version you mentioned.

Cheers,
Tiffany
--------------

after so many months of lab work.. to be excused from lab this week probably made my time in school much much more anticipating.

happy mother's day

2007-05-13T18:22:00.000+08:00

This is dedicated to Mom,

That she has been the strongest in the family. In too many aspects it's overwhelming. she is even stronger than bro, solely for having lived and gone so far.

Despite the canings and lecturing, how she had been there for the mischievous, playful and naughty me and bro, that i can never forget and i am grateful towards her for being involved in our lives, rather than one who is indifferent to everything, other than work.

That despite her nagging and more never-ending nagging until today,

She is still the greatest. Happy mom's day, Mom.

physically & mentally drained

2007-05-08T21:02:00.000+08:00

lab's been atrociously tedious!
of all the experiments, i dread this the most.
i had to handle silica gel, which if inhaled is bad for the lungs.
chloroform is making me sick, it's an anesthetic and it makes you sleepy if inhaled.
my results turned out lousy... wasted effort eh?
there may be some conversations.
despite that, work carries on incessantly.
staying in school till 6 is tiring enough.
sometimes till 7, by then the sky's already dark.
today i was there was till 8. seriously i was already mentally switched off.
having worked hard due to given conditions, i have decided to take a day off tomorrow.
hopefully that will stop me from bitching.
not to mention the 5000-word review, which is barely half completed, quite shoddy and unedited.
i wonder when i can ever take a rest.
this is for the sake of all honors students..
GRANT US A WINTER BREAK!

a song for you

2007-04-29T19:17:00.000+08:00

a song for you

Whisper:
tonight i cried myself to sleep. to all the people who miss their loved ones..

Verse 1:
you knew, but i just didn't say.
you said, this is so insane.
yesterday, it was me and you.
all the colors turn to fade.
everything seems so blue.

(Chorus)
when you looked into my eyes.
when you called to say hi.
and when all the songs revolved around you.
i cried. i cried.
cold and sleepless nights.
those days you sat by my side.
everyday i am missing you.
baby let me hold you.
i will be there for you.
(we will be holding on together.)

Verse 2:
till spring, we will meet again.
it's hard to believe this is real.
you kissed me on my tired lips.
i miss you like i have never been.
all i want is you, baby i will wait for you.

Bridge:,
and i pray, while i say.
did you hear me?
wait for me like i pray for you.
and i say, tell me how.
can i see you?
i am holding on for you.

--------------------------------------

it was just one of the days when i felt a jet of emotions and i decided to pen it down. i visualized the song be R&B but haven't come up with the melody. some words were added, and some omitted to make the lyrics coherent. i can certainly speak mandarin but i definitely cannot write chinese lyrics unlike some people. =)

something happy to mention. my 6th aunt, who had studied in curtin, will be dropping by this weekend. last year i received a surprising news on her decision to fly to New York and stay for 6 months. or 1 year. i forgot. now she's back.

something to worry about. i have a 5000 word literature review due. haha but i was entertained today by the people in my office. they are kinda jokers. i had a good laugh..

Conversation 1 - an alternative centrifuge

Aussie 1: Hi, how is it going?
Aussie 2: good, how is your project going?
Aussie 1: *shrugs* the centrifuge downstairs is broken. now i have use the one upstairs.
Aussie 2: u know, have u tried sitting on the rotating chair and keep turning and turning maybe that will work?

HAHA

Aussie 1: ?!?!?!
Aussie 2: well, your turning speed maybe slower then the centrifuge but if you stretch your arm out like that...

(Aussie 2 stretched out his arm)

Aussie 2: *convincingly says* see? the circumference you are turning will be the same, but with your arm straightened, the length will actually be longer than the centrifuge's!

...

Conversation 2 - finding the adapter thief
i needed an adapter to convert my laptop with the singapore plug to an aussie-style plug, but i lost it in the office and it's still a mystery. i have more valuable stuff on my table but nothing, except for the adapter is lost. i don't blame anyone 'cos it's cheap stuff and also i don't believe anyone from my office had anything to do with it.

Victoria: tiff, have you found your adapter?
me: nah, i haven't found it. *puzzled* how did you know?
Victoria: minh told me about it.
Mark: maybe the cleaners took it? they crawled all the way under the table to take an adapter.

everyone laughed.

Mark: or did you offend sarah? the window lady downstairs?
me: *puzzled* why?
Minh: she's like always having PMS.
Mark: minh!! it must be you who stole it. you must be planning to go singapore and you stole the adapter for future use.
Aygul: only if the adapter can be used the other way around.

HAHA that makes sense!

Happy birthday to me

2007-04-25T17:59:00.000+08:00

from since dear came to visit me.. he has grown more into Aussie football, unfailingly catching all the west coast eagles matches, some which were really exciting in my opinion. while i was in school, dear went to his favorite football team's store and took a peek at their training grounds.. i got him an away guernsey the other day when we went there together and he bought himself the team's home guernsey.

it was 6pm when i finally finished my long day in the lab. dear came back from the football store and we headed for dinner at the Oyster Bar which faces the swan river and the bustling city at the foreshore.. i like this place. good food and polite staff, nice ambient, scenery and a great company!!

there weren't any crowd when we made our order, alas it took them so long to serve us.. Zzz so we started to make funny faces at each other.

their oysters were my favorite. so we ordered two dozens of that. but seriously the quantity was a tad too much for two persons. i felt a tiny bit nausea after finishing the raw ones. the caesar salad was really good too. but the dessert was the highlight of the night. nothing beats hot chocolate fondant!

the day ended with a very tired, but happy me. haha.. thanks to everyone who wished me on that day, school colleagues and friends whom i know way from kindergarten till present! talking about my kindergarten mate, lixian who smsed me, we last met at her place in Jurong pt during my JC years. so long ago. haha.. it was nice to reminisce. thanks people, despite your busy schedule, you didn't forget me! to my two friends, huiqi and syerna, who couldn't reach me probably 'cos of some network problms, it's the thought that counts! =) i also wanna thank my darling for all the things he's done. i received the camera as a birthday present. you can see from the photos we took how good this camera is! i will most definitely recommend it to anyone who loves to take photos. he's such a sweetie, he's made me an extremely happy girl =) i love you. i really wanna thank my mommy too! knowing what little things she could do to make me happy when i am away from home, she credited $200 into my account and wished me a happy birthday =)

i know this sounds so cliche. but how fast time flies!!! it appears that i am only a breath away from my next 24th birthday. how old is that. soon enough and without realizing it, i will heading towards the thirties. oh no!!! boohoo.

The Indulgences of Life

2007-04-21T21:59:00.000+08:00

dear's cousins came lately.. shall let the pictures do the talking. i created the collages for convenience sake. all the pictures taken are courtesy of Jessica, maybe except for the ones taken during our 28th month-sary... indulge~! =)

Perth is beautiful 'cos of you.

That's my house.

Be mesmerized by the beauty of Swan Valley! i totally love their chocolates and wines.

Chilli mussels , pizza, carbonara and pastas. The title says it all!

Indian restaurant -Chutney Mary's rocks! Thank you for that chocolate surprise. i heart you! =)

it's been so cold lately it feels like winter! i ain't kidding... days are passing by so fast. it isn't funny at all.

Happy Easter

2007-04-06T13:19:00.000+08:00

"When Owen, a wild baby hippopotamus, was washed away from his herd on the coast of Kenya, he was left orphaned. The following day, nearby villagers came to Owen's rescue, bringing him to a local wildlife park. There the search for a surrogate parent led little Owen to Mzee, a cranky 130-year-old giant tortoise. The frightened hippo adopted the old tortoise as his parent. It seemed like love at first sight as Mzee, who was a loner for years, instantly accepted the baby hippo as his own. The pair began eating together and sleeping side by side." (adapted from http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200702/20070214/slide_20070214_350_112.jhtml)

the life of this Owen and Mzee may look awkwardly weird, yet it gives us peace and pleasure to acquire their ability to live peacefully despite diversity in terms of their anatomies, behaviors and habitats. i was smiling and laughing at the television when i saw the footage of Owen and Mzee on the Oprah Winfrey show. if a reptile (tortoise) and a mammal (hippo) can live harmoniously, it's puzzling why Homosapiens have to live their lives hurting others who are different. Different races, nationalities and religions and the list goes on... let's just say.. such Homosapiens are anything but LESS civilized than our Owen and Mzee. 'cos i was touched by the pair in some sense.

easter weekend. also means a busy weekend for me. to the Aussies, it's a great occasion to look forward to.. more easter bunnies, easter eggs and leisure time to enjoy. it's just more hectic days for me. while apart from my work and road trip, i have to start searching for the white chocolate Twix i proclaimed to exist in perth, for the Aussie.