Merry Christmas!!

A nice season for sharing of joy & happiness & gathering with friends...

It is a blessing to be able to give than to receive:)

Work Updates

Christmas fruit cakes freshly baked by our pastry dept were distributed out today..it was lotsa better than last yr outsourced choc cake=)

Hvn been blogging much abt work..now tt the day is near...hve the tendency to want to talk more abt it...reminisce phenomenon?? MS updates her news after lunch..stunned.

Today does not seem like the usual Fri. No Fri mood. Hve to head bck tmr aftrn to settle some stuff. It hits me that time is running pretty short...apologies lts for not meeting up...

Received an early xmas pressie from EC, my edu mgr today. Thanks!!

Ya, our d&d on Olympics theme was held couple of weeks ago @ Pacific ballroom:

Colourful entrance with PIE gers

Spot the difference! @ Reception desk

Wed Blues

Long day @ work due to a brewing flu that started after the afternoon mandarin orientation session. Had a sore throat when waking up for the past 2 morns... knew tt the hershey's in my fridge must be the main cause. Blame in on the weather for the flu bah...if I still can't recover by tmr noon, shall pop over to TMP over lunch for meds...

Tiny surprises await after stepping out of ofc. Left ofc @ ard 8...was walking in MS when I knocked into ST...she was with her cousin & meeting up with WL for dinner. Can't join them as told my mum heading bck for dinner & knew I am in a poor state to hang out tonight. Shall catch up with her & XQ again on 23rd Dec during the charity event:)

Another small surprise when I rch home is a courier parcel from Korea. It is from Ji Hae, my neighbour in the hostel during cph times. She was sweet to write a card, send memorative joint issue of Korea-Singapore stamps & Jangs brand handmade earrings:) Ger, thanks for the thoughts!

Guess I hve to stop feasting on snacks, chocs after dinner..this seems to be my chubbiest moment after uni..& is growing fatter...i guess the hershey's temptation is too huge to be ignored....moderation & more exercise it shall be then:)

White Christmas~

Dreaming in my little world...

A white christmas.
Along streets of houses covered in layer of snow. Freshly baked bread & cookies in the air.
Longing for a white christmas since the 1st day of Dec.
My fantasy will continue...in my dreams ZzZ maybe.

Moving on...

Having made up my mind & taking a step forward in 2008!
I'll definitely miss the status quo, the bonds built, the laughters, many little bits & pieces that create the big family here.
As I always firmly believe, there are bound to be pros & cons in every turn you take. You weigh them and reach a balance. Moving towards my goal I hope for the most positive.
The journey continues...

Hols Season

In a blink..2 wks flew past, mum & dad are back today!! I had a good homecooked dinner tonight..blissful=)
They are nice to get me the burberry sheer brit and sis a coach bag which we asked haha...mum got me a nine west bag as well cos it is on pre-xmas sale...hee evil me find it not tt fashionable but still luv it nonetheless...sweet of her to get us pairs of earrings too=) They visited hershey's choc world (known as sweet little town with a lot to offer) and got back nice bags of hershey's chocs in mint, nutz, caramel, hot cocoa etc...simply luv them to bits..yummy! Niece Jan got a real sweet hershey's kisses tshirt & small teddy hehe...
Was clicking thru the cam tt they brought along..nice pics & scenery..guess both of them look real happy & more youthful in the pics haha=P Among the places tt they hve visited, I wld wan to visit Niagara fall, Hershey's, Harvard, MIT one day as well...hee guess hve to wait v long for one fine day haha...

Mum & Dad flew off yesterday. This equates own washing of clothes and self prepared meals over 2 weekends. They were catching the 2355 flight. We had dinner @ T2 Sukhothai. Happened to see uncle ng who is dad's close fren cum colleague walked pass the restaurant and he joined us for beer. Bro. sis & I sent uncle ng bck to his tamp hme b4 we headed bck to sk. It has been so many yrs since we last seen him when we were all still young kids...

Headed to office in the late morning today to do some work. HTL table for 5 was booked for nxt sat so that can bring grandparents to try the brunch buffet 2gether with sis & bro. Left ofc @ ard 2plus. Took bus 36 to reach PP. Decided to pop over @ Marine Parade lib first since I were early. I cldn't resist but lugged along with me 4 books - 2 mgt & 2 fiction. It caused my bag to be heavy. All were dumped in the locker with mine & SJ's bags when we reached ECP. It was a hot hot day...didn't bring along my shades or cap=( The bikes are good & new and ECP's park connector to Changi Park is on-going i think..the route is longer now=) We had dinner @ PP's Sakae. Simply luv sushi...ichiban/fiesta is still on my toplist of fav sushi hunt=P

9-hole

Yeah I am done with the 9-hole..phew! Was still doing good till the 7-hole when I felt like vomiting again=( But managed to finish to the whole thingy=)
Went RMG to see doc & get meds. Went to visit baby jan after that. Surprisingly, after not seeing her for close to a mth, she was quite sticky to me & wanted me to carry. But decided to leave most of the carrying tasks to my sis cos dun wan my virus to spread. Shall see her again on her bdae cbration on sun!
Have till tonight to recover...

Immune System Down...

Dunno what happened to me since yesterday late afternoon. My stomach felt wierd & the head seemed to be spinning. I had to bear with it till the end of the day. Bro gave me a ride home. We left town @ around 8pm.

My appetite was totally gone when I reached home. Usually by now I wld be quite hungry. But not today. Felt nauesous. After bathing, popped into bed. Woke up to vomit out all the lunch that I had in the hotel in the afternoon. Felt terrible, popped into bed again. Woke up in the middle of the night to vomit again, till my stomach muscle ached.

How can I spend my treasured leave day like this? Hve to reach Mandai golf course @ 7.30am. I am forcing myself to be awake so that I wldn't fall asleep again. Thus, typing this blog to kill time. No matter what, I have to go for the test. It is the purpose of taking leave for today. If I fell sick, it really defeat the purpose=(

Cambodia - Siem Reap

Boarded 3K595, JetStar 6am flight. First time on JetStar, budget=P. The 1hr50mins flight was kinda of bumpy due to air turbulene. On-board magazine, JetAway was interesting and it managed to engross me for most of the flight other than the rest of the time when I doze off. Catching up some sleep was good...didn't sleep much the night before after reaching home from work at 10plus and still need to do packing...

Siem Reap Int. Airport - Small, neat with a pinch of asian charm. Time zone diff from sin by an hour earlier. Reached Royal Crown Hotel in ard 30mins. Unable to check in till 11am. Ended up exploring the central market & pasr chaa (old market) area. Had lunch @ blue pumpkin, an air-conditioned cafe with free wi-fi access. It was the author's choice in lonely planet. Had linguine while sis had fish&chips.

Plans were made for the next few days visit to Angkor temples. We decided on taking the tuk-tuk which is open-air. It was more economical for two pax & personally felt that it'll be more interesting to travel in tuk-tuk..after all by travelling in tuk tuk rather than conventional car (the cars seen here are usually toyota camry ranging from the older models to the latest ones) you get to see, feel, hear etc & use all your five sensory..why not? So we decided & hope for the best=)

Pieces of Life!

Thanks for the bdae treats, dinners and pressie...im officially 23 now...new resolutions??

I hve trimmed my hair @ maison on my bdae...might be gng bck for soft rebonding in 2 wks' time when im back from the cambodia trip so that the haircut charges can be waived off...yes im finally on my way to cambodia...flying off next Fri..yippee!!

Went ubin on Sat morn. Lunch was settled @ CV. It was Hari Raya so the popular nasi stall wasn't open today. Cycling around ubin is fun & enjoying filled with our silly laughters, exciting slopes, nice greenery amidst fresh air! Thot that I'll definitely get my bruises..thankfully no but lotsa mosquito bites though which I only realised the next day hehe. Dinner @ T1 Popeyes..sinful but nice..luv the biscuits der as usual=P

Before 2008~

Before the arrival of 2008 which is ard 3 mths away...

I would want/hope to:

- Go on a trip to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat
- Clear up my tables @ study rm & bedrm which are getting increasingly messier
- Lasik surgery?? But I hve just bought a yr supply of disposable ctc lens last week=( Spoilt plan.
- Make education plans on part-time courses. I need some re-energisers.
- Do something to my hair. My something is usually nothing much thou, either a trim, treatment or @ most rebond. Boring. No colouring @ present moment cos still prefer natural colours.

Kids Zone

On Sat aftrn, CDAC and MOE jointly organised a talk for low income families' parents on the choosing of primary schools. While the parents are attending the talk @ the auditorium, some activities were organised for their children. Was with the children in the 4-6 years old age group...being a volunteer as their "babysitter" haha.

Activities piped up for them: Magic show, "Cars" Movie screening, teabreak, lastly coloring session. The magic show managed in engaging the students...but when it came to the movie, many started to become restless. I guess the movie was not too appropriate for the kids who were younger & the girls. In between, there were toilet breaks, where the kids wld obediently lined up and became a train line to follow you to the toilet in grp of 5. Muz jaga their doors for them cos some dunno, dun dare to lock the toilet doors. Muz press the taps for them cos some had difficulties washing their hands while pressing to the taps...Some wld want to wait for you to hold your hands back to the room..

A pair of bro & sis combi is v sweet. The slightly older bro in K2 will take care of the sis who is in nursery. Helping her to carry her waterbottle. Once, the boy told me that 妹妹要找 mummy. After much coaxing, they quietly sat down & joined in the activities with the other kids. After the magic show, the bro approached again & said "我们要 mummy". So this time rd, even himself wanted to find mum. Alright, as big bro u nit to take care of sis. Give sis some water her lips r v dry. See how other kids r having fun...ur mum will come find you when ur activities are done. They are quite obedient kind, althou you can sense that they are quite scared, they'll keep v quiet and listen to what you say.

There are also kids who are hyperactive and juz can't sit down & stay put. There are kids who will be too afraid and started to cry. An afternoon spent with this group of young innocent children is nonetheless quite enjoying=)

Weekends

Baby jan noes how to clap with her tiny hands & wave bye2 now. As she reaches 1 yr old in a few mths' time, she'll learn how to talk & walk...hee so excited to hear her 1st words..

Care Bear @ Compasspoint...
Hee I am staying in a young estate...the few gd things abt it: You get to see kiddy stuff & activities in the mall..
Our childhood fav character is back! Sun, after yoga, pop over to CP with sis & we manage to catch the care bears on stage. The songs and host were v. nice & sweet...just a pity that only Share Bear & Oopsy Bear turned up on stage while we were there=) My fav Cheer Bear & sis's fav Gd Luck Bear didnt show up...

Had lunch @ tamp ikea with family...hee my 1st time eating there. The food being served reminds me of cph sch cafe...luv the daim cake & swedish meatballs. Actually I dun take beef but can't resist the temptation to try out the meatballs which contain both beef & pork=P

Nxt wkend - No golf lessons cos coach is off on a 乐龄 competition..hope that he wins=) No yoga as well..instructor didn't say why=P With such an empty wkend - have plans to go dentist, dine @ Brunch with cousins, join with sis on terry fox fun run...we shall see how things go...

Happy Birthday

Was @ Amara Hotel for the past 2 days attending shri leading hr practices summit. It was pretty insightful for me..allowing me to know more abt the hr systems in other companies...linking creativity to a great workplace...corporate social responsibility etc.

Mum's bday falls on 30th Aug...

We decided to have dinner @ ms imperial on thurs night for mum's bday. Sis, bro & myself went straight since we are all nearby. Last min, gotten mum 10 little stalks of purple tulips from the hotel florist shop...hee like tulips & wld like to give mum a small surprise=) She can see the blossoming of these budding tulips...

Fireworks!

Headed off to vivo again with sis, mum & dad 4 shopping..bro didn't join as he is heading bck to ofc this sat..

Saw a real sweet dress=) Sis got it for her fren's baby ger's 1 yr old bday bash...the pink dress has two little sewn on fairies with the wordings - "Made with Love"

Was on dad's car on the way home. When we were on ECP, we caught the fireworks! I guess the expressway was on a deliberate jam. The first left lane was basically non-moving while some drivers on the 2nd left lane started to get off their cars for an unblock sight. We were on the 3rd lane, which was moving on a slow speed with intermittent stops. Saw the fireworks amidst tree branches. Although we didn't hve the full sight, quoted from mum, we should feel lucky to be able to capture it=)

Decided!

I have made my decision. No matter whether it is wrong or right, wise or stupid, it is my own deicision and i shall stick to it. It might be a wasted opportunity but I will try to make the best out of my own decision.

Cherry~

Ever thot of having a cherry tree in ur backgarden?? I have always dream of having it..but it wldnt be possible as I dun hve a backgarden hee..and considering Sin super tropical weather hmm..

However, this morn, Mum & Dad bought home a cherry plant from the market...interesting..i guess it can be considered a minature cherry tree and I hope it survives and thrives in our balcony=)

Vivo

This sat was an eXtremely hot day...nearly can't stand the heat!
Headed off to vivo to meet up with sis..saw a cute box of MooMin Biscuits @ Daiso that I can't help lugging it home with me=P

The Front!

The Back!

NDP & Wkend Eve

Sadly didn't catch any fireworks this year except a few last sparks caught outside Marina Sq after the citychase race in Jul when the rehearsals are on going..

At ofc, we celebrated Jesslyn' bday...went to MS over lunch to get the pressie. YL & myself chose a wallet & namecard holder on behalf of the dept...

YL, SG, CN & myself hit off to TheWineCompany @ Evans Road after work. I joined the ladies slightly later. We had nice canapes, wine and most importantly good chats!

NDP PH - Mum prepared deep-fried sinful food for us from popiah, yam to seaweed rolls...sinful yet yummy=P

(first attempt of Paint to collage pics - hee not v pro..will try to improve=)

Fri night - YL & myself decided to stay overnight with CN cos she is on MOD at the hotel. Nice view, nice herman miller....juz too bad tonight is one night after NDP..so no fireworks=(

Planning for 2008...

Dad fwd this calendar to me:


I guess I can start planning for 08 holidays haha

SnackAttack! Fav!

Manage to have dinner @ home & catch the ch8 varierty show - snackattack today=)

Mum's dinner is still the best! Mum had prepared stir-fried cabbage, ahcha, handmade seafood balls, steamed fish. They are great homecooked dishes=P

Snackatttack topic is on 面煎馃 ~ my fav!

Jotted down all the stalls being recommended in the show..from Kovan, Pek Kio, Bendemeer, Tiong Bahru to Maxwell..shall visit each of them starting off with the nearest one in Kovan=P After that, shall conclude which one is the best=)

Corrinne May's concert on 3rd Aug, Fri, 7.30pm! Would like to catch it..wonder if tics are still available...

Ceremonies & Celebration!!

I think my eyebags are getting heavier and dark circles darker that even my mum nags me to sleep earlier. So shld be catching on sleep right now isnt it...but wkends are just too short & feel like blogging now..so I am lying on bed with my lappie=)

Commencement, Gala dinner, ST's bdae are highlights of this week.
Commencement - A rush, rush affair but sweet to see frenz & head bck to sch again=)
Gala dinner - A fri night with okie food & wine
ST's bdae - Nice dinner @ ichiban boshi with the gers

Weekend is here again.

Time really flies..can't imagine that I have worked for close to a year. Happy about AI in Jun..yeah I feel the blooming of hospitality world=)

Commencement 2007 coming next Thurs! 5 jul 07. 3pm. UCC.
The Singapore HR Awards 07 Gala Dinner next Fri! 6 jul 07. 7pm. Meritus Mandarin.

BBA commencement dinner @ Asian Civilisation Museum falls on the same fri. So keen to go with jo too cos want to explore ard ACM abit...sobs=( Gala dinner shld be exciting too...but no evening wear lo=P

Straw-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Berry Shortcake~

Decided to walk over lunch to suntec today to get the Strawberry Shortcake Music CD for my niece...it comes in a 3CDs Boxset=)

While I am ripping the songs over to my lappie & listening to them, realised that some of the songs are actually not that kidish....still like the CDs nonetheless! Strawberry Shortcake Rulz!!

getaway @ batam~

It was a rainy Sat morn...thankfully I manage to wake up on time to take the nel to harbourfront.

The wet weather was not supposed to dampen our mood...in fact, we had good food, good sleep & good hypermarketing during our short trip @ batam. Harris resort was great with a family concept & orangie theme, the emphasis on orange reminds me of nus bizad haha....

We went for a fantastic timsum buffet @ holiday inn...it was @ an economical rate of S$12.80++ & the timsum were freshly prepared and really tasteful. A good lunch kickstart our day...

We headed off to Nagoya Hills Mall later in the afternoon. Wasnt too impressed by the shops there but we were tremendously excited @ the hypermarket. We discovered the great deals there & stocked up on some necessities. Items obtained: garnier light facial foam, biore pore pack with green tea & cherry blossom flavour, Vaseline Aloe Vera Moisturiser, Tim Tam biscuits...Shiok!

An Indonesian massage @ harris marina spa rounded up the day. We ordered free pan pizza to the rooms for dinner..tv googling..chatting! Back to sin the next day..

Minjiang

We had dinner @ Minjiang, Goodwoodpark hotel on Sun evening to cbrate lihua's ROM on 9 June=) It was a great yummy dinner! Xq has the 15% disc card. We wanted to give our bride-to-be a treat but ended up she used her sub credit frm her future hubby to treat us ops=P

Our first dish - Fruits & prawns in mayo which was slightly too generous..we concentrated too much in eating for subsequent dishes... so realised didnt take pics =P
Over drinks @ border bistro, we settle on a trip to Batam in mid Jun...it is that fast, haha we want sun, sand, sea, massage, away frm city, no need to take leave = sat & sun @ batam!~

HIP

Saw this from Shine's blog: http://www.hiphotels.com/

It is a great website..the HIP hotels are fascinating! The hotel called Hi in Nice, France seems interesting..esp its restaurant.

Viewing the rest in time to come will surely be an enjoyable process for me=)

1st Worktrip~ Kuching=)

Kuching, also known as cat city, has the characteristics of a cat basically.
A small, quiet, slow city....not much bustle either in the day or night.

People seen here: their general character seems to be sincerity and simplicity. Local fare eaten here: Kolo Mee, Laksa, Popiah are good food with authentic & not processed taste.

SuperDog

Saw baby jan b4 heading bck ofc to settle some stuff today. Baby jan was sick yest & vomitted 7 times=( She was a brave ger, nvr made a whine or cry althou she was uncomfortable. Glad that she has recovered today=) Hugging her close is a comfort. All of us, even my bro & dad luv baby jan to bits & like to carry her. We are all worried that she wldn't recognise us & let us carry as we dun see her that often... haha see there is childishness in adult world too=P

A couple of hrs in ofc b4 heading off to vivo to meet up with fio. Realised that travelling to vivo frm ofc area is quite convenient by taking bus 97. Great! We wanted to watch spiderman3 but all 9plus tics are sold with only 11plus tics left...no choice we cant watch cos got no car to travel bck if we watch=( Dinner was settled @ SuperDog. I had the chicken hotdog with iced choc. Quite nice. I was'nt satisfied thou after eating them while fio was saying she was v full le. Think I hve becum a glutton these days? I wanted to hve dessert..hee gelato, icecream or anything sweet. Luckily the idea was dropped off thinking of the inconvenience of eating while shopping. Got a tangerine black covered heels & joop top...Fio got two Coat's tops & club marc slacks..haha overspent?~

Tmr evening is the sk cc yoga class with sis again...12 sessions in total but have missed two le thus far...think it is ending soon with a couple more sessions to go...better dun miss again=P

Strawberries, Scenery, Steamboatsss...

Strawberries, Scenery, Steamboatsss...

The above sort of sum up the short trip to Cameron Highlands. My first time to this place which is 8h by coach frm Sin. I luv the cool weather, fresher air, night mkt & delicious steamboat over there=)
Despite the dogs that scared us on the first day, the big spider that threatened to stay in our apt & refused to leave, it was a nice trip nonetheless with the gers!

FishY

Saw this inspirational note in inbox =)

The Japanese love fresh fish. However, the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.

So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan? If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?

Too Much Money

As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company, paying off your debts or whatever, you might lose your passion. You don't need to work so hard so you relax. You experience the same problem as lottery winners who waste their money, wealthy heirs who never grow up and bored homemakers who get addicted to prescription drugs. Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple. It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950's.
" Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment." L. Ron Hubbard

The Benefits of a Challenge

The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a good problem. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are happy. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!

How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.

Recommendations

Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up. Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help. If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals. Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your group, the society, even mankind. Don't create success and lie in it. You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.

Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

All 4 Gone!

Woke up on wed morn. My original confidence, no-worries attitude towards the surgery seems to be a little shaken as I read up more on impacted wisdom teeth surgery using Google. Concern about the side effects & other possible complications. My decision this morn is to go ahead with it & don' t think so much. 3 months ago: My dentist has recommended me to do it @ Alex Hosp due to the angle of the tooth. I guess all my wisdom teeth are still in a gd state as they are not causing me any pain. However, the dentist recommended me to remove before they start to cause problems to the molars ard them as those lower jaws wisdom are fully grown. Brushing is definitely difficult due to the angle of the teeth & food debris trappings are likely. Conclusion of the day: Prevention is better than cure! Remove them now instead of risking to remove the molars 2gether with the wisdom only when they decay! So after so much of weighing the pros & cons, I decide to have all four of my wisdom removed under general anaesthesia.

My x-ray was done way bck on 13 Jan. Original surgery scheduled on 21 Mar but postphoned due to work commitments to 11 Apr. It has to be done witin 3 mths which is b4 13 Apr. If not, the validity of the x-ray will lapsed and I hve to do the x-ray again = more $$ phew...Since I am on the monetary issue, glad that a referral letter has been taken from the polyclinic...it saves me 700plus under govt subsidy & the whole bill thus amounted to 900plus which can be offset by medisave. Extracting 4 wisdom @ a go is more economical than 2 each time =)

~The surgery~
GA was really an xperience, you feel yourself become more & more tired...& before you realised you have fallen into a deep slumber. Totally don't noe what happen after that. Only rmb the last qns by the GA doc was: How old are you? Where are you working? When I woke up, my mouth felt numb with a long strip of cotton guaze in it. Blood pressure was being measured constantly. The rest I can't see clearly cos was without specs...Before long, the nurses pushed me & the bed back to the ward on level 1. Shall cut short on the post-surgery medications & stuff....feeling ok now....hope the pain wldnt augment over the nxt few days...& the face wldnt swell..wish me luck=P

Going to hve the stitches on chin removed tmr. Hope no obvious scaring =P
What a week of surgery & ops...nvr go hosp so freq in a week in my whole life!!
Phrase of the day from myself: 健康很重要，无论是身态或心灵上，与健康当好友，天天都美好！

Wisdom, Stitches, Pain?

Updating my blog on a weekday..Tuesday night to be exact.

Mixed feelings now...glad to see that the stitches on my chin are recovering fine. They will only be removed on Thurs.

Going for the long scheduled & postphoned wisdom tooth surgery tmr.....I was told not to hve any more food from tmr 6am onwards...which means I wld hve to miss bkfast tmr. Left ofc @ 10 todae. Went hme to eat mum's white congee. Although I felt full but eating dinner, I actually started to eat bread considering that I wld not be able to enjoy my fav essential meal of the day - bkfast tmr morn. Silly & irrational.

Kaya Toast

On Gd Fri morn, went to visit aunt' hse to see baby janelle..
Baby jan woke up v early...but today I didnt dare to carry her cos I injured my chin the night b4 on my way hme with coll sherry. Sherry accompanied me to RH A&E as the RMG clinics were closed. I had stitches done on my chin. Really hope there will be no scar after the stitches are taken out as per the doc..

We went to HG Mall to have bkfast @ ya kun toast. Baby Jan seems to hve separation anxiety with her grandma as per my cousin. After bkfast, we headed bck to her hse, my another young cousin jera was using straws to make hearts & stars for her sch...it seemed rather complicated...haha but she said can earn svc pts...helped her with a few...but had to consult her along the way when I was stuck hehe...

Suddenly, dunno where the inspiration came frm, my aunt, cousins etc decided to make KAYA today. Jera was given the task to go the mkt to buy 3 coconuts, 1 kg of sugar and she was keen to go cos she wanted to get her straws too...she asked me to accompany her so I went along. After getting the necessary ingredients, we started to prepare our own Kaya...while one of my uncle fed baby jan milk. Baby jan doesnt't like to drink milk these days & prefer plain water instd. Given a choice, she'll willingly suck the bottle with plain water & turn her head away from the bottle with milk. My uncle was pretty good @ feeding her..haha we were saying maybe she was too frightened off by him & thus drank her milk obediently.

While baby jan was taking her aftrn nap, we were in the kitchen making the kaya. Making kaya involves lotsa patience as my aunt explains...constant stirring is required. From the beating of the eggs, adding in of the sugar, beating again and subsequent stirring of the mixture over the fire, it really takes plenty of patience and time to hve a smooth and silky kaya texture as the end product. Pandan leaves give a light green colour to the mixture, adding in sugar that has dissolved makes it brown. It was fun preparing kaya with the whole family & I learnt how to make Kaya today. The smell of the fresh hot kaya was real good..it went well with crackers & white bread yummy=P

恩恩的大头照=P (she resembles the baby on MummyPoko Packaging?? hehe)

Mum' Savour

It is Sun again!

Attended my mgr's church wedds on sat aftrn...it's a v. sweet affair with flower girls & boys coming in b4 the bride walked down the aisle=)

Sun morn drove to mkt. Mum is going to make Popiah today! We got the necessary ingredients like the popiah skin, turnip, bean sprout, lettuce etc @ the mkt. Mum alwaz got lotsu stuff frm Amk mkt on Sun cos tt's the only day she goes to the mkt in a week. Got so much stuff in the end...wanted to call sis & bro to come down & help carry the stuff up frm the car.

From the grounding of the peanuts, mixing the sweet sauce to cooking the turnip...the steps involved can add up to quite a handful..but the results are pretty satisfying=) I luv Popiah, esp the qiji & sembawang hill food centre ones...but I muz agree that mum's ones are v v. nice too=P Sun's the best when I get to hang ard in the kitchen when mum prepare homecooked dishes 4 us...

For def. of popiah - refer to bro hk's blog hehe...

Random

I guess weekend posting has become a habitual thing?

Saw baby Jan on sat morn! Gave her the cute little fan and handkerchief bought for her @ bkk...she is going to be 5 mths old soon....she has not master crawling and walking yet...but can try holding the milk bottle by herself now..she ventured into swimming the other day with my cousin=) Guess my small niece like drinking plain water most, she will just hold on to her milk bottle, and drink her water v quickly making sucking sounds haha....

Bored act in the living rm while watching Japan Hr on Sun...

Before

After

Tata! Done! What to use it for? Hvn thot of it yet=P

Indulging, Shopping, Dining - Weekend @ BKK~

Striking off my 3rd toplist - trip to BKK over the wkend ended in a haste...nonetheless it was a safe & sound trip!

Tiger Airways airtics were booked way back in Jan. Free seatings on board so must get-on early. 2 1/2 hr later, sis & myself were greeted by the new BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport which sports a contemporary look. We explored around the airport to find the free shuttle bus to the bus services terminal. While trying to find it, a taxi driver quoted a rate of 600 baht which we know was way out. We managed to catch the free shuttle. Helpful lady @ bus services terminal told us the bus no. to take to reach Rama IV, Silom. It's 556. While we were still checking with her, she realised that 556 was leaving...so she ran out of her ofc to help us stop the bus half-way, and we hopped on!! The bus was an authentic, non-aircon kind that the locals take. With Thai music playing in the backgorund...breeze blowing in while the bus moved...the bus journey was a great xperience=)

We alighted @ the backpacker area, somewhere near Lan Luang Rd and took a cab from there to reach Pan Pacific Bangkok. The cab fare costed around 100 bhat. We checked into the hotel which was booked under associate rates. Staying on 29th floor, our windows looked out to the swimming pool of the hotel. I discovered that I wld'nt be able to take any pics for the subsequent days as I did not bring along the charging base for my cam. Sadly, the cam could not be switched on at all...guess it had hibernated cos the last time I used it, it was on one bar of batt.

Our shopping spree begun and we covered Siam Paragon, CentralWorld, MBK, Platinium Mall, Chutuchak Mkt in these 2 1/2 short days. Especially like Siam Paragon for its Gourmet Mkt which is like Taka basement. Like Platinium Mall for its levels of good tiny shops selling female fashions. Like Chutuchak for its hustle and bustle under the hot sun. When asking for the prices of the stuff, I tried using "tao-rai" (thai version of "how much"). Ended up the shop owners answered in thai and sis and myself could only smiled cos we couldn't understand. Haha so we decided to switch back to Eng version.

Dinnner on the 2nd night at Food Loft @ Central was a really enjoyable xperience. Love the place for its nice ambience settings despite it being a food court. You will be given a "Flavours" card when you enter the place and food will be ordered using that card while payment are made when you exit from the place (similar to Marche). It has nice aesthetic couches by the windows for you to enjoy your meals...food are being served in nice tableware.

Amidst the good shopping and dining, I did not manage to catch much sights and places of interest in BKK except Chulalongkorn Uni and Lumphini Park which are near to PPBBK.

Weekend is here!

Fri night - Met up with Jo, Anlian & Fio....left ofc at 7plus cos I was just too hungry to continue with work...had dinner @ MOF central stage. Spent most of the time queueing for the seats. Went back ofc after a quick dinner while the gers headed to changing appetites for desserts!!! Took a detour last LRT home which brought me to all the diff stops b4 rching my stn...so I ended up spending close to 20 mins on the LRT instead of the usual 5 mins, shld have juz walk home instead bleh...

Sat morn - Woke up @ 10am! Rushing to get ready to go for the lunch buffet @ HTL. This booking was to cbrate dad's belated bdae in Feb. It was a post-dated one as his bdae happens to be in the CNY period and I can't get table at staff rate during then. The six of us including Granny had a hearty lunch b4 heading off to MS to get toys for Janelle. Got a muscial toy for 6mths+ baby for her=) Jan was sleeping soundly when we reached. Especially like her sleeping look...it simply seems so peaceful and without all worries in the world. She'll just sleep and will not be bothered by the noise or adults' talking around her. When she has just woke up, she will open her big eyes and look around her curiously. An adorable baby whom I simply adore and want to hug her. When we left, she was still sleeping...didnt bear to wake her up cos she had just fallen asleep when we arrived. At least saw her...hvn seen her since CNY. I shall find time to come again & play with her next time=)

Shopping + Sentosa = Satisfaction!!

Had lo hei with ST & XQ @ sakae as agreed last year!! We felt extremely bloated after having it. Apparently, the smallest serving size is kinda big too...& with all the sushi we had taken b4 hand, it really make us all bloated. Had dinner @ Fiesta on Fri nite with SSL, felt that fiesta serves nicer & more variety sushi, soba....ST, XQ & myself went to shop @ mphosis and got tops @ 50% off...rmb my fancl cleansing oil using up soon..gotten it with XQ to save 3 bucks when we buy 2...the auntishly feeling is coming up ops=P

On the eighth day of CNY, me, SJ & Fio headed down to the island located at the southern part of Singapore - Sentosa!

This was a trip that has been postphoned for weeks before CNY and finally it is set!! Though we had plenty work to settle over the wkend, we nit to sweat out seriously too & thus it boiled down to time-mgt minus a few hrs of slp...SJ & I reached earlier this time round & we headed off to the basement for food! SJ got a super cheesy hotdog bun which she kept praising it haha while I got a blueberry bravisso gelato. Went up to L3 outdoor deck to hve our food while waiting for fio.....& looking @ the long queue for the SentosaExpress...haha so SJ started to hve evil thots of askig fio to queue for us since she was late. Fio rched when we were just done with our snacks...so we queued 2gther & the queue was not slow actually.
Managed to accomplish 3 things there - Cycling, Luge & Flowers. We were a little offset by the dizzle when we were ready with our rented bikes...fortunately the dizzle didn't get heavier..and off we were to our 1h of bike riding. Not really used to the routes @ Sentosa, many deadends & road hazards cos we didnt follow the usual bike track..thankfully we made it back safe & sound!!!

Next up is skyride & luge=) They have either individual or combo, we chose the combo cos it is more economical @ 8 bucks & we get to try both. All three of us were short of cash...seemed that atm was pretty faraway...decided to pay using my suppl maybank visa. And surprise! The friendly tic counter staff said maybank has a special promo with them & we get to enjoy islander rates, i.e 5 bucks pax!!! Yippee it's my first time and I enjoyed both though really wish their duration can be longer....

Safety helmets for the luge that stupid me wore the other way rd & didnt realise till the caucasian tic man knock on it & told me bleh stupid...

Adorable young kids queueing in front with the oversized helmets & they wore it correctly=P

View from the skyride...worried that my cam'll drop so took a quick one=P

Finally, the finale show was the FLOWERS....colourful, magnificant flowers & mural paintings...
-To be updated-

Sun dawn 2am, updating this entry. Went for work tis morn for the intl women's day seminar 07 @ the new ntuc centre. Went to do collegen pedi @ special rate, went suntec career fair with xj, met up the pals @ jack's plce, drinks @ CitySpace...hsh=)

Side-tracking apart, back to FlOWERS!! Under a state of half dizzle, half sunset sky, we walk through the flowers, mural wall paintings & garden sculpturing...

Haha tinks the little girl likes the girl sculpture that resembles her... doesn't they look alike (the face & the hair).....

Colourful mural painting

Stations for photosho0t where crewman helps to take pic...here we are told to point to the white sheep to ask them to head home??

Finally, our Mr Merlion & piglet in hotair balloon...time for ourselves to head back to mainland...Good bye!!!

Post-mortem of CNY!!!!

Post-mortem of CNY!!!!

The 3rd day of CNY （初三） is usually a school day....I am glad that it is still a PH today=)
Have been feasting & feasting for the past three days since Sat....new year goodies are just so tempting right? Over-feasting has a tendenacy to give me tummy probs...so i noe all these feasting must stop today so that I can return to work tmr in tip-top condition？想想看，这几天的佳节， 让我最开心地还是年除夕夜的逛花市。我最爱在吃完年夜饭后和一家人去逛花市， 买年花。。回到家后继续欣赏倒数节目。。听起来有点孩子气，但我确实爱除夕！（haven't been using chinese to write, this seems kinda of strange, but since im in the mood of CNY so can't miss out some chinese chars=)

Really looking fwd to the lao yu sheng & sentosa trip @ the end of the week!!! I want my yusheng @ sakae as ST promises right?...I want my exercise, sun-tanning, flowers moments @ the island (",)~

Farewell, A well-respected Prof

Eating my dinner at 11.20pm...shld be called supper instead...tmr shall be an earlier leave ofc day if possible.

~Was reading Today just now & much saddened by the news of the sudden death of NUS Don Assoc. Prof Ananda Rajah. He was one of my very last lecturers during my final semester in NUS. Etched in memories were his sense of humor, friendliness and a great smile. He was always encouraging students to consult him for our project essay papers and was always willing to stay behind after lectures to answer any students' enquiries. Deepest condolences to Prof's friends & family, he will always be missed for his great teaching effort, warmth and kindness.~

Welcome 2007!

Welcome 2007!

It seems a much back-dated post, writing this on the 6th day of 07.
I guess it is never too late, isnt' it?

-301106-

Life is pretty hectic between yr end closing and beginning of new year. Drove all the way to clementi for the dentist that myself & sis trusted...consulted him for my wisdom tooth, quite disappointed when he said he can't extract for me & referred me to Alexandra Hosp due to the odd angle of the tooth. It has to wait then & hopefully my set of other teeth wldnt get too crowded out due to it...

Games on bed, with bizad gers

-311206-
Missed the last-min organised family bbq on NYE, missed seeing baby janelle=( Ended up spending NYE in hotel ushering guests & joining in the countdown party....kinda interesting for me cos first time with the hotel & doing frontline duties....thankfully everything went smoothly...& managed to catch the train so hsh by 2am=)

-010107 ~ 060107-
A Mon without work so no mon blues! Went tamp with mum & sis....spent the great amt of time @ G2000 where mum got her bottoms at 50% off...great deal...maybe one of my new yr resolution shall be to shop only when there is sale=P Was kinda of surprised to rec a letter of promo & pay raise on thurs...happy! On thurs night, fell sick....think there is some flu virus spreading around...

Feeling so much better on sat...tt oso explains why I hve the excess energy to type out this entry now...went vivo in the evening...was in G2000 again where I saw more 49bucks jackets...was having a fair bit of cognitive dissonance for getting the one at 59bucks last week at MS branch...but I still like it since it has been bought=) Saw ClubMarc there too...so it is not only at parkway hmm

Sun evening, am surfing thru LV website now assisting sis in milan to find the right bag...getting quite impatient due to the slowness of my net access...didnt really fancy those bags and can't afford them anw but have to believe that they are good workmanship that lasts a lifetime~ I shall see what you get eventually when u are bck then=P

Guess this entry shall end here with Mon coming up tmr again...a long week ahead..

Wishing a fruitful 07 ahead with good health, joy & happiness!