Exotic Poppy

2012-01-19T22:21:00.001+08:00

A sweet client's brother whom I helped sent me flowers. Sometimes it is the thoughtful and appreciative people that makes working rewarding :)

2012-01-15T14:02:00.001+08:00

Finally got down to uploading the pictures from my iPhone...
Here is what has been happening in my life since the iPhone.

Had met up with the peeps that travelled to Germany together for summer exchange years back. All of us are finally graduated and holding stable jobs. Met up for tea and had a good laugh at the times back then

Went to China town last week and this week to soak in the Chinese New Year atmosphere. Bumped into Nunu at the food street (such a small world!) and we ended up having dinner together..Yum yum.. Walked around the night market later on...Passed by this temple decorated with rows of Chinese lanterns..Thought I should capture an artistic shot of it with my phone.

Exploring one of the camera app I downloaded, caught a candid shot of mum and vintage the effect...nice!

Last night, some of us colleagues went to catch Shanghainese Opera where my close colleague was performing. Beautiful show and great acting from her, we all felt she brought out the character really well. Someone even thought she was really Shanghainese and asked her about it after the show.
Her character was an Inn keeper maiden whom the empreror fell in love with and the whole story line about the taboo of royalty mixing with the commoner. Thumbs up to Chinese Opera!

2012-01-11T22:37:00.000+08:00

Man, I think the iPhone is changing my life. I was initially very resistant to it, now I keep buying acceories online for it, like it is a pet or something. I am still not use to the smallish keyboard which makes messaging very difficult and the sensitivity of the screen so I turned Siri off. Anyway, Siri isn't really useful because it doesn't understand my accent half the time. Just reminds me of what my teacher used to say that products have to be climatized and he had cited the example of how pianos from Europe use to spoil very quick in tropical countries because they could not sustain the humidity.

This year is gonna be an exciting year because I am gonna be a missus. Which means, it is also the last year for me to collect hongbaos during Chinese New Year. It is really scary. I am 27 this year, entering my late 20s. It seems like yesterday when I just entered my 20s. The next phase of life would be getting a place to stay and to raise my own family. Scary thinking about it. I hope this year goes smoothly as it will be a major transition :( Will definitely miss staying with mum and sis!

I'm so lazy playing Sims Social now. Once I get my hands down to connecting my iPhone to my comp, I think there will be much more pictures coming this way. So watch out for this space :)

2012-01-02T23:03:00.003+08:00

HTB bought me an iPhone 4S for our 10th year Anniversary gift.
Can't believe it. I've been denying to use the iPhone for the longest time and even told him I wanted to be the last person on earth to own the iPhone. Looks like he has beat me to it :( Arghssssss

2011-12-31T17:49:00.002+08:00

Happy 1 Decade with Mr Feng!

Happy New Year to all! May 2012 be a blast :>

2011-12-27T22:30:00.001+08:00

Pictures with HTB's side of the extended family...A year ago perhaps? When my hair was still straight

Murderous!

2011-12-26T22:41:00.001+08:00

So how was Christmas weekend for you? On 23rd night was dinner with HTB's family and he bought this huge salmon which stank up the whole car. But it was really yummilicious. Salt baked salmon, wagyu beef...yumz.

On Christmas eve, decided to do some good by visiting a Public Assistance beneficiary and bought him some daily necessities. In the evening was party at one of our friend's place...loads of meat for dinner and a fun gift exchange using Indian poker style :)

On Christmas day itself, went to church in the morning with mum, and had Japanese buffet dinner with some Malaysian cousins and my family.
Today, met up with my sec school mates for lunch at Wild Honey and walked around the new A&F flagship store in Singapore. Had steamboat dinner at my aunt's place. That's pretty much how my holiday season was spent. Back to work tomorrow. ARGH~!!!!

Next New Year's day weekend, HTB has to work..So I have no plans yet :(

2011-12-23T18:42:00.001+08:00

Merry Christmas to all!!

2011-12-20T22:32:00.001+08:00

Right, work sucks and Christmas is this weekend. Totally do not feel the mood for it because everyone is holidaying while I'm slogging away to make sure things get going. Quite sick of the shit I'm doing but I have no choice to stick to it to pay up my education debts and to save up for the wedding.

Anw, we had a short Bintan getaway last weekend but the resort was really quite expensive to do anything in there. Tried the electric bike for the first time and fell from it, totally not easy to manouvre anything electrical. I can't see myself riding a motorcycle :| I think I'll still stick to the traditional bike or the car.

I hope this weekend would be good, have a few gatherings to attend, I pray for a great year ahead and good health to me and my family and good fortune for my job. I pray that the poor people in the world will be treated fairly and that the income gap would stop widening. I guess next year will be a bad financial year around the world, so we all have to stay strong and stick to whatever we have and watch our spending.

2011-12-10T18:19:00.001+08:00

This week has been the worst week for me in my working life. Never before did I experience such a bad week with so many bad things which cropped up and issues to handle, felt like wanting to quit anytime. So mentally draining and even fell ill this week as there is a bug going around the office and a number of my colleagues have been sick too.

So stressed up, people think that working for the big G is easy. Now I understand why they prefer to hire the elites in society, coz the work requires alot of brains and not much human relations, the only relation you need is to cover your backside in everything that you.
I am mentally exhausted seriously. I realise after this week that my passion is dying, which is really sad. I started out on a different tone but the clearer the whole system and picture gets makes me dellusional.

I guess what mum and HTB said is right, a job is just a job to earn you money. Then why are people investing so much time and energy into their jobs they hardly have lives. Quite scary if you think about it. It is neverending and time just zips pass before you are too old and realise that you've been spending your weekends clearing emails. Life should not be revolved around work but one's personal growth right? I really don't want to be absorbed into such a working system. It is scary... on the other hand, I know there are many jobless people out there eyeing for any job they can lay their hands on.

I need to read up on the work ethic, hopefully can find my inner self

2011-12-03T08:15:00.001+08:00

It's zee time of the year again. It's raining non-stop in Singapore and it must be freezing cold in some parts of the world. I'm half glad Singapore does not have 4 seasons so my skin would not have to keep adapting to the different weather conditions.

December is usually a quite time for most companies as everyone is taking leave but for me it is a busy time with so much changes to make to some parts of my work. This year is gonna be a different Christmas. HTB and I had went shopping at NTUC and saw the boy's bridgade food/household items donation box the other day and we bought some canned food (after asking the kid what was lacking in the donations) to donate to them. The boys bridgade would be distributing these donated items to needy households or organisations.
It's good to be giving this season and with more funds this year I can start contributing back to society.
I also plan to visit some Needy households and give some food/daily necessities to them as well. These are our clients that we have been helping and whom I've visited before. Hopefully it all works out and HTB will join me to deliver the goods to them :)

2011-11-29T08:07:00.001+08:00

Good Day to you if you have been following this space. Here is a sneak peak at some of our Engagement shots at Bali. I love the whole rustic feel of it. The first few pictures transports one back to a bygone era. That's what photographs are suppose to capture, memories, times, the emotions. We had chosen to take nicht typische photos, something that reflects us more as a couple than the standard posey model looking shots. And as you can tell, I did my own hair and make-up (with help from my Photographer). So don't expect me to look drastically different from my day-to-day self :D

Shot at Bedugul, the beautiful volcanic lake area with beautiful temples

Shot at Tegal Alang, the rice paddy plantations in Ubud, central of Bali

Shot at Padang Padang beach, Uluwatu. Clear white sand and blue green waters

And don't forget the date~

2011-11-15T07:51:00.001+08:00

This model at the VS fashion show looks great until you look at her feet, her toes are spilling out of her sandals and you can see the poor toes gripping onto the shoe so hard. All the pain one goes through just to look good!

2011-11-13T18:07:00.001+08:00

More pictures of our camel ride!

So I am back from Bali. Had a fantastic time there I didn't wanna come back. We went to take our pre wedding shots for the first few days around Ubud, Padang Padang Beach in Uluwatu and even the Nusa Dua Beach with camels. Here is a sneek peek at some of the shots :) Our photographer who went with us was Melody and her husband Justin. They are such a nice and fun pair! We all just clicked instantly and it was more like friends taking pictures for us than some professional photographer. We did alot of fun shots rather than the standard posey shots.This was taken at Bedugul, the temple at a volcanic lake...chilly up the mountains and we had to pay to take our wedding shot there!

Awesome camel shot with the only gown I brought there. Yes, it is not the typical white bridal gown which will look very cliche amidst the sand and whitish background.. The camels are really smelly, like the zoo smell and I was actually quite frighten to touch it at first. It was making a pathetic "Orh Orh Orh" sound, like it was in pain..

I look really spastic in this picture but since HTB looks good in it, shall just show it to everyone. Well, not everyone looks good everyday :)

Taken at Padang padang beach, one of the nicer beaches at Uluwatu. Had some fun shots there with the retro theme.a

Save the date! Yes this was my idea, to experiment with those old granny white face powder. The texture was chalk-like so I told Melody that we could write "Save the date" on our faces :D

The Spa in Bali is awesome. We tried a few but the one at Spa Bali at Seminyak was really reasonably priced. S$50 for hot stone massage, scrub, yoghurt body milk and a flower bath. This would easily cost $200 in Singapore. We also attended our gay friend's wedding at Canggu, a beautiful huge villa with it's own kitchen and cook. Amazing place. Well, as for how a gay wedding is like, well, it is pretty much like a normal wedding, there was the exchange of vows and rings sealed with a long french kiss. The food was fine and they even hired live Balinese dancers and fire performers to entertain the guests. There was also a live DJ to spin some songs and everyone took to the dance floor by the pool... A beautiful party, nothing too rowdy as there were elders around.

Now smack me back to reality *slaps slaps*

2011-11-01T08:24:00.002+08:00

Here are some of the random things that happened over the past few days. I had gotten my re-sized ring back a couple of weeks ago. It fits to a T now and produces the most sparkly reflections under the light..

Over the weekend, had also went to get my toenails done since we're flying off to Bali on Saturday.. I love this colour, it just represents the sun, sand and sea :) Had also tried out high heels since I would need to wear them for the photoshoot. Here's me in my sis' pair of heely sandals. My knees hurt after that. Really painful to wear. I can't imagine all that the woman is willing to go through just to look gorgeous!

On Monday, it was the start of my 3-day attachment programme at a CDC (Community Development Coucil), the place where are policies are administered on the ground. It was a truly eye-opening experience and I learnt quite a lot from the first day. As policy makers, we tend to be cooped up in our offices analysing issues from a top-down perspective. I felt the attachment was a really good opportunity to know the real issues faced on the ground. My first sit-in with an officer where the assessment process takes place, was with a mentally ill client. He has schizo and was clearly incoherent and his eyes were darting around. He kept looking at me as I was sitted at one corner and smiled. For a moment I was wondering if he thought I was a fiction of his imagination. I seriously cannot fathom what is or was going through his mind because at one point, he pointed to me and said that I went to his house and took his bank book. Then the officer turned around and asked me calmly if I did to which I replied no. So I just played along. The whole situation thought me that patience was a very important virtue when dealing with people. You really meet all sorts of people, those who would lie, tell you part of the story, thankful, ungrateful, ill clients, all of which you have to treat with a degree of respect. Afterall, humans are made up of many sorts.Anyway, after that session with the schizo guy, the female officer told me that the guy was looking at me so often she was afraid he might just pounce on me. This is not the first time I heard accompanying persons say that. Remember earlier this year when I did a home visit with an intern to a mentally ill client's home, the intern told me the exact same thing. Somehow I've been metophorised into a prey with all these weirdos waiting to pounce onto me. Perhaps that's why I've always grew up with that fear, weary of those old or middle-aged men downstairs who will stare at any female creature crossing their path. It's kinda scary, I don't really feel it in any other country but here. Sometimes I hope I'm just reading too much into things and give men here the benefit of the doubt that they are just "people watching" one of the favourite past times here. haha..okay, will see how today goes!

2011-10-24T07:38:00.002+08:00

Over the weekends, in preparation for my up-coming Bali trip, I have bought a sun hat, a new swim suit, retro earrings, scarf *Happiness*Never felt so happy to be spluging on beachy stuff before!I miss a beautiful beach. Can't wait :)

2011-10-22T20:15:00.000+08:00

Eunice accompanied me to choose my dress for the outdoor wedding shoot in Bali coming November.It was quite fun choosing the dress,. In the end I did not select a typical white wedding dress but something of a different colour, more like an evening gown. I think it fits my frame perfectly and the colour suits me :)After the selection, we went for dinner at one of the cafes located along the shophouses. The area is soc quaint these days. Long gone are the pubs and clubs that use to litter the area. Came across this place called the Talent Cafe and which serves mediterannean food and the ambience was fantastic. They played new age jazz type of music which was really hip. For a moment, I felt like an upper class chilling in such a nice ambience, with delicious food and great music :) a good way to pamper myself.I love such hidden finds. Next time will aim to bring HTB there too

2011-10-21T07:55:00.000+08:00

Totally awesome kitties. If only cats could sing!

2011-10-18T13:46:00.001+08:00

When I read the blogs or magazines about young rich Singaporeans partying, having a good time of their life, driving flashy cars and fine dining almost everyday. It dawn upon me how many rich people are out here. On the other hand, I have come across in my work and daily goings, elderly, families who fall through the cracks who struggle to have a decent meal on their plates every evening and who have to worry about their mortgage loans to pay for the roof over their heads. The contrast is marked. Sometimes we are too caught up in a world of our own. In the fantasies that plague our minds. I hear of friends who earn what they spend or spend what they earn. Perhaps the realities of the cost of living has not set in, they are still very much sheltered under the wings of their parents. Of course there are other friends who are not born into gold, some lost one or both parents at a young age and have to struggle to put themselves through school. Others are absorbed into the virtual world, by means of finding comfort in the unachievable they think of the material world.Yesterday I was at Parliament. I was listening to the MPs debate over policies and political issues. What struck me was a member of the opposition party who spoke of Happiness. She spoke of the Happiness index which brought Bhutan to fame, where gross national happiness (GNH) rather than GDP was valued. She talked about our pledge "To build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation". Her words inked my heart. I could see the other members looking at her and sniggering away as though hapiness was some joke. 'Happiness' has turned into a horibbly simple and ignored word. We do not use the word "happy" in our compositions because it is just too simple. We prefer bombastic words like "elated", "jubilant" and even "intoxicated". But have we ever stop to think about what happiness means to us. Are we happy? Are others around us happy? In fact, we are quick to atribute things that make us un-happy. But without really looking at how to un the un-happy. In our pursuit for economic progress, we have become generally unhappy with the way many things are. I do not belive that we are truly unhappy, it is just that we have been choosing to focus on these things without focusing on the simple things in life that make us happy. We dream of owning the next lambourgini and if we are unable to achive that or when the going gets tough, we become unhappy in the process. Can we un-unhappy the process and find the true meaning of happiness again?

2011-10-18T07:42:00.003+08:00

I think this is so true...hahhahaha

2011-10-16T16:34:00.001+08:00

On Friday some of us went to the Spooktacular try-outs before it's official opening this coming weekend. Spooktacular is the annual Halloween event at Sentosa where you pay a fee to visit some mock up haunts with people dressed up as ghosts to scare you. There were 6 haunted trails this year but we only managed to visit 4 as the queue was extremely long. The trails had different themes since Singapore is a multicultural society, they featured the Chinese underworld, some Indian and Malay trails with different storylines.

2011-10-13T08:03:00.001+08:00

Oh, I've been missing out on this space for some time. Partly because I was busy and partly lazy. So work is the usual and I can't believe I've been here for more than a year now. I'm like one of the "older kids" on the block. You can imagine how the changes are like here. My old director's leaving. Many people in and out. Have to adapt to all these changes :(

2011-09-30T21:28:00.003+08:00

X-Ray of foot in high heeled shoe! - Beyond every postural deviation/compensation that must happen above, just look at the physical stress that is placed on the metatarsophalangeal joints!
I think it gives me more reason to not wear heels! Yes I am finding every reason!

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

Yesterday it was doggie day out. HTB's cousin was having a Bday celebration for her 2 dogs at the Marina Barrage and Phoebe and us were invited. It was quite a fun affair and first time I saw so many chihuahuas and they were all smaller than phoebe. Haha..I think her Pomeranian gene got the bigger of her...So here are some pictures of the dogs. Phoebe was generally well behaved and could roam around unleashed except when she was drinking/eating or when the other dogs came up to sniff her butt(that's a sign of making friends) but Phoebe would get super agressive. She's really an anti-social towards other dogs :|

2011-09-22T22:25:00.006+08:00

Sheesh, months ago my Air-con throughout the house was spoilt. Mum has no money to fix it coz it will cost a few thousand bucks to replace the whole system anw. And I have been using my fan but now it is spoilt as well...argh...I wonder how I'm gonna sleep tonight. Perhaps I should meditate like this dog. As the chinese saying goes 心静自然凉 (when your heart is at peace you will feel cool)

2011-09-18T08:41:00.004+08:00

Caught the Don Quixote by the Mariinksy Ballet and Orchestra from St.Petersburg Russia at the esplanade last night. Awesome set and dancers for the 3 hour long show with 2 intermissions. The set was beautiful and the costumes so nice, now I feel like wearing those colourful spanish skirts!

Yeah Don Quixote is a Spanish story (as you can tell from the name), set in Barcelona but the performers are from Russia. They even had live horses on stage and the lead male dancer is uber cute; Valdimir Shklyarov. But I think males in tight pants somehow look weird, but you can see how tone the leg muscles are!

One of the acts:

An amazing act:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnjHju5SFFE&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLF861FBE084BDAF1A

2011-09-17T09:36:00.003+08:00

HTB was so excited earlier this week as he came back with this huge rolled up painting which he bought at the busker's fest in Sentosa. He chided me to handle it with care.. Apparently it was painted by an ex-American fire fighter depicting the Statute of Liberty and the 9/11 attacks. He said that it will be a great investment and he foresees the picture to worth like loads in the future. Amazingly, this was even featured in Forbes and alot of other news sites. Never seen HTB so excited before. He better hope that the Painter does not replicate this painting somewhere else :)

http://specials.forbes.com/photo/0gTp2LJ25GfyR?q=New+York+%28state
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/09/10/pacem-terris.html
http://oneclick.indiatimes.com/photo/01OY5vL6NDeb2?q

2011-09-14T21:17:00.002+08:00

My Dutch friend popped by for 2 days from her 1 month internship in Indonesia before flying back to the Netherlands. She had asked us out for dinner so we decided to meet up before she leaves...She is my one and only Dutch friend and I must say she is very well travelled and intelligent. Hope she gets a job and comes back here either that or she can welcome us when we visit Amsterdam :)

2011-09-11T15:27:00.007+08:00

HTB and I attended a friend's wedding at Shangri-La, our wedding venue next year. We had to go and try out the food and everything. And HTB freaked out on that day because the food was not up to our expectations, the deco was plain and nothing special and during the banquet itself, the waiter spilled some suace on my friend's dress as he was clearing the plates, there was black sediment in the vinegar and my spoon was oily.
HTB started to get very worried as he was scrutinizing the quality of the food and the decoration. Seems like we have to add more dollars to our basic package to up the standards especially for the floral decorations. However, as our friend's wedding had about 700 guests i.e. 70 tables, the limited decoration perhaps couldn't match up to the size of the ballroom. Since we have lesser guests, I think we can afford to pay more attention to the details.
So it is pretty much decided that if we are going to follow the greek theme, here will be the colour palette. I really think a theme is very important to nail the whole look. I am not so much worried about the dress and accessories as there are many greek designs out there recently. The colour and the floral decoration would have to come into play to create the right ambience...I am not really into the pretty, fairy, flowery type of look. I feel the garden theme has been too common these days. I was thinking more of elegant and classy of bringing in the summer greek island into the venue...

Hairwise, Ping has sent me a video on the type of hairstyle I could try out for the look, which is really pretty

For the floral decorations, I was thinking more of yellow, purplish blue and white

And for the cake, if we could custom-make it, I'm throwing some ideas around..

2011-09-07T20:17:00.002+08:00

Talked to mum this evening. I'm still very amazed at how mum handles things, she is so strong. She was encouraging me and tell me to forgive him. She said that God made everything happen for a reason. Mum has not have a smooth sailing life at all, yet everytime she meets with obstacles, she is like an iron pillar and keeps emerging stronger. I wish I could be like her. She told me that sis and her were worried for me, because I am the sort who do not like to talk about things. I keep things bottled up inside of me and they are afraid that one day I'll explode.
It is quite true that I do not like to talk to people about my problems, though now I'm trying to open up more. Actually, one of the ways I express myself is through my blog, through the social media. I feel that it is an easier way to express oneself because I won't have to face people and I can cry behind the screen. If talk to others face to face about my problems, I tend to become very emotional, that is why I chose to avoid such conversations.

Sigh, HTB is in India for his work trip, he was due to fly to Delhi this evening when the bombings occured. Now his trip has to be shorten and I think he will be flying back tomorrow. I pray he will be back safely..Bad news one after another.

2011-09-04T07:59:00.002+08:00

Last night I couldn't sleep, I was tossing and turning in bed. I then decided I had to do it. I wrote my paternal cousins a long note on FB. I told them our side of the story, or at least what I have been through and my perspective on it. I felt very strongly that my mother's voice needed to be heard as well. When I woke up early this morning, I felt confused, I didn't know if I had done the right thing by exposing my father. But then again, I could not let the lies prevail and surpress mother's voice, so I am still glad that I did write it.

I would be lying if I say that this recent reality is not affecting me and I can just simply ignore it. No, I cannot as it has a heavy emotional baggage on me. I am still figuring out how to handle it, what is the best way and how to balance everyone's emotions and feelings. I cannot simply just ignore it like how I have been running away and ignoring reality. Yes I am weak I admit, but I guess no one can really understand unless they are in the exact same situation with the exact same factors playing out. Not even the actors in the TV drama can understand how it feels. I don't know how to feel; it's because this society is value laden. There is a constant thug between what is traditionally deemed as "right" and "wrong". You can always try to justify the right by making it seem not wrong, but deep down inside you still know the values that you were brought up with and what society has moulded of you.

Having some training in sociology has helped me to think better but I still find it very hard to piece the things together. It is easier to understand reading it from a text book or article but when it comes to actual application, it is not so easy to remove your feelings from it and be objective in analysing the situation. But I must say it is still helping a little. Mother has been strong or at least appears to be. I have only my fullest respect for her and my aim will be to work hard and provide a good life for her. By the way if you recall a number of posts ago I had one huge post on brain tumor. That was because my mum had recently found out she had brain tumor. Luckily it is benign but still a lump in the brain is not good and it has been causing her hemi-facial spasms. I just pray (and pls pray with me) that it will not press on some major veins or vessels and impair any of her psycho-motor functions. As I cannot reiterate enough, stress is a major cause of illness in one's body. This shows how much stress she has been through, she may seem fine on the outside, but inside we really cannot fully comprehend how she is exactly feeling. I sincerely hope that my mother will be able to continue and stay strong because she definitely has the support of her daughters.

Chen Qing Chong

2011-09-02T21:24:00.003+08:00

I freaking cannot belive it. Today dad came to fetch me from work to have dinner with my sister and I. In the car on the way to Nex mall, he showed me a picture of an infant on his phone. I asked him who that was and he said that was my younger brother, born on 18 August 2011, a Malaysian. I could not believe my eyes and ears but was extremely calm, I think coz my feelings had not set in yet. I smsed my sister to tell her the shocking news and she had to act like she didn't know about it as we were waiting for him to tell her personally.

Honestly I think he is proud of it. Because it's a baby boy. In Chinese Customs, traditionally a baby boy is preferred. The first few questions that came in my mind was "how is he going to support him, when he has always complained of being in financial difficulty", "The boy could be my son's age", "Obviously the woman is trying to take all his money now bearing him a son", "in future, if he cannot take care of his son, who is the responsibility going to fall onto? Us?".

The worse thing is he can say that it is because we do not care about him so having another son is another outlet for his emotions? I freaking cannot believe all the lies he has told and lies after lies. And you know what is he reason for having a kid with her? Because she wants a kid and a family and because he needs help in his business. What kind of a stupid reason is that?? Totally irresponsible and no thought at all for the poor kid. So having a kid now is like a mutual beneficial agreement? It is so obvious that he did not plan for the kid and he is trying to come up with some stupid reasons to justify his deed. Total lost of respect for him. I don't know what to say and how to feel anymore.

2011-08-31T22:18:00.003+08:00

So today is my birthday. Just another day for me, HTB sent some roses to the office which was really sweet, he had stole my colleague's number from my mobile and smsed her for the office address. My colleagues decorated my cubicle with balloons and changed my screen saver. So sweet of them, and of course there was the standard birthday lunch treat :)

In the evening, had lobster porridge with HTB. We decided to eat porridge as both of our stomachs were upset. On Sunday night HTB had went to the hospital because of a bad bout of diarrhea. Since Friday, my tummy hasn't been well either and I also had diarrhea. We therefore better watch our diets these days. Next week HTB will be heading to India for a work trip, hope he will be well by then and well all the week through.

2011-08-27T08:19:00.002+08:00

Interesting Conversations with HTB:

Me knowning that HTB hardly wakes up early said, "My dream is to have breakfast with you in a park and have a stroll after that."
HTB relpied, "No wonder it is a dream..."

HTB has hardly ever taken the public transport since he drives too much. We were stuck in a jam and HTB said that next time he should just drop me at a station and I would get to my destination faster. I told him about the new Circle Line that would be completed by October and some of the stations on it. He then said, "Good, in future I can take the circle line because I don't have to figure out which direction to take from, it goes in a circle anyway."
I smiled to myself and said "For your information, the circle line isn't a full circle."
Finally I pawned him on this one!

2011-08-25T21:16:00.002+08:00

HTB's brother send us a really cool email last night saying that he thinks we can pull of this pre-wedding photoshoot : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2028143/Juliana-Park-Benjamin-Lees-zombie-engagement-photos-internet-sensation.html

Haha, I can't believe people have come to agree that we are a weird, funny, lame couple. Whatever you call it. Yes, we are indeed game to try anything, and I wouldn't mind trying this kinda shots our, but I don't think it will be appealing as a wedding shot. There are other more interesting ways to do wedding shots :D
That said, I can't wait to go to Bali in November where we would be attending a gay friend's wedding and to take our pre-wedding shots there too :)))

2011-08-21T17:38:00.002+08:00

Today I became the owner of a TOD'S G bag. Mum had bought it for me and I think it cost more than a thousand bucks. Super expensive, I would never buy such an expensive bag for myself. Mum said it's a bethrotal gift. Haha, marrying out your daughter really costs huge sum. You have to prepare so many things and buy gold accessories for her.

That aside, work has been really hectic for me of late. I've been arrowed to do some many different things that I'm confused myself on my role... Well well, work will always be as such. Now I've to go read up on the presidential candidates so that I will make a worthy vote the coming Saturday :D

2011-08-17T07:49:00.002+08:00

Work is starting to get tiring, recently had more stuff thrown on my plate and I realise my organisational skills are not very good, so sometimes I do not keep track of what is left to do. The only tool I use is the flagging system in outlook. Yes, my work consist 90% of using emails, reading and replying them. Sucks right? Yesterday I went to meet the designer doing out Annual Report. His office is located in one of the shophouses within the CBD. A really cool area and his office was like this little artistic haven with Framed pictures displayed on the floor, all white and really arty farty. It was a small co with less than 8 people I would say and the office looked like a semi home-museum style. Suddenly I felt like working in such a place, in such places which give you the happy feel, an environment to unleash your creative juices, not like a darn boring office which makes you feel like going home everytime you enter it. And from working with the designers, I realise that they are so much more carefree, they are not even bothered by nitty gritty details that I had such a hard time producing in the contract. Perhaps because the nature of my job is subjected to much audits, sometimes the people up there can be so picky at every small little thing but do not see the larger picture. But to them, the pickiness is because the see the larger picture of covering all sides.
Kinda sad...I mean to a certain degree we have to make sure all angles are covered, but if you dwell too much into making sure everything is right, sometimes you lose out on other things, like the time spent and all which makes the experience for the end user even worse. Welcome to the working world I must say! And I had just passed my 1 year mark this month :) or :( you decide!

2011-08-14T18:59:00.002+08:00

The coming Presidential elections is going to be an exciting one. This year after the ruling party has lost much votes to opposition in the General Elections, the whole atmosphere of democracy and elections are going to change. Usually, the president has been predetermined. This time, there are 4 contestants and we get to vote. In Singapore, the president has always been seen as a puppet of the state, where the prime minister and his ruling ministers are the ones who really govern the country while the president just represents us in foreign affairs etc. I am not sure yet who I shall vote, will have to listen to them campaign. One of them is out of the list for me, shall not say who but he has came across as arrogant and when I read about his plans, I think they are really shallow. The other 2 are really out spoken, both seem good, I'm quite wary who will become president next as it might shift the political landscape even further as after the General Elections, the government has turned populist which is not actually very good as the ones who suffer the most are us, civil servants who have more work to do!

Hopefully it will not mean more tough work ahead for me.. The other thing I'm quite disappointed about our people is that we have been living in our comfort zone and taking too many things for granted such that we complain about all the little things. We complain about the transport system, about the foreigners entering our land etc etc. Some people get into the anti-government mood and pick on every little thing they can find. It is quite sad that these people are good at complaining and picking on everything but yet they do not offer any solutions to these problems. It is very easy to provide lip service but when it comes to actual doing, the action, the policy making, will they be able to provide some sustainable solutions? If these people were given a chance to govern Singapore, would they be able to do as such or even better? I believe politics in many countries are the same, that is why political parties rise and fall and change every elections. I would say 5 years is not even enough to see things happen, to see policies taking effect to see the fruit of labour. But citizens would be quick to judge and therefore we see those political uproars in some of the countries.
Amazing right? As a policy maker, I've learn to see things differently. Nothing is clear cut and there are always gains and loses which we have to weigh and balance the happiness from both ends of the scale. It's an important task, our decision, our papers make a difference to the lives of many, but we are human as well, we are swayed by our respective values. I hope whatever that I have learned and done would be put into good use in helping people. What I do not hope to do is waste my time answering complains, some do provide constructive feedback, but when they keep coming and are more like a verbal slew of words attacking the government, I do feel very frustrated. I hope we would all be more sensible, I hope we would be put through the test to learn things the hard way, not to be spoon-fed by our parents and live such a luxurious life that little things pain us. We should all grow up, no pains, no gains.

2011-08-07T18:35:00.002+08:00

So it's the Hungry Ghost Festival month, the 7th month of the lunar new year where it is believe in many Chinese cultures that ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Food offerings are made and burning of incense paper along the roadsides. This time round there is a lively Getai celebration under my block, where they had set up a stage and I can hear the lively atmosphere and testing of equipments from 10 storeys above. Perhaps I should go down later to soak in the atmosphere..

2011-08-02T22:09:00.002+08:00

The Cranberries concert was awesome, Dolores' voice quality was awesome throughout the 1.5 hour concert but we all felt it was a tad too short. She started off with Analyse and ended with Dreams..

Analyse

Dreams

Today, I have been experiencing this weird pain in the left side of my chest, started during work and I thought I was having a heart attack but for a few moments just now I was experiencing it again...Argh...Signs of old age..

2011-07-30T07:52:00.003+08:00

Woo Hoo...I'm catching Cranberries on Monday at the Indoor stadium! Have like never heard them life in my life and like how rare is it to catch international stars performing on our tiny island/ Totally excited, have been so into their songs and singing them, now it's time to listen to them for real!
No not this:

But this:

2011-07-24T22:00:00.002+08:00

I think weddings, especially the Singapore standard wedding is really very expensive. Perhaps it is why many couples do not want to get married so soon and have to save up enough before they can get married.

Planning a large scale wedding takes alot of time and effort as well. I am starting to see all the costs coming in. First it is the hotel for the sit down Chinese style banquet. If given a choice I wouldn't want to do it as well. Most of us these days have to do it for the tradition and for our parents. Chinese weddings are not really only about the couple but it involves alot of the parents, the idea of "Face" and invitation of relatives (some even distant) and business partners or friends of the bride and groom's parents. The banquet itself costs more than $50,000 for us.
On top of the banquet there are still other costs for the rental of the gowns, flowers for the car etc, they cost about $3,000. If you get the package with the pre-wedding photography, it costs around $4,000 to $5,000. For overseas shooting, of course you have to add the cost of stay and air tickets for the photographer and makeup artist etc.

On the wedding day itself, you have to hire a wedding photographer and videographer which would cost another few thousand bucks. And you would have to prepare hong baos for the sisters and helpers. And of course how could I forget, the wedding bands. The cost of the wedding bands range from about $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the brand and designs and type of gold.

Adding all these nitty gritty costs, decorations etc, I think a typical Singaporean Chinese wedding would cost about $70,000. Probably half could be covered from the actual hongbaos received on the day itself. Still the cost is a lot for a young couple who would have just started working. I'm starting to wonder how much we would or could have left for our honeymoon.

Sheesh...the thought of all these is really quite scary..Have to start saving saving and saving!

2011-07-21T22:43:00.006+08:00

Now Im trying to think of themes for my wedding, I think it would help to better nail the wedding dress. I've came up with two themes. Greek and Hawaiian.

Now here is how a greecian wedding dress would look like

And the floral and decoration theme would obviously be blue, white and sand like Santorini :D

Hairstyle wise, could be like this

For the Hawaiian style it would be my trademark flower in the hair of course and for the dress, any mermaid cut dress like this would do:

But for the floral and decoration, it could be yellow, white and leafy green. This this as colour palette inspiration :D

Tell me which you think would be better!

2011-07-15T21:36:00.002+08:00

I'm super darn pissed. Now my anger for Doctors has extended to Dentists. Today I went to see the dentist after a year of not visiting a dentist (they always say it is good to get your teeth clean every 6 months). This new female dentist with an American accent saw me. She checked my teeth and said "your teeth is in very good condition and you have very good oral hygiene I don't need to clean your teeth" and she went on saying that she will not be like other dentist to pretend to clean the surface just to charge me. WHen I told her I haven't been to a dentist in a year and that recenly I've been having sensitive teeth when eating sweet stuff, she suggested doing an xray to see in between the gaps of my teeth if there are any decay. She said it would be better to do an xray than to clean my teeth. After the x-ray she told me my teeth are good and asked me if I flossed. I said no. Then she asked if I used an electric toothbrush and I said no. Then she said I either have very good brushing technique or my teeth just doesn't accumulate much plaque. In the end she charged me $71 for the x-ray and consultation.
I FEEL SO CHEATED!!!
Not only did I not get my teeth clean, it was a total waste of time and money just for her to tell me my teeth are clean.
The irony of it was I was rushing dinner with my colleague just to make it in time for the appointment and my colleague still asked me to rinse my mouth before I see the dentist. I told my colleague "No need lah, the point is for the dentist to clean it!" In the end, everything ended up like that.

I was so angry I went home to brush my teeth as hard as I could to make up for it until my gums bled! Still damn pissed!!!

2011-07-15T08:08:00.002+08:00

What are benign and malignant brain tumors?
Brain tumors can be benign or malignant:

Benign brain tumors do not contain cancer cells:
•Usually, benign tumors can be removed, and they seldom grow back.

•The border or edge of a benign brain tumor can be clearly seen. Cells from benign tumors do not invade tissues around them or spread to other parts of the body. However, benign tumors can press on sensitive areas of the brain and cause serious health problems.

•Unlike benign tumors in most other parts of the body, benign brain tumors are sometimes life threatening.

•Very rarely, a benign brain tumor may become malignant.

Malignant brain tumors contain cancer cells:
•Malignant brain tumors are generally more serious and often are life threatening.

•They are likely to grow rapidly and crowd or invade the surrounding healthy brain tissue.

•Very rarely, cancer cells may break away from a malignant brain tumor and spread to other parts of the brain, to the spinal cord, or even to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.

•Sometimes, a malignant tumor does not extend into healthy tissue. The tumor may be contained within a layer of tissue. Or the bones of the skull or another structure in the head may confine it. This kind of tumor is called encapsulated.

What are primary brain tumors?
Tumors that begin in brain tissue are known as primary tumors of the brain. (Information about secondary brain tumors appears in the following section.) Primary brain tumors are named according to the type of cells or the part of the brain in which they begin.

The most common primary brain tumors are gliomas. They begin in glial cells. There are many types of gliomas:

Astrocytoma - The tumor arises from star-shaped glial cells called astrocytes. In adults, astrocytomas most often arise in the cerebrum. In children, they occur in the brain stem, the cerebrum, and the cerebellum. A grade III astrocytoma is sometimes called an anaplastic astrocytoma. A grade IV astrocytoma is usually called a glioblastoma multiforme.

Brain stem glioma - The tumor occurs in the lowest part of the brain. Brain stem gliomas most often are diagnosed in young children and middle-aged adults.

Ependymoma - The tumor arises from cells that line the ventricles or the central canal of the spinal cord. They are most commonly found in children and young adults.

Oligodendroglioma - This rare tumor arises from cells that make the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves. These tumors usually occur in the cerebrum. They grow slowly and usually do not spread into surrounding brain tissue. They are most common in middle-aged adults.
Some types of brain tumors do not begin in glial cells. The most common of these are:

Medulloblastoma - This tumor usually arises in the cerebellum. It is the most common brain tumor in children. It is sometimes called a primitive neuroectodermal tumor.

Meningioma - This tumor arises in the meninges. It usually grows slowly.

Schwannoma - A tumor that arises from a Schwann cell. These cells line the nerve that controls balance and hearing. This nerve is in the inner ear. The tumor is also called an acoustic neuroma. It occurs most often in adults.

Craniopharyngioma - The tumor grows at the base of the brain, near the pituitary gland. This type of tumor most often occurs in children.

Germ cell tumor of the brain - The tumor arises from a germ cell. Most germ cell tumors that arise in the brain occur in people younger than 30. The most common type of germ cell tumor of the brain is a germinoma.

Pineal region tumor - This rare brain tumor arises in or near the pineal gland. The pineal gland is located between the cerebrum and the cerebellum.

What are primary brain tumors?
Tumors that begin in brain tissue are known as primary tumors of the brain. (Information about secondary brain tumors appears in the following section.) Primary brain tumors are named according to the type of cells or the part of the brain in which they begin.

The most common primary brain tumors are gliomas. They begin in glial cells. There are many types of gliomas:

Astrocytoma - The tumor arises from star-shaped glial cells called astrocytes. In adults, astrocytomas most often arise in the cerebrum. In children, they occur in the brain stem, the cerebrum, and the cerebellum. A grade III astrocytoma is sometimes called an anaplastic astrocytoma. A grade IV astrocytoma is usually called a glioblastoma multiforme.

Brain stem glioma - The tumor occurs in the lowest part of the brain. Brain stem gliomas most often are diagnosed in young children and middle-aged adults.

Ependymoma - The tumor arises from cells that line the ventricles or the central canal of the spinal cord. They are most commonly found in children and young adults.

Oligodendroglioma - This rare tumor arises from cells that make the fatty substance that covers and protects nerves. These tumors usually occur in the cerebrum. They grow slowly and usually do not spread into surrounding brain tissue. They are most common in middle-aged adults.
Some types of brain tumors do not begin in glial cells. The most common of these are:

Medulloblastoma - This tumor usually arises in the cerebellum. It is the most common brain tumor in children. It is sometimes called a primitive neuroectodermal tumor.

Meningioma - This tumor arises in the meninges. It usually grows slowly.

Schwannoma - A tumor that arises from a Schwann cell. These cells line the nerve that controls balance and hearing. This nerve is in the inner ear. The tumor is also called an acoustic neuroma. It occurs most often in adults.

Craniopharyngioma - The tumor grows at the base of the brain, near the pituitary gland. This type of tumor most often occurs in children.

Germ cell tumor of the brain - The tumor arises from a germ cell. Most germ cell tumors that arise in the brain occur in people younger than 30. The most common type of germ cell tumor of the brain is a germinoma.

Pineal region tumor - This rare brain tumor arises in or near the pineal gland. The pineal gland is located between the cerebrum and the cerebellum.

2011-07-07T21:29:00.007+08:00

Now the next step is to look for a wedding gown. For the evening gown, I'm looking at wearing a Cheongsam.

There are many types of wedding dresses:
1)A-Line or Princess Line Dress

2)Full Skirt or Ballerina Dress

3)Column Dress

4)Empire Line Dress

5)Mermaid Dress

For the wedding gown, im looking at the column or mermaid cut as I have neither the boobs nor but so I guess that suits my figure the best...Here are some designs that I am looking at on local websites

2011-07-04T21:24:00.003+08:00

For the past mornings when I woke up, my vision was grainy. You know like, when you use a really low resolution cam and take a pic in the dark or when the TV reception is not optimal, you will see small dots. Yeah, it was like that and I was quite worried so today I went to see another specialist recommended by HTB's(Hubby-to-be) dad. The doctor did the normal checks and said there is nothing wrong with my eye. No allergy but probably just dry. And she said I looked tense and asked me if something was worrying me. I had describe to her my symptoms and all but she didn't seem the least concern. I felt as though she thought I was imagining my itch and all. It is really high level stuff to imagine itchiness man. Nothing to say. She gave me some drops and lubricant for my dry eyes and that was it. $120 bucks (sponsored by HTB). So I have spend close to $500 on my eyes now and it still itches. I've given up. I guess I'll have to live with it and hope my eyes heal on it's own. Meanwhile I'll just take the TCM pills that HTB's dad gave me. When all else fails, turn to alternative medicine. I told you I never trust doctors.

And so aside from that, on to happier things. Met ASK for dinner tonight before he flies off again this weekend, this time for a year before he will be back. He had wante to go to Chomp Chomp for Mutton soup but lo and behold, Chomp Chomp was closed when we got there. Closed for de-pest. So we ate chicken rice instead and explored the new mall in Serangoon gardens before taking a slow walk back. The walk thru Serangoon Gardens private estate made me realise how many rich Singaporeans there are. Their houses are huge and beautifully decorated.

2011-07-01T22:23:00.002+08:00

For the past few months I've been leaving with a plaguing problem. My eyes. Something is wrong with them. It first started swelling one morning and after going to the GP for some medicine, it subsided. But the attack continued when I went ot Germany and up till now. A few months back my eyes were so dry and it felt like there were grains of sand in them though I was not wearing contact lens. Sometimes I could hardly open them, especially my left eye as my eyelid felt so heavy and my eyes were so sensitive to light. A few weeks back my eyes started to itch badly around the eyelids. My eyes are not red or in extreme pain or anything. Just superbly itchy and uncomfortable especially with light at night or sunlight in the day. I had went to see 2 different eye specialist and they said that I had allergy conjunctivitis and gave me a host of drops which stopped working once I stopped using them, the itch just keeps coming back. I am at my wits end as I do not know what I am allergic to and the doc says it could be dust, dust mites, pollen, or anything and told me to clean up my room and place. I've took down the curtains, cleaned my room, changed my bed sheets but it is still the same. I cant believe this condition is so delibitating. I will often during work, feel so helpless that my eye lids are dropping, eyes are so dry (and the air-con doesn't help), my eyes will be so sensitive to light and itch like mad I can't focus at work. Sigh I hope this will end soon...

It's so painful to pass every day like this :( If you have any idea what could be the cause of my allergy, pls tell me. maybe I should change my bed and chair..

2011-06-21T07:42:00.003+08:00

We have been so busy with work (as usual) and looking for a venue to hold our wedding banquet. Now it is down to either Pan Pacific or Shangri-la.
Shangri-La Tower Ballroom

Pacific Ballroom

Both are pillarless with high ceilings. The differences are that Shangri-la costs more, about $150 per pax after adding the taxes but Pacific needs a minimum of 43 tables to book, while Shangri-la's min is 35 tables. Pacific is more convenient for those who do not drive bu their ballroom is elongated which means those seating at the back can hardly see the stage..
Hmm, we have to make a decision by this weekend. Any ideas?

2011-06-06T08:05:00.002+08:00

Sheesh..I've been disappointing my readers by not updating. But there is nothing much to update really, once you are back to work life it is the same boring routine. For now it is just work for me, until I repay my eudcation debt. The sad thing is that as a graduate, most of us owe debts. We won't have the money to buy a house, a car or get married because of that. By the time you start saving up it would be don't know how many years and perhaps that's why people are settling down later and later. Coming to think of it, why do you work so hard? Just to finance your life? Your phone, electricity, house, car, kids, parents, daily expenses. Don't you deserve a life? Some say work keeps you going. I think it is the money no matter how little the pay that keeps you going to pay for the things in your life, things that are essential for modern day survival.

2011-05-19T19:20:00.000+08:00

Read the news about Arnold Schwarzenegger and he has done it again!
Freaking disappointed with high power men. Men cannot have so much power. They will abuse it, misappropriate it. Perhaps that is why looks and youth are so important to many women and they seek to preserve, achieve or enhance it, because it can be used as a tool against men, or to entice them. Centuries on, and the method never fails. I don't think stereotypes about men and women can be changed. Or at least not in my life time.

2011-05-14T18:46:00.004+08:00

Our first German Friend Daniel's house. So beautiful, in Brandenburg..
Only in such places where you can afford such a beautiful home. Definitely not in Singapore where everything is so expensive and landed property are only for millionaires..

2011-05-10T22:01:00.005+08:00

I know, my update on Germany is due...but with facebook and all the pictures on it, I feel very lazy to update my blog. Honestly, I feel like deleting it. There is no motivation to continue writing anything on this page any more because you won't know who reads it and it's full of spammers.

Well in any case, shall give a gist of my trip. Spent the last 18 days touring around Germany and visiting friends. Got engaged on the 2nd day of my trip at a Castle ruin along the Rhine River. I love the castle because of how beautiful it always appear in the pictures. Not the princessy type of castle or grand type of palace but a run-down, ruin castle, the biggest along the Rhine with overgrowth around it. Makes the place even more memorable than splendid, well-kept, forgetable palaces. So BF had cleverly hidden the ring in his bag and brought it with him everywhere he went, even to the toilet. I should have felt something amiss but blur me just didnt get a clue. I guess he decided to propose early, in case I got more observant along the way and found the ring or something. But it wasn't just the Ring that stunned me. It was a beautiful book he made with photos of us and a little story that ended of nicely with the proposal. BF had asked me to stand up since we were both sitting down when he proposed, just so that he could kneel down. How cliche..haha..of course I couldn't bear for him to kneel so I just refused to stand up. We are on the same level anyway, my motto is, if a guy kneels before you before marriage, after marriage it would be the other way round..

Ok, so hear are some pictures of the castle and our trip and visit to friends around the country..

2011-04-14T19:53:00.004+08:00

Yesterday met up with the WAGs for dinner. My colleague had introduced me to this secret hideout at serangoon Gardens where they serve free selected pastas and pizzas for ladies every Wednesday. So we obviously ordered the free stuff and added toppings and some other stuff so that we would not seem too kiasu :P The food is ok, pizza was nice, but pasta not fantastic. Well I guess that's the quality you get for eating free stuff. Heard their "paid" stuff is much better. The place is called Buono Pizza.. Hidden among the private estate, quiet and nice place to relax.

Random picture of a fat cat I saw somewhere I forgot..

Weeks ago, I was in a bus on a Saturday morning and for the first time I was the only person on the bus. Indeed exciting :) but not only for a few stops :(

2011-04-10T11:02:00.000+08:00

Super cool, talking about efficiency, you don't need multi-tasking to do things faster :]

2011-04-08T22:22:00.000+08:00

Masters Masters Masters, I better look for something to study...Tired of work already, maybe it is just my work..or work as a whole.
Feel dumber by the day...

2011-04-03T20:50:00.000+08:00

Deleted my cbox because have been receiving those spam comments. Really irritating! Argh...Anw, weekends are like the only times I am looking forward to everyweek. My pimples have been popping out alot lately due to late night mahjong! Haha, but I think im loving mahjong, keeps your brains cracking especiall if you play with the pros...

2011-03-30T20:55:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, I went for a really interesting course by Tony Buzan, the famous Pyschologist. He is like the founder of mindmaps or something. I learnt quite some stuff from it so I decided to try it out the next day. As you know, I am volunteering as a coach/mentor to a young boy at the Family Service Centre(FSC). Those who go to the FSC are usually families with problems. Anyway, to qualify for the coaching programme, the kids would have to fail at least one subject and most of the time they fail more than one at primary school level and their grades can be as low as 20/100. Honestly quite astonishing as I never remembered scoring below 70 in primary school and that even a 70 was quite a disgrace. This is really how much emphasis our society has been placing on grades. Ok, so back to the story, I decided to teach the kid how to draw a mind map because I realise that making him do rote learning was not the way to go. He got tired after 45 mins and would not get anything into his head. So I decided to show him how to draw a mind map by using an example of himself and drew pictures on it. Then I showed him how to draw a mind map for his science topic. I first went through the usual route of reading the text book and after that tried to use the mind map to link the points together by getting him to participate as I guided him along. Then I asked him to draw a mind map by himself of his school. i.e. school in the centre(and draw a picture of his school) and the places within his school and what these places are used for. I think he quite enjoyed it and could see the whole picture better.
I am glad to have passed him that skill of what I had learn the day before. I mean I did use mindmaps when I was studying before but it just slipped my mind of passing it on to some kid else. I feel that for such children without the grades or interest to learn, forcing more work on the subject is really not the way to go. Getting them to repeat the same questions over and over again will not make them learn. Instead of teaching them the subject, teaching them to learn is the key.
Like my previous mantra on tertiary education, you have to study the prof, not the subject. The same goes for primary level learning, you have to teach the kid how to learn and not just the subject itself. I guess getting them interested in learning is the key to their future. The education system should really be this way.

2011-03-27T11:45:00.007+08:00

Yesterday we celebrated ASK and Liza's birthday cum ASK's farewell to Switzerland for his Masters at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Arab street. The food was not fantastic but the company was fun! Made some new friends..and the highlight of the night was the finale of a belly dancer performing. Totally exotic poppy! Makes me so wanna learn it..haha, but i've got some psychomotor problems D:

Here are some pictures from the night...
Nice Ceiling

All 12 of us seated on the floor..

Twinny and I

Birthday boy trying on his gifts..

Doing some spatic face

Bishi and I

Sandra(from HK), me, Nurul and Weiqi

Protesting against the Paparazzi

Stupid faces

The vast amount of food..fried food, finger food..but the lamb was really good..

Finale!

2011-03-26T08:19:00.003+08:00

View from my office 10 storeys above. we get an almost 360 degree view because the office is built in an octo/hexagonal shape. One side is the city, the other side is the "nature"

Met up with Jiam last night for dinner at the Central at Clarke Quay. Had Japanese Ramen for dinner. Recently, I've been eating a lot of Japanese food despite the radiation scare. It's kinda sad that something like that has to happen. Anyway, there were some flea booths outside the mall and so I chanced upon this really cute coin purse and knew I just had to buy it and since it was the only one of its kind left! I've decided to name it Pipi. Don't ask me why, it just looks like a Pipi to me :]

2011-03-23T20:49:00.003+08:00

Seldom do you look up into the sky to see it painted in such beautiful colours...like yummy candy floss..

Mum bought a wig and I tried it on! Too small for my Big head and it looks super retro!

2011-03-23T20:33:00.002+08:00

Indian style driving. This is just amazing..What are traffic rules man?

2011-03-21T21:44:00.002+08:00

Weekend was good. Spent time with BF, it is so precious as we hardly get to see each other during the week. Went shopping, made new spectacles, went to the gym :) BF bought some really cool clothing from Uniqlo and other shops at ION. Can't wait to see him flaut them during our trip to Germany! Yes have I mention that we will be heading to Deutschland on 20 April? I can't wait, desperately need a break from work and this time the trip for 18 days will just be in Germany visiting some friends and making our way throughout most of the country. Cross my fingers everything goes well... The Japan Tsunami was just way cruel. Everything gone within a day..Makes me want to enjoy my life even more for now. You won't know what will happen the next moment.

2011-03-19T10:01:00.001+08:00

This is so cool...
Beautiful Thai Transvestite with a sweet voice that switches to a male voice..

2011-03-14T23:28:00.004+08:00

Today we had steamboat dinner at golden mile complex, kinda nostalgic the place and it served both cooked food and steam boat. After that went to Boon Keng City view. The newly built DBSS which a friend had bought. His unit was 37 storeys up and had a fantastic view of the city. But the new houses are extremely small and i was quite shock at the size of the kitchen for a 5-room flat. really small. Their playground udner the blocks was quite small too...but as usual the boys can never stop being boys...

2011-03-13T20:20:00.002+08:00

Yesterday we brought Bernhard and Mieke, from Germany and Netherlands to eat Chili crab at Melben seafood in Ang Mo Kio, we arrived there early at 5.45pm because of the known long Queue if you don't turn up early. Mieke wanted to eat chili crab so we went there. Had a great dinner before heading to Toa Payoh to eat durian. They were quite game on trying it and said that it was not too bad and could even eat 1 or 2 seeds :)
After that we headed to Moonstone at Mount faber for a relaxing drink and view of the area around. Met up with BF's other friends and Ihna who is back for a short visit from the Philippines :D
Overall, a good night company with foreign friends!

2011-03-11T07:33:00.002+08:00

Kinda upset and disappointed with work again lately. I've been seriously thinking. This is the first time I am unhappy with a job which I thought I would be happy in, which I thought I could make a difference to the lives of others. I started out full of energy. Now I am just absorbed into the system, like a corg in the wheel. Taking instructions and following instructions. My work is not recognised and I don't even feel like making my work recognised anymore. After so many levels of clearance, your work just does not become your work and superiors will claim credit for it. You are just doing work for those up there. When they tell you to change, you ammend. Then the next level asks you to ammend back you listen to the boss of your boss, and the boss of your boss' boss. There is no end to it. You just wish like asking the highest rank what he wants and do it. Because it is purely wasting your time when you go through the many levels of ammendments. The system is very top-down, very hierarchical. It is like what we learn in school. Anw it does not matter, no one challenges the system because they just want to get into the boss' boots and get promoted, or they just have no say. It is really stupid because when I look at it from a macro point of view, I feel that to get one simple thing done you have to put in too much effort, to follow the protocol and at the same time avoid shaming your immediate superiors by consulting them on every minute issue so as to "cover your ass".
It is really mentally exhausting. I am seriously thinking of moving on. Hopefully I can do my graduate studies, or at least get out of this stupid system.

2011-03-04T23:16:00.003+08:00

Suddenly an influx of photos from my childhood days in Malaysia. My cousins are resurfacing them now that both our grandparents are gone and no one has ownership of the photos anymore...

Don't know what's my sister doing in this pic.

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the tannest of them all?

My sis and my cousin her age. Uber cute!

2011-03-02T22:44:00.001+08:00

This music video is so cool..Warrior of light

2011-03-01T22:48:00.004+08:00

My cousin found some old photos of us as cousins in Malaysia..Kinda Nostalgic..Can you spot me in the photos?

2011-03-01T14:55:00.006+08:00

I am back from Malaysia
Kinda sad and sudden, now I have no more grandparents left.
Grandfather was not feeling well that day and had went to the market but came back half-way and told my aunt that he was not well. She brought him to the doctor and the doc told her that my Grandfather's blood pressure was very low and to quickly send him to the hospital. But I don't know why she decided not to or to send him later and they went back home and he went to rest. That was when he suddenly passed away.

Well, dad called us on Friday evening and we had to pack our bags and leave the next morning. I knew it would be difficult a decision for mum to make on whether she should go back. On one hand, she respected my grandfather and he was very impartial and treated my mum well amongst all the other family members from my dad's side. On the other hand, knowing how much scorn she received when she went back for my Grandma's funeral a few years back plus my dad who didn't even attend my mum's mother's funeral, it was a good enough reason for her not to go back. In the end, no one made transport arranges to include my mum, so my sis and I just headed back with my cousin, his GF and my dad in a car. It was about an 8-hours drive back to the place. Everyone else was back as it is usually on Chinese New year. We had to go through the whole Toaist procession thingy with lots of kneeling, paper burning and joss stick holding. On the early morning of Sunday, we received a surprised. Mum was back! She had took an overnight coach to reach us and to pay her last respects to my grandfather. Kudos to mum. Although she did not stay throughout, at least she made an effort to come and I know she did it for my grandfather. I felt happy for her and my grandfather.

I guess after the whole event, life will be different. I will have no more reason to go back to Ipoh Malaysia during Chinese New Year because our grandparents are not around any more. I shall leave my dad and his siblings to "discuss" on what will happen to the house. The yearly visits and tormentous 8-hour drives will remain as but a segment in my memory. A beautiful village I must say, and a beautiful little farm with a variety of vegetables that will wither away. Grandfather was a man of few words, he would not complain and kept mainly to himself and his life job as a farmer. He was also a lucky man who won the loterry almost every year and the last time he won the first prize 2 days before his death.

Chives, raddish, sweetpotato leaves that will be left to wither on its own

Huge bushes of pandan leaves

We left for home yesterday evening from Ipoh Airport. First time I was sitting a plane back from the place. All the while we had driven. The little rundown airport with a beautiful view surrounded by mountains..Another chapter closes, life has to go on..

2011-02-25T22:29:00.002+08:00

Today was another busy day at work and to top it off, dad called me in the evening to tell me that my grandfather had passed away. So we have to pack our bags and leave for Malaysia first thing tomorrow morning. My colleagues were nice and collected some money and send their condolences. I kinda had a premonition that he would pass away this year, though he is old but healthy. My maternal's side grandma passed away last year and he is the only grandparent I have that was still surviving. True enough he is gone this year. A hint of regret that I didn't go back to malaysia this year to celebrate Chinese New Year and visit him for the last time. The last time I saw him was my trip with BF and gang to Cameron highlands where we stopped over for awhile. He still looked the same. A farmer all his life, he had been growing crops in his little patch of land but only recently stopped working though he grew fruit and veges for own consumption. I guess he was healthy for his age with no major problems. Heard that he went to the market this morning and wasn't feeling too well so went to see a doctor. He went home to rest and then passed away. Really sudden. Just hope he didn't experience too much pain.
Life is just like this, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

2011-02-21T22:25:00.006+08:00

Yesterday, went to Sentosa's siloso beach with Meg, Liza and ASK for a picnic. A great day to laze away, I am for the beach anytime! Though the sand's quality has reduced drastically. Nonetheless, it is a good break away from work and everything else :)

2011-02-19T08:10:00.004+08:00

Last evening, BF and I went to Orchard Central for dinner at Ah Yat Restaurant. It has been some time since we sat down for a proper meal together as both of us have been very busy with work. We ordered a 7-course 1-for-1 deal and I must say that the deal is really not bad. With Sharkfin's soup(which we changed to double boiled soup as I'm boycotting Sharkfins and BF is playing this iphone game where he is a "Shark") and abalone.
The meal started off with Lobster salad. I love lobster because I am allergic to prawn(but somehow not lobster) so that's the closest I can get to tasting prawns

After dinner we had dessert at a chocolate place and I must say their service is very good. We had chocolate fondue and their hot chocolate is very yummy too! All in all, a lovely night out with BF :)

2011-02-17T23:01:00.002+08:00

Over the weekend BF and I went to the studio to take our grad studio pics together. I actually was kinda irritated into it because I did not claim my free photo package that NTU alumni club gave when you signed up for their membership. So they called me a few weeks back to remind me to take my photo and even fixed the appointment for me.
So here it is, since the photos are free, they did not photoshop or help you make up or anything. Haha. As you can see from my stained teeth...

2011-02-16T22:16:00.002+08:00

Sis received a bouquet of purple and white tulips for Valentines day. She placed them in a vase and said today "How come my white tulips are growing but my purple tulips are dying?" I answered "Because your purple tulips are older?"
I am not trying to dispute the fact that they are geno/phenotypically different but the conversation got me thinking.. Sometimes we read too much into things, it is like scientific research, we try to look for deviations in everything that we might miss out the essentials in life. When we go to the supermarket, we see what is on the shelf but most of the time fail to question where does our food come from?

2011-02-16T21:49:00.002+08:00

Work is getting more meaningless by the day.. Just went for some minute writing course. I've learn't alot during work and about work. Working for the big G, you kinda just have to follow instructions. You have no ownership over your work because what you start out doing is just gonna be changed up the ladder. The worse thing is that different people have different opinions, so you change here, change there to please them and in the end the biggest shot has the say. Talk about efficiency. I especially hate the super all talk but little action, it seems that people like to meet meet meet and talk talk talk but when it comes to the action, the lowest lifeforms are thrown a slew of stuff. Those who want to prove themselves or make it to the top just have to slog their asses off. Honestly if you think about it, how much of youth and energy is wasted to get up there but you will still never be at the top because you still have to take instructions and worse of all, have to handle the group lower than you. Seems like the only incentive is the kachings that fly into your pockets but in the end, time, cells age away. I think the best person to work for is oneself.

2011-02-12T07:59:00.002+08:00

Thursday, mum treated me and my cousins from Malaysia to dinner at Kuishinbo Japanese Buffet. Despite me not going back to Malaysia and all for Chinese new year this year, we managed to meet up which was great. Just happy that mum has an open heart and despite her indignation towards dad, she did not treat my cousins indifferently.

2011-02-07T07:57:00.004+08:00

More Pictures from my phone:

Met up with my sec school friends for lunch at Ah yat seafood yesterday and had lo hei and dim sum. It was quite funny because the place was at UE square in the clarke quay area and some of us thought it was at United square, at Novena...It was a good meet-up nonetheless and good time catching up. Went to Prof Benji's place for visiting in the afternoon. And just realised that he had a harpsicord! Those really old type of musical instruments precluding the piano...how cool is that!
Had much fun chit chatting and catching up and learning stuff from hhim again, it was like a mini tutorial during the meet-up..

2011-02-05T10:35:00.002+08:00

Yesterday we invited some German friends and a Dutch girl over for steamboat dinner at BF's place. After dinner, we chit chatted and played some Mahjong. First time playing mahjog for them so BF was teaching them the basics. But they picked it up quite quickly. We taught them with open tiles first...

2011-02-04T11:08:00.003+08:00

My favourite childhood show. Children should watch more such shows rather than just cartoons. This made me fall in love with Guinea pigs and named my first one G.P.
The music is also so nice too :) Miss Tales of the river bank

2011-02-04T10:01:00.004+08:00

So on Thursday it was Chinese New Year's eve and we had reunion dinner at my uncle's place. Huge spread of food..and of course mum's curry chicken. Was still feeling quite sick that day so i didn't eat much..

On the first day of CNY itself, went to the temple where Granny's ashes lay and to wish her Happy Chinese new year. This is the first year without granny around. Kind of miss her really...After the temple, we went back to our uncle's place for lunch and played abit of Mahjong and black jack.
Here's sis trying to teach my uncle how to ballet dance..haha

BF came over and brought Phoebe to Bainian to my mother..
Later, we went back to BF's place..Saw the new Mini sticker on his car for the first time. The design is quite unique. I didn't like the previous design with words on the car in the first place anyway. But this time the car has really quite a bit of red in it...

In the evening, went over to BF's relative's place to Bainian. There were loads of relatives gathered for steamboat dinner that the flat has no place to accomodate all of us we had to eat in front of the lift landing. It is amazing how in the past the kampung spirit has translated into a different kind of spirit where people stay in flats but yet families stay in different houses in the same block and gather together during occasions such as CNY. How cool is that...

2011-02-02T07:37:00.002+08:00

Sick sick sick, oh no this is bad. I have alot of visiting to do over the next few days but I am down with a cold or flu...
Sigh..Why is it always something happening to me before Chinese New Year? Last year my toenail fell off remember?
I really hope I can get well soon and that it is not the deadly H1N1 virus.
Downing panadols right now. Ok, have to go to work for half a day today. When I am back, I shall rest and then have the reunion dinner :)

2011-02-01T07:56:00.002+08:00

It has been raining non-stop literally for the pass few days, the first case of flu death from H1N1 emerged as well. Seems like the flu bug is going viral again and I've been getting the symptoms. I think it is work stress related, I've so much due after Chinese New Year that every night I toss and turn in bed and wake up to sore muscles. Not good time to fall sick now man...
Pray I get well soon, yeah I know, eversince I started work, I've been sick once every 2 months. I wonder if that is a sign...seriously.

2011-01-30T10:58:00.002+08:00

Sorry I haven't been updating lately due to busy work schedules. It's the usual for me, working from mondays to fridays. Next week will be Chinese New Year and the year of the Rabbit! As you can see what BF has done to our faces!

Last night I had a nightmare, I dreamt that I blogged about some secret information and the government wanted to jail me...Oh man, it was really scary..Work hazard I think..

Can't wait for Chinese New year to come this week will update more after the New Year :)

2011-01-24T08:03:00.001+08:00

As Chinese New year is just around the corner, Here's quite a cool international version of the traditional Lion dance...

2011-01-21T21:43:00.002+08:00

Tired as usual from work, but what keeps me going is that the number of "thank you" I receive from my job is probably more than the numbers added up in my life thus far. It is good to feel appreciated even for small things I do. It really keeps you going...Even my sup thanks me for helping her out. Sometimes all we need really is a little thank you..

2011-01-18T21:21:00.001+08:00

This is extremely cute
I always love dogs with short legs!
Corgis Singing Happy Birthday

2011-01-16T10:13:00.005+08:00

Met up with Eunice on Friday night for a chillax dinner at Queen and Mangosteen and later proceeded to Serenity for some drinks and tapas.. The live band there was fantastic and they played spanish music... We had really expensive tapas of octopus and foie gras on steak...yummy...love the way foie gras melts in your mouth.

Yesterday was BF spend-time-with day...It's like the only day in the week where we can really hang out together as we are so busy during weekdays :)
Went to his friend's place for dinner along Joo Chiat road..A western burger cafe called Fat Boy's Burger. The burgers are really filling. Reminds me of the portions in US.

After dinner we went to visit another friend's shop, she is a local designer who frequently appears in the newspapers and magazines for her versatile where. Her shop is at Orchard Central.
We went to the sky garden for a good view of the city at the 11th floor...really quite a nice and quiet place to chill out :)

2011-01-10T17:09:00.002+08:00

So sis is back! And guess what she got me from Havard?
No it is not some alien...
It is a type of fungi...
PENICILLIN!!! Yes the antibiotic Penicillin that BF is allergic to :D
Next time I can use this to ward him off...Haha...

2011-01-09T13:53:00.002+08:00

Today we woke up early to send BF's dad to the airport before heading for breakfast and to the Changi Coastal walk..it's at the jetty where the ferry to Pulau Ubin is, near Changi Village. First time trying out the board walk and I must say that they did up the place quite nicely..There are actually a number of hidden finds in cosmo Singapore. So if you have some transportation to navigate around, you could come to this place...
It's by the sea but though the sea water is dirty, just like any place around Singapore, nonetheless, the view is a life away from the city...

2011-01-03T22:36:00.003+08:00

Once upon a time, they were from the same family tree...
The fur, the ears and the popped-out eyes still remains...

2011-01-01T22:23:00.003+08:00

Today is our 9th year anniversary :)
We brought Phoebe to the Botanical gardens in the afternoon though it rained on and off..The weather has been kinda erratic lately..

2011-01-01T22:08:00.006+08:00

Here are more pictures from last night. Had dinner at this tea place called Arteastiq at Mandarin Gallery. It's a hidden treasure inside a furniture shop and serves very good tea and snacks!
I had their Pear tea which is really aromatic and sweet. The pastries are also delicious finger food type. A little on the pricey side though and the service is super slow..But well, having an afternoon tea is supposed to be a relaxing affair.

After "tea-ner" we went to Mt Faber to countdown. The place at Jewel box which consist of Restaurants, lounges and bars named after different precious stones is quite exclusive. Which was good, because we do not like crowded places. They would not allow guests in when the place is full and when their staff are unable to handle the guests. There was also some amazing fireworks display right at the top of the hill where we were at on the stroke of midnight. So cool, first time being so close to fireworks it was actually quite scary! The live band at Sapphire was really good too..Overall, a private, quiet affair to start the year :)

2011-01-01T15:15:00.001+08:00

Happy New YEar to all!!
Had a nice and quite dinner at Arteastiq and went to count down at Mt. Faber. Moonstone lounge :)
Some pictures of last night. Here is to wishin all a fantastic 2011!!

2010-12-28T23:56:00.002+08:00

MEt up with Pam and Eunice for dinner. Haven't met Pam in quite awhile. We went to Marmalade Pantry at ION for dinner and I must say the food is quite good..After that we went to this little bar downstairs for a drink since her sis was working there. We got served great tasting reds and desserts for free!!! tried some which cost up to $800 per bottle. But I must say the port was really good..You can really taste the difference with the good wines...

2010-12-27T18:58:00.003+08:00

So today I did something exciting!!! Fieldwork...For the past few days I almost fainted translating the survey from English to Chinese and we went to interview some low income elderly today..I was so excited/stressed that I even dreamt about it the night before..Met with some difficulties when one of the respondents could only speak the teochew dialect..I was using half hokkien to communicate with him(as teochew and hokkien are similar) but as the words got tougher to translate, I had to call my mum to help me translate! Thanks mum!! Don't know what I would have done without her...I thought my hokkien was quite bad but realised that it was considered quite good as the other 2 we even worse off..hahaha..I think dialects are dying out but they are an important language to communicate with the older generation...
Hope the next bout of interviews will be as smooth sailing..
Here's a pic of the old rental flats where some of the low-income reside in..

2010-12-27T18:52:00.003+08:00

A very Merry Christmas to All! So what happened over the festive period? Christmas eve was dinner at BF's place with his family and we had the standard fare of turkey, beef and lamb..
Saturday, went to church with Mum and Bestie and her family and had dinner with BF at carlton hotel. Must say that the food was not fantastic but for the price it was considered okay..We didn't wanted to spend too much as everything would be overpriced during the festive period..

2010-12-24T07:14:00.002+08:00

Yesterday our workplace did some community project as a division. It was quite fun and a good break from our office-type work. So we had to deliver a list of "wishes" such as home appliances and food hampers to low-income families who had wished for the items. It was really an eye-opener to knock and step into the 1 and 2 room flats and take a look at the people and their living conditions. Not fantastic at all for some. I've heard some horror visits from colleagues who have worked for longer and they were mentioning worse conditions such as shit stuck on the celiing of the lifts, house filled with oil (not oil smell only, oil all over!). But the typical kinda smell and sight that greets you around these blocks and houses are the urine stentch and the extremely dark corridors. Some houses were relatively clean though. It is pretty saddening if you see school going children staying in these kinda flats with like no room and their bedroom, living room is all-in-one for the family and they have no place to even study. It is really not easy to break out of the poverty cycle where in the first place you don't have a nurturing environment to be even on a leveled playing field with the rest. Yet education is viewed as the most important means to break out of the cycle...Sucks doesn't it?

Anw, here are a few pictures of the outside of one of the nicer blocks...The conditions inside are much different though

After delivering to one family, we were walking outside the corridor and noticed this old cupboard with 2 baskets on top and in them were kittens and cats! SO CUTE!!!

2010-12-21T21:58:00.002+08:00

So I've received a Xmas present from BF...
The essence of life...
SKII!!!!!
Woah..Can't believe BF bought that for me..it is freaking expensive and I wouldn't spend so much on my own skin honestly. But we'll see how it works after a week or so...tell me if my skin is translucent and fair or something ok?

Today BF and I were walking around in J8 and we came across some really cute soft toys. I'm not a fan of soft toys but this cute one is quite irresistable! It is a giraffe with Huge eyes, a big head and a small body. Something like what BF would describe me to be..and he bought if for me :>
See it's so cute in his pocket right? Anw, he put it in his pocket himself, not done by me...