visit to the singapore zoo!!!

whee!! what a perfect chance to relive childhood, but to visit places which i was last there back in primary school.. so how long was it?? say almost coming to 20 years??

anyway, this visit was done after so many years with my dearest chickadees!! *muackz*.. eunice, who has been to the zoo 4 times since the year began.. we were wondering if she should have become a friend of the zoo.. huiran, my other twin.. suren & samuel, whom we had to convince to go late for pottery class, so they could come along too.. =)

we started the whole trip by running to the giraffe enclosure, so that we could catch the feeding session.. gosh!! the giraffe's tongue is really long.. and looked really slimy too.. the zebras shifted house, coz their old home was closed for renovation.. the king of the jungle looked so relaxed in its original position, it actually resembled a stone.. opps!! did i just say that too loudly?? =P

and then there was the splash show, whereby the sealions, penguins and manatees were swimming around and showing off their nature.. we were really appalled at the behaviour of the pelican, which was sticking its head into the water and biting at the passing manatee!!! horrid behaviour!!

the komodo dragons moved house as well.. and we never found out where they disappeared to.. however, we found ourselves looking at giant tortoises, which were lumbering along.. wait, correction.. inching along from one point to another.. we were wondering, what if one ended up on us, would we be crushed instead..

suren & samuel left early, while the 3 of us decided to make our money worth every cent, we performed an 'amazing race' session round the zoo, that left us tired and sweaty..

we went for the elephant show and even got around feeding the elephants.. not for free, of course, but 5 bucks for 4 baby bananas & 1 carrot.. talk about expensive!! we visited the polar bear enclosure and saw it biting on a huge piece of ice!!! oh, we watched the entire splash show again!! and we figured that the zoo helpers kind of pick more foreigners as volunteers for the show than locals.. well, what can we say to free publicity??

finaly stop was the fragile forest, which reminded me so much of the tropical enclosure in mainau, konstanz.. humid, with butterflies fluttering around.. however, in this one that we visited, the butterflies somehow all went into hiding.. oh, the grossest thing of all, was this particular glass enclosure which we went passed.. hissing cockroaches from madagascar!!! i didn't even dare to go near the enclosure.. but a distant look to it appeared to me that the entire enclosure was fillled up!! enough said that.. i'm grossed out enough..

oh, and we did a really cheapo thing.. instead of purchasing the photos which were taken by the zoo photographers for an exorbitant prices, we went back and posed in front of the same setting and took our own photo!! =P



thank you girls for coming with me and making this trip all the different for me as well!! muackz!! anyway, apparently the cheetah enclosure is closed for renovations as well, and we said that we will return to the zoo next june, when the enclosure is done.. so till then!! =)

rhys's wedding!!

anyway, just a quick post to say all my thanks a brilliant group of ppl out there..

to ben, szemin, cherie, koksoon, andrew, lloyd, shanli, michelle wong & all the folks who helped out.. thanks for putting up with all my nonsense and all the bossing around on sunday afternoon.. thanks for all the help that you all put in to help made the whole location and event as it had been..

to emily, aunty swee khim, eunice, aunty jean... thanks for all the inputs of the ideas and for helping me with all the packing of the decor stuff.. i hope i didn't destroy any of the stuff borrowed.. =P

to fanny, denise, sharon, michelle lin, boquan, jeffrey... thanks for letting me whine, complain and vomit my guts out.. figuratively and literally..

on a side-note: i'm gonna go attend a make-up class conducted by chanel!!! let me update you all on its content at the end of the session.. oh, i succumbed to facebook.. crap..

hmm, to make the story more complete.. i shall explain the purpose of this post.. well, rhys is married!! woohoo!! erm, ain't sure if we'll even fulfill that part of the deal but that aside, rhys is happily married!!


here's all of us with the happy man himself.. and there's the best man too i.e. ben.. our in-house fashion designer i.e. szemin.. and unfortunately, the coolie party as well.. of which, i'm the bossy fellow in it..

well, you must be wondering why i was 'complaining' so much abt the whole situation.. but honestly, i have never learnt or tried doing decorations for a chalet wedding.. really.. so it was actually a pretty stressful outing for me.. perhaps, it's all to do with my obsession with perfection.. but without it, there won't be achievement on my end.. and i'm a procrastinator.. i work with a sudden rush of adrenaline.. so i put off work till the last minute, which places a limit on producing quality work..

then there's also the element of uncertainty involved on the actual situation as well.. the inability to control the situation drove me nuts.. delays in schedule.. people attacking the buffet spread before the start of the ceremony.. food cleared even way before we were done eating.. sudden drizzles and downpours, which were not that detrimental and devastating as they were made out to be.. etc. etc. etc.. oh wells, i can only say that i wasn't that prepared for all these to happen..

so yeah.. as i said, i bossed everyone around.. so i'm not sure how confident i am to be able to do another decor for any other wedding... no connection but just a random thought..


and here's to girlfriends.. thanks loads!!

and rhys & ping ping, CONGRATULATIONS!!

my mountain-turtle visit to MY HUMBLE HOUSE!!

i've heard so much about this place, prior to my visit just this very evening... almost all reviews seem to read, totally un-humble and totally expensive.. well, either coz my parents went for relatively cheap and normal dishes from the a la carte menu, or just that we ain't big fans of devouring food, which are delicacies but scarily priced..

so this is MY HUMBLE HOUSE!! i can always remember that 'walk', which i took with cherie many years ago, just to have a look at the place and having no intentions of eating in there..





here are the interiors of the restaurant.. which had those really tall chairs, which i thought was lining the entire restaurant, but rather they were used only for tables, catering for long massive groups, i.e. company/ family get-togethers..

i really wanted the table by the waterfront, but it was apparently reserved.. unfortunately for a table for 2, though it had 4 seats.. and my family had to settle for a weird table for 3.. but anyway, i really enjoyed the experience..

it was kind of a 1st time experience for my parents into fine dining, so i was a little worried that they are not used to the fact, that perhaps food doesn't fill up that easily.. but the slightly long wait between dishes did the trick.. and everything settled in nicely.. but i always welcome more food.. =)

on a side-note, i am 'hanging' out more at hungrygowhere.com nowadays, rather than my own blog.. it's a really cool website, where all foodie nutties congregate together.. well, i do not deny that i'm part of the circle too.. if you want reviews about my humble house, check me out at hungrygowhere.com.. there are other reviews which i did too.. and go check out the website in general, for eating advices!!

on a side-note no. 2, here's a look of what i wore on my foot today!! it's bronze but it has this really cute red ribbon on it.. a little too cutsie for me but i love it loads!!


they just kind of remind me of the silver shoes, which dorothy owns in the wizard of oz.. but of course, they are not silver... but i just love them too.. can't wait to buy a truly red pair of shoes..

okay, i'll keep my pockets and here goes to shopping on 29th sept!! meanwhile, control is very much required..

amore women's workout day 2007..

it all started with a temptation over the wonderful goodies within the goodie bag.. such as a plain white gym bag, mph vouchers, kimage vouchers, wallet shop vouchers etc.. and then it became a session of convincing friends to go along and go have fun.. and viola!! huiran went, so did jiating too!!

it was hilarous!! at least for me, coz you are talking someone who has yet to lift a finger to exercise since leaving the school grounds of acjc.. go figure how many years that has been..

and so, dragging myself up at an unearthly hour, eventually having to make 2 trips home coz i forgot my number tag.. so i was late.. but that was besides the point.. i made it!! i was in time!! but then, the fun began..

and all the muscle-aching sessions began!!! oh my gosh!! i could feel the tense muscles being flexed after eons and soon, i was getting all sweaty and tired.. goodness gracious!! i have never sweated that much for so long!! even through crazy orientation camps, i've never ever sweated that much!!! it was simply insane..

well, as you can gauge how wonderful my physical level is, i picked the session, which was the shortest and most beginner of all... experience fitness, which was a 1-hour mini-aerobics challenge cum a free bellyblitz® trial.. and i almost died at the mini-aerobics session!! you can now see how UNFIT i have been and still am... =) but i kind of enjoyed the bellyblitz® session better, coz it just reminded me of how those crazy, insane mass dance days... more of back in acjc than in nus, coz we just kept dancing non-stop to master the steps.. teaching each other.. helping each other improve and get better etc.. or just to simply have crazy fun.. and i could remember losing weight over mass dances..

jiating and me hung around and caught snippets of the next session i.e. aerobics challenge, which was a 3-hour marathon!!!! jiating was suggesting that we should come back next year for this session, since we have already braved through the beginners' session... well, for that to be possible, i need to spend the next 1 year training up, otherwise, there is no way, whereby i can survive serious kickboxing cum all those activities, that require me to be on the balls of my feet the whole time!!!

oh sheesh, inspiring and motivational but i lack the pushing factor for anything to be done.. crazily lazy ain't i?? but for the meanwhile, i am pretty interested in learning some sort of workout dance.. jiating and me, or rather me, decided to embark on adopting some workout session after work in the very near future.. well, i'll update everyone on the status of my attempt, if it ever materialises!!

now, back to aching muscles.. i'm doomed!!

no more wii parties!!

this is suicidal!!! wii parties are insane.. they drive me nuts coz of my poor psycho-motor skills.. and they drive my arm-muscles nuts too!! i'm serious!! they are seriously aching at this very moment.. not to mention muscle cramps as well.. from wii.. oh gosh!!


this is wii.. looks exactly like that of the mio router from singnet.. but much cooler.. and how did i end up playing wii? it was jasline's birthday party and daniel brought this along to the bbq.. enough said.. so much insanities were done and i was like, did i really just do that with the controller??


this was exactly how we looked like.. we hooked up 4 controller sets and viola!! 4 different players.. and i must say, the wii sensor is pretty effective.. any slight movement and one is kicked out of the game!! and as mentioned, i realised how bad my psychomotor skills were!! terrible!!

i was telling huiling, what if, we all individually own a wii set.. it will be disastrous.. imagine coming home each day, just to play wii till the wee hours of the night and then going off to work with aching arms.. and i so do not believe that somehow my muscles will be toned after that.. just imagine the pain!! it's enough to drive me nuts..

so.. no more wii parties!!!

practical work solutions..

here's a practical solution to having bought excess lengths of pipes..

(a) construct a gas line, starting off at jurong island and ending off at your own doorstep.. but see, this is a dangerous solution, coz excess of certain gases leads to dangerous and often, fatal accidents...

(b) organise a weightlifting competition.. and this is the best solution, coz you work off the excess fats and tone up your body.. so viola!!

this is definitely one of the best books which i have read of late.. it all came as a recommendation from anu over tea-break and a coincidental stumble-upon during the terribly disappointing harris bookfair.. but seriously, it's worth the read, even though it was written back in the 1980s.. but it was a book that i could not put it down over.. i just kept reading and reading.. and even broken the basic house rule of 'no reading while walking'.. but who cares, i watch where i go.. usually.. but seriously, go check this book out.. especially since i am not a jeffrey archer fan.. but seriously, this is one good read..

seriously!! highly recommended!!! now i'm gonna go find the sequel..

nus commencement 2007

commencement 2007.. and i can finally say that i have commenced!! oh yeah, i've finally graduated from nus and now am a certified engineer!! whoohoo!! 4 years of crap and it amounted up to this day and this is it.. it's all over..


commencement was tiring actually.. it was so tiring, i felt as though i went through my own wedding ceremony cum reception etc. and guess what, before i even knew it, it was all over and i was like, did it all just happen??

anyway, commencement was very much different from what i expected it to be.. well, of course, there's the photo taking with bits and pieces of my class and of course, with my friends.. i even made new friends during commencement itself.. talking with ppl whom i've seen ard but never spoken to, or even finding out who they are for 4 whole years.. but what made it all different, was perhaps the non-chem eng ppl that were at this commencement..

first, there is of course my own parents.. so who do i resemble more?


and there is of course, all the friends who dropped by.. chiuweng, yongkai, boon leong.. and not forgetting uncle jeam & aunty mary!! it's so nice to have them there and to have photos taken with them.. let's see, chiuweng commenced the day after mine in electrical engineering.. yongkai is gonna commenced with computer engineering next week at ntu, before whisking off to the land of british royals to do a master!! of course, boon!!! our teacher-to-be who graduated from mit!!! *clap clap clap*.. i had this silly photo taken with boon in front of the singapore-mit alliance office.. and of course, aunty mary & uncle jeam.. it was just so nice.. and oh, if i were to paste everyone's photos here, this blog may take a long long time to load!!

and lastly, one of the people who helped me survived my final year, yet at all times was very much like a big brother to me.. and of course, my brother-in-christ as well!! hmm, still can remember when i accidentally played a 'trick' on his daughter.. so embarrassing!! and here's tayo, who graduated with a master in safety, health & environment!! hmm, the very module which i have absolutely no idea about.. opps!! anyway, we are missing ini & ite here, coz they are already on their way to a phd in uk!! but oh wells.. =)


congratulations to the class of 2007.. to min, cherie, my entire cn6, joanne, winnie, tayo, chiuweng, yingjie, chinchoong, justin, yongkai, adeline, charmaine, genie folks, calyd folks, all my friends from chem eng and wherever else in nus... even to steph and deborah soon, who will join us at the end of this year..

to all who made these 4 years sane and possible for me, thanks loads.. and even as we start off another phase in life, hang in there folks.. if we are lucky enough, we will each have approximately 43 years or less till retirement!! whoohoo!! to that target and beyond..

i sound nuts.. okay, i've graduated!!!

a willing victim of consumerism

yeah, that's me!! i've fallen prey to consumerism.. well, actually i've always been a willing victim of consumerism.. let's see how it happened this afternoon...

went with winnie to get a haircut at kimage, which was priced at SGD40 for a cut by the disciple hair-stylist.. well, that aside.. somehow all that i have learnt in marketing just seemed to surface up during the whole process... i can't help but wonder about what the professor mentioned during the lecture..

there was of course the professional service of the hair-stylist, but rather, it was what he said throughout the whole haircut that got me thinking.. quoting him, but not completely..

"seriously, your hair is not that straight so before you attempt to do any steps in your hair, you should do a soft rebond.."

"essentially, for a woman's hair, there are 3 products which you will need: shampoo, conditioner & serum for your hair-roots, then we can say that the whole treatment process is complete..."

"you should seriously consider a soft rebond, then there's no need for you to worry about losing the shape of your hair after each wash..."

well, it's pretty obvious that there's a whole service package on sale here.. seriously, from the moment one walks in, till the latest copy of female magazine is placed on the dresser, coupled with red tea and mentos.. to the pre-cut hairwash and finally to the hair-stylist at work... to the exhibit of the final product on one's head.. well, if there's anything else to complain about the cut, one has to unfortunately wait till the next visit before damage control can be performed once again..

and i'm a willing victim of consumerism... enough said.. =P

long overdued post..

welcome to the 300th post of my blog.. this is actually a long overdued post but anyway, here's a quick recap...


one good steamboat-bbq dinner with my class before jetsetting off to china and transiting between malaysia and singapore.. one gathering where many ppl came but missing many as well.. but it was good.. really gonna miss these folks much.. there's those who are gonna work overseas and liu ping's our phd docter-to-be!! of course, with some in petrochemicals, semi-conductors, design firms, pharmaceuticals.. but whatever it is, thanks for all the fun throughout these 4 years!! love you folks loads!!


caught spiderman 3 with rosanah before jetsetting off to china and happened to meet xingyi, kelvin li & kelvin su at the theatre as well.. so well, it was alright.. not exactly fantastic as there were too many stories dealt with in one installment.. so enough said..

well, next stop: my graduation trip to china with angelin, siong gim, kah sum & enkai..


here we were, in front of the beijing olympics 2008 countdown clock.. well, we were trying to signify 2008 but see, the figure of 8 was really tough and i'm not a ballet dancer!! enough said there.. =P


this photo looked a little lobe-sided as i did some editing to remove some supporting cast members... and here we were, finally arriving at jiuzhaigou, after braving through a freezer hotel, terrible food, bus ride & tour guide.. so here we were, in front of the nuorilang waterfall..


here is huangshan!! we were at the edge of one of the many cliffs.. a place where i gave everyone else heart-attacks for trying to perform stunts.. one place of numerous jokes, including an episode, whereby a korean lady 'stole' my toilet paper in the toilet cubicles.. a place whereby the tour guide was surprised at our fitness level.. and where we were somewhat 'inspired' to climb the slope angled at ~80 degrees..


i seriously was burnt after all the climbing and walking done on the great wall, qianling, jiuzhaigou, huangshan etc!!! anyway, suzhou was a trip on a personal agenda, visiting a friend whom i dearly missed.. so here's chen yi & me having dinner.. in the presence of good food and good company, who can ask for more?? though i missed out on prohibited doings but it was all good.. =)


hangzhou was all about slacking and we did exactly just that!! who can ask for more? sitting by the west lake, taking in the sunset and the breeze.. with the willows rustling in the winds.. so here's an artistic shot!! =)

well, in short, we went from beijing to xi'an, jiuzhaigou-huanglong, huangshan, suzhou, hangzhou and shanghai.. we had excellent and extremely cheap food to terrible and horribly expensive food.. but who can forget quanjuede roast duck, especially when it reappeared in the freezer hotel on the way to jiuzhaigou?? and of course, of all the crazy moments, jumping from one spot to another.. kah sum and his crazy facial-physical expressions during each shot.. everyone's personalised 'jiefang' mannerisms.. thanks loads for all the fun!! i really enjoyed myself and these are moments, which i will miss and look back at!! =)

and so after that, i packed my bags and left for lcor church camp 2007 at genting highlands.. well, not totally up in the clouds.. and i totally forgot that the camp was held in genting so the clever me, went to genting completely in shorts and board-shorts.. round of applause for the smart me.. time of catching up with many ppl, yet eye-opening at the same time.. not just pertaining to me but to the ppl ard me as well.. seriously, need to learn to fast and pray.. and ask for plentiful of grace and mercy.. there's loads to say abt this camp but enough said..


ocean's 13.. a movie which we almost watched on genting, if it wasn't for its horribly mismatched timeslot!! intelligent movie, which never fail to entertain me every time.. and not to mention, an evergreen george clooney on the set.. well, go watch it yourself to find out then.. btw, pirates of the caribbean: at world's end failed to hold my attention.. and so i shall 'pretend' to be a pirate to make the movie more interesting.. go figure.. =P

actually i do feel much laziness and reluctance in updating this blog.. especially since i've left it literally dead even before my last paper on 30th april.. but i figured if i do not start updating somewhere, everyone's gonna conclude that i'm in some serious trouble.. but thanks be to God, things have somewhat been sorted out, though new issues definitely surfaced up and more prayers will be required..

and btw, i've unofficially graduated and am expected to join the rat-race real soon.. to sum it all up, i've got 42 years to go, before i can execute my retirement plans.. so till that day comes, welcome to the real world.. it's a jungle out there...

advertising for faith..

i think i've messed up my life.. BIG TIME!! and i seriously meant it.. i've messed up my life, in every sense of the word.. just when i thought that perhaps, i'll get a second chance to get things right, everything just transpire in such a way, i don't even know where it is pointing to anymore.. and what a time to get it all messed up..

having exams now.. not exactly the 'WOW, IT'S THE LAST EXAMS OF MY ENTIRE UNDERGRADUATE LIFE!!!' but rather one of much fear, uncertainty, anxiety.. really.. i honestly do feel that i'm hitting rock bottom and it doesn't take much for me to crack.. really.. i've never felt so pessimistic, so dark, so confused inside.. even when i was doing a paper, my mind was actually on something else.. now tell me, how messed up i really am..

if this is really a time of much testing and building of me, i can only say that i can only see into the immediate and i'm really cracking.. romans said that in all these things, we will be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.. but i'm really finding it really hard to claim the promise.. i know that i shouldn't see just the immediate but i should focus on that eventual finish line, but i can't.. my vision is just so clouded, that it doesn't show anything beyond..

i know that i need more faith and i am very much aware of it.. i know that i need to trust more.. that in everything, i have someone who knows where i am and will be going and whatever it is, it will be a plan to prosper me, to give me a hope and a future.. but will i take the step of faith to claim that? i really don't know.. woman of little faith, that's how i am feeling right now..

perhaps i'm really just making a mountain out of a molehill.. and things will work themselves out coz i have a faithful Father.. but will i stick through with the faith? will i seek Him in everything and listen? or will i be the child that blames Him for not fixing my broken toys, when it's obvious that i've never even let Him have the chance to do so?

i'm scared.. my fears overwhelm me too much.. but i want to claim the promise too, i want to grow in faith.. will i eventually be 'more than conquerors'? i need more faith..

KA-BOOM!!!

this is literally the longest i have not written on my blog and so much has happened in the span of the past one month.. from fyp poster to marketing project, then to long overnights in e2 and e5 slogging over design 2 - hen and finally to human resource.. and then, lsm dropped a bombshell somewhere along the way.. more bombshells to be dropped.. the continuation of design 2, where yours truly is doing what she does best, i.e. be in-charged of $$$ and there's enzyme tech floating somewhere in the background..

i'm tired.. i really am.. i learnt that i need to control my emotions more.. i need to be more emotionally stable.. and i've never been so clear of what i really want.. i just want to right the wrong.. and there's just one decision that i never felt so certain over.. just leaving it to be executed..

anyway, i had a visit from an old friend.. or rather, i visited the old friend.. and it was disappointing.. with 'harold prince' printed in front, i honestly thought that they brought in the broadway or west end version.. but it's australian.. nothing offending or whatsoever.. just disappointed.. maybe coz i knew the story too well? maybe coz i've watched it too many time?? maybe coz i knew exactly what will happen at each point? or maybe i'm just being too critical here coz it's my favourite musical.. and yes, i watched phantom of the opera the musical, on stage for the 2nd time, exactly 12 years apart.. and i'm telling you this, i'll still watch it again at her majesty's theatre in london, if i ever get the chance to do so.. and i miss watching it with my phantom.. there wasn't any post-ice cream sessions or walks along esplanade.. but then again, the opportunity will still exist..



well, honestly, i really want to return to the paris opera house and walk once through, through it.. to relive the possible moments of the 'what if's of the entire musical being played out before my very eye, in the very place where it took place.. and of course, if the opening does come for a visit to 7 stories below, to see that mysterious lake beneath, where rumour has it, that the opera ghost once lived there..

i'm tired.. i really am.. 2 more weeks to the exams and one more month to the end of the first phase of my life.. and upcoming of a graduation trip to the land of my ancestors centuries ago.. with a mix of ppl.. a chinese history professional, one with a desire to plough some fields, while another with the yearn to climb some mountains.. 2 of which have no specific agendas.. but it will be good.. and so till then..

wasted..

mummy and daddy are away for the weekend and i got an incredible stash of instant noodles, which IS a good thing.. and i eat it in my room after cooking so my room smells of food after that.. thank God for windows, which is next to where i am..

everyone's killing each other.. or at least that's what i thought i was doing.. HR was dissected up for the 3rd time and it's finally fixed!! which is a good thing coz at each stage, we always look towards 'making progress', which is terribly important and essential.. and right after i killed the project, i went for ben's birthday celebrations at cafe del mare.. it seems like ben's yearly party is the only time i get to see some really long-time-not-seen friends and we will all go, we must not do this only once a year.. but then again, that's what we all do.. well, if ben does throw another party next year, yes, we will see each other then again.. otherwise he should be keeping himself busy.. and of course, the appearance of 'happy ben'.. but whatever, happy birthday ben!!


and i watched ghost rider.. one movie that we kept mistaking for 'night rider' but started wondering, why isn't the film in the cinema listing.. it's just a movie to let one escape to another world for 2 hours and then that's it.. not exactly that 'WOW' but when we need a break, who cares what's the movie about.. and of course, there's nicholas cage in it.. it's a good enough incentive for me.. but i rather have him in city of angels..

i'm just wasting my weekend away though there's so much to do.. i should just be shot.. and there's even some planning to do, but i'm just putting it off.. gawh!! and next week, talk nothing to me but about my 'supposed boyfriend'.. winnie!! hang in there and then soon, we can dump our 'supposed boyfriends!!' =)

well.. it's chinese new year..

hmm.. time really flies right? the chinese new year period is already halfway through.. all the folks studying in down under have already flown back.. so what now? mid-term break is over.. school term has started again.. well, the last bit of my undergraduate life.. fyp presentation is over as well.. poster has already been printed for next week.. so what's next? a truckload of deadlines.. poster, marketing, design, HR, enzyme.. that's all the modules i'm taking this semester, except for mol. biotechnology...

a long almost 3 weeks.. never realised that so much can happen in the period of 3 weeks.. many things that i did not expect, happened just as so.. if ignorance is bliss, why do i feel stupid at the end of everything? i'm asking a redundant question here.. but sue me.. but just somehow, i can't ignore it.. especially if it tugs at the heart-strings of one.. so what now?? should i look further into the matter or just leave it as such? but at the same time, it instils fear in me as well.. oh well, one confused kid here.. what's new..


well, here's for the movie reviews.. first up - the protege!! a movie about drugs and all you need to know about drugs.. awesome cast with awesome acting!! andy lau - in just about any role he's casted in.. perhaps only truly rivaled by tong leung.. daniel wu - not only is he getting better.. i can see why girls still swoon over him.. well, admit it, he's pretty hot there.. but this role has really tested his acting capability.. talk about being a confused policeman.. louis koo - he shedded the weights and put on the terrible make-up and viola!! a truly convincing drug addict.. anita yuen - small but powerful role.. and she looks every bit pregnant.. =) go catch the movie.. it's totally worth the money!! i don't mind watching it again though..


i never exactly thought that i would pay to watch a local movie.. or a jack-neo production that is not on the small black box.. but this movie is all you need to know about singaporeans' efficiency, with just too much exaggeration.. but still, it eventually tugs at your heart-strings and you wonder, if you are tearing from the laughter or from the storyline.. watch fann wong in a worse-than-tomboy role but equally hilarous still.. but support local production!! =)

apart from the steamboats, red packets, good food.. there was the company of friends and family.. and this was our annual stakeholders' meeting at andrew's place.. well, perhaps we missed a year here and there but here we are gathered together again.. i just realised how much i miss these folks, though school just kept popping into my head.. so here goes:


on a sidenote.. i happened to be at the library of another tertiary institute to get a copy of some textbook.. and boy, when it was time for closure, they had to play music from the 'library's selection' to rid ppl out of the library.. it led me to conclude that, it's some stupid strategy adopted by singapore's tertiary institutes to rid ppl from the library.. i should just test my hypothesis in the national library too and draw an even larger conclusion..

and yesterday, i put my name down and committed to a ministry, for at least the next one year to come.. why do i feel that i already somewhat had that feeling that it will come along somewhere?? so how will i fare?? how great will that commitment be and where will it lead to? we'll see about that and let's just pray about it throughout this one year..

back to the classics..

decided to update and rename the post..

and so, fyp is over.. not exactly sure to be jumping and clapping for joy, or to feel unmotivated and directionless.. perhaps it's not that serious but it just was so for me.. feeling lost felt more like it..

huiran left for uk for her exchange.. gosh, it just made me wondered back to those days back then.. hmm, felt so long ago but the memories are somewhat still freshly imprinted in my mind.. i know exactly what some of you will say to me.. and it will be the same old sentences.. but leave me be.. time is an important factor and it certainly is for me.. so just let me be..

and i finally got to visit borders, on my excuse that there was 30% off books from the newspaper cutting.. well, in the end, all the books that i want to get, were unfortunately out of stock.. let's give a tick-off here.. the time traveller's wife.. a classic love story, which joanne and suren are full of praises of.. and after much deliberation, i decided that i shall add that to my expanding bookshelf.. toto-chan: the little girl by the window.. a classic book which i read in secondary school and have already been thinking if i should own the book someday.. but *gasp*!!! both books were out of stock!! and so i bought this...


a children's book.. i know but it's a classic.. plus it's fully illustrated and in colour.. and recommended by florence.. and so i was wondering, perhaps i should just stay off collecting john grisham but invest the money into evergreen books.. and vogue magazine has absolutely the prettiest and most awesome fashion advertisements.. i was almost that impulsive to just buy the magazine off the rack..

and it's really a back-to-the-classics case for me.. i'm listening more to songs that were dated a few years back.. music that i've classified as evergreens.. old jay chou songs etc.. and gosh, i can see myself watching classic movies real soon.. breakfast at tiffany's.. hmm, a movie i will really want to watch though.. =)

much to be done.. but the drive somehow has fizzled out.. stuck on youtube, with a depleting stock of chocolates at home.. i'm pathetic..

rag girls..

but RAG GIRLS.. missing meiyan here, is probably one of the best things that happened during these 4 years of university life.. not to sound super nostalgic and sentimental.. *puke* but i am really thankful for them.. comprising of a bunch of ppl from different faculties, working on a common project, which i was the most clueless of all.. it's been 3 years since we formed that team back then..

thanks for maintaining my sanity in this school and for all the moments.. though we don't meet up much, and with everyone so busy but thanks for everything.. we may not tell each other the darkest secrets but it's just so comfortable to be with you all.. hmm.. i really do miss you all around in school.. but then again, the end for me is near as well.. hmm.. so much to say, but just ain't know how to say it.. take care and work hard!! huiying, don't kill the kids yeah!! missing you all again.. =P

buggie bite..

just trying to recall the number of times that i've missed school.. well, plenty.. missing lectures is a norm.. minus the fass modules, which i've faithfully attended.. engineering.. opps.. but to miss school for being sick.. i think i've not done that much.. even remembered dragging myself to class despite coming down with i-don't-know-what.. so yeah, i missed school today.. for a bug bite..

nope!! i wasn't playing with any bugs.. *yuck!!* but rather, i was innocently standing at the bus stop, waiting for a bus to go home last friday evening and was unfortunately attacked by some bug, which i didn't even see!!! oh gosh!! how misfortunate is that!! and thanks to my eczema condition, the stupid swelling did not go away.. and so i finally dragged myself downtown to my skin specialist..

what is really annoying is that, i got bitten in singapore!! of all countries!! i was in indonesia, taiwan, germany and wherever else.. but of all places, singapore!!! it's so annoying!! so much for being the cleanest country around and being non-trash.. right!! where in the world did the bug come from!! ARGH!!! kill the bug!!!

so i skipped school.. and yes, thesis submission is just a week away and my lit review section is an encouraging number of 0 page!!! kill myself!! faint..

fizzy fishes on an expedition!!

either i'm really confident, with loads of gut.. or i'm just plain stupid.. fyp thesis is due in 19 days and i've not even put down the first word.. and i still have the guts to go out on a weekday evening, without commiting even a minute to lab..

went on a shopping spree at marks and spenser again!! and fizzy fishes were once again on offer!! *wide smile*.. coupled with leftover goodies from the festive season, can you just imagine the stash i came home with?? and i met florence for dinner as well.. at this really interesting place, which has been in town for quite some time, but i've yet to give it a try.. it's called pepper lunch.. where you pay to cook your own food.. and it's not even steamboat.. and this is made possible with a patented electromagnetic hotplate, originating from the land of the rising sun!! it can heat up to a temperature of 260 degree Celsius.. my only question is, where is the circuit hidden??

today, we went to kinokuniya instead of borders.. but we had a really good time looking at cookbooks, non-fictions, fictions, children's books.. and even the really nicely bounded christmas carol, which was a leftover from christmas but ain't going on a discount!! *humph*.. and we finally made some sense out of the ending of never let me go by kazuo ishiguro.. and boy, it's very much of a read-between-the-lines story!! hmm.. i really love these bookstore-outings with florence.. we always have good discussions about book titles and.. at least for me, drool over the pictorials of food and wish that some kind soul will cook that for me!! i'm sorry but that's just me and food..

and it's still raining!! had to walk through a mini-flood, so i gave up and walked barefooted.. thank God that there's no creepy crawlies in the murky waters.. else the whole orchard road will hear me, loud and clear..

and back to the title.. fizzy fishes are not fizzed out!! well, at least for this afternoon when i was at marks and spenser.. but they are all over the shelves.. so that's why, they are on an expedition!! i love fizzy fishes.. it used to be percy pigs but the piggies got too expensive.. =( so till further notice?? i love the fishes!! =)

and so.. that concluded 2006..

and yes, yet another year has gone past.. this reflection post has taken a tad too long to be posted due to all the craziness in the past few weeks, days.. whatever..

2006.. for those of you who knew and for those of you who don't know.. it had been a roller-coaster year.. in the nutshell, it might have been a year of new friendships and lost friendships.. a year of regrets and new experiences.. a year of both good and bad decisions, but sometimes the line blurs so much, that it becomes difficult to determine either.. a year of realisation and growing up.. and yes, i do grow up mentally much slower than others.. =P and many others.. it was a tough year of struggling with pretty much thoughts and emotions..

my mum always teases me, saying that the moon overseas shines much brighter than that back home.. and i won't deny it by saying that, the grass is indeed greener on the other side.. even though life is tough out there alone, and there's more snakes than rabbits out in the fields, i still look over to that side of the world.. shoot me if you must, but that's how it feels to be in a love-hate relationship.. i'm sorry to say this, but there are many things i miss..

somehow, this year, i really felt like a potato, whose skin is slowing peeling off.. revealing perhaps my true nature?? or allowing others to know me better, ie, my dark side?? well, it's pretty horrible to be a potato, coz like they always say, some things are better left unknown.. and yes, ignorance is bliss.. but perhaps, growing up means being more aware of the truth and being ignorant is not the way to be.. and then important step to take, is to work towards correcting the ugly spots and turn them into strengths..

and enough on all these thought-provoking or rather, what-is-she-talking-about paragraphs.. i just wanna thank everyone present and around for this past year.. as a support, encouragement, pillar, anchor, listener, advisor, befriender, cheer-me-up folks.. taking care of me, loving me and letting me act crazy.. the list is too long to be fully written out here but to everyone, kudos, bows & curtsies.. =)

and half a year more to graduation and what we all like to have, a graduation road trip.. i just got 'shot' by peijia for going off to taiwan without her.. sorry girl.. we go europe, okay?? well, that's one of the possibilities.. but europe will be more of a trip of visiting friends and learning about more cultures.. otherwise, i really do want to go to beijing.. and there's canada too, with the incentive of attending an awesome friend's graduation ceremony.. =) so where shall i go??

2006 ended with a quiet note.. no fireworks like that at taipei 101 coz i was stuck out in some supposedly to be a peaceful place, sun moon lake, that got overran with tourists.. no lighting of the eiffel tower, no fireworks at brandenburger tor, no crystal ball at time sqaure.. just me and sleep.. =P

and if you didn't know, i ended the year with a trip to taiwan.. with visits to yeliu, where i learnt that i have adverse phobia towards crashing waves and strong winds.. and how much i do not want to be floating out in the pacific ocean.. and to alishan, where thick cloud cover kept the sun away from me!! =(.. and to taipei 101, where it was just an engineering WOW!! and who can forget the many food in taiwan.. well, i ate more than my parents combined together.. so enough said..

2006 sounds like an emotional journey.. so what will 2007 be?? a need to finish up school.. find myself a job that i will love.. continue acting stupid with the kids, though there is a rise of the new generation and suddenly, i feel much redundant!! =(.. save money so i can go travel around and perhaps, a countdown in another country.. =)

man sagt 'tschüs' zum 2006 und 'herzliche willkommen' zum 2007.. i will miss the fun, the laughters, the craziness, the satisfaction.. but what life is all about, is to look forward and move on.. so take a deep breathe and welcome 2007!!! =P

on a very small sidenote that will definitely catch my large attention.. 24 days left to the submission of project thesis!! i'm so doomed!!!

merry christmas.. to you!!

and so.. yet another christmas.. so before i start.. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! yupz!! hope that everyone had a really great time.. eating as much chocolates and log cakes as possible.. singing the loudest carols, without the neighbours complaining.. drinking loads of glühwein, though we don't exactly have that on this side of the earth.. wait, any warmed red wine will actually do.. and being stuck along orchard road/ vivocity or wherever else and in some fake snow-foam party.. but whatever it is, hope that everyone had a good christmas..

on the other hand.. i had an eventful line-up till christmas eve!! boy!! it almost sucked the air out of me, not to mention that i had to go back to school to top up solvent and to keep the hplc column.. and here goes..

decorations on friday were just plain cool.. it's just reminds me of the excitement of seeing what we or others have designed, materialises.. and do not tell anyone of what i did to the ceiling boards in the church function hall.. *angelic look*.. and suren did a really pretty work with the flowers on the walls!! eunice and huiran did a really great job with the rest of the hall, which ain't an easy job.. elizabeth can cook!!! chocolate fondue!! and how we all learnt of each other's dirty little secrets during the ice-breaker games.. despite the tiredness, it was pure fun on saturday evening.. =)

then came sunday morning.. a truckload of thanks to aunty bock chin and uncle mark.. and richard and priscilla.. and the kids as well.. nothing would have happened, if it won't for all their help.. despite the craziness, the chaos and maybe bits of ill-discipline.. it's all in the name of fun!! love the kids loads.. and i hope that this love will not fade away.. =)

and i was late for candlelight service coz i went shopping for a new pair of shoes at queensway shopping centre.. and i overslept and couldn't wake up for christmas service this morning.. so i spent a lazy morning and early afternoon at home.. watching tv, tidying newspapers.. and literally sleep.. although i should feel guilty about skipping christmas service but it was a good break.. a little slow-down that i need.. but the crap thing is, i finished all the tv serials that i've been watching during this holidays..

first up, there was band of brothers, which i failed to complete few year ago.. but i finally did this time round!!! =) though there were loads of guts and intestines and blood.. and next up, there was grey's anatomy, whereby the whole hospital is just sleeping with each other!!! oh gosh.. but i really do hope that meredith ends up with derek in the show.. and it also reminded me why i cannot be in the medicare profession.. gawh!! stuck on tv!! and not to mention, this japanese serial which i borrowed from gek koon.. gawh!! it's been ages since i watched japanese serials and i really do miss them all.. and crap, holidays are ending soon..


and channel 5 was screening love actually yesterday evening.. and it's actually the 3rd time that i've watched this movie.. once with adeline in dec 2003.. another with nitya on the london cable channel on christmas eve 2005.. and on christmas eve 2006.. cheezy, though keira knightley is really pretty.. and bill nighy is just totally a comic effect.. and rowan atkinson is just the critical humour factor required.. and colin firth actually looked better than hugh grant, though hugh grant looked so good in nottinghill.. and the main line that stuck with me throughout the whole movie was, it's christmas and we tell the truth during christmas..

and yes, time flies.. it's been a year since i attended christmas service at the westminister abbey and trying all means to take a photo of our nation's founder, sir stamford raffles.. though i still failed.. gawh!! time really does fly when we are having the most fun..

on a sidenote.. received a really wonderfully made and pretty christmas card, which i have absolutely destroyed already!! i ought to throw rocks at myself.. now i have to rely on the powers of scotch tape!! gawh!!! it's just so nice to know that somewhere out there, i'm still on somebody's mind..

once again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! =)