Angel League

Reflections 2010 & Hello 2011!!

2010-12-31T23:56:00.002+08:00

I've took looong leave from this space for months and now think i should do a quick conclusion for the year that just flashed past. So fast that everything's a blur.

Thinking back, it's been a rather eventful year though. Turned 30 (yikes), changed IC (finally feel comfortable enough to show ppl my IC, haha), broke my foot - major event!, went for 2 holidays - HCMC & Tokyo. Hmmmmm, dat's about it i think.....And spent time with my beloved family and my dearest friends, of course. Though we're meeting up a lot less often, i feel that we have not drifted apart. All these may not sound like much to many people but to me, that makes up a pretty good year. :)

Such a lot has happened in 2010 all over the world - more bad than good ones i think...with all the natural disasters and psychopaths/ terrorists that are out to ruin the world. It sends a very clear message to all of us to cherish every little thing around us and not to take anything/ anybody for granted - until it is too late.

So in the new year, i will aim to:

1. be nicer to people around me
2. eat more healthily - which also means to STOP my friends from over-ordering and making me eat more
3. be more environmentally friendly
4. exercise more, or rather start exercising again
5. do something meaningful - haven't thot of what, but something will turn up along the way
6. spend less time at work

The Year starts NOW!! Let's all have a smashing good time :)

Pink Foot No Good

2010-05-08T19:13:00.004+08:00

Pink foot is cool and i kinda liked it till it cost me my taiwan trip. "pretty in pink" thus became "pity in pink". Sigh! So upset but i should have seen it coming- didn't really feel that my foot is ready yet. Luckily the angels from China Airlines & PYO Travels made cancellations & changes in air tix & hotel arrangements a breeze. So helpful they were & that really made me feel loads better. So disappointed 'cuz i had been looking forward to the trip but now have to stay behind. Felt sorry that i couldn't go with my sis & her fren but I hope they will have a really good trip.

It's now 4 weeks since the foot got casted and I seriously don't know how long more my foot is going to remain pink. Doc says fractures in lower limbs usually take around 3 mths to heal so hopefully, i'll take less than that with reiki. Good thing I'm not one to get bored easily and I'm getting pretty good moving around on crutches so all's good. And believe me, there's no pain at all. Everyone seems pretty alarmed to know that I've got my foot fractured & put in a cast. In fact, serious fractures or hairline cracks alike, doc will just cast the affected part. This is to prevent you from using the fractured limb and allow the bone to heal itself. So how long you take to heal will indicate how long the cast needs to stay on. Does it still sound very serious now?

Anyway, I just hope I can get the cast out soon 'cuz I'm really concerned with my right leg now being SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than my left working leg. HELP! I was damn scared when i saw the difference at the doc the other day while waiting to do a new cast. No joke, too disgusted to remember to take a picture but then again, better not scare people further. So now I know it just takes 2 weeks to lose your muscles and turn flabby when you don't do anything. And another 2 weeks to go all soft....Yucks, i shall not continue further, grossing myself out.

All things happen for a reason

2010-04-16T02:37:00.006+08:00

An act of stupidity led to a fracture in my right foot. It wasn't a small crack and to think i managed to limp around a whole week before i had it properly diagnosed & put in a cast- quite amazing.

Anyway, i thought the whole process of going to the A&E Dept, having the foot casted & being pushed around in a wheelchair rather fun....heehee. Afterall, it's a first in 30 years but of course, i hope it's the last time too.

Oh yeah, my 2nd trip to hospital earned me a record MC for 2 weeks (the first visit about 5 yrs ago got me 1 week). Not bad at all, though i don't really enjoy wearing a cast for this long. Sigh. On the other hand, this gave me reason to slow down (literally) & take a step back in life. i get to spend time at home, rest more and most importantly, the opportunity to declutter and clear the backlog at work - i feel the stress at work lift off already. For the past half a year or more, work has been crazy. As the work piled up faster than i could clear them, the stress level rose too. I wanted a break but can never find a better time to go on leave. Well, this incident actually gave me the solution. Not a bad thing at all, sans aching armpits.

As i always think: all things happen for a reason. Either you see it or you don't. When things appear to go wrong, we start blaming ourselves and everyone else or getting all stressed up over it and thinking it's the end of the world. No good. What seems bad may not be bad, really. So, it's important to learn to take a step back and discover/ observe the good things that it will lead to, instead of just the bad stuff. There's 2 sides to a coin - always choose the brighter side. Helps to keep one happy and wrinkle-free - so important now.

Beautiful Sunday

2009-12-28T03:33:00.004+08:00

Went to watch the (free) PAYCO concert at esplanade this afternoon with Runying & yes, being a FREE concert, it was full house. Even the stall seats behind the stage were occupied-i dun remember having this big an audience before or did we? I realised I've not been to the concert hall for a very long time - I dun even remember when was the last time I've been to the concert hall - was it as an audience or performer?

Yellow Envelope's crowning glory is quite impressively, looking shampoo-ad glossy (swish, swish) - no signs of balding yet. The revolting Watermelon is still there, yucks. Anyway, seeing the kids play just bring back fond memories & I still miss the days of playing music together with da gang. I wish we'll somehow have a chance to play together again but STEEL, I'm very glad that we are all still very good frens. :)

Celebrations -days of no work & all play. Yay!!

2009-12-27T12:27:00.011+08:00

Finally, it's come to the last month of the year. For the first time, I'm really glad for Christmas to be here cuz work has been sooooo busy lately & I'm sorely missing the slack days at work when I can FB (& youtube even). Arrggh. Then suddenly from the Monday before Christmas, the number of emails just dropped to a low and I began to feel some peace & quiet coming back to my life again. Oh yeah, & only then I start to feel some Christmas cheer..lalallalalalaaaa....... Shall enjoy while it lasts!!

"Wish Upon A Star" Party. We went overboard with stars!

No, the picture is not upside down, the tree is.

Tang Yuan day. The mini ones are cute! They remind me of the ones we will make during the PAYCO camps. When there are leftovers, we'll always play games & stuff ourselves silly with tangyuans as forfeits.

Christmas Day at latest hangout place- pool on the roof @ Celestia

Went White Rabbit @ Dempsey. Nice place with gigantic tables & chairs. Too bad there was a wedding held indoors so we were restricted to outdoor seats. Didn't get to see how it looked inside. But anyway, I liked the souffle with apricots, almost finished the entire thing myself. Hmmm, on second thots, not so sure if it's really dat nice or cuz I haven't had souffle for a long time :-p

How high is your threshold for stupidity?

2009-11-04T11:49:00.002+08:00

I realised I have a low tolerance level for stupidity so if i suddenly have an heart attack, you should know why.

i do nothing but eat

2009-11-02T01:13:00.011+08:00

Yet another month passed with nothing much accomplished except if you count trying out new food places..........?!

RAKUZEN
Had put together a last-minute hen party for our dear fren who's getting married soon. Not so much of a hen party but more like a treat for her. Went for foot massage + foot spa (shiok!), followed by dinner at a new restaurant - RakuZen @ Millenia Walk. Not sure how new it was, but it was the first time i came across it. It is located at where Sushi Tei used to be and we later found out that it's affliated to Sushi Tei. Quality of food is pretty good n its got nice decor :)

Sashimi, yum!

We love our greens.

Scallop & salmon Carpacio

Chawanmushi

Fierce-looking dragon-roll

Xinyi's yakiniku don

Anqi's garlic rice - simple but delicious all the same!

Kushiyaki -Asparagus with pork -- it's not very clear but the dish's more asparagus than pork actually.

AFTERNOON TEA AT AXIS LOUNGE & BAR -ORIENTAL MANDARIN
Met up with Daphne, Rachel & Cindy for our once-in-along-while gathering. Chose the place mostly cuz the price was decent for the selection (S$20++ for single portion & $32++ for 2 to share) and that I've not tried it before. It was a nice place to laze n gather for a catch-up session with a view of marina bay. I wun consider the view breath-taking cuz afterall, it's just on the 4th floor but still nice - especially when it started pouring so heavily till the buildings in CBD became just blurred outlines - there's a nice cosy feeling to just be sitting indoors watching the rain - ready to zzzzzz......

Here's pixs of our food:

The spread

An additional tray of mini pastries - 2 quiches and 1 chicken puff - good for the hungry souls who come to tea without lunch.

Overall, the variety is good but the food is so-so only. Just like with Melt next-door, i think cakes & sweets are not Oriental's strength. Only a couple of them are good, the rest are average. Another thing i didn't like was that, other than the savoury stuff, the sweet stuff all came in single pieces. So if you are sharing a set, you either had to fight for what you like to eat or spend half the time trying to get your friend to take the piece and her trying to do the same. End result: you both decide to share and risk making a mess out of the cakes as you try to half them when they are already such tiny pieces to begin with.

Think it's nicer there at nite though in terms of view and mood. Shall go back another day. Happy hour comes with complimentary tapas, anyone?

With a Pinch of Salt

2009-10-12T02:27:00.004+08:00

Met up for dinner with the Payco gang for an early celebration of Uncle Lun's bday. Grace suggested a nice little cafe along Tanjong Katong Road. Food is pretty alright and prices are reasonable too. Mrs Dory Garlic-Crusted, Sir Tenderloin, Squid Ink Risotto are definitely worth trying. My Lamb Monsieur was not that nice but then again to be fair, not many places do lamb well.
Dessert choice was rather limited - Choco Lava - a form of warm choc cake with ice-cream, was about the only thing that looks appetising enough to order and it didn't disappoint. Overall, I think the place is nice enough for me to go back & try out the other dishes. & I so like the decor of the place, cute!

Check out their website: http://www.withapinchofsalt.com.sg/

薑母茶!!!

2009-10-11T15:59:00.015+08:00

Sis jus came back from her Taiwan trip and among the stuff she brought back. I was highly amused by this:

Always saw this drink in the show, 命中注定我愛你 but never really thought they really sell it. It tastes quite nice too, the ginger taste is not over-powering. In fact, its rather sweet cuz the base is brown sugar with dried longans & red dates. Brought some to our "tea party" cum "sisters' gathering" yesterday and the gals loved it. For those who wants to know where to get it, here's the addresses of the different branches across Taiwan. the first address is the one located in Taipei:

Sis also got me some Jay Chou postcards when she visited the Mr J restaurant.

I thought the packaging was much nicer than the postcards it held. Still, it was a nice momento. :)

Zhen1 Shi4 Zi3 Zuo4 Nie4.......

2009-08-18T16:32:00.002+08:00

I'm getting sick and tired of organising gatherings. Angry with the idiots who don't reply sms or change their minds last minute - obviously they don't see how frustrating it is to coordinate so many people. Slap these idiots.

Nobody wants to be the organiser so i take up the dirty job 'cuz if I don't, no gatherings will happen and I won't get to see my frens as frequently. But then again, why do I want to meet these idiots who don't appreciate my efforts to organise?! Sigh, unfortunately they are my frens and i still want to keep them despite them being idiots.

That aside, have to say I still have a very nice bunch of friends who totally understand how #!@%!!~!!! it is to make just a simple dinner meet-up happen. Love you guys and I will be more than pleased to arrange any meet-ups with you any time.

Meanwhile, I want to take leave as an organiser for time indefinite. During this time, please ask me out cuz I wun be doing the asking. :p

Wassup?? Huh? Wassup???

2009-07-30T23:28:00.001+08:00

Well, well, well......
Just when i felt that I had procrastinated enough and decided to start putting up my stuff on EBay for sale, the website doesn't allow me to load my photos.
Just when i am finally in the mood to blog, I suddenly realised I do not have the options to post my pix anymore.

I used to think it was bad that it takes so long for me to load my pictures on blogger - don't ask me why, it's just like this for me, I am cursed in IT. It is in fact worse now - I can't even attempt to load the pix, not even when I wanted to try. :(

Arrrgggghhhh.........! The Internet is against me! Great......I shall continue to online shop and blog-stalk others. Bleah!

The Constant & The Changing

2009-06-07T23:13:00.021+08:00

Different heights, different time, different occasions, different weather, different views from the same building. Spot the difference.

Same same but different

2009-06-07T22:43:00.003+08:00

Today, the few of us met up for afternoon tea to celebrate Serina's bday. As we get busy with different aspects of our lives, we meet up less often as compared with 10 years ago. Inevitable, but now, it makes me cherish each meet-up that happens - which occurs usually cuz of someone's bday or some festival/ public holiday.

It was a nice outing, nostalgic as we met up at DOME cafe at Marina Square - a place where we use to frequent for afternoon tea on weekdays or dinner after PA practices on Saturdays. It was like the good old times again - the usual order of potato wedges and ice mocha with gelato but yet, this time it was different. We had a little one with us this time. Mummy Sim brought along Baby Z to join us and this elevated all our statuses to "aunties" & "uncles". Time flies man!

This little tot is so cute and was obviously fascinated with his new environment and new people around him that he opened his eyes real wide for most part of our meet-up. Talk about a eye-opening experience, LOL.

Looking forward to the next gathering!

The Wonders of Reiki

2009-04-17T01:45:00.003+08:00

Can't remember the last time since I sprained my ankle, nor which ankle. :p

Aniway, I was wearing my "new" shoes on Good Friday Eve and being not acustomised to the height, i twisted my ankle accidentally while on the escalator. It didn't hurt at all but i did get a shock though. Feeling lucky i didn't hurt myself, i continued my day happily till late nite at KTV with Helu-trans alumni gang.

It all started when I had a chance to sit down at the coffeeshop at 201 for supper. I thought i should reiki my ankle a bit as I was sure it must have been hurt somehow though there was no pain at all. About an hour later, i suddenly felt pain in my left ankle and foot - er...the same kind of sore and swollen feeling you get when you sprain your ankle. Super bad, I had to limp home. Good thing was, it was just from the carpark and up to my place since Benny drove me back and it was 3 am at night so nobody saw me limping....hahaha.

Back home, I could really feel the pain now. I was hopping around the house on my good leg as i couldn't put my left leg on the floor. Basically, I couldn't move it without feeling pain. When I finally made it to bed, I curled myself up so i could clutch my ankle and reiki it. Quite painful that I didn't really sleep very soundly like I usually do.

Well, it was all worthwhile curling up the whole night in an awkward position clutching my ankle - the throbbing pain was gone by morning though it still hurt a bit when I walked. Ok, I had some external help too - Benny sent me some distant reiki. By the time I was ready to go for the PAYCO alumni BBQ, i could walk reasonably well, just slow. Serina & WM were really nice to come back to Tampines to pick me up though I had planned to take a cab already.

By Saturday, I was walking properly already. Took a train to City Hall myself - did not cab ok.

Amazing huh, my sprained ankle self-healed with the help of reiki in just 2 days! No visit to the sinseh or any bandages/medication. Yes, I agree it sounds like some TV-media commercial but I don't blame you if you find it too good to be true. You've got to experience it to believe it but of course, I'm not cursing you to fall/ hurt yourself, ok. Anyway, whether you believe it or not, I'm still very pleased with how reiki worked!

My Mac is alive again!

2009-04-06T01:29:00.003+08:00

Yay! After sooooo long, I finally got down to getting a new charger for my apple yesterday. So yong xing liang ku...brought my laptop down to Sim Lim in the sweltering heat but it was all worth it. My Ping Guo is up n kicking again!!! Am so glad its just a charger problem and not my Ping Guo turning rotten cuz getting a new one means $$$$$!

Tiring weekend but I am mighty pleased with my buys @ e bazaar sale at H & S but its a dangerous place for even the most rational shopper. If you stay long enough, you're bound to find something to buy somehow or another even though you have been through the whole shop for the n-th time - just like me but I'm sure I' m not alone. :) People take on a double identity- they are the seller and, the buyer too. N everywhere you go and anything u touch, everyone just gushes - oooh, dat's so nice, it looks soo good on you, its a good buy......etc, its just such a conducive environment to BUY, BUY & BUY. The whole place just feels like a "shopaholics anonymous" gathering!

Looking at the damage, I tell myself I really should not be shopping again for the next 1 to 2 months. Everyone, please be a kind soul and remind me if I attempt to buy anything that is Not A Necessity. As you know, I have a lousy memory. ;p

谢谢你，音乐魔法师

2009-03-11T01:45:00.007+08:00

魔法师施了法
用歌声迷住了我

继续走
我期待他再次的施法

继续走
迷宫我走不出去

迷宫

2009-02-18T01:57:00.003+08:00

迷宫
我已经走进去了
下一秒
我会遇见谁？

First Post of the Year

2009-02-02T01:13:00.002+08:00

First post of the year - for both 2009 n Year of the Ox. Despite the not so positive stuff that's been happening recently, do be reminded that there are wonderful things that are happening too. May this year be a good one for everybody. :)

Yepz, it has been almost 2 months since the last post. Angel X has been busy..........and lazy too.

Busy enjoying herself.This 2 mths have been a wonderful time - Angel X loves ALL her friends! ;)

Lazy to blog and post pics. But new year, new start. Angel X will try to accomplish more and stop procrastinating (so much). Updates will soon be up :)

Of gatherings and food

2008-12-07T02:07:00.019+08:00

Have been meeting up many people in this 2 weeks and have been trying out stuff I've never had before - quite a bit of Japanese food in fact. It's one of my fav food and I think I can have that everyday and not tire of it.

With Elvie @ Raffles City:
My sandwich from Canele- they have an updated menu now with more food items than before - worth a try.

With FY & Xinyi @ Tampopo, LiangCourt, before 5-hour long KTV session:
Before the food:

Swordfish sashimi

My Hokaido ramen with aji tama- so so only. Sun with Moon has a better version i think.

The black pig shabu shabu original ramen is pretty good. I should have ordered this instead.

With Medha @ Tonkichi, Isetan Scotts:

Ladies set - definitely not for one with a dainty appetite. Tonkichi is not really for me, all fried stuff.

With Widi, Hernanto, little Danielle and Widi @ Akashi, Paragon:

Food at Akashi is pretty good and reasonably priced - no queues on Saturday afternoon. Realised I did not take a photo of my food but i think I'm quite off taking pictures for the moment, now that i have a lousy camera phone. Sucks. But I had to take a picture of little Danielle of course, so cute!

With Serina and Weiming@ Orchard on Saturday:

As usual, my camera phone can't do justice to the picture - sigh, i just can't stop griping about that..

We tried out Waraku's new restaurant concept at Starhub centre for dinner:

Why is my food not here yet?

Cabonara on hotplate -yum!

Okonomiyaki with noodles

Potato Mentai

The potent deep fried garlic that gave Weiming a nasty shock and a lingering after-taste that lasted one coke float, 2 strong mints and another good 2 to 3 hours......

你不是真正的快樂

2008-12-04T01:57:00.003+08:00

My dear friend, how have you been?
It has been a long while since we've met up and i miss you.
I hope I am not one of the many you chose not to keep in contact because I offer no business potential.
If it is sadly so, I hope you are truly happy now. Because I feel you have lost an important part of your life in your pursuit of a perceived "quality life".

Till the day reality hits, I wish you well, my friend.

你不是真正的快樂

音樂：五月天
詞曲：阿信
from：後青春期的詩

人群中哭著你只想變成透明的顏色

你再也不會夢或痛或心動了

你已經決定了你已經決定了

你靜靜忍著緊緊把昨天在拳心握著

而回憶越是甜就是越傷人了

越是在手心留下密密麻麻深深淺淺的刀割

你不是真正的快樂你的笑只是你穿的保護色

你決定不恨了也決定不愛了

把你的靈魂關在永遠鎖上的軀殼

這世界笑了於是妳合群的一起笑了

當生存是規則不是你的選擇

於是妳含著眼淚飄飄盪盪跌跌撞撞的走著

你不是真正的快樂你的笑只是你穿的保護色

你決定不恨了也決定不愛了

把你的靈魂關在永遠鎖上的軀殼

你不是真正的快樂你的傷從不肯完全的癒合

我站在你左側卻像隔著銀河

難道就真的抱著遺憾一直到老了然後才後悔著

你值得真正的快樂你應該脫下你穿的保護色

為什麼失去了還要被懲罰呢

能不能就讓悲傷全部結束在此刻重新開始活著

Just as I was kind of feeling a little down, i read the most recent post by 阿信 (http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4b66ade80100bw9q.html). Wow, he's not only cute and talented, he reads my mind too! * swoonz*

The Man - cute and talented. I like :)

SG Biennale 08 - South Bridge Development

2008-11-27T00:43:00.010+08:00

Taking some time to post the pictures taken at the second location of the Biennale for 2008 - South Bridge Devt. This piece of land will, unfortunately, not be restored/preserved but soon be re-developed into shopping malls, hotels...etc.

Taken from Shaw Towers carpark

Among collected mess

Charcoal door. There were no lighting in the buildings. Lightbulbs were the souce of illumination - which was actualli quite cool.

I love this room.

The white stuff on the ground are all bits n pieces of soap. Spot the little stool n the red basin in the middle.(erm...yah. I think you call that a basin :p) The whole place smells of soap.

Florescent swing.

LV does flooring too?

Sugar rush - that's what happened to the bees and ants....

There was a 3rd location of outdoor art installations that I really wanted to see but had to miss due to time constraints. But anyway, still glad to have caught most of the Biennale08. Some of the pictures are really quite blur cuz of the lousy camera phone I'm using now. Sigh, i really miss my SE K800i badly and I'm surprised that i can miss a non-living thing this much. Am contemplating getting a digital cam but still think a camera phone is more convenient cuz I can just pick it up n shoot. But there doesn't seem to be any decent cam-phones that meet my criteria in the market now and it's dumb to get myself another k800i, duh. What a headache.......can SE read my mind and come up with something that I want, please???? Minus the stupid charging point problem, thanks.

Home alone?

2008-11-25T00:28:00.005+08:00

I just realised that this weekend, all my usual hangout kakis are going to be out of town; the shopping ones, the "starbucks gang"......well, almost all. Is this good timing or wat?

Better start making some plans or I'll waste my weekend away. No way man.....

Afternoon Tea again

2008-11-14T01:06:00.005+08:00

Had tea with my longest-known friends (shall not use the word "old") at Sheraton Hotel last Sunday. Pretty good and it comes in a set so you don't have any chance to overeat. There's a one-for-one promo with Citibank cards, so it's really quite a good deal. :)

Our spread

Set for 2

With Anqi, my longest-known friend from Kindergarden 2! Come to think of it, we have not taken a picture together since....primary school maybe?

The four of us.....since 1987.

Busy Saturday of a tai-tai

2008-11-04T01:54:00.007+08:00

Had an enjoyable Saturday with activities I will be doing when I'm a full time tai-tai - high tea and visiting an arts exhibition. =)

Attended Yvonne's ROM party at Old School. Nice, nostalgic place- plain old school lor. It was a simple, fuss-free event for the couple. ROM ceremony , cocktail, simple finger food served, retro/ jazz music in the background, friends catching up, photo-taking. It was definitely more relaxing for everybody....Nice.

Had to walk down the longest flight of stairs in order to reach The Cathay at the foot of Mt Sophia, and that was supposed to be a short-cut. I supposed they made it a sheltered stairway in view of wet weather but don't feel good walking in that descending tunnel- claustrophopic.

Indulged in English-style high tea buffet at Hyatt in the afternoon. Love the scones! Though selection was not wide, i definitely stuffed myself full - taking care of both lunch and dinner at the same time. Felt that I was too greedy after that.

Went for some "exercise" after that, at the Singapore Biennale held at the City Hall. Interesting exhibits but there were some a lot of video clips that were super s-l-o-w and I didn't understand what was going on -too arty. But for S$10 entrance fee, you could well get your money's worth if you went through all the exhibits and sat through ALL the videos/movies even. You can spend a whole day in there definitely.

It's a bird's eye view of Singapore. Or at least my photo shows more of the South and East of SG. The white parts are all stickers with comments by people who attended the exhibition. It was all fun searching for where our homes and schools are and also reading the silly but innovative stuff people wrote.

Alien invasion? This cleverly makes use of the Supreme Court as a backdrop. Looks like an UFO rite?

Tiny wiry plants on a bed of fine sand.

Close-ups:

Finally........

2008-11-04T01:34:00.003+08:00

Finally....... i got my much needed massage last Friday. Left shoulder was aching the whole time, I even considered using Salon Pas, old le.

Immediate relief after the massage, but as I kept having to remind myself to relax my shoulder muscles cuz they seem to go into auto-tense mode by default.....very bad, very bad. Which is why I ended up with this:

I have joined the "Package Gang". =) In bad times, packages offer "bulk discount" for repeat purchases/services if you share among friends. For this, the package price is $10 off the usual price! So for the greatest good of all, muz sign up. Looking forward to my next massage session!

GE Run 2008

2008-10-29T01:20:00.003+08:00

Yay....i completed my 5KM run last Sunday. And it wasn't difficult at all. Thanks to the people who took the run for the "big walk", i slowed my pace in order to weave in and out through the strolling crowd, such tt I even had energy to admire the scenery of the race route. 5KM is not a lot to most people, but I am happy I completed it. =)

Old HongKong

2008-10-18T04:17:00.007+08:00

Chanced upon this restaurant in Square2 when mum, sis n me were looking for a place for late lunch. Serves dim sum and Cantonese dishes. Prices are comparative to Crystal Jade and Imperial Treasures but the menu is quite extensive and they have quite a lot more variety for drinks compared to Crystal Jade. According to my sis, they do have some authentic HKG dishes that is not so commonly found in S'pore except probably at the pricer /HC restaurants.

We ordered a few dishes cuz we decided we should not be greedy and over order - which was a good choice cuz we were reasonably full at the end of the meal and very happy :) Here are the pictures:

The snack - this is already impressive cuz other restaurants just serve only peanuts or achar....Look at the pretty side plates!

The steamed rice with chicken, mushroom and chinese sausage - this was pretty normal, nothing to shout about.

Pan-fried carrot cake with XO sauce.

Pig stomach soup with preserved veg. Those who know me well enough will know that I'm sold whenever there's salted veg, egg or fish in the dish, I just had to order this. The pepper in the soup was not overpowering like some others and you could actually taste the saltiness of the preserved veg in the soup. Yum. U can be sure not one drop of soup was left. I could drink a few bowls myself.

We also ordered har gow and custard buns. The har gow was pretty good but the star of the meal was the custard buns. These are no ordinary custard buns but SALTED egg yolk custard bun which are absoutely to-die-for. These buns are supposed to have molten custard fillings that will oooze out when u bite into them, droolz...... Unfortuately, i was busy with the other dishes that when I got to the bun, it has turned cold and the filling had solidified but still yummy otherwise. Imagine how it will be when it's hot!

And all the above for S$36, which I thought was pretty reasonable. This place is worth checking out and if u're interesIed, it's tucked in one of e corners behind the Sakae sushi shop on either the 2nd or 3rd floor. I muz return again so as to do justice to the custard buns....eat when they're pipping hot!

Still more of London

2008-09-28T02:10:00.027+08:00

Friday is the day of saying goodbyes......It's Audrey's last day as well. Quite a surprise that she's leaving cuz she joined about the same time I did. I quite like her really. We all left office early today for drinks at Red, the bar round the corner. Super sunny day it was, but the guys wanted a seat outside to enjoy the sun.......sigh, they haven't tried being in the sun everyday.....

This was taken at a supplier's warehouse and that's my colleague, Ken in the picture. See how small he is in the pix! There's archive files on the left and storage crates on the right. Super big, I felt really small standing right there.

Last day of my trip, I took a train to London to meet Mingzong, lugging my luggage up and down steps at the train station and tube. Not that bad, I did not get lost. :p

Sign on the opposite platform says "Welcome to Weybridge", but I'm leaving....so sad!

Mingzong was late due to some subway train fault - and that's pretty common there. I made my way over to the library based on his directions to wait for him.That's the British Library at King's Cross station. The building reminds me of TianAnMen Square somehow....

That's Newton doing his Maths homework in the library....:p

This is the start of the ultra shortcut sightseeing tour courtesy of Mingzong. Mind you, it was a very good one, no less. You'll find out why as we go along. We started with a tour around the CBD area with all the banks.......

This is a shopping area but it's Saturday afternoon in the CBD, so shops are not opened. No shopping for me :(

That's 3 relatively iconic buildings in London: Lloyds building on the left - a cold, metal structure that looks totally out of place in London; that's the Gherkin in the centre- yeah, it got its name from how it looks, like a gherkin but I think it looks quite cute. And the third building on the right- I dunno what building it is but it is also one of the few in London that have a modern look.

Ladies and Gentlemen, can you guess where this is?

Oh yeah, that's just it. You would have though it looked a bit more grand that that -The Bridge that we all have cursed to fall since we were young. To think we still sang it so happily, evil leh. And oh, for the record, I was told the Bridge has actually fell twice before, this is the 3rd one. So actually, the song works......oopz.

And there is Tower Bridge in the background....taken on London Bridge :)

I think Millenium bridge has a nice design and the view on both ends are really good. You have the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral on one end........

And the Tate Modern Gallery on the other end.....

Sunset captured on Millenium Bridge

Pictures of St. Paul's cathedral from different directions. Super big building.

This was a little patissiere shop near St Paul's Cathedral that was called Paul. Erm, no relation to the church but it has really good hot chocolate and huge yummy macarons.

This is obviously a resturant opened by a Singaporean. Wat a name!

This is the last pix i took before we head for dinner at a small but cosy Japanese restaurant. And all the places were covered in about an hour and a half, wat a rush! It was generally a tour of London's bridges and a few other must-sees and given the limited time I had, it was quite a lot covered. Dinner was simple Japanese soup udon with tempura and sashimi so I didn;t take any pix. But the food was really good. Left for the airport right after dinner, and made it all in good time for my flight.

Yep, everyone said it's a pity I didn't extend my stay, go shopping...etc...but i didn't really think so. I had really enjoyed myself this trip. Afterall, I had a very different experience since I was staying in the countryside which was so beautiful. Anyway, I'll have opportunities to return again next year and I'll be sure to extend my stay the next time round. Anyone wants to join me for London trip 2009?

More of London

2008-09-24T01:39:00.028+08:00

Thursday was a pretty fun day, cuz I was almost out of office the whole time. Was out with my cute colleague on a survey the whole morning and then went to visit one of the company's key accounts in the afternoon with one of the bosses - just only because they wanted to show me how amazing this office was. Really, I haven't seen any offices like this. I'll say it looked more like some rich man's mansion than an office.

That's just the exterior. The interior was gorgeous. We had our meeting in a boardroom which was more like a family room with a bar counter, a billiard table at another corner, huge comfy sofas and armchairs that seem capable of swallowing me whole when I sat down. Furnishings were rather elaborate, I suppose you call it Victorian styled furnishing? Plush! It makes me feel like a tai-tai immediately. I was too shy to ask to take a pix of the room but below pix i found online should give you a pretty good idea :p
(http://www.dasjadolan.com/gallery/3141992_uCWRb/1/172545200_Q6H5u#172545200_Q6H5u)

Left the office earlier with the gals to catch a train to town. We were off to catch "Dirty Dancing" at the theatres, so exciting!

A pix of the train we took to Waterloo Station.

Now I'm really in London! That's Waterloo station from across the street - Waterloo is like the CBD area of London.

The River Thames from OXO Tower - where we were to have our dinner before the musical.

As you can see, it was a good day with quite a bit of sun :)

Me, Susannah and Emma at the resturant on level 8 of OXO Tower with our cocktails while waiting for dinner.

Views from OXO Tower.

That's Waterloo bridge, one of the many bridges you will see in London

Now for food! This place is somehow affiliated to Harvey Nichols. Menu leans more towards fusion food. (Check out the place: http://www.harveynichols.com/output/Page128.asp) My starter dish of seared rare beef was absolutely heavenly. Someone commented it looked like a garden. :)

Emma's starter of artichoke.

Susannah's starter of tiger prawns

My main course of scallops with Thai red curry and salad

Emma and Susannah both had 28-day aged Angus beef which tastes as good, (and as expensive) as it looked....yummy!

N off to watch the musical - Dirty Dancing! Nothing really RA about the show, just to let you know, in case you have not seen the movie before and dunno wat's it about. Nice retro show with lots of cool dancing but it just doesn't get to me. No tunes got stuck to my head after watching it. I suspect I might enjoy Mama Mia more but then again, I didn't have to pay for it! It was all fun anyway - have always wanted to watch a musical in London for the feel of it.

Theatres in London seem to be rather casual - people dress casually and you actually can bring food and drinks into the theatre. They even sell ice-cream inside, during intervals! It's more like going to the cinemas.

Streets of London - the night pictures suck terribly. Just dunno how to work my sis' camera properly plus new phone just CMI. Oh, I am now really feeling very very sorry for not bringing my SE phone, damn.

By the time we were out from the show, shops were all closed and I could only window shop. Sigh. Went for a round of drinks around the area before heading off for home. Took the tube back to Waterloo to switch onto a train for Weybridge. Doesn't it looks like what you see at the airport? This screen shows the departure timings for the trains to various directions and respective platforms the trains will be at. So there will be a lot of people standing around staring at the screen waiting for the Platform number to be flashed. Funny thing is, the platform numbers will not be displayed on screen until minutes before the train comes. As soon as that happen, you will see a mad rush as people start rushing towards a particular direction for their trains cuz some platforms may be a distance away...... Can't they think of something better than that? Think they enjoy making people run for their trains. So strange right?

It was about 1am when i arrived back in hotel. Super long day, I'm so sleepy! Took a pix of the brochure before i went to sleep.

to be continued..............

I love London

2008-09-22T23:28:00.014+08:00

This is a trip of many "first times".

First time I......

travelled on an A380
took such a long flight & alone too
experienced a terrible flight delay of 15 hrs ( oh yes, the delay was due to the A380...phui....)
have been to London
haven't bought a single thing on an overseas trip
had a ride in a Porsche...weeeee.....

Stranded passengers of the bloody A380 in the waiting area - see the people sleeping on the ground? They are probably the people who had 18 hours of transit time between their flight from Australia/ NZ before they had to deal with this delay. My heart goes out to them.

Other than the delay, everything was great. Weather was really nice n cool too - i even had some sun, which they told me was rare in London. I muz have brought the sun over from S'pore, they said...haha. Hotel was nice, although ulu, with a king size bed all to myself. Get driven to n fro work by a cute colleague in an Audi n do very little work. Went out with colleagues to see clients and suppliers n basically waste a lot of time on the road cuz you practically drive a long way to get anywhere, we were in Surrey afterall. What a nice way to work, I could do it everyday. :p

View from my window

Hotel grounds - I know it sounds dumb, but the grass is really greener there.

Was taken out to dinner on Tuesday night at an Italian restaurant called Cambio. That was when my boss picked me up from the hotel in his Porsche, first time i had such a fast ride, so exciting! The restaurant was a nice place with great ambience. Food was nice too, though i found the main course a tad too salty.

The whole gang from work. It's kinda blur cuz i took it with my new phone. I really should have brought my trusty K800i with me instead. I so regret it but it's ok. I'll be back again.

My lobster tagliolini - looks great but really too salty.

My colleague's tagliatelle was much better, although it did not look that good.

Went to visit a client who was moving that day. Poor couple was evicted as the landlord's place was re-possessed by the bank. They had to move to a smaller apartment further down the road. Here I am taking pictures as my colleague and the client were downstairs. :p

Generally, houses look like this in London, so nice.

And flowers look absolutely fake.

Alright, need to sleep le. It's back to reality tomorrow, boohoo..... Will be posting more pictures soon!

My first trip to Batam 2008

2008-08-26T00:54:00.020+08:00

KFC Breakfast on a Friday morning, watching the office crowd rushing to work -bliss................

Ferry Tix

"Sea Prince" brought us to Batam

On the way to Batam, we passed by my future home - Sentosa Cove

There's an invisible line across sky - see the clouds lined up so neatly!

Nice pool which we soaked in every day......

Lunch at Nagoya Town

My pretty dragonfruit drink

Eh-hem......BFC?! Nope, didn't try it. I'm wary of anything that claims itself to be "BEST"......

Hypermart - the only place really worth shopping at

Sunset - catch the little bright spot as it slides down the horizon..........

Lost & Found.....finally

2008-07-31T00:38:00.002+08:00

Hehe....was so elated to finally find out yesterday where my fav. pork chop rice stall has relocated to.

It totally made my day, considering i had a terrible morning with a serious-wardrobe crisis - which resulted in me being very late and so, a cab expenditure of $14. You can well see the serious repercussions of a wardrobe crisis on me - so i need new clothes to prevent the crisis from striking again and causing me emotional imbalance and huge losses in terms of transport expenditure. :p

Anyway, I am still feeling happy bout finding my long-lost pork-chop rice today,wahhaha. So you can see, it is really easy to make me happy. Lalala~

I'm already gathering people to share my joy wif me. So if you wanna go eat pork-chop rice too, do jio me along k.......

Yay, yay, yay................. :)

Will you B.M.W?

2008-07-24T00:40:00.004+08:00

It's not the latest BMW slogan. It's the "sure-win" way to propose.

Heard from Cindy that a friend proposed to the girlfriend with a BMW. Why a BMW and not a Merc or some other cars? B'coz BMW stands for "Be My Wife". Isn't that just so sweeeet?

Can somebody give me one too?

Excursion to the Zoo

2008-07-24T00:23:00.010+08:00

When i tell my friends i went to the zoo, I get stunned expressions and responses like "for wat?!" Huh.........go zoo of course go see animals lah. The zoo is actually not as big as I tot it would be. We finished e place, or at least most of the animals in about 3 hours. And I muz say it was a pretty fun trip, very informative too: Do you know that polar bears actually have black skin?
And can you differentiate between a jaguar and a leopard? I'll probably never find out if I didn't go to the zoo and oh, the zoo has a "golden tortoise" too!

I'll recommend a visit if you haven't been there for a long time. It's good to feel like a kid again!

The tall one

The star tortoise and its friend

Catwalk - this is really where the term came from

Let me tell you the story of "The Green Elephant".........

The beautiful but deadly rattlesnake

The meercat on guard duty, who was very bored. Very, very bored.

The real Zebra-crossing

1st Run in 2008

2008-07-03T01:04:00.007+08:00

The lazy me finally utilized her running shoes for the first time in 2008 last Saturday. Didn't accomplish much and ended up with muscle ache for 2 days after. So lousy....

Aniway, chanced upon some really nice sand castles along the beach near the ECP hawker centre while waiting for the rest. Realised that there's actually an organisation called Castle Beach that organises sand castle buidling events. Isn't that interesting?

"A non-profit organization providing sandcastle teambuilding activities for children from under-privilege background, high-risk families and physically challenged conditions. " http://www.castlebeach.org

Ended the morning run at MacDonald's to regain lost calories :p See our nicely stacked breakfast!

Happy 21st Bday, Sze Ni!

2008-06-22T00:41:00.001+08:00

It's a long while since I've celebrated someone's 21st birthday. It's great to be young but actually, I dun feel too old myself :p

See b'day gal striking same pose as the pix in her cake. The choc cake from Secret Recipe is really yummy!

Keeping ourselves entertained by taking photos.

Sun Dining Restaurant

2008-06-08T21:30:00.003+08:00

Gathered for Serina's b'day celebration at Sun Dining restaurant at Chijmes. Nice place and not too crowded. Food is so so, but I muz say the Hokkaido ramen is yummy. Forgot to take pictures again, other than the food....

Hokkaido Ramen -yummy!

My kimchi hot pot

Change

2008-06-08T21:29:00.000+08:00

I served my last day at HT last Tuesday and waited to start on my new job. It was a short but nice break. So busy, I didn't really have time to rest or even find time to have a haircut, which was long overdue. But I had fun. Went Mambo for the first time in sooo many years only to realise that I have aged. Hahaha, or maybe it's the lousy DJ which was spinning trash. Having a jug of housepour showering my feet didn't help either. I seem to get drenched quite often these days, I wonder why. Very disappointed, I muz go again another day since I didn't get to enjoy myself.

In good timing, the long awaited Reiki course happened this weekend, just in time before I start on the next page in my career. It was a great experience, magical even. Well, there's no way I can explain how I get healing powers in my hands just after some ritual which made no sense to me. Well, most people will find it unbelievable, but I will say feeling it is believing. There are some things that cannot be explained logically, so just take it as it is. Things are so much simpler when you dun ask so many questions.

Started on new job this week at new office. Nice change & yes, i ended back at at Suntec again. Back in civillisation, which means more shopping- dangerous! But so far, no damage yet. I missed the gals back at HT and the lunches n oh, the B & Js after lunch. Lunch at Suntec is boring in comparison but i shouldn't be complaining. Sometimes, having limited choice is a good thing - you decide faster. :p my last B&J at HT ----->

The week after the fabulous Long Weekend

2008-05-28T14:04:00.015+08:00

Following the string of interesting stuff I did last week, I had a pretty eventful week too, including getting drenched by the Keppel Road "BIG SPLASH". Truely an experience of a lifetime..............

Caught the movie with Serina n Xinyi on Tues. Nice movie n it's nt becoz he's handsome ok.....catch if u can :)

Fish N Chips & the yummy value-for-$$ Oxtail from WheelWagon @ Greenwood Avenue

The sua-kus in us chanced upon the famous LANA Cake --- orrr so it's at Greenwood Avenue.....It's moist and fluffy - like a chocolately pandan cake. You can eat lots of it before you can get sick of cake.

Day and Night view of the "Big Slash" @ Keppel Road looking harmless. When the waves hit, you can run but you can't hide.

Farewell Party for me and 2 other colleagues at Mt. Faber Safra KTV.

Japanese food for dinner on our weekend - We never fail to take pictures during our meals. :p

Fabulous weekend....wiiii !!

2008-05-20T15:47:00.021+08:00

Had a wonderful long weekend packed wif fun activities. Soo0 tired that I slept the day away on Vesak day but it was really fun :)

Checked out St. Regis with Serina, WM & Xinyi on Saturday. Super posh!! & needless to say, we took lots of pictures.

Checked out ballrooms at St. Regis & Four Seasons but unfortunately, we have to return another day to view the one at Raffles Hotel. Work of a wedding planner is no piece of cake but I'm lucky to have an assistant who snaps the pictures and take note of the details for me. :p Popped back to Cartier before dinner. No pictures 'cuz I was too tired and 'cuz The Photographer has left for her dinner appointment. Ended the nite with a great KTV session with JY, wife, Henry & GF.

Yay! Sunday's another great day with great company. Tried KFC breakfast for the first time and i quite like it. It's available only at selected outlets, so much so that many people are actually not aware that KFC serves breakfast. Try it if you have the chance! Crazy crowd queuing for LRT tix to Sentosa at VIVO that we had to apply for the Islander card to beat the crowd. Hasn't everybody flocked to Genting and Batam? And why did the rest choose to go to Sentosa, of all places?!! Urrrggh...Aniway, managed to gain back some colour after baking in the hot sun. Happy :)

Headed for Jesline's place after a session at Nibbles. Had my first chance to play on Wiii. And it is fun! Ended up with slight muscle ache the next day, but it's so fun. Interested to attempt Cooking MaMa on Wiii sooon....haha....

If every weekend was this good.......

More pix at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=117734&id=732865056
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=517306782&aid=36558
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23829&id=671123369
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=611087992&aid=25674

Gallery

2008-05-20T15:44:00.011+08:00

FInally I get to post an entry. I think Blogger doesn;t like Mac. I keep having problems uploading pix...grrr.... here are some pix taken last month at the "space" opposite my office called: "HT Contemporary Space"
They had a gallery opening for Valentine Willie - which is the name of the Art Gallery and we were all invited to grace the event.

See where all our hard-earned money went to: (note expensive furniture)

Oh, muz also mention the weird advice from the appointed company FengShui Master who recommended the use of onions to "cleanse the air" which resulted in onion halves strategically placed all over the office. Well, it did work in the sense that we couldn't smell anything else other than the onions.....See pix of onion half beside the lift door. There's another one on the other side of the door too! Faintz!

Sunset Grill & Pub

2008-05-09T23:16:00.007+08:00

Nice quiet place (at nite only ) that bring back memories of sitting around n talking rot during music camp days..........

Rule the world

2008-04-28T01:39:00.003+08:00

Song lyrics | Rule The World lyrics

Theme Song of "StarDust" by Take That. Liked it when I first heard it on the plane to HKG after watchin the movie but never got to find out the name of the song till now.

Aerin's

2008-04-12T01:39:00.007+08:00

Celebrated Henry's b'day tonite at Aerin's. Pretty good food I would say but we didn't order the desserts, so I didn't get to try out the desserts there.... have to make it another time. Had desserts at Menotti after Henry & Crystal left. By 9.30pm, the desserts were almost all gone - good proof that they are really good. So, it's really sly of them to offer desserts at half price after 10.00pm, cuz you're likely never going to have a chance to enjoy the offer.

Grilled Chicken with mashed potato

Lamb rump with pita bread -pretty good but i thot it tasted like duck :p

My spaghetti vongole - aglio olio style - just the way i like it!

Menotti desserts with fancy Italiano names that doesn;t tell us what we are eating. If I told you i had Diplomatica - will you know what's that?! (clockwise from top) Sofliato - which is like warm choc cake, apple strudel and gelato are the ones with the familiar names.

Braced myself for 2 years of hassle and ulcers

2008-04-06T01:54:00.006+08:00

Today is the 3rd day of having my top row of braces on. Already I'm starting to get ulcers at the side of my mouth which rubs against the little screws on the braces. Well, at the very least, i dun feel any tightness in my teeth, probably the dentist didn't really tighten it.

Its a good thing actually. I still get to eat almost what I want to eat, which is important. I lost weight due to the gum surgery and i am distraught. It's already bad enough losing weight, it's worse when people look at you in disgust and exclaim: "eeee, you're so skinny?!" It makes me feel like I'm some alien lor. You think i wan meh? If you ask me, I think its worse being too skinny than fat. At least when you are fat, nobody will ever look at you in disgust and say, " eeee, you're so fat!" Grrrrrr.....

Dun worry, everybody. It's in my personal interests to gain back the weight I've lost and look normal again. Just give me some time. =)

Some proof that I have been indulging:

Sorry the pix is rather small, can't make it any bigger though i increased the image size. So here's the description:
1. caramalised banana cake wif ice-cream (a wrong order by the blur waiter)
2. apple crumble & amaretto
3. duck confit quiche
4. waffles with caramalised banana & ice-cream - the right order!
5. opera

All nice!!

Q2

2008-04-02T00:14:00.002+08:00

March 2008 is over. Just like my gum surgery.

It's scary how time just fly past like that. It seems that as i "mature", time passes faster with every year- turbo mode. & I am not surprised to realise one fine day, suddenly, its already Christmas.

So scary! can someone step on the brakes?

Photos Housekeepin'

2008-03-24T19:45:00.003+08:00

Sorting out my picture files accumulated over the years on my medical leave.

Learnt something new on my under-utilised Photoshop CS! Here's the product!!

Nibble, Nibble....

2008-03-17T00:03:00.005+08:00

So ticklish! We wondered why we paid money to feed ppl's fish for them. :p

The Price of Beauty

2008-03-15T00:59:00.004+08:00

I have always wondered at the price ppl will pay for beauty. Not to mention the pain that comes along with it. Ouch.

Botox, lasik, liposuction, cosmetic surgery, braces.

And I surprised myself too, by adding to the statistics.

Finally made the move to go to a dentist to do the deed. Man, isn't it expensive sia. N its gonna be a long-term "suffering" too. Dentist said i had to do a minor surgery to remove some muscle between my 2 front teeth before the braces can go on and this will cost another freaking S$500. Dat's one BKK trip lor. N frankly speaking, I'm quite apprehensive bout the surgery - scared of pain, although i have a rather high tolerence for it. Had put it off till next week, cuz I'm having slight nasal congestion and afraid my constant act of expelling phlem will hinder the healing of the wound.

Only did some polishing plus filling up of a cavity for today, plus having some rubber bits stuck in between my teeth so as to get some gap for the braces. Man, I hate the feel of the drill on my cavity. I'm starting to understand why people actually fear/dislike going to the dentist already.

I'm starting to treasure the days of chewing & munching on everything and anything without a thought. Very soon, I won't be able to do that. And I still ask myself now and then, do I really wan to go through this?

All for beauty's sake. Oh, and perhaps more. :p

P.S: oh yeah, that's my side profile u see. =)

Ma Maison

2008-02-17T15:48:00.007+08:00

Dinner last Friday at Bugis' Ma Maison, nice place with nice food: the simplest but yummy omu rice n pretty good burger steak but i happened to choose a super normal dish of garlic chicken, which tasted more Chinese than Japanese/ Western, haiz.... Will try again another day bah, they've got 20% off on Mondays- Ladies' Nite! :p

R u a gOOd aPPLE?

2008-02-14T23:59:00.000+08:00

----------------Girls----------------
-----------are like apples------
-------on trees. The best ones-----
-----are at the top of the tree.-----
---The boys dont want to reach---
--for the good ones because they--
-r afraid of falling and getting hurt.-
-Instead, they get the rotten apples-
from the ground that arent as good,
but easy. So the apples up top think
something wrong with them when in
-reality they're amazing. They just--
---have to wait for the right boy to
---- come along, the one who's-
----------- brave enough to-----
---------------climb all-----------------
---------------the way-------------
--------------to the top-----------------

I bet I'm one! Haha!

Chinese New Year 2008

2008-02-10T22:47:00.000+08:00

Plain, plain L.A.Z.Y

2007-11-25T00:17:00.000+08:00

Haven't been updating anything since a month ago...have been taking pictures, just not posting them here, haha. :P

I do have intention of posting the pix when i took them, but it jus never happen. Just being plain lazy lor. I did see it coming before I started this blog, which is why I didn't start one in the first place. I was "persuaded" to start one for "A CAUSE" but ended up being my own cuz nobody else updates lor..."helloooo where r e rest of e ppl??" n so this resulted in a rarely updated blog...so boorrring...*yawn*

Feeling a little bit guilty...so decided to come in n do a post, jus to show tt there's still some life around here. :p

Life's pretty eventful recently: birthdays, Great Eastern Run (my first run since 2.4KM loooong time ago),Zhihan & Hwee Yee's wedding, learning I-Ching, attending Mind of a Millionaire Seminar, n upcoming, a trip to HKG.

The Mind of a Millionaire Seminar is a pretty interesting event, definitely an eye-opener to me. It's interesting to observe how the speakers hype everyone up n sell their ideas. It's amazing they get people grabbing their tickets at minimum S$250 per seat to hear them sell. Though i think most of the stuff taught can be found in the book itself, I do gain quite a bit in this event. At the very least, everyone's motivation level gets pumped up quite a bit while having some fun. That, in itself, is a good thing. :) Gotta get up real early tomorrow to attend the final day of this seminar - even earlier than when i go to work lor....(obviously I'm not very motivated by them...haha) Hope I will gain some insights on how to become a MM - multi-millionaire...wahahhahah

A "Crappy" Dinner

2007-10-02T01:05:00.000+08:00

Met JY, JL n Henry for the 2nd time tis week, having crab for dinner. Weather was wet and it was drizzling when we met, felt like a good day to take sth peppery, warm and soupy. Crabs were finger-licking good. Had e famous crab beehoon soup too....but no pictures, cuz was already digging into the black pepper crab when it came ....couldn't wait animore..... =p
With JY around, it was a crappy dinner, no less.

Mooncake Fest Celebrations - Part 2

2007-10-02T00:36:00.000+08:00

Went for a stroll along ECP on 25 SEPT, Mid-Autumn Fest itself, a Tuesday nite lor.....真是有雅性 !

My cuppa at McCafe after the stroll, pretty! The conversation wasn't exactly cool though.....It was a silly brain-storming session by JY - to think of silly names for us. We ended up as "tonky boon", "dump-ling", "pimp-ong" ??!!

Mooncake Congress 2007

2007-09-23T16:24:00.000+08:00

Event: Mooncake Congress 2007
Venue: Sunplaza Park
Official Car: Lamborgini :p
Date: One bo-liao Saturday nite just before Mid-autumn Festival
Attendees: One bo-liao group of people with "arsonistic" tendencies (pls see proof: http://www.cynamie.blogspot.com/)

Attendees were told to bring along a lantern and JUST ONE mooncake but response was overwhelming! Almost everyone bought ONE BOX so there was waaaay too many mooncakes for just about 12 people! Faintz..... Event was graced by many highly acclaimed n renowned brands with the likes of Goodwood Park,Intercontinental, Fullerton, Bakerzin, and not to mention, some lesser known but equally yummy brands like Marc & Leonard - courtesy of Mr & Mrs Sim.

Finishin ALL the mooncake was mission impossible but we did try to sample all the flavours. I think among us, we had each taken about one mooncake each, with all the different flavours combined....scary sia....So it was a good thing we had a BIG POT of TEA to aid in digestion. (sorry, forgot to take pix of the BIG POT of TEA)

The event was most successful, with its primary objective (to burn lanterns) well met - see ghostly pix of burning lanterns below:

Next time this thing is going to happen - nobody should be bringing mooncakes other than the organiser. Overdosage on mooncakes is not fun at all.

Look out for the next up-coming event: BBQ @ PA Holiday Flats......

Eski-cream!

2007-09-23T01:12:00.000+08:00

Checked out JY's Friend's ice-cream palour after dinner cuz Henry wanted to give us a treat. Business seemed quite good for a Thursday nite at 10pm. Ice-cream were home-made and the flavours were quite interesting.....nutella, horlicks, banana coffee, jasmine, milo, tiramisu, green tea with red bean, teh tarik, black sesame n was there chempadek?....etc.

Verdict - nt bad. Fav were the banana coffee and horlicks. Price is rather reasonable too, wif a 8-scoop deal at 17.90. Think we were greedy and ordered too many scoops for just 5 of us. Dat's y I felt i didn;t realli enjoyed the icecream - didn;t do justice to it, guilty man. Shall go back again.

Though i shouldn;t be saying this when he treated us the ice-cream but here's Henry tryin to imitate the cute smiles of the eskis on the glass:

Sun With Moon @ Central

2007-09-02T21:59:00.000+08:00

Had dinner at Sun With Moon with my colleagues on Thursday. Great food n great company......kinda made up for e crappy times at work these 2 months.

Presentation of the food was really pretty, jus check out the sashimi - simply tastes as good as it looks.

The oysters.....muz try!

Grilled beef with foie gras.....

And how elaborate can chawanmushi get??? Well....actualli if it costs S$7.80 for one serving...it had better looked this way. It's realli realli "slides-down -your-thoat" smooth....

The grilled stuff. Kushi mori, presented like ikebana, with the sticks stuck onto a piece of sweet potato and the wonderful tepanyaki beef tenderloin cubes.

The hokkaido seafood "claypot" rice was nice but u can give the kani (crab) one a miss.....So boring till i stopped once i finished my crab meat which was the only redeeming factor of this dish. And you can give the soba a miss too. Not fantastic.

Desserts didn;t disappoint at all. The tofu cheesecake that came in a birdcage was heavenly. The birdcage was quite an innovative presentation idea. It led us into a brain-storming session of "birdcage ideas" while we finished up the green tea tiramisu and the branded sweet potato tart thingy named "Mont Blanc". Both were nice as well but i liked the cheesecake the most.

Overall it was a truly great place to dine at, especially so when the bill's on company's acccount...haha.

SImple VS Real friend

2007-08-28T23:11:00.000+08:00

From Wikipedia:

Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more humans. Friends will welcome each other's company and exhibit loyalty towards each other, often to the point of altruism. Their tastes will usually be similar and may converge, and they will share enjoyable activities. They will also engage in mutually helping behavior, such as exchange of advice and the sharing of hardship. A friend is someone who may often demonstrate reciprocating and reflective behaviors. Yet for many, friendship is nothing more than the trust that someone or something will not harm them. Value that is found in friendships is often the result of a friend demonstrating on a consistent basis:
-the tendency to desire what is best for the other,
-sympathy and empathy,
-honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one's counterpart
-mutual understanding

Have been facing quite a bit of crap at work recently but I am glad to have a wonderful group of colleagues who I can count on. I guess I have always been lucky. :) I found the following posted on http://www.friendship.com.au/writing/simplereal.html and I thought it was rather meaningful:

A simple friend identifies himself when he calls.
A real friend doesn't have to.

A simple friend opens a conversation with a full news bulletin on his life.
A real friend says, "What's new with you?"
A simple friend thinks the problems you whine about are recent.
A real friend says, "You've been whining about the same thing for 14 years. Get off your duff and do something about it."
A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.
A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.
A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.
A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.
A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it.
A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.
A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument.
A real friend knows that it's not a friendship until after you've had a fight.
A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

So, are you a simple friend or a real friend?

不能说的秘密...............

2007-08-15T02:29:00.000+08:00

"Follow the notes upon the journey
At first sight marks one's destiny
When the voyage comes to an end
Return lies within hasty keys"

冷咖啡离开了杯垫
我忍住的情绪在很后面
拼命想挽回的从前
在我脸上依旧清晰可见

最美的不是下雨天
是曾与你躲过雨的屋檐
回忆的画面
在荡著秋千梦开始不甜

你说把爱渐渐放下会走更远
又何必去改变已错过的时间
你用你的指尖阻止我说再见
想像你在身边才完全失去之前

你说把爱渐渐放下会走更远
或许命运的签只让我们遇见
只让我们相恋这一季的秋天
飘落后才发现这幸福的碎片
要我怎麼捡

Good old memories

2007-07-15T01:41:00.000+08:00

Sad news received in the middle of this week had me going through a roller-coaster of emotions. Ok, maybe too exaggerated le, but learning of the shocking news also brought back many wonderful memories of the good old days. I miss him and the happy moments all of us shared back then.

Still, I am thankful that all of us are still in touch and tuned to the same frequency, although we are no longer hanging out together as much as we will like to. I believe we will stay this way for many years to come.

Did a run on google and chanced upon some photographs taken during our trial performance at the Esplanade some years back, posted by "Elutris". Here are some of the pictures. You can view the rest at www.pbase.com/elutris/payco . Enjoy.

I think Mr Yeo was an angel sent to earth. He had only kind words for everybody and never owned a temper, always trying to make the people around him happy. We should learn from him, to be nice to the people we care about, so that we will only create beautiful memories for them. And smile more.

Lousy weather thwarts our plans

2007-06-17T16:58:00.000+08:00

(PSA giraffe looking at the sad, gloomy sky: when will it stop raining?")

It's scary how wandering aimlessly around in a shopping mall can result in me burning a bigger hole in the pocket without realising it. I really should stay home on weekends. But it was a lousy day for me aniway. If it had not rained, we would not have trapped in a money-sucking shopping mall.

Gains = yummy pizza at modestos n marche + "Life & Beauty" tea that smells rich and beautiful + useful little stuff from Daiso + stylo notebook from Tangs

Loss = $$$$$ + a nicer tan at cafe del mar :(

Red, White & Pure
Beautiful cafe with sentosa view. N wow-wow surprise! It's actually owned by Eu Yang Sang! Check out the website: http://www.redwhitepure.com

The latte is so pretty that I had to take a picture of it.

Life & Beauty tea - with mango and passion fruit. It really taste different from other fruit teas I have tried before. Not sure if it does any wonders for my appearance but it is really nice.
Apple crumble tart with ginger and saffron ice-cream - interesting with a "healthy taste".

Our dinner spread at Marche ViVo, its been a looong time since I ate at Marche.

Tried a pie-like dessert called "waehe"...reminds me of e yummy bread&butter pudding from Fullerton,hmmmmm.....

Afternoon Tea

2007-06-10T21:56:00.000+08:00

The origins of Afternoon Tea - the commoner's version:
(salmon quiche at The V-Tea Room...indeed yummy...but expensive too! )

During the second half of the Victorian Period, known as the Industrial Revolution, working families would return home tired and exhausted. The table would be set with any manner of meats, bread, butter, pickles, cheese and of course tea. None of the dainty finger sandwiches, scones and pastries of afternoon tea would have been on the menu. Because it was eaten at a high, dining table rather than the low tea tables, it was termed "high" tea.

The Tai-Tai's version:

According to legend, one of Queen Victoria's (1819-1901) ladies-in-waiting, Anna Maria Stanhope (1783-1857), known as the Duchess of Bedford, is credited as the creator of afternoon teatime. Because the noon meal had become skimpier, the Duchess suffered from "a sinking feeling" at about four o'clock in the afternoon. At first the Duchess had her servants sneak her a pot of tea and a few breadstuffs. Adopting the European tea service format, she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her rooms at Belvoir Castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular, the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walking the fields." The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses.

Tea Etiquette:
(Our model having Moroccan Mint Tea. Location: The V-Tea Room)

Pick up your cup and saucer together - holding the saucer in one hand and cup in the other. The best way to hold a tea cup is to slip your index finger through the handle, up to almost the first knuckle, then balance and secure the cup by placing your thumb on the top of the handle and allowing the bottom of the handle to rest on your middle finger. Hold the cup lightly, by the handle - your pinky should not be extended (Contrary to popular belief, the ring and pinkie fingers should not be extended, but should rest by curving gently back toward your wrist). Hold the saucer under your cup while you sip your tea (lest you should spill or dribble).

When stirring your tea, don't make noises by clinking the sides of the cup while stirring. Gently swish the tea back and forth being careful not to touch the sides of your cup if possible. Never leave your spoon in the cup and be sure not to sip your tea from the spoon either. After stirring, place your spoon quietly on the saucer, behind the cup, on the right hand side under the handle.

G.S.S. Starts

2007-05-27T19:20:00.000+08:00

Wow...GSS is here before I even knew it.....N i was realli in a good shopping mood...lalala....Did up a "shopping list" before i went out so that I wun overspend - so much. Haha, I supposed it did help a bit. Well, the damage is quite a bit but well, guess i can say it's $$ well spent cuz i'm really pleased wif my buys.But i think i should really stay away from e shopping malls from now on. It's still a long way before THE SALE ends, dangerous sia.

Enjoyed the day...good shopping wif good food. Tried out Changing Appetite for the first time n I will say I rather like it. Food's interesting and "slightly healthier" cuz most dishes had veggies or fruits. Price's reasonable too. :)

This was the dobinmushi i had at Sushi Tei for lunch....its good and so was e salmon mentai sushi......but i was busy eating by then, so no pix. :p

Dinner at Changing Appetites:
My pork steak wif mashed potatoes

Xinyi's dory fish wif rice

Anqi's mango chicken wif melted cheese and nachos...The ultimate comfort food!

Day Dream 240507

2007-05-27T18:09:00.000+08:00

Went to visit client at The Berth by The Cove @ Sentosa Cove again. Wat a nice place wif a nice view! Will be nice to own a place there......as a place for a weekend retreat....hmmmmm.....

Le Fantôme de l’Opéra

2007-04-23T02:08:00.000+08:00

The Chandelier in The Opera Garnier. The settings were great!

Angels & Babes. Oh, the Phantom's an angel too - "The Angel of Music" =)

a date with the phantOm!!

2007-04-22T07:40:00.000+08:00

waitied so long for today!
tonite's the nite!

Event PAYCO: feast by the sea 060407

2007-04-15T02:48:00.000+08:00

A PAYCO gathering on Good Friday- we met for a picnic at Pasir Ris park for a change, a picnic in the evening. Man, taking a look at past pix, our last picnic together was in 2001, at East Coast Park......6 years ago!

We had lots of food: cereal prawn, meatballs, curry puffs, agar agar, sandwiches, salad, fruits, chips, choc cake....etc. By the time we called it a day, it was already dark. But we managed to clear most of e food, think our estimate on e amount of food we should bring is getting better with the years of practice..haha. The turnout was great but too bad, didn't manage to get a grp photo of ALL who came. I think all of us enjoyed ourselves. Will try to organise another outing....maybe sth different and interesting, but its realli difficult leh...have to think really hard. Anyone any suggestions? =)

Dinner @ Canele

2007-04-01T01:02:00.000+08:00

It's Friday night and I guess Anqi was in a "let's-pamper-myself-after-a-week of-hell" mood cuz she suggested dinner at Marmalade Pantry. =p Nice place but i looked at e dinner menu & sad to say none of the dishes really appealed to me. In the end, we went Canele @ Paragon cuz the desserts seem divine and the dinner menu looks fine.

Well, I must say we didn't make a wrong choice. The food was good & price was reasonable. The place, though small, was pretty. And the desserts, e main highlight, were as yummy-licious as they were pretty. Check them out!

Mushroom Alfredo

Crepe wif ham n sunny-side up!

Dunno what's this. We ordered cuz it looked cute. It tastes good too!

Warm Choc Cake : A Slab of Bliss

Murphy's Love Laws

2007-03-28T00:29:00.000+08:00

Murphy's Love Laws

Too much to copy and paste.. click on the link above!

The Non-Existent Problem

2007-03-21T23:52:00.000+08:00

It gets kinda irritating when U start hearing the same things one time too many. People have been going, Oh, how old r u this yr......." "Hmmmm, u have a boyfriend?" " Oh, dun have?! R u sure? Dun bluff......really meh??" " Huh, then how?" [ read: u're getting old, if you dun get hitched soon, u'll be left on the shelf wor, duh]

Oh well, first, there's really no need for me to bluff people that I dun have a BF. It's no fun having ppl ask u these silly questions again n again. Secondly, if I can find a decent guy who fits e bill n who fancies me, I dun mind being the other half of a couple. At least it stops e nonsense.

And to the kind souls who offered to introduce their friends, or their friend's friend to me, thanx but no thanx. I understand the kind intentions but I dun need to own a BF to exist. Somehow the idea of "match-making" doesn't sit well with me. It feels too intentional, I prefer to make frens in a more natural setting.

In reality, I'm really fine being single. Well, I would rather be single and happy, then to be attached to some sub-standard guy. Call me choosy if you like, but hey man, a girl can have her choice ok, n I just can't settle for less.

I think even Angels will agree with me on this ;p

A Common Problem

2007-03-11T03:20:00.000+08:00

My (To-Be) Plant: Wanroom Garden

2007-03-06T00:55:00.000+08:00

My belated birthday present from Jiali. She's so sweet to comb the internet for this little pot n had her fren shipped it over from Japan. Thank you, my fren! Well, the shipping cost a bomb, i heard. I haven't got down to planting yet, so the seeds n soil r still in their bags. I think its a good day to plant tmr n so I shall sow the seeds then. I hope they will grow man.....can't let Jiali's effort go to waste rite?

2007-03-05T21:30:00.000+08:00

Qns:
What are a woman's four favorite animals?

Ans:
A mink in the closet, a Jaguar in the garage, a tiger in the bedroom and a Jackass to pay for it all.

Angel League Screams Gurl Powerrrrrr......

2007-03-03T19:40:00.000+08:00

And so... here are some IDEAS FOR WOMEN TO LIVE BY

Don't imagine you can change a man unless he's in diapers.
What do you do if your boyfriend walks-out? You shut the door.
If they put a man on the moon - they should be able to put them all up there.
Never let your man's mind wander - it's too little to be out alone.
Go for younger men. You might as well, they never mature anyway.
Men are all the same - they just have different faces, so that you can tell them apart.
Definition of a bachelor; a man who has missed the opportunity to make some woman miserable.
Women don't make fools of men - most of them are the do-it-yourself type.
Best way to get a man to do something, is to suggest they are too old for it.
Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.
If you want a committed man, look in a mental hospital.
The children of Israel wandered around the desert for 40 years. Even in biblical times, men wouldn't ask for directions.
If he asks what sort of books you're interested in, tell him checkbooks.
Remember a sense of humor does not mean that you tell him jokes, it means that you laugh at his.
Sadly, all men are created equal.

Desserts Galore

2007-03-01T15:02:00.000+08:00

DROOL.... people... DROOOOOOOL....

From Menotti (amazingly cheap... approx $30 for 9 different cakes)

From Your Royal Sway-ness

2007-02-28T22:50:00.000+08:00

Man!! How difficult can it get to post an entry on ur blog???!!! I have been wanting to post pix n stuff on MY CNY....but having met wif various obstacles and loads of "sway-ness", I AM UNABLE TO....yes, till now. And CNY is almost over le.....damn it. Master Tan did say that The Year of the PIG is not a good one for me but I had thot otherwise. Dun tell me this is the start lor.....shitz man....

C.N.Y 2007

2007-02-25T21:01:00.000+08:00

Phew, finally!! This is a difficult post lor. Apart from the usual CNY routine of visiting relatives, munching on new year goodies(yum!), watching TV, playing blackjack....etc, here's wat I did:

Cocktail party @ Yvonne's place. We got to mix our own drinks wif her new ice blender which she is extremely proud of. She even had a makeover for her porch, with an orange accent wall and new daybed - 'secret garden' feel.....effort wor. So now we've found a great place in the east to chill out le. =)

See me and my very own concoction: lemon ribena cocktail =)

And..............

Anqi with her creation.

Jodie mixed a nice one too, however, due to violet objections from the model herself, i regret to announce that the pix cannot be published.

testing 123

2007-02-22T16:04:00.000+08:00

For gals only

2007-02-15T23:59:00.000+08:00

To the benefit of all gals, i found this site particularly useful to track one's menstrual cycle >>> My Cycle

Day Dream 130207

2007-02-13T22:45:00.001+08:00

The Aston Martin parked at my workplace. Wat a beauty. Will I ever get to own something close to this?? Master Tan did say I will own 3 properties; I wouldn't mind trading one for an aston martin though..wahahha....

Today. I'm inspired once again to work hard towards attaining success. I still dunno how, but I'm thinking.

Angel Shots

2007-02-13T22:02:00.000+08:00

Angel League has been up for a while, but we have not been posting regularly! Let's start off with mugshots of the contributors.

I suspect... Angel League postings will be mainly upheld by maZe! It may end up being maZe's blog, and we are the interruptions...

maZe

cYnamie - the Princess

mien

lilac lilies (a star to represent. to be further updated)

Shopping Sprees

2007-02-11T02:02:00.000+08:00

Good things in life dun last forever. But hey, there's better things waitin to happen to us!

So so so, enjoy the good stuff while it lasts. Dun feel to sad when it finally ends. It's good to reminisce now and then but it's never healthy to live in the past and wish for the good old times to happen all over again. And even if they did, they will never be the same ever.

Let's look forward to the better things in life! If you think they will happen, they will happen.

I wish i will strike lottery.......

The Start of It All

2007-02-08T23:33:00.000+08:00

It all began on a windy Saturday afternoon. The usual shopping routine with the usual shopping kakis. The usual nonsensical ramblings that suddenly gave birth to yet another brilliant idea and so, this was it. Well, I shall not elaborate too much cuz I can already visualise ppl giggling away when they hear how THE IDEA came about.

NVM, they can laugh all they like, we dun realli care aniway....hahahaha

A.N.G.E.L.S, let the fun begin.