Day 9, Sunday 24 Aug

The next morning, we woke up at 8.30am, rushing for breakfast. Both of us were hungry. We didn’t go back to sleep after breakfast as we wanted to make full use of our trip. Freshening up after breakfast, we went back to ShinKong Mitsukoshi to finish browsing the remaining 2 malls we didn’t manage to cover. We also had lunch at the basement foodcourt of one of their malls. The food they sell in their food courts are so much better compared to the food sold at our food courts. I say this in terms of quality, taste and also price.

>>I also had to take a photo with my New York New York during the day!
Following that, we proceeded to conquere the next mall that was nearby called Eslite Xinyi Store 誠品信義旗艦店. While we were there, it started to rain. Thankfully, there was a huge bookstore Eslite Bookstore 誠品書店, so that kept us busy till the rain disappeared and the sun came out to play.

We made our way over to the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101, paid for our tickets and took the world’s fastest elevator up from the 5th floor to the 89th floor in 37 seconds. The ride was okay, felt like a normal elevator ride. The scenery from the 89th observatory deck and the 91st outdoor viewing gallery was okay too…similar feel as Korea’s Nam San tower looking down on Seoul, and New Zealand’s sky tower looking down to Auckland City, or Sydney Tower to the city beneath. I’ve seen my fair share of towers, but it was the fact that Taipei 101 was iconic to Taipei and hence we had to visit it.
>>Purchasing the tix to 101




We stayed for a couple of hours at the observatory, watching the sun set and as darkness fell upon Taipei. We also visited the wind damper, named Damper Baby – HA, “BABY” INDEED! It was a massive steel ball. I had no clue how it worked, and no where in 101 helped me understand further. We also went to the open deck observatory, but it was so caged up, we couldn’t really see the sights.

>>At the outdoor observatory...
>>The "baby damper"...does it look like a baby to you?
Finally, we got bored and left. We visited PageOne book store in Taipei 101, and that’s where I found the last book to Hana Youri Dango! I thought my comic book set ended with book 36, but they made an epilogue!
>>Documenting 101
>>Documenting my loot from ShinKong Mitsukoshi!!
That night, we returned to Xi Men Ding for a couple of hours. That’s when we tried the famous Ah Zhong Mian Xian…
>>Definitely the BEFORE!
I was already a little skeptical when I learnt it was made from pigs intestines when I was researching about Taiwai, and I didn’t know how to tell EK. He hates intestines or any internal organ of any animal. However, he seemed so set on trying it, I kept mum. If he liked it, I wouldn’t tell him it’s pigs intestines. If he didn’t like it…which he obviously didn’t, I didn’t dare tell him I knew it was pigs intestines. EK actually thought it was Oyster Mee Sua, so he was chewing on this piece of intestine when he asked what it was since it clearly wasn’t oyster. I told a little white lie, saying I thought it was something related to pigs…not sure which part. The moment I told him about the pigs, he spat it out immediately. I took a couple more mouth fulls before putting my feet down and saying “that’s it for me.” EK, who didn’t want to waste food ate a little more before throwing the rest away. We can only blame ourselves as we bought the large bowl, assuming that since everyone liked it, we would most probably like it too. We deserved our 55NT lesson and a chewy experience on EK’s part.
>>DUH! After!
We walked the main streets of Xi Men Ding, having Mango Ice Shavings and a little bit of shopping. EK found a magazine store and we spent the rest of the night there, till they closed at 10.30pm. We went back to our hotel and crashed after a long day.

Day 10, Monday 25 Aug

We left to catch the metro to Zhongxiao Dunhua中孝敦化. It was another shopping district with Sogo department stores. We knew we were early, but though we’d just visit PageOne bookstore to kill our time before shops opened. Unfortunately, the bookstore was inside the mall itself so we ended up walking the streets like wanderers for an hour or so. 11am finally came and we went shopping again. Sogo was okay, similar to ShinKong Mitsukoshi, but not as fantastic.


>>>On one of EK's fav bubble tea break!
>>>FOOD!!
The highlight of our trip was eating at Ding Tai Feng. The queue was long, but we spent the 45 minutes wait browsing books and magazines at PageOne.

Upon entering PageOne, I had a horrible realization. IT WAS EK’S BIRTHDAY!!!!! GOODNESS, I had no sense of date and time since we started our holiday, so I totally forgot about his birthday. I frantically wished him a “Happy Birthday” and he admitted last night as the clock struck midnight, he had checked to see if I remembered and obviously, I didn’t! Arrrrrrgggghhhhh, I felt so bad!!! I kept apologizing and wishing him.

To make it up to him, I said the Ding Tai Feng lunch was on me, since I’ve already given him a big birthday prezzie a month ago. The menu had a much larger selection than compared to Singapore. We ordered the standard xiao long paus and also the Crab meat xiao long paus. IT WAS YUMMMMMMM!!!!! The skin was so much thinner than Singapore’s. For Singapore, you can hardly taste the crabs in the crab meat xiao long paus, but the ones in Taiwan, oooooohhhhh! You could taste the crabs!!! I was happy coz EK was happy, and we even ordered another basket of it because EK liked it so much. Anything to make up for my horrible horrible memory!

After our late lunch and a little bit more browsing, we decided to return Shihlin Night Market for our last visit. We had to have one more of that famous gigantic chicken cutlet. It was late in the afternoon and the night market was just beginning to start business. It wasn’t as crowded as the first time, so shopping was much more pleasurable. I ended up buying plenty of tank tops and a couple of blouses. I take back whatever I said above about not liking the shopping at Shihlin. It turned out fantastic.

Around evening, we returned to Xi Men Ding and shopped till the shops closed. I thought we had covered most of Xi Men Ding in our shopping trips, but I was gladly mistaken. There were so many side alleys with small shops, small but amazing shops, EK and I got carried away walking side alley after side alley…I was in shopping haven…getting poorer by the minute, but totally worth it. What’s a holiday without shopping?!
>>>A fruitful shopping trip!!
At 10.30pm when most shops were closed, we refused to go back to the hotel. We found another shop that was still open and rushed in. The shop was owned by teens around our age, with cool and funky clothes for men. At first, we were just browsing, but the shop assistants got so carried away with chatting to EK, first about his costly camera, then about his job, then they started showing us more and more clothes. EK liked a shirt, but they didn’t have it in his size, so the owner rang up another friend of his who has another shop in Xi Men Ding. Unfortunately, his friend had already closed shop, but for our sake, he went back to his shop to check for the size. We felt so bad and really didn’t want to trouble them. We ended up trying a different top in another size but EK didn’t really find the cutting that good for him, so we quickly told them to tell the friend not to bother. We felt absolutely terrible for leaving the shop empty handed, so EK chose a belt to buy. It was a nice white belt, simple but not so much EK’s style. Nevertheless, it was the nicest of the lot so we bought it, said our goodbyes and was about to leave when I spotted another cooler belt in the store window. We swapped it then and there and finally left for our hotel…

We didn’t sleep immediately as I was busy admiring my new clothes and shoes and accessories. Then, I decided I would pack my luggage so I wouldn’t have to rush that the next day, and EK followed suit.
>>>AHHHH! We got burgled?!
We ended up sleeping around 2am in the morning!

Day 11, Tuesday 26 Aug

Our last morning in Taiwan was not let off the hook. After breakfast, we visited Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall 中正紀念堂. I thought we’d better do a little bit more sightseeing before leaving Taiwan…and also coz the shops weren’t open yet. We’re pathetic, aren’t we! So we spent a couple of hours at the memorial hall, and it turned out really nice. The exhibition, the gallery, the statue…I’ll have to say it was a good choice to visit it.
>>>The last historical visit...

>>>Mr Chiang Kai-Shek himself

>>>In rememberance of him...



We returned to Xi Men Ding at 10.30am and some shops were beginning to open. We spent out last hour in Xi Men Ding, doing our last minute shopping.

"My name is Lorraine, and I’m a shopaholic."

At 11.30am, we rushed back to our hotel for a quick shower before checking out at noon to catch our bus to the airport.
>>>On the way to the airport...
>>>With all our baggage...

WAIT…that’s not all.

As shopaholics we had to live up to our reputations, so the most obvious thing to do when we got to the Taiwan airport was to…the 4 letter word starting with the letter ‘s’.

We walked from one terminal to another and then to another, killing time. The shops weren’t fantastic, but what can I say…we love to browse. After a couple of purchases, we returned to our boarding gates, where our Taiwan holiday official came to an end.
THE END...

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Departing

Welcome to Taiwan!!

The shopaholic's diaries to Taiwan begins today as she embarks on her journey to Taiwan.

Not a smooth start, her airlines was delayed by 1 hour 45 minutes, and there was a minor crisis when she couldn't find her passport last night (it was still in the luggage she had brought to her trip to Penang several weeks ago).

But apart from that, after a free breakfast from the airlines for the delay, she's ready to go!

See ya!

8 August vs 9 August

After watching the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony on 8 August, our Singapore National Day Parade on 9 August seemed so…what’s the word…miniscule/ insignificant/ pathetic/ dull…

But of course, who couldn’t do wonders with a $40million budget, as opposed to a cut off our taxpayers money.

And you’re also talking about selecting cream of the crop performers from 1.3 billion people, as opposed to selecting from 4 million people, with performances by students, social clubs, etc.

The difference in the quality of performance is inevitable. China had 7 years to prepare for this once in 4 years event, while Singapore had less than a year to prepare for this yearly event.

Therefore, as a Singaporean, I am proud of its efforts. Perhaps I’ve outgrown it. I’m not sure if one can outgrow the national day spirit, but these past few years, I’ve taken less interest in it. It wasn’t such a big hoohah as it was years ago when I was a little girl. You won’t find me religiously watching the parade from start to finish, and I’m not as excited about the fireworks. Perhaps it’s the result of seeing the same old thing year after year. There’s the procession of armed forces, the entry of the PAP followed by the president, the shouting of commands, the firing of the cannons/ rifles, then the performances and the songs (which seem similar to the year before’s), the closing fireworks followed by the leaving of the president.

It’s always the same old routine that it seems dull, but on the other hand, it is also about familiarity and tradition. Isn’t everything?

080808 @ 8:08

What’s up with that d8?!

Chinese and their 8s.

China has been anticip8ing for this day since who knows when!

Nurses and Gynaecologists will celebr8 the hospital rush.

This d8 will mark the anniversary of many newly-weds.

It’s another gr8 trick for advertisers, event companies, etc.

And though I told myself not to make a big deal out of it, I fell into its b8.

Amidst the Busyness…

With the launch of one new line of fragrance to organise, and another launch of a new perfume, I’ve been busy planning, organising, and executing. This is my first launches and I finally understand the amount of effort that needs to be put in for a successful launch! THE COORDINATION!

And my boss suddenly decides that we should also manufacture vials instead of buying it from the brand, so for the past few weeks, we’ve been sourcing for quotations, and just today, the production run has started. The coordination of this project is extensive, due to the production chain. It involves the manufacture of the empty glass vials (China), the production of the vial cardholders, the delivery of the glass vials to the filling company (Malaysia) at exactly the same time the delivery of the bulk fragrance is sent to the filling company, as well as the same time the printing of the vial cardholders are sent to the filling company. Then filling & packing occurs, before having to send it back to our warehouse (Singapore) for distribution purposes. I can’t wait to see the final product, but somehow, I doubt it’ll arrive on time. Oh well.

On top of this busy couple of months to come, I have taken an 8 days tour + 3 days extension holiday, effective next Saturday, to Taiwan. This means major planning, not only at work to ensure everything goes smoothly while I’m away, but also major planning for the last 3 days of our trip, to make full use of this extension. It’s going to be my last holiday for the year – whoohoo! I’ve exhausted all my leave till 31st December!

However, during this chaotic time, I still managed to put on a horrible tummy. Yes, a little bulge that no matter how much I suck in, it still remains there. A horrible little tummy, visible to me. So what do I do? I try to exercise. The operative word being “try”. And yes, admist the busyness, this one, I can proudly say, I fail terribly at.

So, I’ve started eating healthy again. It’s back to salads for me. This means having to buy ingredients for my salads, having grumbling tummies in the late afternoon when my tummy has digested all the greens I had consumed. Then I drink a nice glass of milo and put the calories back on. BAH.

And amidst this busyness, I tell myself I must try not to take chocolates (the comfort food that I crave for 24-7), and and and COFFEE!!! COFFEE or CHOCOLATES? I don’t know…it’s a tough choice, but MOCHA has both doesn’t it? YUMMMMMM…

So…? The moral of the story is…amidst the busyness, I’m still alive. And better still, I have the time to write this entry. This goes to show…

Learning.

No wonder they say you never stop learning. We are constantly learning new things about ourselves and the people around us.

Tummies. Never go to sleep on a bloated stomach - however, I'd really like to argue I didn't eat that much! My family have arrived in Singapore and we've been invited to countless dinners by friends and relatives. The other night, I learnt my lesson of indigestion the HARD way. We had Korean bbq at a friend's place and the portions were little, with intervals inbetween when the chef prepared the next dish, so we just ate and ate as each dish came along. I didn't think it was much at that time, but thats what I thought. A little bit at a time really did it for me. At 3am that night, I woke up with a very uncomfortable and bloated tummy. It was unbearable and I had to throw up. And if you know me, I'll always choose another way if I had a choice of not throwing up. The next night, I made sure to watch my stomach that dinner and we had healthy chinese food, but once again, I threw up again. Indigestion, a symptom I never knew I could have.

Emos. My sis' friends are here and they've taught me a new word. Perhaps I'm slow, but I never knew what Emos were...or rather who emos are. Until they said there's plenty of Emos in Singapore and started describing these so-called persons. Emos are Emotional. I've just always assumed they were Goth or weird people trying to scare the shit out of strangers on the street with their ghastly attire, I'm-tired-of-life attitude and makeup. No. Different from Goths as they have colours in their life. They are Emos. And I'm englightened.

Bintan = Indonesia. I blame myself for my ignorance on this subject - I blame it on holidays to further away countries and living overseas at a young age so I've never really travelled around Asia as much. It was only a few days ago that I discovered Bintan is not an island of Singapore, but in fact, it belongs to Indonesia and I'll need my passport for our family trip to Bintan next Monday. What a laugh! So once again, I've grown smarter by a bit.

Fatness, mi Goodness!

Every women, especially those stick thin models, complain their fat. And I’m guilty as charge – obviously not the part about being stick thin coz I’m not that at all.

I'd also like to justify my reasons for my complains. We females tend to tsk at others who comlpain about their fats, especially when they are clearly not as big in comparison, but I've got a valid reason. I need to compete against those stick thin models. The media industry is vicious and it's that same industry my boyfriend is working in. Working around models and pretty ladies, he has an benchmark for thinness. He likes me as I am, of course, but with all the competition around me, I can't slack. Hey, I'm still a women afterall and we're always competitive whenever it comes to weight, fashion and accessories. I'm not tall either so the only way is to go smaller sideways. Wish it works the other way around. I’ve tried countless of dieting techniques:

1) Eat less in general

A very terrible decision but I’m stuck now with a warped metabolism. Girls, don’t try it at home. But then again, low metabolism comes with age…I just shortened the process.

2) Eat less carbo / No carbo

GAWD, how is that possible with all the yummy donuts & cakes & chocs & & & basically EVERYTHING! And how much salad can a girl eat – though it is my favourite food, but favourite doesn’t mean having it for all 3 meals of the day. I don’t eat chocolates whole day long, though I would love to, but I don’t and it’s still my fav, second fav, no fav dessert -it should not even be counted a dessert but that’s another argument for another day. What am I talking about!

3) Healthiest of the healthiest diets

The worst of the diets. No one keeps to it. A simple coffee can spoil it all. Even salads aren’t healthy enough if dressings are added. So what’s a healthy diet? Fruits? (Did you know that the carbo content in watermelons are high?) Celery sticks? (They get awfully bitter after the second stick since dips aren’t allowed.) Carrot sticks? (Same story as Mr Celery.) Steak? (Preferably not grilled but have you heard of boiled steaks?) I rest my case.

4) Exercise more

Running, kick-boxing, pilates, yoga, blah-di-da! What you really mean is discipline, not “exercise more” coz that’s the easy part once you’ve found the discipline to wake up at the wee hours of the morning for a fat burning workout or once you’ve sacrificed the scarce after-work social/shopping hours to visit the gym. And what’s the right exercise for you? One says this is good, the other says that is good. WELL WHICH ONE IS IT? Instead of slimming down, you may be building bulky disgusting muscles which will still turn into stubborn fats unless you keep it up at age 70. I did that at age 16 when I stopped playing softball which meant no more trainings twice a week – BLISS – and welcomed stubborn fatness galore.

So the moral of the story…we’ll, I don’t even know if there’s one coz none of them had worked for me.

And the worst thing is…

Women have more fats (especially in the tummy areas) than the bloody men who criticise that we are fat. Also women tend to have more cravings too, especially for all the sinful delicacies. Every other day, I crave for chocolate. Strike that. EVERY DAY I crave for chocolates. And not only once a day. Chocolates in every form – mud cakes, brownies, chocolate filled donuts, chocolate bars, chocolate ice cream…YUMMMERRRZZZZ. Add coffee onto that list too. I’d die for a rich mochaccino. I crave for fried or barbequed chicken wings (but never boiled), curry in all its forms, laksa (Penang mostly), Korean food (unfortunately high in carbo). Oh GAWD, I need to stop this list. I’ve only just had breakfast and my mouth is getting itchy for a bitey.

Gulp. Plain water really doesn’t do the trick.

Profitable...definitely worth it!

Saturday was a very profitable day. It couldn't get any better than that.

Bright and early, my boyfriend and I went to a Denmark family's house as they had hired EK's services to take photos of their 6 month old daughter. I was his assistant and helped to distract the baby in order for that beautiful smile while she looked at the camera, a very hard thing to achieve. After an hour and a half, she was tired and so were we. We called it a fruitful session and pocketed $200 for his services.

That afternoon, I went for my appointment with Ina Harmoni. I was getting a free body treatment and I chose a slimming package. The machine sent little tiny electric shots in my upper thigh, tummy and arms. It was interesting but slightly painful. Every electric shot felt as if a grip was tightened around my body and my body reacted to it, tensing up with every shot. I lost 2cm around my tummy and 3 from both thighs, but the results didn't impress me. I bet if I drank a little bit of water, the 2cm or 3cm would go straight back on. So I didn't sign up for any package, but it was still a free treatment afterall.

Then EK called me to ask if I was interested in attending a Seventeen Magazine event at Cafe del Moar, Sentosa and with a "yes", I rushed off to meet him and his friends. While we were there, not only did we get a usual goody bag with magazines, make-up, a CD and some vouchers, we also got free soft drinks and juices to keep our tummies occupied as we watched the hunks and babes parade on stage.

After the event, we zipped off for a quick pasta dinner before rushing to another event at Bugis. This was for the fashion brand Tweety Bird. The clothes were refreshing, with a style to everyone. There was casual wear to work outfits, punk to class. But the best was the goody bag we each got: 2 tee-shirts (unfortunately 2 sizes too large for me), 1 cap, and it could only get better, with a media voucher of $300 to spend on tweety apparel. $300 for me, another $300 for EK (but obviously he couldn't wear female tweety fasgion) so...it was a shopaholic's dream to get $600 FREE to shop shop shop! And so she did. After the fashion show and a bit of socialising, we went to the shop and spent an hour shopping. The shopaholic walked out 2 pants, 1 limited edition tee-shirt, 1 pair of shoes and 1 necklace richer! And all she needed was to invest in the excess $21 that came out of the bill.

BLISS.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital Medical Records

Hospital: Tan Tock Seng
Department: ENT

Patient: Female, Single, aged 24

Medical History: Loves visiting A&E at odd times of the day

Medical Condition:
4th June @ 8pm - acknowledged that she swallowed Mackerel fish bone of about 1cm long during dinner
5th June - felt like she had sore throat
7th June @ 4.30pm - visited a GP before being referred to ENT department
7th June @ 10pm - felt distinct discomfort when swallowing, like there was a bone in the throat
7th June @ 10.30pm - arrived at Tan Tock Seng Hospital but the queue was too long so she prolongued her discomfort and went to Mt Alvernia Hospital but was advised of absorbident charges and therefore returned to Tan Tock Seng Hospital
8th June @ 12.30am - took X-ray
8th June @ 1am - doctor could not see bone from x-ray so ENT specialist was called down
8th June @ 2am - ENT specialist poked the throat and declared that there was an ulcer in the throat, could be caused by bone scratching it as it went down, or the bone is beneath the ulcer, he cannot be sure as yet
if there's bone, bone should resurface, otherwise, it's just ulcer causing discomfort
8th June @3.30am - collected medication of lozenges and 1 day medical certificate for absence of work & patient left

Medical Followup:
12th June @ 9.30am - patient arrived at hospital for followup checkup
12th June @ 10.15am - ENT specialist noted that ulcer had grown bigger to 7-8mm and had to be burst to ensure bone is not beneath
local anesthesia was sprayed in throat and specialist poked the ulcer several times
bone was not found
12th June @ 11am - collected medication of more lozenges and anticeptic mouth wash and 2 hours medical certificate for absence of work that morning
patient returned to work after that.

16th June @ 2pm - patient rang to cancel followup checkup on 19th June as she felt that her throat was healing and felt much better

Diago Velazquez Who?

I swear, Google is getting weirder by the minute!

Bites of my life

Renovations and Missing Bosses

My company is undergoing yet another round of renovations. We are always expanding, which is a good thing, except my eyes are constantly irritated by the dust floating around, and the constant drilling is taking its toll on my ears. Also, we've suddenly been receiving so many samples at our office, our tables are swamped with boxes and boxes of stuff, it's turning into a warehouse. I've got to pack it up soon!

Just as well my bosses have all left on business trips overseas...it's so quiet in the office...I just feel like reading my story book or disappearing!

Family... THE ENTIRE DO

As my grandfather is turning 80 this year, we're holding a massive celebration and everyone is returning from overseas for this party. Can't wait to see my family! This means, in the first time in ages, the entire family (my grandfather + children + grandchildren) will be in Singapore at the same time...we'll, not the entire family will be there for the party, but for about 12 hours (or less!), the entire family will be in Singapore. Why is there only 12 hours? Coz the last family from overseas arrives on the 25th of June while one leaves on a mission trip in the early hours of the 26th of June, so in this span of 12 hours, we need to take a family photo. How likely will it be that all 23 people can make it? We'll have to wait and see.

Chocolates!

I'm currently reading this novel, and just by the title, I feel like this book was meant for me! It's called "The Chocolate Lovers' Club" by Carole Matthews. The amazing thing is she's even got a continuation called "The Chocolate Lovers' Diet". The 4 ladies in the novel I've just started reading are choc addicts and it's amazing, the amount of chocolates they eat! In summary, these 4 ladies formed a select group known as The Chocolate Lovers' Club. Whenever there's a crisis, they meet in their sanctuary, a cafe called Chocolate Heaven, where they seek encouragement, advice and support from the others while savouring (sometimes wolfing down) chocolates, lots and lots of CHOCOLATES.

Here's an abstract:

Frankly, I'm a recent convert to the delights of pure plantation chocolate. I
adore chocolate in all its many forms, but my current passion is couture
chocolates made with the select beans from single plantations all around the
world - Trinidad, Tobago, Eucador, Venezuela, New Guinea. Exotic locations, all
of them. They are - out and out - the best type of chocolate. In my humble
opinion. The Jummy Choos of the chocolate world. Though truffles are a fierce
competitor. (Strictly speaking, truffles are confectionery as opposed to
chocolates, but I feel that's making me sound like a chocolate anorak.) So as
not to appear a chocolate snob, I also shove in Mars Bars, Snickers and Double
Deckers as if they're going out of fashion. Like the best, I was brought up on a
diet of Cadburys and Nestle, with Milky Bars and Curly Wurlys being particular
favourites - and both of which I'm sure have grown considerably smaller with the
passing of the years. Walnut Whips are a bit of a disappointment these days too.
They're not like they used to be. Doesn't stop me from eating them, of course -
call it product research.

Vouchers

Lately, I've been getting a lot of vouchers, wasting them as the expire before I notice I had them...and sometimes loosing them in the process. Because there's far to many vouchers, I often misplace them.

Just 1 month ago, I got a call from a spa & beauty place, saying that they just bought over this spa place I visited once (also on a complimentary voucher), and they would like to offer me another complimentary treatment to try out their services, so I gladly took it on, arranging a date and time for the appointment. The funny thing was, I remembered the date and time of the appointment, but I forgot the place or the name of the spa. So this week, I was panicking coz the appointment is this Saturday and I'm busy on that day. But this morning, I received a call from them to remind me of the appointment, and I rescheduled - this time remembering to take down their address!

And this week, I've been hunting high and low for my Robinsons voucher - $20!!! SOB. Where is it?! I left it in my wallet because I knew I wanted to use it someday, but it's no longer in my wallet. I must have moved it somewhere when I changed wallets. But I can't find it or remember where I left it. SOB.This week, I've been hunting high and low for my Robinsons voucher - $20!!! SOB. Where is it?! I left it in my wallet because I knew I wanted to use it someday, but it's no longer in my wallet. I must have moved it somewhere when I changed wallets. But I can't find it or remember where I left it. SOB.

I was given another spa voucher, sent from G2000, but 1 month later, I discovered it was for first timers and I had already been there last year when I got my birthday vouchers from G2000 as well. Sob. But at least I could pass it on to a friend so it wouldn't go to waste.

That's all the updates for now...

My boyfriend dumps me on a Friday night…

…to go out with out with another male friend of his to a FHM Girl Next Door event, and I have no backup plans!

Of course, I was never first priority tonight because afterall, it is an FHM Girl Next Door event, the pub/club would be raging with testerones. It’s a guy guy event. He had casually invited me yesterday because he got invitations and his colleague had to go back in to camp for reservist, so he asked if I was interested in accompanying him. Then just 5 minutes ago, I received a call from him, saying that he’ll be going with another good friend of his tonight, so he won’t be meeting me. So much for dressing up...

So…here I am, on Friday, without a date, and without a plan.

Plan #1:
- Bead shopping
- Late home-cooked dinner
- Jewellery making
- Pros: $$$ cha-ching $$$
- Cons: Alone on a Friday night : (

Plan #2:
- Home-cooked dinner
- Watch DVDs till I fall asleep
- Pros: Relaxing : )
- Cons: Alone on a Friday night : (

Plan #3:
- Home-cooked dinner
- Clean my room
- Fix a few of my clothes (fallen buttons, tiny holes, etc)
- Wash & iron clothes
- Pros: Clean room, clothes finally fixed, washed, ironed!
- Cons: BORING! Still alone on a Friday night!

Plan #4:
- Home-cooked dinner
- Swimming/ Treadmill
- Pros: Keeping fit…
- Cons: No cons…just plain laziness, really!

Plan #5:
- Home-cooked dinner
- Finish studying my Korean textbook
- Pros: Educational…Finally doing something I've been procrastinating for 2 years!
- Cons: Hope I still can remember how to read!

Plan #6
- Grocery shopping
- Borrow library books to read
- Late home-cooked dinner
- Bake scones or muffins or something
- Read till I fall asleep
- Pros: Making use of the oven, & stories are always entertaining.
- Cons: Fattening, and I never know if they turn out a success!

Plan #7:
- Bead shopping + Quick bite
- Jewellery making
- Late night swim/ exercise
- Study Korean
- Clean room
- Watch DVDs
- Pros: A bit of everything
- Cons: A bit of nothing AND completely exhausted!

Plan #8:
- Find another friend to go out with at this last minute (God bless the person who is free)
- Pros: Out on a Friday night
- Cons: Negative $$$ cha-ching $$$

Actually, I do have a lot of things that I've been meaning to do and have been putting it off...who cares if its a Friday night or a Monday night. It's a night I'm free to catch up on my own things and I should cherish it. Friday nights aren't just about having plans with others, going out and spending money. I could have plans with myself, doing the things that I really want to do!

So cheers to ALONE ON FRIDAYS!

Love.

Love.

Love…

Love.

Ever Thine. Ever Mine. Ever Ours.

Last night, I caught Sex and the City at the movies and I WEPT, LAUGHED, TEARED, AND LOVED IT. It’s like an episode of their drama, except much longer – filled with familiar voices, lots of talking and laughing (in the movie), and of course, some sexual scenes – it remained true to the drama series, revolving around these 4 fascinating women.

It was about love. It was about relationships. And especially, it was about friendship. The strong friendship these 4 amazing yet different girls have with each other. I almost forgot how strong their friendship was in the drama series because it ended too long ago, but watching the movie revived it for me.

And the fashion! There was a good dose of fashion in the movie: Dior, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Vera Wang, Vivien Westwood (to name a few) and how can we forget our star’s favourite Manolo Blahniks.

I shan’t let on too much. Ahhh. I can’t wait to rewatch the drama series from Season 1 to 7. Hurry Amazon, send me my parcel!

Red Skies, Penang

It is the moment the clouds part for the sun to make its last appearance.

It is that moment when the sun says its goodnight for the day.

It is the moment just before night consumes day.


It is all in the click of one man’s moment.


Photographer: ek yap

Larger than normal

Ferocious alligators, massive and dangerous, roamed the streets. They were larger than normal, mutated perhaps, and would tear apart anything that got in its way, leaving a trail of blood and flesh. People panicked and feared.

It was a gloomy evening, the streets were almost empty, and the town was weeping. Screams could be heard as some alligator took another victim. Professor G (fictitious name) hurried on his way across town. Distracted by a gruesome sight, Prof G stepped right onto an alligator’s tail. As the alligator made its attack, Prof G struggled to defend himself. The world went black.

When Prof G regained his consciousness, he discovered himself in bandages in an unfamiliar place. He was in a strange transportation system.

“You’re awake.” Prof G’s assistant, a beautiful and attractive woman, approached him.

“Where am I?”

“Welcome to my special submarine.” Appeared an acquaintance of Prof G, we shall name him X. In their conversation, Prof G discovered that the alligators that rampage the town were dosed on pure oxygen. Where did the alligators get it from? Prof G could not answer, but it was the same pure oxygen that he had discovered in one of his travels under the sea. X wanted to find the source of pure oxygen, and like Prof G, he wanted to take it away in oxygen tanks.

The submarine entered a dark hole and it began to fall sharply, hitting against the walls of the cave. You could see the deep dark hole from inside the submarine, beyond its many glass windows. It bounced against sharp protruding corals, and repelled against the rough walls. At the bottom of the dark hole was a large sunken ship. The submarine entered the ship and docked itself in its ballroom, with glass windows all around.

The doors of the submarine opened. No water poured in. The submarine floated on the surface of the water inside the ballroom. There was trapped air in the ballroom. Oxygen for them to breath. They cautiously stepped out of the submarine, and into the cold waters, treading to stay afloat. In a distance, they saw a potion of the water surface bubbling as if there was air being released from beneath. Prof X pointed in that direction and they moved carefully towards the bubbling waters, clinging on to the edge of the ballroom window ledges for additional support.

When they approached the bubbling surface, they felt more alive. The pure oxygen was intoxicating. Once they found the source, Prof G and his assistant retreated to a safe distance. Too much pure oxygen may cause adverse effects. X joined them shortly. Prof G wanted to return to land. While X still needed more time. Suddenly, beyond the glass windows of the ballroom, they spotted a larger than normal shark swimming around the outside of the ship. X panicked. He pulled out a knife and cut Prof G on the arm. Blood seeped out.

“I don’t want that shark near me! You can be his meal!” X shouted. Prof G calmly told his worried assistant to retreat back to the submarine, to get her out of harms way…

Myself and 5 other friends briefly spotted a larger than normal dolphin, about the length of 80 meters, near an abandoned harbour. We were shocked and mesmerised by this discovery. Being explorers, we decided to go in search of the dolphin the next day. There was already a crowd of people at the long harbour who had seen the dolphin and was cheering for us in our expedition.

The 6 of us climbed into the row boat, but the boat couldn’t take our weight and it started to sink. My friends leaped out of the boat and clung on to the edge of the harbour, pulling themselves onto the platform. I was at the head of the boat, which had came afloat again, but I was too far from the harbour. I was about to jump into the water when a large fin surfaced beside me. The fin was about 2 to 3 times the size of the boat. Then we saw the creature. A great white shark was swimming around my boat. A great white shark of about 100 meters in length! Screams were heard. I was afraid but everyone told me to stay still. As the shark circled, the boat spun round and round. It was as if it was assessing if I was prey. Finally, it swam away. As his fin disappeared beneath the surface, my friend’s hurriedly pulled me onto the harbour.

Others who were on a floating platform opposite the harbour took a chance and jumped onto a boat in order to get across to the harbour.

Suddenly, the shark returned, his large fin emerging, charging at the boat that was between the harbour and the floating platform. People screamed and evacuated the boat and back onto the platform. But a little boy was left on the boat. The shark nudged at the boat, then retreated. We rescued the boy and everyone didn’t dare enter the waters.

The shark returned for the third time. It seemed to be searching for something. His food perhaps, but we were not it. It must have been after the dolphin. Only the dolphin of that size would satisfy a shark of that size. Humans would not have been comparable. We were probably not even considered snack size for the shark. The shark, finding nothing, made a turn and dived beneath sea level and went out of sight.

After that third time, we were confident the shark would not return again and hurriedly helped those on the floating platform over to the harbour.



What an adventure! What dreams! No wonder I’m in need of coffee this morning!

Slow Me Down

I Love This Song by Emmy Rossum, titled SLOW ME DOWN...

Rushing and racing and running in circles
Moving so fast I'm forgetting my purpose
Blur of the traffic is sending me spinning
Getting nowhere

My head and my heart are colliding chaotic
Pace of the world I just wish I could stop it
Try to appear like I've got it together
I'm falling apart

Save me
Somebody take my hand and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
Cause I'm ready to fall

Slow me down
Don't let me live a lie
Before my life flies by
I need you to slow me down

Sometimes I fear that I might disappear
In the blur of fast forward I falter again
Forgetting to breathe
I need to sleep
I'm getting nowhere

All that I've missed I see in the reflection
Pass me while I wasn't paying attention
Tired of rushing, racing and running
I'm falling apart

Tell me
Oh won't you take my hand and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
Cause I'm ready to fall

Slow me down
Don't let me live a lie
Before my life flies by
I need you to slow me down

Just show me
I need you to slow me down
Slow me down
Slow me down

The noise of the world is getting me caught up
Chasing the clock and I wish I could stop it
Just need to breathe
Somebody please
Slow me down

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME continued...

The Birthday Weekend:

I just realised I’ve forgotten to complete the update on my birthday, and a week has already passed.

What did I end up doing on my birthday? I had a yummy lunch, made by moi: Black Pepper Tuna Salad. YUMMERS! That evening, I met EK at Weelock and had Japanese food. I wanted to have buffet but the place in Vivo was fully booked so I settled with ala carte. It was hard, changing the mindset of having buffet, unlimited sashimi and unagi, to only 1 place of sashimi (5 pieces) and 1 bowl of unagi don (with limited pieces of unagi). It wasn’t as satisfying, since I’ve prepared myself for a feast, but nonetheless, it was a good meal so I’m happy. At least I didn’t overeat!

After dinner, we went to Zouk for a fashion show as our friend was doing make-up backstage and managed to get us VIP passes. So we had free flow alcoholic drinks and candies. The show was quite good, but I love the free casual bag they distributed…I don’t need to get myself a beach bag now! After the fashion show, we met with our friend and headed to the nearby hotel lounge and continued chatting till 2am, over red wine and snacks.

On Saturday, we woke up late and went swimming instead – a healthy start to 24, but that effort was quickly ruined in one night of seafood. We met EK’s bro and family for seafood at Eng Seng Seafood Restaurant. When we got there at 5pm, there was a short queue which quickly built up as we waited. We finally got seated and waited another hour for our crabs but the wait was worth it! It was devine!!! The black pepper crabs especially. We ate to our hearts content.
On Saturday, we also found out there was a Club 21 sale over the weekend (EK and I love Club 21 sales), but we were too busy on Saturday so we made a trip there on Sunday. There weren’t many stuff left, the good stuff would have been sold on Saturday, but I managed to find 1 gorgeous pink Dolce and Gabbana ¾ pants going at 90% discount! The others that I loved were unfortunately on 70% discount, but even after 70% discount, there were at least $400, so I didn’t get them. That one bargain was good enough to make my day! Happy birthday from me to me!

Then, we went Sentosa for some sun baking and Frisbee action. In the evening, I decided to ‘treat’ my face to another facial. The place was nice, the brand is well established, but the results from the facial was so-so. Other facial places I’ve been to had better results…so I’m back to square one again on my Save-my-face campaign.

And with this update, I end this documentation of my birthday weekend. I had a good time and I do feel 24 after all that glorious celebration activities. Can’t describe it, just that I thought I did heaps to celebrate my birthday, hence I feel 24. As compared to if I had stayed home and just celebrated with a good meal, I probably wouldn’t feel as 24 since you can have a good meal anytime anyway. Get me?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

The Build-up:

It's been 12 hours into my 24th birthday, and it has been going GREAT! I don't know why I had been so excited about this birthday - I mean, what's another birthday? Weirdly, I've been feeling rather high since Sunday, high with excitment, high with anticipation, high with expectations.

I even discussed what I wanted to do with EK...a good Jap buffet lunch (coz its cheaper during lunch), then parhaps Sentosa in the afternoon.

Somewhere in the middle of the week, my feelings went down down down. I fell into a depression pothole...upset about my flaw-ful face. It's been getting worse, and it was the last straw when EK said I should not go to work in make-up coz maybe that's what agitating it. But I've been using this since 1 year ago! This happened on Tuesday night. His said that with or without make-up, at the end of the day when my make-up fades away (it happens all the time), it looks the same without make-up, so my colleagues would have already seen it anyway. My Confidence crumbled. No difference? THERE WAS A HUGE DIFFERENCE. I COULD TELL! No make-up? How was I supposed to face the world? I know, I apply sparingly and my make-up (specially for sensitive zitty faces) does not provide much coverage, BUT THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE! So...I crumbled and cried. It wasn't about what he said. I noticed it too and I was concerned myself, but I just tried to block it out. But in full honesty, my face is getting worse. I've stopped going to facial after spending nearly 2k over 1 year on it and not seeing it get better, but then maybe I should have stuck on with it. At least it wasn't getting any worse. Now, my condition has worsen dramatically and even I'm put off by my own face. I know there are more important things in life than looks, but what if it affects my self-confidenc? Then my personality is afffected. It's only a matter of time.

Yesterday, my emotions were lifted slightly - the day before my birthday, who wouldn't feel a tad bit better! Of course, that face issue is still niggling at the back of my mind, but I decided that it'll be a present from me to me this birthday. I will fix my face! By hook or by crook, my savings or by debt, BUT somehow, I'll get it done this year.

Last night, I didn't meet EK and came straight home to make trinkets for a customer's order. While doing so, I watched one of my all-time favourite movie 'Notting Hill'. It was good! Not only did making trinkets made me feel good about myself, the comfort of an all-time favourite romance movie was amazing.

At 11.45pm, I decided to wrap up and head for bed. I went out into the hall to use the common bathroom, but I heard some plastic bag sounds from outside our apartment door.

"Someone's stealing our shoes" was my first thought as I peered through the peephole. And there he was, waiting. It clicked. But I couldn't possibly let him wait outside for another 10 minutes till the clock struck midnight and pretend I was surprised right? I hurriedly open the door and surprised the "shoe burgler" instead. He was disappointed at his failure...failure of a surprise and failure of being any sort of burgler. But I was happy he wanted to spend the first minute of my birthday with me and of course I would choose to spend an additional 10 minutes with him instead of separated by a door, NOT FORGETTING the Awefully Chocolate Chocolate Banana Cake that was waiting patiently for us to devour!

This morning, he suggested I could put on make-up if I wanted to, and I more than obediently leaped up to the opportunity. Work hasn't been too bad either...these few days have been a little less stressful. Seems like no one in my office knows its my birthday today, apart from the HR personnel who had given me a tiny prezzie yesterday. But I don't mind. I'm just counting down the hours till 6pm where I'll run off and meet him for a sumptuous dinner and maybe, hopefully, wishfully, drinks with some friends.

X MAN - 당연하지

I'm in love with this x-ed Korean game show called X MAN! It's so awesome!!!

There are many different parts of it, and one of my favourite is called 'OF COURSE' (당연하지 ,DANG-YUN-HA-JI), where there will be 2 representatives from each group, and they will battle it out with words aimed at each other, trying to make each other gag until they aren't able to admit 'OF COURSE' to that statement made at them.

Here's a clip of 2 members of my 2 favourite korean boybands, Min Woo from Shinhwa and Kangta from H.O.T., battling it out...old stories emerges...



And of course, there were battles between members of the same group: Tony vs Kangta



Another of my favourite parts is the couple battles...especially between the lovers Eun Hye (the lead female from Goong and Coffee Prince) and Jong Kook...



But WAIT, there were MANY MORE complications...

Enters Haha and Eun Bi...







And soon, others followed...





And another love triangle develops when Eric of Shinhwa comes onto the scene...





Hope you're as hooked as I am!!!!!

Picture Me Pitching

BUT WAIT...
We can't forget the famous pitch!

Going for a Job Interview

"Are you going for a job interview?" was the first question my immediate superior asked when he saw me yesterday, followed by a compliment, "Chic outfit."

Chic?

Blouse - Black sleeveless blouse (Joop) with ruffles at the front and thin belt (MNG) around the waist
Skirt - Black pencil skirt (G2000)
Jacket - Normal black blazer (G2000).
*I always have a blazer at work, just in case I feel cold. In yesterday's case, I was falling sick and wanted to keep warm.

Another boss who heads the Bangladesh office added, "Yes, whenever my staff comes to work well dressed, I'd tell them 'Good luck for your interview'."

If wearing a simple office outfit gives them a potential interview impression, then can you imagine how slack we are with our work attire?

So today, I'm wearing a simple puff-sleeved gold blouse, tucked out at the back, and pants that end just above the knee.

No potential interview impression, no compliments.

DJ Raine

I just got a call from a HR personnel from a Radio Station I had applied to. Apparently, there's a job opening for the Advertising and Promotions Executive position at the station and asked if I was interested.

Silly me, I told them I'm currently engaged with a job (which is true), and so I wasn't interested. BUT!!!!!!! That's with a Radio Station! HOW MANY SUCH OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU GET?

However, I'm deducing from that job title that my job scope isn't as glam as it sounds:
1) I manage on-air advertisements and promotions
2) Maybe I write advertising copy as well
3) As for a DJ, maybe I will be on-air to read out the advertisements, or at those mall promotional events?

EK always reckons that I should go for interviews, find out more about the job, etc. But I'm personally not like that. If I'm commited to one job and I enjoy what I'm doing, why should I confuse myself with another? Then again, here I am all confused...

Have I convinced myself that I've made the right choice by turning down this opportunity? Arggghhhhhh.

The Becky Bloomwood in Us

Currently, I'm stuck on Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series. I'm on to my 4th book 'Shopaholic and Sister', and I'm hooked. But I am also utterly appalled at Becky Bloomwood's ability to shop!

On one hand, I love Sophie Kinsella's ability to capture so vividly a shopaholic's mind, and translate it into an easy joyful read. But on the other, I find myself absolutely horrified at Becky Bloomwood's disregard for money, her excuses for purchases and her endless shopping trips. IS SHE FOR REAL? Sometimes, while reading these bits, I get so agitated that I want to shelf the book away. It is a real bimbotic read and perhaps I do feel comforted that I'm not such an extreme shopaholic, but I simply can't imagine such a woman exists. I've asked myself what I'm doing, wasting my time with this series, but yet, I can't put it down. I'm hooked.

How does the Financial Journalist Becky Bloomwood afford all the things she has?
How does Becky Bloomwood recover from Bankruptcy, and still get the guy?
How does Becky Bloomwood, with 2 weddings scheduled on the same day, turn it all around in 2 weeks? Without cancelling either! (She has a hell of a brain, that girl!)

Every book of this Shopaholic series has a major twist at the end, and you don't see it coming. In every book, Becky Bloomwood falls into her own shopaholic trap all over again and emerges triumphant, and you think she'd learn from it! But no matter how much I claim these books are 'bimbotic' and there's no one like Becky Bloomwood, in every book, there are not only shopping tips, but life tips for everyone.

1) You can't be bankrupt unless you've sold all your assets, and by assets, we also mean Denny & George scarves.
2) Every purchase is an investment. Buying 40 mugs while on a holiday means you'll never need to buy mugs for the rest of your life!
3) Always keep an emergency credit card glued to the back of your compact powder case. Your boyfriend/ husband will never find it! It's better to replace your compact powder case, than to miss the opportunity to own a rare 2000 Euros Angel Bag.
4) Always think entrepreneurial. Who says horse saddles need to be hard. If Becky Bloomwood was a horse-saddle designer, she'd make them soft, comfy, with furry cushions and drink holders.
5) Don't be narrow-minded. You can look smart wearing a cosarge, even if they are meant for horses.
6) Don't ever worry about having not enough luggage space. You can always Fedex!

There are plenty more where those came from! I'm inspired to learn a little from Becky Bloomwood. Are you?

Let's talk about Singapore

Did you know that Singapore won the location to host the first ever Youth Olympic Games, held in 2010?

Perhaps you knew that, but did you know that there was a countdown to the announcement? On Thursday, 21st February, a party of 5000 youths, Singapore Idols/ Project Superstars celebrities gathered at the Padang in anticipation of the announcement. I wonder if the organisers/government knew beforehand that we were going to win the bid over Moscow, and hence the party. If Singapore organised the party but didn't win the bid, what would the news headline be? "Disappointed youths leave Padang after loss to Moscow"

Did you know that Singapore will host a race in this year's Formula One Grand Prix?

I'm sure you knew that, it was major news to all sports fans and Singaporeans. But of course, we had to do it differently. Why should we just host a race? Why don't we make it the first street race in Asia? Why don't it be one of three races in the 2008 F1 calendar to run anticlockwise? Even better, why don't the first Formula One Grand Prix in Singapore be Formula One's first ever night race? Singapore and their endless pursuit to break boundaries...it has always got to be the first!

But the biggest news at the moment to hit Singapore is...

Did you know that there had been a security lapse at the Whitley Road Detention Centre, and Singapore's Most Wanted detainee, Mas Selamat bin Katsari, had escaped?

If you didn't, I'm sure the 54,000 'Wanted' posters and leaflets placed in buses, trains, stations, shopping malls, housing estates, customs and other areas would have been sufficient. Many ask: How did that happen? Fingers have been pointing everywhere, Singapore citizens want someone to blame. I am among the naived many who were proud of Singapore's tight security.

He plotted to crash a hijacked plane into Changi Airport, planned an attack on the US Embassy, the American Club and the Singapore American School. But the authorities took 4 hours to inform the public of the escape on 27 February because "there was no imminent danger to the public".

Today, there is a nationwide manhunt, with more than 1,000 police, soldiers, and elite Nepalese Gurkhas searching for him, dogs treking through the forests, posters with his famous face at every corner of Singapore, mobile phone operators send out messages with his picture, and a red alert has been issued, allowing any law enforcement officer among the international police network to arrest him on the spot.

And Deputy Assistant Commissioner Raymond Yeo, who leads the police Special Operations Command (SOC), is worried: "What is more damaging than his escape from the detention centre would be if he managed to escape out of Singapore and issued a victory statement."

Is that all we should be worried about?

Finding Passion

You read about them in the newspapers and see their faces in magazines: "From Junior Executive to CEO". And you think to yourself, "Lucky bugger."

I look at the people around me...

A creative director who constantly asks, "What's next for me?"
A peer my age and already co-partner of a company handling $50,000 projects.
A friend who will be entering medical school soon - to become a neurosurgeon.
Budding doctors, corporate lawyers...the list goes on.

And then there's me.

What went wrong for me? Where's my drive to the top? Where's my passion?

I thought I had a sizzle, perhaps a little flame of desire burning inside me. I had my fair share of dreams, but then one day, it all vanished. It's like I had lost one side of my earrings, misplaced a passion somewhere, or subconsciously watered out my flame.

Autopilot.

I've come to settle for what I've got. I don't put my extra effort in, and I cruise on in life without an aim. I'm happy collecting my monthly salary, not asking for anything more. I do wonder what's next for me, but I don't do anything to change it.

I guess I'm learning, but I'm just not taking an active approach to it. I could be asking more questions, reading up on some past presentations, analysing some market figures, or just doing more. Everything is at my disposal, I have access to endless information, but here I am sitting at my desk, writing blog entries, surfing the net, checking emails and everything else except work.

Laziness.

I'm being dishonest if I try to argue I'm not. I can foresee my future. I'm just a girl in the office, carrying out my daily work routine. The clock chimes 6pm and I'm out of the door. I'm still at the same position as I was today, perhaps a $100 pay rise for staying on so long, but I'm still an executive. I'm still doing the same things, not anything more.

I tell myself I'll work harder. Just yesterday, I reminded myself to strive. If you strive, you'll be noticed, and if you slack, you'll also be noticed. At least when a job opportunity comes along or a pay rise is involved, I'd feel like I earned it. If I do not strive and sit here at my desk everyday, not making a difference to the company, I wouldn't expect any raise or promotion.

But life goes on.

It's true. Life goes on. I'll probably have a job, just not a great job. I'll be able to afford my neccessities and the occassional splurge, but nothing luxurious. I'll have a life - I'll be alive.

Stop.

Let's return to my resolve my problem, or the lack of it. Where o where can I find my passion?

Mathematics - Goodness, can I still do those sec 4 trig questions? And then what?
Architecture - Gave up on that before I even attempted it.
Advertising - Tried that and over that.
Marketing - Is it really where my passion lies? If so, shouldn't I be actively learning instead of feeling so empty?

What do they say about a person without passion?

He has "no more value than a candle without a flame or fire without light." (Chuck Gallozzi)

Thanks Chuck! That's awefully comforting!

Can a person without passion ever find passion?

"Passion can be created. Even for things you don’t currently enjoy. By tweaking the activities and pursuits you engage in, you can find a passion for anything.

All it takes is a bit of patience and an open mind." (Scott Young)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day

&

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Shoppa-Fcuk-Aholic!!

Goodness, it's been 3 years since I've kept a blog? That's such an accomplishment!

As

suggests...

"May we grow old together!"

Family Time

Over the Chinese New Year period while everyone was busy with shopping for new clothes, spring cleaning, reunion dinner preparations and so on...where have I been?

I was busy shopping for new clothes, shoes, etc - not for me, but for my family in NZ. While everyone was spring cleaning, I was busy packing my 25kg luggage + 4kg fragile luggage + 5kg handcarry packed with Chinese New Year goodies. While everyone returned to Singapore for reunion dinner, I was fleaing out of the country for my reunion dinner in NZ.

The real holiday started on Friday, 1st February. The whole time at work, my chest literally felt like it was bursting with excitment. I felt like my heart could not contain the anticipation and I actually found it hard to breath.

At 10 minutes to 6pm, I dashed out of the office and grabbed a cab home. It was 6.40pm when I arrived him, my flight was at 9.05pm, meaning I should have been at the airport around 7.05pm for check-in. I leaped into the shower and back out in 5 minutes and did my last bit of packing before speeding off to the airport, arriving at 7.15pm.

My flight to NZ was fantastic. I think the guy at the check-in counter at Singapore airport was really nice to me as both flights from Singapore to Brisbane and then Brisbane to Auckland, I had the entire row to myself.

When I arrived in NZ, my family exchanged big welcome hugs and we headed home - our new home.

The first word that came to my mouth while touring the beautiful new house - WOW.

I think I said 'WOW' about 20 times while I was showed around, from the living room, to the kitchen, to the bedrooms. I LOVED IT.

After the tour, it was presents time. We gathered in the living room and I distributed all the goodies to my family members. I'd have to say out of everything I bought them, only 1 pair of heels for my sis didn't fit.

That evening, Aunty Mary came by and we went out for Vietnamese dinner.

On Sunday after church, we left on our roadtrip. 1st stop was Rotorua. The main idea was to patronise the spa pools, but we ended up finding a motel with sizeable jacuzzi spa in our unit and we settled for that. The next morning, we headed to Matamata to visit Hobbiton...

And after the tour, we moved on to Tauranga for the night. On Tuesday, we took a detour to a lavender farm and then PANCAKES. However, pancakes were a disappointment as they must have changed management/ cook. The pancake base was thick and it wasn't as appetising as it was last time. Such a waste.

That Tuesday evening, I met my usual uni group of friends for dinner. It was nice catching up with them. We retreated to my place for more hanging out.

On Wednesday, Chinese New Year eve and also Waitangi Day in NZ (meaning it's a public holiday), we didn't go far. In the morning, we went shopping for ingredients for our steamboat, and went shopping after that. In the afternoon, we came home to prepare for our yummy yummy steamboat. Once again, we bought too many ingredients and had plenty of leftovers...

Thursday morning, we took a short drive in the morning up North to the Honey Centre, where we had delicious pies and bought honey products. Then, we did a little shopping at another new mall that has been built in Auckland, before returning home to prepare for our feast. Mum had invited 8 of her colleagues over to our place for a homecooked asian dinner. That late afternoon, Laura and I made delicious and very successful nutella cupcakes!

And mum cooked up a storm to serve her colleagues from different nationalities. We had Singaporeans (us), Philippino, South Africans, Kiwi, French, and Indians!!! We served curry chicken, marinated grilled chicken wings, mix vegetables with tofu, satay and pork balls.

On Friday morning, we went west to a black-sand beach, pitched a mini-tent and had fish and chips. Though the sand was far far too hot (especially when it's black) and the noon sun was scorching, it was a beautiful day to be out by the beach. Out of all the short trips we did this holiday, I loved this the most.

That afternoon, we came home and soaked in the nice jacuzzi in our gorgeous master-bathroom.

On Saturday morning, I dragged myself out of bed to meet dad and mum at the church's barn sale. Instead of helping around, I went for breakfast and a nice wake-up mochaccino. Then, we did more grocery shopping - I was throwing a bbq that evening with my friends.

After lunch, dad and I went to the driving range for a short while and in the evening, I busied myself with preparation for the bbq. The turnout wasn't as big as we had expected, but the boys were big eaters so we didn't end up with too much leftovers.

On Sunday after church, we had lunch at The Coffee Club (NZ version), a little bit of shopping, and lazed around at home that day.

In the evening, I met Soon Yi, my korean friend who used to teach me Korean, for dinner.

Monday came around. For lunch, we had yummy pizzas and for dinner, mongolian bbq buffet. It was a very full day! We spent the rest of the day shopping and the night packing my luggage till past midnight.

Tuesday was the last day of my holiday. In the morning, we went out to the bank to get our pins on our new cards, before rushing home to do the last bit of packing of my 27kg luggage.

By 2.30pm, I was on the plane and by 10pm, I had arrived in Singapore, greeted by my grandparents and my honey!!!

TONIGHT

Tonight is the night I'm off to NZ.

I wouldn't say, "time flies coz just yesterday I was complaining it was still 3 more weeks."

The fact is, I have been counting down since 3 weeks ago and I have emails, blogs and a boyfriend to be my witness.

Nevertheless, I am glad the day is there!! I do hope I can keep awake today during work coz I'm so tired, having slept at 2am early this morning. Perhaps I'll have a good night's sleep on the plane. But then think about the movies onair?

I can't wait to see my parents, I can't wait to see my sister, I can wait to see my new house, I can't wait for New Zealand - it seems like the last time I said this was when my whole family was running away aka migrating from Singapore to NZ.

"I'll be back!"