Bits and Pieces

Stock-taking 2008

2009-01-01T15:03:00.007Z

Haven't been posting for an oh-so-long time! As I logged into my account, I realised that there are several draft postings which I had started but not completed.. ARRGGHHH.. Procrastination and Sloth at work again!

Below were the resolutions I set for 2008:

Stop my procrastinating nature and aim to pass my driving! (PASS on 4th Apr! YEAH!)
Lead a healthier lifestyle - exercise more.. (failed miserably; haven't started on any exercise regime)
Eat in moderation - have to understand that every meal doesn't need to end with cakes or ice-cream and that stomach doesn't have a separate compartment for desserts!! (still struggling with this)
Reduce intake of red meat (though I still love my morten's) and increase fruits and vege (no and yes respectively)
Cut down on hobbies like shopping (sort of,.. except that I shop more when I'm overseas due to busy weekend schedules..) and bingeing (err... need I say more?!) - Save more!
Adopt a positive attitude in every task I undertake (still trying)

Resolutions for 2009:

Be more prudent. Gloomy economy ahead~ (i.e. no more unnecessary cab rides, more food-court lunches and less lunch appts at fancy restaurants,...)
Adopt healthy-living.. Exercise more.. have more home cooked food instead of dining-out all the time
Spend more time with family. Go on holidays together..
Make good use of time.. as Benjamin Franklin puts it, 'Lost Time is never found again'
STOP being a Procrastination Queen!

Journey to the Land of the Rising Sun..

2008-09-16T15:08:00.009+01:00

My long anticipated trip has finally ARRIVED!! Had been hoping to fast forward time since we booked tickets in May.

Flight was pretty decent except for this super-duper-uber annoying SQ girl whom I believe should have all her KPI failed. She didn't seem to be enjoying her job and was rude to almost all the passengers she had contact with. These people should just quit their job.. no one owes them a living really.. *roll eyes*

Despite having great ambitions to complete as many movies as possible, I fell into slumber at least 4 times throughout Sex and the City. It tooked me more than 6 hours to complete the whole movie! Its an awesome movie I must say (and I meant it!)!

Ivan getting all excited about the trip.. My first snack in Tokyo before embarking on a 1h30m trip from Narita to our hotel in Shinjuku

Savoring a bowl of piping hot at this humble eatery in Shinjuku. Though its only priced at 510yen, its the best ramen I had tasted so far!

The one on Good Friend's wedding

2008-09-09T17:05:00.004+01:00

Been looking forward to Xiaocui's wedding luncheon this coming weekend, since the day she had announced the good news to me. I certainly share her joy and feel happy that she's finally marrying the man of her dreams.

Made wrist corsages and matching pens for her wedding from the leftover materials of my own wedding. Was so glad that she liked them!

Out of whims, I had posted these pics of corsages on forums and actually had people asking to order them. Clinched my first deal yesterday and will be making delivery on Friday. Fun~! :)

The one on Teacher's Day

2008-09-09T15:50:00.004+01:00

Felt really appreciated receiving cards and gifts from the piano kids over the past weeks. Nothing beats knowing that you had gained the trust and respect of these children and they are learning and enjoying a skill you are imparting to them.

My fondest Teacher's Day memory took place few years back in a music school I was teaching. This 5-yr-old boy bashfully took out 2 muffins wrapped in cellophane plastic from his bag, handed them to me and whispered 'Happy Teacher's Day'. When asked where he bought those muffins from, he replied 'I made them myself'.

Awww.. I was completely bowled over..

Its been an oh-so-long time!

2008-09-08T18:19:00.006+01:00

I admit I had officially contracted the sloth virus. Received queries from friends on my lack of postings lately - or rather none at all. Even had an exasperated colleague declaring she will stop visiting my blog until she knows I have updated something.

August was a month dotted with hi-teas and dinner meet ups with the girls - Kelly is back from Canada. Not sure when we will get to meet again after her embarkment on a new career in Chicago. Its been a year since the last extravagant dinner at Humble House when we had full attendance (with Kelly of course). Everyone made an effort to turn up. It was an enjoyable evening filled with girly chit-chats and great companionship. Drove to Wild Rocket (yes, again!) for dinner and Prive bakery by Keppel Bay for desserts. Kudos to Chiuyen for organising every single gathering all these years since graduation! She's definitely played a major role in keeping the group intact. From coming up with a date for the outings, to consolidating responses and even sending out reminder emails with driving directions and maps of meet up venue. Totally awed by her organising skills!

Planning to arrange for one before Kelly flies off in October. This time doing something somewhat different - horse betting at Turf Club~! :)

The one on Bangkok Trip

2008-07-14T16:47:00.020+01:00

Not surprising, happy moments always sped past before you can savour them to your heart's content. My long awaited bkk trip with Jen just flew by so quickly I wished we had planned for more days.

The main highlight of the trip we both agreed was definitely the stay at Phranakorn-Nornlen. Being a sucker for atas hotels (like the one we stayed in Siem Reap - Hotel De La Paix), I was initially quite doubtful putting up at what I had assumed to be a humble hotel; what's more, a hotel that serves organic vegetarian food... sounds too healthy for my liking.

BUT I was proven wrong! This home-stay hotel far surpassed any hotels I had stayed in. The minute we set our foot onto the premises of the hotel, we could tell that everything here was set up with so much love and pride.. from the decor of the hotel, the service provided by the staff to the food that was served to us. In fact, part of the breakkie came from their rooftop organic farm! It was so yummy that I was secretly looking forward to waking up every morning. Very unusual for a carnivore like me~

Room 215 where we had spent our resting hours in bkk. The hand-painted walls add to the cosiness of the room..

More lovely hand-painted walls along the corridors of the hotel~

The pavilion area where Jen and myself will spend hours accessing the internet before turning in..

The mini kitchen where our glorious breakfasts were prepared

and served to us with so much love..
The roof-top organic farm~!
Unlike the boring international breakfast buffet served at the usual hotels, the breakfast menu hung on the pillar beside the cafe serves as little surprises I woke up to every morning. Type of breakfast served will be dependent on what the chef feels like cooking for the day.. they are so delicious they never fail to cheer my day..

Unfortunately, we had to miss breakfast on the last day as our flight was too early in the morning.. was actually feeling quite sore about it..

On the shopping bit, Senada Theory was quite a disappointment. Only managed to get a couple of items despite the initial determination to bring back at least half a rack of her collection. *Haha, ok~ some exaggeration here..* But she was indeed the main purpose of my bkk trip. Just adore the quirkiness in her designs.

And of course we didn't miss pigging out at our all-time favourite restaurant Lemongrass in bkk. Puh-lease don't attempt to compare this Lemongrass to the one in Singapore which is sadly out of the league! Food in bkk is so cheap by Singapore standards which is why we always order so much cos we just wanna try everything!

Bangkok trip is never complete without spa and massage! Am an ardent fan of Healthland Spa.. and their Thai Herbal Compress Massage is just brilliant! Massage was a compulsory item in our daily itinerary. We just felt the need to pamper our legs badly abused from shopping..

I have always enjoyed girly trips; Jen and I made a pact to come here again next year!

My Love-to-Hate Relationship with Animals

2008-06-28T17:51:00.003+01:00

Love-bite from a friend's sausage dog when I went to his place for a BBQ session. This definitely ain't gonna help my already non-existent love for doggies. If it weren't for my friend, that poor dog may be grilled on the pit like one of those yummy cheesy-sausages we had for the BBQ.

Anyway, the good food coupled with awesome company provided by the hospitable hosts far made up for the not-so-pleasant incident.

(More) Recent Updates..

2008-06-14T19:18:00.005+01:00

Too tired to blog so am doing the lazy way of listing everything else in point-form (haha~). Afterall, isn't this what we have been taught in school - 'If you do not have time, just put everything in point-form!'

Confirmed my trips to bkk and Japan!
My boss and a close colleague in the team had resigned :(
Adopted a new nickname - Percy
Had my debut dinner at the much-raved-about Prive at Keppel Marina
Received news that a close friend has problems with her marriage :(
Crashed my car :*(

Recent Updates..

2008-06-14T18:09:00.008+01:00

Haven't been updating my blog for quite awhile. Not that there isn't much to blog. In fact, these 2 months have been rather eventful.

My dear friend Joreen had passed away 2 days after I visited her in hospital. Until now, it is still painful thinking of her departure. It seemed all so recent that we were both teaching piano at Ossia; it wasnt too long ago she attended my wedding; it was only months back we attended piano teaching seminars together.. Flashbacks of these encounters kept coming back.. it hurts so much knowing that she is no longer around.. Few weeks following her passing-on, time seems to have come to a standstill. I guess, subconsciously, I still wanted to keep memories of her fresh in my mind. In fact, it is only until the recent couple of days that life has become slightly more 'back-to-normal'..

Seeing how hard she had put a fight against her illness and eventually her departure had definitely made me treasure life and health more. In the past, I had always wanted to utilise every minute of my life only doing things that will value-add to myself. Even sleeping was considered a waste-of-time.

In recent weeks, my life seems to have taken a drastic change. I am starting to spend quality time with people whom I care.. beginning to treasure and appreciate the people around me.. eating heathily and taking exercise more seriously.. I try not to let anything keep my spirits down for long.. I am no longer trying to rush from places to places for piano lessons like I have been doing for the past years.. afterall life is too short to be spent in a rush.. and I am slowly but definitely learning to smell the flowers along the way..

Reflections..

2008-04-27T16:56:00.005+01:00

This weekend isn't the most fantastic. Have been out of sorts after visiting a close friend in hospital diagnosed with cancer. Things haven't been looking good after her relapse - so she could only receive pain-management treatment to relieve her of the discomfort.

I can't help but start to recall how we first met. I was sec 2; she was only pri 5. It was during a dinner treat from our piano teacher. Being the bitchy me, I didn't quite like her too much then as I found her unneccesarily-giggly and thought that she was trying too hard to be nice. Sub-consciously, her big-hearted and selfless nature just endeared her to me after I got to know her better overtime. Her nice-ness just puts me to shame. I had finally understood why she was our teacher's favourite. She's undoubtedly the perfect student/friend/daughter/sister/girlfriend...

Life is never fair, I know - else everyone would be born just as gorgeous-looking and rich. Still I just can't accept the fact that an angel like her will be struck with such a dreadful illness. This mishap made me feel that many things are just transient in life. Should we compare ourselves base on the glamorous job we hold, the amt of money stashed away in our bank accounts, the fancy designer dresses we wear, the branded bags we carry? All these 'achievements' turn meaningless when faced with unfortunate situations like these.

I think its high time I re-evaluate my values and priorities in life...

Cheap Thrill

2008-04-13T17:20:00.003+01:00

I have never been so disciplined, not even during school days. Being one who prefers to stay out instead of heading home straight after work, I have been trying hard to suppress the urge of going shopping in the evenings but rush home everyday just to catch glimpses of my house being featured in the current drama serial.

It just gives me immense excitement seeing my house on tv. Guess that's what some people refer to as cheap thrill.. heh heh..

Over the Moon~

2008-04-05T17:41:00.005+01:00

Woohoo~! YES~! I PASSED MY DRIVING!!!

Well, I know its really nothing to rave about - knowing 70% of all my friends earned their license ages ago, many at the age of 18. Nevertheless, this really came as a HUGE surprise to me. Didn't expect to pass during this attempt as I had stopped lessons for near to a year and havent been very regular in attending driving lessons before taking the test.

Got penalised for a total of 16 demerit points.

2 pts: Turning steering whilst vehicle is stationary
4 pts: Incorrect technique (moving/reversing up the ramp)
6 pts: Fail to slow down when approaching road hazards
4 pts: Improper turning (incorrect lane)

The (Seiko) Watch..

2008-03-24T22:00:00.001Z

.. I ended up buying.

Wild Rocket

2008-03-21T18:36:00.003Z

Attended Serene's 30th birthday. Quite surprised that she would celebrate her birthday with a big bang. As far as I could remember, after my 25th birthday, all other birthdays were spent celebrating in a hush hush manner with immediate family members.

Dinner was at Wild Rocket, a cosy restaurant nestled on a hill near Dhoby Ghaut but yet a distance away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Each dish that was served to the dinning table had a local singaporean twist to it. Instead of the common black pepper crab, we had soft shell crab served with black pepper sauce. The second course which was rigatoni with slow braised dark soy pork ragout was equally delightful! And by the time the third course, Duck Leg Confit, was served, I was completely sold!

I enjoyed the food so much that I went back for their lunch set within the same week on Good Friday with my sis and cousins!

Company D&D

2008-03-15T23:56:00.000Z

Attended RBS D&D despite the fact that response from the team was only lukewarm. Theme of the night was 'Disco Night'.

Not in the mood to write much.

As the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words.

Even Molly, our pantry auntie, was invited to the function. The 60s hunk beside her is my boss.

Delayed New Year Posting

2008-03-14T17:39:00.000Z

It is just amazing how time crept pass without you even realising! Yes, I have been procrastinating this post and its been almost 6 weeks past the 15th day of CNY!! (well, I was waiting to consolidate pictures from everywhere before publishing this post.. *wink*)

Though CNY is one of the holidays I look forward to after the Christmas and ang-moh New Year holidays, its more the break off work or piano lessons than anything else.

I had always felt that CNY is a time when many people with nothing in common but blood are forced to put together to mingle. Constant pesters from gossipy relatives to get pregnant pissed me to no end.. and I mean it. Snapped at one aunt much to the horror of my on-watching parents. Am sure this will keep me away from their mindless talk for a while.

Other than the not-so-pleasant incident, this CNY has been quite enjoying for me, surprisingly. Have been feasting on good food non-stop at family or friends gatherings and company functions. Guess some people (like myself) look forward to festivals like these because they give you legitimate excuses to take a temporary break off your eat-healthy-and-in-moderation new year resolution.

Pictures taken in office on New Year's Eve. Everyone was in a festive mood~

New Year Visiting at SK's lovely abode:

Team's Lou Hei lunch at Spring Court:

Department CNY Lunch at Fullerton. Heard the company paid quite a fair bit for the meal but food was only mediocre. So much for the ambience~

Peaberry and Pretzels

2008-03-12T20:12:00.000Z

Teatime treats from our kind boss! Another place to add to my list of fav hangouts - Peaberry and Pretzels.

To Buy or Not To Buy

2008-03-06T15:44:00.004Z

All thanks to Olivia who got me hooked on the Sportura series of the Seiko watches! Had wanted to embark on a saving stint starting from March after cny. It seems my plan has to be shelved for another month - especially after I bought a white dress with gold buttons which I think will pair perfectly with this watch!

Hmm.. should I or should I not?!

Mad Rush

2008-02-16T17:19:00.005Z

Though I am someone with low tolerance level for a zho-bo day, today's super-uber-hectic itinerary was just a little too much for me to bear:

Prog Nbr 1: Piano Lesson at Jon's place (1015am)
Prog Nbr 2: Piano Lesson at Nic & Nat's place (1130am)
Prog Nbr 3: New Year & Bday celebratn at Ivan's sis' place (1230pm)
Prog Nbr 4: Steamboat at Siow Ping's place (3pm)
Prog Nbr 5: Burberry Sale at Henderson Industrial Park (515pm)
Prog Nbr 6: Visit at Ching Fern's place (7pm)
Prog Nbr 7: Piano Lesson at Yanhao & Yujun's place (815pm)
Prog Nbr 8: Piano Lesson at Christen's place (10pm)

The delicious steamboat spread painstakingly prepared by Siow Ping (not in pic)

7 gorgerous BBs (Babes or Bizad Buddies - to use interchangably)

Bags Galore!

(just thought of an ultra 'bo-liao' Match-Bag-to-Owner game.. haha~!)

Ratty Year Ahead?

2008-02-06T23:40:00.002Z

According to most fengshui predictions, it seems that this lunar year is not going to be smooth-sailing for those born in the year of the horse. Unfortunately, I happen to fall into this category. Though I'm not a staunch believer of such horoscope predictions, the negative vibes which sub-consciously surfaced have been inevitably causing me to attribute any not-too-pleasant happenings or day-to-day trivial hiccups to that.

Keeping fingers crossed...

Speechless

2008-02-05T16:11:00.000Z

Not too long ago, a close girlfriend related tearfully to me how her husband has verbally abused her by saying,..

"What's the use of dolling yourself up looking so pretty when you are not even good in bed?!"

Flabbergasted...

To that I responded, "Fren, it's not your fault. Just that,.. your husband should marry a prostitute."

World-Class or Flawed

2008-01-24T15:48:00.000Z

Had a casual chat with my student's mom after lesson today. She was lamenting how her daughter is struggling with the education system here, whilst her nephew, who used to detest school in Singapore, currently tops his class in Perth and is now enjoying every moment of his classroom time.

I am definitely NOT trying to imply that the Singapore's education system is in any way superior to Australia's. On the contrary, I think otherwise.

Singapore education teaches mainly through the rote-learning method. Think Kumon and the Shichida - Parents have no qualms spending heaps of cash enrolling their kids on these weekend enrichment courses. On the other hand, our counterparts downunder (and even the states)encourage their students to think creatively and to focus more on life applications.

I was brought up to believe that SG education system is world-class. So much publicity about how well Singaporean students perform in elite universities worldwide.

In my opinion, the education model in SG seems very unforgiving. It works only for students who can survive through the tough system here. For the weaker ones, they will eventually get 'ostracised' to the Normal Stream or ITE (aka hopeless-and-cannot-make-it in school). Ever wonder why Normal Stream was viewed as 'abnormal'? Seems bizarre to me...

In the past, if you are an ITE student, you can forget about receiving university education. Chances are, you probably cant squeeze through those narrows doors of the 2 supposedly-very exclusive local universities unless your dad has shitloads of money to send you overseas.

Guess that probably explains kiasu-ism in Singaporean parents - my sis started home tuition when she was 4 yrs old. Duh..

After much grouses, its comforting to see more local Us set up (in recent years) to allow more students of a chance to higher education. Guess they finally saw some light - making local university education so 'exclusive' doesn't necessarily be the most ideal afterall.

On Cloud Nine

2008-01-18T23:24:00.000Z

Just celebrated my 2nd year wedding anniversary with dear Ivan. Was contemplating between a second visit to Morten's or a whole new dinning experience at Equinox. Decided to spend the evening at the swanky restaurant on the 70th floor.

Ambience: Awesome!
Service: Helpful Waiters..
Food: So-so (appetite was marred after realising the veal I ordered came from a two-month old cow; I'm not a huge fan of foie gras)
Company: Unbeatable of course! (that goes without saying!)

Curly Wurly

2008-01-12T15:05:00.000Z

As Jen puts it, I must be feeling a little adventurous for 2008. A sneak preview of my new hairdo..

Mood of the day: Apprehensive...

Work chummies

2008-01-11T15:21:00.000Z

My bunch of buddies who helped keep my sanity at work! Celebrated Esther's birthday at Black Angus @ One Fullerton.

Clarice, our live-wire in the group, is missing from the picture due to a prior lunch appt..

Goodbye 2007

2008-01-02T16:16:00.001Z

My last day of 2007 wasn't exactly spectacular. Instead, it was dotted with rather trivial incidents. Maybe its my reluctance to embrace being another year older, I no longer find myself feeling excited over countdown parties or new year celebrations.

As usual, I started the day arriving work at 9am. Nothing interesting worth mentioning.. except that everyone was in a waiting-to-knock-off-at-3pm mood.

Went for a dental appt at Far East Sq during lunch. Was secretly pleased with myself for being able to book an appt within such a short time frame. My regular dentist at Pan Asia, including most dental clinics in Punggol, had appointments booked until Mar 2008! I was so desperate that I almost pleaded them to allow pre-payment - all so I could make the dental claim for 2007 before end of yr. Of course I was flatly refused.

I just couldn't believe my 'good luck' when I managed to make an appt w Dr Philip Goh Dental Surgery on the last day of the year. My gleefulness was short-lived when my appt turned out to be the worst ever!

So much for their mantra - Our aim is no pain! We listen to you as a patient, care of you as a person.

Oh puh-lease, what rubbish!

On the contrary to their mantra, the treatment was unbearably painful. After cleaning and scaling, my gums were literally dripping blood. Having undergone orthodontic treatment and 2 major ops, I am definitely not someone with a low pain threshold. Also, for obvious reasons, he kept persuading me to remove my wisdom tooth when my regular dentist had advised me it wasn't necessary. Enough said,.. this dental clinic is highly NOT recommended. Anna, my colleague, agreed whole-heartedly.

After work, tried to play Cupid between an ex-classmate and an acquaintance. Unfortunately, things didn't work out. :(

Managed to rush home in time to catch a last glimpse of Tay Ping Hui who was already wrapping up a scene in my house (yes, mediacorp was filming at my place!). Engaged in a small talk with him and felt so thrilled over it - didn't know I could get so star-struck at this age,. heh heh

Approach of the new year

2007-12-31T23:36:00.000Z

I can literally hear the clock ticking towards 2008. I have always approach every new year with much anticipation except for this year.

It is just unbelievable how time zoomed pass without us realising - I will be entering another decade of my life. A friend cleverly calls it the 'Glamourous 3' though I honestly don't find it anywhere near exciting. A classic example of Cognitive Dissonance.. haha~

Reflecting back, 2007 has been a rather eventful (in a good way) year for me. Obtained a promotion at work, travelled quite a fair bit both for leisure and work and not-too-recently, had a change of job.. just to name afew.

And of course, below is my new year resolution for 2008!

Stop my procrastinating nature and aim to pass my driving!
Lead a healthier lifestyle - exercise more..
Eat in moderation - have to understand that every meal doesn't need to end with cakes or ice-cream and that stomach doesn't have a separate compartment for desserts!!
Reduce intake of red meat (though I still love my morten's) and increase fruits and vege
Cut down on hobbies like shopping and bingeing - Save more!
Adopt a positive attitude in every task I undertake

... and still counting!!

Happy New Year to all!

Christmas Present from Sis

2007-12-29T19:27:00.001Z

is yet another addition to my Kate Spade collection!

My adoration for this New York label seems pretty obvious.. heh heh..

Being a sucker of good presentation, I guess the olive green (my fav color) packaging does play a part in my fondness towards her merchandise.

Singapore is..

2007-12-28T18:20:00.000Z

a beautiful house in an ugly neighbourhood.

Came across this rather interesting analogy while trying to catch bits of financial news on TV late last night.

Some food for thoughts?

The one on christmas parties

2007-12-23T01:11:00.000Z

Unlike previous years, I didn't host many parties this christmas. The thought of massive cleaning afterwards made me cringe. Just hosted my first christmas get-together of the year with my bizader pals over the weekend. Food was awesome and company was unbeatable! It was a great binge-and-bitch session.

Was told (by this same group of friends) that my blog is too wordy for pleasure reading. Decided to post pictures this time round.. As the saying goes,.. A picture speaks a thousand words..

Pressies, pressies and more pressies!

2007-12-17T14:05:00.000Z

Receive a huge (literally) Christmas present from RBS today. Its a battery-operated remote control helicopter. Some thrilled colleagues started flying them in the office. Guess the toy has achieved its purpose - it is interesting to see how it unleash the child in all of us.

And its found a spot under my christmas tree!

Can't and Won't

2007-12-14T19:23:00.001Z

What is the difference between Can't and Won't? To put it simply, the former doesn't give the person-in-question an option to choose. On the other hand, when a person won't do something, it is actually his choice to refuse to undertake a particular action.

A question was posed to us during a 3-day course I attended - What are the things in life you can't have a choice?

Pondering over this simple question made me realised that 'can't' is an overly-abused word, a victimised language to a certain extend. Theoretically, (of course, other than being borned and having to die one day) every action we undertake is indeed our choice. Most people use the word 'can't' because they want to give the impression that they do not have a choice for something they won't do. To put it bluntly - they hope to obtain sympathy and understanding from others.

Very often, we hear remarks like 'I can't have a choice whether I want to pay taxes', 'I can't leave office now as work is just pouring on me' dah dah dah...

If you think harder, all these are nothing but actions one chooses to undertake as he/she does not want to bear the consequences of not doing it.

So next time, before you are too quick to say 'I can't attend your party as I have something on,..', think twice - is it 'You Can't' or 'You Won't'?

Hmm... Any comments?

12th Dec

2007-12-13T01:00:00.000Z

Happy Birthday to me!

It seemed only yesterday that I celebrated my 21st birthday with Chiuyen who was 1 day younger than me. Now that we are both on the wrong side of twenties, I guess I have reached a stage where I am no longer excited about birthdays.. Still, I was really moved with all the well wishes, lunches and pressies I had received. Felt blessed to have such thoughtful friends and colleagues!

My first birthday greeting came from Margaret. Very nice of her (as always!) to remember..

The nicest surprise came from Eileen who got the gift delivered to my office. Definitely didn't expect her to remember my birthday, let alone the surprise she had painstakingly arranged. Pressie was a lovely Kate Spade hp accessory! Love it to bits!

Most unique birthday greeting came from Tatsoon. Huizhen had wanted to be the last person to wish me (at 1150pm) but TS had beaten her to it (30 secs before the clock struck 12). Heh heh.. Very original indeed!

A Year Older (yes..) and Wiser (hmm.. not too sure)..

2007-12-08T15:51:00.000Z

December has always been a celebratory month for me. Bonus is not the only reason I look forward to year-end. The fact that both Christmas and my birthday happen to fall on December made it slightly more special than the other months of the year.. :)

To celebrate my birthday this coming week, we went to Morton's Steakhouse at Mandarin Oriental. Service was undoubtedly awesome! I was pleasantly surprised by the customised menu that screamed 'Happy Birthday RJ!' and the table setting that was decorated with glittering confetti.

Food wise, absolutely no complaints. The lobster bisque, which left an light alcoholic aftertaste, was lovely. The prime rib boneless steak, despite being at least 2 inches thick, was grilled to perfection - both inside and the outside. The sauteed mushroom and lyonnaise potatoes with onion were great too! We were so STUFFED that the waiter suggested us packing the leftovers so as to save some space for the warmed hot chocolate cake which we ordered for desert. Needless to say, desert was simply heavenly~! Oh yes, it was complimentary from the restaurant too!

Would I come back despite its relatively expensive menu? Definitely a non-hesitant YES!

Thanks to Esther for the brilliant recommendation!

Lost and Found

2007-12-01T01:02:00.000Z

One of the simple pleasures in life which will bring me great happiness and really make my day is to meet and catch-up with friends whom I have lost touch for years. Last month (Nov) seems to be the season to rekindle such lost friendships... maybe its an early Christmas gift from the Almighty One up there...

Long-lost Friend Nbr 1 (last met: 1997):
Received a facebook msg 'Are you my vacation job buddy? blah blah blah.....'. Though her profile pic wasn't exactly clear, I knew it had to be SK!! (from her style of writing) - ever so witty and candid. We met during our vacation job at citibank. She not only made my 3-month stint in citibank bearable, but also enjoyable. In fact, it was this vacation job that inspired me to work in a bank after graduation. Thinking back (of the good 'ole days), I remembered us standing at our workstations processing endless remittance transactions for 1 hr daily after lunch for fear of developing a tummy. We shared common interests and goals - to look slim, lady-like and demure. Hah~ what ignorance!

We arranged to meet up for lunch at Raffles Place through facebook. Though meeting was brief (wish lunch was longer), we spoke lots. Of course our conversation topics now differ from what interest us years ago.. we had great fun discussing how to handle annoying MILs. Ha~!

***

Long Lost Friend Nbr 2 (last met: 2000):
Met Gerald during a vacation to US and Canada. Couldn't remember what made us started talking and got acquainted. Affectionately known as 'Lau Beng' to us, he was great fun during the entire trip. We did meet up randomly after the trip in 2000 but subsequently lost touched after he married a Taiwanese girl and migrated to Taipei.

While planning the recent trip to Taiwan, it suddenly dawned upon me that I could arrange a meetup with him in Taipei. Lunch at this Japanese curry house near Taipei 101 was lovely. Had planned to take some pics but forgotten as we were busy talking non-stop. Also, met a new friend and colleague-to-be during the lunch.

***

Long Lost Friends Nbr 3 (last met: 1994 (Weimian) and 2003 (Huizhen & Cailing)):

They were my very dear primary school classmates eons ago! The clique I hang out for lunch and did school projects with. I recalled stupidly signing ourselves up for a piano-cum-singing performance during the book-and-music week. While I enjoyed myself playing the piano, the rest are still holding me to it (till this every day) as they felt embarrassed having to sing to the whole school then!

It was Huizhen who organised this dinner. I was really impressed that she had managed to gather us all (except Wenfeng as she is heavily pregnant). Of all days, I had to work OT that evening and was terribly late (for 2 hrs!). Nevertheless, we had great fun that night and laughing uncontrollably while reminiscing the silly things we did years ago!

From left: Myself, Huizhen, Cailing, Weimian

Indulgences..

2007-11-17T10:58:00.000Z

Didn't do much constructive stuff today. Instead, I persuaded Ivan to drive me to this boutique, which carries a portfolio of niche labels, tucked in an obscure corner of Serangoon Gardens.

My latest damages! (pls pardon me for my bad photography skills if I had caused these gorgeous dresses to look any worse than they actually are..) As you may notice, I have a soft spot for dresses with big bows..

Baby doll dress by Senada Theory. Was told that this dress is under the black label range - meaning that the fabric is proprietary to this brand.

Cocktail dress by an australian designer. I like the way the round white satin collar extends to a bow at the back of the dress.

Long Live Friendship!

2007-11-04T23:05:00.000Z

Heh heh.. me trying to be corny with this cheesy title..

Just celebrated 10 years of friendship with my Bizader ex-faculty mates at My Humble House. I first knew about this restaurant through my mom who raved about it when Esplanade first opened its theatre doors. I had always wanted to dine at this swanky restaurant but never found a good-enough occasion. When Chiuyen and I were brainstorming for a venue to commemorate our 10 years of knowing each other, we unanimously agreed to pair this special occasion with a sumptuous dinner at the anything-but-Humble-House.

Though both My Humble House and Noble House are restaurants under the Tung Lok group, it is an irony that a decent meal at this not-so-Humble House costs at least 5 times more compared to Noble House. heh heh.. In fact, food at Noble House is yummier and of course, more value for money!

Given the expensive menu, food wasn't up to expectation to be very honest. Nevertheless, we had a great time chatting the evening away..

6-Course chinese fusion set dinner menu we had for that evening

Final group picture of that night

Not-so-fantastic Weekend

2007-10-28T22:26:00.000Z

Woke up on Friday morning with an bad sore throat. DAMN.. an omen.. a bad sign that a lousy weekend is coming. Tried gulping gallons of water but that didn't help keep the irritable flu-cum-fever-cum-cough virus away.

Other than the occassional stomach cramps, I am not someone who frequent the GP for regular illnesses like flu and fever. In fact, the last time I visited the GP feeling feverish was back in 2003 when I contracted Dengue.

Had initially packed the weekend with activities as quite a couple of piano lessons were cancelled due to school exams. Plans to take morning walks and breakfast at the Botanic Gardens and cycling along East Coast were abandoned.. sigh~

Well, nothing is gonna stop me from having a good meal though! Had my mom's sinful fried laksa for lunch and dinner was at the popular Canton Wok by Chef Kang... Yum~ Trading a quick recovery for good food... Very ME!

Sense of Satisfaction..

2007-10-23T17:55:00.000+01:00

Not sure why but everytime I have a 'major' task on hand, everything else in my personal life comes to a halt.

Have been putting off planning my taiwan trip intinerary since I booked the tickets more than a month ago! Well, not that my procrastination was anything new but a few days prior to THE DAY, my mind couldn't contain anything else except the Khalix training I was supposed to conduct and the schedule I was to cover. Am so glad it is finally OVER!

Overall, the attendence was a little disappointing which kept my spirit a little down throughout the training session. Some dropped out due to last minute workload. Others had to attend another external course... :(

My initial disappointment was soon overcome with the general good feedback I received! :)

"Thank you Rui Jin, great training... 3 months in London and you are like a Khalix guru... Impressive!"

Received this note via email from an attendee after the course. It is little appreciation from others (like this) that keep us going, isn't it?

Back... (erm.. long time ago)..

2007-10-23T17:40:00.000+01:00

Its been such an oh-so-long time since my last posting. The sloth virus has been manifesting itself within me and I am still recuperating from it.

The experience of being back in the comfort of familiar company, family, culture (and more!) is simply indescribable. Managed to catch up with friends over the past 7 weekends, during lunchtime and even dinners after work. Have always enjoyed good conversations over yummy food.

Still miss London.. but it feels great to be HOME!

Last night in London.. (random thoughts)

2007-08-29T23:36:00.000+01:00

Time flies... Can't believe that 12 weeks have just sped by! Before arriving London, I had an ambitious list of neighbouring countries I planned to cover and plentiful things I had wanted to do. Though I have not quite accomplished every item on my travel wish list, I am truly thankful for this 3-month trip and probably-once-in-a-lifetime experience.

During this overseas stint, I met wonderful people - not only did I have London colleagues-cum-friends who tried to make my stay as enjoyable as possible, I befriended Singaporean friends thousand miles away from Singapore. It is amazing how I was (placed to) immerse(d) in an environment of diverse culture but yet got to enjoy the comfort of occasional company from a familiar background.

Another highlight of this stay was the lovely weekend spent at Emily's place in South Hampton. Her house was absolutely GORGEOUS! One could tell that every piece of furniture was carefully chosen to complement the theme of the house. Most of the pictures hung on the walls was either taken by Dave or drew and given as a present from a relative - which adds to the cosiness of the house. Also, (it may sound bizarre to some, but) the feeling of watching HK drama serial by the fireplace in a typical English house was indescribably heart-warming. Until now, I'm still hesitating to post pictures for fear my poor photography skills will only do injustice to the beauty of the house.

......

Its 11pm now as I am writing this blog. Hmm... strange that my mind seems to be in a turmoil. Part of me is looking forward to go back (to bask in the warmth of my family) but the remaining part of me is sad to leave this place. Think there will be loads I will miss leaving London - the friendly people I met here (which goes without saying!), the french food at Islington (brilliant!), yummy Bayswater duck rice, the not-that-fantastic-but-still-cosy apartment I stayed in, shopping at Harrods, the train-rides out of London, driving alongside horses in South-Hampton (a true-blue 'country-side' life) and even London tube and buses.. Damn... I'm definitely gonna miss this place...

......

Bye.

Hen & Bachelor Party

2007-08-09T22:32:00.000+01:00

Attended Chrissy's and Chads' Hen-and-Bachelor Party at The Angelic Pub. Nope, they are not getting married to each other - Chad's getting married on 24th Aug and Christine's 18th Sep. Can't imagine if they did. There would be absolute CHAOS.. Their bickering never fail to amuse me and they are never known to be able to co-exist in harmony.. haha~

Accompanied Karin to get the party accessories to dress Christine up (much to her violent protests). We contemplated between pink and white but unanimously agreed on pink to complement her sugar-and-spice-and-all-things-nice image.

My first time attending a Hen/Bachelor Party in London and it was quite an experience. Unlike SG (which usually involves a quiet dinner followed by drinks or coffee), its livelier and of course involves ALOT more drinking! As usual, I started off with a couple of 1/2-pint cider and proceeded on to champagne.

Guess this is probably one of the mildest Hen/Bachelor Parties according to London standards. Heard that its not unusual for friends to get the groom-to-be really drunk, strip him down to his briefs and send him off on a train out of London without his wallet. GOsh~! If I were that guy, I would faint out of embarassment and rather not wake up!

Christine all sweet with her pink gear..

Chads looking great with Purple Ears and feathers!

Karin a little tipsy after a few rounds of drinks..

Myself with a glass of champagne and chip!

Kensington Palace

2007-08-05T23:47:00.000+01:00

Did a slow tour of the Kensington Palace on a lazy Sunday afternoon. This royal residence was home to the late Diana, Princess of Wales amongst other royalties such as King William and Queen Mary, Queen Anne, George I and George II.

The parts of exhibition which touched me the most:

Photographs featuring the late Princess Diana - originally taken (just months before the tragic car accident) to promote the charity auction of her evening dresses
Video clips of her life - her wedding to Prince Charles, birth of Princes William and Harry, her visits to third-world countries to raise social awareness and how she was not afraid to have upclose and personal contacts with the sick
Countless articles of people relating their encounters with the late princess - each speaking so astonishingly well of her

It amazes me how her down-to-earth nature, despite her royal status, was able to make everyone around her feel so at ease. It makes me feel that she was beautiful not just outwardly but also very much at heart. She will always be missed by all..

Not a fantastic picture of me taken in front of the palace. This is what happens when you do sight-seeing alone and have to rely on a stranger to take your picture... sigh...

One of the ten flower sculptures which was installed in the gardens of Kensington Palace to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana. They echoed the thousands of flowers left by mourners in front of the palace gates days after the tragedy 10 years ago.

The one on Bridges...

2007-08-04T22:55:00.000+01:00

London Bridge is Falling Down,
Falling Down, Falling Down

London Bridge is Falling Down,

My Fair Lady

While singing this song in my nursery days, I remembered picturing in my mind what I thought would be the London Bridge. It was a grand red-bricked suspension bridge built across the banks of a wide river. (Then, I had absolutely no idea that it was River Thames.) There was also a tower clock attached to each side of the bridge.

When I finally got to see the most sung-about bridge for the very first time today, I was slightly disappointed to see a boring plain grey-concrete bridge. It was nowhere near the image I had in my mind as a child.

Approximately 400 metres away from the London Bridge is the Tower Bridge. In fact, the Tower Bridge seems to be closer to what I thought London Bridge would look like!

Finally Re-Connected..

2007-08-03T23:27:00.000+01:00

Woohoo~~

The internet in the appt is finally fixed! I have NEVER EVER been soooo over-the-moon at being able to surf the net..

Felt totally cut off and isolated from the rest of world not being able to connect for the last 2 weeks! Many friends wondered why I haven't been on msn or replying emails. One (you know who you are) even thought I was starved and became so skinny that I vanished completely.. DUH~! It really amazes me to know how ignorant some people can get.. :p

Time to continue the HK drama serial where I left off when Tunleng came visiting... Hmm.. am beginning to foresee many late nights to come...

Lion King Musical

2007-08-02T22:55:00.000+01:00

Watching the Lion King Musical was yet another adhoc arrangement. MindAligned Desiree near knockoff time and we decided to try our luck at Lyceum Theatre to lay our hands on the last minute tickets.

I could tell that Desiree wasn't exactly very keen on the musical initially. She had the impression that it will be some 'cheapskate' musical with humans prancing around in lycra costumes. On the contrary, we were wowed by the way the musical protrayed the animals. In fact, the BEST part was when they introduced the animal kingdom!

Overall, it was quite a good musical. I did enjoy it pretty much as it didn't turned out the way I would normally expect it. In fact, it was better than my expectations! My only complain - there was too much dialog for a musical...

Apologies

2007-07-25T23:27:00.000+01:00

Dearest Pals,

You may noticed that there are a couple of entries 'missing' for the last 2 wks of July. As you may be aware, this was due to the fact that internet in the apartment was down and I have been desperately trying to catch up with the back dated entries.

Stay tuned...

Les Miserables

2007-07-23T23:14:00.000+01:00

Had planned to spend a quiet week in the evenings preparing for my training which will commence this coming Thur. I was so tempted when Tunleng suggested going for my favourite musical - Les Miserables. The moment she mentioned that the last minute tickets were available, all plans to prepare for the training were thrown out of the window and gone with the wind. Hack it~! I am NEVER known for my discipline and this shall be no exception.

Despite being someone who had problems sitting through a 2-hr movie (I remembered myself almost close to tears and pulling my hair out when Ivan made me watch StarWars with him), I enjoyed every moment of the 3-hr musical. This is my fourth time watching the musical - I first watched it 11 yrs ago in my Katong Convent uniform at Kallang Theatre! Time flies. :*(

Not sure why,.. but everytime I watch Les Mis, I prefer Eponine to Cosette. She is prettier and sings better. The female lead pales in comparison. Desiree agreed too.

I could almost remember all the lyrics.. My favourite part has always been Eponine's 'On my Own'. She was a brilliant singer! Found myself sub-consciously singing along.. good thing I wasn't asked to shutup.. heh heh~

Enough said. I LOVE my musicals!!!!

Next few days in Paris

2007-07-22T23:23:00.000+01:00

Headed straight down to Louis Vuitton at Champs Elysees first thing in the morning! Wanted to get my hands on the neverfull bags which the salesgirl mentioned were always out of stock by late morning. Managed to grab the last 2 small ones!

Also,.. **drums roll**... I had thought of a BRILLIANT idea to get my hands on the Porter wallet (last piece!) in a branch outside Paris!!! Just before hitting the sack last night, it struck me that Desiree will be travelling down to Paris the coming weekend. I could ask the LV staff to transfer the wallet to Champs Elysees (which takes 5 wkg days) and then get Desiree to collect it for me! Woohoo again~! You could have probably guessed how badly I wanted the wallet by now.

After fulfilling my shopping desires at LV, we proceed to do more serious sight-seeing.

Irene was right! Arc de Triomphe was indeed amazing! There seems to be some sort of majestic aura that eludes from it. I like the way the 53m tall by 45m wide structure stood right in the middle of busy road junction with never-ending traffic moving around it. Though we made our way to the top of the monument, we thought that the view wasn't as impressive as compared to one standing at the foot of the structure looking upwards.

Another must-see-cannot-miss monument in Paris is, of course, the much-talkabout Eiffel Tower. No wonder thousands of people from all over the world raved about the iron tower. Even Tunleng, who was skeptical with most things, was wowed by it. Think I must have taken more pictures of the Eiffel Tower than the rest of the pictures taken in Paris!
Mischievous us left our names on the tower!Moving and jostling around the hectic and bustling streets of Paris can be extremely exhausting. And this gave us the perfect excuse to take a breather at the Parisan cafes along Champs Elysees. It is interesting to see how the tables and chairs are arranged to facilitate people-watching!
During the trip, we were blessed to meet several wonderful people who had helped us in someway or another. Their kind gestures from forcing the metro doors open which were closing on us when we struggled with our luggages, to telling us we were on the wrong directions of the metro while accidentally overhearing our conversation left us thankful and definitely made our trip more enjoyable!

The yummiest macaroons I have ever tasted! We ended up buying 1 of each flavour. A must-try in Paris - Pierre Hermes macaroons!!

Our only regret in Paris was not being able to visit the renown department store - Galeries Lafeyette. Had originally reserved our last day for a day of shopping at Galeries, not knowing that most stores closed on Sunday. My heart dropped completely when we turned up seeing the entrance closed before us. Martin insisted that he had told me earlier but I had absolutely no recollection of it. Sigh... Heard how its food halls are more impressive than Harrods. What a pity we couldn't get to see it.. sob sob :*(

Paris here we come!

2007-07-19T22:34:00.000+01:00

The day which I have been looking forward to has finally arrived!! Its always been my dream to visit romantic Paris with Prince Charming, sipping coffee at a Parisan café watching the world go by, enjoying the captivating night scene from Eiffel Tower, dah dah dah dah… Well, although Tunleng is nowhere near Prince Charming, I’m sure she will still make great company for the 4-day escapade!

To ensure that we don’t miss the train, we dragged ourselves out of bed in the unearthy hours of the morning to get prepared for the trip. Missing the train to Paris would be devastating. Managed to catch the 429am bus to Waterloo Station. So excited that we were nearer and nearer to Paris!!!

The Eurostar ride was enjoyable. The train was almost empty which was great as we have more space to make ourselves comfy. Listened to the song ‘Simple Gifts’ on Tunleng’s ipod and absolutely love it!

Good thing we did a little homework the night before– didn’t have much problem making our way to the hotel with our one-tonne luggages in tow. Conquered another complicated metro system! Felt damn proud!

After chucking our luggages at the hotel, we headed to a nearby Parisan cafe for lunch. We couldn't understand a single word on the menu as everything was in French! Below is what I had for my first meal in Paris..

Starter: Salade de calmars a I'orientale

Main Course: Steak d'onglet a I'echalotte

Dessert: Tarte Tatin

We decided that our first stop shall be the Musee du Lourve. As we took the metro to our destination, we came across several buskers who were really good.. my favourite was this guy playing ‘Romance de Amor’ on the guitar. We just paused in our footsteps until the whole tune was completed.

As we stepped into the museum, we couldn’t help it but felt a little more cultured. Have always heard about the Monna Lisa Painting and her famous enigmatic smile. Finally had the chance to see original painting ‘upclose and personal’. It was truly amazing and was definitely the highlight of the museum visit.

After the paintings, we proceed to the other halls. To be very honest, we got a little bored after awhile but ended up having great fun trying to mimic the sculptures. Realised that a couple of people were doing that too! Great minds think alike! Ha~!

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant at Champs Elysees (pronounced as Shaw-Ser-lee-say). Food was decent but service was lousy - encountered a loony waiter who claimed that he’s a Singaporean, after we said we were, but was obviously not. When our food came, he attempted to tuck a serviette on our collar as a bib. Not sure whether this was his idea of being funny. If so, I seriously think he has a warped sense of humor and we were totally NOT impressed. Before we left, he actually cupped his hands on Tunleng's and refused to let go. Good thing I made a quick beeline to the exit! Should there ever be a Most-Irritating-Waiter contest, I think he will win the award hands down! Even asked us to take a picture with him. Nuts!

Going to the largest Louis Vuitton store situated at Champs Elysees was a compulsory item in our Paris itinerary. To my horror, the limited edition LV Monogram Porter wallet I badly wanted was sold out! Even the neverfull bag was out of stock! Well, not that I really wanted the neverfull bag as my sole intention for it was to match the Porter wallet which I adored. Since I cant get the wallet, I figured out that the bag has lost its function. Left the boutique slightly disappointed.. What a way to end my 1st day in Paris.. :*(

Mother of Education..

2007-07-15T23:59:00.000+01:00

To date, Cambridge is my favourite amongst the touristy places I have been so far. The trip was inpromptu and arranged rather last minute. In fact, the decision to go was triggered by Mira's casual suggestion during a MindAlign chat.

Thanks to my resourcefulness, I found a good 3-for-the-price-of-2 lobang! That works out to a mere 8.60 GBP for a return ticket to Cambridge from London! Ha~! (Having said that, it could have been cheaper if we were to go in a group of 4)

Cambridge is a small and peaceful town - home to 31 colleges! We travel mainly around on the Red Topless Sight-Seeing Tour Bus..

The highlight of the Cambridge Trip was Punting. Didn't know what 'Punting' was initially.. I thought it was fishing, Tunleng thought it was gambling (think she meant horse punting.. heehee..). Desiree's guess was the closest so far - rowing boat with a stick.

Some interesting facts I learnt during the trip:

Cambridge University claimed that it has produced more than 80 nobel prize winners so far.
Trinity College is the richest college in Cambridge, followed closely by St John's College and King's College.
When Prince Charles studied History and Archaeology in Trinity College, it was said that his bodyguards scored better than him in the exams.
St John's College lost the right to build a clock tower due to a dirty trick played by Trinity College.
John Harvard, founder of Harvard University is educated in Emmanuel Colleague in Cambridge!
The reason why the railway station was built a distance away from the city centre in the early days was to prevent the students from being distracted by the attractions of the neighbouring cities!

The Trinity College

St John's College

King's College

Playing Host

2007-07-14T22:56:00.000+01:00

Back dated entries..

Hopeless.. the internet in the apartment has been down for almost 2 weeks. Can't believe that Ascott, being a reputable company, have to take this long and still can't get it fixed?! They claimed that the engineers have been making trips down daily to investigate the issue but have yet to find a solution. *faint*.. Talk about efficiency... Overheard some tenants showing displeasure and were snapped at by the staff of the apartment - since they are not charged extra for the internet usage, they really shouldn't be complaining... Hur~?

Yippeee!!! Went to fetch Tunleng at Paddington station... Time to reciprocate and play good host to her. Put up at her place when Alex and myself popped over Shanghai in March and she has been extremely hospitable. Though weather was a tad too cold, food was delicious and company was great! Even had Jenevieve and her friend, Suzie, joining us! Enjoyed myself tremendously. Definitely don't mind going there again!

Now that I've got a sight-seeing buddy, finally got to do some serious toursity activities in London after consecutive weekends of 'meaningless' shopping. Had the itinerary all planned out for the next few days. After dropping her luggage, we headed straight to the St Paul's Cathedral - the church where Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana got married. It was a nice cathedral and we managed to make our way up to the highest level which was the observatory storey. The view was amazing!

The entrance of Saint Paul's Cathedral

Taking a break before proceeding further.. stamina running low..

152 steps more to go!

Our reward - The Breathtaking view!

Lunch was at a nearby GBK (short for Gourmet Burger Kitchen). Had my RBS welcome lunch there and have been wanting to go back. The beef patty was made with angus beef and it tasted absolutely heavenly. All thanks to Karin for recommending it!

Went to Trafalgar Square. But didn't want to post pictures here due to some reasons..

Ended the day swinging by Queen Mary pub off River Thames for a drink and light dinner. A shame that we couldnt get a proper table as it was pretty crowded. Had to make do with just a bench. :(

The one on Training and Food..

2007-07-13T23:41:00.000+01:00

Its been a rather busy week at work. Conducted my maiden training session to a teeny weeny class of 3. I really wouldn't consider it fantastic, but I thought it was a pretty good first attempt! Though I quite enjoyed it and felt like a teacher in school, I can't deny that I was alittle jittery throughout the session.

As for the food section, I have been trying to avoid consuming ready-cooked meals from Marks and Spencer since last week. Beginning to feel unhealthy eating microwaved food laden with preservatives. Before that, I mostly have it for lunch and dinner.

Also, I have been getting a little sick of cold sandwiches and started asking the deli folks to heat up my sandwiches and bagels. Wasn't exactly surprised that I had to pay an extra 20 pence for heating though I was secretly hoping that they would do it for free. Even eating-in cost 30 pence more. Hmm... nothing in London is free. These little incidents made me appreciate things which I have always been taking for granted in Singapore.

Lately, I am beginning to have strong cravings for oriental food. Guess I must have been deprived of hot piping cuisine since I am really not one who needs my rice. Wasn't exactly pleased that most Chinese restaurants in Angel offer only vegetarian food. I am absolutely not an ardent fan of gluten stuff that are molded to look like meat. (Harlow~ what's the point of being vegetarian when you are still craving for meat?!) And I DON'T think gluten 'meat' taste like meat! Yikes! Anyway, was elated to finally chance upon 2 Chinese restaurants serving meat, 1 within walking distance and 1 opposite my apartment! They are not super yummy but well,.. Beggars can't be Choosers.

Most expensive Zhap Chye Png packed in a 15cmx10cmx5cm aluminium foiled container!

Apologies for bearing with my food grouses...

Been looking forward to weekend 'cos Tunleng is coming to visit! Yay~!

Perfect Shopping Buddy

2007-07-07T22:12:00.000+01:00

Went on an intensive shopping spree with Emily today at Harrods Knightsbridge (yes, again!!). She travelled an hour's train journey from Southhampton yesterday and stayed over at my place in London for the night. It really amazes me how the friendship had evolved since my early days in OCBC. Remember seeing her on pics and hearing loads about her when Jen spoke fondly of Her Best Friend... and meeting her for the first time during our KL trip, together with Jen, June and herself. It was great fun then!

This morning was the 1st time I stepped out of the appartment so early on a Saturday morning. Couldn't believe that we actually reached Knightsbridge at 1015am. As the saying goes, 'The early bird catches the worm.' Today was the first weekend since the Harrods SALE started on 2 Jul (Mon). We had specially made a conscious effort to arrive early to ensure that we WON'T miss out on The Good Stuff. As usual, the protestors against Animal Rights stood outside the entrance urging people to boycott Harrods for selling Animal Fur. Have been seeing them every weekend since I arrived in London. Sometimes, I really admire these people for the time and efforts they go through and the weekends they sacrificed for a good course, whilst we shallow suckers just care about the savings we accumulated through our 'good bargains'. **Ashamed**

Needless to say, Emily and myself went hysterical yet again at the sight of BAGS! Each and every display seems to be beckoning us to go over and check them out. Self-discipline failed us and we found ourselves buying a CHLOE bag each! We are definitely bad influence on each other but I swear Emily influenced me more than I have any negative impact on her! She is incorrigible to start with! Haha~ j/k (ok,.. I was only joking about the incorrigible part but I swear Emily is definitely not regarded as ideal company if you are on a saving stint. She will come up with the most VALID excuse to help you justify all your purchases.) I could see the look of guilt on Emily's face as she had promised Dave not to buy anything VATable. Anyway, fingers crossed that this purchase can help me stay away from bags for the time being.

Wanted to maximise Emily's time in London, so we took only short breaks in between for coffee and lunch. Felt really exhausted.. can't imagine how Emily (being 8 months pregnant!!) managed. Had planned to proceed to Selfridges (to see my Miu Miu wallet) after Knightsbridge but the crowd was so maddening and chaos everywhere that we just dropped the idea (which was probably a brilliant decision in some's opinion) altogether. We ended the day with lemonade and fries at a hotel nearby.

Date: 07/07/2007
Mood for the day: Absolutely Thrilled and Satisfied.

Roller Coaster..

2007-07-04T23:25:00.000+01:00

After 4 weeks of external training and 'honeymooning', its time to get my hands on proper work. I HATE to admit that I am beginning to experience that 'wee' bit of stress and loads of pressure.. pressure to perform. Not that my colleagues have been nasty or anything near to that effect. On the contrary, the team have been awesome! I am grateful towards Christine for being so ever willing to share her knowledge, Eddie for his patience with my endless and seemingly dumb questions, and of course Karin for always being so assuring with her comforting words of encouragement.

Since beginning of this week, my mood was unpredictable like the weather in London. It is largely dependent on how I evaluate my own performance at work. Today was ok,.. yesterday was awful (fell into deep depression). I can literally feel my emotions racing up and plunging down like the 'Lethal Weapon' rollercoaster ride in Gold Coast. :*(

Though I had enjoyable moments here, I couldn't really enjoy London without having this nagging pressure to meet up to expectations at work (which I believe is NORMAL) whenever I'm out 'having fun'. At times, even stay in during weekend to mug boring manuals.. *YAaawn**

Anyway, really looking forward to Emily coming to stay over for the Friday weekend. Also, will be expecting Tunleng to arrive next weekend and we will go travelling to Paris the following week! Woohoo~~~~~ Champs Elysees here I come!!!

Meanwhile, though I am not dying to go back, I miss everything back home in Singapore - my beloved family, fun-loving friends and of course the FOOD! I miss my Soya Bean drink, Jolly Bean, Mr Bean.. *sob sob*.

I know I do have friends who can't wait for my return too! Erhm... not for my company,.. but for the shopping list they have given me before my departure.. sigh.. some great friends I have!

1st Month anniversary

2007-07-01T00:06:00.000+01:00

1 July completes my first month in London. I can't emphasize how glad I am to be here. I have always enjoyed busking in the company of good 'ol friends. Coming here actually got me out of my comfort zone to experience something different. Staying on my own really isn't all that miserable afterall!

10 things I have learnt/discovered about London during my one-month stay:

Air-conditioning should not be taken for granted here. It is NOT common in England.

NEVER attempt to do a foreign currency conversion when you make any purchase. It will just give you a heart attack.

QUID is the slang for Pounds.

Kampung chickens are known as FREE-RANGE chickens.

The TUBE MAP is really not as complicated as it looks. In fact, the tube is the easiest mode of transport in London.

Portobello Road market DOESN'T just sell mushrooms.

There is no 1 british accent. People do speak with different accents in London.

LUNCH isn't really considered a meal, like breakfast and dinner. Hence, most people make do with sandwiches in front of their work stations.

The british and americans AREN'T exactly the best of friends like we thought how Tony Blair and George Bush are. In fact, they are really only 'Distant Cousins'.

British are warm and nice people!

Picture of my colleagues in London:

Selfridges&Co.

2007-06-28T21:11:00.000+01:00

Somehow, sixth sense kept bugging me to go down to Selfridges at Oxford Street today. Headed straight down after my course from Putney and I was glad I did! They were having a sale!

My latest damage!

Scrumpy Jack..

2007-06-25T22:09:00.000+01:00

Oooohhh... another drinking session with Christine and Ian this evening at Angelic Pub which is a stone's throw away from Regents House. Dinner was pretty decent. Had a Caesar Chicken Burger and 3 1/2 glasses (I think..) of Scrumpy Jack. They insisted that it was only 3 glasses and a few drops. Still, I think what I had these 3 weeks amounts to more than what I drank the whole of last year!

Hmm.. I am feeling a little dizzy even as I am typing this blog. Guess I will have an early night today...ZZzzzzz...

The Sale in London is ON!

2007-06-24T20:40:00.000+01:00

This week has been quite packed with activities.. Went for drinks and dinner with Karin and Christine at Queen Mary by River Thames on Tues evening. View was amazing.. overlooking the London Eye, Big Ben and House of Parliament from where we were seated. Downed a bottle and a half of Budweiser. That was quite an achievement for me but not considered alot according to London standards.. ^_^

Attended Longview Course at Putney on Thu and Fri. Almost got lost at the Waterloo Train Station and in Putney itself. Was slightly late for the 1st day of the course but nevertheless, still managed to get there.. Thank Goodness!

Saturday was so far the most fulfilling day out of my 3 weeks in London! Ha~! It didn't occur to me that shopping in London can be so SATISFYING! I have always thought that LV was the only cheaper things to shop in London. When I alighted from the bus at Knightsbridge, my mind went into a little frenzy seeing all those huge 'SALE' signs plastered on the glass doors of the boutiques. Some of my damages include items from Zara, H&M and Camper. Forgot to check out the Anya Hindmarch bags at Harrods. Was lamenting to Emily via sms and she insisted that I had to go first thing next morning. Guess she's the ONLY person whom I can truly relate to in terms of shopping. :)

Went to Camden Market today - highly recommended by Jus. It was like the London's version of Pasar Malam except that everything costs 3X Singapore price and 6X Chatuchak prices. ^_^ Quite an eye opener.. visited the tattoo salon. Alot of stores selling Gothic costumes..there was this boutique called 'Fairy Goth Mother' which I thought was rather amusing.. really wonder what occasions these costumes are worn to. Christine promised that she will wear a corset to show me one of these days. I probably appear very 'suaku' to her.. heehee..

Over the weekend

2007-06-20T20:55:00.000+01:00

Finally met up with Emily for the first time since arriving London. Its been a couple of months since we last met.. really nice to be able to catch up with an old friend in a foreign country... went shopping together at Harrods and both of us turned hysterical at the bags section.. Totally enticed by the wide array of brands and collection! Starting drawing up a list of bags to buy.. Ha~ what's new?

Also went for Dim Sum at Leicester Sq. Somehow, Chinese food taste quite different from what we get back home. I still miss my Char Kway Teow and Hokkien Mee at Chomp Chomp and my Tian Tian Ji Fan at Maxwell..

1st 2 weeks in London..

2007-06-16T17:24:00.000+01:00

Almost let the lazy bug crept into me. Its been more than 2 weeks since I blogged. Not that I was caught up trying to settle here; in fact, life has been pretty enjoyable.

Did the touristy activities while Ivan was here. It was indeed very sweet of him to accompany me here for the 1st week to help me settle in. Went to places like the Buckingham Palace and Big Ben..

Also swing by the Portobello Road Market (the ang moh version of pasar malam) and had the yummiest cupcakes. Even Ivan, someone who doesn't have a sweet-tooth, was impressed by them!

It was really nice of Hwai Bin to get us tickets to catch an opera in Holland Park Theater. Since some of us were not cultured enough to sit through the whole opera, we decided to leave during the interval for dinner at Bayswater Roast Duck! Nevertheless, the experience of watching an opera in an open-air theater in London was just indescribable. The atmosphere was amazing, weather was good (air-con temp) and we were also blessed with long summer daylight even though it was already pretty late.

Oh yes, I have to elaborate on the Roast Duck we had at Bayswater. Before I left for London, afew good-intentioned friends recommended this Chinese restaurant selling roast duck. I was even told that the roast duck they sold was touted to be the TOP 5 in the world! I wasn't disappointed. It was indeed heavenly. In fact, I kept thinking so much about the roast duck dinner that I made Ivan go with me to another branch at Leicester Sq 2 days later!

My Long Awaited Break!!

2007-06-01T06:06:00.000+01:00

Following almost 4 hectic weeks of mad rush and handover prior to my departure, I was glad to have the 4-day break which I swore to make it a 'satisfying' one. Did my favorite pastime.. Guess what? No prize for getting it right! ha-ha~

For those who really don’t know or pretend not to know, its shopping on a weekday during office-hours when everyone else is working. Its such bliss to be able to roam the almost-empty malls especially when they are having sales. I detest crowds; they always give me bad migraines. Went to the IT show at Suntec and I was totally NOT impressed. Left the nightmare in less than 30 mins. It puzzled me why everyone was grabbing items like they were going at half-price! In fact, they were all sold at retail prices except for the freebies thrown in. But do they really need those freebies? *Hmm*..

Oh yes! I also made my maiden-visit to St James Power Station with Kenny & gang on Wed evening (before the Vesak Holiday). Place was ok but super noisy~ think I still prefer chilling out with friends at quieter places where I don’t have to yell to talk. Ordered my usual Snowball and tried abit of Karen’s Berllini. Quite liked it. Maybe I shall upgrade to Berllini the next time..
Had my belated farewell lunch with Jocelyn & gang at Jumbo Seafood at Indoor Stadium on Vesak Day. Feels weird to have seafood in the afternoon but I enjoyed the company and food tremendously! No less! Still missed everyone at work..

The one on my Last Week

2007-05-29T19:23:00.000+01:00

Last Week was my final week. One cannot dispute that time really flies. Still recalled that fateful day I had to break the news to Boss. Saying that I was frightened then was an understatement - I was literally trembling. It wasn't easy. I had to rehearse afew times in my mind - trying to predict how Boss will react and what I should say next. Lau Da has always been nice which is why it makes resigning all the more hard.

Not sure why but my last month in any company has always been packed - with both business-as-usual tasks and handover. I wished I were in the 'Run-Out Day' mood for once! Ha!~
Meanwhile, colleagues were extremely generous with their well-wishes, prayers and even gifts! Every moment in the place had been very fulfiling and I am thankful for that!

2nd Last Week

2007-05-19T18:37:00.000+01:00

The past week and coming week were dotted with farewell lunches. Its definitely a good opportunity to catch up with many colleagues whom I never had lunch with despite having spent almost 3 yrs in the bank. We spoke of the times I had in DBS - the good and the bad, and the takeaways from this place.

On Wed, we (Christine, Sheepy, Monkey and myself) took the afternoon off and headed for the one-for-one buffet at Grand Copthorne Hotel. Had great fun pigging ourselves silly and chatted about crazy things.

The one with a sumptuous Tony Roma's lunch

2007-05-10T08:06:00.000+01:00

I literally jumped out of bed this morning. Was horrified to find out that it was already 830am. Not surprising... this is like the umpteenth time I slept through the alarm clock ringing. Just can't understand why I always have difficulties waking up. It makes me worried about my pending trip to London. Arriving at work late isn't going to make good impressions.. ^_^

Today, we had Tony Roma's for lunch, compliments from our boss (aka Lau Da). Thinking back, Tony Roma's used to be my favourite hangouts during my jc days. I so love the babyback ribs. Yum~ still reminiscing this afternoon's lunch. I'm easily thrilled by good food and all my colleagues know that. Hah! Christine calls me the 'Ramly Girl' cos I related to her an incident that happened to me in Penang 17 years ago. My parents had unknowingly left in a coach while I was queueing up for Ramly burger at a roadside stall. I abandoned my purchase and fantically chased after the coach. Christine felt that the gluttony trait has surfaced in me since young.

After work, I headed for karaoke with colleagues - Hwei Ngoh, Irene & Andy, Dennis and Mark & Chris (from RWC). It amazed me how Dennis sounded like Jacky Cheung, Mark like Andy Lau and Chris like Beyond. I had always loved hogging on the mic. Somehow, I just enjoyed being audience today. heh heh.. Didn't know we have such amazing singers in DBS! Was pretty touched when they sang 'Zhu4 ni3 yi2 lu4 shun4 feng1' and 'Zhu4 fu2'. *Sob sob*

Prior to joining DBS, I recalled pondering what kind of people I would meet here. Thankfully, I am blessed with great colleagues and a good boss. Time spent in DBS has indeed been eventful and memorable. Keeping my fingers crossed that pastures on the other side will be just as green...

My First Blog

2007-04-30T07:39:00.000+01:00

Procrastination is my middle name.. After reading so many of my friends' blogs, I was so inspired to start one of my own. Well, being the great procrastinator I am, I am just glad that I have finally gotten to write my very 1st blog!

Thousand and one thoughts on my mind now.. Anticipation, excitement, anxiety, fear, just to name a few. In a month's time, I will be flying to London for 3 mths. Praise the Lord for this golden opportunity~! It's definitely a good chance to gain more exposure. However, that would also mean getting out of my comfort zone and venturing into unfamiliar grounds. In fact, I am beginning to get all jittery and having butterflies in my stomach. Nevertheless, I am sure the Lord will help me overcome any difficulties that come along my way!
So my friends out there! Do let me know if you are swinging by London.. Don't forget to look for me!