my thoughts.my life.me

Ciao!

2011-11-01T21:21:00.001+08:00

Oh this blog. Abandoned for so long even the chatbox has grown webs.

Methinks it's time to start afresh.

When I have the energy and stop doing nothing I shall create a new blog and start over.

Till then - live long and prosper ~Spock

Addicted to apples

2011-08-07T22:11:00.002+08:00

I am being sucked into the world of Apple consumerism. It is probably the most expensive form of consumerism ever. It's no wonder Steve Jobs is laughing all the way to the bank. Unfortunately no amount of money will be able to buy him his health, but that's another thing altogether.

The iphone is probably one of the cleverest inventions of the decade. It has changed the way people think, the way people communicate...in fact it probably (ironically) caused the breakdown in communication - I see families sitting at tables not talking to each other but are busy texting or playing games on their phones...it's disgraceful really.

For now, I still hate that it's so difficult to text (I hate touch typing 'cos my fingers are too big) but I'm still exploring the endless possibilities this phone is capable of.

it's been a long time...

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

I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged.

I keep resolving to blog more often but I've gotten so lazy.

I can't remember the time my life started to get boring and me starting to lose interest in every single thing in life. Oh yes, I think it's 'round about the same time I started working.

The days are flying by but the months are not.

I need a break. I'm going to Sydney :)

I wonder

2011-04-26T01:09:00.002+08:00

We're nearing the middle of 2011 already.

I still feel lost, unstable. I'm taking a backseat and waiting for something to happen. I've stopped planning because I have no choice but to go with the flow. I'm in search of answers but God seems to be taking His time, knowing that I'm the impatient sort.

My life has come to a standstill. Every day that the sun rises I repeat the same routine as if I'm a hamster on the same wheel of life. I keep moving but I'm getting nowhere. Yet if I somehow step out of line I will risk losing my balance and toppling over.

I'm a control-freak. And control-freaks don't do well being pawns in a game. Why is it so hard to just trust?

I'm alone in my thoughts. The isolation is almost too much to bear. I spend endless nights wondering why but to my dismay nothing will change what has passed.

Am I really able to forgive? And what is forgiveness without forgetting?

Will the people who have hurt myself and the ones I love get their just deserts? What goes around comes around. I know it will. The wicked will be punished.

The answers that my heart seeks.

For now just let me be an ostrich.

urgh

2011-02-09T19:50:00.003+08:00

I'm having that all too familiar feeling of dread again.

I can't seriously be jaded with work after only one year.

What's wrong with me?!?

I'm a lazy bum who just wants to sit around and do nothing all day.

How the hell am I going to survive the rest of my life.

Think I'm having a mid-life crisis.

jiu ming ahhhhh.

That being said my social life here has come to a stalemate too.

I realised that I only have a few close friends left in Melbourne and the rest have left for home. It's saddening. And the close friends who are here work 'round the clock so they are always busy!!! I realise when I want to hang out with someone I pick up the phone and don't know who to call!!! That is just plain sad.

I feel like I'm going through the motions. When will this all end.

Why am I being emo today.

If only someone understood.

If only someone could help.

abandoned.

2011-01-29T09:28:00.004+08:00

I am so dying to blog more frequently.

I wonder how I used to do it in uni - I blogged so often about so many crappy things. I would blog even though I didn't have anything to say. I would blog for the sake of blogging.

Those were the days.

I sure have time to blog but that time is now spent either cleaning the house or watching shows like The Big Bang Theory.

Oh how I love that show.

January this year, like every year, has gone by in the blink of an eye.

Chinese new year is coming but we aren't celebrating this year because Juin's grandad passed away last year. I hope the year of the rabbit is a good one for people born in the year of the rat!!

2011 is a year of new things. And this year I am the proud owner of a new car, my shiny red Honda Jazz:

I have mixed feelings about it because yes, I am excited but on the other hand there are many things to worry about like paying for it, insurance, petrol cost, getting lost, what to do when I'm involved in an accident etc. It's scary.

Crossing-fingers that everything will be ok.

26

2011-01-23T10:07:00.002+08:00

26.

A year older but none the wiser.

Thank you to everyone for your kind wishes.

I hope this year will be a much better one than the last :)

Another new year

2011-01-01T21:45:00.003+08:00

Drats is it 2011 already???

Time sure flies whether you're having fun or not...

I wish all my loved ones happiness and health this year, for to me there can be nothing more important.

sitting, waiting, wishing

2010-11-27T20:01:00.004+08:00

Feeling extremely emotionally drained right now.

Can't talk about it to anyone, which makes it worse.

Wishing hard for a better tomorrow.

27 months

2010-11-02T19:26:00.002+08:00

27 months.

We've had our ups and downs.

We've had some really rough patches.

In the end, you're the one standing by my side always.

Being in a relationship with you has taught me unconditional love, forgiveness, faith, patience, honesty, kindness and steadfastness.

You're my best friend.

No doubt that no relationship is smooth-sailing.

But you never gave up on me. You've always found a way to make it work. You refused to let go.

That's why I love you with all my heart and soul.

To the next 27 months my love.

暧昧

2010-10-27T20:22:00.002+08:00

暧昧. I don't know if there's an English equivalent of the word, but I know it means the behaviour of 2 people who are more than friends but not quite the official couple yet.

Juin and I used to be like that when we were friends.
It was fun. It was exciting.
Every look, every word, every gesture, every "accidental" touch.
Made my heart flutter, leap and sing.

I miss the times.

Sure what we have now is much more concrete but no other feeling is quite the same as the feelings you have when you're at the pre-dating stage.

So cherish every moment you have, they are all special.

October Spring.

2010-09-30T22:39:00.001+08:00

Day 30: Ways you believe you have grown over the past 30 days

I don't think I've grown, sadly.

2010-09-29T11:50:00.001+08:00

I feel like a failure.

and we're down to the last few days...

2010-09-28T21:40:00.003+08:00

Day 27: Your definition of the meaning of life

Living with God and Jesus in my heart and living each day with joy.

Day 28: A moment you remember being completely happy in and a description of why you believe you were. What is your definition of happiness?

When we were the only school to win a gold award for the SYF competition in handbells. We worked very hard as a team and to win something together for something we were so passionate about after months and months of practice was very rewarding. I don't think you can define happiness. It's a feeling that you get when your heart sings.

Day 29: What you live for.

God.

I hate Mondays!

2010-09-26T21:38:00.002+08:00

Day 25: Something you would do if no one stopped you or if you knew you wouldn't fail

Quit my daytime job and set up a bakery/dessert shop.

Day 26: Your definition of love

Doing what's best for the person even though they may hate you for it and doing it without saying anything.

watching the days go by

2010-09-24T20:25:00.002+08:00

Day 20: A band that you immediately liked and the song that made you like them

A1!! "Like a Rose" :) Gosh I can still remember the lyrics and the corny MTV!

Day 21: Your favourite medium of art

Er....I have no preference. If it appeals to me then it does.

Day 22: Someone you would give your life up for without question

My family.

Day 23: Most awkward first impression you feel you've ever given

One too many time that I can't even remember...Especially with guys I have a crush on...it's just baddddddd...I'm like a stuttering goose...with Josh Groban I couldn't even speak!!

Day 24: Something you did as a child that other people remember you for

Being really noisy, rude and naughty all the time.

oh man is it 19 September already?!

2010-09-18T22:52:00.002+08:00

This is not good. Time passes wayyyy too fast. It's like a blur. What's happening?!? October suddenly is within reach. Scary.

Day 14: Best mashup you've ever heard

What's a mashup?? ;)

Day 15: A moment, phrase or song that has changed your life the most

The time I spent with my aunt before she passed away. Life is painful.

Day 16: Something that you want to to within the next 5 years

Go travelling with Juin.

Day 17: What you want to be remembered for

Being a good Christian.

Day 18: A picture that makes you feel

This is a picture I took of my aunt before she passed away. I can't remember when this picture was taken exactly but she already had cancer, which means it should be 2008 or 2009 that it was taken. She had lost much of her hair due to very aggresive chemotheraphy and her abdomen was swollen due to water retention. But she was still able to smile for me even though she was in much pain. I will always miss her.

Day 19: A passage from a book that has touched you

The Bible:
Love is patient and kind, it is never jealous, love is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish, it does not take offence, nor is it resentful. Love takes no pleasure in others’ sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes.

Love does not come to an end. There are three things that last, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.

Corinthians 13: 4-8

I'm finally on the ball today

2010-09-13T20:03:00.002+08:00

Day 13: A memory that never fails to make you laugh

Hmmm there are so many actually...every time I sit around with friends and we talk about the past that always makes us laugh.

One incident which happened recently was when Sharon (a colleague) parked her car in the carpark at the back of our office and a guy went and urinated on her front tyre in public! Sheri (another colleague) saw him urinating from the back window and immediately called Sharon so Sharon rushed out the door screaming at him! It was funny 'cos the guy was embarrassed but said he couldn't help it as he was on fluid tablets and couldn't find a toilet, when there was a public toilet a few metres away. It was gross!! Sharon had to hose her tyre down!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2010-09-11T22:17:00.004+08:00

I'm so behind it's not funny...so I'm cheating wahahahha...

Day 06: Earliest thing you can remember

Probably being in London when I was 2 years old feeding the swans and telling everyone that "everywhere is air-conditioned in London"...

Day 07: Favourite cover of your favourite song

My favourite song is "Remember when it rained" by Josh Groban...and the people who have tried to cover it should be ashamed of themselves because they will never even come close to the real deal.

Day 08: Someone you think would make a good President

Oh Josh Groban all the way! He would make an excellent husband and daddy too *winkwink*

Day 09: Five things you want to see change

I wish I won the lottery and wouldn't have to work anymore.

I want my aunt back.

I want people to stop being racist and religion-ist and just stop making trouble that cause other people pain.

I do not want to see people sleeping on the streets.

Our public transport system sucks.

Day 10: A dream you had this past week described in detail

I don't remember my dreams...which sometimes is a good thing...

Day 11: Favourite picture ever taken of yourself

Hmmmmm....don't know if this is a favourite but I like this one because it reminds me of the good 'ol uni days :)

Day 12: Your favourite musical artist's life story

Well, I know that Josh Groban started off when his vocal coach submitted a tape of Josh singing to David Foster, who is a famous producer and composer.

David Foster called Josh one day because Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion were supposed to sing at the rehearsal for the Grammys in 1998, however Andrea Bocelli was sick so Josh filled in for him.

Josh became immensely popular when he was cast on Ally McBeal to perform a couple of songs.

Since then he was signed on to Warner Brothers and the rest is history!

5 songs and more

2010-09-05T00:40:00.003+08:00

Ok so I am a bad blogger. Yeesh. I can't believe I'm behind already.

Day 03: 5 songs I would have with me on a desert island and why

1. Awake (Josh Groban) -
This song is so peaceful and it teaches me to appreciate every moment I have with my loved ones.

2. Remember when it rained (Josh Groban) -
Still my favourite song in the whole wide world.

3. You are God alone (Philips, Craig and Dean) -
One of my favourite Christian songs. Makes me happy when it hear it.

4. Super Star (S.H.E) -
Well I need some Mando-pop/rock too for some variety and this song is always fun to sing karaoke.

5. Home (Kit Chan) -
I suppose since I'm on a desert island I'd want to go home - and this song always makes me cry and make me miss Singapore.

Day 04: What you imagine paradise to be like

By paradise I'm assuming it means heaven...and I imagine it to be a beautiful place with endless blue skies and a white sandy beach with crystal blue waters. With lots of loved ones surrounding me all wearing white and sipping cocktails getting a suntan. We'd all bask in God's love and sing His praises.

Day 05: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life

Thank you Juin, for giving me the gift of unconditional love.
Thank you for always seeing the good in me, believing in me (even when I've lost all hope) and supporting me through my darkest hours.
Thank you for the endless hours I've cried on your shoulders when I was going through the loss of my aunt. You said nothing but your presence meant everything.
Thank you for always making me smile :)
Thank you for teaching me the importance of forgiveness.
Thank you for always reminding me of the bigger picture.
To me you are priceless.

30 days

2010-09-02T20:34:00.002+08:00

I stole this off Cheryl's blog:

I'm planning to complete this, because I haven't been blogging as often as I like for the past few months now, and that's just not good enough.

Life has become so mundane and routine that there's really nothing much to write about. Plus the fact that I'm a lazy ass and would rather spend my time watching Everybody Loves Raymond and Sex and the City again and again until I can memorise the lines. Geeze.

I'm a day late so I guess I'll complete 2 days in this post.

Day 01: Guilty Pleasure

Hmmmmmm...I don't really feel guilty about anything that I derive pleasure from HAHA...I suppose it would have to be, as aforementioned, watching sitcoms again and again until my brains turn to mush:

I like shows that are light-hearted - they take my mind off stress and work and other unhappy things.

Day 02: Something that inspires you

Cooking shows inspire me. Like Masterchef, Iron Chef, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay etc.

Everytime I watch them I learn something new about cooking and the science of it all...and then I'm uber excited to try the recipes out just to challenge myself...the most rewarding part is tasting the final product and it is gooooooooood. I love baking because it's especially challenging: You either get it, or you don't. It's very technical and very specific...that's why someone who is good at cooking may not necessarily be good at baking. Any small mistake like not mixing the ingredients in a certain way can cause the whole cake to have a different outcome. People say baking is supposed to be therapeutic but it can be the cause of stress some times.

Cooking shows also inspire me to get creative with ingredients...I can mix and match and substitute ingredients and see how they turn out. The thing about me is, I can cook if I am given a recipe to follow...or if the dish is easy enough to do. I can't whip up a complicated restaurant dish like the Masterchef contestants with like 5 ingredients on the spot with no recipe...that's too stressful...but I suppose if you keep reading food magazines and watching cooking shows you will be able to develop those skills after time and practice.

So there you have it...my boring guilty pleasure and one thing that inspires me. Till tomorrow folks!! :)

sitting, wishing, waiting...

2010-08-29T20:51:00.003+08:00

In many ways I'm still a little girl.

I don't know what the future holds for me but I'm content to live in the moment and cross the bridge when I come to it.

I love God, I love my family, I love Juin and I love my friends, and they love me. And that's all that matters.

I often wonder whether God has another purpose for my life. Whether this is what He had in mind for me when He created me. Whether I'm walking in the right direction. Or is there something more?

a nice lazy Sunday

2010-08-08T14:08:00.003+08:00

Ahhhhhh I finally have time to stop and smell the flowers and just...breathe.

Juin and I decided to stay at home today and do whatever the hell we wanted...hence why now he's downstairs glued to his Playstation 3 whilst I am upstairs glued to the laptop. How nicely it works out.

I really should catch up on my reading. I haven't picked up a book for months, which is really bad. I never seem to have the time for it and when I do have the time for it I usually fall asleep on the bed whilst reading one. I can't believe people are now reading with the iPad. We are so reliant on technology now that every bloody activity has to be on the computer, which is so unhealthy on so many levels. I still like the smell of paper books and the feel of flipping the pages.

It's Singapore's National Day tomorrow - I haven't been home to watch the fireworks for 8 years. I wonder when I will be home for good. Melbourne is a great place to work and sometimes, live, but it will never be home.

I'm so excited because Josh Groban is releasing his new album in a few months and then doing the whole international tour again (which I am sooooooo going to)!! AND he's filming a new Steve Carell movie (to be released next year) titled "Crazy Stupid Love" which is a new marital crisis comedy starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton etc. where Josh plays the role of someone's boyfriend. AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I can't wait!!

I'm having Masterchef withdrawal symptoms at the moment so I've been cooking like a mad person, trying out new recipes and even making dessert for after...Juin's belly is looking pregnant so maybe it's time to stop wahhahahahahah. But it's good because the series has inspired me to cook instead of getting takeout all the time. And of course if I was living in Singapore I wouldn't mind takeout all the time but I'd take home-cooked food here anytime.

Hmmmmmm I think I'll go lie in the sun now like Garfield and enjoy the rest of my day before another hectic week of work begins tomorrow. Enjoy!!

you drive me crazy

2010-08-05T20:36:00.002+08:00

It's been a tiring week....but no matter how much sleep I get I'm still tired...wth.

I keep thinking of turning back time when I should really be moving on...but somehow I still can't get over things. Taking public transport is the worst. There's too much time to think too much. Oh the heartache. It's been exactly 10 months since she left. I still can't get over the fact that she's gone for good.

I wonder how long it's going to take.

2nd anniversary

2010-08-03T20:59:00.005+08:00

Juin and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on 2nd August.

I came home from a tiring day's work to a home-cooked meal of lobster and steak. It was lovely.

Juin presented me with a gorgeous present after dessert:

3 stones: Me, him and God. Our past, our present and our future.

I have to say that my man has good taste in jewellery. I've been getting nothing but compliments from my colleagues.

Happy 2 years :)

late.

2010-07-11T19:26:00.004+08:00

So my family came and left like a month ago and I'm only blogging about it now.

I wish I had more time to blog. Then again. Blogging used to be a daily routine when I was in uni and had too much free time to think about random things. Ahhhh the good ol' days.

I want so badly to break away from routine and just take a nice, long break somewhere far away...where I don't have to do anything, I don't have to sightsee...I don't have to bring a phone with me....I just need to sit in a villa all day and sip ice lemon tea and read a book, or watch chick flicks, or just laze around in bed and watch the sun set. I'm dreamin' again aren't I?

Back to the topic - family here, although only for a week, was awesome because I really missed them. We went on mad shopping sprees (much to the disgust of my dad) but glad that I got to spend time with and spoil my siblings because they are good kids and I want nothing but the best for them. I think they were impressed with Juin's cooking. I'm so grateful that Juin enjoys hanging out with my family and friends. I've always wanted someone who could integrate themselves into my life....though I'm not the sort to integrate myself into anyone else's life.

After my family left I couldn't believe how much I've become like my mom. Even Juin noticed it. I'm proud of that because she is an amazing woman and someday I hope to be half of who she is.

Tonight is the FIFA World Cup 2010 Final. I can't believe a month has flown past just like that. I didn't manage to watch many matches because the ones I really wanted to watch were mostly at 4.30am in the morning, and with a job I can't afford to be waking up at such an unGodly hour :S I really must watch the final though, especially because it involves Spain...I really want them to win. I must say though that Netherlands did really well themselves. I must say I'm not crazy about the orange jerseys.

Another week has come and gone. Looking forward to the snow next weekend!

my love

2010-06-27T20:21:00.002+08:00

I do whinge about Juin a lot, but I do love him very much.

I can't imagine life without him.

That scares me.

still missing you

2010-06-27T10:15:00.002+08:00

My cousin (my aunt's youngest son) has finally disrupted army and is on his way to medical school.

I wish my aunt had lived to see this. She would be so very proud. Despite stressing about her sickness my cousin fought alongside his mother through his exams. He is looking more and more like her every day.

I know she is looking down and him from heaven. I just wish she were still around.

dream catch me

2010-06-15T20:40:00.003+08:00

Oh Juin I hate you, you made me fall in love with Newton Faulkner!!

Dream Catch Me

Every time I close my eyes
It’s you and I know now
Who I am

Yea yea yea and I know now

There’s a place I go
When I’m alone
Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I’m fallin
That’s where I’m goin
Where are you goin
Hold it close won’t let this go

Dream catch me, yea
Dream catch me when I fall
Or else I won’t come back at all

You do so much
That you don’t know
It’s true
And I know now
Who I am

Yea yea yea
And I know now

There’s a place I go
When I’m alone
Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I’m fallin
That’s where I’m goin
Where are you goin
Hold it close won’t let this go

Dream catch me, yea
Dream catch me when I fall
Or else I won’t come back at all

See you as a mountain
A fountain of God
See you as as a descant soul
in the setting sun
You as the sound

I’m young
There’s a place I go
When I’m alone
Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I’m fallin

There’s a place I go
When I’m alone
Do anything I want
Be anyone I wanna be
But it is us I see
And I cannot believe I’m fallin
That’s where I’m goin
Where are you goin
Hold it close won’t let this go

Dream catch me, yea
Dream catch me when I fall
Or else I won’t come back at all

soccer season!

2010-06-15T20:04:00.003+08:00

Yay it's the World Cup again!! I can't believe that I've been in Aussie for the past 3 world cups...2002, 2006 and now 2010!! My TVs keep getting bigger too...and I'm so pleased with my current 46" flat Sony Bravia.

I'm rooting for Spain and Australia, as I did in the previous world cup...unfortunately after the disastrous game against Germany, I don't think the Socceroos will survive this round...though miracles can happen so I won't rule out the possibility of them going through. It will be a tough fight, especially after Mr. Cahill receiving his red card and having to sit out the next match. He's one of Aussie's key players and without him the team will really be hit hard.

The most annoying part is that matches are being shown at 3 different times: 9.30pm, 12.00pm and 4.30am...and the matches I want to watch are always at 4.30am...which interferes with my sleep because I wake up at 7am to get ready for work and if I watch the match before leaving I barely get 5 hours sleep for the day and I remain a zombie for the rest of the day. Not good.

So now I'm rooting for Spain to win the World Cup, with mah muy caliente Spanish boys...most of the time I'm ham-suping at them running around all sweaty and hot HAHAHA!!

Work is particularly hectic at the moment. I'm glad my family got to spend a week here in Melbourne at my place. I really enjoyed having them and seeing them again after 5 months. I will have to wait for another 6 months to see them again, but it's a price that I have to pay for choosing my work over my family at the moment. It's something I feel guilty about all the time but something I will have to live with for the time being until I am ready to move back.

It's freezing! Will write again soon after I upload pictures :) In the meantime, enjoy the world cup!!

A-Maze-d

2010-05-15T22:13:00.000+08:00

I booked a table for 2 at Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant at the new Crown Metropol on our 21st mthly-versary. It opened it's doors about a month ago and I knew Juin was dying to try it. I kept it a secret until we got into Crown. The surprise was too much for him to bear.

We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The restaurant was nearly constantly full but not packed. It was excellent service at an affordable price ($38 pp). Oh the food was so luxurious. It's the kind of restaurant where they serve everything in tiny morsels but they were surprisingly filling.

We had 3 courses each: Entree, main and dessert. Juin had a glass of red wine to compliment his pan-seared tuna and ox tongue and cheek (oh by the way if you feel icky about eating things like rabbit, ox cheek and lamb, this is probably not the restaurant for you because they don't offer your everyday cuisine like...chicken hurhur) and I had a glass of lemon lime bitters which came served in a tall glass looking pretty in peachy-pink with chunks of lime and ice. Yummy. We also had sparkling mineral water on the side.

Starters (above):
Seared yellow fin tuna,
white radish, yuzu, enoki mushrooms,
black garlic

Juin's choice as above:
Ox “tongue and cheek”,
caper and raisin, carrots,
horseradish pomme purée

My choice as above
Lamb cannon and shoulder,
cauliflower purée, anchovy, stinging nettles

My lovely dessert:
Exotic fruit vacherin,
passion fruit and banana sorbet

I loved the atmosphere and how delicious and innovative the food was. Juin was quiet through most of the meal because he was so busy chewing his food like a cow chews grass and savouring every tiny morsel of it. And the warm toasted chewy bread sticks they gave with sea salt and flavoured herb butter was to die for. We munched on it throughout the meal (maybe that's what fills you up).

We will definitely go back again. Not until we've tried Maze grill though. The menu looks promising.

Sometimes it's hard to believe it's only been 21 months.

All pictures courtesy of Juin and http://www.gordonramsay.com/mazemelbourne/

liar liar pants on fire

2010-05-09T19:31:00.003+08:00

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ok so I lied...I was supposed to blog this weekend but I ended up spending the time sleeping until noon, going shopping, lazing around on the couch watching tv...URGH!!! There are just so many things to do and so little time to do them...and then tomorrow it's back to 5 days of work without a break!! Whoever invented a 5 day workweek is going to get his ass kicked by moi, thankyewverymuch.

For now I'm just content to a quiet, relaxing game of Monopoly with Juin before retiring to bed in anticipation of the long week ahead. Goodnight folks.

and then there were five

2010-05-05T20:45:00.002+08:00

And another one of us is leaving.

But we'll always be good friends.

Always.

it's gonna be a loooonng month of May

2010-05-04T21:14:00.002+08:00

I heart April because April is peppered with public holidays...where weeks don't seem so long and draggy because we have long weekends...now that May is here it feels so long because we're actually working 5 days a week and ONLY resting for 2. Which is actually already considered VERY lucky because if we were working in Singapore we'd probably have to work round the clock 7 days a week as litigation lawyers.

Somehow after some time no matter how much money you get paid just doesn't make up for quality time spent resting and with loved ones. Time flies and we spend too little of it doing the things we love.

I am in the midst of drafting a post about Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant at the Crown Metropol. I haven't finished it because the pictures are in Juin's camera and need to be transferred to my computer then uploaded. Juin and I hardly see each other on weekdays because he gets home late from work and we have dinner, watch a bit of telly on the sofa then he takes a shower whilst I hop into bed and sleep and the next morning everything repeats itself. Hence I will only get to do the post on the weekend hurhur!

On a totally different note my family is coming for 8 days! I know it's about a month away but I haven't seen them in 5 months so I am very pleased. I have no idea where to bring them but what matters is that we have the time to do whatever we wish together. Also my sister may be going off to Scotland (Uni of Edinburgh) to commence her medical degree in September so goodness knows when I will see her again. I'm excited yet worried for her because I remember myself at 17 feeling homesick (actually I lie, I was quite excited to be independent LOL) and lonely so I hope that she will be ok, if she does decide to go. I think that going overseas forces you to grow and mature very quickly and if you keep your head on straight, it is an excellent choice to make. It was probably the best decision I've made in my life.

World Cup fever will be on soon! I'm still rooting for Spain and Australia and even warned my boss that I will be staying up late into the wee hours of the morning to watch soccer and going to work looking like a drugged up panda. I can't believe we're nearly halfway through the year...time is passing too quickly for me to handle.

Till the weekend folks :)

Idle thoughts

2010-04-29T21:05:00.002+08:00

Sometimes when I'm on the bus or the train going to and from work, my mind wanders to memories and how life used to be. Happy times, sad times...how I wish there were certain times that could be relived again and again, and some times which I wish I could erase forever.

I miss my aunt. I miss America. I wish I could turn back time.

JJ Lin Jun Jie's first Australian concert

2010-04-26T20:47:00.006+08:00

Amy and I went to see JJ on Saturday. I told everyone that it's so ironic - all this time I've been in Singapore I've never once been bothered to see him but when he comes to Australia I'm like well, he's a fellow Singaporean and it's his first visit to Melbourne, I might as well support him. Moreover he's one of the few talents that are homegrown.

It was 2 hours of pure entertainment at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre (which is new and very beautiful and comfortable by the way). We were greeted with goodybags on our seats (with JJ's face on them) filled with weird pamphlets (I think the only thing valuable in there was my bright blue light stick) - I love light sticks!!!

JJ has the voice of an angel - it is so unique that I say it is unfair that God should give him such a gift. The way he sings is almost effortless. I say his dancing has improved by leaps and bounds too, thanks to Mr. Lan Bo lao shi, who was there as his backup dancer - if you don't know him, he's the choreographer to all the stars e.g. 5566, K One, Jolin Tsai, Cyndi Wang etc.

JJ also did 2 impersonations: Jacky Cheung and Michael Jackson (and even did the moonwalk) - it was uncanny! How can one person have so many talents? Unfair I say, unfair!!

The most amazing part of the concert was when he was doing his last song and a few people rushed to the stage to shake his hand...and he did...then more and more people came...and suddenly there was a whole influx of people crowding at the stage to touch JJ's hand...and then before you knew it, 2 girls actually managed to run on-stage to try and hug JJ...which scared the crap out of the stage crew who had to come out and try and get the fans off stage. There were some people who even tried pulling JJ into the crowd off stage and that was so dangerous. The stage crew had to tell JJ to stop reaching for the crowd.

Anyway the night came to an end after his encore. I was left longing for more (and so was Amy by the looks of it). JJ isn't my favourite Mando-pop artiste in the whole wide world, but I have to admit that he's the only Mando pop singer whom I have every single album of since his first one. It just happened like that. I think I liked all his albums until Sixology came along and then I thought that it kind of became boring, but his old songs are still amazing. My personal favourite is still 'chi bang'. Followed by 'cao cao' and 'sha shou'.

Well done JJ, you've done Singapore proud (although he never did refer to Singapore once during the concert!!).

Now all I have to do is to wait for my Wang Lee Hom and I will die a happy person :)

hiatus

2010-04-11T20:46:00.004+08:00

I keep meaning to blog and I really want to but I find myself having no time whatsoever to do that nowadays.

I used to love it when I was in Uni and now it's become a thing of luxury for me if I get to do it anymore. I so miss those Uni days.

I promise I will be back soon with pictures and stories...I have so many things in mind...Just hang in there :)

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2010-03-25T19:16:00.004+08:00

Can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. Heck, no one reads this blog anyway.

Not been doing much...just workworkwork as usual...I've been at my firm for 7 weeks now...feels a lot longer than that but come to think of it I'm still new to many, many things. I actually like what I do. I feel stupid at times, yes, that's for sure, but I feel that my job allows me to help people achieve a fair outcome for themselves and their children and I'm glad that I can be of service. Expensive service.

So yes, I do like my job, although it can be stressful at times but the staff at my office are amazing and that has helped tremendously. I think a good working environment is so important so you won't wake up every day dreading to go to work.

My family will be coming in June - exciting! Because of work I won't be able to go back until December so they're coming is good. That's also when they will meet Juin (I think he's shitting bricks at the moment lol).

Other than that, I'm looking forward to JJ's concert (yea I never bothered to see him in Singapore but in Melbourne suddenly it's a whole different story) and Russell Peters!! And also looking forward to the ski trip in July. I'd love to ski but even if I don't it's fun to just play with snow :)

Easter hols are coming soon!! Can't wait - 4 day weekend wooohoooo!!! Can't believe we're already a quarter into the year already...where did all that time go?!? We're ageing by the second!!! *tsktsk*

Till next time guys!! Be good!! :)

my EE

2010-03-08T14:42:00.005+08:00

I've been dreaming of my aunt almost every night for the past few days.

I miss her very much.

Her smile and her voice still linger in my mind.

It's been 5 months already.

She'll always have a special place in my heart.

I hope she knows.

when routine gets dull

2010-02-25T18:52:00.003+08:00

Geeze I hate routine.

I hated it when I was in school and I hate it now at work. And nooooo I hate 'getting used to things'. Why should I have to?

I could draw a comic strip of my life at present and it would be so dull that it would be funny in a sick sort of way.

Monday 7am wake up, 7.45am leave house to catch bus then run for train, 8.45am reach office, 1pm have lunch, 5.15pm breathe a sigh of relief, 5.22pm train then run for 5.35pm bus, 6.00pm surfing the internet, 8pm cook, 9pm eat dinner, 10pm surf net/watch dramas, 12am bedtime and the whole process repeats itself the next day until Friday. OMGOMGOMG I don't know how normal people do it. Just talking about it drives me insane.

The grass is always greener on the other side. ALWAYS. And people are never content with what they have. ALWAYS. The irony of it all.

The upside? Freaking amazing colleagues and clients at the end of the day who look at us and shake our hands and say 'thank you so much'. Makes it almost worthwhile.

But you know, I won't mind sticking it out for awhile and see where I go. Life may change, I never know. That's the beauty of it.

I am grateful for Juin. He has been my rock so far. And at the end of a long, tiring, stressful day I look forward to going home to dinner with him.

counting my blessings - heart-shaped macarons & cotton candy kisses

2010-02-14T19:41:00.004+08:00

This is the first time that I haven't been home for Chinese New Year. A lot has changed in just the past few months.

My aunt's passing meant that there won't be any more happy new years for my mom, because she and my aunt used to do everything together. We used to spend all major holidays together and even most weekends together. Now that my aunt is not around, my mom has been missing her very much and probably even more than I will ever imagine. I remember every year during Chinese New Year I would look forward to the 3 of us, mom, my aunt and I, buying flowers together from the nursery. We'd choose pots and pots of chrysenthemum, orchids etc and bunches and bunches of cut flowers. My aunt, being the artistic person that she is, would arrange them in lovely vases and place them all over our house as well as hers. This year since I've been working and was not able to go home for new year, my mom had to go to the nursery alone. I can imagine how difficult it was for her and it pains me greatly to think that I wasn't there for her when she needed me for emotional support.

I think, all the time, that I'm being very selfish for not wanting to go home to be with my family. Because that would mean finding a job all over again, working very, very hard (this is Singapore, my friend), and also being away from Juin. Because of this I chose to sacrifice time with my family in order to pursue my goals. In life, there are never right or wrong choices, just difficult ones. I wish I had it all, like some, but then if that's the case I'd always take everything for granted then, wouldn't I?

I do unconditionally and dearly love my family and will return for good - it's just a matter of time. I hope to be home by the time my parents retire. Hopefully by then Juin and I would have become more established in terms of our career as well as become more mature and will be looking for some stability in terms of starting a family.

If there's one thing that my aunt's passing has taught me, it's that we can never exchange the time and love that we have with our loved ones with anything else. It is the most precious and invaluable resource we will ever have in this world.

That being said, we did have a nice little 'reunion' dinner with a few friends over steamboat. We even did the whole yusheng-lo hei thing and stuffed our faces till we could stuff no more. It was fun and I really appreciated their company, because maybe I was trying to fill the void I had because I wasn't at home and things weren't the same as they used to be anymore.

Today is the first day of CNY and coincidentally, Valentines' Day. Juin and I spent it exactly the way we wanted: Stress-free. After a day of hectic preparation yesterday, we were determined to take it easy today, because unlike some lucky people in other parts of the world, we don't get a long weekend.

Juin is an amazing person. No matter how much I nag or yell at him sometimes (because he does get on my nerves), at the end of the day he will apologize for pissing me off even if it's really my fault. His heart is so big that he forgives easily and loves wholeheartedly, and for that I am thankful, because I don't think I deserve that sort of unconditional love sometimes. Whenever I'm down I can always expect a big hug and reassurance from him - he makes me feel safe, and with him I know that even if the sky falls down I won't be hurt, because he will be there protecting me, and it is an amazing feeling. Everyone should be that lucky.

Last but not least, I thank God for everything, especially my loved ones (that includes friends!), every day. In a crazy hectic world, they make my life so much better.

And for that, I am ever grateful.

Happy CNY and Valentines' Day

2010-02-14T15:45:00.003+08:00

Happy CNY and Valentines' Day everyone!!

May we have a prosperous new year with lotsa health, luck and love :)

Picture courtesy of Tartelette

Hold on

2010-02-12T20:40:00.011+08:00

Hold On by Good Charlotte

This world

This world is cold

But you don't

You don't have to go

You're feeling sad, you're feeling lonely, and no one seems to care

Your mother's gone and your father hits you

This pain you cannot bear

But we all bleed the same way as you do

And we all have the same things to go through

Hold on if you feel like letting go

Hold on it gets better than you know

Your days

You say they're way too long

And your nights

You can't sleep at all

Hold on

And you're not sure what you're waiting for, but you don't want to no more

And you're not sure what you're looking for, but you don't want to no more

But we all bleed the same way as you do

And we all have the same things to go through

Hold on if you feel like letting go

Hold on it gets better than you know

Don't stop looking, you're one step closer

Don't stop searching, it's not over

Hold on

What are you looking for?

What are you waiting for?

Do you know what you're doing to me?

Go ahead... What are you waiting for?

Hold on if you feel like letting go

Hold on it gets better than you know

Don't stop looking, you're one step closer

Don't stop searching, it's not over

Hold on if you feel like letting go

Hold on it gets better than you know

Hold on

I miss my family

2010-02-07T21:00:00.001+08:00

A lot.

Birthday Part I - my BFF gang

2010-02-02T21:16:00.003+08:00

On the 17th Jan, my dear friends decided they would spring a surprise on me, a whole 6 days before my actual birthday, so that I wouldn't suspect a thing:

Thanks guys :)

Birthday Part II - The Leo Gang

2010-01-28T06:24:00.005+08:00

On the 22nd Jan (Fri), my ex-Leo classmates decided that they would celebrate my birthday and Juin's at the same time by treating us to dinner. Juin's birthday is actually on 13 Jan, only 10 days away from mine.

We went to the chinese restaurant Kum Den (I know, cool name huh), in the city. The food was so-so and so was the service but who cares about that when the company is excellent!

It was so good seeing all of the original gang again - minus a couple of people because they've left Melbourne. I've really missed them. They come from different countries and different backgrounds but they are the most down-to-earth, kindest people (lawyers *coughcough*) I know.

I'm so glad that the restaurant didn't play the Happy Birthday song or else I would have died with embarrassment. Ohhhh and the cake was yummy. I think it was triple choc ganache or something. Who knew that Breadtop still produces the cheapest and best cakes with the widest variety of flavours.

We went to a bar for drinks later:

OK, lighting wasn't that great but it's actually quite cosy (because we were all sprawled out on this big comfy sofa) for a quiet chat.

Thank you once again guys :)

Birthday Part III - Licence to pig out

2010-01-28T05:21:00.009+08:00

A very big 'THANK YOU' to everyone's kind wishes this year :) This is the first time I've spent my birthday away from Singapore and family but you guys have made it truly special.

I'm going to do the posts Star Wars style, from Part III onwards, which is the actual day of my birthday.

I spent the whole day (eating) with Juin. We woke up in the morning and had 鸡蛋面线 (egg mee sua) - a must for me (Hokkien). My mom makes sure every one of us has it every year on our birthday.

Then we headed off to Melbourne city, stopping by the Lindt cafe on the way to DFO:

We are totally addicted to their beautiful macarons. They have got to be the best in Melbourne.

The new DFO at Southwarf is pretty much done. Nothing much special - YET. Waiting for Fossil and Burberry to open and you'll see me there on a regular basis.

I heart window shopping.

We felt peckish after so we decided to grab tea at the new Old Town Kopitiam Mamak.

Satay and bbq chicken wings - my absolute favourite

After that we were absolutely stuffed but Juin had dinner reservations at a Japanese restaurant Takumi, click here for website, Melbourne's only Wagyu beef specialists. This restaurant was recommended by food critic Matt Preston, so Juin decided to give it a shot. We had never heard of it before, so dining there was really a whole swaku experience for us.

The theme of this restaurant is 'do-it-yourself' grilling. There is a hole in the middle of the table and the very brilliant Japanese, as usual, have somehow managed to invent this smart way of smokeless barbequeing. Basically they use a wire mesh on top of a pot of hot coal, but at the bottom there's a fan which sucks the air inwards so it doesn't blow everywhere (oh gawd that sounds dirty).

You really can't judge a book by it's cover because in the day, this restaurant's exterior looks as plain as Jane next door, but its interior is really lovely.

The service was excellent - and all by young Japanese girls too (I can hear some of my male friends gawking already).

Anyway we were greeted by a refresher towel and 3 types of sauces:

One of the sauces was sesame oil with salt - the other 2 tasted good but I had no idea what they were!

Once we ordered, our drinks came really quickly followed by starters:

Edemame beans

Wagyu sashimi

Salmon Carpaccio

Their salmon carpaccio was lovely. There was also kimchi that we didn't get a picture of.

The other thing we didn't get a picture of was their ox tongue. I have to say this is the first time I have tried a tongue of any sort, and to be honest in all normal circumstances I wouldn't have tried it if not for my birthday, so I did - and it was amazing. It was sliced so thinly and the texture was so smooth that if I didn't know, I wouldn't expect it to be a tongue. Anyway, the following are pictures of our food that we had a fun time grilling:

Our tiger prawn and scallops - they were fantastically sweet

Wagyu beef from 3 or 4 different cuts of the cow

This is what it looks like when grilling

This is what it looks like when done

The beef was so aromatic and amazing that when you put it on your tongue, the whole thing melts and you've got to chew it slowly to taste and experience the flavours and sensations erupting from that tiny piece of meat - are you salivating already?!

We had grilled vegetables too (mushrooms, zuchinni & pumpkin) but who cares about vegetables when you're having wagyu beef?!?

Red bean and green tea ice cream

Ahhhh I would go there just for their dessert. Because we had a set meal each, each of us was entitled to a scoop of ice-cream and jelly. There were 3 flavours to choose from: Green tea, sesame and red bean - I like them all!! It's a great way to end a meal - with green tea to wash it down and ice-cream to sweeten the deal.

We ended the night with Juin singing a very out-of-tune happy birthday song and me blowing out the candle to my delicious cupcake from my favourite cupcake shop (because we decided we simply could NOT eat cake anymore).

...and then Mr Geok Lin Yeo called and drove us to The Pancake Parlour for supper. OMG!!! By that time we were too tired and too full to eat, so we ordered drinks whilst watching Mr Yeo woolf down his banana split sundae.

The next day we were on a diet, LOL!!!

I must say that I've never met more people celebrating their birthday on the same say as I have. When I went to collect my free birthday Boost Juice, there was a girl who was doing the same just before me. We just smiled at each other and wished each other happy birthday. Then later at Takumi, there was someone also celebrating her birthday in the restaurant with a huge group of friends.

Aquarians are cool XD

The big 2-5

2010-01-25T19:46:00.004+08:00

Yesyes I am now 25 years young. Sounds old but feels the same to me. I'm glad time is passing fast so that I get to retire. I'm aiming for 60. That's another 35 years. Darn.

Anyways I celebrated my birthday in 3 parts this year...more like 3 times, thanks to my beloved boyfriend and friends. I'm still in the process of uploading pictures from my birthday (there are quite a few) and will post them up in the next few days.

In the meantime, feast your eyes upon my favourite:

Mr Bean!! Mr Bean soy milk, soy milk ice cream (yum!) and chendol soy milk!!

...and facial masks I bought from Singapore...but I heard it's much cheaper in Taiwan/HK...blehhhhh...Apparently it's very popular amongst the girlies now...I didn't know that, I just bought them 'cos they looked pretty!!

Tomorrow is Australia's birthday - you know that doesn't mean anything to me except that it is a public holiday wheehee!!! XD

Enjoy!!

Ask and you will be given

2010-01-20T19:20:00.002+08:00

9 ”So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 ”Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

(Luke 11:9-13 NIV)

And for that Lord, I will be eternally grateful.

Preacher post: We are living in a material world

2010-01-14T15:04:00.004+08:00

I was relaxing at Starbucks yesterday with a cup of soy green tea latte whilst reading the Daily Bread and came across this saying, "People these days know the price of everything but the value of nothing".

It struck a chord with me because being part of a generation of computers, television and non-face-to-face communication, relationships are beginning to change. People are becoming greedier and greedier and are allowing themselves to become subservient to money and material possessions.

How many cars can we drive? How many pairs of shoes can we wear? How many bags can we carry? How many handphones and Ipods can we use? Material things make us happy only momentarily, and then the instant something new comes along, our focus shifts and our hearts are longing for the faster car or the latest gadgets. We're never satisfied.

So how long can this chase last? I don't know, but it's so easy for one to get caught up in it.

Whilst riches on earth last momentarily, treasures in heaven last an eternity. Jesus said, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" ~Luke 12:15.

How much have you saved up in heaven so far?

2010...doesn't feel like a new year to me

2010-01-05T22:54:00.003+08:00

2010 doesn't feel like a new year to me. Usually I'm pretty psyched that it's a new year because it's like a new beginning to me. In school it used to be about new textbooks, new stationery, new friends, new uniforms...then it was new Uni diaries, new lecturers, new fat bank balance (thanks to parents)...now nothing has changed after the cross over from 2009 to 2010. It feels like all the burdens, worries and stress has just been carried forward. Maybe I'm just getting old, I don't know.

Yes yes, I'm hitting the big 2-5 this month and apparently according to some experts on the radio, a woman reaches her peak at 25 and then everything from there goes downhill. Hmmm. Which is contradictory to what one of my aunt's said at Christmas ('life begins at 50!!'). Anywho, to me age is just a number (I swear) because everyone (people who don't know me) has under-guessed my age since I was 19. I certainly do feel 25 though: I feel the stress of working, being financially independent, planning for the future (oh gawd)...All I can say is: It ain't pretty growin' up Mister.

Well, life goes on. Also, I won't be posting pictures of America here because it took me a heck of a long time to do it on Facebook since the Application kept dying on me. You guys can check it out on Facebook and save me heaps of trouble thankyew :)

I hope this year will be a good one for you guys, but I doubt it, since the Tiger year is never a good year. Especially not one for giving birth. Especially since it's only 5 Jan and I've already had 2 pieces of bad news. Nope siree, this ain't gonna be a good year all right.

the longest journey home

2010-01-03T10:42:00.003+08:00

MUAHHAHAHAHH MOI HAS RETURNED after my epic journey to America and back!!

Will blog soon with heaps of pics and hopefully some videos after I get rid of this jetlag.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip but it's still good to be back. I hope you guys had a good Christmas '09 and New Year 2010!!

More to come...stay tuned...

yin hearts her life...just sometimes

2009-12-13T20:50:00.004+08:00

I know I complain a lot...but deep down inside I know that I am very, very blessed.

Not many people are surrounded by a loving & supportive family, partner and friends all year round.

Not many people get the chance to laugh freely.

Not many people get the chance to love wholeheartedly.

Not many people have God and Jesus in their hearts.

Not many people have the time to sit back, reflect on the year and realise how blessed they are.

2009 has been a crappy year, as many years have been, but as long as I have my God, my Jesus and my loved ones around, I will be OK.

Yes I will :) Merry Christmas everyone!!

If only life was full of sunshine and lollipops

2009-12-06T19:17:00.004+08:00

I watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs with Juin last weekend. This was my second time watching this movie - I actually watched it in Singapore first as it had been released earlier there. I highly recommend it because it's very cute!!

There are 2 songs from the OST that I like too because they are very happy songs:

1. Raining Sunshine by Miranda Cosgrove; and

2. Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows by Lesley Gore

Of course, the moral of the story is:

1. Don't pretend to be someone you are not;

2. People who love you may not be able to express themselves adequately - doesn't mean that they don't love you; and most important of all -

3. Don't be greedy!!!

And who doesn't like a movie which features lotsa yummy food for the most part of it!!! If only life was full of sunshine and lollipops :)

i heart stuff

2009-12-05T20:34:00.002+08:00

Ahhhhh random stuff. Don't ya just love it.

Adorable pen and bookmark I got from Kikki K which were heavily discounted from the DFO at Southwharf - it just shows that old stock is cheap because it's old stock but it's just as cute as ever.

Beautiful yoyos I got from The Cupcake Family - They have strawberry, vanilla, green tea, chocolate and lemon fillings. Yum.

Just the cutest 'lil penguin ever - a random present from Juin because I couldn't stop staring at it in the shop. His name by default is Blake, which is quite strange for a penguin but I think I renamed him Snowball HAHA.

Ahhhhh 'tis the season for buying lotsa stuff.

close shaves

2009-12-05T19:57:00.002+08:00

2 things happened to me in the span of a week which I felt got me into highly precarious positions:

1. I was in Borders the other day reading magazines whilst waiting for Juin to finish work. Usually I see people who bring a ton of books and magazines and read them and then chuck them in a stack on the floor and leave. In the end the poor staff at Borders has to pick them up one by one and put them back in its place. When Juin arrived at Borders, we decided to leave and go for dinner. Since I only took 2 magazines with me to read, I decided not to let the poor staff clean up my mess and put them back where I got them from. Unfortunately Juin and I were engaging in exciting conversation (I can't remember what about) and soon I walked right out of the store without realising that I hadn't put the magazines back, I was still carrying them!!! Once I stepped out of the store I realised, and stopped and went back in to replace them, but my big face was already caught on camera. I was lucky that the store detectors didn't beep (for whatever reason), but it was still a close shave. I can't believe I was so absent minded!!!

2. I was queuing to draw money at an ATM the other day and the person in front of me was in such a hurry that he forgot to take his debit card with him. By the time I realised and turned around to yell at him, he had already disappeared. I looked down at the screen and it said, 'would you like to place another transaction?', indicating that if I had pressed 'yes', I would have been able to draw as much money as I liked from his account (providing that this fella is rich) because the dumbass keyed his PIN number in and left before ejecting his card from the machine!!! So I ejected his card, made my own transaction, and went next door to the bank, passed it to one of the staff and told her what happened. She took the card and I left, not bothering to ask for her name. However, the machine already caught me on camera ejecting the fella's card - what if he accuses me of taking it?! I would have no way of proving my innocence if the bank misplaces his card!!

Lesson learnt - you can never be too careful!!!

2 months

2009-12-05T19:04:00.002+08:00

Today marks the 2nd month that my aunt is not around.

They say time heals all wounds, but my cousin and I both agree that time doesn't heal anything.

I picked up a copy of Alana Stewart's "My Journey with Farrah" the other day.

I saw it in the bookshop and I told myself that this was the book I was looking for, after going through numerous ones on grieving for the loss of a loved one. I needed someone who went through the same journey that I did, who felt what I felt.

If you didn't already know, Farrah Fawcett, one of the original Charlie's Angels, passed away from Anal Cancer in June 2009 after battling it for over 2 years. Her ordeal were in many ways similar and yet different to my aunt's. Alana Stewart was one of her closest friends, who was by her side most of the time, who flew in and out of Germany for her treatment with Cancer. This book is exerpts from her diary from the time when she found out about Farrah's cancer until just before Farrah passed away.

This book is so therapeutic - I read it and cried at the same time and the tears just wouldn't stop. I can't imagine how much pain Cancer patients have to go through. It's just unbelievable. And the vomitting - it just doesn't stop. Their body degenerates so quickly that they can't move anymore, they have no energy to do anything that even breathing is a chore. They can't eat, they sleep most of the time, they can't do anything for themselves, and their body is full of so much medication that it's just inhuman. I can go on and on about how this disease is so dibilitating but I won't, because mere words just won't do it justice - you'd have to see or experience it first hand. It is just a slow, suffering, cruel, painful death where every day is a struggle.

So I decided to enrol myself into a Cancer volunteer program. There were admin positions available, as well as fund raising positions, but I wanted to get down and dirty and go straight to patient support. I would be assisting cancer patients in the hospital and providing them with a listening ear. This position is available for people who have lost a loved one to Cancer. However one of the criteria was that there is a 2 year minimum gap between the date of death and the day I volunteer. Which makes sense I guess, since they probably don't want me breaking down sobbing in front of the patients.

Maybe I should just pen a book like Alana Stewart's in honour of my aunt.

Josh Groban: Sexiest Man Alive 2009

2009-12-02T20:54:00.000+08:00

http://www.people.com/people/package/video/0,,20315920_20320257,00.html

Oh yea...

her last email to me - 24 June 2009

2009-11-25T13:38:00.001+08:00

Dear Yins,

I think you need free weekends if you have to work so hard during the week. At any rate, it did not seem like a comfort zone to me with the lack of appreciation for the hard work and effort you have put in. You will find something better soon, I am confident particularly with this stint of work experience and by keeping in close contact with your agent - do not wait for her to call but call her regularly to show your interest after a much needed break. Let me know if you need any financial help - your ee ee is always here for you, no questions asked. Love and hugs and keep warm and away from crowds with 'flu.

Dr Ooi Giok Ling
Professor
National Institute of Education
Nanyang Technological University
1 Nanyang Walk
Singapore 637616
and
Adjunct Professorial Fellow (Institute of Policy Studies)

my princess

2009-11-24T19:58:00.002+08:00

My gorgeous niece, one of the loves of my life:

I can't wait to spend Christmas with her :)

hey, that's me!

2009-11-23T19:14:00.001+08:00

stuff & fluff - retail therapy

2009-11-22T19:26:00.005+08:00

A new edition to the family:

Christmas is coming!!

My favourite (manufactured) smells:

I just realised that I can do this with Photobucket:

I feel so swaku *lol*.

New Fossils for each of us:

I know one has only 2 arms but one can never have too many watches...nor handbags...but that'll take up a whole other blogpost altogether...

Another blue box (from the new shop at Chadstone this time - we had to queue to get in):

This time it's a pendant:

I know I'm a lucky girl.

Today I saw the most atrocious thing in Chadstone. Juin and I were queuing up (I suddenly feel like I'm back in Singapore again - queue to get everywhere) to get a table in the Lindt Cafe when suddenly this waiter came up to the queue and offered everyone free chocolates because it was going to be a long wait. There were 2 aunties (from Hong Kong) who were queuing up in front of me - not only did they grab as many free chocolates as they could from the waiter, they even went into the store and helped themselves to some more from the 'pick and mix' area, where customers can select their own chocolates to purchase. OMG!! I was so disgusted with their behaviour!! The Aussie couple behind me with their 2 kids were pretty gross themselves. When the waiter offered them chocolates, they sniffed at it and said, "What flavours are these?" The waiter replied, "Dark chocolate, mint and orange." Then the wife said in a sarcastic voice, "Oh, then no flavours for children?? No thanks then." So the waiter had to apologise and went and grabbed some 'child-friendly flavours' from the 'pick and mix' area. OMG!!! What happened to just appreciating and thanking people for FREE EXPENSIVE CHOCOLATE!!!??? The funniest thing happened after that though. The waiter came back to us with paper cups filled with the most delicious hot chocolate to apologize for the long wait. In the end we decided to walk away from the long queue (we had already been standing there for half an hour), but for our time spent there queuing we got free chocolates and hot chocolate LOL!!!

Ahhhh Monday again tomorrow *sucky*. I hope you guys have a good week. Christmas is coming!!! :)

It's Britney down under, bitch

2009-11-19T13:37:00.005+08:00

Ok, so Amy, Sangee, Cheryl and I had bought Britney's Circus Tour tickets months ago and we were pretty psyched to be a part of it. So on Friday the 13th Nov we headed down to the Rod Laver Arena (yup, 7 years in Melbourne and I've never once been inside it) for some action.

I've followed Britney's career since I was 13 years old. That's 11 close to 12 freaking years. Granted, she's a crap singer and a crazy person sometimes (well most times) but there's just something about her music that's catchy and fun and it goes 'round and 'round your head until your brain sometimes wants to beg it to stop.

Britney's never been down under in her entire life so we were quite lucky to be able to catch a glimpse of her. Check her Circus tent out selling all sorts of merchandise. We wanted to get t-shirts but unfortunately they were so freaking expensive ($50 each) and fugly that we just couldn't make ourselves do it.

That's us in our seats farrrrrrrrrr away from the action. The crazy people who paid for the action paid $500 - $1500 for arm's length seats. We were cheapskate so we bought the 2nd cheapest seats. The only time I'm going to pay for those is if I actually get to touch Britney or if she gives me a lap dance at least.

Let's play a game I like to call 'Spot Britney' (geddit? Cuz she's so small she's like a spot?? Awww comeon that was lameass funny)!:

See how there are 3 stages in the 360*C arena?? Britney had to divide herself between 3 stages all whilst twirling around 4 sides so that everyone could get a 25% glimpse of her face and spend the other 75% of her song watching her backside.

Curtain of sparks come down after Britney's last song

I have to say, I wasn't impressed. You know, people made a HUGE deal out of her lip-synching during the concert. Like dude, as if she's ever sung live in public EVER! I can't believe people are shocked to hear this! They must have been living in a parallel universe all this while where there's this Britney who can sing beautifully and perfectly live *doh!*. The only song she sang live was 'Everytime' and she didn't even finish it. I have to say that it sounded very similar to the CD version though. Hmm.

Anyways, I was annoyed because we were there at 8pm right, because that's when the concert was supposed to start. So yes, the opening act, DJ Havanna Brown, supposedly the best DJ in Australia, but no one's ever heard of her, started off on stage doing one of her awesome mixes which included songs from Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga (at that point Sangee and I almost wished we were at a BEP's concert). Did I mention that she looked like Lady Gaga? She was on-stage for a whole 20mins doing what DJs do best, standing behind the turntable and occasionally running from stage to stage trying to rev up the crowd.

And then she disappeared and we were left sitting there in the quiet for 40mins just waiting for something to happen.

When something finally happened, Britney said only 2 sentences to the crowd the whole concert. There were also long costume changes, sometimes with her Circus acrobats and dancers to entertain us (sorry pals, I know you're working your butt off more than Britney is and you're getting paid a lot less, but reality is, no one's here to see you) and sometimes there was nothing on stage but a screen playing videos of her. These were really anti-climax moments which kindda killed the mood for me. Of course it didn't help that we were sitting right at the back and could hardly see her - lucky she's blonde or else it'll be even tougher.

The good parts of the concert were that her dancing was fantastic, as usual, and that even though she's now a mom and she's been through a whole hell lot (esp the crazy parts), she's still got IT. I don't really know what 'IT' is, but she's got IT. I wouldn't pay to watch her again, but I didn't regret watching her this once. And of course, the fun-nest bits were hanging out with mah chicks and watching Amy boogie down to 'I'm a Slave 4U' like she was in a nightclub.

Rod Laver, smoking up after the concert

After that we went to supper at China Bar @The Glen 'cos we were starving and guess who we met?

A fellow Britney fan (check out his t-shirt with the tour dates)!

What a night.

I'm blessed

2009-11-19T13:29:00.005+08:00

Me (to Juin): Go get ready or else we'll be late for the bus

Picks up a comb to brush my hair

Juin: *smiles*

Me: What?

Juin: You're beautiful

(Now everybody say 'awwww')

Hell is descending

2009-11-09T16:01:00.002+08:00

OMG it's FREAKING HOT it's not funny!!!

I don't ever remember Spring feeling like a furnace...It's like 34*C at the moment - my skin feels like the top layer is going to burn itself off.

I don't think I'm going to survive this Summer. America, please come soon!!

On a brighter note, Britney bitch is coming to Melbourne!!!! Woooohooooo!!! Amy, Sangee and I are gonna catch her last concert in Melbourne this Friday!! Haha!! I heard that people have been complaining that she lip-synches and stuff...but I knew that all along. It must have been 10 or 11 years since she broke onto the scenes with 'Baby one more time'. Gosh she is my era! I grew up listening to her LOL. So excited...will post up pictures once it's over :)

Rest of the week is going to be crazy hawt, so lather up the sunscreen and drink lots of fluids!! Speaking of sunscreen, we went to the beach last weekend:

The water was so damn clear and the sand was littered with seashells

Harlow Mr. Crab!

Can you spot the starfish??

Mentone Beach

It was a lovely, sunny day. The beach was awesome!! The water was so clear and the beach was so clean. I got a nice arm tan but my legs, for some reason, refuse to tan. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Will have to try again sometime later.

It's been a month

2009-11-05T19:50:00.003+08:00

Dearest EE,

It's been a month since you've been gone and things are still the same. Feels like just yesterday that I was still massaging your legs and talking to you and you smiling at me. I think many of us have not moved on - definitely not Ma and I. Ma called me up last night to tell me that because her life has revolved around you for the last 2.5 years, she feels empty now, especially when she has free time, she thinks of the times you and her spent together.

I understand because I feel the same too, although I've been away for so long that I remember the precious 2 months that I had with you best. You are always with me in my thoughts, even when I am temporarily distracted by work or other things, whenever I have an idle moment, be it sitting in the train on the way to work or before going to bed, you are there with me every single time.

People say that no one is indispensible, but you are irreplaceable, at least in my heart. I still feel that gaping hole and sometimes I'm in this place where I'm all alone, wondering what it would be like if you hadn't contracted cancer. You would have seen Tian Ji and Zheng Xi go to Uni. I know you wanted the world for them, like every mother does for their children. You would have retired and gone to see more of the world like you always enjoyed, with Ma and Uncle Kog. You would have come to my wedding - you promised me that you would - I badly wanted you to meet Juin so that he can see why I idolize you so much. You would have held my children and loved them with all your heart like you love me and all your nephews, nieces, grand nephews and grand nieces.

I think of these things and it hurts so much because every day that you are not around I feel a day lost. I had so much faith in God that He wouldn't take you because you are the last one to ever deserve to have to go through so much pain and suffering. I watched you every day and my heart broke into a million pieces, but I could do nothing but watch helplessly from outside. I am so, so sorry that your last 2 and a half years were spent in and out of hospital, needles sticking everywhere, operations, medication, hair loss etc until eventually your condition deteriorated until you did not even have energy to speak, let alone move. I know you hated these things so much. You deserved so much more but you didn't get to enjoy it, that's what kills me the most.

I hope you are happy now and not feeling too lonely without us there in Heaven. Just know that we miss you dearly and will always, always love you.

Love,
Yinsy

A Vimrod moment

2009-10-30T06:16:00.001+08:00

memories

2009-10-28T19:12:00.002+08:00

Photographs are lovely things. They remind us of the good times, the happier and carefree days.

They can also bring a lot of pain.

I probably shouldn't have opened my family photograph folder. I was asking for it.

I bawled my eyes out.

I miss her.

I hate this feeling.

hope springs eternal

2009-10-26T14:16:00.002+08:00

Feels like just yesterday that we just met.

6 years on and one of us is getting married.

I wish her and her husband nothing but eternal bliss - I'm so happy that she found her 'The One' :)

My books finally arrived today:

I'm freaking compulsive. When I like a writer I usually finish their entire series. Chick lit is so brainless and addictive. I like.

FINALLY managed to buy my cupcakes from this new cupcake store in QV that I've been dying to try:

Blueberry Cream Cheese Cupcake

Bought 3 (Blueberry Cream Cheese, Green Tea Daisy & Berry Moon) but only managed to get a pic of one because the other 2 got a little squashed on the long journey home. They are so good. Check them out here:

http://www.thecupcakefamily.com.au/menu.html

my dear EE

2009-10-19T05:05:00.005+08:00

Dearest EE,

It's been 2 weeks since you left us and we're still feeling the after effects, like an earthquake that shook our world and left all of us lost and devastated. It sounds cheesy but it's true. There isn't a moment that passes where you don't cross my mind. I'm sure Ma's the same. When you left you took a huge piece of our hearts and we will never be the same again. We miss you so much.

It's your birthday next month and I don't know what to get you yet. I know I haven't been a very good niece because I've only sent flowers and cards every year. But I know material things don't matter to you, it's the thought that counts.

Sometimes thinking back, I'm still sore with God that we lost the fight. We tried so hard to keep you even though we saw you were in so much pain. I know that God has certain plans for all of us but I don't agree with how much pain and suffering He put you through these past 2 years. But that's God isn't it? We can never understand His work - all we can do is trust in Him.

Thank you for the last 6 weeks I had with you. Good or bad, these memories are those I will keep forever.

I hope you're having a blast in Heaven. I trust my God is taking care of you whilst you bask in His affection and look upon us every day. Zheng Xi is having exams soon, I will pray for him and Tian Ji every day and watch out for them always.

Until next time, we love and miss you very much.

Much love from your favourite niece,
Yins :)

rainy day stories

2009-10-16T10:45:00.002+08:00

Holed up in my comfy room, listening to the raindrops outside and slurping hot Nissin cup noodles whilst watching Chinese serials.

Yummy.

I heart Singapore

2009-10-15T15:01:00.007+08:00

I was feeling alone and down in the dumps today because of boredom (amongst other things) so I decided to go out (alone) and go to random places.

Believe me when I say I really love Singapore. Where else can you get a whole packet of mee hoon with a fried chicken wing and a sunny side up for SGD$2.80?? That's AUD$2.20 and in Melbourne that would buy you...erm...that would buy you practically nothing. Maybe a donut from Krispy Kreme. That wouldn't even buy you a cup of bubble tea - the price now has gone up to AUD$4 per cup whilst I'm still paying SGD$2 here.

So I went to Ion Orchard. It's so freaking convenient because once I get out of Orchard MRT, one side is Ion Orchard, which connects to Wheelock Place and the other side is Wisma Atria, which connects to Takashimaya. Everything is underground so I still feel like I'm in Melbourne with air-con all around me. Ahhhh this is the life.

Ion Orchard is a new mall that they built which is chocked full of every damned shop you can think of. I had a good time window shopping and then went into the Food Hall (which they named Food Opera I think) and was just hard-pressed to decide what I wanted to eat. This is very rare for me because usually in Melbourne I scan the whole city and don't have anywhere to eat because the food is just not nice. Over in Ion I had trouble deciding what to eat because there were so many things eg. chai tow kway, yong tau foo, ngoh hiang, fried prawn mee, laksa, chicken rice, fish head noodle soup, chendol, ice mango delight...AHHHHHHHHH why must I only have one stomach?!? In the end I decided to walk and eat my Old Chang Kee instead of sitting down for a meal. I just couldn't decide!! Speaking of Old Chang Kee, do you know that it delivers??? Even Sakae Sushi and Delifrance are into home delivery, not to mention almost every fast food outlet in Singapore!! Singapore is so small and convenient, that I don't know why anyone would need home delivery. I just have to walk out of my house and in 5 to 10 mins there's a Cold Storage, a whole row of restaurants, pubs, food courts and a wet market.

I walked into Kikki K (the very first Asian branch) and felt giddy with excitement. I know it's stupid because Kikki K is EVERYWHERE in Melbourne, I visit it frequently. For those of you who don't know, Kikki K is a Swedish stationery shop with stationery so beautiful you'd want to own the entire shop. The price is the only thing keeping me away. But OHHH I couldn't resist walking in and grabbing myself a cute monkey pen, an ice-cream magnetic bookmark (I think I have nearly the whole collection):

and a darling ice-cream pencil which is actually mechanical but it looks like an old fashioned pencil:

There was a new shop I'd never seen before called Callate La Boca, which is Spanish for 'Shut your mouth' I think. It had the CUTEST tshirts, tshirts with sunny side up eggs, Volkswagons, chicks, crazy eyes...I nearly bought a few then I glanced at the price of one (SGD$70) and nearly fainted. The shopgirl told me it was because the tshirts are made in Europe:

This is their Mascot with the crazy eyes

Cute chicken

Before I forget, I have to say that some Singaporeans take too much for granted. Whilst waiting for the train to come, I heard 2 girls complaining about how long the train was taking, when a train comes every 3.5 minutes. When it's peak period (morning), I think it comes every 2 mins. I mean, in Melbourne, I would be sooo freaking happy if the freaking train comes ON TIME every day. But noooo....normality is that it's either late or it's on strike, or it will never come because of some accident or fault with the line. Since coming back have I learnt to appreciate the joys of being at home (still hate the weather though).

Whilst on my way home, I remembered that my mom likes jellied tofu from a shop called Mr. Bean, so I went to get her some. Mr. Bean has outlets in almost every MRT station around Singapore, so it's wayyy convenient. This was the first time I've actually bought anything from there, and I thought their little Beanie mascot is soooo freaking cute. I had to go on their website and check out their merchandise because I nearly wanted to buy their straw dispenser:

I am just dying from cuteness.

In loving memory of my aunt. my 2nd mom. my teacher. my friend.

2009-10-08T18:54:00.006+08:00

Some of you who know me well enough know that my aunt had been struggling with colorectal cancer for just over 2 years to date. Just 3 days ago she lost the battle with cancer so aggressive that it rendered her unable to move and sometimes speak. My aunt passed away on 5 Oct 2009 in SGH at around 6.30pm, leaving her husband, 2 sons, my mom and a whole lot of other people heartbroken.

My aunt shared a room with me as early as I can remember. In those days I was a naughty kid, running around making everyone miserable. But she still loved me with all her heart like she loved everyone.

My aunt is truly a unique character. I say 'is' because she is still alive in my heart. She is one of the brightest intellectuals that I know and will ever know. She was always the first in class every year, she pursued her education until she received her professorship, she worked stubbornly hard, played hard and fought unrelentlessly for everything that she wanted.

She excels in everything that she does and her interests are so far and aplently that anyone would be amazed - She truly is a Jack of all Trades and a Master of all of them. She enjoyed nature, gardening, painting, cooking, writing, travelling, classical music etc. If you take a look at her portfolio, it spans the length of the Great Wall of China and the depths of the sea. She did so much good work and research in her 20+ years in Singapore that in the words of her ex-colleague, 'her death is a loss to Singapore'. On top of being a hard-worker and outstanding colleague, she was a loving mom, wife, daughter, sister, aunt and grandaunt. She never held grudges and her graciousness and ability to forgive and love even the worst of humanity is something that still amazes me.

We could tell from the number of people who came to her wake in the last 2 days that she has touched the lives of so many blessed enough to be able to cross paths with her - even the cleaning lady from her workplace contributed towards the pool of monetary offerings that was handed to us during her wake. Her son explained to me that his mother would always buy food and distribute it to her colleagues and workers so that everyone, no matter who they were, would receive a share - she forgot no one. That is my aunt - someone who always gives the best to others and keeps the crap for herself.

There is so much more that I can say about my aunt because her attributes are endless. All these are memories that I will keep - thinking back, there are so many things that I remember about her which make me smile. She fought this terrible disease so hard that I would never, ever wish this on anyone. The pain and suffering that someone so fiercely independent like her felt, ripped my heart into pieces but all I could do was watch and feel helpless from the outside.

In her last days I was privileged to be one of the few people around to care for her and thus I got to spend a lot of time with her. We shared laughter and tears and the love we have for each other is so powerful that I don't know if I can ever live knowing that I will never see her lovely smile nor hear her speak to me ever again. I miss everything about her and my pain is so raw that it numbs me sometimes.

I've learnt so much from her and will continue to preserve the legacy that she has left. I am devastated to say the least but also joyful that my aunt is now in God's arms and enjoying what she so rightly deserves - a life with no pain, no suffering, no worries and burdens but one with abundant joy and happiness.

My cousin found me a verse that is so apt in our situation:

'God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be. So He put His arms around you and whispered "come to me." With tearful eyes we watched you and saw you pass away. Although we love you dearly, we could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating, hardworking hands at rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.'

Until we meet again, my dearest EE, you will be dearly loved and missed by all of us.

Who can say for certain
Maybe you're still here
I feel you all around me
Your memory, so clear
Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You're still an inspiration
Can it be?
That you are my
Forever love
And you are watching over me from up above

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you're there
A breath away not far
To where you are

Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn't faith believing
All power can't be seen
As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
'Cause you are my
Forever love
Watching me from up above
And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile
To know you're there
A breath away not far
To where you are
I know you're there
A breath away not far
To where you are

~To Where You Are (Josh Groban)

You belong with me

2009-09-21T14:37:00.003+08:00

You belong with me - Taylor Swift

You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset
She's going off about something that you said
'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do

I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like
And she'll never know your story like I do

But she wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts
She's Cheer Captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along, so why can't you see?
You, you belong with me, you belong with me

Walking the streets with you and your worn-out jeans
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be
Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself
Hey, isn't this easy?

And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down
You say you're fine, I know you better than that
Hey, what ya doing with a girl like that?

She wears high heels, I wear sneakers
She's Cheer Captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along, so why can't you see?
You belong with me
Standing by and waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know?
Baby, you belong with me, you belong with me

Oh, I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're 'bout to cry
And I know your favorite songs and you tell me 'bout your dreams
Think I know where you belong, think I know it's with me

Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you?
Been here all along, so why can't you see?
You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door
All this time, how could you not know?
Baby, you belong with me, you belong with me
You belong with me
Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me?
You belong with me

Little superhero girl

2009-09-19T21:14:00.002+08:00

Corrinne May - Little Superhero Girl

I feel like a little girl
Trying to conquer the whole wide world
Everybody wants a piece of me
And I just don't know where to turn
I've got work piled up to my head
All I want to do is jump into bed
And wash away my troubles with lemonade
Play hide and seek with the boy next door
Take a trip to Singapore and
Imagine how I'll make the world a better place

All I need is a good disguise
One where nobody can recognise
That I'm feeling so small
All I need is a secret weapon
I've gotta have faith
Zapping monsters into outer space
I'm gonna be a Superhero

Na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na-na-

Yeah If I were a little girl
Trying to clean up the whole wide world
I'd kick the bad boys back to school
Teach them fighting's just not cool
I'd give every kid a teddy bear
Turn starving people into millionaires
Break glass ceilings with dynamite sprinkle a little sugar and spice
Turn the bullies that terrorize
Into pink poodles that bark, but don't bite

All I need is a good disguise
One where nobody can recognise
That I'm feeling so small
All I need is a secret weapon
I've gotta have faith
Zapping monsters into outer space
I'm gonna be a Superhero

Na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na-na-na-

Yeah Little Superhero Girl
Little Superhero Girl
Save me Little Superhero Girl
Little Superhero Girl
Save me from myself

I feel like a little girl
Trying to conquer the whole wide world

Finding personal meaning in a crazy world

2009-09-10T16:51:00.002+08:00

My mom tossed me a booked by Kent M Keith titled "Anyway" yesterday when I was sitting by my aunt's side whilst she was sleeping. I read it twice over in succession and like it very much so decided to post up the 10 Paradoxical Commandments that Keith writes about in his book:

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

3. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.

10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

My favourite is the 1st one. How about yours?

Losing faith

2009-08-18T20:21:00.001+08:00

My aunt is very sick again.

She's been in and out of hospital. Her stomach is full of water. Doctors inserted a tube into her body to drain the water. She has to carry that tube around all day. It pumps 1 litre of water out of her body everyday. Apparently according to the doctors (who are a bloody waste of time and money), her liver is causing the water seepage. It's failing. She's not eating because she has no appetite. When she eats, she vomits.

I heard that these are last stage cancer symptoms. She's not going to make it.

My mom says there is no God. She says if there is a God, He must be evil to let my aunt go through this punishment and pain. What did she do to deserve this pain?

I had no retort for that. And I felt very sad and helpless.

our 1st year :)

2009-08-11T20:33:00.003+08:00

A sinfully rich yet deliciously satisfying home-cooked dinner;

A beautiful ring in an eggshell blue box;

A cupcake in a chocolate-brown bag after a long day's work;

Snuggling into his arms whilst we enjoy the silence...

Just a few of the many reasons why I love him :)

I heart strawberries

2009-07-30T07:50:00.004+08:00

We made chocolate-coated strawberries on Sunday.

Amy and Syl's genius idea to make it into a bouquet and wrap it up for Thilini's birthday present.

I think we had more fun eating the ones that weren't pretty enough to make it to the bouquet. Hmmm no wonder we had so many 'lousy' ones...

I heart strawberries, especially if they come chocolate-coated.

I also heart cupcakes.

Cupcake shops have been springing up everywhere in Melbourne. I admire the people who have enough passion to put their talent into good use.

I have to admit that I prefer looking at the cupcakes more than I like eating them.

Had a craving for wonton on Saturday so Juin made some. Syl and I did the hard labour of wrapping them. Yum.

Sangee's pre-wedding party was amazing. Oh the food they cooked up was glorious. Sometimes I wish she was a chef and not a doctor, although she is quite made for the medical profession.

I feel so pampered :)

Yin's prayer request

2009-07-28T06:46:00.002+08:00

My aunt's condition is deteriorating rapidly and I can't do anything to stop it.

I don't understand. I pray every night for her recovery but it just seems like it gets worse everyday instead.

I hate this feeling of helplessness. Of not being able to help my aunt get better. Of not being able to provide the comfort that my mom needs. Of just standing there watching everything go by me.

Cancer is so scary. It's scary cos you know you are dying slowly and painfully but you can't stop it. The treatments are equally if not more painful than the death. It's terrifying. And after years and years of research and medical advances, the doctors still don't know how to fully cure it.

I guess that it's in these times when humans fail that we remember that there is a power greater than all of us.

Please friends if you read this, please say a prayer for my aunt that she will recover soon. That would mean so much to me.

Thank you :)

the Reds are in town...but not mine

2009-07-24T12:14:00.001+08:00

The whole Liverpool squad is in Singapore.

Minus Steven Gerrad but who cares about him.

Torres is going to be there!!!

And my siblings are going to watch them play.

I am officially jealous. HMPH.

Don't come to Melbourne. We are racist and have Swine Flu.

2009-06-14T22:05:00.002+08:00

So I lied. I was supposed to blog AGES ago but I didn't.
I now have no personal life. A huge contrast of what I was 2 months ago - when I had too much of a personal life. It's never a balance.

So it's been work from 8.30pm to 6pm from Mon to Fri and Weekends are dedicated to friends and Juin, so there's no 'me time' so to speak. Then again I've gotten so used to having no 'me time' that I don't really miss it. All I feel is guilt for not replying to emails as often as I'd like to. I can't please everyone, you know ;)

They asked me to work weekends and I said 'no' so loudly the whole office must have heard. I think no one has a life outside the workplace. Which is so sad. Because everyone needs time to stop and smell the flowers.

To all my dear friends having exams now, all the best of luck! My dear sister is going through exam after exam for the next 5 months so I am keeping her in my prayers always, as I am my aunt. She is not getting better at the moment, and what made things worse was when her doctor told her she only has 3 months more to live and that there was nothing else he could do for her. She switched doctors immediately but the whole episode gave my mom a huge scare.

Oh life. We take it for granted until we lose it. We forget it's fragile-ness. Is there even such a word? My England is going down the drain.

By the way, tell all your friends not to come to Melbourne. We are racist and are now the Swine Flu Capital of the world. Spend your hard-earned money somewhere more fruitful. Japan perhaps.

Don't eat at Grand Tofu 2 which just opened in Glen Waverley:
1. Food took forever to come out;
2. Service was lousy;
3. Food was disgusting;
4. I ate Assam Laksa and a fish bone got lodged in my throat and pierced it. When I managed to cough it up, it was covered in blood. The boss asked for feedback and Juin told her what happened. She was adamant that this always happens where fish is concered. Juin vowed never to go back again because of her sheer rudeness.

Don't go to the Bubble tea stall in Chadstone (it's called Bubble Bubble I think). The other day we ordered Green Milk Tea with Pearl and the pearls came out soggy and disgusting and the drink tasted like water (the most horrible bubble tea I have EVER tasted). When we asked them if it was ok if they could make another cup, they refused and said that they can add milk powder to the already disgusting drink if we wanted. I gave them a horrified look and said I didn't want it anymore and walked away. What a waste of my $3.80.

Life sucks in general. But it makes it all worthwhile having Juin and awesome friends. I mean REAL friends who listen to you. Who come to your rescue when you need them. Who love you as much as you love them. Not just random people on Facebook. Not colleagues you spend almost all your time with. Real friends.

And for that, life is worth living.

greetings from my room :)

2009-05-24T19:25:00.002+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been busy working. After 10 hours at the computer, I just feel like coming home and crashing on my big bed. At the moment it's becoming more and more crowded!

Will blog again tomorrow!! Promise!! :) Have a good week!!

My happy family - Happy Mothers' Day!!!

2009-05-10T20:54:00.002+08:00

Just a shoutout to my mom, aunt, and to all moms on this planet...

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY!!!

You know we love 'ya.

Joy Luck Club

2009-04-16T07:45:00.002+08:00

I recently went on a rampage to find my lost childhood, so I've been reliving it via all the ridiculous ways possible, for example:

1. Buying and watching the old, old, old, back before they started looking weird, 1991 kindda old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Those episodes bring back fond memories. I can even remember some of them!

2. Looking EVERYWHERE for Ring pops, you know, the candy that was so popular in primary school:

3. Buying myself a Casio Baby G. I used to have one when I was 12 (when that was the craze) and I remember begging and begging my mom for it, only to throw it away a few years after it went out of fashion:

4. Watching and reading The Joy Luck Club. I haven't finished the book yet but the movie made me cry:

I've suddenly become addicted to reading (oh my mom's dream has come true at last!). Everytime I finish a book I feel like I need to read another new story immediately. It's a good way to pass time actually. I already have 3 more books lined up after The Joy Luck Club. More on that in days to come :)

my Easter

2009-04-12T21:04:00.007+08:00

Guess where I went this Easter?
.
.
.
.
Werribee Free Range Zoo!!

I've always wanted to go, but no one wanted to go with me. Yesterday we took the chance to go, since we were at Philip Island for half a day and had nothing else to do :)
Here's Mr. Harry the Hippo.

What a sexxxay butt he has *muahahhaa*

I love the rhinos.

The meercats were so damn cute. They remind me of Timon of the Lion King! Here's one digging a hole:

Hey Mr.! Watcha doin???

That's us grinning like monkeys *lol*

It was fun, thanks to Norman who drove all the way there and back. Syl and I just sat in the back and snored our heads off *lol*.

The free range zoo has many other activities. Unfortunately we were there near closing time and had to leave prematurely. However, everything else you want to do, for example, feeding the giraffes, has an extra cost of $70 per person. Otherwise the main entrace fee (around $20) only covers the cost of walking trails as well as a shuttle around the areas were the animals are.

early morning post

2009-04-09T06:16:00.003+08:00

Nails. I like. I want.

I'm still trying to figure out how they managed to do the colourful pattern. It's genius.

Just found out that they are going to do a movie on my favourite Cecelia Ahern book, 'If you could see me now'.

It's coming out in 2011 (oh man why so long?!) and Hugh Jackman is supposed to play one of the leads. It's a strange choice if you ask me though. I always thought that the male lead was meant to be much younger. *shrugs* Hopefully it will be much better than 'PS: I love you' because I loved the book so much but the movie really ruined it for me.

*nails picture taken from Katy Perry's blog

lazy days

2009-04-08T07:23:00.006+08:00

The weather is perfect for sleeping in. At this point I'm almost wondering if I'm just sitting around, wasting my youth away. Maybe I should do something life-changing, like start a campaign for world peace.

Who am I kidding.

The only peace I would like for now is peace in my world, so I can have a dreamless, rested sleep.

The latest addition to my ever-growing family:

His name is Mi(4) Feng(1) aka honeybee. He's adorable and came at an exhorbitant price. I nearly keeled over in shock. Juin is obsessed with buying me soft toys for some strange reason. I told him they were depreciating assets and we spent a good 5 mins arguing whether soft toys were assets or not. I love him so much :)

Walked past the local florist on my way home and caught sight of something bright yellow on the corner of my left eye. Literally walked backwards and stopped. Staring at me from inside was a bucket of the most beautiful sunflowers. I couldn't resist grabbing a bunch. They are gorgeous:

Went to the Melbourne Flower Festival at the insistence of my friends:

Oh what I would give to lie on that and read my book.

Just finished my new book by Sophie Kinsella. Somehow reading her books make me happy.

It's titled 'The Undomestic Godess' and it's about a young lawyer (Cambridge grad) and was working at a top tier firm in London. As it happens, on the day she was supposed to be made partner of her firm (something she killed herself to become), she got fired as a result of making one mistake which cost the firm $50 million pounds. Somehow or other, she landed up working as a housekeeper for a rich family, without her even knowing how to cook or clean or do the laundry (since she was so busy at work all day she never ever learnt how to be domestic). In the end she learnt to do all these things only to realise later that the firm which fired her wanted her back because the $50 million pound mistake was actually a set-up against her by one of the other partners. Of course she would never go back after finding true love and having much-needed time to herself instead of being a slave to her job and her blackberry.

I like this book because it's not only close to heart, it also taught me some lessons about life. For example, we try so hard to fill the voids in our life. For what? If we have everything but no job, we want a job so badly, thinking that if we get one, we'd be happy. But that's not true is it? If we have everything but no boyfriend/girlfriend, we want one so badly, thinking that if we do have one then our life is complete. But that's not true either is it? It's like shopping. You want one dress, you buy the dress. The next day you want a bag, you buy a bag. Then you want makeup etc. and the list just goes on and on because you're never truly satisfied with what you have.

In short, just appreciate what you do have than obsessing about the one or two things in life that you don't have!!!

~till next time folks!! :) Have a great Easter weekend!!!

bits and bobs

2009-04-03T08:02:00.002+08:00

I've been waiting to put up an entry about how we had this weirdo Twilight themed party but Thil hasn't passed me our pictures yet so I guess that has to wait.

Yes, we had a Twilight themed party for the 2 fans amongst us. The thing about a themed party that's so much fun is that you have to relate everything to the theme in one way or another. Everything was black, white and red and our guests came in those colours as well, all except Amy, who thought that she could get away trying to look like the Doctor (one of the characters) in Twilight. The food was all red in some way or another LOL. We utilised strawberries, tomatoes and chillis to our advantage. The food was pretty amazing. It was potluck so we each had something to share. The music of that night was, of course, the Twilight soundtrack, which I have to admit, is pretty good. All in all, we had fun! :)

nostalgia

2009-03-19T16:10:00.009+08:00

I was blogsurfing a few days ago and came across this picture which made me quite sad:

I know. It's just a picture of some tang yuen but it made me think of the days I used to spend in Taiping. Taiping is a small town in the state of Perak in Malaysia. It has fewer than 200,000 people and is pretty backward looking - well, at least it was backward looking when I last saw it. It has got to be about 12 years now since I've been back. Things should have changed by now

Taiping is my mom's hometown. She was born and bred there before she descended in Singapore. My siblings, cousins and I used to spend about a week there almost every year during the school hols.

I miss everything about it. I miss the old house we fondly referred to as 'Green House' ('cos the house was green duh, and the address was 'green house area'). I miss the frequent rides I got at the back of the motorcycle from my cousins. I miss the times when we would play outside and sit on the swing and our cousins would push us. Heck, now I push my cousins' kids on the swing when they come to visit (I feel old). I miss the smell of black coffee when I woke up in green house. The family would gather in the main dining area for breakfast and there would be a variety of things for us to pick and choose from (like colourful Malay kueh, carrot cake, lor mai kai...ok now I'm all excited), thanks to our uncle/cousins who would go out and buy breakfast early in the morning. I miss the times we as kids just sat around, played and talked shit and no one gave a damn about anything. Life was carefree. That's what I miss about childhood.

The reason for the tang yuen picture is because it reminded me of the times we used to make tang yuen from scratch in Green House. I used to have fun as a kid rolling the balls and playing a fool and sprinkling flour everywhere on the floor as I went.

It's all gone now. Even the house is overgrown and weed/pest infested. Only fond memories remain.

of lollies, furry friends & storybooks...

2009-03-19T10:20:00.004+08:00

I've been lounging on my big bed with lollies (I love gummy bears and raspberry twizzlers) and my story books...It's the best feeling...well, one of the best feelings...especially when it's gloomy and raining outside:

Books allow me the luxury of escaping reality for a bit. Just a bit.

Furry friends that I wanted to badly but refused to buy because, well, let's just say I already have a sizeable zoo in my house. And that's not counting the ones I have in Singapore. Ahhhh only a fellow lover of furry friends like Thilini will understand. But it seems that these days she's ditched me for Twilight memorabilia. *tsktsk*. Anyways, Juin bought them for me instead, and I've been making them talk to each other and dance in funny positions ever since:

Ralphie the Giraffe and Zibby the Zebra

Awwww aren't they sweet? Who can resist them? And don't ask me how I came up with those ridiculous names.

oOps. My book's calling my name. Laters!! :)

Hi my name is Hui Yin and I'm a Shopaholic

2009-03-18T00:45:00.005+08:00

Things that I NEED:

1. A delicious-looking new LG Ice-Cream phone, preferably in baby blue, the same colour as my beautiful Nintendo DS Lite :) - I know my current phone is only 4 months old, but I mean, just LOOK at this baby:

IneeditIneeditIneedit!!!!

2. A gorgeous pure, bright, white, sexy Sony Vaio :)

I mean, this would SOOOO compliment my LG Ice Cream XD

3. A Mini-Cooper. To tell you the truth, I don't like Mini-Coopers at all. Not one bit. But I mean, this has Josh Groban's FACE AND BODY ON IT!!!

hey Ma, I'm reading again!

2009-03-16T21:34:00.003+08:00

It's been awhile since I've touched a book. The last time was in December when I finished Cecelia Ahern's 'The Gift'. I read every one of her books religiously as they are released (sometimes twice or thrice over). Since her new book's not out yet, I decided to start reading something else for a change, my Christian books. The thing about me and reading is that:

I'm really picky about books that I read. People think I don't like to read, which is nonsense bullshit because I do love reading, I just am verrrrrrrryyy fussy about what I pick up. Often, a majority of books cannot seem to sustain my attention past the first few pages.

Hence, my Christian books failed to sustain my attention past a few pages either.

However, when I was in Dymocks a few days ago, I picked up Richard Carlson's "Don't sweat the small stuff' and read a few pages. I remember seeing this book at home in my study room, so my mom must have read it. And all this while it's been sitting there in the bookshelf, I've never bothered to pick it up. I flipped it open and started reading it and felt that I must own it. Juin bought it for me in a heartbeat.

When I was in Borders the very same day an hour later, I found 'Don't sweat the small stuff in Love' edition and bought that too.

Then I felt mysteriously drawn to the whole shelf of Sophie Kinsella's books. Borders was having a sale on the whole Shopaholics series so I actually purchased all 5 of them. I am going to have a book marathon. Wheeheee!!

Call me bimbotic but I enjoy easy/light reading from time to time. Law books/journal articles sap too much brain cells from me. Juin's very different. He's more of a cheeem philosophy/law/super deep reader. When I saw his book collection, I screwed my nose up and walked away because those books felt like they were written in a different language. We have nothing in common, but hey, I guess opposites do attract at some point :)

I caught 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' today with the gals. It was OK but really not what I expected. Perhaps I shouldn't have read the book before I watched the movie. Most of the information and sequence of events in the movie were quite different from the storybook. I think the book's much better, if you guys get the chance to read it.

Until next time! :)

turning 21 on the 21st :)

2009-02-22T10:52:00.003+08:00

Time passes so quickly. My brother just turned 21 yesterday (hope you had a good one, brother-man!). I remember how we used to think, as kids, that we'd never reach that age. That it was too far off. That we'd never get to do ANYTHING as a kid. Now it's caught up on us. That's just scary. Oh the irony.

Time is flashing by me whilst I come to a total standstill. Life for me is as meaningful as a bird now. All I want to do is find food in the day and have a place to fly home to at night. Luxuries can wait.

March is dawning upon me. I am starting to become accustomed to this slothish lifestyle. This can't be good.

Valentines' 2009

2009-02-15T22:00:00.005+08:00

A candlelit apartment.

Josh Groban music.

A homemade steak dinner.

A card and necklace.

Hugs and kisses by the candlelight.

A hot waterbottle to ease my cramps.

Every girl should be so lucky.

Hope you guys had a lovely Valentines' :)

*picture taken from http://www.love-a-cupcake.blogspot.com/

it's burnin' up

2009-02-12T22:13:00.003+08:00

I'm sure you guys have already heard of the bushfires happening in Victoria. Even though it's the recession, thousands of people around the country are pulling their money together for the victims of the fires. People have been pouring in to donate blood. America and Singapore have offered to help in different ways. Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman donated half a million together.

Look what the fires are doing to the poor koalas who have had their homes razed to the ground:

It's just so sad.

But it's nice to know that the victims are not alone and even with the struggling financial crisis, people are still trying to help in every way possible.

There's a light at the end of every tunnel after all.

*picture courtesy of www.pinkisthenewblog.com

knight in shining armour

2009-02-06T21:36:00.001+08:00

Josh Groban on an episode of The Simpsons.

Gorgeous even in cartoon form :)

happy 牛 year!!!

2009-01-25T16:20:00.003+08:00

Ahhhhh it's that time of the year again. Chinese New Year. The time of the year that people shop like there's no tomorrow. I have been out these few days trying to run errands for mom as well as trying to get all my stuff ready to pack because I'm leaving Singapore in another 4 days >.<

People are just mad. Correction. Singaporeans are mad. There are no signs of recession here as they buy, buy, buy and buy some more.

Tonight is the Chinese New Year eve reunion dinner. Lots of eating coming my way!!

My birthday = I'm old. Celebrating it with my favourite nephew:

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes. I got a shock when I switched my mobile on in the morning and it showed 10 new messages :) Got many more throughout the day. Thank you!

Juin and I realised that we bought the same birthday card for each other. Great minds think alike I guess :)

My brother bought the whole Guitar Hero World Tour set so I have been hearing drumming for the past 3 days non-stop. Urgh. Here's my rocker nephew with his dad:

I must say that Guitar Hero is pretty addictive. It's definitely not as easy as it looks.

Time to go get ready for dinner. I'm so tired >.<

Happy new year to most of my peers!! This is your year :)

still hibernating

2009-01-14T16:55:00.002+08:00

Sorry folks...I've been MIA-ing for awhile I know. The weather's too hot, the world is boring, yadayadayada. It's nice to hole up in my room alone with my book once in awhile.

I know I'm turning a ripe old 24 next week *yesyes I am getting heaps of 'omg u are sooo oldddd' comments. Whatever. I decided that 24 is such a hmmm-ha age that I can't be bothered celebrating it. When I turn a quarter of a century old next year I probably will celebrate it with a bang, but 24 is just tooo hmmm-ha = neither here nor there.

I have things to do and errands to run (now that Chinese New Year is coming) but I am doing what I do best (procrastinating) again.

Celebrated my honeypot's birthday with him on 13 Jan at the stroke of midnight (Aussie time). Looked ridiculous holding a piece of cake with a lighted candle up towards the webcam and singing but I did it anyway.

Josh is one of the celebrities to be singing at Obama's Presidential Inauguration. A must watch :)

Till then folks, have a good one!!

most gorgeous, to die for picture of all time...

2009-01-04T02:28:00.003+08:00

Be still my heart. *faints*