aloha

cny

2012-01-24T00:13:00.000+08:00

#whatiworetobianian

I don't like the name of this hash tag.

新旧

2011-12-30T14:11:00.001+08:00

旧的不去,

新的不来.

evil

2011-12-20T22:40:00.004+08:00

hear no evil.

speak no evil.

see no evil.

bust

2011-12-10T01:08:00.001+08:00

just bust a move.

忙

2011-11-17T16:18:00.001+08:00

忙忙忙.

dress from stephie shop

dots

2011-10-27T01:35:00.000+08:00

peterpan collar and polka dots.

cute factor 5/5.

one

2011-10-17T00:04:00.004+08:00

one.

hi there, it's been a while.

well, what can I say? year 2 is a different ball game.

more readings and tutorials to do to keep me on track.

and there's work.

I'm starting to worry if there's too much on my plate. :x

anyways, here's a pseudo vintage dress.

the fish prints are pretty adorable!

hence my pouty mouth expression heh.

pseudo vintage fish dress from lilypirates

here's a closeup.

social

2011-09-17T14:02:00.003+08:00

here's a little social experiment.

the same status was posted by two individuals, A and B.
A garnered 24 'likes' and 16 comments while B received 4 'likes' and 5 comments.
A has 789 friends while B has 192 friends.

mathematically/statistically speaking, 5% of A's friends and 4.6% of B's friends responded.

so who's more sociable?

food

2011-08-29T23:30:00.004+08:00

some snapshots of food to take your mind of things. :)

apple and raisin crumble from chocolat and spice.
not nice at all.

checked out swee's new place.
my salmon wrap with something something something.

cheng's beef something.

caryn's ham something sandwich.

all time favourite pancakes.
once in a while is enough.

the red velvet sundae was a letdown.

happy holiday! I'll be working tomorrow, x2 pay leh!

resign

2011-08-25T00:29:00.003+08:00

just moments ago, I typed and printed dad's resignation letter.
and I felt this tug at my heartstrings.

you know, I always marvel at dad's job.
he gets to see the after hours of shopping malls and office towers.
all peaceful and quiet, how cool is that?

certainly, there's the irregular working hours.
different projects, different locations, different timings.
I remember there was a project when he leaves the house early morning and only comes home at midnight.
I remember last december was a busy period. we didn't attend any of the family gatherings because of his schedule.
when his brother from the states came to visit early this may and the extended family had a bbq, he was tied up at work.

I know my dad is really committed to his work.
if there's one thing you can't doubt about him, it's his commitment.
and I'm glad I share this trade with him. :)

(I'm getting emotional typing this.)

so for him to quit his job after seven years, something must have ticked him off.
when I asked mom, she just said 那个老板有问题.
probably a code word for it's complicated.
though I have a feeling dad's temper might played a part.
his temper can get pretty nasty sometimes.

I really don't know what job he is going to look for next.
he's not young anymore.
though I vaguely remember him applying for a taxi license after last recession.
nonetheless, I trust my dad and I think we are going to be safe.

I've just received my exam results yesterday.
hits and misses but all was good.
I'll work really hard dad, so you'll be able to 享清福.

shoes

2011-08-21T13:16:00.002+08:00

toms.

hush puppies.

north indian.

I think I've found my shoes style.
covered shoes. with a touch of details.

I'm not the sandals type, my feet looks strange in them.
heels are reserved for performances only.
and I get blisters wearing havaianas.
I still get them from new shoes. but once they're broken into, it's absolute comfort!

I'd perhaps share more on the last pair of shoes.
I bought them from a push cart at thomson plaza.
it was totally spontaneous.

was wondering around killing time when I chanced upon the stall.
the lady told me the shoes were one of a kind, one size for each design.
basically what you see is what you get.

her boss had sourced them from north india and they were made for genuine leather.
these shoes were unique, fully leather. dang, I was ready to reach for my wallet.
oh you know this pair of shoes has no designated right and left?

when this pair fit snugly on me, I was sold.
after a few wears around the house, they were good to hit the road!
my only gripe is the leather soles.
they get slippery sometimes I just slide my around!

alright, I've probably said too much.
what's your shoe style? :)

gym

2011-08-16T16:43:00.001+08:00

today I gymed.

and had peach flan from chocolat and spice.
I ate another chocolate muffin after that hehe.

today

2011-08-08T23:56:00.000+08:00

today i gymed.

and ate prawn mee.
only because chocolat and spice was closed.

god family

2011-08-02T22:27:00.002+08:00

this=love

they are my second family.
they watch me grow for the first twelve years of my life.

I was under the care of a babysitter ever since I was born.
I never got to know her name.
Until the day when sis and I went to visit her, we still call her popo.

That's popo on the right. I remember her jet black hair and it's all white now.

There were also popo's family members who took care of me.
There's ah yi (popo's daughter), shu shu (ah yi's husband), bi shuang jiejie (ah yi's elder daughter and seow shuang (ah yi's younger daughter).
both ah yi's daughters are married with two children already, can you believe it?!

you know, I'm really thankful for them.
in their household, they addressed me by my chinese name and till this day they still do.
when I was young, they communicated with me in mandarin and I think that's where I hone my mandarin. :)
I'm grateful for my command of mandarin today, though not perfect, but still able to serve customers. (some scoopies struggled you know..)

so the day of visiting was a simple dinner at popo's house.
the house hasn't changed one bit, the furniture, the paintings, everything.
it's like it was stuck in the 90s. I wish I have photos to share with you.
it was just nostalgic for me and sis.

they remarked how my features hasn't changed one bit while sis looks entirely different.
sis was under their care until she was 6 if I remember correctly.
mom brought her to a day care centre after that.
naturally she looks different now or is it that I'm cao lao?

between sis and I, I did most of the talking that night.
teenagers, you know. awkward.
but the house was never quiet with the kids running around.

it's so funny, I was told that they were all bubbly and talkative before we arrived but immediately felt silence after that.
haha kids!

alrighty, enough of me.
have you got a second family like mine?

scoop

2011-07-23T22:41:00.003+08:00

perhaps I'll share a little of my scooping experience at bnj.
it's been a month, coming to two, scooping at the store.

am already familiarized with the products and various recipes. so that's good!
I've just started on decorating ice cream cakes.
as you know, I'm not the arty farty type. so I'm definitely struggling in this department.
piping is tough!

work company wise, the girls are nice.
one thing I don't understand is the constant texting/whatsapping/twittering.
I have an iphone, I too have whatsapp, twitter and facebook. but I'm not glued to my phone 24/7.
ah well, I guess my social circle is wide enough.
let's just close one eye yea. :)

have 'gum' pretty well with the full timer there, Jennifer.
she's from china and she used to work at the orchard central outlet (now closed).
so she's been deployed over here.

you know, she pushes the limits of my chinese vocabulary everytime I interact with her haha.
not that I'm not comfortable conversing in mandarin, it's just different?
in the way that I can't slip into english or dialet anytime I want.
so speaking in perfect mandarin still takes some mind processing. :p

oh the tenants around are an interesting bunch as well.
there's this indian stuff at thai express, who always stares and make funny expressions.
Jennifer says luckily he's not handsome, if not sparks will fly haha!

then there's this guy at 1A curry puffs.
everytime he's on shift, he'll give us the leftover puffs/fried snacks without fail.
and everytime they come in one big plastic bag!
wow, can you imagine how much food is being wasted?

then initally there's the preference of morning over night shift.
but I no longer feel the difference.
(though the belgian waffle machines is a pain in the butt to clean.)

all in all I like this job.
I like interacting with people.
I hope I'll find a future job that allows me to do the same. :)

pop

2011-07-15T00:55:00.000+08:00

pop art.

transformers

2011-07-03T14:24:00.004+08:00

sorry for the absence, I've lost my blogging mojo. :p

transformers.

more than meets the eye.

s0 I got a haircut.

people asked why and I'll offer the humid weather as my reason.

I'd like to keep the conversation short and sweet yea.

after I went even shorter, my boyish look seemed too much for some?

I'm not turning lesbian or anything, still a girly girl at heart. ;)

(though the odds of being left on the shelf just doubled or even tripled haha.)

let's just say I've learnt to take it easy and try new things.

what more than a new haircut yea? :)

I'm not sure if I made sense with the above heh.

the last thing I want is being misunderstood so I hope you understand.

caught transformers with the family last night.

dad said it was so-so, that's his way of saying he liked it lah.

mom slept through the entire movie. cos she said all that firing made her sleepy. -.-

sis enjoyed it to the fullest with popcorn and a set of transformers monopoly card on top.

a great family night overall. :)

geek

2011-06-13T22:15:00.007+08:00

geek attack!

I coined this outfit, the clash of the prints.
quirky print top from flea market (at $8!)
vintage boho paisley skirt from DameJolie
giant yellow pencil from a foreign land.

trying some kungfu.

but failed miserably.

very studious.

P is for..

Pencil!

or is it something else?

oh nvm, let's recite some poem.

I hope you had a good laugh at these photos.
I sure had fun fooling around taking them haha.

I'm starting my first job in the f&b industry tomorrow.
feeling a little psyched about it actually. hope all goes well!
you have a great monday alright! :)

pucca

2011-05-29T00:14:00.007+08:00

I've been cooking up a storm. virtually that is.
thanks to the sis who introduced Pucca's Restaurant to me, I'm hooked.

you're wondering who's Pucca?
she's the girl with two buns and slit eyes.
that's my character in the game and I'm the chief of Pucca's Restaurant obviously.

I remember having her figurine hanging on my bag during my primary school days.

the game is basically a no brainer.
kinda like diner dash or restaurant city, though I've not played both.
simply ensure that there's sufficient food for your customers and make sure the dishes are not spoiled when they are done.
simple as that.

as you climb up the level, you get to hire crew to assist you.

this is Jamie.
he's in charged of main dishes while I take care of appetizer & dessert and noodles and rice.

this is Christina, one of my service crew.

Daniel is my service crew as well.

so you basically cook the food on the stoves and bring them to the serving table once it's done.
if you leave them too long on the stove, the dish will be spoiled.

here are some of the dishes I've cooked.
from left, chicken chow mein, peking duck, hiroshia curry ramen, bibimbap, kung pao chicken and sinseollo.
that's the jukebox because music is required in my restaurant.
did you spot my black cat Mio?

as you get to higher levels, you get to cook more variety of food too.
here's a glimpse of my appetizers and desserts.

I liked how the shrimp egg foo young looks.
very appetizing indeed!

as you cook, you master the recipes too.

if only real food looks that pretty.

other than your usual customers who patronize, special guests do visit too.
this is when you have to pay special attention because it's your chance to get some bonus cash.

Abyo was my first special guest.
he's a ferocious eater.
I earn 100 cash each time he visits.

my next guest was sheriff Bruce.
each time he visits, I earn 200 cash.

the third guest was ninja.
oh he's very mysterious.
300 cash for each visit.

most recent guest is food blogger Jumong.
who looks kinda freaky if you'd ask me.
400 cash for each visit.
oh that's another service crew of mine, Rachael.

now this last feature of the game amused me.
there's a recipe sections which provides you with ingredients and instructions to prepare the dish.

I've not tried and probably am not going too haha.

famiglia

2011-05-22T20:47:00.006+08:00

this post is dedicated to my family.

the parents celebrated their 22nd(?) wedding anniversary on vesak day.

the exact date was april 15th on the lunar calendar.

realised that the parents' and grandparents' generation placed more important on the lunar calendar than the west's.

so dad suggested we eat out at din tai fung.

I think it was sweet of him to make the effort to knock off earlier that day.

dad's been busy with projects lately that sis and I have to gao dim dinner on our own.

thanks dad. :)

dinner was just a simple affair.

dad enjoyed the steamed beef noodles, the beef was quote, 'shiok'.

sis loved the fried rice.

the entire family agreed the yam paste dumplings was heavenly. yum!

I think as sis and I grow older, dad's more willing to eat out during special occasions.

you have to know that dad is very spendthrift. very.

he has the habit of keeping loose change in piggy banks and banking them when they're full.

for him to make the gesture, it warms my heart. :)

been spending time with sis too!

sometimes she hangs out with the best bud, xiuhui at the mall while I finished tutoring.

I'm jealous just watching them laughing and talking about everything under the sun.

无忧无虑, 真好.

after her exams ended last friday, I brought her out around town.

we shopped at uniqlo and had dinner at fft.

my veggie medley sandwhich.

corns overloaded.

sis' snail sausage pasta.

the pasta's too creamy to be noticed.

being the older one means I have to pick up the tab.

I guess that's one of the responsibility that comes with growing old eh?

more snapshots throughout the week.

sporting her new toms.

half price frap!

dinners have been instant pastas and boiled spinach.

we got sick of it after two days and reverted to subway.

out and about yesterday.

found avocado and hummus spread at ion's 360 marketplace.

sis requested for this picture.

a couple was seating next to us and I was very pai seh.

she's really good at this.

sis' is heading off for her cohort adventure camp tomorrow.

the house will be rather quiet for the next couple of days. will miss her chatter!

sis and I's personality are really different.

she's the chatty and witty one while I'm the quiet and shy one.

every time she complains that she's always talking to a rock haha.

baggu

2011-05-15T23:14:00.012+08:00

baggu x threadless.

hi there, nice to see you again.
exams are over and here I am!

I've been catching up on my sleep hoping to pay my sleep debt.
been napping in the afternoons that I can't sleep at night heh.

today I thought I'll share with you my baggu x threadless bag.
it was a birthday gift and I've been using it almost everyday!

I paired it with my one and only threadless tee.

included more photos to well, prove my case haha.

I don't know about you,
everytime I get a new bag, I'll ditch the old one and used it all the time until I get the next new bag.

I have a total of 3 duck baggus now, one nutmeg, one black and the threadless x baggu.
currently itching to get the shabd x baggu limited edition baggus.

but it's mighty expensive.
I've already blew some three figures on online shopping last month.
decisions decisions hmm.

side note, still have no balls to go cut my hair short. why?!

秋

2011-04-17T23:55:00.001+08:00

the autumn leaves.

the clock is ticking away.

I'm trying not to panic. trying.

just gotta keep my cool I guess!

go

2011-04-14T23:25:00.004+08:00

yikes, exams are only a couple of weeks away!

stress level hits all new high. :X

I've been watching lots of tv during my mini break.

I wish I can cook like the junior masterchef australia.

can I have dc cupcake please?

cougar town is actually not as bad as I thought.

martha's back on channel 5, but where's ellen?

style by jury still manages to wow me.

charmed season 2, did the P3 actually wear lingerie? or is it just me?

I'd just share with you some photos snapped with my iphone. :)

时来运转.

lace.

restore.

my funny valentine.

@ mary's kafe.

sigh, 细纹多烦恼多.

walking on broken glass.

thanks hdb.

d day acid rain was supposed to hit.

finding your own stride.

strawberry fields forever.

blue yellow green.

tutee's doodle.

I like pinenuts in sandwiches.

born to be wild.

我等到花儿也谢了.

afternoon delight.

am really digging strawberry flavoured food now.

from $1 to $1.20 to $1.50,

the best muah chee ever!

TGIF, go go go!

绿

2011-03-27T23:47:00.007+08:00

绿悠悠.

I think this outfit is more me.

cropped green coat - nicolethen boutique

yellow dress - gifted

brown belt - fep

I won't be able to pose like this if I get a pixie cut a la Emma Watson.

on another note, I bought brinjal, zucchini, hoping to make some grilled vegetables. don't know if I'll succeed, we'll see. all I need is some evoo and balsamic vinegar.

grocery shopping tomorrow to stock up nutella. have been buahing too much on my pancakes. :p have been trying different variations on the pancakes too, will share soon!

ps: does anyone know where I can get premixed hummus?

bright

2011-03-25T01:11:00.007+08:00

'cos I'm mr. brightside.

I can't believe that I was in jeans again.

(btw, I got a new pair from levi's curve id series. so did mom. :p)

yesterday was just crazily hot and boy was I sweating like a pig!

you see, I was supposed to be a trainer for an anti-smoking workshop to some local sportsmen and sportswomen.

pretty cool huh?

though the athletes will find that it's some boring sh*t. hey, I would too.

it's just a pity that it fell through. :( ah well.

so I was already dressing the part when I head out,

3/4 sleeve shirt - bonitochico

fabric necklance - thrifted at $5

belt and jeans - esprit

the bad thing about skinny jeans? you can't roll them up.

so imagine I wanted to cool my legs at the tutee's and ended up only airing my ankles.

aiyo!

attempting high fashion here haha.

don't know if my creative juices was at work again.

picked up the orange stool, placed it against the wall and plonked my butt on it.

the camera was actually set on the iron board haha.

tried multiple shot and it wasn't successful haha.

oh oh, I surpassed my 10000th shot while taking these!
can't believe I have taken that much pictures!

my heart is still yearning for a dslr lah.
I'm quite set on getting one after the exams.
since I was this close to getting it as my birthday gift, getting the mom the sponsor shouldn't be a problem! ;)

放假

2011-03-16T22:21:00.006+08:00

手忙脚乱.

this outfit doesn't scream 'me' right away.

my shoulders can't carry off oversized tops.

and I'd gladly trade jeans for skirts anyday.

I've worn them out only because I was catching a movie.

this pair of jeans is the only skinny jeans that I own.

been wanting to find a pair that suits my shape well cos I'm on the bottom heavy side.

maybe I'll try levi's since mom mentioned it yesterday.

and maybe she can sponsor it! haha.

I was drawn by the prints and the colour of this top.

it's blue. and I'm a true blue.

when I bought this top, I wanted to pair it with a navy skirt for cny.

but the skirt was just too loose to tuck the top in.

so I've put it aside, thinking of ways to make it work in the meantime.

and here you go!

prada inspired top from nicolethen boutique

jeans and belt from esprit

this bag was gifted.

I really the fact it can be carried multiple ways.

will show you more another time!

my new pink bedroom slippers haha.

sis goofing around as usual.

it's the week of march holidays.

I made pancakes for mom and sis this morning.

second attempt and it was a success!

yesterday's attempt wasn't as golden brown.
mom said it was better than macdonald's leh!
'比 macdonald 的好, 很fluffy.' *beams*

sis is having her break and I'm bringing her for a swim over at aunt's.
I think it's great that I spent such time with her. :)
I've got some time on my hand too.
so I'll probably take some outfit shots and check out food places!
gotta make the break worth while it lasts!

colour

2011-03-07T22:10:00.001+08:00

I would like to have a colourful wardrobe like this one.

picture from here

stranger

2011-02-19T00:31:00.005+08:00

you're some kind of beautiful stranger.

I met a stranger today.

her name is Sarah (with or without H I'm not sure).

she finished her high school in Canada and came (back or to?) Singapore to study arts.

she's currently a first year student at La Salle.

funny thing about the incident is, I didn't have a good impression of her at first.

when I was all in the mugging zone, she asked me to move to another seat so she can charge her mac.

so I was a little bit peeved to get interrupted but I acceded.

I got myself refocused and resumed.

then she passed me this thingy out of nowhere.

'it's an apple' she told me.

one side said 'Don't sigh be happy' :)

and the other said 'you can do it.'

she did it herself and it's now in my pencil case.

I think I'll bring it to the exams with me as a good luck charm. :)

so we chatted a little as I was packing up.

she thought I was an A level student haha, never thought I could still pass off as one.

she's currently working on a story book which was part of her assignment.

assignment was to create a story book inspired by a poem.

she showed some of her works and they were really pretty.

I always wish to be arty farty someday, but it'll never come lah.

we wished each other good luck and bade farewell.

funny, how fate works huh? :)

it definitely made my day.

can't help feeling a bit empty during these times. :X

图

2011-02-05T23:03:00.004+08:00

你好, 新年快乐!

today I thought I'd like to share with you some photos I took with my phone.

dec 19 2010,

some very pretty indian decorations hanging at the void deck.

I wondered what was the occasion.

dec 21 2010,

grocery shopping with the sis.

dec 31 2010,

last day for 30% off tze char.

jan 6 2011,

满天星.

jan 11 2011,

lunch at fft north bridge road.

it's more lunch friendly than 8q.

jan 13 2011,

blue.

jan 23 2011,

packing for flea.

sis couldn't bear to sell her '牛牛' tee, request for one last photo.

jan 26 2011,

grey tabby lazing on the table.

jan 27 2011,

took an oath imma stick it out till the end.

can you spot the mistake?

jan 29 2011,

wore my mickey mouse scarf out.

jan 30 2011,

first flea!

feb 3 2011,

my 'kim pio' plus garden print dress.

feb 4 2011,

are we starting to look alike?

'kim pio' plus navy blue skirt.

have a great rabbit year! huat ah!

d

2011-01-29T11:38:00.002+08:00

thought of posting this photo here.
I koped this off dad's camera when he asked me to print some photos.
I just kinda like the juxtaposition of it. heh.

blue

2011-01-22T01:07:00.004+08:00

blue's my hue.

why hello there, thanks for stopping by.

I've been letting this sit through the new year.

here's an attempt to keep it going this 2011.

well when I wasn't around here,

I earned some money. spent a hell lot.

I got myself bangs. it grew long, I was bangless for a while and I am bang-able again.
I had breakout on my forehead. it got better after facial and now it's coming back.

(thank goodness for bangs)

I got a new phone. old phone's still with me cos they refuse to trade it in, that's how old it is. :'(

I gained some weight, lost some.

I got a new baggu, thinking of getting the threadless tote.

oh I've got cable too! and it's highly distracting. argh.

and on wednesday, I took a tumble.

blame my clumsiness.

there's a deep wound on my left knee and I can't sit properly.

which annoys me because I like to sit and sleep cross legged.

so sleeping hasn't been pleasant for past couple of days.

so is having a bath.

and sis says it's a bit swollen too?

oh well.

right so the question of the day is, what's your favourite colour?

you know like the colour you write in autographs when you're young?

me, I don't think I've a favourite colour?

but I've been told that I have an inclination towards blue.

well judging from my clothes, there's electric blue, navy blue, cobalt blue and perhaps more.

so here's a true blue outfit I wore today.

navy blue bubble dress - woodwood private label

electric blue top - g2k

blue helium balloon

and I had fun taking these self shots haha.

laughing to myself.

failed attempt at trying to spin the balloon.

spot my double chin.

let me know what's your favourite colour!

PS: I'd like to have more balloons of such in different colours.

so I can take colour themed outfits haha.

/side track

I sort of listed some goals for myself to achieve this 2011.

like becoming more socialable.

completing a 21km run.

and maybe more I can't remember.

of course, the egoistic me is building an imaginary birthday wish list.

imaginary because none of them will materialize haha.

till then, I shall 摩拳擦掌 and mug hard for exams.

very scared ah! :S

鳄梨

2010-12-17T23:16:00.003+08:00

鳄梨.

hi there, how have you been?

aye, I've been neglecting this space.

anyways, today I thought I'll share with you my diy avocado spread.

receipe adapted from here

it's pretty idiot proof!

note, make sure that your avocado is fully ripe (very very important!).

this is when the skin softens and fruit changes to brown colour.

I can't emphasize how important this is!

cos you wouldn't want to end up trying to crave out the half ripe avocado.

been there, done that.

then grab yourself a toast and toss it in the toaster.

I don't like to toast it very long, else it doesn't have the chewy texture anymore.

while waiting for your toast, you can mash the avocados!

and I like to BUA my toast with generous amount of avocados.

I usually need two toasts to finish the spread haha.

ta-da!

so other than nutella and avocados, what else goes well with toast?

图书馆

2010-11-26T16:09:00.004+08:00

the library is my best friend.

sometimes he lets me down when I walk away empty handed.

but more often than not, he surprises me.

I thoroughly enjoyed Corinne Bailey Rae live in London concert.

she is a great performer.

though she admits that she doesn't have powerful vocals like Whitney Houston or Beyoncé, I think she makes it up with her soulfulness.

it's remarkable how she's in a trance when she sings, so into the music.

she's absorbed in it that I'm impressed.

I wish to be like her someday.

now I feel like slapping myself for not catching her concert months back.

Mariah oh Mariah.

she sounded strained when she does the 海豚音.

honestly, I think she wasn't as good as before already.

and funny the camera tends to pan away during that time.

oh, I noticed how just her right side always face the camera haha.

I haven't got started with the Beatles book yet.

will share it with you once I'm done!

still stuggling to finish off you-know-who.

on an another note, I finally visited the dentist last friday.

sis' remark about sawing some black spots on my teeth prompted the visit.

I haven't been religious with my dental appointments.

my, it's been 3 awfully long years.

the first thing the dentist asked was, 'what's your problem?'

maybe with a hint of a ah beng attitude.

and I forgot to mention that I always dread going to the dentist.

the pain, the bleeding, the equipment poking! shudders.

last friday's visit haunted me the entire day that I forgot to collect my stats assignment.

so the 'what's your problem?' probably didn't start on a good note.

I left the clinic 30 mins later with bleeding gums and the dentist's advice locked into my head.

floss more often, use more toothpaste and eat less sweet food (!!).

it's been a week and I'm proud to say I've been dilligent, stepping up on my dental hygiene.

I've been flossing and brushing after every meal.

sweet stuffs, well, I'll keep my mouth shut haha.

alright, I'm returning next week to get my fillings done.

accumulated too much cavities since those 3 years, sigh.

let's hope it's not painful!

if there's one thing I don't like about myself, that's going to be my teeth.

it's yellow, filled with tartar, jagged and weak.

so if you have a set of beautiful, white and pristine teeth, I am so jealous.
真的是同人不同命, no I mean 牙啊!

bang

2010-11-18T01:06:00.005+08:00

she bangs.

alright, I gotta admit.

ever since I got myself a fringe, all I looked at these days are people's fringe.

and I gotta admit, keeping a fringe is not an easy feat.

you gotta ensure that it sits 乖乖 on your forehead.

gotta coax it to stay close, at least that's what I'm doing to mine.

not forgetting that it gets in the way of my vision.

I don't know if I looked younger or older with fringe? what say you?

and I don't know if I should re-perm the hair cos the frilly ends are starting to make their appreance ever since the haircut.

maybe I should just embrace it and give the hair some TLC.

PS: taking a photo of your fringe requires supreme accuracy.

thunder.

2010-11-12T23:34:00.006+08:00

little child, be not afraid.

sis is enjoying her holidays and I got to spend some time with her.

she brought me to eat her favourite 擂茶, otherwise known as thunder tea.

I don't really like the taste of the tea.

you can choose between white rice or brown rice.
I kinda like the wholesomeness of the dish.

sis was craving for baked rice.

so she was 'so going to swensens!'

did I mention the lunchtime promo is really worth it?

somehow, I only liked their fish baked rice and nothing else.

I forsee more of sisterly time with the sis.

I guess it's part of building the sister bond.

though she complains she does the talking all the time and I'm like a rock.

I don't know, maybe I just like to listen?

by the way,

do you know where I can find chicken rice ball?

I remember my 奶妈 used to cook the rice and I'd help her to roll them into balls.

feel like having a ball of chicken rice right now!

heart

2010-11-01T12:48:00.003+08:00

heartBeat

National Library Drama Centre Black Box

4, 5 & 6 November 2010

7:30pm

Tickets at $25

(Group discounts available)

----

I'm very thankful there's no class this week. phew.

so I can fully concentrate on concert.

still feeling exhausted from yesterday's tech run.

but gotta press on!

there's the confidence issue I have with myself.

I hope I can overcome it in time.

there's no tuition too. (cheng, I spell it correctly!)

bringing the kiddo to national library tomorrow.

let's hope he's gonna like it there!

author's note:

funny, realised that she's going to make countless trips to the national library this week.

off

2010-10-29T21:40:00.007+08:00

tuesdays and fridays are kinda like my 'off' days.
simply because I don't have to tutor.

but this week I only got my friday off cos the kid is having exam.
it was non-stop tution from monday to thursday.

today, I'd just like to share with you what I do during my off days.
I'm quite a boring person actually, so they aren't that intersting haha.

school ends at 3 on tuedays and I have time to kill before tone rehearsal.
this is like my 'me' time.
I'll buy myself a medium cup of yami yogurt.

medium cup cos the plaza sing outlet was having a promo, $3.60 for a medium cup with toppings.

nothing's stopping me when I get to save 75 cents haha.

pity the promo's gonna end this week!

while savouring my yami, I'll make my way from plaza sing to liang court.

where I get tampopo's prawn and broccoli salad, that will be my daily fix of veggies.

then it's off to smu for tone.

or sometimes I'll pay the fruit stall uncle at funan's cold storage a visit.
he always catches me in a daze while I wait for my drink.
still, he makes the most awesome avocado milkshake. yum.

so what do you do during your 'off' days?
perhaps you'd like to wear nice nice and parade down the streets this weekend?

I saw this lady during the f1 weekend.
naiise!

this weekend leading to the concert is gonna be crazy man.
afa show on saturday and full dress rehearsal on sunday.
still very worried about ticket sales! :S

psychic

2010-10-17T22:21:00.004+08:00

there's a reason why 2 tubs of nutella are sitting on the counter.

see, I've ran out of supply this week.

so I went grocery shopping with my mom on thursday and bought the small bottle.

dad came home a while later, with the 750g jumbo nutella.

dad's the funniest I tell you, I don't know why he got the jumbo!

maybe because it was on discount ($7.50 instead of the usual $9) at nutc?

or because he thinks a small bottle won't last me long enough.

he probably noticed the way I bua-ed nutella on bread in the mornings.

let's just say it's nutella suicide on bread haha.

on a side note, mom went to perm her hair.

she looks like aunt now, who permed her hair some months back.

I wished I can take a photo for you but mom's camera shy.

ever since her perm on thursday, she's been checking herself in the mirror.

twirling her hair to get the perfect curl, asking me how I do mine yada yada.

today, she went to the salon again!

to get her hair fixed cos she wasn't satisfied with the curls.

secretly, I think my mom is a rich tai-tai at heart. don't we all wish to be one?

today was hot like hotdog again, buay tahan ah!
remember to keep yourselves hydrated for the coming week!

sea

2010-10-15T15:25:00.006+08:00

you dream about going up there.

this week's been hot like hotdog.

when I turn on the tap, the running water is warm.

when I pour a cup of milk, it condenses within minutes.

so how do you curb the heat?

you might wanna try taking a swim like my sis!

brought sis and her friend over to aunt's place for a swim last week.

I was well, babysitting them haha.

then I took some pictures of both of them.

I'd liked to call it an impromptu photoshoot, but I'm no pro lah.

this one's my favourite. :)

as I looked through the pictures,
I realised I'm witnessing a friendship in the making.
hanging out, making bonds every step of the way.

as I'm typing now, sis is out with her friend at wild wild wet.
the initial plan was to head to jurong east swimming complex.
but mom was against it, 2 teenage girls heading to the west with no proper directions worried her.

and sis was quite upset about it.
I could tell she was so looking forward to it.
I'd bring them if I were free. next time okay?

rob

2010-10-10T23:09:00.005+08:00

before I start backing up my files (desktop is cranky again),

I just wanna share with you 2 movies I've watched >2 weeks back.

live in the moments.

when it comes to Robert Pattinson, I'm not a big fan of him in Twilight.

but when he's in Remember Me, I actually thought he did a pretty good job!

or maybe because the script is many times better than Twilight's.

story begins with a wrecked family.

Tyler (played by Rob)'s brother committed suicide on september 11, he was 22.

he thinks father don't give a damn but actually he does.

girl comes along and her spirit managed to heal the family.

when the family begins to live in harmony,

Tyler dies in the 911 tragedy, he was 22.

the movie got me thinking, that's what I'll say.

sometimes we all need a little help.

I gotta be honest.

when I watched this movie, I KO-ed during 3/4 of it.

but what I do know in How to Be, Rob can actually sing and play!

he's actually quite talented eh.

Rob plays Art (I think it's short for Artie).

he's twenty something and he gradually realizes that he must take action if he's going to escape his depressed life as a struggling musician in London.

he buys a book titled, 'It's Not Your Fault'.

used up his trust fund to invite the elderly author to come and live with his parents.

which quickly becomes a painfully funny journey about dysfunction and growing up.

I don't know what happened in the end.

I guess he got fixed? haha.

but I thought Rob's eccentric character was a refreshing change from his handsome/bad boy persona.

so what movies have you watched recently?

want to watch Eat Pray Love leh.

but I haven't read the book and life! gave 1 star only.

爸

2010-10-05T00:24:00.006+08:00

生日快乐, daddy.

sis and I suggested we eat out to let daddy have an 'off' day today.

no fancy restaurant, just zhi char at the neighbourhood market.

had my favourite yam ring! :)

half way through the meal, he remarked 'this is my first time eating zhi char here in 20 years.'

and we all laughed.

my dad's a man of few words but when he speaks, he's actually quite funny.

his behaviour amuses us.

like, the photo above^, this is his 'smile'.

seriously, I think you can do better than that daddy.

like, he lit the candles himself.

sometimes I think my dad's secret identity is a gangster.

by the way he answers the phone with 'hello', 'ah' in a super beng slang.

but sometimes I think he looks like 李南星, the mediacorp actor.

nevertheless, you are one of a kind, daddy. happy birthday.

oh, please pardon my dad's dress code will ya? ;)

east

2010-09-27T22:43:00.005+08:00

journey to the east! what would jasmine do?

1. consult both street directory and gothere.sg as one usually gives you the longer route.

2. after checking out which bus to take, you need a bus guide to tell you where to alight.

never mind if the guide is version 2006, it still works!

that's why I like to bus haha.

3. walk down the shophouses along east coast road and you find yourself immersing in some pernakan culture.

4. and it wouldn't hurt to buy some overpriced kim zhu ba zhang and nonya kuehs for the family.

simply tell yourself, what are the odds that you'll make another trip here?

5. lastly, challenge yourself and wolf down 6 (slices of) cakes.

note: a companion is advised.

speaking of travelling, are you digging the new dim sum dollies' love your ride jingle?

I know I'm having fun figuring the harmonies.

still haven't managed to, in case you're wondering.

need to take more trains!

蝴蝶

2010-09-23T23:10:00.005+08:00

it has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.

I wanted to blog about this a couple of weeks back but procrastinate became my middle name.

let me walk you through this.

it all began when I received a sudden news of the passing of a schoolmate.

allow me to digress about how I knew about his passing, it was all thanks to the mighty facebook.

back in the old days, I think families will either call or text about such news.

no email, let alone facebook or twitter.

now when I look back, I think we have all become slaves of technology.

so as I read the posts on his wall, I had a better idea of what illness he was having.

I don't know him well personally but we were in the same group during a leadership camp so there was some sort of acquaintance.

texted the girlfriends about the news, asking if anyone's free to go to the wake.

chenyen happened to be available so we make a trip down the next day.

seeing his body lying in the coffin was so surreal and so real.

his uncle kindly explained to us his predicament and I admire his bravery for that.

he was having a bad case of cough and it never recovered even after consulting the gps.

a trip to the hospital revealed that it was cancer.

it was a extremely rare case of cancer, very few people were diagnosed with it.

bad luck? or a test of the higher power? or maybe it's just life?

beats me. what a pity is what it is.

I teared non-stop when his uncle told his story. I said a little prayer for him on the day he was cremated.

I think you should hop over to his facebook profile (click) and take a look.

beautiful messages, beautiful souls.

'God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.'

this says it all.

before I leave this world, I'll make sure someone has the access to all my accounts.

ask me when my grandmother's birthday is and I won't be able to answer you.

but ask me my parents', sister's, friends', I can tell you without a doubt.

sundays are family day.

and last sunday, we gathered at aunt's place and celebrated mama's birthday.

I still don't know when exactly is her birthday, I ought to ask dad.

ever since her stroke, she hasn't be able to speak.

she can only utter sounds like 'ah', 'uh', and gestures with her left arm (she can no longer move her right arm).

we always had to guess what she was trying to tell us.

the same happened on sunday.

we failed to guess correctly and frustration got to her.

she started crying, probably blaming herself for not being able to properly communicate with us.

I think mama's emotions are very tender, a single thing can get to her easily.

I would like to think I inherit this from her.

aunt finally hit jackpot.
mama wanted to take a 全家福 with everyone, her children and grandchildren.
when we sang the birthday song, she cried again.
and it was one of those kind of emotional cries, till her leg was twitching heavily.
I certainly pray it won't be the last time we sang for her.

call me superstitous,
but I always believe things happen for a reason.
there are signs around us, quietly signalling that something's about to happen.
(think signs by m. night shyamalan)

today, I finally got down to do it.
schoolmate's passing, chanced upon a dead butterfly, mama and another dead butterfly this afternoon.
those were the signs.

now, do you believe in signs?

fav

2010-09-17T17:19:00.006+08:00

brown paper packages tied up with string.

yes, these are a few of my favourite things.

went to ikea to get a couple of storage boxes.

speaking of ikea, have you seen the happy inside advert?

do watch the behind the scenes too, it's simply adorable.

so I went to get the boxes to store the notes and messages.

my current hallmark box is filled to the brim already.

I don't know about you, but I like to keep little notes and messages I've received from people.

some birthday, some farewell, some wedding invitation, some letters, some christmas and some random notes.

as I sort out these messages, I realised I've lost touch with everyone.

I don't know how it happened, we just drifted and goodbye.

so today I would just like to share with you some messages from the box.

I contemplated about sharing this cos it's very personal.

promise me you won't tell? cross your heart? :)

here's a peak.

this message was from aggie.

she gave it to me during the j2 farewell, I was then j1.

compelling is how I would describe it.

I remember reading it a year later when I was in leadership.

I was utterly vexed and I found this letter.

tears filled my eyes cos her advice spoke to me.

I guess she, as a 过来人, knew best.

this was from a secondary school friend.

he was into photography and everyone got a photo as a farewell memento.

I remember it was a whole load of fun,

we talked about antm, american idol and what nots.

but we have since lost touch.

I found a polaroid he took of me.

those were the days when rebonding was my life.

this was from a secondary friend too.

one of my favourite message cards cos the letter J just look so equisite.

we were close pals, I guess you could say we were like bffs.

we go to tuition together, talk about anything under the sun.

then we stopped contacting once we entered different jc.

and this was from ham.

I loved reading her notes cos her handwriting is very nice.

she used to make me nutella bread and passed them to me in school.

one of my dearest friend and I missed her terribly.

I'm in the mood of decluttering lately as well.

ever since buying that router and now the storages boxes, I had to make space, trash things and get things organised.

trust me, the aftermath is quite a feeling haha.

have you been decluttering?

snap

2010-09-15T21:44:00.005+08:00

just a girl in a car on a lonely highway.

I hope you are having a good mid-week!
my, it was hot as hell today.

today, I would like to share with you some photos I've snapped over the week.
^ above, en route to tutee's house.
shot this through my laura biagotti shades (thirfted from cheng!)

^my ~~current~~ read.
the book is much more interesting and animated than the movie.

^tried snappy jack's for the first time, avocade milkshake.
still prefer the uncle's at funan's cold storage.
I must drink that next week!

^sis's new wallet which matches her watch haha.

^bought macademia home pack.
yami makes us all happy!

^I liked what I wore on monday.
dang my calves are huge.

I never thought 蓬蓬裙 was my kinda thing.
it makes my bum looks bigger than it already is.
but thank goodness this is long enough.

navy blue dress from woodwood given by tingting
audrey hepburn tote, thrifted from flea ($10)
converse sneakers (finally found them!) from rockstar

macdonald

2010-09-09T23:05:00.005+08:00

you're the apple of my ah ah eye.

the house welcomes a new tech!

well long story short, there was a lot of last minute purchases and decision making.

bought the router just yesterday and I single handedly set it up myself.

am kinda proud haha.

in hindsight, it wasn't that difficult lah.

just snap a couple of times and sis only. :p

voilà,

the product of some 4 figure investment.

heart pain leh, spend so much money.

and there's still the accessories, screen guard, laptop sleeve and all.

but I'm glad that mom has been real supportive, both financially and emotionally. :)

she had to come down during lunchtime to make payment.

enquire starhub about the wireless stuff, cos everyone at home are tech idiots.
everything purchased was charged under her credit card.

and she didn't snap at me this whole time. which is actually quite rare.

I'll take good care of this darling, mom.

on the bright side, sis and I don't have to fight over the computer anymore.

she's happy surfing on the apple, while I'm typing away at the desktop.

still haven't got the hang of apple yet though!

perhaps a helping hand will be much appreciated! :)

PS: taking photos with photo booth is highly challenging!

I tried like 7/8 times to finally change my poses in time haha.

star

2010-09-09T22:54:00.005+08:00

catch a falling star and put it in your pocket.

ah, one of my favourite old school biscuit!

do you like to eat the icing first or the biscuit?

I think I like to eat the biscuit first. :)

lol

2010-09-03T21:41:00.005+08:00

from afar, it looks like any other ordinary signboard.

but take a closer look.
(click to enlarge)

kampong bean curb.
I'm sure it'll make a great delicacy.

dad bought oneh oneh from the auntie who sells muah chee.
he bought two packets and finish one all by himself.

I bought one packet sometime back and he finished half of it.

leaving me only 2 pathetic oneh onehs.

I think I found dad's weakness,

oneh oneh.

stomach feeling very queasy now. :S

wonder if it's because of the ice cream in the afternoon?

bell

2010-09-01T23:45:00.001+08:00

when was the last time you heard the familiar bell?

nut

2010-08-29T21:31:00.007+08:00

nuts over nutella.

hello, how was your weekend?

hope you had a good one!

this was what I ate while watching Julie and Julia.

bought the plain pancake from prima deli, it's been a long time since I last had it.

went home and spread it with nutella.

I think I save a couple of cents!

looks like some mud field eh?

as another week approaches, I reviewed how my week went.

was approached to do a church survey and the first word I saw on the paper was 'hell'.

dang, I think I need to repent my sins.

in case you're wondering, I didn't do the survey in the end.

remember the new friend I met who's sharing the same course as me?

she wished me luck for my piano exam.

how sweet of her, me was touched. :)

oh, she plays the violin too.

she's thinking of whether to pursue for dip.

ah, we music people.

in hindsight, I don't think I'm music enough.

piano teacher says I should enrol for the feb exam if I fail.

oh gosh, I secretly hope I can pass!

very tempted by the buy a mac get a ipod touch for free promo.

but need to convine the mom first.

she's still not getting the hint that it's time the house needs to embrace a new tech.

speaking of tech, apple or berry for future phone?

mom can't pronounce cherry without it sounding like jelly.

couldn't find a pair of converse sneakers that I like.

saw one on friday and the next day, it was gone. boo.

should I upgrade to an onitsukas?

project j

2010-08-28T22:49:00.006+08:00

you are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life.

I'll probably marry the man who say this to me.
seriously, who am I kidding haha.

so I went to patronize the video rental shop again.
browse very long and finally settled on Julie & Julia.

I wish I can embark on such a project and cook my year away.
but I can't even crack an egg properly.

Meryl Streep is such a talented actress.
she captured the essence of Julia Child so well, from her accent to the body movements.

because of Meryl Streep's height (5'6" = 1.68m), several camera/set/costume tricks had to be employed to mimic Julia Child's height (6'2" = 1.88m).
countertops were lowered, Streep wore extra high heels, and forced perspective camera angles were used.
which is probably why Streep's foot were often out of the frame.

oh, she's so versatile too!
just saw her as a siao zha bo in Lemoney Snicket's a series of unfortunate events.

and the food ah!
I strongly advise you to watch the flim after your meal.
thank goodness I was savouring my prima deli pancake with nutella, yum.

all the food was prepared on set in a make shift kitchen.
the actors and actresses really ate and act at the same time, the lobsters were the best.
Streep gained as much as 15 pounds (7kg approx.) while fliming!

more trivia can be found here

alright, enough of my ramblings.
some visuals from the movie!

totally dig the idea of wear-a-heart-on-your-sleeve concept for a valentine's party!

now every girl should own a little white dress.

one of my favourite scene. :)

now a bit of juicy news,

the real Julie Powel isn't as adorable as how Amy Adams potrayed.

she's curses, swears on her blog far too often.

that's why Julia found her blog to be disrespectful.

you can read more about the fiasco here

so what movie have you watched this weekend?

brand new

2010-08-24T15:52:00.003+08:00

hello, how are you today? :)

I'm not freaking out much already.
though I've been ls-ing. maybe it's the milk.
opps, too much info for you haha.

I'm two days into the school term and I'm coping well.
been meeting people, six at last count, from different background and they each have their own story to tell.
though some of them can be a bit too enthusiastic haha.

and yay, I finally found someone who shares the same course as me!
she's pretty cool, you know. funky hairstyle and all. we clicked pretty well.
but we only have one common lecture slot this year.
nvm, there's still next year.

oh, have you caught the yog fever yet?
got goosebumps all over me when the crowd stood up for isabelle li.

I'm always an enthusiast when it comes to major sporting events, never miss an episode of today at the games.
divian nair is quite a charmer eh?

and oh john burgess, my favourite sports commentator of all times.
it has come to a point where I'll only watch sports which he does commentary for.
he's the best. bagus!

oh yes, dad bought two boxes of 老婆饼 and a box of egg tarts from crystal jade.
sis and I were shocked.
he never buys pastries, he doesn't even eat cakes!
he just came home, leave the bag of pastries on the table and walked away.
and we're wondering if he was buying it for someone or for us?
oh my dad's a mysterious man.

alright, off I go.
gotta identify more cadences!
and wish me luck, it's econs tomorrow! :/

freak

2010-08-21T22:25:00.005+08:00

the grass is greener on the inside.

I'm freaking out.

haven't got my student card and my (only 2) friends have gotten theirs already.

I need the card for my attendance.

and school starts on monday.

was supposed to call up the office today but I got preoccupied with tone.

then when I wanted to call they're already closed.

great.

then there's piano exam.

then there's this, there's that, which I don't wish to say it here.

cheese.

2010-08-17T13:15:00.011+08:00

raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

what a warm tuesday isn't it?

dad's home early today and he offered to cook porridge.

but thanks dad, I had a heavy breakfast. :)

hope you're having a pleasant tuesday!

I caught inception yesterday, again haha.

was able to comprehend better but still a bit confused at some parts.

I guess just appreciate the chimness of it lah.

and I'm still stress over piano exam. :(

sis is equally vexed over it.

姐姐，今天老师骂我 leh. 讲我的 sight reading 不好.

she was telling me how her friend kinda looked down on her when he/she knew she's only taking such a low grade.

so I told her to take it in her stride.

we are not some music prodigies, we just learn it as a hobby, a skill kinda thing.

I feel kinda sad for her actually. oh well.

anyways, just some random snapshots.

sis is in co and she plays the cello.

she brings it home for practice on few occassions.

let's say she needs more practice. :/

bought a couple of cheesecakes from the baker's story.

$3.20 for oreo and $3 for plain, pretty cheap in my opinion.
very difficult to find cheap and good cheesecakes these days!
I wolfed down both for breakfast.

nut qwackers hahaha.

red date 老婆饼 from crystal jade.
had to heat it up
cos aunt likes to put everything in the fridge, even bread.

and I'll leave you with a funny riddle my tutee told me.
what do you call a cheese that's not yours?
nanchos cheese! (not-your cheese, get it?)

he really cracks me up.
and oh, he's only 9.

sunny.

2010-08-14T23:23:00.010+08:00

where trouble melt like lemon drops.

hellos to you, how was your saturday?

I went flea'ing today, it's been a while since I last flea'ed.

and I enjoyed it this time!

though *scape was super warm, I was sweating like a pig in my jeans.

bad decision, should have worn a skirt.

got to meet a couple of sellers in persons!

namely Sandy from thecookiecutter, who was the reason why I came down.

she's so tall and pretty in real life!

wanted to get her handmade totes, but aiya, budget budget.

and Brenda from fleuravenue, whom I chanced upon.

yup so I made new friends today! :)

and did some damage to my wallet.

bought a audrey hepburn printed tote for $10.

usual price $12 but I slashed it cos it's last piece haha.

not from the flea, a batik skirt from bukit timah plaza for $20.

aunt bargained from $22.90 for me! :p

and a brooch for $10 from Brenda.

it's currently listed on her etsy at $18 usd. tan teo'ed!

Cheng, I know I owe you the pictures, here's a look at the brooch first!

without the blue ball though.

planning to pin it on my baggu, when I buy it that is.

opps, I disgressed.

wanted to share with you some of my outfits!

the picture on top are the colours of my tanktops.

was packing my wardrobe the other day and I realised my tanktops were in such a hue.

there's the rainbow spectrum.

and the pink/purple spectrum.

on to the outfits!

this is way overdue already, wore this dress to work.

blue polka dot dress - thetinselrack

blue cardigan - bx at raffles exchange

brown belt - fep

then I started playing around,

the flowyness of it.

twirling.

last one.

wore this full black ensemble during the flash flood period.

it kept me nice and warm!
got lots of compliments about my boots, very shy lah.

oh, I had to take this at the doorstep cos the boots were the stars.

black blazer - bc

waist sash worn as scaf

black top - g2k

black skirt m)phosis

brown boots

- aunts bought for me when the extended family went to auzzie.

finally got to wear the tops from nicolethen's boutique!

paired it with bysi skirt.

and a brown skirt.

okay, that's the end of my outfits!

dang, can't believe school is starting in 1 week's time!

a bit scared leh.

grace

2010-08-13T23:38:00.012+08:00

lady in the water.

(my feet looks strange)

I used to be a fan of m. night shyamalan.

signs and the village were my favourite movies.

but the last airbender? come on lah, what happened!

so hi there, how was your friday the 13th?

my desktop gave me a scare today.

everything disappeared when I turned it on. like gone. g.o.n.e

thank goodness, everything's okay after I restarted it and it ran some checks.

I've learnt my lesson, have backed up everything on my hard disk.

but there's something wrong with my itunes.

uninstall, install, uninstall, install already, none worked.

dang, how to listen to music? my shuffle how?

anyways, wanted to share with you my past week (in pictures).

attended little cousin, zi xuan's birthday on the 8th.

she turned 8 and her mom threw a big party for her.

there were popcorn and candy floss machines, a face painting and a caricature artist.

I'm jealous, should I throw one for my 21st? hmmm.

a pony pinata!

haha, I didn't know this photo was taken.

the family head out for brunch on national day.

we head to whampoa market, dad's childhood place.

mama (dad's mom) used to stay there until her stroke, she's staying at my uncle's now.

I really missed whampoa.

$2 chee cheong fun.
where can you find such a good deal?

$2.50 chai tao kway.
very generous portion!

stayed over at aunt's on tuesday and wednesday to look after popo (mom's mom).

saw this ah pek's bicycle with his ling ling long longs.
pretty cute!

had chocolate n spice's peach flan for breakfast.
I've not tasted other flan's around but this one's real goood!

there's a thick slice of peach in it.
had it with cheap skate vanilla ice cream.

popo calls it ah bu pie.
ah bu's apple in hainanese.
you can see her in the background.

the next morning, I head to chocolate n spice. again.

I had pear flan this time!
and I realize chocolate n spice's rendition of flan is very different.

google images gave me tons of caramel pudding looking kinda stuffs.

mom initially wanted me to stayover till today.
but sis 'appealed' for me, I needed to practice my piano.
sigh, my exam's a goner already anyway.

today I went out for a run and on my way back, I saw a black cat sleeping and I thought, 'let's shoot it.

went back home and got my camera, hoping it'll still be asleep.

but it somehow sensed my presence.
the moment I went near it, it opened its eyes.

doing morning stretches.

looked quite scary huh?

then it went back lazing! haha.

don't disturb, 32's my lot.

lick lick.

this one's my favourite. :)

cat seems to say, 'what chu looking at?'

hello kitty's friend.

head over to aunt's place in the afternoon to keep popo company.

my current read.

I know it's already fall but the weather's still feels like summer.

想像一个悠闲的下午和你的书做伴.

how lovely.

here's a photo of popo watching 爱 on telly.

I have to surrender the tv to her at 7pm.

and I think I've inherited my tv addict genes from her haha.

still full from the chocolate cake, I walked home.

saw this missing cat notice en route.

it was pasted everywhere, every tree, every lampost, every bus stop.

I guess the owner's pretty worried for his/her cat!

neon colour to attract our attention.

let's be a kind soul and keep a lookout!

you know,

these couple days stay at aunt's made me realize that I should visit popo (and the helper) more often.

I guess when we aged, loneliness will be the first to set in.

when you can't move around much, only the telly is your best friend.

not forgetting, a 牛脾气 also.

on the last morning, popo was being real stubborn.

she refused to wear her pampers despite the helper's coaxing.

helper called aunt, still no go.

mom even woke up with her call, asking me to persuade her.

but she listens to no one, not even her granddaughter.

she explained to me in her best mandarin that wearing pampers made her feel uncomfortable and warm.

I tried to reason with her, '等一下, 你要上厕所怎么办?'

'ah po, 知道啦' she argued.

and I figured that she probably wanted to take ownership of her bowels at least.

the only time when you wear pampers was when you're a baby, when you were fully dependent on others.

popo just wanted to taste, that tiny bit of independence.

funny how they're always saying age with grace?

I wonder if I'll have the grace when it's my turn.

when I left, the helper said, 'jasmine, must come back and visit. cos (I've) no friend here.'

my heart went out to her.

having to leave your hometown to earn a living is no easy feat.

I won't even have the guts to study overseas.

aunt was telling me she just found out her friend is working on the 20th floor.

one day, she was just looking out of the window and she heard someone calling her name.

she turned around and saw her friend waving on the 20th floor.

isn't it amazing how fate works? haha.

alright, I've 'talked' too much already. later!

ndp.

2010-08-08T15:12:00.004+08:00

live our wildest dreams.

you know national day's approaching when,

a taxi zoomed past you with tens and hundreds of national flags hanging on its roof.

you saw st nicks' girls all decked out in red to donate blood.

there's endless queues at the movie box office. that's when all the gin-nas come back to play cos it's half day!

television programmes are ending 5 minutes earlier so the ndp music video can be played. it gets a bit annonying later on.

not many household are hanging up their flags. mine included. :p

you're on the bus and 2 little kiddos are singing along to corrinne may's a song for singapore in their airy fairy voices. so adorable! :)

国庆日快乐!

snack

2010-08-03T16:45:00.005+08:00

today's the first day of hacking over at the neighbour's.
it has been a nosiy afternoon.
the dust are flying over to my place already, can feel it in every step I take. yucks.

I wanted to get out of the house, sit at starbucks and read.
but the weather's just too warm.
and since go out = spend money = less money, I dropped the idea.

today I would like to share with you some of the snacks I've ate.

chocolate cake from mary's kafe with haagen gaz vanilla ice cream.

the combination will be perfect if I had ice cream from vanilla bar and cafe.

haagen daz was just awfully sweet for me. too sweet liao.

oh, please don't laugh at my plate.

muah ji,
from the auntie who stands outside bishan ntuc with her grocery push cart.
very difficult to catch her but she makes the best muah ji ever!

strawberries with nutella,

I like to have it with heavy scoops of nutella.

strawberries rot so fast that dad don't buy for me already. :(

hello panda!
don't you love your friendly school snack?

I think this limited edition was produced to hop on the world cup wave.
each packet came with a sticker and mine was south africa.

and the biscuits were printed with panda doing different sports!
here's panda in fencing.

and panda the karate kid.

oh, I wished there were more chocolate filling in it.
maybe because it's imported from thailand?
someone once told me pocky from thailand's taste very different from japan imported ones.

colourful agar agar from mary's kafe.

desserts are available for purchase if mary has enough!

carrot cake from mary's kafe as well.

though that thing looked like chilli.

not bad, not too sweet.

though the walnut tasted a bit funny.

I've actually have more snacks to share like milo nuggets but I haven been able to take a shot of them.

so what have you been snacking?

oh yes! drilling has stopped.

off I go to watch some ellen!

luck.

2010-08-02T01:31:00.004+08:00

all endings are also beginnings.

so I ended my stint at PSD on friday.

like finally right? haha.

what started off as a 2 month contract ended up as a 1 year 5 months stay.

but it was a fruitful time spent there. :)

I'll miss,

my colleagues, who have taught me lessons of life.

my work laptop. with the ultra big lcd screen, net surfing has never been this clear.

going on food expeditions during lunch. sometimes a good excuse to come back office late hehe.

my PA friends, who have been really understanding and patient with me.

I got very interesting responses when I emailed all of them about my departure.

some were surprised to find that I'm a temp all along.

some send their best wishes to me and some even welcome me to work in their organization in future! haha.

you know, I cried buckets when the colleagues presented my farewell gifts.

gosh, I'm such a cry baby.

I'm just really touched by the gesture, by the effort (and cash) put in.

trust me, I've seen 15 people left so I would have known the farewell SOP haha.

as this chapter closes, a new one unfolds. (read school)

so I've about 3 weeks more.

ham says I've got lotsa time to party and get ready for school.

not party like clubbing but I wanna,

- checkout some food places (I've a lot on the list),

- exercise, haven been working out for 2 weeks already!

- and hopefully, write some music.

but I've got more pressing issue at hand.

piano exam is 3 weeks away. yes, it falls in the first week of school.

I'm utterly frustrated by it.

I haven been practicing and my aural is lousy with a captial L.

the neighbour is undergoing reno for this entire month somemore.

aiyo, I've got to face the music (literally).

bagaholic.

2010-07-19T23:10:00.010+08:00

don't let me hit you with my pocketbook.

okay, I know it's not exactly a pocketbook.

but you get the idea.

so how you do take a decent photo of your tote?

employ the same formula again!

step 1: as per normal you use the camera's 10 self timer.

result: tote's details not captured.

step 2: you try hanging up on the cupboard.
result: wordings are captured but not exactly a nice shot.
there's no 'life' in it.

step 3: call for backup.
who should be standing by to take your instructions.

step 4: find a suitable backdrop/wall and shoot away!
I actually quite like this wall now.
maybe I'll pose against this in future.
we'll see, cos need to shift a lot of barangs away first.

/edit
I forgot to mention why I brought this bag to work.
you see, I brought the office laptop home to watch new moon.
which was a waste of my time. but since I wanted to catch eclipse, I figured I better watch the second install
ation first.
lugging the laptop to and fro was a pain for my shoulders man.

since we're on the top of bags, I'm yearning for a baggu bag!

don't you love the colourfulness of it?
I'm a sucker for colourful stuff.

the duck baggu is pretty cute!

the backpack, I want I want *jumps*!
but the camel colour is out of stock on the site. :(

you know, I actually found someone who's opening a spree for these bags and the spree's ending tonight.
but the us currency is just too strong for my wallet to take.
when I strike toto/4D lah!

packed.

2010-07-19T00:04:00.005+08:00

no to your letters love.

received a couple of parcels this week.

one's from nicolethen's boutique.

cheng's the one who thank cos I always route the parcels to her.

thanks cheng! :)

don't you love these kinda strings?

second parcel is school materials.

flew from half around the globe.

this darling weighs close to 4 kgs and costs me 4k.
I better study hard.

meow.

2010-07-10T23:35:00.012+08:00

question: how do you take a good shot of your t-shirt?

1. you try the usual way, 10 sec self timer.

result: can't see the words on the shirt.

2. you try standing closer to the camera.

result: words still not seen and you ended up with bigger hips.

3. you give self shot a try.

result: words are visible but the cat's not.

and you end up with fat arms and double chin.

4. you rope in a third party.

siblings who often interrupts your shots are prefered.

and because your mom will think you're crazy taking photots of yourself.

result: a unexpected-ly (?) good shot! :)

once.

2010-07-07T17:15:00.012+08:00

we've still got time.

yay, managed to complete Once in the office!

watched it during lunch time of course, looks like there's going to be more lunch ins haha.

Once is 70% music and 30% story, that's how I would put it.

the most familiar song would be Falling Slowly. the duet which Lee and Crystal sang on Idol? yup, that's the one.

do have a listen to the soundtrack if you can, me thinks it's pretty awesome.

as compared to An Education (cos it's the next recent movie I've watched),

there's hardly any costumes changes this time. in fact, the main cast wore the same clothes for like, 7/8 of the movie.

there's no beautiful sceneries, except the one above.

no high quality pictures too, probably because most of the scenes were shot from afar.

and no hamsome man. I know he's a busker, but do away with the moustache can? :p

with these shortfalls, I would certainly not go to the theatre to watch Once.

but hey, rental is your next best option.

and it's a refreshing film from your usual romance flims. for once.

eCR tomorrow, which I still have no clue what it stands for. enough crappy reasons? haha.

it's going to be a fff (fastest fingers first) affair.

now if you'll excuse me, I'll go crack my fingers and get ready for battle.

education.

2010-07-04T23:39:00.004+08:00

about something that lasts no time at all.

watched An Education over the weekend.

rented it for just $4!

it always delights me what gem you'll uncover at your neighbourhood market.

though the movie rental auntie always looks so aloof, that's not stopping me from patronizing.

rented Once too, but my dvd movie player refuses to play.

will seek for alternatives.

thoughts from the movie,

great wardrobe.

the paris montage was my favourite, no voices, just pictures and background music.

peter sarsgaard has never looked so charming. seriously.

don't we all have the desire to escape from monotony?

oh,

carrey mulligan is dating shia lebeouf and peter sarsgaard is married to maggie gyllenhaal.

the one xiaxue says looks ugly haha.

so what have you watched?

toy story? elicpse?

strawberry.

2010-06-29T00:34:00.004+08:00

strawberry fields forever.

strawberry + nutella = my latest obsession.

step aside banana, strawberry's taking centre stage.

wish I can stay at home and eat strawberry nutella toast all day.

would like to share with y'all my travel photos but would you want to see it?

not very exciting one leh.

am glad that concert preparation has kickstarted.

feels really good when you make a deal!

piano playing is still as horrible.

exams' in a couple of months time.

I really hate to disappoint.

still a bit shaken from today's news.

I'll take it in my stride. I'll try.

enrolment talk and orientation this thursday and friday.

can't really strike a chord with the word freshman.

geez, lotsa apprehension building.

am finding myself uncomfortable under social settings recently.

jb trip is going to be postponed to inifinity (and beyond).

want to watch toy story and eclipse (for the sake of keeping up the trend), but no company and no time leh.

sunshine.

2010-06-15T02:26:00.004+08:00

ray, a drop of golden sun.

so long as I don't let the nightmare haunt me, I should be fine.

there are many roads to rome, I guess I'm destined to take the path less trodden.

thanks Angelin and Cheng for your concern. :)

I'll make use of this trip to probably discover myself?

maybe mickey mouse can lend me a hand. ;)

prelove

2010-06-14T23:40:00.008+08:00

pre-love.

hi there!

before I hit the sack, I thought I'll share with you some pre-love items which I acquired.

finger puppet from cheng.

she found it while clearing up her desk haha.

thanks to her suggestion, I make it into a necklace!

cute eh?

bungee!

white cutout cardigan from mom.

mom dug this out of her wardrobe and say, '姐姐, 这个给你穿.'

awww.

the label.

and I pair it on separate occassions.

with all black.

and a navy blue dress from bc.

a fabric necklace I got from a flea at $3!

what a steal!

paired it with my standard yellow and grey outfit.

this is not preloved.

but since we're on the word love (read: hearts), I'll put this top here.

my first shrug/oversized (?) top.

hmm, is it too big on me?

flora cropped jacket from nicolethen boutique

close up.

paired up with a yellow baby doll dress from colleague.

very difficult to keep the belt in place.

so there you go!
what are your prelove items?

rain

2010-06-12T01:46:00.003+08:00

nothin' seems to fit.

today (friday) was just one of those days where I just feel really really lousy.

like a deflated balloon.

got the news that a friend managed to get into nie.

and I thought that could have been me.

will someone hand me the gun now?

with the re-org at work, my portfolio will be, or rather, has been taken over by a permanent staff.

then what do I do?

temp staff = sai. gang. warrior.

it's crunch time and people's true colours finally show.

I'm just ________.

now's a time when a listening ear will really make me feel better.

not a slice of cheesecake.

not a crystal jade's 老婆姘.

not even a dslr. (I'll probably take that back)

I'm probably overreacting.

I'll just sleep it off and wake up tomorrow with a wet pillow,

hoping tomorrow will be a better morning.

home

2010-06-06T23:06:00.005+08:00

time be my friend.

stupid me. forgot all about the appeal deadlines.

well, honestly?

I did take note of the date but it went to the back of my head.

then came work, which I got swarmed.

then when I decided to log in on friday, it's closed.

and the funny thing is, I didn't feel like shooting myself in the head.

probably because I know my chances are already slim. why challenge it?

I have probably resigned to fate.

wanderlusting next week, let's make it a good one!

宝

2010-06-01T23:36:00.003+08:00

we are family.

(click for a larger view)

I think this photo this priceless, I'm going to develop it.

mom hardly smiles with her teeth. in fact, not at all.

just a pity that dad had to work that day.

what's your favourite photo?

cancer.

2010-05-24T22:25:00.005+08:00

don't rain on my parade.

just in case you're wondering why is a 8 year old photo of me doing here?

hold that thought, I'll get on to it.

yesterday, I went for class as per normal.

but I left class feeling overwhelmed instead.

my teacher told me that he had cancer. colon cancer.

even as I'm typing this entry, I find it difficult to swallow this information.

when he first broke the news, my first thought was, o.m.g.

second, how did he feel? stunned? confused?

then I thought of how morrie from tuesdays with morrie felt.

'Shouldn't the world stop? Don't they know what has happened to me?

But the world didn't stop, it took no notice at all.'

the good news is, the tumour was only localized when he discovered.

operation's all done and he's recuperating at home.

and he still carried on with class. that, I'm utterly impressed.

as I rewind the events on sunday, I realised there were signs.

I don't know if you are a believer, but I believed that when certain things happened, there were signs prior to it.

(think the movie, 'signs' by m. night shyamalan.)

one, class on previous sunday was cancelled, no specific reason given.

I thought, well, maybe he's running for some marathon.

my teacher's a exercise freak, he swims, he runs, he participates in biathlons.

second, when I went for class yesterday, he didn't answer the door. his mom did.

I guessed, maybe he was in the washroom?

third, in I stepped into the house and there's no air con.

usually, he turns on the aircon cos the weather's blazing hot and it's not good for the piano.

forth, when he was teaching my sister, his kinda blew his temper.

(sis and I go for class together, she starts off while I play cooking mama.)

normally, my teacher's a patient man.

it takes quite a great deal to make him angry.

then it was my turn for class when he broke the news.

'I have to off the aircon from now on to let natural air come in so I won't fall sick easily. just finished operation.'

what operation?

'cancer. colon caner.'

my jaw dropped, for real.

I didn't dare to ask much so we continued with lesson.

after class, I pry a little more.

I found out that his cancer was hereditary, he got it from his dad.

he first realised there were blood in his motion.

but he passed it off, delayed for 6 months till he got it diagnosed.

thank goodness, the tumour was 5cm above his anal (I'm sorry if this sounds gross).

else, he has to wear that urine bag (is that what you call it?) for life.

I have been a student of his for 12 years.

I realised that yesterday and hence the picture at the top. it was taken when I was 8.

I am ashamed to say that I am not a religious student.

I don't practice AT ALL.

every sunday, I'll just go then and sight read. hoping lady luck will be on my side.

when exams comes, I'll 临时抱佛脚.

he once joked that, it's a miracle that I can reach this grade haha.

so my dear piano teacher, I'm sorry that I have not been the most hardworking student.

I'll work hard from now on, I will really try.

I just had a thought that what if you weren't be around to teach anymore?

I think myself, my sis and all your students will be in a loss.

and I thank you, for giving me a crash course on life.

how I have took many many, countless things for granted.

this will be something I will remember for the rest of my life.

I will always remember to count my blessings.

I will keep you in my prayers and pray that you will recover soon.

your not very hardworking student,

jasmine

author's note: I thought about mama (dad's mom) too.

how I have not been showing my love to her ever since her stroke.

she can't speak ever since her stroke.

how the other cousins show their love is to give a kiss and give her hand a tight squeeze before they leave.

(we visit her every sunday. she stays at my uncle's place and we gather every sunday for dinner.)

I haven been doing that. I just, find it difficult to reach out.

but from now, I will try mama.

because I know I will definitely miss you after you're gone. (touch wood)

I think I'll leave this entry as such.

I'm already tearing as I type.

so readers, have you count your blessings today?

tiffany

2010-05-22T21:50:00.003+08:00

this is what I had for breakfast today,

hl milk + nutella and banana on toasted bread.

nutella's cravings are back man.

I specially went to buy a new bottle cos the old one's expired already.

this shows how long I have not eaten nutella haha.

I got insipred by Ai's blog

her food shots are simply amazing.

I'm so gonna work on the banana presentation.

hl milk + chocolate banana chiffon cake from tampopo deli.

what did you have for breakfast today?

atu

2010-05-18T23:53:00.004+08:00

words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup.

I haven shared with you my new office computer.

with the migration going on, everyone's got upgraded.

lotus notes to outlook, desktop to laptop.

but for your truly, lotus is still lotus.

so why migrate?

nvm, at least I get a new computer!

old.

kissable says hi!

new.

with a this new bigass monitor, I can toggle(?) the windows.

say, small screen for net surfing and bigass screen for work.

how's that?

easy

2010-05-14T11:03:00.006+08:00

slow ride.

the bus journey to work this morning was unlike the norm.

there was a lady who kept asking for a phone so she could make a call.

being the typical singaporean, no one lent a phone.
yes, I'm one of them.

and I completely understand why we reacted this way.
who knows where the call leads to, probably some place overseas and you'll get a shock when the bill comes.
who knows, the lady might grab your phone, hops off the bus and sing the happy song.

though I had a hunch that the lady was mentally challenged.
she kinda went a little hysterial.

to a point where she reaches over the seat (the ones that's like a level up from the standing bay) to tap the kiddo who is standing in the middle of the standing bay.
I guess that was her last resort cos that kiddo practically ignored her after her repeated calling.

there's an angel, if you look inside your heart.
and that kind soul finally appeared! it was a gentleman.

turns out, the lady was trying to contact this ms tan.
to let her know where to meet tomorrow, like ?!
aiyo, you're only meeting ms tan tomorrow, what's the hurry? hmm.

oh, later I found out that she took a 霸王车.

then there's the bus driver who needs to attend some anger management class. seriously.
either that, bus driving is not for you pal.

he kept honking at the cars,
yes I know they are breaking the law by driving on the bus lane.
but come on, take a chill pill.
he is forever whining about slow traffic, waking up early to send us to work/school.
and he blewed up at a man whom he almost knocked down, well that I guess that's a valid reason.

other than today's anomaly, this week's bus rides have been quite peaceful.
and I'm thankful.
I have been able to get seats and sleep soundly on the bus.
quotes pow, 'there's something oddly satisfying about sleeping on the bus.'

though my 睡姿 is very unglam.

head swaying left right centre, hair all over my face. but heck.
trust me, you wouldn't recognise me haha.

so how was your bus ride to work/school today?
or do you prefer train-ing?

bitter.

2010-05-09T22:23:00.005+08:00

shadows will help you try to hide.

some visuals from last sunday.

back at home, birthdays are a simple affair.

just a cake and a song.

I was teaching sis how to perfect her smile.

vote for your favourite smile!

her smile.

2
'my' smile.

3
1+2 smile.

let's just say this week didn't end on a good note?

the tutee got me real pissed off.
I think I've never been that pissed before. it scares me.
when the mom remarked that I didn't have much patience, I (nearly) took offence.
well okay, I did.
by my standards, I think I'm quite patient.
what say you?

and I'm not looking forward to this week either.
exam madness, geez.

suddenly, I'm loading myself with commtitments.
there's alumni, this current assignment and I took up another assignment.
my weekdays are burnt already.
take heart, Jasmine. take heart.

iTunes is not kind to me today, kept looping sad songs.
sigh, I need some HTH.

老

2010-05-04T09:47:00.006+08:00

only when I sleep.

die, I think I'm ageing. is this how it's like when we hit the 2?

I was relating to Cheng this terrible habit of mine.

how I kept falling asleep in front of the black box.

like last week’s idol, I told myself I will finish watching all top 6 performances.

but i KO-ed when Casey James took the stage. his voting number was 1866-43657-03.

this is not the first time.

Cheng calls it the 老人or lao lang syndrome. cos only old foggies will fall asleep while watching television.
mom totally hates this habit of mine.

she nags and nags till I reluctantly sleepwalk to my room.

though given a choice, I will rather sleep on the sofa till the next day.

that’s first sign of ageing.

second, the tutee never fails to piss me off.

*pulls hair in frustration*
I think my lifespan shortens by a couple of years each time I raise my voice and my temper flares.
I guess I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that lessons will get better cos exams are coming!

number three? I lost my best friends. :(

妹

2010-05-02T02:02:00.002+08:00

happy birthday lil' sis! :)

i know secondary school life is hard to adapt, but hang in there!

holidays are coming.

and erm, time to be a mature girl yea?

confession

2010-05-02T00:01:00.008+08:00

these days,
i've been asked where my clothes are from and i'll reply sheepishly, blogshop.

because i have not been posting my outfits,
because i want you to tell me if i've shopped too much,
here are some blogshop apparels i have accumulated.

bc's victorian cropped cardigan.

pink tank top - g2000

alterted grey skirt - gg5, from mom.

author's note: bad posture.

bc's elegant crochet frock.

bc's printed structured frock.

messy hair.

bc's shoulder padded blazer.

cobalt blue dress - hand me down from colleague
belt - far east

there's more.

so tell me, have i shopped too much?

lemonade

2010-04-26T09:59:00.004+08:00

when life throws you lemons,

daddy got a shock when I announced I'll not be home for dinner this entire week.

he seldom reacts to what I (or the family) say.

he's what you call, a man of few words.

like say, you tell him something, he'll just carry on with what's he doing and pretend as though he hasn't heard anything.

but he heard you of course. loud and clear.

so for him to react this way.

(oh, I remembered him putting down the papers, his jaw sort of dropped and stared at me.)

it probably means a big deal.

and I'm feeling oh so guilty about it.

my bad daddy, I'm a bad girl. :(

I promise to be home for dinner when time allows!

this week's jam packed. (no pun intended, ham haha.)

today - work + voyaje 2010

tuesday - work + catch up with ham + tuition

wednesday - work + tuition

thursday - work + tone

friday - work + tuition

speaking of tuition, the kid's mom asked if I could come down today to prep her kid for compo exam tomorrow.

sigh, I will definitely come if I can.

and I'm having second thoughts about tutoring this kid long term.

but I'll hold to my faith and see.

author's note: why do I always find myself in such situations?

let's put on a good show today guys!

I'm kdding you if I say I'm not nervous.

llulabye

2010-04-19T18:27:00.003+08:00

llulabye for a stormy night.

my gmail theme is a cute little thing.
it changes accordingly to the weather.
like right now, it's raining cats and dogs.
hence the lightning and all.

what's your gmail theme?

hibye

2010-04-16T12:40:00.003+08:00

have you been in a situation where you bumped into an acquaintance and you can’t remember his/her name?
well, I have.
in fact, it happened to me just two days ago.

en route to the mrt, someone tapped on my shoulder.
I turned around and met the eye of a girl.
‘hi, you are jasmine right?’
‘yea..’ dang! what’s her name?!
girl: ‘i’m from choir, remember?’
‘yea..’ quick quick quick, remember her name!
but i couldn’t so i just played along.

the conversation progressed with the usual, how are you, what are you doing now, which uni you applied for. you know the gist.
after we part, I still have no idea what’s her name.

the next day, I related the incident to my colleague and she offered me this solution.
ask for your acquaintance’s number and as you typed in the name, you asked, ‘how to spell your name ah?’
ah hah, me thinks it’s quite a good idea!
though i’m pretty sure the number will be stored and full stop.
haha, so that’s my two cents for you when you are caught in a similar situation.
of course, what I’ll do is to walk away.

oh yes, I managed to find out the name of the acquaintance with the help of the alumni.
her name I shall not reveal but I’ll tell you she’s one year my junior.

mom’s showing her love. :)
because of the tuition assignment, I don’t come home for dinner anymore.
sigh, I missed Dad’s cooking.
maybe I’ll just ask him to set aside the vegetables.
fyi, I help to vacuum the vegetables at home.

so mom knowing that I don’t take dinner,
(cos I reached home real late, like 9.30/10pm. I would have already lost my appetite.)
have been buying sweet treats like tau sar piah and lao po ping
(old wife biscuit, my favourite. I eat them for breakfast everyday. boring, I know.)
thanks mom!

aiya, I’m having second thoughts. again.
I’ll just try, not to think about them.

cough

2010-04-13T15:26:00.004+08:00

have been neglecting my cough syrup.
which explains the prolong coughing fit.
geeez. better start taking them if I wanna recover fast!

received a tuition assignment from huiling.
was asked to cover cos she's having exams now.
the mom requires 4 days of tutoring (wah, a lot leh).
and she's sort of pressing for a long time commitment.
to teach the kid to primary 6 (he's primary 3 now).

at this point, I really don't know.
nothing has been confirmed.

I will gladly do my best to help, definitely.
but I guess I'm just going to tell her to give me some time to consider.
I'm just not sure dealing with a hyper-active kid is something I'm going to get used to.
maybe the kid will get bored of me?

yea, I'm going to tell her to give me some time later.
I can't just jump into the hole and fall to death.

let me share with text from the sis.
she had her 2.4km napfa test yesterday, so I asked her what was her timing.
she said,
1444. Then when my other girl classmates ask me my time I would like say it quite humility (humbly) then wont sound very proud. At leap (least) dont need to retest

I find it quite amusing, her knowing to push her ego down haha.

overseas trip with the extended family has been confirmed.

will be heading to macau and this other china place.

hope to make a day trip to hong kong!

feel like eating portuguese egg tart now haha.

ah, it's been a while since we have travelled in such large groups.
shall start saving money now!
the family have already spent 210 bucks on the bio passports.

mask task

2010-04-04T02:05:00.005+08:00

mask task.

once in a while, mom will apply mask on us.

today, dad was entitled to the treatment haha.

you can see he's clearly unhappy.

unlike the girl

and ladies of the family.
mom's camera shy.

odds

2010-03-30T22:57:00.005+08:00

just the memory of your face.

acceptance: 1

I feel, alright? count your blessings, Jasmine.

I need to go through the tens of pages of PEI.

I have completed all the necessary, see below.

I need to ask the bosses to complete the appraisal online.

I need to sleep, can't read/type properly.

I need to sleep well, have been waking up with hives.

I will vaamoosh, now.

phew

2010-03-29T03:14:00.003+08:00

it's 3.14AM.

DONE:
- online submissions

TO BE DONE:
- ~~abuse office photocopier to make copies of supporting documents~~
- ~~mailing of documents~~
- ~~make payment~~

correct as of 30 March 2010

sleep

2010-03-28T21:01:00.002+08:00

change of plans.
I'm gonna try to submit everything tonight, mail everything out tomorrow.
cos I would like to sleep well tonight, I've been having nightmares.
dreamt about my tooth falling off.
I still want my smile please!

middle

2010-03-28T01:10:00.003+08:00

I'm tired of being the middleman. sick of coordinating everything.
going around collecting money, making reservations, liase with seller.

I have been purchasing from handmade sellers via etsy recently.
because their crafts are unique and they really do need our support.

but unfortunately, transaction with this seller didn't work out.
despite specifically saying that I need the items by friday, the items was nowhere to be seen.
which was very very upsetting.
because it was meant to be a farewell gift for Tingting.
(this is the 9th colleague who left)
sigh, I had a hunch that this seller wasn't easy to deal with from the start.

well, what's done is done.
I'll pass it to her once it arrives.

university applications is giving me a lot of stress.
so many writeups to complete, too little time.
the mandatory bullsh*t just throws me off.
it has come to a point where I just wanna turn off my computer, go to bed and cry myself to sleep.

and mom's not breathing down my neck this time around.
instead, she pass the mission to aunt.
I guess she has realised to let go, just a little bit.

because of that, I'm trying to psycho myself that I will submit everything online on monday.
mail all the documents out on tuesday then I can heave a sigh of relief and enjoy a good friday.

yesterday, I joined in the war.
we fought hard and I left my comrades behind at 9pm.

today, I went to watch alice with pow.
my second time watching, first time was with the extended family in 3D.
a subtitle idiot like me, I finally make sense of the movie today.

I'm envious of pow, she's going to korea for exchange and later to japan for holiday.
some colleagues are asking if I'm gonna take a break, go on a vacation before school starts.
(funny, they have already assume I'm definitely schooling this august. let's just don't assume anything just yet.)
I would very much like to go to perhaps, bangkok.
but no one's free.

moon

2010-03-20T23:30:00.007+08:00

from dilbert.

one of the tasks I was assigned this week was to look up dilbert comic strips.

I guess if I were to read the comics a year ago, I wouldn't be able to find myself relating to them.

but now, I can fully appreciate them.

the hidden pun, office politics.

oh how I loved them.

a friend once told me that a classmate of ours picked up smoking.

albeit shocked, I simply acknowledged.

the other day, I saw the classmate on the bus.

didn't say hi cos she didn't see me.

after she alighted the bus, she took a puff with her (I assume) boyfriend.

it was then that I realised, people do change.

sure, we are all creatures of habit.

there's something that we do out of habit everyday.

like getting outta bed on a particular side, sitting on a particular side of the bus maybe.

but I guess there come a time when we will be tired of routine.

bringing some change can add some excitement our lives.

change a new hairstyle, try taking another bus route perhaps.

right, I think I'm outta focus now cos the cold weather is giving me a headache.

but I hope you get what I mean.

uni apps is giving me another headache.

all the essay writing, exaggerating and all the bull.

I hate it that I have to rely on the discretionary sh*t to gain admission.

for once, I hope I want to make it base on my merits.

just once.

but I guess that's not gonna happen.

nevertheless, I'm thankful for all the help I'm getting from cousin.

adding the beef to the essay and all.

linguistics are better left for the law students.

and may I add that I'm really going bust this month.

with birthday gifts, farewells gifts, lunches, transport and yes, online shopping that I am guilty of.

I still need a pair of running shoes badly. :(

I shall survive on the $2 sesame maru and soya milk set from jollibean.

cold

2010-03-20T22:17:00.004+08:00

WIWs first.
on wednesday, I was feeling a little lazy.

yellow top - Dano

brown skirt - ebase (now defunt)

the sis decided to play nosy.

on thursday, it rained.

I decided to gear up in black since it's gonna be cold in the office.

but I was still freezing the entire day.

with my bag and hardcover book.
note to self: avoid borrowing hardcover books. they are difficult to read on trains/buses.

white vest - mom's (anans label)

black top - esprit

brown woven belt - given by Cheng

black pants - U2 (now g2000)

on friday, it rained again. so jacket it is.

khaki jacket - from mom
pink tank top - esprit
jeans - levi's

funny how one week my outfits are revolving around sleeveless and light clothings.
this week it's long sleeves, jacket and heavy wear.
cranky weather, I blame you.

kiss me

2010-03-13T22:48:00.008+08:00

hi all, meet kissable.

who likes to perch on my head.

hangs around at my cubicle.

stop me from working by sitting on my laptop.

even though he (I think) is a nuisance,

I enjoyed his company very much.

anyways, his name is really kissable!

a colleague passed this plushie to me cos his birthday coincides with my first 'anniversary' at psd.

Kim likes to call it 青蛙王子 though haha.

I would like to share with you this stray cat that hangs around my house.

meet grey tabby!

if you play farmville, you'll probably know why I chose this name.

it started to approach the camera when I whipped my camera out!

thank goodness I acted fast enough, else it will give my ixus a lick haha.

here's grey tabby winking at me. :)

WIWs on thursday and friday!

the LDB given by the girlfriends.

a bit low cut and short for me though.

I paired it with a cardigan for work.

without.

here's a one piece dress which I ordered online with Huiling long time ago.
I couldn't fit in then, now all's good.
but have to watch my diet in this dress!

and yucks, I forgot to complete some work which are crucial for an interview session on monday. because of that, I had a nightmare last night. geez.
I better reach office on monday early!

I had another scare when I can't logged onto my laptop.
high tech is low tech sometimes, really.
and I kept forgetting my new password is americanidol. (lily scott is out! :()

oh I bought a dkny watch!
mom got persuaded watch after much coaxing from the sales persons.
I really thanked them for their patience!
but I think mom got sold in the end cos I said I'll pay from my own pocket.
take it as a belated birthday present for myself then!

WIW

2010-03-09T23:19:00.003+08:00

here are the first 3 outfits of What I Wore(s). WIWs for short.
right, so I should explain why I decided to post my outfits here.

1, ever since I have a facebook account, most of my photos will end up there.
(so do go and take a look! I take a lot of effort to edit them leh.)
and so I forsee a lack of visuals at this space.
in order to spruce up this blog, I shall post photos of what I wore.
simple as that.

2, I strongly believe that you shouldn't repeat your ensemble.
they should lapse around 1-2 weeks, thereabout.
especially for office wear, your colleagues see you 5/7 days.
it gets a bit embarrassing when they notice you have repeated the outfits.
but if they have poor memory, I say lucky you haha.

3, which leads to my last point.
by not repeating your outfits, it shows that you are making an effort to dress yourself.
each outfit is carefully coordinated and I think presenting yourself well is a virtue.

vest - mom's (yes, it was fashion during her time okay!)

white tank - g2000

white pants - esprit

cartoony top - flea @ bishan (only $8!)

denim skirt - esprit

enlarge of the prints. so adorable!
I'm officially sucker for such tops now.

'lab coat' - some shop at orchard central
belt - far east
brooch - granny's day out

will post a close up of the brooch soon!

forgot to take photo of it but it's adorable as well haha.

well, I hope you enjoy the premiere of WIWs.

if you think I'm so full of myself and should stop this narcissistic behaviour, please leave a tag.

funny

2010-03-08T15:38:00.004+08:00

funny, I'm not in the best of mood today.
even though I manage to get a good nap on my bus ride to office this morning.
which is very rare among the kan chiong office crowd.

and there's some odd satisfaction in sleeping on the bus. quotes pow.
though you might look completely hideous.

and it didn't help that the colleagues forgot me for lunch.
well, not that I blame them.

maybe it's the hormones.

on another note, it's good news for the (junior) colleague!
gonna give her a celebration lunch when she's back from her leave.
aiya, why is it that I'm green with envy.
snap out of it!

and oh, dad is a funny little thing.
he bought way too much milk.
I just managed to finish 2 packets which expired today.
and another 2 packets are waiting for me to finish by this thursday!
geez dad, I'm not a cow leh. sis is haha.
eh wait, cows don't drink milk hor?

anyways, I'm gonna post photos of my outfits in a series of what I called WIW.
that stands for What I Wore.
disclaimer, I'm trying to be vain ah!
I'll explain more when I post them.

relive

2010-03-05T17:25:00.002+08:00

just got off the phone with Cinch.
the choir did pretty well in general.
with Jenna in the top scoring cca leaders. well done!

even here in the office, colleagues' children excelled.
with one scoring 4As and another 3As, 1C.
I think it's extremely stressful for parents working here.
your children have to perform. it's not a plus, it's a must.
else, you will lose face.
I can't help but think if I had let mom lose face.

a colleague is collecting her results today as well.
she said she won't text/call us so we'll have to wait for monday.
I hope she bring some good news on monday!

well, I guess today's a day of tears.
be it tears of joy or tears of disappointment.
it brings back some awful memories for me personally.
took me a while to see the light.

and somehow, I can't help but felt a tinge of jealousy for the juniors.
nonetheless, my congratulations to you all.

release of results today also spell another round of applications.
let's get down to it.

help

2010-03-01T10:49:00.005+08:00

the office is real deserted now.
all the staff are away for a townhall session, so please allow me to take some time off work to do a bit of blogging.

I think I've been really lucky these days. at least I chose to think I am.
my visits to the library have allowed me to borrow Sophie Kinsella's books, yay!
in the past, I used to run out of luck on them.

I know chick flicks are rubbish.
but knowing there's a happy ending keeps me going.
like how Luke Brandon came to look for Rebecca Bloomwood and asked her to be his personal shopper in Shopaholic Takes Manhattan.
tell you a secret, I did a little leap out of my seat when I read that.

maybe because my life now is a little bleak, that's why I would like to have a happy ending like those in chick flicks.

but I do feed my mind with intellectual books like Reader's Digest.
thanks to sis' subscription cos her school provided subsidies for the subscription fees.
which reminds me, the subscription is ending this april.
looks like I gotta fork out extra 9 bucks every month from then.

right.
as I was saying, I have been making trips to the library.
after my library visits, I'll walk to the watch shop nearby and ogle at the expensive dkny watches.
how I secretly wish that the shop keeper will recognise me so he/she can give a discount when I finally have enough funds to buy it haha.

on a side note, sis is psyched for the trip with the extended family this june.
though it's just to kl, a mere 50 mins flight. she simply can't contained her excitement for her first flight of her life!
I think I'm more fortunate, I gotta sit in a plane to kl (what a coincidence) when I was 8.
I can still recall carrying my tamagochi along haha.

well, sis could have enjoyed a longer flight to sarawak.
the initial plan was to pay a vist to grandaunt.
but we just got news that there are no more direct flights to sarawak anymore, so boos to that.
nevertheless, at least sis got the plant herself on a airplane seat!

sigh, yesterday's lesson was pretty terrible.
teacher bought a new piano, I don't know if it's because I can't adjust to the keys or I'm just finding excuses.
gotta work hard, Jasmine!
300+ for exams fees is no joke.
I tell myself, if I fail this time around, which I most likely will, my love/hate relationship with the piano shall cease.

even if I pass, which is bull, I won't pursue a dip anyway.
it's just, out of my league.

speaking about money, emailed cousin who's returning to uk to bring back some longchamps.
they are cheaper by about 50% if you buy it singapore. what a steal!
and yes, it's a steal that my mom and I troubled cousin to bring back 3.
siao liao, ka-ching! money fly away.

the kate moss for longchamp collection is pretty nice too!
but waaaay too expensive.

and I'll just like to thank everyone who wished me on my birthday! 谢谢!
on facebook (the first haha) and via texts.
I treasure them very much.
tell you another secret, I keep those birthday messages in my phone for a year.
when my birthday comes along next year, I'll delete the old ones and replace them with the new year's wishes.

why I do that?
cos I feel that I'll carry their blessings with me for the whole year around.
when I'm down, they put a smile on my face. :)

kissable

2010-02-22T23:55:00.006+08:00

19.

(I looked so young hor.)

20.
how apt. (refers to sis' fingers)

dang, I looked old.
I reckon it's the hair.

I told her this photo was blur but she denies.

this is clear! haha.
can't stand the cheeky look.

PS: both year, same cakes. cheesecake from dino.

terrified

2010-02-20T22:51:00.003+08:00

I had a hunch that asking the girls out on sunday's not a good idea.
cos they have school the next day and all.
it's not very nice to stay out late.

and true enough, chenyen texted to say she has urgent assignments to complete.
I'm not blaming her, school's tough and I don't deny that.
we can always check out the place anytime, it's always there haha.

geez, I really need to manage my expectations.

on a side note, the colleagues gave me a big ang pow.
I'm deciding if this amount should go to my dslr fund or I should save it up.
thanks very much for the thought, humbled me is appreciated. :)

drop shop

2010-02-17T00:32:00.006+08:00

春风它吻上了我的脸.

this lunar new year kinda sets me in the spending mood.

read on to find out.

a dkny watch caught my eye.

price was still steep despite 20% off.

mom just wanted to get it, but I stopped her.

regret?

*edited

mom spotted the watch at OG and it's retailing $20 more than the one we saw!

sigh, tempted leh.

a cousin was spotted with a longchamp bag.

and she offered to bring some back on her return to uk.

it's a lot cheaper to get it there than in singapore!
perhaps one for myself and one for mom?

powpow bought her first luxury item!

a coach wristlet, congratulations!

and now, she's going psych over the longchamp bags.

cos I can bring in one at a much lower price haha.

temptation.

and oh, did I mention I'm already on backorder for 3 dresses from BC.

post cny clothes eh? haha.

birthday's coming.

the egoistic me is secretly thinking whether my friends will ask me out.

I've already shamelessly asked my girlfriends out loh. -.-

then again, I don't have much close friends.

maybe tonians and eh.em.

but minhuay's not in singapore so yea.

okay, the egoistic me better shut up.

birthday's just another day.

sim

2010-02-08T15:59:00.000+08:00

applied! phew..
now I can answer to everyone.
I always feel bad when colleagues asked if I have applied.
and I can't give an answer.

applying went ding dong-ed.
forgot how to calculate ranking points, kan-chiong.
searched aj website, no hit.
ended up with a hit on sajc website haha.
double confirmed with chenyen and powpow, at ease.

printed completed application form.
then forgot to note down application number! panicked.
called up the office the next day and got the number.
only to realise the number was with me all along, printed black and white.

few admin left, bring the certs down and pay the fee.
mom's on leave so she's gonna help me with that. thanks mom!
which reminds me that i better 交代 properly, else I'll be in deep sh*t.

espadrilles outing with powpow on saturday!
checked out epicurious.
I'll try to upload pictures soooon!