P e a s keeping

2008-11-25T20:58:00.009+08:00

Exams

2008-11-16T11:11:00.001+08:00

HIATUS! :)

Sprees

2008-11-15T17:37:00.001+08:00

i really needed the retail therapy this afternoon. so i went online and shopped at 3 sprees - victoria's secret, drugstore, and old navy. woohoo!

so i didn't exactly get any work done. but at least i feel much better now!

YAY! they'll be my CHRISTMAS pressies to myself this year :) can't wait! :)

and i have this sudden urge to go shopping and try on all sorts of clothes. holidays here i come! (right after my exams that is)

One step at a time

2008-11-14T23:51:00.004+08:00

AHHHHHHHH!!!!
I AM FINALLY DONE COMING UP WITH MY TENTATIVE STUDY PLANS FOR THE EXCHANGE PROGRAMME!!!

not that i have been selected, but the dean wants to see my study plans by this coming monday, otherwise, i would, apparently, by disqualified from the selection process. it is pretty absurd because according to the application process, i do not have to submit any tentative study plans until i have been selected. my prof also said i didn't have to. so when i received the email that i had to to so by the 17th of november, i was in disbelief.

but oh well, i did it. i have FINALLY finished planning it after 2-3 days (the bulk of it was done today). and i came up with a study plan for all 5 universities that i have applied to. quite kiasu, or some would say that it is not necessary, or not worth spending that amount of time on, but it's alright. hopefully it'll show that i have done sufficient research on the courses available and increase my chances of getting selected. hee.

i have got a huge load off my chest, and i can breathe with ease now. :)

by the way, i am kind of upset that this semester is over. i have never felt like this. in fact, i was always looking forward to the end of a sem because of the gruelling projects and not-so-cooperative project mates, etc. this semester, however, has been a lot more enjoyable. i guess i am starting to grow attached to my friends at school, especially the geog people and my ULC mates. :) geog majors are like the FUNNEST people you could ever meet in FASS.

so... well, i guess i do like uni life afterall. :)

here are some photographs from wed, during lifesaving. we only managed to take our CPR and theory test because it was raining very heavily. water works will be carried out on next wed. :) hopefully i will pass my BM award :)

it was pouring heavily... and JS left his fins and manikin out there.
the pool is my favourite place in NUS. :) it is my 2nd home...

nick the geek :) that's what they call him. haha :)

my lifesaving notes, handphone, camera casing, subway.. all in a mess.

bronze med!!!

dearest janice wondering 'what's taking the examiner so long???' hehe :)
these 3 CPR manikins are our bestfriends :) *smucks*

grace and i! :) :)
fellow geographers who rule the world...

nick and weisin...

my darling grace! :)

assef (big brother) is SUPER sian because of the rain.. :(
"i wanna swim so badly..."

so we ended the test slightly early at 8 plus and decided to do land training since it was raining.

we did lots of skipping and did strength/resistance training with resistance bands. i never knew it was that difficult. (despite the smiles on our faces)
during my first few pulls, i used the wrong part of my arm and hurt my shoulder really badly. i had to massage it for 5 minutes before i could start again. :(

YES! I CAN DO IT!
assef says like i'm about to fly! :)

anyhoodles, i was pretty stressed out about the SEP stuff and wanted to take my mind of some things. i thought it'd be good to meet up with the guys, so bin, hoongy and i caught madagascar 2. it was quite funny but not as good as the first. :) dinner was fab though, we were famished by the time the movie ended, so we headed to pasta mania. this time, hoongy decided to go for jeremy's favourite - CREAMY CHICKEN! for a change. :D fusilli seems to be the popular choice today, cos' both bin and hoongy had the exact same dish and type of pasta. :) as for me, i opted for something simpler since my throat was really uncomfortable - aglio olio! :) it is probably the plainest looking pasta you'd ever have, but it tastes wonderful. and that is what i was going for - flavour. olive oil, chili flakes, and garlic. (probably a bit of parsley). it takes skill to whip up an aglio olio. plus, i was CRAVING for it since forever!!! :) ooh the guys also suggested ordering a pizza, and so we did!

bin gave me some tips on fitness and sports (our fav topic), and we all talked about the biathlon, etc. hmm. still having 2nd thoughts. bin and hoongy have drastically differing views. hoongy and i are more alike in a sense that we would just sign up without giving much thought, then do it. a "GO FOR IT, JUST DO IT" kind of mentality. bin, on the other hand, despite being an adventurous and spontaneous person like me, would analyse further and think of the risks involved. with regards to the biathlon, he was worried that the 10km run would be overly-strenous on my knees and ankles. *sigh* so now i am STILL thinking about it. :) oh and there's the NUS biathlon which i will definitely sign up for.

i have to load up on more Vit Cs... i can feel myself on the verge of falling ill le.

PS: i love my shania baby. sorry i'm unable to mug overnight with you in school today. :( next week when i feel better alrighty? *big hugs* :)

The Great Leap Forward

2008-11-13T23:43:00.001+08:00

Ikeda Sensei once said, "if you summon your courage to challenge something, you'll never be left with regret. how sad it is to spend your life wishing, "if only i'd had a little more courage." whatever the outcome may be, the important thing is to step forward on the path that you believe is right."

PS: thank you nat, for last night.
PPS: congratulations on my super awesome buddy jerms on passing his driving test.
PPPS: get well soon janice, grace, ames, and nat. everyone is falling ill.. do take more vitCs yupp?

On runs and swims

2008-11-11T17:35:00.001+08:00

regarding the Standard Chartered Marathon, i am sorry to inform my dear friends that due to the overwhelming response, there are no more vacancies for the Volunteer roles. hence, we won't be able to camp there overnight and perform our duty from 2am onwards on December the 7th.

it is quite unfortunate because i know some of you have been looking forward to it. but i'm sure that there'll be more opportunities in the near future, so let's give our fullest support to friends who are joining this Marathon of the year! :) whether you're running the full 42km marathon like hoongy, or half a marathon & the 10km run, like mel, derrick, etc... we will supporting you guys all the way! hoongy, i am offering you massage services, i can use the metal meat mincer/pounder to help soften your leg muscles the night before. teehee :)

i know of many friends who are training hard for this marathon, some of whom have injured themselves along the way, so i would like the emphasize the importance of your SAFETY and GOOD HEALTH in the midst of this gruelling journey. haha. 25 more days for you! JIAYOU!

as for me, i am contemplating whether to join the Singapore Biathlon 2009. this event consists of an Olympic-standard 1.5km swim followed by a 10km run. (participants must be able to swim 30 laps of 50 metres under 40 minutes at a swim trial) i am confident to swim 1.5km in open waters, but... i really don't know whether i can run 10km with my weak ankles and knees AFTER swimming. i'm in a dilemna. will i be able to train myself up within 3 months? (to start after my exams)i'm 100% sure hoongy will join this, i wonder if weibin will? i shall ask the ULC people tomorrow after our test. rongming agrees that i should give it a shot, especially since i'm going for the experience, not so much for the timing.

well, what i'm sure of is that it would be one of the greatest achievements for me to complete an Olympic-standard biathlon in the year 2009, the year i turn 21.

When we were young

2008-11-11T15:09:00.001+08:00

i was taking a break while studying, and went to check out some of the old posts on my old blog. i like the feb 20 one. it's hilarious. we were in secondary 4 then, mischevious and not so sane - jeremy and i played a prank on weihoong by sending a secret love (confession) letter to one of the girls in our tuition group around the week of valentines day. haha :D (lucas was innocent btw). and jeremy, remember fefe dobson? haha. wow.

November 11, 2003 (tuesday)

Geetha, Jessica, Ruth and i hit the gym this late morning to shed offsome calories after history lessons. we met up with Amelia in the noonto check out the prices of the BBQ essentials and cracked up at everylilttle thing we talked about. it was difficult to make a choicebetween the two bottles of wine we saw, which we thought would make anexcellent gift for Mr Lee. both wine bottles looked incrediblyexquisite. Geetha mentioned that yam biscuits would be suitable for himwhereas Jess felt that Yun Nam haircare vouchers were more benifiting.i thought it would be a GREAT idea to leave our mobile phone numbers in a box of ferrero rocher for his 3 sons.

Regarding my previous post, difficult times have helped me tounderstand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful lifeis in every way.

Chuang Tzuquotes, "Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free.stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. this is theultimate."

February 20, 2004 (friday)

Jason(Weihoong) pleaded me to confront Sabrina during tuition just now,to let her know that it was just a prank. So Jeremy, Lucas and I gavein to him. After Sabrina got to know about it, Jason forgave me, whichreally didn't make a difference because he did not forgive Jeremy! Itseemed like everything was back to normal, we became friends and all,but when tuition ended, Jason flared up and bellowed at us. I thinkwhat he yearned for was attention. I really have no idea what histhoughts are. One moment he tells me that we should pretend that we donot know each other, another moment he complains that he can't standJeremy and I ignoring him. I think that Valentines' Day prank is trulythe funniest thing I've ever done in my entire life! No offence Jason,but KUDOS to Jerms! :) He also came in top for the Bio test. Smartiepoo!

PS: it's coming. i can feel it. it's going to be the time of the month soon. just don't let it happen TOMORROW! *prays super hard*

Stayin' alive!

2008-11-11T00:17:00.001+08:00

HAHAHHAHA!!!
OMG
kopped this from shania's blog ;)

today, my instructor told us something that made us break into peals of laughter :p according to nick, a studies from some university has shown that when a group of people carried out CPR with the music "stayin' alive" by the Bee Gees in the background, they actually had a higher tendency of meeting the timing of completing the 5 cycles in 2 minutes! haha.

after what nick said, we all went into Bee Gees mode and started singing that song, stanley in particular!!! (with that high pitched voice) haha! whether it is true or not, i don't know! not that i'm doubting nick though, haha! but well, it was hilarious and what we needed then, cos' today's revision training is our LAST BM training before our test on wednesday le, so i can tell some of us were pretty worried/stressed out. :)

i love my ULC (BM) mates. :) last training before our test... we had theory and water works... we saw our examiner today too because the juniors were taking their LS 1, 2, 3 test at the pool too. it'll be a long night on wed, hopefully the test doesn't end later than 11pm. there was once it ended past midnight and everyone had to take a cab home. evil examiner! haha!

anyhoodles! i just cooked some stew for dinner/supper! if you like carrots, onions and tomatoes, please read on! i have discovered the simplest method of cooking. STEWING! :) i just chopped everything up, threw them into a claypot that has about two-thirds cup of water, and let everything boil and simmer for 15 minutes, threw in some chicken breast meat that has been sliced, then let the whole thing simmer again for like 15 minutes (or more). if you want slightly more flavour, you can add half a tablespoon of oyster sauce, and it'd taste PERFECT. it's nutritious AND easy to cook! :) you can gauge how many carrots or onions or tomatoes you want to add in, for me, i had 1 C, 1 O, and 2 Ts. it cooks about 2 servings? i shared it with my mum and sister. you can have it with bread or rice, or on its own. i had it on its own cos' i want to cut down on my carbs intake.

exams are SO approaching, and i have 1 final assignment due on wednesday. i shall make GOOD use of my time tomorrow since i have no lessons. besides spending time at home with my mum, i'll complete the climate change assignment, study a bit more for the BM test, and start mugging for the exams! :)

stayin' alive baby!

Mousey's 20th Birthday

2008-11-09T17:53:00.003+08:00

firstly...

HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY TO YOU MOUSEY (MINYI)!!! :)

here are the photographs taken last weekend when we went to The Wine Company (@ Evans Road) to celebrate our darling's birthday! :)

mousey and shania baby! as you can see, the ambience is perfect for a night spent there with the girls! ;) we chose to sit outside.

first up, came our sausage platter! this platter is one of the more popular ones, and as a sausage (hardcore) lover, of course, i'd recommend this righty? haha :) look at gene's face, damn cute la! she was SO ready to devour all of it! teehee!

darlings! the demure shania and playful gene! with their main courses!! ;)

my girl! the birthday girl! MOUSEY! with her salmon fettucine! i had the same. and sorry for the blurry photo, my camera's fault! teehee :)

gene and i lovin' each other to the extent of sharing our fries!! hehe!! :p

ahh! flash too bright! hehe. :p gene looks damn cute. haha!

okay up next,

the most sinful, most delicious, most heavenly dessert of mine...

so far, nothing i've tried can beat this...

the CHOCOLATE MOLTEN LAVA CAKE!!!
*screams!!!!*
we placed our spoons into it and the melted chocolate oozes out of the cake. it goes really well with the ice cream. and you might be thinking that you can get this anywhere, but no, this is DIFFERENT. this is SPECIAL. this is THE ONE! :) to me, this is the best dessert in the world.

woopeedoo! beer barrels. we like! ;)

reminiscing our good old mischevious JC days.. haha :)

the girls outside the restaurant..

ahh! my favourite pic! :) so sweet! :)

mousey's monster car. yupp, it has a name. we call it monster car. haha. :) cos' it's gigantically huge! kudos to our super awesome driver mousey btw! who fetched all 3 of us to our doorsteps after midnight! :) :) :)

haha super random photos taken by gene!!
shania and i were just going mad in the monster car :p it was so comfy la.

errrr post-halloween? :/ teehee!

lastly, i'd have to end off with a nice group photo right? haha :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOUSEY!

the night we spent at the wine company was really amazing,
we talked about everything under the sun and chilled to our heart's content.
our conversations touched on the different aspects of our lives and we shared our deepest darkest secrets on relationships, talked about our future, our family, etc.
i believe we all feel super blessed to have met one another in JC! :)
our JC life and post-JC life would have probably been much more different without A2 hey? :D
hopefully lydia and shu will be able to make it during our next outing! (camping in dec!)
and we're SO gonna grow old together whether we like it or not! :D
(refers to mousey's comment on bras for saggy boobs when we're old and grey hahaha)

to mousey,
you have been one of the greatest and most supportive friends i've had, especially during JC days. whenever i had any troubles, you'd be able to tell, and we'd just pon PC and sit down by the netball court to talk. :) your constant support and selfless friendship meant so much to me then, especially since i was going through a lot of stress from Council and my studies which really sucked super badly. haha :) i know i've said this before, but thank you for always being there for me. and not just me, but the girls as well. i still remember how you'd collect homework and note down EVERY SINGLE thing that was gone through during the week of Orientation when gene, shania and myself were busy rara-ing campers during the admin days and the camp days. when we got back to the classroom, you gave each of us a beautifully decorated file, with notes of all the assignments, lectures, and stuff we'd have to complete and catch up on. :D our worksheets, tutorials, etc. were meticulously organised and filed with a colourful paperclip too! :) haha okay i'm going all teary already..

anyhoodles my dear, have a wonderful birthday (nov 9),
and since we're always talking about it, i hope you find your prince charming soon honey! :p

*hugs and kisses*
pearls

On kids, bruises, and cravings

2008-11-08T23:13:00.001+08:00

i just got back from the gosho study meeting at aunty joyce's place... and as usual i was playing with kent, jewel and leo before and after the study meeting.

kent was really exhilarated to show me his report book and this letter that he received. it was quite funny cos' he kept bugging me to read the letter. then i was like, "jiejie is tired, why don't you read it to me?" then he did some silly action and tried to enlarge his eyes with his fingers then went on to say, "blah blah blah blah." (trying to tell me that he is reluctant to) then i was like, "okay fine i'll read it..."

so i was reading.. and reading.. "you have been invited to the inaugural ceremony...." then i went on to say "blah blah blah blah" cos' i was too tired to read anymore words. then jewel and kent laughed and i passed him back the letter.

but just as i thought the wordy torture was over, he said that i haven't read the part that he wanted me to see. then i asked him, "what is it?"

so finally, he pointed out to me this line that states, "you have been invited because your child will be receiving a prize... etc." then i went.. "OHHH!!! so this is what you've been trying to tell me? that's why you kept asking me to read the letter?" then he gave this very sheepishly cheeky smile (as usual).

and kent told me today that he wanted to be the President of Singapore "after Nathan dies". yupp he said those exact words, "after Nathan dies" (with all due respect). i was slightly taken aback cos' the way he said it was as if he was looking forward to our President's passing! geesh! but you know, he's only 7 years old so i just let it pass. haha. it was quite fun listening to him talk about his aspirations. he went on to say that if he can't be the President, he wants to be the Commander of the President or something like that. i can't quite remember. he seemed to know a lot, perhaps because of his dad's influence.

when i was 7 years old, i had 2 aspirations. both starts with the alphabet 'C'. wanna make a guess? (answer at the bottom of the post)

it was refreshing playing with the kids. sometimes kids just want someone to listen to them without nagging or giving a second opinion. i think that's important cos' when these children are not afraid to speak to you, their imagination runs wild and they tend to be less afraid to think out of the box, think beyond what is given, and to dream.. no judgements, no rejections, but encouragement and support from the people who lend these kids their ears. and dreaming, is crucial, especially for these kids.

anyways, while i was drying myself after my shower, i realised that i have many bruises on my body :( some are very obvious because of the red sores and bizzare swellings.. (looks super weird and gross) ouch.. and some, like the ones on my chest (not breast; chest.) don't have any bruises but just hurt when i apply pressure on that area. i think they're all the result of the rescue boards. cos we had crazy monsterous training today so yupp. ouch...

btw, i'm SO craving for the following food at this very moment..

- xiaolongbao
- SASHIMI!! (free flow high quality ones only please!)
- hokkaido seafood (mr sim is going in dec! not fair! AHH!!)
- a hot bowl of authentic ramen from the streets of anywhere in japan
(stock must be rich and flavourful, ramen must be hand-made)
- food from The Wine Company (esp pasta, and the chocolate molten lava cake!!!)
- rocket salad with parma ham

okee, i'm going to watch my grey's anatomy season 5 episode 7 (RISE UP) again before i try to sleep! although i'm physically tired, i haven't been able to sleep well lately....

Mind over matter

2008-11-08T18:05:00.001+08:00

the exhaustion felt during beach training today is beyond my description.it was just EXTREMELY EXTREMELY EXTREMEEEEELY tiring.maybe it was also due to mr sim's training last night at the pool. i've never been pushed to such an extent before in my entire life.. (physically, and mentally)then again, it's all in the head.mind over matter! :Dwe can do it!oh and the best thing to have after beach training? my favourite, aloe vera milkshake!!! it tastes like melted ice cream! haha! :) and carrot and orange juice (my all time favourite cos it's so ~~nutritional~~ nutritious!) (see la when i'm tired i type nonsense)i love ULC!!!!!! :)

And then you...

2008-11-07T01:41:00.001+08:00

How my thoughts they spin me 'round
And how my thoughts they let me down
And how my thoughts they spin me 'round
And how my thoughts they let me down

And then there's you
Then there's you
And then there's you
Then there's you...

Change; we don’t like it, we fear it, but we can't stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or we get left behind. And it hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn’t is lying. But heres the truth: the more things change, the more they stay the same. And sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Oh, sometimes, change is ... everything.

- Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy (S04E01, A change is gonna come)

i like to keep myself occupied.. i keep myself very occupied because it is my only way of dealing with it. i'd like to think that i'm strong, but it only takes me a fraction of a second to let my guard down, another second to reminisce, and then... the tears will start welling up my eyes.
it's not supposed to be this hard.

i'll try not to think about anything although i'm in need of my fat hard bolster now. i'm tired, and i'm going to try to watch HIMYM before i catch some sleep.

PS: jeremy, congratulations on officially ORD-ing from Police Coast Guard today (friday). :) *love from your friends who have been supporting you*

Action-packed

2008-11-06T16:45:00.001+08:00

i'm waiting for kickboxing to start, so meanwhile i'm just blog hopping on my lappy and getting myself updated with some world news.

today's 6 hours (non-stop) action-packed lessons have been super awesome. first, we had a presentation during our environmental change lecture. my group mates and i did a project on dams in southeast asia. we discussed about the human-induced environmental changes of dams and their impacts, and how dams are a 'necessary evil'. controversial topic and since our professor LOVES controversial issues, he actually applauded my group in particular because of the stand that we have taken on this argument.

the next lesson i had for the day was a tutorial on climate change, ahhh! my beloved :) and i have this video that i want to share with all of you. it takes 9mins 30sec+ to finish watching it and i strongly encourage EVERYONE to see this. it'd be great if you could spread the word too.

High-school teacher spreads the word on Climate Change

President Obama

2008-11-05T16:27:00.003+08:00

click here to watch the video as John McCain concedes the Presidential Race. i teared while watching this. it was a very sincere and touching speech...

click here to watch the announcement of Barack Obama winning the elections. very heart-warming watching the citizens cheer and celebrate :)

click here to watch the full Obama victory speech. (you can catch a glimpse of Oprah Winfrey in this video, she was one of the supporters in the crowd)

credits: abc news , fox news

America decides

2008-11-05T10:44:00.003+08:00

results shown above are as of 9.37pm, 4 november 2008
(SG time: 10.37am, 5 november 2008)

as we are seated comfortably in school/office/at home, eating poached eggs and apples for breakfast, america is in the midst of counting the number of votes that would determine the future of its country and its people.

click here for a comprehensive LIVE update/results of the presidential elections! :)

PS: i cooked my own poached eggs! yummy! going to work on my diet, realised that i have been eating too much carbs lately. MUST cut down on meepok!!
PPS: i'm still very upset about Dr Erica Hahn having to leave Grey's Anatomy. :(

Bye bye Dr Erica Hahn :'(

2008-11-04T23:48:00.003+08:00

OMFG.

i don't even know how to react to this.. but, our beloved DOCTOR ERICA HAHN has been fired from Grey's Anatomy! like, as in half of Callica, Grey's Anatomy first-ever significant gay couple! and ya, as in, Brooke Smith herself. if you're still lost. she has been officially made to cut ties from the show! AHHHH! :'(

i am really really REALLY upset now. and there is MORE bad news - Dr Hahn's last appearance will be in ~~next~~ THIS week's episode.

HER LAST APPEARANCE!!!! :( :( :(

read here for more details as to what happened...
(actually nobody really seemed to know what happened, according to sources, ABC probably just didn't like her character and didn't think that their gay relationship would last...)

this is really disheartening because i thought Dr Hahn acted SO incredibly well in the previous episode (ep 6 - life during wartime) where she confessed to Callie that she was "so gay" and then cried when Callie left the bedroom.

i honestly don't think it's that simple, no person in the right frame of mind would believe what ABC said. perhaps there have been complains from people who are biased against homosexuality and feel that since grey's is such a popular show that caters to viewers of all ages, it should not feature nor popularize gay-relationships. but still!! c'mon! it's the year 2008!!! GEESH!

i seriously DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

credits: grey's anatomy insider

What a day

2008-11-04T01:20:00.002+08:00

training was focused on theory and CPR today.. our bronze medalion (BM) test is in 8 day's time and we're all really REALLY psyched yet nervous about it. apparently our examiner is the head of CPR and first aid in the lifesaving society so according to nick, he is going to be very 'ngiaow'. our batch of BM peeps always seem to be so suay. first, it was TKC who tested us during our lifesaving 1, 2 and 3 test. TKC is another tester famous for being... infamous. haha :) he is also another particularly 'ngiaow' examiner. and now!!! it's this head of CPR dude. geesh! are we like, cursed or what? haha!

but oh wells, i'm sure that if we pass though, it'd mean that we're all of really awesome standards :D haha. i'm looking forward to the next few trainings. they're going to be very crucial since our test will be conducted at the pool next wednesday. meanwhile, i have to ensure that everyone (including myself) WILL absorb the entire lifesaving manual for the theory aspect of the test. and i'll also try to practise CPR, EAR and choking scenarios at home if my sisters or mum are willing to be my dummies! teehee :)

alrighty, i'll upload photos and blog about mousey's birthday dinner soon! :) we had a really amazing time at The Wine Company on sat night and i feel really blessed to have you guys as 'MY PERSON's!! :) in any case, shania has already updated her blog, so you can check it out here. :)

i really like this song by greg laswell. grey's has been using his songs a lot lately. this is one of my favourites.

PS: get well soon nat and janice! :) stay strong okay?
PPS: jiayou to all my friends who are taking their 'A' levels! :D GAMBATTE!
PPPS: i have a LEGEN-(wait for it)-DARY friend called jerms, who saved me with a $50 note on sat! :D xie xie ni jermsie! :)

Previously, on Grey's anatomy

2008-11-01T12:44:00.000+08:00

the song that's currently being played on my blog is by Greg Laswell, entitled "days go on", from grey's anatomy's latest episode 6 (life during wartime). - "Richard talks to Mr. Begler about phone calls. Owen talks to Izzie about the use of animals in lab tests. Cristina and the interns fight to keep the pigs alive. Richard, Bailey, Erica and Meredith realize they may not reconnect Tori's organs."

the 2nd song on my playlist is entitled "big jumps" and was used in episode 4 (brave new world) where "Bailey reluctantly gives Callie sex advice. George finds Cristina, Izzie, and Meredith completely enthralled by the Dermotology vibe."

"You weren't imagining things. You used to run around here with that doll all the time. Took her everywhere. Cafeteria, OR gallery. Tori's got a whole army. You didn't have anyone. Seeing Anatomy Jane ... reminded me of how much I'm to blame for that. You're a living reminder of every failure in my life. And that's not your fault. And if I thought 'I'm sorry' would hold any meaning for you at all, I'd say it. I'd say it a thousand times a day."
- Richard, to Meredith

spent the halloween training at the pool with the ULC peeps last night, and then i had my subway coldcut afterwhich (assef treated me!)!! it was really fun, albeit incredibly exhausting. afterall, it IS mr sim's (physical conditioning) training :) haha. i swear at one point i was just hugging/dragging the mannequin while doing my backstroke and i just could NOT move. it was like, swimming on the spot. mannequins are cursed!!! i don't like mannequins at all. haha.

when i got home, i went online to d/l my beloved grey's, and talked on the phone with peirong til 2am? we haven't spoken in like.. forever! :) HAHA! :) then jerms called moi and YAY he is already almost at the last episode of grey's season 4! :)

btw, my mum's surgery was a success! thanks my dears for your concern. i'm staying at home today to accompany her. no beach training for me! :) but i'll do 1 hour of pilates before meeting the girls for dinner. my body is feeling sore and i need to strettttch it! :)

mousey's birthday dinner tonight! can't wait! :)

(credits)

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T23:59:00.002+08:00

before the clock strikes 12!! here's wishing all my friends a....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Shinpai shinaide

2008-10-30T00:04:00.001+08:00

Maybe we like the pain.
Maybe we're wired that way. Because without it, I don't know; maybe we just wouldn't feel real. What's that saying? Why do I keep hitting myself with a hammer?
Because it feels so good when I stop.

- Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy (Quotes: from the heart)

AHHH! i wanna go riverboarding with my janjan in perak!!! and then trek up to klang gateridge again. but the dates.... :(

on a side note, we treaded water for 1.5 hours today while nick tested us on the theories of lifesaving. and before that we swam like many laps of head-above water (freestyle). SUPER LOVE IT! although it's tiring. but i love it. after training we celebrated js's birthday with an 'AWFULLY CHOCOLATE' cake (like omg! yummy!)! it really tasted very good! then stan sent assef and i to dover ;) anyhoodles, i plan to go for mr sim's training on friday, and beach training on sat. i will spend my time studying and completing my assignments on the entire friday since i don't have lessons, then head to the pool in the evening. i have 23 more days to my exams, and i will ensure that i spend my time wisely. :)

mum will be having the surgery tomorrow morning... i really hope everything goes well...

GAMBATTE MUMMY!!! :)
GAMBATTE PEARLS!!! :)
GAMBATTE MY DEAR FRIENDS!!! :)

Too much, too fast

2008-10-29T00:18:00.001+08:00

sometimes, i focus too much on the product, and neglect the process that comes along with it.

sometimes, i focus too much on a task at hand, and forget about the people and the emotions.

i should take a chill pill.

yes, we are living in a fast-paced society where it is hard to find time to stop and smell the roses, but that should not be an excuse for me to not spend more time connecting with people whole-heartedly.

on a side note, i have applied for the exchange programme, and have selected new zealand as my 1st choice. also, my parents have booked our family trip to taiwan through a tour company already, so our initial plans to organise everything from scratch as a family was kinda scrapped. there will also be a ULC trip to desaru in december, of which i do not know the exact dates yet, but right now the dates seem to clash with my other plans. we'll get to go surfing in the waters with real waves there, and also have trainings there i believe? i'm not expecting much though, because of the clash of dates. eeks. and umm, thank you tiong, for the very sweet message that came when i least expected it. :) :) lastly, welcome back, nat! :)

alrighty, i shall jog tomorrow with kiat before training, and swim more with grace and jan after that. then it's training til 10pm. and then on thurs, it's jogging and kickboxing with peiwen, and on friday, hopefully i'll get my butt to mr sim's training... come sat, beach training. it seems like, the busier i get, the better i am at managing my time. too much free time is not good for me. :) and i've been sucha laptop geek-freak these days. practically cooping up in whatever comp lab or my bedroom working on my assignments, staring at the computer screen til my eyes turn all dry like meatballs. but oh well, it's not like i have a choice aye? haha :) i just wish i had something prettier to stare at. :)

PS: my best friend has shifted to a new blog! finally away from the old yahoo one. haha :)

Technical Recession in SG

2008-10-28T17:43:00.000+08:00

i think it's important to be aware that the singapore economy is already in a technical recession and will remain weak in 2009.

according to the central bank, projections show that the global economy outlook will deteriorate further, and this has complications on many countries, for example, singapore. being a small and open trading economy, we are vulnerable to any downturn in our major export markets such as the US, china, europe, india and japan. hence, the prospects for a recovery late next year hinge on the performance of these key global economies.
in the meantime, our country's financial sector will suffer from a direct impact, while a weakening consumer sentiment will affect the property market, as well as retail trade. manufacturing and tourism will also suffer from external demand.

we might not suffer from the full force of the recession right now, but the palpable effects will soon be felt, probably in several months' time.

let us all tighten our belts, control our spending (even if our pocket money were to come from our parents), and find ways to save money.

here is an article i found on sgclub.com/wikihow on "how to save money".

1) Don't buy things you don't need.

2) Figure out what you need to save for and how much you need to save. For short-term goals.

3) Set savings goals. Once you determine how much you need to save, establish a timeframe eg “I want to be able to buy a house two years from today.”

4）Figure out how much you’ll have to save per week, per month, or per paycheck to attain each of your savings goals.

5）Add together the installment amounts (monthly, weekly, or per paycheck) for all your savings goals. Can you afford to save this total each period?

6）Pay yourself first. Savings should be your priority, so don’t just say that you’ll save whatever’s left over at the end of the month. Deposit savings into an account (or your piggybank) as soon as you get paid.

7）Keep a record of your expenses. Write down everything you spend your money on for a couple weeks or a month. Be as detailed as possible, and try not to leave out small purchases.

8）See where you can trim your expenses.You’ll probably be surprised when you look back at your record of expenses: $300 on ice cream, $100 on parking tickets?

9）Reassess your savings goals. If there’s absolutely no way you can fit all your savings goals into your budget, take a look at what you’re saving for and cut the less important things or adjust the timeframe.

10）Make a budget. Try to leave a little room for minor unexpected expenses.

11）Open an interest-bearing savings account. It’s a lot easier to keep track of your savings if you have them separate from your spending money.

12）Don't use your credit cards. This is one of the most effective ways to reduce spending. (Some might disagree, but heck.)

13）Kill your debt. Simply calculating how much you spend each month on your debts will illustrate that eliminating debt is the fastest way to free up money. Once the money is freed from debt payment, it can be easily re-purposed to savings.

i DEFINITELY need to learn from these tips, because i'm on a deficit most of the time. and also to learn from jeremy and hoongy cos' they are the two friends whom i know who actually have saving plans! (especially jerms)

toodles!

On SEP

2008-10-27T20:12:00.002+08:00

to all my indian friends out there (especially geetha and karthi!),

HAPPY DEEPAVALI!!! :)

well, i'm actually spending this very beautiful day in front of my laptop, completing whatever assignments i have because i have many more to go and have yet to start studying for my exams which begin on the 22nd of november :D so if you're stuck at home working on your assignments like me, you are not alone! :D *huggles*

btw, i have 4-5 days left for my SEP (student exchange programme) application, and i have made a very important discovery. it's with regards to the university that i wanted to apply to - King's College (University of London). there are only 2 vacancies for geography students, instead of the 7 that i had thought. *sigh* Loughborough University also has a different academic calendar which would have me miss my sister's wedding dinner, and possibly complicating my semester in NUS, so i might not be applying to Loughborough already. :( in any case, i am undoubtedly contemplating to change my SEP uni choice of application, because i am not that interested in going to UK in the first place. i don't want to go to UK because that's where geog students can apply to. right now, instead of going along with the flow of most geog students, i am exploring something else - new zealand and canada. :) there are 2 universities that offer environmental studies, something which is unavailable in NUS, and a field of studies that intrigues me. i am crossing my fingers and twisting them so hard hoping that my application will come through. if it doesn't, then i'll apply again during the next round.

AJA! :)

Fruitful weekend

2008-10-27T02:47:00.002+08:00

lifesaving
beach training
palawan beach
open water swims, runs,
skiing/canoeing, doubles, singles (knee, body)
bow rescue, boat rescue,
soaking up the sun, friends, laughter, grapes, muscleaches. :)

sleepy tired eyes
ames, jerms, hoongy, jess
pasta mania, rubix cube
zara, toys'r'us, camera, kids, kid in us, toys,
present hunting, exploration
secret recipe, accidental porn, violin, cakes,
cakes cakes cakes cakes cakes!
friends, love, smiles, tears,
memories, past, present, future
hugs, support, encouragement,
train rides, talks, cars,
love. :)

at vivo after training, me and ames. and me and hoongy. hoongy wanted me to pose like the fat women in the poster behind -.-"

WE ARE THE TRANSFORMERS!! MWAHAHAHAHA. we are MUSCULAR! mwahahhahaa.

did i mention, i love the first original red ranger - jason? haha. and the kid is sooo cute! ames is crazy CRAZY over him :p

haha my amesie poo on the skateboard. ames u look qutie retarded la! but quite cool also. retardly cool? HAHA! :)

ehh, grow up la, children. hahaha. :p

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS FROM THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD.

fooling around with pck's cap. haha.

ahhh!!! i like this photo. cos i took it. :p i like how its focused on their faces, with the blurry background.

at zara. haha :D

YAY! isn't this cute? classic pic, will forever be one of my favourite poses of them.. since my birthday dinner. teehee :p

SISTERS! MWAHAHAHA :D

jeremy has porn in his handphone. hahahaa.
okay kidding. we were watching a video of him playing the violin. :p so pro!! :p

darling jessica, and our cakes... hahaha :)

and we will still be...

FRIENDS FOREVER... :)

You walked with me
Footprints in the sand
And helped me understand
Where I’m going

You walked with me
When I was all alone
With so much unknown
Along the way

And just when I
I thought I’d lost my way
You gave me strength to carry on
That’s when I heard you say

I promise you
I’m always there
When your heart is filled with sorrow
And despair

And I’ll carry you
When you need a friend
You’ll find my footprints in the sand
When I’m weary
Well I know you’ll be there
Cause I can feel you
When you say

I promise you
I’m always there
When your heart is filled with sadness and despair
Oh, I’ll carry you
When you need a friend
You’ll find my footprints in the sand...

the above song is dedicated to my dearest friends... who have been beside me encouraging me during my toughest moments... who have seen or hear me cry and rant but still love me... who wouldn't hesitate picking up their phone at 3am to talk to me.. who will scold me for not calling them if i need help... and friends who'd accompany me on the phone/physically for the longest time... :) friends who have sacrificed their time for me... who have been by my side all these while... you know who you are. thank you.

18/10 Beach Training photos (more)

2008-10-24T00:44:00.002+08:00

nick (in black) pretending to be a victim, theen mun (aka CTM and ex-chairperson of ULC) as the rescuer :) nick is one of our BM instructors btw! :)

i am very bad at names, so although this very friendly guy introduced himself to me on that very sunny day, i forgot his name. i only know that he is the treasurer. hehe. paiseh! i will find out your name again very soon :p anyway, he is doing the rescue with the torpedo tube and fins :)

me above preparing to do the rescue with the torpedo tube and fins... what we do is to have the torpedo tube strapped on, then we run into the water and wear the fins, make our way to the victim and strap the tube onto the victim. it is very fun but incredibly tiring. apparently, nick hates this event the most. haha.

me on the rescue surf board... it's really fun and i think it'd be more exciting if we were to try it somewhere else like ECP or changi beach where the waters are much more choppy.. in any case, the calm waters was a good place to learn for beginners like myself.

what i'm doing can be improved. my posture - i'm supposed to kneel upwards more.. :)

us learning from the seniors how to do beach sprints.. ;)

once again, nick and CTM.. doing the beach sprint, snatching the flag! nice photo :)

(from left) my fellow BM mate darling - kiat, junsong (aka js, my other BM instructor!) and another senior! bad at names =/ sorry!

a really cute photo of nicole kena "stepped on".. hehe :) nicole is the captain of the varsity team :)

another fellow BM mate, STAN THE MAN! haha :)

my darling grace! aka little mermaid :D (i'm the fat mermaid)

weisin in the foreground talking. another super nice guy... he is the male captain of the varsity team. :) js with the white cap :)

the boards can be used to canoe too! :) *yay*

the 2nd last event of the day... swimming comp in open waters. :)

alrighty, i shall end my post with a very memorable quote from last week's episode of grey's. i tried to search for it online, but it wasn't available, so i decided to type it out on my own from the video. :)

"people are terrible to the people they love sometimes. they're mean. you were both going through a really hard time and you took it out on one another, and it isn't fun but it IS what people do. it doesn't make you the worse wife in the world, it just makes you, a person who made a mistake."

- izzie stevens (grey's anatomy season 5 ep 4)

i loved especially how izzie expressed it... it is a very simple quote, but it is indelible. :)
this season of grey's is SO good... :) it makes me look forward to my weekends... sometimes it becomes my motivation to clear all my assignments before i allow myself to watch it. :)

i was really productive today, academically. besides having lectures and tutorials, i managed to finish up the GIS lab report, consulted my profs and TAs on an assignment, and i came up with a precise draft for my research report on foreign workers and dorms in singapore. dennis and i discussed until about 11pm+. i got home, ate, and showered. right now i just feel like snuggling in bed and re-watching the previous episode of grey's. :) *yawns*

tomorrow will be another long day... likewise for sat...

good night world. :)

Happiness

2008-10-22T18:56:00.000+08:00

A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.

A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.

A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savor life's depths
while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.

A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.

- Daisaku Ikeda

Like a virgin

2008-10-22T01:08:00.002+08:00

movie
marathon
mousse
massages
meepok

.................... are MY LOVE!!! :)

*weeeee!* thank you. thank you. thank you!!! :)

i managed to catch house bunny this evening with nat and tiong after postponing our movie from the other time. it was a superbly funny movie and not as cliche as i had thought it to be! :) super nice and hilarious! and well... i could tell the kids are really quite stressed out. tiong probably had a brain-drain cos he actually put an ENTIRE LADLE of CHILLI PADI into my bowl of fish noodle soup! hahaha okay kidding, he was just quite blur at that point so he scooped the entire ladel filled with chilli padi into my bowl. thankfully my reaction was swift and i managed to remove most of it! HAHA! though my soup was still very spicy afterwhich. it was soo funny! we also had red ruby + TADPOLES! dessert to calm their nerves and senses.. nat grabbed an icecream and then we headed to the park while they "let go" of their emotions by singing, doing spins and playing with the equipments at the exercise area.

my dears, i understand the kind of stress you are going through. :) the exams will be over really soon though, so hang in there aiight!? :D i'm very proud of both of you, it was never easy for you guys.. and you've stayed positive all these while. so all i want to say is, look ahead, keep your goals in mind, and work towards it! :) JIAYOU!! :)

NAT and TIONG attack!!!
hehe okay it's supposed to be "step you like a ginger bread", but since nat was holding onto the ladles and all, i replaced it with "squash" :p

More photos from Simon's birthday
using jess's FISHEYE camera :)

jess and i :) the colours look beautiful don't they? :)

jess took this while i was on the phone with tiong!

jess is really really artistic and creative and she always tries new ways of doing things. for this photo, she attempted to merge two photos together by adjusting something on the fisheye.. it looks beautiful, as always ;)

Dinner & Dessert at Holland V & ChipBee Gardens
with ames and jess
17 Oct 08, Fri

meeting up with jess and ames on last friday night was awesome. i was really stressed out last week so meeting the girls for the night for good food, good desserts, good talks, and laughs was fantabulous :) we had katong laksa (but everyone calls it katong laksa now) for dinner, and headed to cold rock for ice cream! ames introduced us the strawberry cheesecake flavour which was soooo super yummy!!! i swear it totally made my day!

after the 1st round of dessert, we headed to dao paolo at chipbee gardens for a 2nd round of dessert - tiramisu!! it was a very sinful night, but who cares, i needed it BADLY. and i mean.. REALLY badly. ames and i took the same bus and she walked me home. during which, we talked about many many exciting topics (1 of the topic revolved around this very interesting person!) and we had a HTHT (heart-to-heart talk, haha. the short form HTHT is influenced by minqi!) about some things :D *weee* i love HTHTs :) but most importantly, i love my friends. :)

silly jess and her very adorable/geekish looking specs! :D and our katong laksa! :) it was ames treat!

COLD ROCK! strawberry cheesecake flavour (NAT!!! this was the one i was talking about!) ames picked the cheesecake flavoured icecream, then added to mix-ins - graham biscuits and strawberry! YUMMY!!! i want more!!!

we bought our tiramisu at da paolo and just hung out outside :)

the box of tiramisu!! *sinful!!* super filling! and then we came across this place i call - FAIRYTALE LAND!!! :) :) :) i told the girls that if i get married in future, you can buy anything from here for me as a wedding gift!! :) it was like a candyshop to a 6 year old for me... a shop that sells EVERYTHING you'll EVER need in your KITCHEN!!!

we stayed in there for the longest time. surprisingly, ames was into cooking too! and we're planning a pot-luck/cook-out at her place! she can make tiramisu too! :D she is going to make one box just for meee :) teehee! as you can see, the shop looks beautiful doesn't it? :) ames and i went around trying to test one another what each appliance and equipment was used for. it was so fun! :) we got almost everything correct, cos we're both pretty well-versed in the kitchen (she's more pro than me though), until we came across the last item which we had no idea what it was. found out that it's a zester in the end. :)

ames and i! :D :D :D we love kitchen-ware!! we want to be housewives who can cook yummy food for our loved ones! HAHA okay maybe not housewives :p

haha oooh and i really love the song "like a virgin" by madonna. :) i first heard it on grey's anatomy when cristina sang it after burke left. then when i watched house bunny today, it was also one of the songs featured! house bunny has a really good soundtrack btw! we loved all its songs! :)

"i made it through the wilderness, somehow i made it through..
didnt know how lost I was, until i found you..
i was beat, incomplete, i'd been had, i was sad and blue,
but you made me feel, yeah, you made me feel, shiny and new...
like a virgin, (HEY!), touched for the very first time..."

Flavour of the week

2008-10-20T17:35:00.001+08:00

1 presentation over, report's almost done, i've had 8 hours of non-stop lessons and project meetings since 9am and i only got to eat my breakfast sandwich during a 5 minute break just now. *zonked* despite having some(many)more assignments and projects due, i'm remaining positive, and am looking forward to training later! will meet grace (aka little mermaid! new nickname for her) at the pool earlier to study theory and probably go through the CPR and EAR procedures again. don't want to screw up and hopefully js and nick won't get mad at us :) their skins already so chao-dar, if get wrinkles and white hair from getting angry, they'll probably look quite scary! haha. :)

well, let me now take a very short break to blog about the 2 highlights of my weekend, besides camping at the school library on sunday that is. hehe.

Lifesaving Beach Training (intro)
Sentosa - Palawan Beach
18 Oct 08, Sat

we had an intro beach training at sentosa on saturday from morning til late afternoon. during which, mr sim and the seniors facilitated the session. we went through 3 main stations - doing beach sprints/etc., using the lifesaving surfboard, and using flippers and the rescue tube to rescue a victim. at the end of the session, we had an open water swimming relay competition between our groups, and also competed using the surfboard.

swimming in the open waters is really tiring, and it doesn't help when you get kicked by people's legs. haha. now i know what hoongy meant with regards to biathlons! the surfboard is my all-time favourite, despite having a really bad arm ache the day after, i still love it! we ended the session by having a late lunch at carls junior @ vivo at 4plus/5pm. thank you seniors for the fun-filled sat! :)

the seniors waving hello! :) that's the lifesaving surfboard. it can also be used to "canoe" :)

learning how to paddle on the surfboard using our arms :)

woops! capsized! haha :) it's quite unstable so you have to balance yourself well! :)
at the background you see one of us using the kneeling technique :) it's more unstable than lying down but i like it!

the rescue tube and fins :)

presenting to you our ULC (university lifeguard corps) chairperson - fitzkhoon! (yaowen)

yawen and i! :) doing beach sprints. thank you nick for his rashguard! if not my body would've been chao-dar! (we were all encouraged to wear long sleeves to prevent sun burns)

practising beach sprints :)

Simon's 20th Birthday Dinner
Ambrosia (Grill & Bar) @ Sentosa
18 Oct 08, Sat

after hanging out at vivo for a bit with kiat and grace to do a bit of window-shopping, jess came to meet me. shortly after that, jerms and rongmin arrived, and we headed (back again) to sentosa! we went to look for the arabian restaurant where we had made reservations at. it's called the Ambrosia. haha yupp, it's another arabian hangout. well, it is a really nice place to chill at, but i'd have to say that the food is really... hmm, not good. plus, we waited for up to 1.5 hours for our food, only to realise that the waiter didn't take our orders properly. the servings were really pathetic (no kidding...) but it was kinda' hilarious cos they were making fun of me and my two sticks of fish kebab. they say it's like ikan bilis. haha. simon and yupin cancelled their order in the end, since the waiter actually forgot to take their orders down after we waited for 1.5 hours. plus they were still full from some jazz carnival where they ate a bit at. the chef was nice enough to give us a complimentary plate of turkish delights though.

we just talked and chilled there as i sat comfortably on the carpetted floors with many many cushions, my favourite. :) this time, no shisha! :) bad for health. don't wanna do it again i guess. haha :) oh and simon totally didn't know we were there, he thought it was a romantic date with yupin. haha :) only until rongmin made himself visible while we were hiding behind the walls. haha :) we surprised simon with his present - playstation 3! (the latest right? haha) he was a happy happy boy, carrying a big big box home. :) (it was a pity hoongy couldn't make it though)

buddies for life! jerms, rongmin and simon :)

playing with the thread-ish curtains :p

haha, candid. yupin and jess were testing their cameras :)

yay! nice group pic! don't know why i ended up strangling jess. haha! :) it was an awesome awesome meet-up! despite having lousy food. haha :D friends are love! :)

next to you

2008-10-20T00:13:00.001+08:00

BIG DAY TOMORROW/today (monday).

big project, report and presentation due.

super super SUPER looking forward to the end of it.

9-10am - prep for presentation
10am-12nn - GIS lecture
12-2pm - presentation/tutorial
2-4pm - changing landscapes lecture
4-6pm - finalising report/helping grace with lifesaving items timing
6pm - report due *take a breather*
6pm-10pm - training
10pm onwards - FREEDOM! (M to the power of 4!) :D

after this big project, i have a many more to go... but i'm going to spend the 1st half of my tuesday RELAXING. because, i'm really exhausted. *pouts bottom lip*

beach training at Sentosa on saturday was AWESOME btw! :D teehee. i'll post up photos if i can, soon. :) and of course, how could i forget updates on simon's birthday at Sentosa, as well as the dessert night out with ames and jess at holland V! :)

i spent my entire day in school today to prep for the project that is due tomorrow. dinner with my family was the only time i was able to TRY to take my mind off my project. probably only for that few minutes when i was trying to dig out the meat from my XO crabby. *sigh* stressful stressful.

34 days to my first paper!
and many more assignments and projects to go. i need to start finding time to study for my exam while working on all my projects!

to my juniors taking their A Levels, approx 2 more weeks to your first paper! please do not give up. give it your BEST shot and don't look back yupp? :D YOU CAN DO IT! :)

I am human

2008-10-17T02:12:00.001+08:00

america loves 2nd chances,
i too believe in 2nd, and even 3rd chances (depends on the conditions).
but my sisters just don't seem to understand..

and i've never felt so maligned, so misunderstood, so disrespected.

"As long as we are human, we are bound to make mistakes. We all fall prey to flawed beliefs and views. What distinguishes a forward-looking person from an intransigent one, a virtuous person from a dishonest one, however, is whether one can candidly admit to one's mistakes and take bold steps to redress them."

- Daisaku Ikeda

on a lighter note, i had a very relaxing and enjoyable dinner at pizza hut with my bobos - nat and tiong. my heart was overwhelmed with warmth when i saw them, because i've missed both of them very much. we talked a lot over dinner and i almost caused them to get a heart-attack at one point. i'm sorry my dears. they were silly enough to count their heart rate (can you believe it? hahaha) later. we also went to take a neoprint together. the last time i did something like that was eons ago. so it was very fun to relive my youthful moments. haha :) the pizza at pizza hut was surprisingly good! nat loved the undermost part of the pizza where it was quite crunchy and slightly saltish. tiong loved his drumsticks the most. :) as for me... i just loved being there with them. (them as in, nat and tiong, not the pizza and the drumsticks, hehe)

i've had a really tough week at school. i have a lot of projects and assignments to complete and trainings are definitely taking up a lot of time. today i was so stressed out until i bought an icecream cone from new zealand naturals in school. i even almost bought old chang kee la. can you believe it? i actually wanted to break my record of not eating OCK for the past 1 year+.
the bronze medalion (BM) test for lifesaving is coming up in a few weeks time, trainings have increased in intensity and it really isn't easy. the training itself isn't easy, and it also isn't easy to pass the test i think. my weakest is item 3 where i have to plunge in to rescue an unconscious victim and do deep-water rescusitation in the pool, lift the victim out of the pool, and conduct EAR or CPR. i always cock up that segment because the exhaustion causes a lot of confusion in me. so i have to ensure that i practise, practise, and practise until it all becomes a natural part of me (like what JS said). and my plunge, it really sucks. JS accompanied me til very late last night to teach me how to plunge properly. i made some slight progress, but i still need a lot of improvement. make sure i bend my arms lower, flick my hips higher, and straighten my stupid legs! ugh! hahaha.
on a positive note, my backstroke has improved, so i'm quite glad. :D

this saturday there will be beach training (intro) from 9am-3pm at sentosa, then we'll be celebrating simon's birthday all the way til at night, so my sat would be burnt. i managed to find a good place to eat, drink and chill while discussing with jerms on the phone just now. :) YAY! been a while since i spoke to jerms, so i was also very elated to hear his voice.
sunday i'd have to wake up at 6am+ for morning prayers and then head down to school to chiong another project.

hence, when i have time with my friends to talk about anything except school-related stuff, i feel really rejuvenated and relieved. and i appreciate my friends a lot because i know that no matter what happens, they'll always be on my side. even if we disagree, even if we argue, even if i have made a mistake.
but i guess to put things into perspective, i must have really screwed things up. otherwise my sisters wouldn't have hurled those harsh words at me.

aiight it's 2am and i'm really zonked. shall work on my project for awhile then head to bed. :) night night.

Whitewater rafting & trekking (2)

2008-10-15T00:37:00.000+08:00

YAY! after an entire day of project meetings, failed lab sessions due to the lousy computers in the GIS lab, and self-training at the pool, i finally have some time to chillax and kope the photographs from mr feodor! :) thank you for uploading them onto facebook so promptly! (hints to kenny to upload soon! haha)

us at the hotspring! it was REALLY hot btw. it can cook hardboiled eggs! and i stuck my finger into the water. hehe. :) this is about 20 minutes away from the river.

the wooden bridge was on the verge of collapsing... haha. and feodor made us do weird poses :p that's mr gary-sutra!

on the truck up up and away!! :D

yay! we are starting the whitewater rafting along slim river! :D me, zz, shirley and anne-marie are on the same raft! the back and front guys are the instructors.
take note where i'm seated at okay? back left. :)

fun! :)

OMG FUN FUN FUN!
the rapids are so exciting! :)

this rapid was quite high so we all had to jump into the centre of the raft instead of sitting at its edge. otherwise we would fall out or capsize the raft! :)

YAYNESS! we made it out alive! :)

SO EXHILARATING!!! see all our reactions? super fun! :) :)
and we made it! without capsizing! though shirley dropped out of our raft once and we had to rescue her back in! hehe! super funny! :p

OH NO! this is gary's raft. it capsized!!!!
their raft always kena stuck also. i wonder why! teehee! :p

relaxing at the river. the water is soooooo cold!! *shivers*

WHITEWATER RAFTING AT SLIM RIVER!
a success!!! :D

the next morning, we went to climb/trek at klang (gate) ridge :) isn't the mist beautiful? :)

the sunrise... we caught it while trekking towards the submit :)

YAY! we made it! so tired, but refreshed after a sumptuous meal at the peak! :) we had wang-wang biscuits, chipsmore cookies, bread, milo, apple juice, orange juice, 100 plus, all these packed into the bagpacks of our 2 expedition leaders! :) thank you for the special breakfast and for carrying such a heavy load up the trecherous ridge! :D look at the mist behind.. it's beautiful, isn't it? :)

okay, here are the photos for now. :) i will upload more if i can over the next few days! thanks to feodor's excellent photography skills, the photos are really amazing. :0) meanwhile, i have to work on my project le.. *sigh*... haha, i have crazy project mates... and i'm going to go insane soon too.. and i want to go to eat KOKA steamboat (or is it coca?)... the $30+ one.. i've had 3 persons tell me that's it's really yummy!

and also... today i've had the 4th person tell me (in 1 month) that it is evident from my personality that i'm not the oldest amongst my sisters.
is it really THAT obvious? geeeesh! am i childish or? :/

okee, goodnight world. good morning projects :)

the wonders of whitewater... :)
(click to see this beautifully taken photo, enlarged)

Whitewater rafting & trekking (1)

2008-10-13T18:19:00.003+08:00

i'm back from the whitewater rafting and trekking trip in M'sia!! :D it was REALLY REALLY FUN!! we went to slim river for the rafting activity, and trekked up to the submit of klang ridge. it was my first time doing the latter and although it was personally pretty tiring, i had truckloads of fun with everyone there! :D

anyhoodles, here are some of the photographs from my camera. :)
i'll upload the rest, plus the whitewater rafting ones from feodor and kenny when i've gotten the pics from them and when i have more time! :)

many many thanks to our expedition leaders - feodor and kenny, for planning and executing this trip and for making sure that we're all in good hands! :) thank you to everyone who came and for making this trip so special! :) i'm already missing the people and the times spent .. super looking forward to our next trip! :D

feodor (aka old uncle with a dark dark secret)
kenny (aka mr big eyes who loves to say "yo!")
gary (aka mr gary-sutra)
gael (aka the french artiste with the hat who can cook ratatouille)
zz (aka teekopeh, mr provocative chess player & lao-fu-zi)
shirley (loud loud laughing queen)
anne-marie (aka the cool girl who drinks a LOT of hard liquor)
peilin (aka the very hot netball chic who can get you a job :p)
magdalene (aka the future doctor with the brains, heart, and looks)
mingwei (aka mr erotic libriain & xiao-di-di)
vicky (aka miss stone-on-the-spot-&-always-kena-suanned)
minqi (aka miss wanna-suntan-but-cant-turn-black :p)
hamish (aka mr architect)
shumei (aka miss future lawyer with an archi bf)
rubin (aka another miss future lawyer with a very cool ethnic background)
pearlyn (aka 'piranha' pearlyn, gullible xiao meimei, & the geographer who knows nuts about mountains, ridges, clouds, rivers and hotsprings)

:)

the guesthouse we stayed at in KL!
(from left) gael, mingwei, vicky, anne-marie, minqi, gary and i!

dinner after rafting! we had lotsa' crabs, stingray and prawns! *yummy* super affordable!
(from left) vicky, minqi, shirley, anne-marie, me, peilin and magdalene!

the guys! :)
(from left) feodor and kenny the expedition leaders! gary, gael, mingwei and zz!

mag, peilin, moi and anne-marie along the streets :)

zz, me and vicky in the taxi after the trekking trip!! *siao liao*!

before we left the guesthouse! kenny, me, feodor and vicky! :)

updating from KL

2008-10-11T18:05:00.002+08:00

HEY GUYS!!! OMG I'M LIKE UPDATING FROM THE GUESTHOUSE THAT IM STAYING AT in KUALA LUMPUR! (usually dont do updates when im traveling)

IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL AND COSY AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT HERE!

the trip so far has been totally awesome. weather conditions, river conditions, safety of everyone - everything has been smooth sailing.

i got to make lots of friends during this trip. it's organised by NUS odac, but theres a good mix of people. about half the group of 16 is made up of nus students, mostly from odac, then the remaining are like foreign students who are now working here.. gael from france.. another guy from manchester (sorry i forgot ur name)... 2 law students.. 1 medical student.. some people who have already entered the work force but got to know abt this trip frm friends!

we went to SLIM RIVER, cos the river we were spose to head to was dried up due to the dam and the monsoon season that has been pushed back! but slim river is also really awesome, the time we spent rafting was much longer than when i had gone to kampar river at perak last december with the fire spinners! and! the river grade is also higher! about class 3.5-4 max. kampar river, compared to this, is seriously world's apart! but kampar is a good place for beginners ;)

i have some amazing photos to post up! but i'll have to get it from feodor first!

waaaa! i wish this trip would last longer! :)

we'll be waking up at around 5am tomorrow for a trekking trip, then watch the sunrise. i'm looking forward to it!

now we're just waiting for everyone to gather before having dinner and shopping! ;)

toodles and take care friends! :)

The absence of your company

2008-10-09T23:39:00.002+08:00

AWAY

Whitewater rafting and trekking

10-12 oct 2008
Msia, Sg Selangor

i was clearing my playlist on my mp3 player, and decided to go through all my songs from seasons 1-4 of the grey's anatomy soundtrack. i came across this song, which i thought was beautiful.

The absence of your company
by Kim Richey

If you can say that you don't love me
If you can look me in the eye
and say that you don't love me
I could say goodbye
If you can tell me you won't miss me
And sound convincing when you say
You won't miss me
I could walk away.

Cause i don't have a point to prove
Or a stand to make
I'm just trying to find my way
And a face to wear
And a place to be
In the absence of your company.

If you're better off without me
If you truely do believe
that you are better off without me
Thats how you should be.

Cause I don't have a point to prove
Or a stand to make
I'm just trying to
Find my way
And a face to wear
And a place to be
In the absence of your company.

And I will write you off
Easy as that
If only it was
Easy as that...

i'm happy, i'm contented. after a tiring day at school.. lessons, projects, trainings, i plop myself onto bed and finally have some time to be on my own. not that i like being alone, but it makes me reflect about things that have happened, what i've learnt during the day, etc. sometimes i daydream, most of the time i fantasize about my future, other times i'll just be thinking about people - people whom i love.. my friends.. my family.. then i'll start missing people.. hmm, then it pretty much goes downhill.

so usually when i post up a song on my blog with lyrics, it's not good news. :) haha.

i'm usually stronger than this. :)

oh well, the rafting trip should take my mind off all that has been happening lately! :) it's always good to get-away once in a while! i'm lucky that my parents allow me to go on this trip. i've forked out my own money to pay for the expenses, etc... and um it's not very cheap. anyways, i'm just thankful that the odac team organised this trip during the school term, cos these activities are usually only carried out during the breaks. it also coincided with the end of my mid-terms. so it's really awesome. i'm looking forward to it.

i'll still be around til tomorrow evening. so if you sms/call me i'll still be able to reply. when i don't, it means that i've already left. so meanwhile, take care my dearest friends, i'll be thinking about you guys, esp when i watch the sun-rise. :)

night night :)
(will leave you guys with 2 videos since i'll be away til sun. this 2 videos are really touching, esp if you've seen the koreans dramas "princess hours" and "save your last dance for me". if it was me in the past, i probably wouldn't cry.. but this time, i did..

Aliens

2008-10-09T00:44:00.001+08:00

i'm in the blogging mood cos' one of my most dreaded tutorials has been cancelled. :)

so, i have an incredibly random question...

do any of you believe in aliens??

in its existence?

if it once existed?

is existing now?

or if it existed at all?

on a side note, i'm very fascinated by conspiracy theories, of ANY sort.
even if i don't believe in them.
seriously.

and i'm looking forward to the 2nd episode of grey's anatomy season 5! i can only watch it when i get back from m'sia though. :)
and apparently, i'll be going trekking in m'sia too (another activity added into the programme, besides going white-water rafting). and we're going to watch the sunrise. :) ahhhhh *melts*

and..
i'll be thinking about you, U, and yoU, as i watch the sun rise.... :)

My love

2008-10-09T00:22:00.009+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMY! :)

i love you. :)

9 october, 2008.

happy birthday to you too, nattaporn! :D

fins and paddles

2008-10-08T23:40:00.001+08:00

OMG! TRAINING TODAY WAS AWWWWESOME! ;)

after lessons today, i headed to the pool to look for mr sim. cos i had to take this swim test for the whitewater rafting trip. since mr sim was conducting the test, i asked him if i could be exempted cos' it's quite ridiculous that i have to take the test when i already have the lifesaving certs 1, 2 and 3, and am taking my bronze medallion now. but he said, still must take. haiyo! it's a new regulation by NUS. i believe they're afraid of drowning cases and stuff, so they had to go by the book. so jan, her friend and i happily went into the changing room. when i got there, i screamed. cos'...... i forgot to bring my swimsuit! :/ eeks!

thank goodness jan lent me her swimsuit cos' she was just there to accompany me. but then i was like, "OMG how dumb can i get? there is also training later, and jan would need her suit by then. what should i do?? how could i forget to bring something as important as that?"

but in the end.... i managed to borrow grace's extra speedo suit. *phew* long story ;) but ya! feel so super sexy wearing it. the back part is like, very very bare-back-ish. hahaha.

anyhoodles, the swim test required me to swim 50m in 2 minutes. i swam leisurely, and completed 1 lap within 53 seconds, then went to shower. quite dumb but what to do? showered then slacked at the pool for a while, then when grace came, i used her swimsuit and we went to train at 6pm with fins.

fins is like, super duper fun! you know those fins you use when you scuba dive? yupp yupp! we trained with that, then stan came, and XC came to join us too...

at 7, we dried ourselves and had CPR lessons, then we went into the pool again at 8+... this time, JS conducted training. we did physical conditioning... and used swim paddles. it was quite tiring cos' it required more arm power than usual. but it trains our strokes. i was quite slow. :/ must train more to improve. :) after that we did sprints, etc. then after 9+ JS let us do whatever we wanted, so we took the fins from the store and played around with it again! *woohoo* fins are my newest bestfriend in the pool! :) although it gave stan, jan and i cramps! but oh well, i love it anyhow. (love-hate relationship. haha!)

okee, i just found out that i have no tutorial tomorrow from 12-2, so i'm gonna swim at the pool with the girls again! :) *yipee*

btw, i might sound quite 'dao' in my smses now. or.. perhaps, not as friendly as i used to. cos' my nokia hp spoilt and im using my dad's NEC clamshell phone. not very user-friendly. :)

note to self:
must must MUST buy new goggles before beach training starts next week!!! (and swim cap if possible)

toodles world! :)

The city of diversity and extravagance

2008-10-08T00:24:00.001+08:00

went to study with nat today at macs and i believe we were both really productive. :) she was doing math, while i had my eyes glued onto my laptop as i worked on my GIS lab report and the Dubai project. we had home-made potato salad, rock buns!, honey-coated macadamia nuts, hot tea, fries! wow, what a fattening day for both of us, cos while nat was stuffing herself with the salad i made, i was munching on her mom's rock buns the whole time. *oops!* haha. and it so wasn't planned at all. (refering to the food we brought for each other) so it was pretty cool! :)

anyhoodles, i have to say that my interest in dubai grows exponentially each time i conduct a research on it. i'm amazed by this vibrant city that is SO incredibly diversified in terms of its population. for many years, it has been the crossroads of cultures where people, goods, knowledge, ideas have passed through. and the thing that intrigues me the most is how rich the country is and its kiasu-ism (or perhaps ability) to build another world's tallest building (1km tall), beating its OWN current record of about 688m! for those who aren't aware, Dubai is currently in the midst of building the world's tallest building already. :) but it has plans to build one more world's tallest, beating its current record of 688m.

you know, cities usually build some really cool infrastructure in an attempt to call it the world's BEST, the world's TALLEST, the world's BIGGEST, the world's FASTEST, and when they reach that status, they would most probably be unable to construct more of such landscapes of spectacle due to reasons of not wanting to over-spend the tax-payers' money, or due to other constraints of land/resources as well as for political reasons. but i guess in this case, it is undeniable that dubai is SO freaking rich, in whatever aspects you could think of - $$$!/natural resources/land/human capital/etc., that they can afford to build such incredibly astonishing and sensational mega-projects again, and again, AND AGAIN!

here are some photos i got off the internet of some of its mega projects.

see the sail-like structure at the background? that's Jameirah beach hotel, one of the world's best hotels (also one of the most expensive hotels in the world). i've seen a documentary on it, trust me, the exterior and interiors of this hotel is absolutely STUNNING.

Dubai's extravagant plans in building the world's first "Sports City"

here is a closer look of the stadiums in Dubai Sports City

and this is my ALL-TIME FAVOURITE mega-project in Dubai - The Palm Jumeirah :) i've also seen a documentary on this. super super SUPER cool, and although it excites me, i'm not exactly in favour of sand dredging, etc. because they alter coastal processes, and marine lives are also disturbed and harmed.
they have a few of such man-made islands coming up - palm jebel ali and palm deira, which are more than twice the size of palm jumeirah.. and of course.. how could i forget...

THE WORLD
a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of a world map - built primarily using sand dredge from the sea. (just like the other artificial island projects like the palm islands)

Dubai is one of the places i'd love to go to if i ever have the extra cash to stay in a hotel that could cost up to a thousand per night. perhaps if my future partner is very rich, or if i strike 4D/toto, etc. haha. :)

other top destinations i have in mind currently:
- new zealand (extreme sports and pure nature & farm life)
- the maldives (the beach, waters, diving, a relaxing time)
- hokkaido (food, seafood in particular, hot springs!)

what's yours? ;)

Videos for fun

2008-10-06T17:19:00.002+08:00

YAY!!! im done for the day! :) and it's the end of the mid-term tests! have training later til 10pm then i can go home to watch my PRIVATE PRACTICE!! :) anyhoodles, stan and i are in the computer room now slacking waiting for training to start, and he showed me this two videos - super awesome! :) enjoy! :)

HUMAN TETRIS!

MATRIX PINGPONG!

Chaos that controlled her mind

2008-10-06T00:17:00.000+08:00

just got back from my distant cousin's wedding dinner... and i saw one of the teachers from JJ, who happens to be my distant cousin as well... it was kinda weird, but ack, nevermind. i had a lot of fun with my family, although my parents 'abandoned' us to sit at this other table and we were left with 5 elderly relatives (grandaunts, etc.) and one of my aunt. i brought my notes to study, but after a few failed attempts (distractions!) i realised that i was actually being kinda' disrespectful. i didn't want to seem as if i was unwilling to interact with my relatives, so i set my notes aside and just, talked. :)

i'm really tired and i cant wait til' tomorrow ends... i will be having 6 hours of lessons non-stop, my final mid-terms paper (urban geog), and training til 10pm. by the time i get home it'd probably be almost midnight.. on a happier note! i've already planned what i want to do when i get back home. i'd chuck my bag aside, clean up, plop onto my bed with my laptop and earphones, and watch season 2 (ep 1) of PRIVATE PRACTICE!!! :) i miss addison montgomery!!! *does the happy dance with her eyes closed*

then on tuesday morning, after charging my batteries from a good night's sleep (hopefully), i'd spend my time doing 4 things in particular.

1. my research project on contested landscapes in singapore
2. an essay and powerpoint presentation on marketing dubai (olympics project)
3. research, plan and apply for SEP
4. complete GIS report

there's a lot more to go, i want to start revising my other modules, but i can only do it a bit at a time, especially since i still have quite a few more assignments on hand.

quite a lot happened today, it was kinda' like a roller coaster ride for myself and my family. we were at clarke quay when i realised that my sis was going to hold her wedding dinner next dec, and i might be overseas at exchange if i get selected. i was seriously contemplating other alternatives and wrecking my brains to think of a solution. i didn't want to miss my sister's wedding, neither did i want to have to apply for my exchange 1 sem later, because by then it would be really late and i might have problems with my modules, etc. then came her sudden change of plans for her ROM to be held this dec instead of next year (possibly) because of some housing issues/policies, so she said she can't go to taiwan with us. then after a few hours she changed her mind, wasn't sure if it'd be too rush, and said she wanted to go hokkaido with us, cos' my father was thinking of going there instead. but he was drinking red wine and was probably just teasing us cos' he knew my sis and i would very much LOVE to go there. i don't know.

so yeah there's been a lot of confusion and chaos, and my sister's been like frowning the entire night and you know she has this bad habit of making a mountain out of a mole hill sometimes.. but oh well, as much as i'd like to knock some sense into her to chillax and not get overly worked up, i think i should support her more and try to understand what she's going through instead of telling her that she should stop worrying and quit throwing her tantrum at us when we just wanna cheer her up. all i hope is that she knows we're here and we'd support whatever decisions she makes. *SMUCKS* love you dajie :) :) don't stress out yupp! :)

what a day.

My family

2008-10-05T18:14:00.005+08:00

sooo! we were at MA MAISON celebrating my mum's birthday (in advance) this morning/afternoon, and i absolutely adoooooored the country/cottage-ish interiors of the restaurant!! we were one of the first few customers there for lunch so the service was pretty good and it wasn't as crowded as it usually would be in the evening.

serene at the front of the restaurant located at clark quay's CENTRAL, and the very cute lamp on our the table! :)

i have a HUGE thing for country baskets and fresh pepper grinders!! :)

bread and tea. i loooove the pretty tea cup! :D

my family while waiting for the food arrive. i like the lamp hanging from the ceiling. it's so vintage/country-ish. hehe. and the pots placed above. the windows, the table cloth. here's also our view from the window. you can see clarke quay opposite. it was pouring heavily while we had our lunch, somehow it just made everything/everyone feel much cosier.

while we were on our way home in the car, we made a hell lot of noise and went on to the topic of popular characters in cartoons, movies, drama serials, etc. we had to vote for one another on a particular character whom/which we felt was most suitable for him/her. the similarity between the character and ourselves could be in terms of looks or personality.

sooo here are the results!

DADDY :)
spike, from cartoon "TOM & JERRY"

MUMMY
julie andrews in "THE SOUND OF MUSIC"

MIKA (eldest sis)
doraemon in cartoon "DORAEMON"

CHERRYN!
Chucky, in movies "Chucky" (he had quite a few movies)

SERENE
a smurf, in the cartoon "SMURFS"

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and of course,
they had to vote for me to be

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WONDER WOMAN

-.-"

i would like to think that i look like her. HAHA.

PS: cherryn offered to photoshop my face onto her..... -.-" haha. hee. okay. can imagine. *pukes* i don't wanna spoil her image lei.

Live and learn

2008-10-04T23:57:00.002+08:00

i watched the vice-presidential debate and was pretty surprised at how Sarah Palin did. on one hand, i want to say more about it, but on the other, i just want to go to bed, even if i haven't been able to sleep well the past coupla' weeks.

i 'magic-cleaned' my entire bedroom twice today (even the walls), emptied my wardrobe and re-did the whole thing - re-folded/hung my clothes, put aside the unwanted, re-arranged my undergarments, bags, etc. put up some photographs... packed my desk, and pretty much wiped everything i saw that had a coat of dust on it, and packed anything that looked untidy to me.

i suppose when my mind is in disarray, cleaning and packing really helps to gather my thoughts, even if it's for that short period of time. :)

another thing i realised is that, i don't know how to sew a button onto a shirt! :/ can anyone teach me? aaccck.

and, when it comes to my laptop, i'm not the best person to maintain it. what happened this afternoon was that, my computer was infected with a virus. the mighty trojan horse invades! eeks, and it left like all this pornographic icons on my desktop and did some silly things to my files. well, it so happened that my virus protection software has expired for months and i haven't had the time nor patience to download and install another software. i didn't know which one to use, etc. and i am a true-blue computer noob (except for htmls and designing). i am not the one who would 'spring-clean' my laptop cos' apple used to do it for me in the past. so... i panicked a lil'. i had a lot of project files which i did not back up, and i was afraid that my laptop might crash or something.

thankfully, my sister's fiance was around, and he came to the rescue. *heaves a sigh of relief* he got the AVG software and installed it into my laptop using my sister's, and well, i guess you could say that he saved the day. :) thank you sooo much! i believe this is one of the many things i have to start doing on my own. :)

oooh! on a side note, i want to buy new undies, a pair of goggles (any good ones to recommend?), and perhaps a swim cap for lifesaving because my hair always obstructs my vision. shania! if you're spreeing at V.S., let me know aiight?! :)

and i'm going white-water rafting in Malaysia (Selangor) from friday-sunday (10-12 oct)! *does the happy dance* wish me luck! :) this time, the rapids are of a much higher grade... i'm looking forward to some adrenaline pumping adventures! :) and... at the same time, to get away from the familiar... :)

things i'll never say

2008-10-04T02:29:00.002+08:00

toads,
xiaoming,
megalodons,
playgrounds,
ice popsicles,
heart to heart talks,
contagious yawns,
running away from noisy fire crackers..
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*slurs*

zzz....

:)

Somewhere only we know

2008-10-03T19:19:00.002+08:00

i was listening to this song on my way to school and i thought i'd share it with everyone. :) i like keane's first album, a lot. :) especially this song because it was featured in one of the grey's anatomy episodes.

helen's making pizza for dinner tonight! and i had this sudden urge to make potato salad tomorrow so i went grocery shopping and bought some fresh red potatoes and ham ;) studied for my urban geography mid-terms and went to train under the sun too. my skin is finally getting its dosage of vitamin D! hopefully not an overdose though. :) i've missed you, mr red-ball-of-fire.

jungle girl, chillax! ;) smile, sunny pearls will always be here for you. *oh-eee-oh-eee-oh!!* (hears a familiar tarzan-ish voice) and so is he! :D *teehee*

I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete
Oh simple thing where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me?
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

(Chorus)

Oh simple thing where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

So if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?

(Chorus)

So if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
So why don't we go

This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?

anyhoodles, council steamboat on hari raya puasa was awesome. it felt nice to see the 'regulars', and even better when nattaporn and ben turned up! :) i've missed them so much! :) i haven't seen them in the longest time, compared to everyone else who turned up, like jennifer, shuhui, val, bin, hoongy, sinkuan, chengjoo, and susie (and pat). despite having to wait for eons to get a table for 11, it was great catching up with everyone.

i believe the last time we had steamboat together as a large group was back in jj before orientation. :) we'd set up tables behind LT5 and delegate the various tasks - some to cut the vegs and meat, some to prepare the utensils, some to lay the tables. we would steam rice, and steam somemore because everyone was so hungry and there wasn't enough to go around. the teachers would join us, we'd serve them food, tell jokes, help one another scoop the soup and ingredients, and just have a relaxing night. we were the first batch to buy so many gigantic confetti poppers, so mr leow and i were very keen to try it during dinner after shopping for it at cityhall. i attempted to twist the confetti cannon after dinner as everyone had their ears covered. it successfully created a a loud "BOOM!", and thousands of colourful confetti were shot out of the cannon. excitement filled the air as everyone cheered... :)

wow, i'm pretty amazed that i have such good memory. :D

une famille.

My 20th birthday

2008-09-30T22:22:00.005+08:00

here is how i celebrated my 20th birthday this year! :)
i had an incredibly memorable time. thank you to all my friends and family who took the time to accompany me during this (special) occasion.. who took the effort buy me a gift or to make me one, or who remembered and wished me happy birthday (or not). thank you! :) *blessed* :)

PS: the tagboard is back up. you can also comment at the link above each post. :)

vermicilli family dinner
(21st sept)

the vermicili feast! a tradition my family practises for everyone's birthday where we would all each get a huge bowl of vermicili!

thank you mummy for the super delicious cheesecake! :) it's light, fluffy, and i love it to bits! i even woke up in the middle of the night to steal some from the fridge :p

my sisters and i fooling around. here is one unglam shot which i so have to put up. haha! it's another tradition we have among my sisters, where we would have to stain our mouths with cream and take manymany unglam shots during each birthday celebration! :) this is where i got my unglam-ish photo-taking genes from. teehee. thank you to my dearest mama who spent time to plan and arrange the dinner, cos everyone is always sooo busy. thank you daddy for clearing your even busier schedule for me. thank you to my sisters for always filling the house with noise, hehe. :) and for helping to cook the vermicilli, especially since you guys don't enter the kitchen very often. :)

ajisen lunch with the east coast park geeks
(ECP geeks)/A2 girls
(24th sept)

i met up with jungle girl (jane), wanxian and wenxiu for an ECP GEEKS birthday lunch! :) i've missed my lovely sporty/crazy/funky girls to bits! why must jane, wanxian (and mousey) be in ntu? why can't we all be in the same school? hurhur.

my presents.... and me so touched by the album frame with all the memories of the ECP geeks + the chronicles of the jungle girl and the sunny pearls! :)

these photos bring back mucho memories! :) we are so going to have another outing soon! our cycling expedition, plus picnics! and that's wanxian with her 'satay' like yakitori thing!

wanxian and wenxiu! and my secret recipe cake! :) mango tango baby! :) to my dearest ECP GEEKS, thank you so much for the lovely afternoon of lunch and the mini shopping trip! :) :) it's amazing how unpredictable life can be, especially since we all never really talked back in JC days despite being in the same class.. cos i was always with the doughsticks ;) i'm so glad that we got much much closer after working together during the post-As period! :) fate must have brought us together. :) :)

nus lifesaving and home-baked muffins
(24th sept)

after lunch i headed to school to study with janice, my bestie in nus. (a short intro about jan) jan is a swimmer from vjc, we met in a freshmen camp last year, clicked, are now aspiring lifesavers and very very good friends! she surprised me with a tupperware filled with chocolate & banana muffins, which tasted SOOO good! she should seriously start a bakery! :)

many many freshly-baked muffins! :) when we opened the tupperware, the smell of the yummy muffins overwhelmed the study room! okay, at least for our area. teehee. and, that's my BIG BROTHER assef and i! :) he is a really really nice guy, and i'm closest to him in lifesaving (among the guys). i've gained many insights from him too. about life, relationships, etc. :D

after lifesaving training, we went for supper. guess where is this taken? :) hehe, we're in stan's van! that's weisin behind, the captain of the university lifeguard corps (ULC) varsity team. and of course there's janice and assef!

stan and grace who joined us in this group photo, taken very skillfully by grace. hehe! :)

at supper! :) assef, me, jan, grace, stan!

ULC ROCKS!!! :)

holland V cakes and talks,
with the lovely doughsticks/A2 girls
(25th sept)

on the morning of my birthday, mousey and shania dated me out to holland V to 'study'... :) we got a warm chocolate cake and quiche! *yummy* i was really really happy, cos i haven't seen my girls in a long time!

the three of us had the most wonderful conversations about everything under the sun! and we realised how our topics have evolved over the years.. from JC.. to post-JC.. to being an undergraduate.. :) maybe next time we will talk about very auntie-related topics? like.. how to hang up the curtains at home, how to sew clothes, etc. teehee!

mousey and i! :)

BINTAN GIRLS! :) we just talked, and talked, and shared, and laughed. (and teased!) hehe :) caught up with one another's lives - the past, present and the future! eugenia gave me a call and wished me a very happy birthday, and i was really really touched by her call, because she is such a busy busy girl.. (there is more to come from gene, scroll down to the dinner at arab street to see) aww man, i love my girls to bits.. :) i'm looking forward to our camping trip in dec! :) til then, please take care! :) :)

settler's lunch, games and madness
with the bobos
(25th sept)

TADA! :) my two incredibly sweet bobos came to holland V and we went to settler's for an afternoon of games, screams and laughter! (an emphasis on the screaming!!)

that's nat and i! :) aka lil' miss honey mustard. haha! :)

before they took the cake out, they kept distracting me by taking photographs. then nat signalled to the waitress for dessert after we had our main course. i totally didn't expect anything at all, when the cake suddenly popped out of no where! SURPRISE! *stuns* i was really really touched... for a moment i just didn't know how to react, except to hold the cake. hehe.. :)

strawberries! nat's favourite. i only like the sweet ones! hehe. :) group photo of tiong, nat and i! both of you have really impacted my life :) :)

3 satisfied customers. haha! well they loved the menu so they were really enthusiastic about helping to 'advertise' for settler's. haha! :) we played several games and just had the craziest time screaming and laughing.. i've never laughed and screamed so much while playing games before! and i also never knew they these 2 kids knew so many games la. they totally owned the whole session, while i was 'cursed' with losing every single game! but it was an incredibly wonderful afternoon full of love and surprises. :) thank you so much my dearest bobos! to our bobo clan! *cheers!* :D and the cute SATAY shirt and cards from both of you. ;)
nat also met up with me the day after and gave me a puzzle piece that she had put together (more than 250 pieces? oh my!). it's a puzzle of pooh and his friends, with shooting stars and images of them appearing in the night sky. very beautiful :) :) i've never been a puzzle person, because it take a lot patience to piece one together. i've only made one puzzle for one person in my life so far, and i don't think there was even 150 pieces. i was very delighted and almost teared in front of her. thank you so much my dear. :) and.. on a more serious note, please study hard for your A levels, and the very best of luck to both of you yupp?! :) JIAYOU!

arab street dinner
with my closest 4B1 classmates
(25th sept)

jerms organised a birthday dinner for jess and i at a secret venue which he didn't want to reveal :) we all met up at bugis and then walked towards arab street.. finally we arrived at bussorah street and we entered this restaurant called "amirah's grill"! :) they serve western and middle eastern cuisine. :)

2nd surprise was the appearance of geetha! she appeared out of no where! (sent me an sms before that telling me to TURN AROUND) hehehe. :) she rushed down in a cab after tuition. i haven't seen her in a long long time and i've missed her so much. we also smoked shisha.

amelia AMESIE POO! and hoongy :) i miss amesie so much!

ames, me and jess! we got like this private corner where it was a raised platform with carpeted flooring and many cushions! :) i loved it so much!

taking lots of photographs, and ames feeding me the entire night. she's soo sweet! i felt like a queen. hehe.

pressies! macaroons from CANELE (wow!) which tasted so much better than the ones i've eaten in the past.. hehe :) and this really cool notebook geets made for me. :) i was screaming out all the grey's anatomy quotes which she had pasted in the hand-made notebook la! (until everyone got annoyed) hehe :D

yummy! pita and hummus! at first i was like WTH is this? cos i've never eaten this arabian dip before. it's made of chickpeas and they taste REALLY GOOD!!

we ordered lots of food.. kebabs, lamb chops, etc.!

and guess whot? SURPRISE!!! eugenia and joetan came over!! :) gene was really really sweet.. she came all the way from jurong east to wish me happy birthday, and to pass me a present. :) when i saw her i was like *is my eyes playing tricks on me? is that really eugenia!?!* cos i really couldn't believe what i was seeing. i've missed her so much!! :D i really miss our doughsticks/JC days with the A2 girls! *huggles* all the things we've gone through together. gene, thank you so much! :) :)

shisha flavours :) we got mixed fruits.

the two birthday girls - jess and i! :) and the girls before dinner was served.

jess says ames has this 'classic' look on her face. teehee. i think it was most of our first time. ames was like the pro and we were all like, "what are we supposed to do?" it was an okay experience, i never thought of smoking shisha until that night. i've always been an adventurous person who's game enough to try anything and everything, so this was quite an experience. :) of course, i'm aware of its incredibly harmful effects, and i only intend to try it this once. :)

trying to capture the smoke coming out of our nose/mouth, which apprently requires a bit of skill. we managed to do it after several tries. how we do it is that we take the pipe, suck in the air through our mouths then breathe out the smoke. it was just okay la. :) i told my parents about it and they were quite cool with it, because they know they i would only do it this once. :) i'm really glad my parents trust me. :)

jess trying to produce some smoke. hehe :)

lucky draw! time for presents! :) jerms came up with the idea of letting us 'draw' our gifts from 2 sets of 3 choices. but i bet they're probably all the same? hehe. okay i really don't know. :)

isn't this the most adorable thing you've seen? hehe! :)

crazy board of friends and a shoe 'voucher'! :) jerms, simon and hoongy plan to get me a pair of sports shoe, so that i can run properly. :)

jerms acting gay. cute right? hehe. i miss 4B1 sooo much! :)

group photo! :) i love you guys - ames, hoongy, jerms, geets, jess! :)

us kissing geetha, the queen magnefico! hehe :)
thank you jerms for organising this whole thing, with many many surprises along with it :D it was really memorable, good company, having arabian cuisine, laughing and talking, just chillin', smoking shisha (won't do it again), lots of first times. ;) it's amazing how we've still remained so close even after studying in ctss, going through jc (lots of ups and downs for you especially), etc. :) and of course, this goes the same to all of them. :) CHEERS to many more years ahead! til we grow old, and gray :) :) so, after that ames sent us home, and we saw the F1 route which looked absolutely stunning. :)

mala-steamboat dinner/F1 race my 'nu-er'
(26th sept)

the next day i met up with peirong (aka my nu-er) for mala steamboat! our usual dinner date ;) but i was totally stunned cos' she tricked me by telling me that she couldn't find me/was late/blah blah, and made me walk to this place where she had a cake in her hands with a candle litted :) *aww..*

according to her, it's mocha + tiramissu from NYDC :) somehow she knew that it was my favourite kind of cake? i don't know how? (how did you know btw?) but when we shared the cake, we both floated to cloud 9. it was like, very very flavourful and rich!

after our very filling mala steamboat, we were both, as usual, super bloated and unable to walk. haha. okay maybe it was just me. so it was the usual thing where she would drag me for a walk, and this time she took me to see the F1 racing thing where they were having the practice session on friday night. :)

it was very bright, and when we got there, we managed to get glimpses of the formula 1 cars. they drove by so quickly that even peirong's nokia phone (N series) couldn't record it down via video format. i initially didn't think much of this F1 race, despite knowing that it was something huge (world's first night race and all). it was catered more towards the foreigners and those who could afford it. so i just had this super heck-care attitude towards it. but when i got there, everyone was just so incredibly exhilarated, we squeezed in with the public, perspired like mad and just got treated to a very noisy night. it was a landscape of spectacle. :)
thank you peirong for taking me out to dinner, surprising me with the cake and also bringing me to watch the F1 practice session! and for helping me get through the crowd and all. hehe :) i'm glad that you're much more positive and happy now that you're doing a course that you've always wanted, and i admire you for taking your chances, for staying so positive all these while, and for following your dreams. :) take care girl! :)

"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."

- Albert Schweitzer

400th

2008-09-30T02:13:00.000+08:00

aloha, this is my 400th post for peaskeeping.blogspot.com :) time flies hey...

anyhoodles, my 20th birthday (i am so tired i actually typed '25th') was very unforgettable. :) many many sugar-coated thank you-s to my friends and family who celebrated my 20th together with me. you guys really made me feel extra special! :) so thank you, from the bottom of my heart. :) of course, those who remembered and left me writtings on my facebook wall/ friendster, smses on my mobile, etc. :) thank you too!

i would also like to express my appreciation to someone who gave me a very unexpected surprise/gift. all the gifts i have received are very special and thoughtful, but this one holds very special meaning to me/us. thank you, apple.

alright, i'm really exhausted cos' the girls and i stayed back for extra training today. i also had a mid-term paper this afternoon, so i'll keep this update short and sweet.

i will post up the photographs taken during my birthday by this week. :) good night. :)

Michael Phelps joins Grey's Anatomy Cast

2008-09-23T22:00:00.000+08:00

OMG!!!!THIS MADE ME LAUGH LIKE CRAZY.

SERIOUSLY!
Michael Phelps joins Grey's Anatomy Cast

LIKE OMG! it's MICHAEL PHELPS!!!

the legendary MICHAEL PHELPS! (the olympic swimmer from the states who won 14 career olympic gold medals, the most by any olympian, if you really have no idea who is is)

Ass out of the house

2008-09-23T01:05:00.003+08:00

i'm watching the EMMY's now - only interested in josh groban's performance, and of course, sandra oh and patrick dempsy presenting an award together!!! *swooooons* OH OH anddddd... KATE WALSH!! :)

i was really upset that grey's anatomy didn't win any awards this time *sniffle*, but oh well, it's okay cos' i'm sure season 5 is going to rock the next emmy awards! :) so so so sure :)

i am still feeling really sick today. mousey and shania made a surprise call from pioneer mall hehe, and i think mousey got a shock when she heard my voice. shania thought i was very drained. but don't worry, it's just me having a bad throat and cough + me sleeping. those contributed to my incredibly sexy voice. ;)

after coughing like crazy the entire afternoon and feeling weak from my medication, i decided to get my ass out of my house, and head to school for lifesaving training. my parents reprimanded me for attending training today cos' i could've killed myself, knowing how LS trainings push us to the extremes. (or rather, mr sim's trainings, hehehe). but oh well, i'm still alive now, so that's all that matters. :) even if i were to die, i would die a happy ladeh, doing the things that i like! :)

so anyhoodles! training today was very exhausting. it was divided into 2 parts, first was training with nick and js, on techniques for our test items. deep water rescucitation, chin-tow, un-assisted lift, etc. then at about 9pm, we joined in mr sim's training. mrs sim's training is very physically demanding, it's all about conditioning our body and strokes, and building up our stamina and fitness in general. :) so it's like swim swim swim, paddle paddle paddle, sprint sprint sprint, hold breaths + sprints, swimming with paddles, etc. it usually is on every friday night. but i don't know why it was on today. :) so we joined in the training until about 10pm. it was quite excruciating for me because i've been having breathing difficulties lately, and i only had a bowl of noodle soup in the morning to last me the entire day. but! thankfully it went really well, and despite feeling weak in our arms and legs after training, we all agreed that we felt super shiok! :)

after training, we headed for supper at subs as always :D then stanley sent jan, assef, terence and myself in his super cool van! i told jan that we should so go on a road trip with stan's van. cos when i was in the van, i fell asleep almost immediately. hahaha. it was so comfortable! :) though i bet terence and assef were like having a headache at the back of the van. hehe. oh and another reason for the road trip is because... being in stan's van just felt as if we already were on one. :) teehee. stan dropped assef and i off at dover mrt, and my big brother and i had a nice talk about many things as always :D it's always very comforting to talk to assef, cos i've never had an older brother, and i don't know how it feels like having one. :) assef has been my big brother in lifesaving since last sem and we're really tight. oooh and he could easily tell from my personality that i was either the youngest or the 2nd yougest daughter in the family. he is very pro indeed! hehe :)

alrighty, it's the reading week this week.. so i had better make good use of what ever time i have to catch up on school work and to complete my projects! :)

missing many of my friends HEAPS!
and i'm really looking forward to meeting all of you this week!! <3 style="font-style: italic;">lotsa love and kisses* :)

PS: there was a storm at my place last night, and it was sooo intense. not sure how many of you were awoken by it, but i was :p the lightning flashed almost every 3 seconds (yes, i counted), and the sound of the thunders were deafening. scaryyyy. can you imagine? lightning every 3 seconds!!? i was awake by then, cos' it was so noisy and the flashes were so annoying - so i started to count the number of lightnings per 1 minute at every 5 minute intervals. then i went into detail and counted the number of lightnings with, and without thunder, the strong and weak lightnings, etc.
and nat, sorry for waking you up with the "vibrations", hehehe :)

PPS: OH MY GOSH! JEFF PROBST WON THE BEST HOST AWARD!!! *AHH!* SURVIVOR!!! MY FAVOURITE!!! :) :) :)

Thoughts and games

2008-09-21T23:00:00.002+08:00

today, i had a short conversation with one of my close friends over msn. she typed this in our chatbox:

"the things that you don't say. but yet a million things that run through your head.
things that didn't make it out of your mouth but gets swallowed back in.
things you think about and things you feel in your heart that just stay there but occasionally make their voices heard on your blog."

i guess you could say that what she said was quite true. i'm the sort of person who wouldn't talk about things, albeit having a rather spontaneous and active brain/mind. i think a lot, but i don't talk a lot about things close to my heart. most of the times, i'd have trouble putting my thoughts into words that make sense, and i'd end up suffocating myself. the complexity of a particular situation makes it even tougher for me to talk about it. at other times, i'm just not brave enough to face up to it.. i don't really have a plan, i don't know what to do. all i'm aware of is that i WILL remain positive and make the best out of any situation i'm in. :) so don't worry. :) :) and to my friend, *flashes a wide smile*, thank you.

anyhoodles, i celebrated my birthday today with my family. :) we had a vermicilli feast, where everyone helped in and out of the kitchen. my eldest sister took the lead in the kitchen, and whipped up our individual bowls of noodles along with my mum. serene, cherryn and dad helped to lay the table mats and to prepare the utensils, etc. dad also brought home some teochew duck. although he told me that it was specially for me, i knew that it was because he was craving for it. :) we all sat on the coffee table and slurped our huge bowls of soup while my dad does his usual monologue. hehe. after a while we all got bored and my sisters told my dad how solemn his topics were, so we started to discuss our taiwan plans. :) we also looked through wedding magazines for ideas on mika's wedding. afterwhich, it was just pure fun and laughter until we had tummyaches from all the screaming, laughing, photo-taking and teasing. my sisters presented to me a gift that they had bought me - a pair of red canvas shoes. :) i guess i've always wanted one of those canvas shoes but i'm such a sucker when it comes to shopping (plus i'm lazy), so i was very surprised and elated. :) ooh and i had a cheesecake this year. :) thank you mum and dad, and my 3 lovely sisters for the wonderful celebration. :) my sisters, unlike me, do not enter the kitchen, do not know how to cook, do not help out with preparing for dinner and things like that. so for them to say to me, "leave it to us, you don't have to do anything today", i was truly touched.

throughout the whole thing, i took a back seat and just watched my parents and sisters as they laughed. i played along, although i felt as if my heart was somewhere far away. i kept having these flashbacks of my past 3 birthday (family) celebrations when he was around. it was really tough, being ill, on medication, having to deal with some of these things at the back of my mind.. but then when i snapped myself out of it and returned to reality, i feel happy and blessed to be born in such a fortunate family. :) i have such great and supportive parents and sisters, and at that moment, i psychoed myself not to think about things, and to treasure and appreciate what i have around me. :)

*feels super super blessed and happy*
i love my family and friends. :) :) :)

Gaming at Cineleisure
with the councillors
last weekend

sinkuan loving the camera ;) and a photo with val lying on the table (i told her to pose like that cos' it looks really funny) :p

my favourite quarter mistress (amanda) and master (susie), finally in harmony, playing wii together :) hehe.. each time i think back on how they would always have lil' disagreements, i'd giggle to myself..

one of the mario driving games, where val and i couldn't stop screaming :) it was our first time playing wii. that explains it right? hehe :)

i like this photo of chengjoo and sinkuan :) hehe. anyhoodles, guitar hero is the bomb! :) i wish i had one of these at home. but it'd be really distracting cos' i'll play it day and night :)

jannah and i going mad, with wii boxing. it was pure madness, and it really gave us a good workout man. :) you can watch a video of us playing below.

rockstars of the night :)

here's a video of jannah and i playing wii boxing.
it was our virgin experience, haha, and we totally had no idea what to do nor where to stand. (which explains the ending when i discovered we had no idea what we were doing)

Prego Dinner & Avril Gig

2008-09-21T01:17:00.001+08:00

Prego at Raffles City
with my family
last weekend

i loved the bread, i could just have the plain bread for dinner :)

with sereney :p didn't feel like taking photos, PMS-ing that day, but oh well :) oh and i was wearing a dress :) hehe. which i don't normally do. except on special occasions like wedding dinners and chinese new year when i go visiting. and maybe 1 or 2 special dinners.

for starters, we had parma ham and rock melon, it came with a side of rocket with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. my favaourite. :) my dad loved calamari so we ordered that as well. the lemon was really cute, it was wrapped in this yellow filter paper/wrapper sorta thing.

then there was goat cheese with tomato, oooh, another one of my favourite starters, which ALSO came with rocket, my favourite salad veg :) my mum ordered cod fish.

dad and cherryn had seafood spaghetti, while mika had some fish pasta

serene ordered something popular - carbonara. while i had the unfamiliar. i recorded the name of my dish on my mobile phone cos' it sounded too beautiful - "spinach and potato dumplings stuffed with prawn mousse, served with crab meat, green peas and bisque sauce". it was pretty good. i liked it. :) though i did get a bit sick of it after eating 2/3 of it. it's gnocchi afterall. :)

we all shared 2 sets of desserts, cos we were really bloated by then. tiramisu :) :) :) and this chocolate ice cream cake kinda' thing that came with raspberry cheesecake, which was also beautifully named but i forgot what it's called. i loved the latter. the tiramisu was also not bad. better than the ones i've eaten so far.

a photo of Prego from the outside. and umm, serene and i :)

my sisters and the very pastries + desserts they served. i have a thing for exquisite desserts. :) :) i think it turns every woman on. seriously.

i didn't post up photographs of my parents cos' they don't like me to. haha :) eversince they realised that i did, they were like "no! don't put our photos online! you never know who sees them!", which is actually true. and they find it weird having their photos up online.

assef also asked me a question after lifesaving the other day, about me not being bothered when people actually know everything about me and what i do daily? haha. oh wells. :) but the thing is, i trust my readers, and i know most of the people who read my blog are people whom i know. so it should be fine. i guess.

then again, we should never trust the internet too readily.. so yeah, just be careful about the things we do online. :)

Avril Lavigne Gig
The Best Damn Tour
with Hoongy and Bin
7 Sep 2008, Sunday

sprayed my hair with pink temp. hair spray, but it turned out disastrous no matter how hard i tried to fix it, so i ran out of my house in a cap because i was already late in meeting the guys. :) a photo of me, and bin and i :)

hoongy and i, and us at bugis having dinner :)

a photograph of the stage after the gig, and one of us just before the gig started, with our light sticks! :)

the concert was generally pretty awesome. except the fact that she was 1 hour 20 minutes late, and the concert lasted for only 1 hour 15 minutes. the acts before her gig were really boring. especially the band. i have to give credit to them for trying really hard, but i think 98.7FM chose them for the wrong event. it was like a situation of them being at the wrong place at the wrong time la. they would have suited a crowd at timbre or something. not at avril's gig though. everyone was boo-ing them to get off stage, and by the time they sung their 6th song, i was like "GOD HELP ME PLEASE!". even i had begun to get seriously annoyed. the dance acts were quite entertaining, thankfully.

okay, so back to avril. i've been a fan of avril since she had a debut single - "complicated". i can remember the lyrics to all her songs from the 1st and 2nd album cos' most of the songs were like sources of strength to me when i was going through puberty (i think). so yes, i love her songs very much, especially the dark and emo ones like "unwanted", "i'm with you", "take me away" .. and the not so dark but emo ones such as "happy ending", "nobody's home", "slipped away". as well as the slightly more rock/poppish "freak out", "he wasn't". of course ;) the light-hearted songs such as "anything but ordinary", "mobile", etc.

when it got to her 3rd album though, i didn't find her that cool anymore, nor did i find her songs very inspiring. but still, some of them were pretty catchy, like "hey hey you you i don't like your girlfriend", which i found incredibly bitchy but fun to sing-a-long to. and "let me hear you say, HEY HEY HEY! (echoes HEY HEY HEY!)". other than those 2 pretty bimbotic songs, i like "innocence" and "when you're gone". the two slightly more emotional songs, with lyrics that made absolute sense (to me).

the concert had a really good mix of her new (3rd album) and old songs. of course, bin and i had ourselves prepped for the songs from her 3rd album, so we were there screaming our lungs out at every single song she sung. each time the band played the intro part of a song, we would start screaming and try to guess what song it was. cos' the band would tend to play something different especially during gigs. hoongy was not as high as us, he pretty much sat through the entire concert while bin and i stood. maybe because he wasn't exactly a fan of avril's, but just went for the experience. :) hehe.

at the end of the whole thing, we went our separate ways and JE mrt, and then bin turned to me, and said "hey pearlyn, thank you." in a very genuine kind of tone.
for a moment i was a bit stunned. then i said, "thank YOU too."

i guess cos' if i hadn't asked him if he wanted to go to avril's gig, i wouldn't have found out that his no. 1 favourite female artiste is avril, and he probably wouldn't have gone for the concert and had so much fun.
well, for me, it's the same thing too. i just tried my luck to ask whoever i could think of that would probably want to go to the concert, and it so happened that i found out that bin loved avril, and was the only one who wanted to go to the gig besides hoongy. so, if not for bin, i probably wouldn't have gone, knowing that i would have to go alone. haha. :)

thanks hoongy and bin for the wonderful time :) cheers!

sick woman

2008-09-20T19:38:00.000+08:00

i've been feeling very miserable the past few days. when i fall sick, it's like, BAM. :( not a 1 day affair, but it usually lasts 3-5 days.

i've got a really nasty throat and an awful lot of green phlegm/cough, throbbing headaches and these hot/cold flushes. i'm on anti-biotics and some other medication that would make me really drowsy each time i consume them. :( on thursday afternoon, i told the doc to give me something that would make me recover within 2 days. cos' i have the NUS mass swim today, as well as the Cyclohunt (amazing race on bike) from tonight to tomorrow morning. unfortunately, it's already saturday, i'm supposed to be at East Coast Park now, but my ass is still on my bed.. and i'm feeling really groggy. :( i was really really upset that i had to give these two events a miss. *sigh* but...what to do? oh well..

but anyways, i feel a lot better now because... of a few things. firstly, i've been drinking a lot of water/taking my medication regularly, secondly, getting lots of love via sms from my friends, and also.. i got a surprise visit from nat today. :) thank you sweetie :) :) actually it wasn't really a surprise, but she came with 2 surprises - herbal tea and frozen blue berries (my favourite) :D thank you so much girl.. :) :) she was outside buying stuffs and before meeting her family for dinner, she popped by to my place and accompanied this sick old woman. :) really, xie xie ni. although i was in a daze most of the time (stupid medicine), we just chilled in my room, used my laptop, went through my bardot collection, played the guitar, and just simply talked and watched disney videos, i just wanna say a big big thank you to you for dropping by to visit me :) :) *very very touched*:)

last night.. i dragged myself out to watch mamma mia with jerms and hoongy. i felt so horrible but i just showered and pushed myself to get out of my bed because it was a movie i SO wanted to catch, and it's been awhile since i've had dinner with the guys. despite feeling really drowsy the whole time, i had a very pleasant dinner with them. during which, i observed that jerms has become very attentive to details these days. first, it was my eyebrows. then it was hoongy's fringe. haha. amazing. before the movie, jerms took me to check out the apple iPods. hmm. but jerms, they're really too expensive la. :/ anyhoodles, i was coughing really badly throughout the movie, and it sounded super gross with all that phlegm stuck inside of me. but ah well, when i went home, i forced myself to cough everything out, until my family thought i was vomiting out some nasty food i had. oh and it was very sweet of hoongy to send me home in his new car, haha (stop being so humble hoongy), and jerms to his bustop. though it was a short ride home, but it was pretty cool. :)

was telling them i don't have to get my driving license, cos practically all my close friends have their license le, or else they are most likely going to get it within the next 1-2 years. :) furthermore, public transport is going to be so widely available, so i don't really see the need to learn how to drive. unless... i go overseas. :)

and... happy belated birthday to tiong :) :) :) hope you had an unforgettable birthday this year :p hehe.. and.. perhaps i will talk more about it next time :p but ya.. the past few days, despite being ill, have been really interesting. :)

okee. my brain is dying le... i'm out :)
xoxo, pearls

to my friends, thank you for your concern. :) :) :)
to myself, please recover real soon! or else..

PS: taiwan trip confirmed :) 13-20 dec :)

Origami

2008-09-17T23:43:00.000+08:00

i think i'm falling sick.. i'm getting a sore throat, and am coughing especially hard this evening. so i'm loading up on lozenges before it gets any worse (for me, this usually translates into flu), cos' i'm going to have a really busy weekend.

some people *eh hem* have their own secret stash of chocolates and candies, while i have my stash of lozenges. :) most of my lozenges were bought by him. thank goodness i still have them...

good night, world.

"time has gone by and my heart hurts more"
- waiting, by BoA

Sleepless by Until June

2008-09-17T13:00:00.001+08:00

Until June is my latest favourite group of musicians. i have one of their songs "What I've Done" up on my imeem playlist above. it also happens to be the theme song for "Private Practice", the Grey's Anatomy spin-off starring Dr Addison Montgomery, which is why i love it so much. and here's another song by them entitled "Sleepless". i like this music video, it is simple, and displays growth and progression. and of course, i dig their music too.. enjoy...

rules of the game:
you get to fall
you get to cry
but you have to pick yourself up
and stay strong no matter what happens

PS: i removed the tagboard and added the 'comments' page. :) looks better visually. my tagboard was quite squeezy. hopefully my dear friends can type more in the comments page. :) cheers.

9 days to Grey's

2008-09-16T17:52:00.000+08:00

Grey's Anatomy season 3 BLOOPERS! super funny!!! :)

OMG one of my favourite final scenes from Grey's Anatomy Season 4 finale. SUPERBBB! to the song by Bryn Christopher entitled, "The Quest".

What I'm gonna live for
What I'm gonna die for
Who you gonna fight for
I can't answer that

Try

2008-09-16T14:34:00.003+08:00

i would like to get a bicycle. :)
so when i feel like getting away from whatever i'm doing, i can just ride away! to anywhere i like. it's faster than me running on my rusty ankles. and definitely quicker and more feasible than me swimming across the national borders. mwahaha.

and i had an awful dream, that i bit off my fingernails :(
haha, how random. :)

17/9 wed - university lifeguard corps AGM
18/9 thurs - SGH, kickboxing
19/9 fri - mamma mia!
20/9 sat - splashdown 08! (mass swim), cyclohunt (overnight amazing race on bike)
21/9 sun - cyclohunt, family (bday) dinner
22/9 mon - lifesaving
23/9 tues - go kart in malaysia with NUS lifesaving peeps
24/9 wed - lifesaving

on top of that, lessons, consultations, many readings, projects and assignments though next week is the 1 week term break/reading week. :)

looking forward to lifesaving beach intro in oct, and super looking forward to GREY's SEASON 5 which premieres in the states on next thurs!!! :) :) :)

i wonder if anyone has felt this way - even though i'm psyched, i'm not exactly looking forward to the 25th.. i've celebrated my past 3 bdays with him, and it just feels weird in a sad way that this year, i won't be anymore.. especially when i've always had the vision of spending the rest of my life with him. hmm. it's complex stuff. and you know, i just have to suck it up, and move on :)

Splashdown'08! (4 days away!)

2008-09-16T13:08:00.002+08:00

For registration enquiries, please contact ME! :)

Goodie bag includes a one and only Splashdown dri-fit event t-shirt, many attractive vouchers, food + beverages!!
Movie tickets, ryder’s vouchers, Olivia cleansing moose, Neutrogena sun block, gym balls, towels and many more prizes to be given as lap gifts!!

Top prizes includes speedo watches, Fabulous Tan session of indoor tanning, Fabulous Smile laser teeth whitening treatment at $350, Fabulous Skin session of fish feet therapy worth $30.00, Fabulous Wax Brazilian waxing worth $46 (gal) or $66 (guy).

We will also be injecting lucky draw prizes to jazz up the event, so what are you waiting for?

Register now!

Credits: Splashdown08!

When you're gone

2008-09-14T23:13:00.006+08:00

I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side

When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now

[Chorus]
When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you

I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do reminds me of you
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do

When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now

[Chorus]

We were made for each other
Out here forever
I know we were, yeah
All I ever wanted was for you to know
Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah

one of my all time favourite songs. i've been trying to play the full version on my piano whenever i have time on my own. attempted to multi-task by playing and singing at the same time, unfortunately i haven't reached that stage yet. (alicia keys, my inspiration!) this song... means a lot to me. because i'm able to relate to its lyrics up til its very last word. and each time i listen to it, it brings back a maelstrom of memories.

nowadays, i kinda just like to blog whatever comes to mind. and so i realised that i haven't blogged about a lot of stuff. the avril lavigne gig ("let me hear you say hey hey hey!"), etc. my days have been really packed lately - lifesaving trainings, bollywood dance trainings and rehearsals, project meetings, etc. i don't exactly have the time to go into detail on what happens daily and along with that resize and upload the photographs that i've taken. but i would probably do so soon. :)

on a lighter note, it's my lunar birthday today! happy lunar birthday to me! haha, though it's of not much of a significance, but i feel special since i was born on the 15 of aug (lunar calendar) which means that i'm a mid-autumn festival kiddo. :) so my lunar birthday falls on mid-autum fest every single year, which is really cool, i find. :) and this year, i performed a bollywood/bhangra dance at the friendship gathering, there was an overwhelming attendance of more than 830 audiences! that was the greatest gift for a lunar birthday. hehe. :) and of course.. how could i forget? nat and tiong's presence! :) really thank you guys for coming. :)

i'm really tired cos i had a very packed weekend.. but i just want to give a shout out to all my friends - i love you all. :)

and to my mum and dad, i know you both are doing all these because of me/for me. and i am genuinely touched. thank you. but don't worry, i am fine.. :) :) i love you daddy. i love you mummy.

PS: jerms, i did something i told you i would not. i think you know.

All about telly

2008-09-13T01:16:00.002+08:00

OMGOMGOMG! grey's might be getting new interns in its upcoming 5th season! and one of the interns could be Janina Gavankar! she played Papi (a promiscuous lesbian) in The L Word and she is SUPERRRRRR cool and SUPERRRRR hot.

YAY i'm so looking forward to it! actually super looking forward to all the new guest stars and probably a few permanent/new additions to the show, like Kevin McKidd!!! OMG!! he acted as the scottish royalty dude who got dumped on the wedding day in the "Maid of Honour" movie!

and i was reminded by moosie's blog post about the new season of gossip girls, i watched it, and honestly, i found the 1st episode of season 2 pretty cliche and unrealistic. the character development was lousy and it just wasn't as good as season 1. then again that could just be my view. i'm sure there are millions of people out there who still like it. :)

about 9 more days to the emmy's! :D :D hopefully grey's wins some awards ;)

btw here's a shocking sneak peek of grey's anatomy season 5, airs on 25 sep 2008. (a thought-provoking spoiler)

AND!
if you're interested in watching grey's, here is the...

ABC STARTER KIT
everything you need to know about grey's anatomy!
super awesome la!! everyone should watch this!

on 9/11 and an inquisitive culture

2008-09-12T10:37:00.002+08:00

days have passed, and in a blink of an eye, the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was commemorated yesterday at new york's Ground Zero yesterday.

i was 13 years old seven years ago. i can actually recall what happened that night. mika (my eldest sis) was watching the news at like midnight or something, and she was like screaming "oh my god! the world trade centre collapsed!" her eyes were glued onto the telly. and i was like, "oh okay." then i walked away.

I WALKED AWAY WITHOUT BATTERING AN EYELID.

when i was 13, i was oblivious to the seriousness of what was going on.

i kind of abhor my ignorance then.
my cousin, at around 8-10 years old, who studies in the International school at Beijing, is asking me who my constituency MP is and what our MPs do (luckily i could answer him). he tells me facts about our MM and questions my uncle and i about our PM and SM.

is there any way in which we can inculcate such a culture in our younger students? a culture of being intellectually curious and passionate about issues unrelated to the syllabus.. not being ostracised for wanting to be exposed, for wanting to know more. even now, many local students (younger ones) tend to just take an answer as it is without going beyond to question. or it could also be because teachers tend to brush aside such questions because of time constraints. (teachers are always rushing to complete the syllabus. really very stressful aye?)
civics lessons are a waste of time. we only read our workbooks for the sake of studying for our exams. at least that was what happened to me.

okee gotta rush to meet bin for gym now. talk later :)

PS: interesting article by Friedman (if you're interested in the American presidential elections)

Tip

2008-09-12T00:47:00.001+08:00

i finally let it all out today in front of my family. it was probably due to over-exhaustion and triggered by a lil' disagreement that serene and i had, which led me to start bawling uncontrollably. i think it's okay to cry loudly (with those weird noises), but when my body releases all these tears and unbridled emotions, it's quite frightening. for once i felt i had no control over myself.

but it was good. :) and i feel much much much better. not so stifled anymore at least. :)
i feel lighter and more clear-headed.

i love school, i look forward to waking up in the mornings, i love geography (in particular environmental/phy), i love my modules, i work on projects that i'm passionate about, i cherish my family, i treasure my friends, i relish lifesaving trainings. but i've always felt as if something was missing. i would like to do something that could create lasting values. something small, yet with a lasting, positive impact. i've had this on my mind since i was really young. but i was never able to translate my thoughts into words, and i never had the guts to mention it to anyone...

and i've always had this fantasy of going overseas to stay at a rural farm for a coupla' months to think about what i genuinely want to do in my lifetime.. i would do that while sitting by a campfire, sipping alcohol, probably with a really really close friend of mine. then in the day, i'd wake up, go for a jog, cook pancakes or waffles, have them with maple syrup and some fruits, and then help out in the farm. as night falls, i'd cook outdoors with the freshest herbs and ingredients for my friends and i (and for my host family).. and we would all share our life experiences.. make light of political issues, and spill the beans on our darkest secrets. haha :) when it gets really dark, we'd lie down and figure out the different type of stars in the sky and their formations.

that would be AWESOME.... :)

Chilli pizzas and 1/4 of darkwater

2008-09-11T00:26:00.000+08:00

i've started updating my food/exercise log! :) i realised i haven't been eating properly especially for the past 1 month. i used to be able to abstain from sweet drinks like mocha frappe (i don't even like these things) and f&n liang-teh (said to be made of fresh ingredients but i've never believed in it. i still feel that they're made up of mostly sugar and preservatives!).... but now, even after thinking twice, i would just give in to temptation. i get sooo enticed by these unhealthy sweet drinks. and my carbo intake has also undeniably increased over the past 1 month. so in order to stay fitter, i will cut down on my carbo intake and also start to take note of the food that i'm consuming! :) NO MORE FASTFOOD!

btw, i added a new song onto my blog, entitled "hosanna". it's a christian song that i heard when i was at nat's church.. i'm a buddhist, but i love it anyhow. :) i believe that music is a universal language. do check it out, i'm sure you'll like it too! :)

get well soon natsie! :) :) *teleports freshly brewed lemsip!*

Splashdown'08!

2008-09-10T10:35:00.001+08:00

hi friends!
my CCA - the NUS ULC (University lifeguard corps) is organising the annual NUS MASS SWIM event - SPLASHDOWN'08! it's a really cool event held on 20 sep, saturday at the NUS sports pool - with the objectives of promoting a healthy lifestyle, raising awareness of water safety, and promoting lifesaving as a sport. you don't have to be an excellent swimmer to join this event so don't fret yes! :) we are all encouraged to test our limits, and would be rewarded with gifts after a certain number of laps. there'll be booths for games, and sports products like SPEEDO, and also life-saving demonstrations by my seniors! :) (etc.) this event is open to NUS as well as the public, and all participants will get a dry-fit event tee and a goodie bag! so get your friends together and c'mon down for a day of fun under the sun! ;)

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
please contact me if you are interested! :)
or click on the link above for more details!

Credits: publicity photo

GIS lesson

2008-09-09T14:14:00.002+08:00

my professor is speaking alien language and it's killing meeeee....

say yes lester :D
say yes jade :D :D :D

The Voice Within

2008-09-09T00:31:00.001+08:00

Young girl don’t cry
I’ll be right here when your world starts to fall
Young girl it’s alright
Your tears will dry, you’ll soon be free to fly

When you’re safe inside your room you tend to dream
Of a place where nothing’s harder than it seems
No one ever wants or bothers to explain
Of the heartache life can bring and what it means

Chorus:
When there’s no one else, look inside yourself
Like your oldest friend just trust the voice within
Then you’ll find the strength that will guide your way
You’ll learn to begin to trust the voice within

Young girl don’t hide
You’ll never change if you just run away
Young girl just hold tight
Soon you’re gonna see your brighter day

Now in a world where innocence is quickly claimed
It’s so hard to stand your ground when you’re so afraid
No one reaches out a hand for you to hold
When you look outside look inside to your soul

Chorus

Life is a journey
It can take you anywhere you choose to go
As long as you’re learning
You’ll find all you’ll ever need to know
(be strong)
You’ll break it
(hold on)
You’ll make it
Just don’t forsake it because
No one can tell you what you can’t do
No one can stop you, you know that I’m talking to you

Chorus

Young girl don’t cry I’ll be right here when your world starts to fall

i'm not a very eloquent nor expressive person.. so i think this song pretty much sums up the things that have happened, how i feel, and what i need to do.. so i'm 'paying it forward' by sharing it on my blog too..
thank you nat.. thank you jerms.. and thank you to everyone who have showed concern for me.. you know my word of thanks is an understatement of how i feel.. if i could, i would say thank you, a hundred times. a thousand times. a million times if i could..

Heavily broken

2008-09-08T01:48:00.001+08:00

love empowers..
love can also blind a person..

love rejuvenates..
yet love also drains a person from his strength.

love brightens up lives
but love could also cut us deep...

i'm usually stronger than this...
but your words are so powerful...
that they have the ability to break me apart.

i just cannot imagine myself going through more of such nights.. not anymore..

With love

2008-09-07T14:07:00.002+08:00

Footprints in the sand

2008-09-06T15:23:00.006+08:00

i uploaded some photographs taken on tues when i met up with jerms and jess, as well as some photos taken with nat, tiong and bin when we went to west coast park last week! :) *
(the post on "pieces of me")

anyhoodles, today is tze char day! going to bin's parents' stall for dinner with hoongy later, to prep ourselves for THE BEST DAMN TOUR! :) super excited, am listening to avril's songs today, especially her newer album, trying to memorise her songs before her gig tomorrow!

despite being slightly busier lately, i am relishing every moment of it - be it studying/working on my projects, lifesaving training, or being with my family and friends..

thank you... for everything. :)

i have a habit of thinking too much when i'm not doing anything.
it hasn't been easy.
but i know i will make it through.

60% cocoa :)

2008-09-06T00:49:00.002+08:00

i've had an extremely busy week.. which explains the reduction in the frequency of my posts. i shall give a lil' summary on what i've been up to.

tues:
i went out with my mum and 3 sisters, we had dimsum for brunch and went to raffles city and marina square to shop. at raffles city, we sampled the mooncakes the this mid-autumn festival fair and bought a few boxes from the marriott hotel booth, which coincidentally, was sorta' managed by nat's brother, nick! :) he was really friendly and even gave my mum a special discount. thank you! :) i also bought a new top and a necklace from the island shop. at marina square, i bought a pair of new sandals, denim shorts, 2 pairs of earrings and 1 bracelet. it's been eons since i've gone on a shopping trip so i was really contented with what ever i bought that day. :)

after a day of hanging out with my family, i went to meet up with jerms and jess! :) we headed to dhoby ghaut and had dinner at a restaurant at cathay called ASTONS. the food was pretty excellent and we had an awesome time catching up and telling jokes. then we went on a climbing expedition! haha, we climbed this super tall flight of stairs of probably 5-6 storeys high, up to mount sophia. hung out at this place called "old school", sinema. checked out the place and explored sinema somemore. our day at dhoby ended pretty late, after i got my new arena swimming suit for lifesaving at 10pm+.

wed:
the highlight of the day besides my lectures and tutorials would be lifesaving training. 2nd training of the week and it was seriously shaggadelic. (read previous post). i'm still suffering from quite a bad back and shoulder ache. got home after subs supper and i was super exhausted that night. nat can vouch for me, because i usually never am that tired...

thurs:
thurs is my busiest day cos' i've got 6 hours of non-stop lectures and tutorials, so my thurs usually consists of a day without food all the way until 4pm. but today was a bit different. :) i brought tiong and nat to NUS to study because they needed somewhere condusive to study and wanted to check out my school. when we reached NUS, i took them on a "tour" of NUS. hahaha :) because i made them sit the wrong bus TWICE. i am so so SO sorry, really. my reason being - i do not take the shuttle buses in NUS although their services are frequent. because, i like to walk. so thinking that i knew what bus to take, i took them on two wrong buses, which i felt really bad for. then i had to drag them up a hill and go up to YIH's study room. by the time i entered my LT, my friend was like "woah, what happened to you"? haha.

lecture on climate change was superb, we had a special 'guest' lecturer, who now is my new idol. :) :) :) super inspired by him. he is going to take his phD in OXFORD. geog major from NUS. just finished his masters. long story cut short, he gave me some hope.
after the 5th hour, i managed to eat the dark chocolate (from nat) during my lecture break. *yummy* it was so dark and so sinful, but i loved it! helped to sustain me during the last 1 hour :) then i brought the kids to have chocolate brownies + vanilla ice cream at munchie monkeys, and nat also bought onion rings to share cos they were hungry! :) i had to head for kickboxing 1 hour later, at 5pm. KB was fun and pretty tiring as usual, ended late, but i loved it crazy crazy. haha :) rushed to senja for my bollywood rehearsal and managed to get there just on time at 7.30pm.

once again i had to rely on an energy bar because i had no time for dinner. so my entire day was... pretty pathetic. or you could say it was good too cos i had to rely on a lot of chocolate to keep me energetic. i ate the milo chocolate energy bar that tiong and nat had so thoughtfully bought me :) thank you :) and i managed to last til 10pm during my bollywood dance rehearsal. :) headed to nat's house nearby to stay :) and we had a really good time changing bed sheets and bolster cases (HAHA! OMG!) and having our girly heart to heart talks! :) we watched STAR DUST with nadia, though nad felt asleep halfway through. hehe :p i loved the movie!! after that it got really late so we headed to sleep after some super comfy massages! :)

fri:
woke up the next morning and it was raining cats and dogs! like seriously. it was so heavy it woke me up, and i just lay in bed and read the book nat bought for me :) when she woke up, we talked for an extremely long time, waited for the rain to stop, before showering and heading out to meet tiong! :) we had lunch at JP - XLB! home-made noodles, charsiew rice, veg, fruit juices, so much food! saw a lady with super extremely short dress, nat even thought she might not have been wearing an underwear. it was so obscene, seriously. we met up with vivien! ivy! and arron! and all 6 of us headed for a movie together - WALL-E!!! :) it is one of the most well-animated cartoon movie i've seen, that could touch a person so deep, despite the movie featuring 2 robots that do not speak. so i absolutely love and support this pixar animated film.

nat, tiong, vivien and i took a bus to city harvest church to support nadia in her play for an event called the youth fest i think! it was an eye-opener cos it is my virgin experience going into a church for an event. but i had a really fantastic time there with everyone as well as the new friends i've made! we took lots of photographs together and i want to thank nat, tiong, vivien, nadia as well as all of nat's friends for the awesome experience! :)

this post is kinda hasty and short, but i just want to have them typed out in case i forget some of the stuff that had happened... as some of you might have known, my memory is getting quite bad. haha :) but don't worry! i shall eat many gingko nuts to improve the situation! haha like real :p

okay i'm really psyched and happy but i've got to go do some work. so toodles for now!

Shaggadelic

2008-09-04T01:01:00.000+08:00

the only reason why i'm blogging now is because i'm waiting for my lecture notes to be printed.

lifesaving today was super, duper, freaking tiring.

according to stan, it was "shaggadelic".

i never knew that head above water (freestyle) was so exhausting, especially when our necks had to be locked on the victim. no turning. no going underwater. did so many laps of that, and towing of victims with our long sleeve shirts. was given a lesson on 'how to strip in the shortest time possible' by nic, haha, and straddel jumped soo many times. plus we've got warm up swims. i've never swam until i had leg cramps before.

was telling nat how bin and i would always train together. 40 laps of freestyle non-stop is not a problem for us. but training in school is like... wow.

js asked us to read up and learn on how to treat cramps before next training. because he said training is going to be a lot more shaggadelic than today's.

anyhoodles, after training kiat, jan, assef, stan and i went for supper at subs. talked about life during the hols, and then stan drove us to the mrt and i took a train home with assef. turns out his life is so much more interesting/complicated than i would've thought. :) and we made some really good analysis and observations about certain issues. then everyone was impressed that i knew about hurricane gustav and hannah (sp?) over supper. then i was like, hello i'm a geog student! (but actually i think these are things we should all be aware of whether or not we are geog students or engin students or um any other kinds of students?) then later assef asked where the capital of cuba was, then i was like, uh oh i don't know. then they were like, hello you're a geog student leh! haha. okay anyways, that was random i don't really know what i'm talking about already and i'm really dozing off soon but it is my dream to be able to know every location on a map.

good night world. :)

PS: yay 1 lab report down! :) just submitted it online :)

New Orleans braces for Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-01T10:57:00.003+08:00

dear friends,

on monday, 29 august of 2005, Hurricane Katrina made its 2nd landfall as a category 3 storm in southeast Lousiana.

3 years later - monday, 1 september 2008, we are going to witness another even stronger storm that will hit Louisiana, a hurricane worse than Katrina.

nearly 95% of Louisiana's 2 million coastal residents have fled ahead of the hurricane in New Orleans, the largest evacuation in state history, as forecasters warned that Hurricane Gustav could hit Louisiana on monday (New Orleans time) with devastating effect. it is said to be the worst storm in the atlantic/carribean region.

"I must tell you that this is the mother of all storms. This storm is so powerful, I'm not sure we've ever seen anything like it," he said. "I'm normally trying to give our residents assurances. Take that hat off tonight. You need to be scared. You need to be concerned and you need to get your butts out of New Orleans."
- Mayor Ray Nagin (TIME)

i will be following this closely on the news. it should make landfall tonight (SG time). you can track the hurricane on NHC and here. we should all pray for the people in New Orleans. there have already been 80 over people killed when this hurricane ripped through Cuba a while ago - probably while most of us were sleeping.

some of my concerns - the government's (FEMA's) response, how the hurricane will affect the republicans' race, the remaining 5% of NO's citizen's who have yet to evacuate, the social after-effects of the disaster (the displaced, the homeless, food/water, violence/looting, etc.), recovery efforts.

current date and time in New Orleans

credits: photos

Pieces of me

2008-08-31T18:47:00.001+08:00

i went to trim my hair and fringe this morning after brunch. i want to keep it neat and trimmed cos' lifesaving trainings officially start tomorrow. but it guess it still looks the same as always, haha :)

-----

Westcoast Park

i discover new things about myself everyday...

and yesterday was the very day i realised that, i am horrible when it comes to remembering jokes and riddles. (it's no wonder i don't tell jokes. so when i do, it's a VERY rare opportunity! otherwise it usually is never funny) according to nat and tiong, i can still laugh at a joke as if i've never heard of it before, when i've actually been told the joke for the 3rd time. -.-"

anyhoodles, i had a very pleasant day out yesterday with bin, val, nat and tiong. sorta' like to celebrate with nat and tiong the end of their prelims :) bin and i headed to the pool to train ourselves and as usual, i was keeping up with him. we swam 40 laps of freestyle non-stop and he shared a secret with me! HAHA. hmm well, didn't see it coming, but all i can say is, you have my support. :)

we met up with the 2 kids for lunch at KFC :p during which i introduced bin to both of them :) seems like they like him a lot. haha :D oh and the night before, bin and i had a sudden random urge to go somewhere to play/cycle after swimming. (high 5!) so we decided on west coast park the next day, and when the 4 of us went there, the weather was pretty good :) we played and slacked at the playgrounds, swinging all those flying fox (seats) thingies as if we were 7 years olds.. played scissors paper stones on the balancing beams.. etc. which reminded me of myself when i was much younger. i haven't done this in a while. haha :D i think i played that game when i was in primary school. okee then it started to drizzle pretty heavily so we carried our bags and headed towards MACs.

nat on her first try at the swing thing (she's screaming!)

tiong looks constipated! *ouch!* haha :)

wee this is fun! :) i love it.

as we were walking there.. something came over nat and i. we told the guys to carry our bags into macs while we stayed and played at one of the playgrounds. it started to feel good getting drenched under the rain, very cooling and relaxing.. so instead of looking for the guys at macs, we climbed up one of those nets and just laid there and sang songs and talked under the rain. it was really cool cos' it's a rare opportunity to do something like that - singing/laying down/chatting under the rain. people tend to give themselves excuses and hesitate when it comes to doing the things they enjoy, and at the end of the day, we usually end up not being able to accomplish or do the things that we like because of a tiny obstacle that comes along. in this case it could have been nat not having an extra set of clothings to change into, or us fearing that we could fall sick, maybe even people thinking that we are stupid for laying down under the rain and singing our lungs out. so i was REALLY happy, and that nat and i have rather similar perspectives :D

bin, myself and natsie! :)

pushing bin back up!

nat hanging on the rope/nets :) (trying to do some acrobatic stunts! hehe)

my favourite photo! nat seemed to have just snapped it so easily, but it captured something more complex.

ooh, there were a few times when the rain stopped and the sun came out, but the weather was very erratic. after perhaps an hour, the guys came out (after eating their ice cream and having their own bonding session haha) and found us chillin' at the nets. they joined us and we had another karaoke session under the rain for 2 hours + altogeher.. then played somemore.. danced (learnt the line dance and chacha!).. and left in the evening for bt timah.

so it was during the bus journey when i realised that i was bad at remembering jokes.. it's kinda sad actually, cos i like to make people smile/laugh :) i attempted to crack one on the BAO (buns), but failed miserably so bin had to take over me in asking the kids the riddle. haha :) when we reached coronation plaza, we took a walk to cluny court and that was where i brought them to awfully chocolate to eat the chocolate ice cream there, called "hei" (black). it's my favourite chocolate ice cream of all time so i thought i'd share this place with them. took janey to try it once too! :) it was introduced by the very sweet sweeling and charlene :)

val came to meet us after church and we had dinner at adams road food centre (i think, or dunearn?), had sotongs, kangkongs, stingrays, rice, fruit juices - very very full. then went to a secret place to sing karaoke! i loooooved the place, the theme of our room (jap/tatami style), the songs were also very very very updated and they had the original MTVs. i mean they even had "pieces of me" by britney spears and "pocketful of sunshine" by natasha bedingfield, which are considered pretty new songs right? :) there was a wide variety of songs to choose from and the sound system was excellent, i can't complain really :) most importantly, it was the company that mattered the most :) i got quite emo at one point because of several songs that reminded me of the past. and you know i was really trying to hold back the tears, and i felt everyone supporting me - val and nat holding onto my hands.. the guys smiling at me, as if to tell me to stay strong. they knew what was going on. :) thank you so much friends... :)

i'm a person who feels a lot when i listen to music, when i play any instrument, and when i sing.. so i really enjoyed myself during the 3-4 hours + of singing! danced and pranced around especially while singing those power-packed songs ;) i love karaoke sessions, i love dancing and singing, and i absolutely cannot live without music! :)

and here are the PEASKEEPING awards for the karaoke session! (HAHA made it up myself)

award for most inspiring singer - DAN LAI LAI! (natsie haha)
award for most entertaining singer - chen weibin! :)
award for most spontaneous and loudest singer - ah tiong! :p
award for most "feeling!" singer - val!! :)

after the entire day out.. i sent the kids home cos' it was already past midnight.. we all got home, showered, all tired.. :) *zonked* ;p

i love spontaneous outings :) especially to the outdoors.. or wherever as long as there's a group of friends whom i can relate to.. thanks my darlings for the fun-filled day out yesterday! :) :) :)

i'm looking forward to meeting up with my doughstics (gene, mousey, shania, shu, lydia), jungle girl and geets!! :D i miss you all so much! :) and of course.. the avril lavigne concert next weekend with hoongy and bin! :) and many many more outings to come with my friends... i also want to watch many moviessss.. heee. :)

alrighty, i've got lots of readings and tutorials to work on.. :D so i'm out for now :)

Soulmate (lyrics)

2008-08-30T01:12:00.002+08:00

i cried while listening to this song. it's beautiful.

(refer to the song below by natasha bedingfield)

Incompatible, it don't matter though
'cause someone's bound to hear my cry
Speak out if you do
You're not easy to find

Is it possible, Mr. Loveable
Is already in my life?
Right in front of me
Or maybe you're in disguise

[Chorus]
Who doesn't long for someone to hold
Who knows how to love you without being told?
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a soulmate for everyone

Here we are again, circles never end
How do I find the perfect fit
There's enough for everyone
But I'm still waiting in line

[Chorus]
Who doesn't long for someone to hold
Who knows how to love you without being told
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a soulmate for everyone

If there's a soulmate for everyone

[Bridge]
Most relationships seem so transitory
They're all good but not the permanent one

[Chorus]
Who doesn't long for someone to hold
Who knows how to love you without being told
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a soulmate for everyone

Who doesn't long for someone to hold
Who knows how to love you without being told
Somebody tell me why I'm on my own
If there's a soulmate for everyone
If there's a soulmate for everyone

Soulmate

2008-08-29T00:44:00.002+08:00

mousey intro-ed this song on her blog. OMG i love it. it's by Natasha bedingfield, one of my favourite singers - she it SO talented and i love her!

beautiful song :)

Dont stop movin'

2008-08-29T00:13:00.001+08:00

WOW i had the longest day ever and although i'm really exhausted, i am feeling SO accomplished!

i had 6 straight hours of lessons today, didn't have breakfast nor lunch, totally rocked a tutorial session inside out, smiled at and acknowledged almost every stranger i met today (somehow they all seem to love me today), spoke to several random people as the super sociable instincts in me popped outta' no where, went to swim at the club, received several compliments from an auntie (haha) during the bollywood dance rehearsal, and umm.. bonded with the bollywood people :) :)

the rain could stop me from moving faster, but it will not stop me from moving.

You are loved

2008-08-27T15:13:00.001+08:00

i'm dedicating this song to a very very good friend of mine. you know who you are. and this is for YOU :) *hugs* :)

"You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)"
by Josh Groban

Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
When your heart's heavy
I...I will lift it for you

Don't give up
Because you want to be heard
If silence keeps you
I...I will break it for you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

Don't give up
It's just the hurt that you hide
When you're lost inside
I...I will be there to find you

Don't give up
Because you want to burn bright
If darkness blinds you
I...I will shine to guide you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

You are loved
Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
Don't give up
Every one needs to be heard
You are loved

Letter from David

2008-08-26T23:08:00.000+08:00

i was just telling bin yesterday that i love to make friends with exchange students. cos' bin crashed my campus and was so amazed to see so many foreign students. so i told him that i always happen to make a couple of friends from the students exchange programme (SEP) every semester when they come to NUS. especially in the arts faculty. they tend to be very interesting and friendly people, and are very passionate for a cause and about life in general. :)

then coincidentally, i received a very delightful email via facebook from a friend of mine from Austin, US. his name is David hardy, and i thought i'd share his email with you all. before this email he actually asked how i was, and if i remember him. and of course i told him that i did :)

Hi Pearlyn!

So nice to hear back from you. That SEA module was the bomb, Dr. Savage was kind of crazy with his stories (crazy in a good way). Remember his stories of corruption in the Philippines (teachers getting big fruit baskets right before the election from the political parties because teachers count the votes)? Or cockfighting in Bali? Or collecting stone phalluses (phalli?) in, was it Burma? And I love his expressions whenever he told his stories, you really tell he was getting into them and having a good time.

I also found it funny how he brought a big bag of books that he'd pull out during the lecture. Did he actually expect us to diligently copy the titles down and pursue them during break? Also, remember how he would criticize us on the field trip? Even before the trip began he couldn't believe so few people were there, saying they must be "sleeping under the banyan tree." :) So Dr. Savage was actually my favorite professor there even though I got a B- in the course. I've told stories about him to my professors, friends, and family!

Do you remember much of it? I don't think you're a geography major so maybe the stuff he talked about didn't connect with you as much.

Anyways, as cool as Dr. Savage was, he's not what I miss most about Singapore. What I miss most is the FOOD! I love teh tarik, teh peng, and roti prata so much. What made it better was that they were so cheap and accessible, I could be walking anywhere in Singapore and be within two blocks of a place to grab some teh tarik and not feel guilty about spending a lot of money. I loved the teh peng at the Cheese Prata place by NUS, but my favorite prata was in a small Muslim food stall near the touristy part of Chinatown. In addition to those new foods, Chinese and Indian food in Singapore is better that I've had in America too.

I also liked the people of NUS and Singapore a lot. When I first went down to the library, I couldn't believe how beautiful the women were! And yes I'm including you with them! And it seemed every one was like that. I lived at PGP and it was the same there but with more students from Malaysia, China, and India. I made a lot of friends at NUS who I miss greatly and am struggling to find a way to return. :( I also remember my first week when the bus drivers helped me out. For example, I got on the 183 going the wrong direction (only one stop left), and the driver recognized that I was a bit confused so corrected me then even helped me take the charge off my card.

It took me two months to find a job because the economy down in America right now. Looking for a job when you have no job sucks. It's just scanning the internet day after day for jobs, writing cover letters, tailoring your resume to the job, and sending them out with no response 90% of the time. I won't bore you with further details of my boredom.

I'm living at home now and working Sunday through Thursday, 11 AM to 8 PM. This enables me to save a lot of money to return to Singapore soon. My dream job is to be a Foreign Service Officer at the US Embassy in Singapore, but that is just a dream right now. :) I guess I can try to be transferred within Apple to Singapore?

Where did you work this summer? Did you save a lot of money? Are you still a lifeguard?

Cheers,
David

after reading his email, i started feeling more positive about living in Singapore. i never really thought that anyone who came to SG for 1 semester would feel this way about a country so far away from his or her home. david has so many nice words to say about my country. and if we were to compare the situation the graduates are facing in America, we are so much more blessed to be able to find jobs because it's quite a huge problem in the states now that the economy is slowing down. and you know, david is a super smart guy and he majors in POLITICS, HISTORY and GEOGRAPHY. he has 3 majors. CAN YOU IMAGINE. a person with 3 majors not being able to find a job -.-""" let alone someone with a double major.

well i really hope that his dream would come true, because i miss my friend dearly and i hope that he'll return to SG for a visit soon! :)

i'm thankful that i can have my teh-ping and meepok within walking distance :) teehee. :) guess these are things that many of us take for granted. :)

i also went through the URA master plan 2008 today - jade helped me to get a folder from the URA talk yesterday. the URA master plan is the highly anticipated land use plan for the next 10-15 years. the amount of effort the government has put in to create a kind of 'lifestyle' that singaporeans can begin to relish with the increasing accessibility of an array of recreational activities and facilities is amazing. and it's not just the recreational aspect of the master plan, but also our government's plans to achieve growth through decentralisation by thinking long term for a sustainable future. all these ultimately providing a better quality of life for all Singaporeans (+ foreigners).

"Where my future is: Great opportunities, Good life."
*a quote from the master plan*

although i can be rather cynical at times with regards to certain local issues, i believe that... we are really blessed in Singapore. and i will make sure that if i have kids in future.. they will not take the things they have for granted. because i believe many of us have, and are, still. be it in terms of education, having a roof over our heads, looking for jobs, transportation wise, or even down to our basic necessities. i'm not saying that i have reached a point where i do not complain nor take any of these for granted.. but i'm just starting to see things more differently now, after david's sharing. :)

can't wait for his next email! :)

ooh and erm, he thought i wasn't a geog major student cos' i hadn't made up my mind yet then. :) i'm very proud to say that i am, now! :)

Avril Lavigne's Gig Tix

2008-08-26T17:30:00.005+08:00

YAY I AM GOING TO AVRIL'S CONCERT
WITH HOONGY AND BIN! :)

just got home from school and discussed the details of avril lavigne's "THE BEST DAMN TOUR 2008" with hoongy and bin while i was walking home. we decided that i would buy the tickets online today before the $85 tickets get sold out! :) and we saved 20 cents because i used MasterCard. HAHA :)

YAY i am so happy although we were hoping that more people would join us. (esp moosie! cos' moosie loves avril - rmbr our trip to the buddhist lodge to raise funds for jjc?? hehe!) but anyhoodles, we're embarking on a virtual expedition to listen to her songs DAY AND NIGHT, until the day of the concert, so that we can sing-along with her! just like what i did when apple and i went for the AH MEI (STAR) concert in the past :) i don't have a problem with her old songs.. it's the slightly newer ones that i have to listen to more often.

SO BECAUSE OF AVRIL, i am going to temporarily change my JUKEBOX on my blog. i will have a special AVRIL JUKEBOX until september 7th! :) erm but they will not feature her new songs (which is kinda ironic), because most of them have copyright problems hence i can't upload them.. so i'll just put up some old songs which i like though she probably wouldn't sing them at the gig :p i love her 2nd album especially. SUPERRRB.

Hyperjive 2008

2008-08-26T10:27:00.002+08:00

HYPERJIVE 2008!
NUS sports hall
24 August 2008, Sun (after S'pore Bay Run) 1.30-5pm

Hyperjive is an annual aerobics marathon organised by the aerobics club.. shania and i joined as demonstrators this year for the marathon where we had to demonstrate moves on stage with the instructor. it was about 3hours+ of latino-robics, cardio-aerobics and kick-boxing! :) so it's approximately 1 hour for each segment! :)

i was really sleepy after the s'pore bay run (construction bay run haha) but when i got to school, thank god my sleeping juices evaporated and i felt rejuvenated! must be shania's new hair colour that refreshed me haha :) because it is extremely exhausting to demonstrate for 3 hours+ straight on stage, we had different 'shifts'. so shania and i were on stage for cardio and kickboxing :)

and here are photographs of our training during the weekdays first.

shania and i, and my chicken bao! :)

this is how i look when caught off guard -.-""" quite fierce right?

smiley cheery shania and her goggles on the floor haha :)

us in the dance studio before our instructor arrived! :)

doing some stretching.. shania calls it a butterfly? hehe :)

this is after the kickboxing routine. super tiring!! *perspires*

HYPERJIVE actual day! :)

shania and her jumping shot! :) me was tired, so just act fierce lor :) haha :)

prepared to rock and roll! :)

a photograph of all the dance demonstrators for hyperjive! they are all SUPER nice and we got along SOOO well! :) (sorry the shiny thing is the reflector on my adidas top haha)

hyperjive is a really exciting event. it was extremely fun and everyone should join it next year! :) 3 hours of aerobics marathon made up of a variety of exercises.. it tests not only your physically strength but also your mental peserverance! quite tough but it's superb bonding for friends. not just for girls, but guys too! :) the top prize went to a guy, so lucky! he won this hee-uge super cool speakers set! :)

to thank us for our efforts, the committee gave the demonstrators each a goodie bag.. yay i love goodie bags! esp those with substantial goodies (unlike the bay run haha). we got a CLEO magazine, MAXIM magazine, water, milo, shokubutsu foam bath and facial wash, many (useful) vouchers, potato chips and i can't remember what else! hehe :)

after that i walked home under the heavy downpour. shioook! :)

Melle's 3rd Birthday Party

2008-08-26T10:06:00.000+08:00

Melle's 3rd Birthday Party
Bukit Timah (Toh Yi)
23 August 2008, Sat night

attended melle's 3rd birthday party at her new home in toh yi after work on sat.. wow she's grown :) melle used to stay around my block in bukit batok and she's a filippino. so my auntie helen and her parents and auntie are really close friends. that how we got to befriend melle, her parents, her relatives, her auntie! :) we're all like one close-knitted family :)

the birthday girl and her princessy outfit + wings made by her mama! :)

oh my gosh okay was made to do this, but she seemed more interested in the purple balloon, haha! :) ooh btw the horsey is from ikea! went to buy it with tiong and nat ;)

that's auntie jaq (from left), my auntie helen who has been with us for 16 years! and auntie vic! :)

sis and bro - super cute right? :) hehe

cousins! :)

playing with the kids on the bed... they are seriously crazy.. out of their mind... and that's my younger sis serene behind in the checkered top btw! :)

well we had to pretend to be monsters (they can pretend very well) and they messed my hair too.. haha :)

one more monster shot - i love these kids :) :)

okay a not so unglam shot :) haha :)

during the party we had filippino food that tasted soooo good! chocolate fountain/fondue with marshmallows, fruits, berries waaaah so yummy :) and home cooked turkey and salad.. *salivates somemore* then after that charis went to make this secret charis-vodka-milkshake. it was a combi of strawberry ice cream, strawberries, vodka, ice, and some other secret ingredients (haha) and because i kept wanting to find out what the 'secret recipe' was, they kept filling up my cup with this vodka smoothie. i almost exploded la. so full. but it was the nicest drink with vodka in it. :)

after the birthday party, i headed to KAP to meet jerms.. it was supposed to be gelato night, but we had lemontea instead cos' i couldn't take in anymore food. haha.. :) talked about everything under the sun (+ hainanese culture) and his uni options, etc..
anyways jerms, i'm not so selfish as to keep you in singapore. haha. make a wise decision and stick to it, like what your mum said. yupp? whatever it is, hoongy, simon, rongmin, and i will always support you de. at most you go to aussie.. and send over tamtams to us every week lor. hehehe :)

Singapore Bay Run 2008

2008-08-25T19:12:00.001+08:00

Singapore Bay Run
Cityhall/Raffles Place/Sheares Bridge/Singapore Flyer/Marina Bay Floating Platform/Padang
24 August 2008, Sun

so! the day finally came and i woke up late! -.-" i was really tired from work the day before.. then carmela's party.. and meeting jerms at KAP at night.. plus we had drinks at the party (though it was a 3 year old kid's birthday) but miraculously i rushed out of the house within 10 minutes! *HURRAY!* brushed teeth, washed face, put on my clothings, tied my hair, packed my bag a little (luckily i packed my bag the night before) and ran out of the house.

met up with janice just on time at cityhall, and we managed to get to the front of the massive number of people. it was ke-ray-zee! btw, this should be called the CONSTRUCTION BAY RUN 2008. seriously! the 6km route was surrounded by construction works and it was really quite ugly. the only non-construction site or part of the route was the sheares bridge where we could see the singapore flyer. and also when we entered the marina bay floating stage area. other than that it was ALL construction works. haha :) what to do? by 2010 when everything is up, the 6km route should be a lot prettier and pleasing to the eyes i guess :)

waiting for run to start :) we walked and ran with our bags. so ma-fan to deposit. haha :)

jan and i at the marina bay floating stage area. reminds me of NDP 2007! :)

jan asked me to take a photo here :) teehee :)

a photo of a part of the route.. and us at DING TAI FUNG for breakfast! :)

okee so after the 6km walk/jog, we went to collect our goodie bags and the padang field was sooo muddy, it was like walking on chocolate icecream with milo on top. because it rained the entire day the day before. gosh! at one point, when janice tried to lift her legs up to walk, her shoes almost got stuck in the mud :/ we were contemplating whether to 'sacrifice' to walk in to collect our goodie bags.. and decided to do so. cos before that we wanted to get the 100plus drink, we walked in and it was too crowded and muddy so we headed out. then we found the goodie bag point and wondered if we should head in again. so we did.. and it was the ultimate -.-" goodie bag only had 1 NEWater bottle, and some vouchers (which i have no use of teehee). but oh well! it was still super fun walking in the mud!! you know the whole process of screaming and clinging onto one another. teehee :) and i met several people there! christopher from CTSS/JJC, weiliang! leroy! adrian! and i can't remember le (brain dead).

jan and i then had breakfast with my sis Mika and her fiance at DING TAI FUNG at Raffles city shopping centre. they also ran. was looking forward to the XLB (xiaolongbao) but it tasted really disappointing. according to my sis, the standard dropped a lot. but it's okay! it was a superb breakfast cos' of the company :)

then i went for Hyperjive 2008 where Shania and i were dance demonstrators for an aerobics marathon which lasted for 3.5 hours. i shall update more later! :)

Pirates Rendezvous @ BTC

2008-08-25T18:47:00.001+08:00

oh my.. my eyes hurt so badly because i swam without my goggles today. i like to swim without goggles, i don't know why. bin came to swim in NUS today and crashed my most boring lecture, which fortunately got more interesting towards the end. *phew!* otherwise i would feel really bad for bringing him to this particular lecture. anyways he wanted to see how life in NUS was like! (i think?) okay wells so here goes my update on work on sat..

NUS Family Day 2008
Pirates Rendezvous @ Bukit Timah Campus
23rd August 2008, Sat

on sat morning, wenxing met me at 6.15am below my block and we cabbed down to NUS (Bukit Timah Campus). i'm working part-time/freelance as an events helper under NUS so this Pirates Rendezvous is one of the events i've helped out at.

we reached there at 6.30am even before the sun had risen, it was soooo dark and we were soooo sleepy. met up with jet, ben, anthony, clara and a few others and they bought MACs for us :) it was raining but thank goodness the sky cleared and the event was held successfully :) anyhoodles, my job is pretty much to do everything and anything. i was an usher, i helped with the prize presentation, was responsible in over-seeing the lower quad's activities, helped to distribute bento sets, and just did whatever we were required to. and it was really fun cos' we got to play too! :)

oh and i have to mention that the NUS Bukit Timah Campus is really really GORGEOUS. i was telling jet how i wish the Kent Ridge Campus was also like that.

ben told me to queue up at the clown's area for balloons, and i got this cute wrist thing! :) and a tattoo ;) *YO-HO!*

i have a thing for pirates!

yay i love giant bubble balls! :) okay they were cool to roll in! :)

posing with my pirate-ish green sword! it can kill...

it just did! but anthony looks happy. haha!

J and his ice pack!

i would so love to study here...

Jet helped me take all my solo photos!! :)

and this has got to be my favourite of the day.... i've always wanted a photo like this. i love the BTC buildings... :) :) :)

our day ended at around 3pm after packing up and i was so tired i headed home to shower and slept for 30 minutes before heading to Carmela's 3rd birthday party at Bukit Timah... :) shall update another time when i get the pics from my sis :)

thank you, for loving me

2008-08-24T19:10:00.001+08:00

lately i've started to relish moments under the rain. walking home under the rain in particular. not under a drizzle, but a heavy downpour. with the heavy raindrops splashing against my naked skin, what could feel more real than that?

i think many of my friends have gotten to know that apple and i are not together anymore.. it was a really really tough decision that we had to make together. nothing could be tougher than that.. really. but i just want to mention that, it was good while it lasted. and i wish him the very best of luck in his future endeavours. :) (i'm keeping this short, i'm not the sort who likes talk about it too many times.)

love and relationships arent the simplest things to be explained nor understood.. for my close friends to understand what is going on, it's a feat.
and for their constant care, love and concern for me, i deeply appreciate each and everyone of them.. :) you know who you are.

lastly, i'd to conclude by saying that... please don't worry for me. because i know i will be fine. :)

i'll blog about my busy weekend some other time. (singapore bay run, NUS hyperjive, KAP with jerms, carmela's birthday party, IKEA with my bobos, working as an events helper, etc.)

Spinning

2008-08-21T00:48:00.001+08:00

antti, thomas and meghan were interviewed on Channel News Asia's Prime Time Morning today! :D got the message from sean and went to check it out immediately.. *psyched* click here to watch the interview/video! (LOTS of fire spinning action not to be missed!)

in the video...
antti is performing with the double staff.
thomas is the poi master (i call him that because he does it so elegantly and is really charming. haha erm okay inside joke with irene la).
and.. meghan!! is showcasing her contact staff skills, the one that caused me bruises all over my body during the workshop last weekend :) :)

PS: not a fan of sweet chocolate bars (i prefer dark chocolate) but i'm eating the mini SNICKERS now - and i never knew it would taste so heavenly! i'm surprised. can try it with low fat milk, they make a pretty good combi ;)

a miracle

2008-08-20T16:32:00.001+08:00

*weee!* a miracle took place before my eyes. hahahahaa :) my mp3 player is working again!!! (after several months of hiatus) *does the happy dance* i thought it crashed! hehe. now when i travel on the bus.. i wont be so lonely anymore :D hehe. listening to waking ashland used to be his-to-ry! but now.. MWAHAHAHA. i feel so inspired. to play even more songs on my piano. if i had 6 arms, i would form an acoustic band/trio to do acoustic covers of a variety of songs. hmm. then again! i would probably require 3 brains to coordinate right? hmm. not sure about the biology aspect to this! :)

just ended lecture.. gonna read the IPCC fourth assessment report to prepare for my lecture tomorrow! :0) after that it'd be another 3 hour session of training for the marathon! :)

OMGGGGGG!!! MEDICATION by WAKING ASHLAND!!
PS: jeremy i tried to play this on my piano recently :D :D

humans

2008-08-20T00:36:00.000+08:00

sweaty (pigs) haha after 3 hours of cardio aerobics last night! and we've still got MOOORE trainings tomorrow til 9pm+ for latinorobics and kickboxing to prep for the mass aerobics marathon on sunday! :)

you know, when you feel attached to someone.. you not only feel glued to the person physically, but also emotionally.. spiritually.. you feel attached to the person's family.. the person's home.. bed.. computer.. even the bowls.. the chopsticks.. and the spoons.. the sound of the water from the fish-pond.. the dust on the floor.. and when you don't meet up as often, you start to miss the places you would go to and the things you would usually do together.. to the extent that each time you walk past or go to a particular place (e.g. a mall), you'd wish that the person would miraculously appear right in front of your eyes.

Press play

2008-08-19T19:02:00.000+08:00

"Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve
this song is an 11 year old song (that was released in 1997). i came across it on youtube and thought i'd share. i love it :)

Bornfire 2008

2008-08-19T02:10:00.002+08:00

wow the past few days have been very very shiong physically..

not only did i spend my weekend with the fire spinners at fort canning park (bornfire)... i had cardio-aerobics training for 3 hours today with shania, and we will be having latinorobics and kick-boxing training for the next few days til sunday to prepare for HYPERJIVE 2008, cos' we're going to be demonstrators for this mass aerobics marathon event in NUS! i also have the S'pore Bay Run on Sunday, the same day as hyperjive.. and i have to work on saturday at a school event.. but still!! i will find time to swimmm.. haha :) swimming is my life. and lifesaving must train la.. :p

okee!! so i attended the BORNFIRE workshops where i learnt how to spin the staff and to further my skills in poi spinning which was super difficult! injured myself all over but thankfully the bruises are not that visible otherwise people would think that i was being abused at home. hahaha :) because for one of the workshop, the staff/metal pole is very heavy and we have to do stunts with it, so my entire right arm feels really sore and bruised, and my shoulder and neck kena the impact of the pole as i tried to spin it and then *BAM!* it hit us all over, as well as on my foot. teehee. but it was super super duper AWESOME!

anyhoodles, bornfire is the first and biggest fire festival in southeast asia and it is held annually in singapore. since xyn's the organiser of this festival and she was our ndp trainer for fire spinning last year, we decided to sign up for the workshops to support her event as well as to pick up some new skills plus brush up our rusty spinning skills! wilson, randy, jimmy, shiling, irene and i signed up for 4 workshops over saturday and sunday...

- anti-spin staff, by meghan claire pike
- advance poi, by thomas johansson
- contact staff, by antti suniala
- beginner staff, by meghan claire pike
(you can click on the links to view some of the spinning videos)

these workshops were held at fort canning park and our instructors are spinning artists from sweden, finland and scotland. i actually didn't know how popular and professional they were until i did a search on google and youtube. i love them and totally adore their skills to bits! :)

Day 1

wilson looking so tired.. as if he has decided to surrender. haha :)

attempting to do some spinning stunts as he focuses

this is Antti! :) our contact staff instructor from finland or sweden (can't rmbr!) and the guy behind him in black singlet is thomas, our advance poi workshop instructor. they are both SUPER talented and nice!

haha my favourite windmill with the poi, the new stunts were REALLY hard and required A LOT of practice.. so i decided to go back to doing more intermediate spinning..

Antti and his contact staff.. this is the one that made us get bruises all over.. super tough but it's my ultimate favourite among the three staff workshops!! :)

Yap in the middle.. he is a perfoming artist too. with his double staffs ;) we met him at sentosa last year during the jamming session :)

yay! i love group photos! :) this is with Meghan.. who's from scotland! woohoo! she's so sweet and super super cool :) :) i love her! she always comes to me to help me with my spins :p

with Xyn and Fish. haha :D they were both our fire spinning (poi) instructors from NDP 2007!
(from left to right) me, shiling, xyn, irene, jimmy, wilson, fish!

I LOVE CONES!!! :) :) :) (ice cream cones)

some event they were holding at fort canning park.. these percussionists were so cool they posed for a photo with me in like a split second when all i wanted was to listen to them play their drums!! :D

the guys drove us all for dinner at the place hoongy intro-ed last time near bugis/lavender.. CURRY RICE (scissor) very popular!!

Day 2

yap learning the contact staff

trying hard to figure it out

antti teaching wilson

meghan teaching me how to correct my techniques for beginner staff

fish and friend (i think) practising

thomas the poi master *mwahaha*

after an entire day of training under the sun, we went under the fort gate to shelter us from the rain as it came during the last 15 minutes of our workshop :) that's wilson with meghan teaching him some techniques

ehh okay, whatcha lookin' at? (sorry very tired liao) haha :)

thats Antti. he is crazy. and he loves the rain. you see the staff he's holding onto? the metal pole? that's the one that caused us all our bruises. HAHAHA :) but it's super fun. meghan is an expert in that too!!

he loves standing under the rain with his staff. HAHA.

thomas and antti ;)

some of us under the fort gate when the rain came... and some cute lil' kids who were there with their family :)

slacking under the fort gate.. me talking to ginno..

shall end off with this photo of us playing in the puddle of cool rain water! :)

PEACE!
xoxo :)
*zzzz*

More than words

2008-08-17T03:33:00.000+08:00

i hope you don't mind,
i hope you don't mind,
that i put down in words...

how wonderful life is,
now you're in the world...

:)

(ewan mcgregor - "your song")

---

listen to "the blower's daughter" by damien rice? :)
it's beautiful.. :) :)

if you have somemore time, try "9 crimes" :)

they are all on my jukebox on the lefthand side. :)

i think damien rice is my newest favourite artiste! :D :D

PS: music is a gateway to expressing my emotions.. so sometimes i wonder, what would i do without it?

Singapore's first olympic medal!

2008-08-16T00:57:00.001+08:00

OH MY GOD!!!!

SINGAPORE WON ITS FIRST OLYMPIC MEDAL AFTER 48 YEARS!!!!

OH. MY. GOD.

our women's table-tennis team did our country SO proud by beating korea in the semi-finals. and it wasn't like any other normal match!! it was SUPER DUPER FREAKING EXCITING!!! i screamed until my throat went sore! the scores were incredibly close.. i would say that korea sent an OUTSTANDING team of players as well. they were sensational. but singapore was even better. we were patient, we perservered, and we made it.

WAAAAAH!!!!! :) :) :)

i am really happy! :)

now i know

2008-08-15T10:35:00.001+08:00

good morning :) today is my free day from school :) and it should be like this for the rest of the semester unless i have to go to school for projects :) today is tutorial bidding/balloting day as well, i hope i get the slots that i want.

my favourite cereal is post's "honey bunches of oats" (with real strawberries). haha. how random. but i like it to soak in my milk for 1-2 minutes before eating it. it's soft and really delicious. but for certain cereals i actually like them hard and crunchy, for example, coco crunch :D hmm okay that was really random but i just felt like talking about my cereal! *WEEEEEE* :)

by the way, i'm really liking the new semester. :) i've made many new module mates, and got to know some really awesome geography major students (though they are mostly from year 3), and most importantly, i think i will like my modules. :) i'm doing this level 3 module on "environmental change in the tropics", and we discuss issues and problems on climate and environmental change, and of course the mitigation.. etc. we go through IPCC reports and do research, etc.. level 3 is going to be very tough i guess, but somehow the higher the level, the more in depth the content of a module, so i'm really loving it. this module is EXACTLY what defines me i guess. i am doing geog because of this.

whether

2008-08-15T02:05:00.000+08:00

whether i fall
means nothing at all.

it's whether i get up
it's whether i get up...

5 factor

2008-08-14T23:47:00.001+08:00

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have high extroversion.
You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends.
You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation.
Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!"

Conscientiousness:

You have high conscientiousness.
Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life.
Most things in your life are organized and planned well.
But you borderline on being a total perfectionist.

Agreeableness:

You have high agreeableness.
You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly.
Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone.
You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance.

Neuroticism:

You have low neuroticism.
You are very emotionally stable and mentally together.
Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly.
Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is high.
In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas.
You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits.
A great admirer of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

The Five Factor Personality Test