Peace on NYE- to go, or not to go???

I got out of tennis lesson in the evening to meet my friends for dinner yesterday. On the bus ride to town, I met Jieyun & Rachel. I found out from JY that she's doing dressmaking at Lasalle now. So exciting! I'm gonna get her to tailor my dresses once she finishes the course. Heheh. So after that I met Chris & his gf, Sher, Harry, Mad & Han at Out of the Pan at Rafflescity. I missed their crepes so bad! Because it is so good. :) I was feeling quite cheated when there wasnt the usual UOB discount. Its 30th Dec wad... Not even NYE. Oh well, but dinner was really nice.

Chris & Sher shared the (colourful) Rainbow dessert above.
The sour sherbet gave Harry orgasmic reactions!
Heheh.
Harry's Jaffa stack was gorgeously Chocolatey too.

Anyway, I like Sher because she's as bitchy as me! Meaning that we will get along really well in the future, especially with the checking out of "hot" guys. Haha. I also got to know Han better yesterday evening. Shes super protective of her girlfriends, even more so than guys are of girls- which is really sweet.

Although we had plans to play boardgames after dinner, everywhere was fully booked. Due to Equinox's age limit for guys, we headed to clarke quay instead. We hung out at Attica's outdoor area, by the river for some post-dinner drinks. The main topic of the night was about drunks and their drunken behaviour.

Well, FYI I'm supposed to have a gathering at my place with some ltb mates, but it got cancelled this afternoon due to poor attendence. Haha. While I've got an offer to go to J bar at M hotel tonight, I really dont think I should. My dad is unhappy with my results & my frequent late nights... So while I'm extremely tempted to go, I'm too guilt-ridden. I guess this is the end of my social whoring for now.

Due to my overwhelming enthusiasm for school term, or rather Summer Vacation 2007- I've made a To-do list! I hope it gets me through the 15 weeks of hell, starting 3rd Jan.

1. Practise Salsa
2. Perfect Poledance
3. Learn more exotic dance
4. Maybe pick up Yoga (finally)
5. Practise Tango! ( I almost forgot)
6. Play tennis
7. Finish my 80hours of compulsary CIP :(
8. Organise a gathering for my salsa mates
9. Spring-clean & decorate room
10. Throw a summer vacation cum room warming party!
11. Get ad-hoc job assignments
12. Train for 10km run
13. 1 Beach holiday please?
14. 1 Shopping holiday please? Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh, or even China- ANYWHERE CHEAP!
15. Plan for exchange program
16. Plan for year-end holiday
17. Visit St James Power Station (which i still havnt did)
18. Visit The Cannery (which i havnt done so either)
19. Do the usual stuff which I havnt been doing - blading, cycling, swimming etc.

I can't wait.

Yesterday night at about 1am, I was having a chat with my two brothers in my younger bro's room(which still looks like a warzone). We were talking about supernatural beings and gods like the relationship between worshipping gods and then getting protection or wealth in return. Apparently, my younger bro seems to have a streak of bad luck recently. Thus, I think that the fengshui in his room got screwed up after he rearranged his room. Then, my older bro offered to let him wear a buddha pendant thingie which will supposedly reverse his misfortune. Both my bro & myself were extremely wary of it. He didnt dare to accept my bro's offer. My younger bro doesnt even believe in the occult, but I do and i really think that we shouldnt mess with things beyond our control. Moreover, my older bro told us hes keeping something in his room, which i cant find the word for it. Watch necromancer & you'll know what I'm talking about. Recently, hes been complaining about missing the 4D winning numbers by 1 digit too. Okay...

The clock's ticking & it wont stop!

It's 30 Dec and the new year is looming. Unlike 90% of the world's population, me together with all the Emo losers are dreading the new year because School is starting on 3rd Jan. Damn, we have to start school with the primary school kiddos PLUS sacrifice our precious weekends for the make up lessons. THANKS A LOT. What a dampener.

The approaching 2007 got me thinking about my life because i'm gonna turn 20 in 6 months time. I think i'll miss the third-"teen", four"teen" & all the "teen"s which ive experienced. This "teen"-ness has always been a convenient excuse for all things childish & ridiculous. I remember being naive- like engaging in immature secondary school politics, talking ills about other people behind their backs, throwing tantrums unnecessarily, breaking down and brawling my eyes out at the most trival things. Fighting with my younger brother over the TV, having numerous cold wars with my mom over lousy academic results, arguing over sleepovers & curfews. Haha. Such typical teenage angst huh? Well... I'm glad I grew up. At least, I think I've mellowed quite a bit. Tell me if I'm being a whiny bitch and i should just get a life. Go ahead, i appreciate honesty. (Just tell it to me nicely, ok?)

I remember being so full of myself during the teenage years, especially at 13. It's like phoar- I'm finally a full-fledged TEEN now and i expected the freedom which came with it. Blame it on American Literature. Their teens seem to be mini-adults. Oh, even my trusty characters of the homegrown Bookworm gang had considerable freedom- like going out without any adult chaperones. I guess being the only girl among 3 children made my parents more protective of me too. However, while my mom was strict, she wasnt exactly unreasonable. Thankfully, the reins have been loosened, so now i can spend the night out without having my parents freaking out and calling the police.

I believe i'm in a reflective mode today. Just a while earlier, I Msn-ed an old guy friend whom i havnt talked to in ages. The last time we talked was probably about 6 months ago, at my surprise 19th birthday dinner. We used to be much closer, like buddies, but we sort of had something going on (though we were in self-denial most of the time). Unfortunately, we have drifted apart since june2004, after we decided to "remain friends". Haha, its probably one of the most hated phrases in the world today. Right?

Anyway, that made me wonder if our friendship was that shallow? Or is it that a girl and a guy are unable have a platonic relationship after a certain degree of closeness? I really hope that my first theory is wrong. I'd rather choose to believe that the drifting apart was a natural process of letting go of something dear and also the consequential process of accepting the loss. Staying distant makes it easier. So... i have faith that our friendship wasnt that superficial and that we can reclaim our friendship soon! When we have more time for people outside the current 1st & 2nd degree circle of friends. This list of social priorities is flexible, some positions are transient. so... just try get into my good books. Heheh- you know what to do!

Get high

I came home last night and saw my younger brother sleeping in the living room. This morning I found out that his room had some form of self-induced earthquake causing the tiles to explode. Literally! So the tiles are like broken or pushed upwards. This has caused much distress to my mom- shes paranoid that the entire house will collapse soon.

Anyway whassup with clubs & their lack of air-conditioning? Turn up the power man. I was feeling way too warm for comfort in DblO. Anyway, its packed with youngish mats & minahs. The age group is probably like 18-25(MAX).

Firstly, Ivy, as usual pangseh-ed us. She said she fell sick, so i'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Next, Kinseng came as her substitute, which was pretty alright cause Huiting didnt feel awkward around him. Then, HT didnt bring any proper ID which resulted in the door bitch giving her some trouble. After waiting for forever, we finally got onto the dancefloor & it seems like mats like me! Woohoo. Haha. Unfortunately, i just wanna have fun with my own friends & keep a low profile at the same time. Sorry dudes- Go relac one corner lah! After K returned with some gross (& super strong) AK-47 cocktail, he managed to get HT drunk. Alamaks. So getting him down was a mistake right? For the rest of night, i was practically holding HT up. Haha, at least she wasnt wasted.

Talking about getting all drunk and wasted, maybe the drinks in DblO are too cheap. I see so many girls staggering about & throwing up in the restroom. Outside, tipsy girls are being held by their (usually guy)friends. When i was waiting to collect my stuff from the deposit, this poor girl just puked everywhere. These are times when i prefer MOS or clubs with older people, because I am usually spared from witnessing these scenes.

I dont understand why people let themselves get wasted. U mean they enjoy hangovers? The gagging & puking? Or maybe its the loss of control experience, when they cant focus anymore. Ultimately, I think its just UNGLAM. Plus, you will just be an annoying burden on your friends who intended to have some fun. If u puke at them, its worse. So really... Theres no point listening to your ego, believing that you have good alcohol tolerance cause if you think this way, theres already no limit to what you think you are capable of handling.

There were policemen on patrol last night. Too many drink & drive cases recently i think. Please, drive safely. Nobody wants to go to the hospital on New Years Day.

Day of Little Discoveries

1. I opened my window this morning & found a half-dead lizard staring back at me accusingly, as if I was the one which closed the window on it, which somewhat squashed it the entire night. ITS NOT ME! I was seriously scared by its cold & penetrating beady eyes. Next, I noticed a swarm of ants around it so I guess this lizard is gonna be their feast today. After Brunch, i came back with the intention of getting a brave soul to remove the lizard for me but Mr Lizard disappeared!!! I think the ants really got him. Rest in peace (pieces).

2. My maid bought me the worlds largest chocolate cookie I've ever seen!

It measures 12cm x 4.5cm x 4.5 cm.
My crumbs were like 1/4 of this thing.
It costs 50cents each.
Thanks to my darling maid who bought it for me. Haha.

3. I'm the biggest klutz at the moment, because i managed to drop a candle into my newly-brewed hot green tea! I had to throw away the entire jug because i dont really like waxy teas. Haha.

4. My maid said that Indonesians like sweet stuff. Shes not kidding because her mom uses 1kg of sugar EVERYDAY. Like WOAH.

5. I will have company home on monday night next year, after Tango class. Yay!

6. School is starting soon & i havnt gone to salsa in ages. Sigh.

Rain, rain go away...

HELLOoooo, PUB'd better be catching all of this water from this horrible rainy season (at least to make up for the islandwide floods, urgh). I'm sure that this amount of rain can probably last us for an entire year if we really caught everything. A godsend huh? I am so darn sick of the rain. I can never have dry feet or dry hair these days. Even my birkenstocks grew mouldy!!! The sun is MIA so I cant sun my birkies or my boots. Clothes from the China trip are still in plastic bags, because they cant be washed due to the incessant rain. I have to brave the rain EVERYTIME i head out the house. I blame my regular bad hair days on the wet weather too.

So yesterday's afternoon was spent browsing the ulu shops in the ulu shopping centres in Chinatown with WH. Thankfully, we got some great bargains! However, we got really turned off after too many blingbling beads/arts&crafts shops there.
Tip1: Bring your shades with you when you visit.
Tip2: "Putu Piring" is NOT the same as my beloved "Tutu Kueh". The latter is much better, honest! The former is the Malay's version of Tutu Kueh- it is filled with gula melaka (palm sugar) and served with salted shredded coconut. (I thought it tasted kinda weird.) It is SUPER fluffy & spongy like a rice cake, whereas the Chinese ones are flat & dense, with lovely, juicy, sweet brown shredded coconut fillings.

Next, we met the (Extremely LATE) Ivy in town for a short while to exchange presents & bits of each other's lives. Then, i went to a gathering organised by Zhenghan, at his place called Pine Grove. It was pretty alright, although I had to trek through the mud & rain to his place. Our dining setting was near the poolside with leaky shelters, making my stuff & the guests pretty wet. We stayed put until around 11pm. The 3 late-comers finally arrived after 11pm. I suppose we caught up with each other for quite abit, since it was an intimate party of 5 or 6. I dont remember having so much red wine & beer at one sitting. Haha- all thanks to my brilliant drinking games.

I finally went to visit the GYM this afternoon, after eons. The wet weather & late nights put me off getting some muscle ache, but i'm glad i went just now. After dinner i pigged out on 武大郎biscuits from Shanghai. I miss China ( for the 1st time in my life! School must be really bad...)

Bad internet connection from the Taiwan Quake has resulted in boredom-
From SAM's blog:

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins ( i want!)
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid ( i want!)
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone ( i want!)
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped ( i want!)
11. Visited Paris ( i want!)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights ( i want!)
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa ( i want!)
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon ( i want!)
22. Watched a meteor shower ( i want!)
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse ( i wish!)
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight ( i want!)
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse (only partial)
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country ( i want!)
44. Watched wild whales ( i want!)
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe ( i want!)
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving ( I've got no guts...)
51. Visited Ireland ( i want!)
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan ( i want!)
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving ( Snorkelling can?)
62. Kissed in the rain ( So romantic! Make it come true for me then? Haha)
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken ( Seemingly impossible...)
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days ( I will die, honest.)
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest ( I Almost did. Haha.)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Rio Grande River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas ( i want!)
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date ( Err...)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house ( i want!)
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds ( If i did, this means that I have dissipated into thin air.)
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray ( jellyfish can?)
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a radio show ( i wish...)
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears (ew)
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes ( maybe? I dont know! )
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream ( Soon...)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head (no choice, right?!)
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Xmas's the season for indigestion

Confession of Pain.

I liked this show, despite the overall darkness of the content-
The gruesome violence, bloodshed, betrayal, deceit & cruelty etc.
However, the beautiful cinematography had more than made up for the above.

The leading characters held the complex plot together & complemented each other really well. Tony Leong, as usual, is magnificent- just watch him portray the intensity of his villainous character & you'll be chilled to the bone. Moreover, I was never a Takeshi fan, yet I was won over after seeing him in this film. He has since matured into a capable actor exuding charm & quiet confidence.

I admire the portrayal of the stark irony in the lives of the 2 leads. At first, Detective Hei (Tony) was seemingly immersed in romantic bliss & living a blessed life with his newly-wed wife. This is contrasted with Bong (Takeshi) who was left as a shell of a person, who indulged in alcoholism after his pregnant girlfriend committed suicide. By the end of the story, Bong was the new individual one who found hope & love, whereas Hei found regret & death. Susan ( Hei's wife) demonstrated so much strength and courage as she held out till the every end to ask Hei whether he had loved her at all, even when she knew the answer already. I forgot the name of shuqi's character, I dont even know if she had one, but her character was super adorable. My favourite line in the movie- [After Bong started a fight in the bar, when one of her gangsta customers got fresh with her. ] Shuqi: " 我喜欢你为我打架。" I wished someone would do that for me too. Haha.

So that was yesterday. A leisurely Christmas eve afternoon, spent with Aziz & Huiting, stuffing ourselves at PizzaHut. After which, we tried to relive our childhood in Toys R Us. Haha. I've just realised that I've confused Bert & Ernie for the past few years. OOPS. BUT, I cant believe that AZ knows Sesame Street better than I do & is completely ignorant about Charlotte's Web. Haha. Well, kids have it all these days. I dont remember having this MIND-BOGGLING array of toys available to me in my childhood. Movie was that- HT & I loved it, I hope AZ did too. I mean, we forced him into watching a mandarin movie. Haha. Well, he learnt "睡觉" & "啤酒" from the movie. So it shouldnt be that bad right?

After evening movie, i rushed to dinner with my family at ToaPayoh's Fortunate Restaurant. The usual seafood stuff. Straight after I got home, i set off towards Tanu's home. Because she had very kindly invited us over for an intimate Xmas gathering. I had a 2nd dinner at her place- some cake, salad & chapati, making me really, really full. I love her sister's dog. Shes as hyper & noisy as Mervyn's nephew!!! Anyway, we basically spent the rest of the night playing the HARRYPOTTER version of cluedo. Haha, can you believe it?

This morning, i was called up at the unholy hour of 9am to go have bak ku teh breakfast with my family. YAWN. I dont think i've even done with the digesting of the entire week's food yet. After a mediocre meal at Balestier, I went to Bishan to meet my friends. We were supposed to have steamboat. I swear, for the rare times in my life, i felt turned off by food. (Except of CANDY CANES) So i had a bit, before we played mahjong & cluedo for the rest of the day. We even managed to play Jenga/UNO stacko with Chris's Blingbling mahjong tiles. Haha.

ZhiKai & the glittery gold mahjong tiles

Simple times spent with my old friends mean alot to me. Thanks to Chris for letting us mess up his place. Thanks to Mad who tried organising it & for the lovely candle. Thanks to Hua for the Too-small/Too-long T-shirt. Thanks to everyone who came today & tahan-ed my "i'm gonna puke any moment" mood. Merry Xmas! I'm giving this out for Xmas next year.

To ...........
With Lotsa Love,
WANYING

Too many parties make me a weary girl

22nd Dec
5pm- Deep's Housewarming
I was happened to be the first guest. Haha. I was thus honoured to view the house & its owners in the preparation stage. Deep's new apartment is rather spacious & extremely windy, to the extent that it managed to whip my hair into tangles. However, it was all made up for by Deep's mother. Because she is such a darling towards me, treating me with such warmth, I cant help but like her alot.

6pm- Sam's 21st Birthday Party
Since i spent most of my time there waiting for Sam to reach home, SMSing & making small talk with Marie, I dont think it was really fruitful. Sam's NS friends were early as well, but they talked among themselves exclusively and I didnt bother to interrupt their conversation. I hope his party was a success & that he liked the present. I was honestly relieved to get into Noel's car. I had stayed too long already.

7pm- TRAFFIC JAM!
I hate the year end jams. The traffic is as clogged up as the drains these days. ANNOYING.

8pm- Xmas gathering at Mervyn's place
We finally arrived at his place, warmly welcomed by Aloysious, Meryvn's nephew. Haha. He's so hyperactive, i believe hes probably suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He called Regina "sotong ball"! He also made me play 'chopsticks' with him, to his own rules! We played 'scissors, paper, stone' & he wanted to give me a "Char Siew Pao" to box me. Alamaks. Haha. He's still super adorable because he speaks with a TV-acquired American accent. He punctuate his speech with "pal" & "dude"! I cant think of any other 7-year old boy who speaks like that! Soon, his maid came to collect him & send him to bed. PHEW... Suddenly, it became too quiet.

After cleaning up the area, we packed up all our leftover food. Which was A LOT. I hope Meryvn & his mom enjoyed the beehoon, chicken wings, duck meat & curry today. Haha. So anyway, some of them went to pick Daphne up to join us post dinner. (Supposedly for Supper, but we were wayyyy too full.) Too bad WuHui & Sushi had to leave earlier. SengKang Boy was probably so disappointed. Anyway, im really paiseh cos the Champagne which i brought seemed to have LAO FONG already. The colour's really dark & it was NOT bubbly at all. Haha.

So when the entire entourage came home, the guys were too gutless to watch the horror shows on cable tv, we played some drinking games with the champagne. Shawn said it was "nasty"- OOPs. Haha, so we played '3 kings' first. Continued with CokeCola when the champagne ran out. Urgh. Afterwhich, we had an enlightening Truth or Truth session. Haha. I shall keep the details private. :) Next, we moved on to 'Indian Poker'. You know, having to down the entire mug of water is unbearable. Justin did that a few times too. Heheh. Lastly, it was the 'Polar Bear' game which was really funny.

We hung around at his place until 6am this morning. We had Macs breakfast at Kallang & then reached home at 8am. Entered Lala-land at 8.30am. I woke up at 4pm because i have my tennis lesson at 5+pm.

The tennis lesson was different because Coach Simon wasnt around today. Instead, the overall head taught us & he focused on all the technique basics. The grip, the footwork, the posture. Although the pace was really slow, it cleared up my doubts. While its really useful, I really hope Coach Simon comes back SOON. Otherwise, I will buay tahan with his teaching style. Zzzzzzzzz

EAT, drink & be merry

Merry Christmas!
Here's my cheater cake recipe for busy/lazy people.
Sorry about the look.
Just eat it, CAN?

Seduction is 100% hardwork

How embarrassing can it get? Imagine yourself doing exotic dance (something like catwalk seductively, at least, I was TRYING to). Then, a pair of indian workers walked by and happened to see me! Ahhh, so i was trying to talk to my friends to coverup what i was doing. I said, "Hello... You know, blah blah blah." And they thought i was talking to them, so they replied. Yikes. Horrible.

I spent this evening in school, hidden away in a secluded corner, learning exotic dance level 1 from my salsa girlfriends. Haha. I feel extremely self-conscious trying to act sexy. It is so tiring. Maybe thats why so many women fake orgasms. Alright, honestly, it was fun. Anyway, after that torturous session, i think that my legs are forever crossed when i walk. Gosh! No matter what, I really appreciate my girlfriends for teaching me this stuff! MUACKS to Widah, Latifah & Rachel!

Moving on... I forsee a hectic day tomorrow... I have 3 places to visit in the evening & i have no car, no driver. :( Mad still said that we might be going clubbing at night, for the main purpose of seeing Chris's new girlfriend. Its like, everything changed after I came back from China. I'm so curious...

Dry feet + friends = Perfect day

Today's weather was fabulous, albeit a little too warm for my liking. Nevermind, at least I finally realised that the sky is blue & that the sun hasnt exploded and faded away.

Before I met up with my dearest girlfriends in the afternoon, I sent my china photos for developing. The bill came up to a whooping 90bucks for almost 200 pics. :s Afterwhich, we just spent the nice afternoon lounging in my room, catching up, reminscing & bitching. Haha.

Afterwhich, i met up with my happy horny hockers! For dinner at ThaiExpress in Marina Square. We ate so much, i almost burst. Urgh. Then we went down to clarke quay to have some hagen daz icecream by the river. Im surprised that its so dirty & still remain relatively odourless. Do you think they add deodorant to the water? Haha.

Tourists on the bumboat ignored us when we waved to them! We would have appreciated a couple of camera flashes or at least some response... Maybe they thought we were just a bunch of drunk hooligans. Nevertheless, just hanging around, doing nothing much in particular, talking randomly & bitching is really therapuetic & fulfilling.

After a short while spent in Cafe Iguana, we headed back home in Stef's spanking new Subaru car. Woohoo. Its a kinda car which you can drive past MOS without feeling paiseh. Its not like a flashy Mini Cooper, but you know its desirable. Plus, Stef's a great driver too. During our spin, we found out that Deep is completely hopeless with directions. She couldnt direct us to her HOME. Haha. So we got the long ride we wanted...

By the way, my latest discovery of the day- my newest grey top can be worn as a top or as a slinky dress. :)

Aint I so easily pleased & amused? I'm happy, are you?

Retail therapy

Introducing my favourite area of my newly decorated room

My best buy of the day- a gorgeous tie + matching cufflinks.
Not for myself of course, I wish though.

My nicest free gift- Paul & Joe/FEMALE 2007 Organiser

Groove's Xmas Party

Since the Shanghai + Jiang Nan post is taking ages to compose, I'll talk about last night's salsa party first.

Groove's That 70's Xmas Show was held at DXO. It was super small, especially the dance floor. You cant dance without hitting somebody or something. Anyway, the theme was obviously set in the swinging 70s! So... Check out our outfits! Haha.

Widah, yours truly, Rachel, Serene & Latifah
(Belted up & decked in shagedelic prints)

As usual, the exotic performances were entertaining. This time, we had MALE exotic dancers. Woohoo! However, they looked more comical than sexy. haha. You go, Andy! I guess all that sexual energy has resulted in some kinky behaviour-

Widah & Andy (Haha)

After so much action, at Tracy's insistent request, we went to Lao Pa Sat for supper. The satay was good, thanks to Tracy's "Old Friend". Muahahaha. Its much better than the one we always have- dry & hard & bland. Last night ones were meaty & juicy. Yum.

I'm back

My China trip was pretty alright, i suppose. At least I had my brother with me, who was decent company. My tour group had 22 people, made up of 4 families, 1 couple & a pair of aunties (who are neighbours). Unfortunately, no cute guys! Haha. Anyway, we toured Shanghai, Suzhou, Wu Xi, Nanjing & Hangzhou. To sum up my experience- 上有天堂,下有苏杭。(Meaning- There is heaven above; On earth, there is Suzhou & Hangzhou). I agree with this old chinese saying as it havnt changed.

Day 0- The midnight flight to Shanghai was unbearable. The airplane food was surprisingly edible, but I could barely sleep with minimal leg room. The cabin was too bright & noisy for me to have a good rest.

Day 1- So eventually we touched down at around 5+am in Shanghai, after the customs, we met our sullen looking tour guide (小诸). Apparently, we lost the 2 aunties & everyone was frantically searching for them. After they were found, we had to have KFC for breakfast cause everything else in the train station wasnt open. Afterwhich, we got to take a ride on their spanking new & hi-tech Magnetic Levitation Train. Which was really cool cause in about 15 mins we reached the area near to Shanghai's city centre. We then visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower & then 朱家角(described as Venice of the East by Marco Polo). After a long bus ride, we reached Suzhou. Visited many places, but i was too cold to enjoy the attractions.

Day 2- One of the many checkpoints was the Singapore-Suzhou industrial park. We actually dropped by to take some pictures. They even have a Merlion there! For some reason, it was smiling?? I dont have its picture cos I was too frozen to reach for my camera. Then, it was night-time shopping in Suzhou! It was a shoe-lover's paradise! There were so many shoes, so little time! Gosh, there were mostly boots, so I only got a pair of low-heeled cowboyish boots to wear on this trip. Its far to warm to wear boots in hot & humid Singapore. I had to brave the cold while shopping. It was surely worth it tho. :D

Day 3- Our first stop of the day, 9was to buy silk products. My tour group bought silk blankets & silk comforters in bulk. My family bought a set for each member too. Then we went to Wu Xi's 太湖 & there was the mandatory boat ride (again...) Next, we visited the TV serial's Romance of the 3 Kingdoms' set. My bro got captured by a horde of Chinese girls & they made him wear a general's costume, with a huge knife & all. (So he'll hafta pay for the polaroid picture taken for him.) He was surprisingly sporting, posing for my mom to take pictures. Anyway, I thought u'd want to know that, that place was Freezing as well. I hate the punishing cold wind. We visited the teapot museum in the evening. My mom managed to refrain my dad from buying a teapot cause we thought that we have had many many tea pot sets at home. (I was nosing around the family collections & apparently we were wrong. Now my mom regrets not buying a nice set to bring home.) We visited Wu Xi's shopping centre/department store at night. Nothing special though. I got a sweater for the COLD weather. My bro finally got a proper outerwear/coat thingie. Now he looks all puffed up wearing it- Yokozuna!

Day 4- We were brought to the Pearl shop to buy pearls products. At the introductory talk, we were made to guess the number of pearls inside the living oyster. My mom guess 22 which was our hse number & she hit the jackpot. She won a packet of pearl powder for cosmetic uses. Haha. I got some pearl braclets to be given away as gifts. My mom bought a Black Pearl Pendant & chain after a sensational bargain, leaving the manager's face blacker than her purchases. She managed to lower the price by half! Back to the bus, we travelled to Nanjing by road. There, we met Xiao Zhao, our lovely female local tour guide. We call Jiang Nan's pretty girls- "Aiyoyo". Honest. I was like wahhh!? She's like a recorder, she'll run her tape on the bus, telling us info about the history, the culture, the signifance & background of a particular attraction. When she is interrupted, she'll forget where she stopped. Then she'll rewind to that particulat chapter & reguritate everything again. In the exact same words. Haha.

The Nanjing Bridge left a more memorable impression on me due to its historical background. It had a moving story behind it & it related to the modern history of china which i have studied about. Nanjing's Fu Zi Miao had an enjoyable stretch of shops & stalls at night to sightsee. We even had gelato in the frosty evening. I tried their 臭豆腐 which was pretty good.

Day 5- We went to view Jade. My mom hissed at me not to buy anything there, after that strengthenous bargaining the day before. Guess what? My mom ended up buying a jade bracelet. We had a super early lunch & we embarked on our uper-long journey to Hangzhou. Thats where we cruised along leisurely in Xi Hu. It is a picturesque lake which has inspired many past scholars & poets with its beauty. The locals seem to like the place too. It's like their East Coast Park with better weather & scenery. Unfortunately, the couple's camera dropped into the lake when he was holding the cam outside the boat. Then we proceeded to a tower on a hilltop. It became really lovely when the sky dimmed & the lights were lit. After dinner, we went to see a musical & dance extravanganza about hangzhou's culture & history. It was so cliched, i was so jaded with such shows catered for the tourists, i thought that there wasnt much value. I was more interested in the 2 brothers seated in front of me. Haha- hey, i was bored!

Day 6- We took an early morning walk in this pretty park once more. It was raining & my feet were thoroughly soaked. Urgh. But I was trigger happy because Hangzhou is such a camera-friendly place. She reminds me of Singapore- so perfectly manicured & pruned to perfection. The city area is even more luxe than orchard rd, just imagine the entire area as a giant Paragon. That would be more fitting to describe it. There after, we went to visit a tea-producing village & we bought lots of Long Jing Cha. I love green tea! We then travelled back to Shanghai after lunch.

We reached Shanghai in the late afternoon. We were than told that we have to go to a hotel for some health seminar thingie. In the room we were told that we are given free feet massage. Once u have agreed, their physicians will zero in on you & tell you that u are unwell & then convince you to buy their medicine. Its a bloody scam. The happy family in front believed the man's lies about how their youngest child is sickly and all. I think they spent 6000SGD to buy their products. My dad had to fend off another physician as well, but my dad is a professional, after a couple of lines, the physician seemed really pissed off & he left us in peace. Haha. My dad then chatted to the girl masseur happily. He even jokingly asked her to his daughter-in-law. Finally, we left that sleezy place, had our dinner and then went to the Bund to take in the night time sights & sounds. I tell you, its nothing less than gorgeous. You can see the pictures for yourself!

Day 7- We went to Temple area with the Yu Yuan bazaar. We chanced upon a godsend! a TWO YUAN shop in shanghai. We also visited a backdoor counterfeit shop which had an accessories shop facade. We had some xiao long pau during lunch too. We were dropped off at RafflesCity after lunch. Since they carry familiar brands like Roxy, Quiksilver, Novo etc, We didnt waste our time there. We forgot about the underground mall & headed to Nanjing Lu, which was super packed. We then went to Huai Hai lu, which was equally boring because they carry upmarket brands. Xu Jia Hui was boring too. We felt so lousy, having unproductive shopping. We went back to the hotel & had dinner in the building opposite. We went for massage at night too. Man, it hurt.

Day 8- Our last day. We woke up late, had our breakfast buffet. Went to pack up, watch my Return of the Condor Heroes TV serials until noon. Checked out & went out to explore the area around the hotel. It was a pleasant walk down the street and into the alleys to see the locals going about their daily lives. They were all friendly when we take out our cameras to snap pics. They seemed as curious about us, as we are about them. The best part was that we finally found cheap buys! After lunch, we went along another street in another direction and came to a bazaar with stuff i was looking for. Its the best shopping so far. I would say its the highlight of our trip. After dinner, we went to the airport. The muddle-headed group leader left his bag at the hotel lobby. For goodness sake, are we supposed to take care of him, or was it supposed to be the other way around. For the past 8 days, he was just a pain in the neck, being a naggy person without giving us any constructive advise. Good Riddance. I hope he retires soon.

Day 9- Touched down in Singapore at 5+am. Got home n crashed. Zzz. Thats about it. Enjoy the pictures!

Dont miss me!

My Lovely Camwhoring-Girlfriends & myself
Ivy, me, Huiting & Wanhua
Ivy & Huiting are looking for SUGAR DADDIES!
Any offers?
Dont be shy- Just let me know. Haha.

I thought yesterday was gonna be a 'rest & relax' day like Saturday. I was so wrong. Haha. Firstly, it was the long anticipated Pole-dance class. It was really fun, but tiring. Mad & I signed for for Saturday afternoon classes in mid/late Jan. Who wanna join us? Gosh, I'm so gonna die next term with Tango & Tennis lessons as well. As if my academic grades arent bad enough already. Moving on... Oh by the way, after that class, we were on the MRT and we couldnt look at poles the same way anymore. I had to suppress my urge to swing around it. Heheh.

So after that because it was FELIX's 21st Birthday, i decided that i should honour him with my company for the day (since he didnt make plans anyway, haha.) For some reason, he was extremely happy that day, although it was just a usual day for him minus exams stress n his laptop load. We had BEN&JERRY's icecream, thanks to felix & his cute cousin. Haha. Cindy & I were on fire yesterday afternoon too, we were practically a walking comic talk-show. Maybe thats why felix was so entertained. haha.

Next, i rushed home, had dinner & rushed to Hua's place to play some tennis. I didnt play much cause I was sooo tired by then. I was slipping around the court due to the sand & my shoes. I want my own tennis racket!

Suddenly, I dont wanna go Shanghai cause i'm gonna be missing out on quite abit back here...

Home Goddess on vacation

Congrats to IKEA on its new Tampines outlet. Happy shopping because those Flat-packed items are NOT "easy to transport" (contrary to what they say). They were so heavy and bulky, it was downright ridiculous to lug them to the cashier/checkout counter first, before going to the delivery counter to tell them to deliver the items. I mean, if we are already gonna use the delivery service, u might as well collect everything for us! Due to the fact that we've got too much things to purchase, THAT IS WHY WE NEED DELIVERY, right? Just because you're the biggest (and probably the most powerful) charity organisation in the world doesnt warrant you making us suffer for your capitalist ways. Furniture + $40 delivery charge + 5% assembly fees will probably come up to the usual price you get at your heartland furnishing shop. Plus, they probably have better service. I had the most awful shopping experience on Wed. I wonder how my Dad managed to settle everything flawlessly a few years ago. Anyhow, I feel stupid for being duped by their annual glamourous catalogue-magazines showcasing all the gorgeous interiors, enticing us to spend money... Grrr. Our beloved giant money-guzzling organisation just got bigger & better! The only redeeming thing is their meatballs. Haha.

Well, after that nightmarish day, i rushed home and then out to meet my greatly missed girlfriends at cityhall. It was a girls night out. They wanted to go MOS for the Levis Party & i couldnt dissuade them cause they probably wanted the FREE goodie bags. Haha. FYI, the queue snaked all the way to coffeeclub. So we decided TCC was more exciting, since i havnt had a proper dinner yet. By the way, I think TCC's service standards have improved tremendously, sometimes i'm overwhelmed- to the point where I doubt its sincerity. But i think its in the right direction and i appreciate it. :)

Friday night was great mostly because I met up with IVY after almost half a year. We fell out sometime in August or September due to some stuffs. I'm glad its all behind us now & shes still my Evil-twin. So, the entourage of 4 went to Gotham Penthouse to check the place out. Its a pretty intimate & cosy environment, with the usual commercial R&B tunes which you can sing along to. The service's warm too, except for the overenthusiastic server who insisted 1 lady is only allowed a glass- Fine, chill man, we got the message. Then there was the vaguely deaf bartender who needs a loudhailer to get his attention. Otherwise, everyone else were sweethearts. I'll recommend that place to hold private parties or events.

The crowd is generally well-behaved & the place is probably the freshest smelling nightspot I've been to. I credit well-ventilation & the scarcity of smoke/fume-making machines. We only had to fend off a couple of undesirable guys. We were offered drinks by this drunk Australian Chinese (who was rubbing his behind with another blonde woman- urgh). I think it was spiked... Thankfully we ignored him & found refuge on the dancefloor. Until the gross Jason guy kept tryin to get himself into our circle. Urgh. Ivy's Steven from Belgium was probably the best catch but hes shy, and thats a quality i appreciate in this situation. So, as u can tell by now, majority of the men there arent really attractive, unless u dig angmoh and indian men... OH yeah, & the DJ was hilarious. He kept making his own remarks & comments, he might as well say, "EVERYBODY SCREAM!" Haha, he seemed more like a novice emcee at some Kids central party. At least, it was entertaining. So after all that, i slept at almost 5am cause I had to do springcleaning at 4am this morning when wanhua came over to my place to crash. My room is in a total mess.

Tennis lesson #1. Haha. I felt extremely overaged for it, but it was fun. Who wanna play tennis with me now?

I'm supposed to be out n about, living it up in my supposedly "happening" lifestyle tonight. But i dont feel up to it. I'm too tired. Sorry guys for pangsehing. My friends were at the Marmalade Pantry having dinner & partying somewhere now. I hope they have fun. I feel so dowdy being at home on a Saturday Night! well... Since i wont be home starting tues night, I should be a homebody for now. Pass me the apron & the broom!

PS. latest updates- HAHAHA. We are all homebodies today. Apparently, only Kunal met Elvin for dinner. And now, everyones at home & online! HAHAHA!

Cinderella becomes me

What more can you ask for?
Other than a pair of gorgeous white heels.

EXAMS are history. Period. YAY!!! I wished i had the pictures to put up from my lovely buffet at Grand Plaza Parkroyal's St Gregory Brasserie. Haha, it was as if I had already finished with my exams because i was so happy surrounded by fabulous food and great company. I love my girlfriends! Oh yeah, not to mention the chocolate fountain which chased away all the pain caused by my ulcer. The endorphins released from the chocolate probably saved me from all my suffering. Haha. FYI, We ate from 6.30 til almost 9.30pm.

It was nothing less than a fun-filled Wednesday evening. For some reason, I became the guest star for the night.

1. Zk & Mad were laughing at me cos i looked extremely happy eating my chocolate coated stuff. They said I looked like a child.
2. They were laughing at how I had chocolate on my teeth, on my lips and everywhere. Thanks. I know you guys wanna SMOOOCH me, dont be shy...
   
3. The staff at the buffet table gave us a bemused smile when we walked past, cause he overhead me saying, "WAHHH, I WANT! Eh... But my plate is full already... (Sigh)"
4. The staff at the roast lamb section kept promoting his lamb to me like a desperate salesman. He moved on to promoting the sashimi & sushi after that- "Good, good, take, take!" (Nod nod)
   
5. The same guy made us take Chawanmushi & thus we had no more hands to take the spoons. Wh & I stared at each other helplessly & he had to come out to take spoons for us. Haha.
6. At the dessert table, I saw the variety and was gushing expressively to Wh, the angmoh lady nearby then laughed out loud at my reactions. Yikes.
7. When the waiter was clearing my plate, I forgot and had left my cutlery on the plate. When ZK reminded me, I was like GASP!!! Hence, shocking the waiter and he promptly brought it back to me. Haha. I think he was overwhelmed by my over-reaction.

Next, I had retail therapy. I bought 2 gorgeous coats for my Shanghai trip. They better keep me warm cause I think the temperature's dropping like the bombs in Iraq. :S

Now I feel like I just stepped out of a MaryfranceBodyline Ad cause I feel so much lighter after the end of my exams! I hope my face doesnt split into half cause my grin is still here! Post Biz law exams activities kicked off with shopping! Then dinner at Lemongrass. Afterwhich, more shopping! Finally, I ended my day at The Balcony. Woah, we've got so many plans & we've made so many new ones too. I've decided that my schedule is as packed as Orchard Rd. Catch me if you can!

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday!!!

Biz Law inspires me to do just about anything,

Except Biz Law. Yawn…

I wish its Thursday already.

Sorry, I forgot to put this up earlier.
Happy matching.
Let me know if we happen to be classmates!

People fall in love. Love falls for me. Oh, you too?

If I'm willing to love you, will you love me?

I wish I could take away all his pain.

Yet I dont know when I felt this way.

How could I stand here, by myself,

And not be moved by his loneliness & vulnerability?

I was looking around the WWW for some party preparations stuff and I saw so many gorgeous, yummy-looking cakes. I miss my Tiramisu!!! RACHEL- I want one for Christmas! Please? Anyway, I remember gorging on melted Tiramisu at Tracy's BBQ party. Haha. Who can forget all that licking of smeared tiramisu off someone's bare skin? Haha. Whose kinky ideas was it again?

Kooky ideas aside, I suppose the allure of Tiramisu & dark chocolate is from its unique fragrance, complex and bittersweet nature, with a lingering after taste.

Shouldnt life be like that? A bittersweet affair. Not sickly sweet, since the sugar will only cling to the back of your throat and gives you awful cavities at the same time. Neither should it be too bitter like antibotics, which is the greatest motivation to keep myself a good distance from infections. Well... Its a delicate equilibrium to be achieved through skilful & sincere baking, quality ingredients & probably some luck too. Likewise, "too many cooks spoil the broth"- so maybe we dont need to know that many people (you probably wont even contact them anyway- check your MSN "other contacts"), just keep the ones you cherish. Spread the love, y'all.

Run away with me

I thought that my FA exam was on TUESDAY. I'm screwed, arent I? All the best for FA, everyone. I'm not counting on much. Based on my spectacular (potential Accountant's meticulous) calculation skills- I need full marks for my exam to scrape an A-. Sorry, I lied! Its actually a no-brainer.

Nevermind. Fortunately, the weather was gorgeous this evening. Cloudy and cool. I went to the park to work off the excess nervous energy. Not that I've been slogging it out with my academic work, but I just felt extremely suffocated at home with the exam papers which are looming on the horizon.

I felt like running & running & running... I wished I didnt have to stop, then I can run to where ever I wished to go. Save on air tickets & reduce combustion of fuels. Oh well... Regrettably and ironically, "Stamina" outran me.

Run, running all the time
Running to the future
With you right by my side

Me, I'm the one you chose
Out of all the people
You wanted me the most

And I'm so sorry that I've fallen
Help me up, let's keep on running
Don't let me fall out of love

Running, running, as fast as we can
Do you think we'll make it?
We're running, keep holding my hand
So we don't get separated

Be, be the one I need
Be the one I trust most
Don't stop inspiring me

Sometimes it's hard to keep on running
We work so much to keep it going
Don't make me want to give up
- Running by No Doubt.

Bachata & Sex Education?

Who wants to learn Tango? We need more guys!!! Please let me know if you are interested.

RAHH, I detest exams! My salsa mates are goin to the UpperClub at Chjimes tonight. Gosh, I feel so left out. Yesterday night's visit to Barnone & Union Square already gave me a horrible guilt trip, so i really cant go again tonight. I wanna visit Movida, Fuego, Thumper & Hard Rock Cafe soon! Guess the Salsa scene in S'pore is heating up. Hah. Anyway the event at Barnone was a waste of money, i didnt get to do the bachata the whole night. It was merely a (HOT) performance by Fi & Nasri, a brief bachata workshop, followed by a SEX EDUCATION talk!??!!!? Gosh, I thought I already knew all i should, from my extensive pri, sec & jc education.

So the topic of the night was about STDs & birth control. Apparently, majority of the population does not use condoms or the birth-control pill. The technique of choice of most couples is the "withdrawal" method- which is said to prevent pregnancies, based on the fact that the semen is ejaculated outside the female body. But its really ineffective because (horny) men cant be trusted, can they? Another startling fact was that educated women form the majority of those who seek abortion! Like hello, what are your brains for??? I dont believe it. Seriously... So women, please dont believe all the sweet nothings whispered into your ears when you get pulled under covers. Take charge of your life, unless hes gonna bring up your kids for you. Alright, I dont wanna sound like your Health Education teacher anymore...

By the way, i just got a surprise phone call from an old friend. He's caught in the downpour now and he cheerfully demanded me to go pick him up from the bustop because i'm doing the "Share the umbrella" campaign for LTB.
"Quick, you must save me! You're doing the share umbrella thingie right?"
"Nooo... I dont provide a service!???"
Then i reluctantly asked, " where are you?"
He laughed and said "Just kidding!"
PHEW.

Haha, I'm glad that people remembered our campaign! I really hope people do share their umbrellas on rainy days. I hate getting soaked when you are out doing official stuff. Its different from wanting to drench yourself in the rain. The former is 100% undesirable. Damn, I heard Shanghai has frequent rains too. :S

Rhythmn lost & found

Good news 1. Prof GTH liked our FA term project!
Good news 2. LTB presentation & portfolio got an A+!

These are the best news i've heard all term. :) THANK YOU to my FA proj mates! THANK YOU to my LTB darlings! Now all I've gotta do... is do much better than how i've been faring for the FA & Biz law exams. But(Just in case)... Santa, if you're listening... All i want for Xmas is some TLC!!! (Gimme a break! & I'm been really good this year. Honest!)

Well, instead of a scenic "white christmas" winter spectacle, now outside my window, is a typical horror movie outdoor scene. Its a frame with a black sky as a background, with a white curtain of rain, contrasted with tree branches swinging around and leaves floating in the gale. There are sound effects from the pouring rain, roaring wind, and the loud rustling of fallen leaves. Does this put you in the mood for some mugging? Well... Yesterday's wet afternoon was spent in school with my Biz law group mates. And coincidentally, they were telling me about their near supernatural experience on wednesday's early mrning, near 3am. How weird is that...

But, i tell you what's weirder. We were doing some sort of personality analysis thing for each member of our biz law group. And each of us were from different schools in SMU & we were of different zodiac signs & of different "Type"- ie. Tanu's a Libra (Earth), Elvin's an Aries (Fire), Melissa's a Gemini (Air) & I'm a Cancer (Water). Ian's Uncle Love- so he's "Heart"! All together now, people! "I'm Captain Planet!" That's gonna be Lionel. HAHA. Elvin said that we are the people he likes best in school! AWWWWW. Im touched!

I think we even have a tenative outing to MUSTAFA Centre after biz law exams too. Haha.

After a satisifying dinner at Soupspoon, I went back to union square after EONS! It was great doing some SALSA again, but i felt really rusty. My bachata & merengue dances were more relaxed & enjoyable in comparison. Apparently my friends have convinced me & my purse to part with my money to take up TANGO with them. Sam & Candice didnt manage to convince me then. Haha. Tonight, its gonna be hardcore BACHATA at Barnone! I love Bachata for its sensuality & its slow rhythmn. So I get to enjoy the dance more than Salsa, cos I'm usually concentrating hard to make sure that i follow the beat & my partner's lead for the latter .

On top of that, I'm a Sharapova-wanna-be! I'm starting formal tennis lessons this saturday too. I miss the weekly tennis sessions with my usual group of old friends. Did ya watch the rom-com WIMBLEDON the movie? I loved it. Haha I suppose its easy to start a romance on a tennis court with all that charged sexual energy, sweat, strength & balls. Haha. Well, anyway my point is that its a great motivation for anyone to pick up tennis. I cant wait to whack some balls. Hah!

Rain, nostalgia & companionship

I'm at my study desk & it's raining outside. The sky is grey & my room is dark. I wish I don't have any exams to study for, so I can join those carefree (but sometimes pesky) primary school kids on their blissful year-end holidays too. I wanna go out in the rain & kick some puddle water around, then slide around barefoot on slippery wet flooring. At the same time, I'll sing all my favourite songs without a care in the world because the sound of the rain will drown me out anyway.

I remember the monsoon season many, many years ago, when I was still a small kiddo. The winds were howling, it was literally an onslaught of rain, as heavy as lead. The plants in my garden were tossed around violently by the storm & I could only watch helplessly from inside the house. (I think i have overwhelming empathy for all living things.) At the same time, my fascination grew, as i witnessed firsthand, the power of Mother Nature. When the storm was over, I cautiously opened the door to survey the damage done. A few of the bougainvillea plants have fallen. It was a pitiful sight, to see the once-majestic thorny plants ravaged, twisted & broken, lying in its own soil amidst the pieces of ceramics.

Another time, around the Christmas season, the storm struck again. It was early morning & my parents went to the market before the storm came down. The wind was so strong, I struggled to open the door. When I did, with my lil brother's help, I almost got blown off my feet. And I'm really not kidding you. I was so intrigued by this novel experience, I opened the door to feel the wind, then closed it to make sure I don't fly away. I kept doing this until the storm cooled down. Soon, the lightning & thunder stopped and my brother & I went outside to play in the rain. We pretended to ice-skate in water since the front yard was almost flooded with 10cm of water! Plus, the rain continued to fall from the heavens, unto our skin, our hair & our faces. It felt like freedom, as if the rain washed away all thoughts other than joy & amusement.

So after a while, we decided to indoors to get dry before my parents came home. Or we'd be scolded really badly for playing in the rain. My older brother was thoroughly shocked to see us soaking wet. But anyway, we happened to find chocolate Santa clauses, chocolate eggs, beautifully wrapped in a basket in the living room. It was a lovely surprise treat for us kids. So that was it.

For some reason, I'm feeling really nostalgic now. I'm feeling anything but studious. What I'd really like now is wrapping my hands around a mug of hot chocolate, lying in a warm embrace...

Anyway, I braved the rain yday to meet my friend at Fitness First yesterday evening, at the Cathay. I love their fat-burning circuit class! It's super high-impact, adrenaline pumping with the throbbing music in the background. I think all the endorphins released made me feel high. It was as tiring as hockey physical training! I love it. I think I'm addicted to it already. Who has fitness first membership? Bring me! Then we trooped over to TCC at Paradiz to give Norman a little belated birthday surprise. Haha. All the best to Norman who wants to be an astrology expert! I'll probably go into that line when I fail my FA. Lalala. I don’t mind being a Feng Shui master if someone's willing to teach too. Haha.

I'm surprised at how much I enjoy my salsa kakis' company, especially when I'm like a 19 year old full time student, & the rest of them are in the workforce, with an average age of 26. The youngest is 21(that's only 1 of them) & the oldest being 31 or 32. I click with them so much, they forget I'm still a TEEN. They treat me like a baby sister occasionally when they feel protective- Like making sure I go home safely by insisting I take cab instead of the night service bus. My moneeyyyyy. But never mind, the point is that I'm thankful that I've met them, because they exposed me to different world with their conversation topics such as their views on the working/corporate world, relationships, love, life & even sex. These are much-welcomed content, compared to SCHOOL. Plus, having them around gives you extra perks! Like their gym memberships, their credit card discounts & many other membership discounts. I miss them already. Do have a safe business trip, Rachel!

Well... The rain has stopped, but I vaguely hear thunder rumbling in the background. The sky remains overcast & threatening. Maybe its gonna be a clear starry night later tonight.

ZEN

This afternoon, after a satisfying dimsum lunch at YumCha in chinatown, I chanced upon this peculiar Tibetian Museum upstairs. The best part was that it had free admission. So fortunately my dad, mom & lil bro were nice enough to accompany me there. They had all sorts of Dzi, tibetian antiques, historical artefacts etc. It wasnt as touristy as I had dreaded. Imagine many many expensive stones on display. A Yak's head. Painted masks. Metal Bottles. Metal weapons. Wooden cravings. Old scriptures. Even stuff made out of human bones. Fascinating. I wanna visit Tibet!

Anyway i was reading this Buddhist Lifestyle Magazine earlier (from that museum), & i was admiring the simple logics of life presented in the article i was reading. Well, I'm not exactly a buddhist, but theres no harm in being open to words of wisdom & enlightenment. The article discussed love- Love is pure; True love should be transcendental; Possession isnt love; Love the world; Love dont change, perspectives do; Greed wont you get happiness; Unconditional giving in love... How about "love is selfish", "love is blind"? I suppose the latter two reflects reality and the former the ideal form of love. I hope its more useful than preaching. :)

So... Are you happy? I hope you are. I would say that i am, ignore all my rants, whinings, complaints, laments, angst- I'm truly happy. I am blessed to have a lovely family- I have a mother, a father & two brothers. What more can i ask for? How about a sister? Haha. Im kidding. I can imagine me fighting with her 24/7 over clothes, make-up & boys. Well, i have fabulous friends too. They cheer up me, make me laugh, make me feel loved & appreciated. On top of that, I have a roof over my head, its my own room even! I have cash in my purse. I have too much food to eat. & I have so much work to do. I have good eyesight, I'm not physically handicapped, just kinda vertically challenged. Haha. This whole Zen mood has got me counting my blessings.

Since im so bored with counting depreciation expenses in my FA papers, let me put down my to-do list after the exams.

1. Get new rollerblades?
2. Bangkok?
3. Make earrings
4. Rearrange my accessories
5. Clean up my room
6. Donate unwanted items to salvation army or something
7. Get new furniture from IKEA
8. Decorate my room
9. Cycling + Blading
10. Gym
11. Exotic/Poledance/HipHop/Yoga/Pilates classes
12. Find JAI ( who's still holding on to my AAR cds)
13. Catch up with Tomo
14. Catch up with Nicole
15. Prepare dinner for family
16. Plan an outing/gathering for the Salsa people
17. Send Sweeny a letter
18. Learn Spanish/Korean
19. Catch up with Deep
20. Plan LTB outing... Zoo? Night safari?
21. Plan FTB outing
22. Visit Little India/Chinatown/Bugis area/ECP/Sentosa/Botanic Gardens
23. Check out St James Power Station
24. Attend all parties!

I've got to fit all this into my December! & i'll be in Shanghai frm 8th to 16th Dec too. I hope it wont be too cold. I hate having my nose frozen off. I hope there are people my age on the tour troupe, if not i'll be so bored having to listen to my younger complain or sulk. I hope theres good shopping too! I can't wait to wear my boots, scarves & stockings. I dont wanna miss out on any parties though. Send me invites NOW!

Sweet 19th, Cindy! Happy birthday to Norman!

Thank god friday's over. It was a horrid day to start with, but fortunately i survived it. I hope Cindy feels better, despite missing her ex constantly. I know how terrible & painful it feels too baby, I just hope it passes as soon as possible for you. You dont deserve this heartache. Oh well.

Nevertheless, dinner at Hogs Breath Cafe was nice. Although Zhihao complained about poor lighting which didnt help with cam-whoring and about the excessively loud music/noise in the room. Oh we met Jaime Teo there too. Haha. Well overall, it was a lovely catching up session with my FTB friends. They are always wonderful company & we just have fun when we get together. At least, they dont talk about school work! Haha. If they dont know this by now, im announcing how much i appreciate them of being in my life! :)

Sigh, exams are coming & i'm in ZERO mood to study. Maybe accountancy isnt my thing... Damn. Wish me all the luck in the world. Please donate your horseshoes, lucky charms, 4-leaf-clovers, rabbit foot, everythinggggg you have to help me. Or dial 1800-save-wanying! argh. SMU is crazy. Even the school library opens longer than 7-11. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Ridiculous or what? Haha. Do you comprehend the sheer irony of it???

OH by the way, eye candy updates. My eyecandy has officially downgraded to being an "EX-eyecandy". haha, i swear im desperate! Reason- hes not cute anymore, for some reason. But i recently witnessed him to be oh-so-sweet to his girlfriend! Plus points. haha. Well, so now i have a new one & hes in one of my classes too! Oh i forgot we dont have classes anymore. OOPS.

Now, heres wishing Norman a happy 30th birthday! Hes my Bachata King on a motorbike. heheh. I'll catch ya around soon...

I miss salsa-ing. I miss union square. I miss my salsa kakis. I miss bachata. I miss bumming around. I miss not having school. I miss shopping. I miss dancing. I miss theatre. I miss clubbing. I miss the beach. I miss the starry sky. I miss sweeny. I miss my ltb frens. I miss my girlfriends. & I miss you, whoever you are.

Maybe life sucks? But we should wish Justin a FANTABULOUS 21st Birthday anyway!

A few days ago, I was feeling extremely discouraged and vulnerable because of my unflattering academic grades I've been getting recently. SMU's school life is mindblowing. Literally. Whatever happened to the "University life will be the best days of your life!" mantra? I dont believe in it anymore, unless you think mugging and doing tons of work fulfilling, exciting and desirable. Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying we should just quit school and quit doing any academic work. The truth is, theres TOO MUCH work! I dont even have time for myself, my family and my friends now. My toenails are dying to be cut before i break them accidentally, but im obliged to do my LTB learning journal first. Unfortunately, i got distracted and im blogging, please pardon me while i rant before continuing with my endless stream of assignments.

Sigh, i was actually regretting not going overseas, i might have an easier time dealing with a slow pace of life. I swear i'll be happy being a rural farmer in my next life. Haha. I was also wondering if I was simply too cowardly to face the challenges and that I'm simply unwilling to step out of my original comfort zone. I hope I havnt become a horrible whiny bitch now, because i feel exactly like that now. Like, "Why should i study and work so hard??? I just wanna be a housewife..." Apparently a friend said that having a degree would be a back-up plan. Haha, wise words from smarty pants.

Well, I got renewed energy to continue with the rest of them term because I attended Justin's 21st birthday! I guess its the friends that keep us going. While we've only met for a while, i think the friendships with these people are gonna last. (At least I hope that's the case!) Dinner was so filling and the cake was good. Red Wine + Beer + Champagne + 2 Waterfalls = Drunk Justin & a drunk Justin is totally hilarious! All that laughing and the camera flashes made me so dizzy. Nevertheless, i had a brilliant time- so THANK YOU Justin. Happy birthday to your Dad and to yourself! He said you were his birthday gift 21 years ago & i cant disagree, can I? Your dad's birthday gift is MUCH APPRECIATED by us too! Stay sweet & jovial always. You know, when your drunk, you're even more bitchy than I am. Haha. The pictures now!

Orchard Road Xmas Lights (Somerset area)The post-dinner hang out at ACID BARLifeng & Justin

Mervyn, Noel & Justin the birthday boy

Myself & irene

Irene & Priscilla

Shall We Dance? not.

After that La Salsa event, i feel like crap, as in worthless crap discarded by rubbish collectors. Its probably due to my unwillingness to approach my eyecandy! ARGH, I am so disappointed. I can't believe I have so little courage in me. Im really ashamed. I guess I dont even deserve a new friend if I had no guts to say "shall we dance?".

In addition to that, my love life is a complete bore! Not that i need a partner in my life now, considering how i dont even have enough time for myself and other friends. I think its just one of those phases when u feel lonely at times, since Im usually really glad to be a swinging single.

While im in this sorta mood, i recall a friend who advised me to be open-minded with regards to relationship, ie. accepting anyone who happens to like yours truly. I found that idea weird because I cant imagine accepting someone whom i dont like (romantically) in the first place. Would you? That would take more guts again. To plunge into a relationship and give your heart freely to another takes tremendous courage and trust. In my case, i have sufficient reasons to suspect that my heart is heavily protected under layers of armour, secured with metal chains and locks.

So far, I never like people easily. Crushes come and go because there wasnt any importance placed upon them. Whereas liking someone romantically is rare. Why? Maybe... simply because there wasnt any suitable guy i fancy? Or is it because I never opened my eyes to see the ones in front of me? Or even if i did, why is it that i dont fancy them? Or is it because I cant find my heart?

In that case, how am i supposed to destroy the layers of protection (and probably tons of cobwebs too, haha)? Or do i already hold the key to unlocking it? I dont know. Maybe a man will show me the way. Since women supposedly only want to whine about their problems while men only want to provide solutions. Haha.

On a side note, the above statement was based on my COMMS research, which was fascinating. The gender differences are so true and so amusing. They explain why your parents argue and why your boyfriend behaves the way he does.

So anyway, i should probably stop my aimless ranting. I think i just need a cat to myself so that i can lavish all my love, affections and adoration upon. Haha. Make it a black cat- Happy Halloween!

Social life spring cleaning?

After so all the trouble I've gone through, trying to fix my broken friendship with Ivy, i havnt got any positive response from her at all. All my friends told me to give up. I guess i'll just have to do that. I guess one have to let go of friendships no matter how unwilling, something like romantic relationships between people i suppose. I'm so disappointed. Nevermind, i feel fortunate at the same time as I still have a bunch of reliable friends. I think its not probably not very healthy to be tolerating (very) bad habits from a friend just because i thought that she was a close friend.

I happened to read another friend's blog recently and she commented about the superficiality of our JC days, especially regarding the bitchy politics within my clique of girlfriends. Its more or less true, but i still believe that it doesnt devalue the friendship we had shared. At least, i had good memories of pre-Uni days because of them. Friends are plentiful and mostly transient. Unless an individual is especially close to you, I wouldnt be too worried about the rest. People tend to flock together, mostly out of convenience, and after graduation, it wasnt convenient for them to meet up. It's their choice definitely, but those who made the effort should be considered a worthwhile friend made.

Time and tide wait for no man, and as i grow older, my Msn contact list has lengthened considerably, yet i usually only talk regularly to a select few, probably around 10 of them? I suppose this says alot about relationships in one's lifetime. Touch and Go, like Ezlink. And once in a while the fare goes up. Haha. Anyway, I can imagine that when I'm old and living on the boundary between life and death, i'll be only having my wrinkly, toothless spouse as my remaining lone trusty friend. The toughest part is keeping him as your friend, your lover and your husband. The daily rigours of living together (not including the raising of children)- sorting bills, keeping food on the table, sharing household chores etc. will chip away at the relationship bit by bit while the couple remains unaware and oblivious. By the time the strains show, it's probably too late to salvage the relationship. Instead of lovers, they have became mere partners or associates doing their respective duties to keep the family together.

So back about letting go... You'll need immense courage and strength to give up something which u have so much stakes in and have invested time and effort. I have a couple of friends who find tremendous difficulty doing that. They remain hung up over their girls although its a one-sided affair. The irony is that there wasnt even a relationship in the place. One said that if he gave up on the girl, it meant that he was being a typical fickle guy. The other said that he was so sure that that particular girl was (gasp) "THE ONE" after their date, unfortunately the girl disappeared after that and he was left hanging without any proper closure. So far, I have been extremely exasperated talking to them and it seems that my efforts are futile as they remained unmoved. I can only wish them well.

I simply find the above situations ridiculous, honestly. Who havnt had their hearts broken too? If it doesnt work out, it wont. By waiting for a miracle to happen, wont mean that it would eventually work out the way you wished it would. I'll be the first person to celebrate if a miracle did happen! But after doing a simple mathematical calculation(wriggle my fingers)- id say the chance is ZERO. ZILCH. NIL. Sigh. They are putting themselves through self-mental and emotional torment. Look on the brighter side- It simply means that the (fabled?) "THE ONE" is now 1 step closer to your reach! (Haha, dont you agree?) But I guess this is only my opinion. Nevertheless, I'd only give myself a maximum time period of approximately 1 month to get over a guy who isnt worth my time. Sure, go ahead and tear buckets for the first two weeks. Beyond that, the tears will dry and anger or blaming takes over. After which rationalising happens and I should be more or less capable of facing the world again without being a depressed wreck. My friends and family dont deserve the crap from me. Nobody does, including me.

Sweeny`s leaving on a Jet Plane

Sweeny, better known as Serene, finally got on the plane to UK yesterday at 8+pm. So, she'll be there doing biology and shes aint coming back til she graduates (with 1st class honours definitely). The realisation just hit home, after she gave us a final wave at the immigration counter, turned left and disappeared out of sight. Then my tears flowed. I'll miss her so much. I really wish that those years abroad in UK would end up being the best time of her life. Shes really courageous to leave her comfort zone back in our small sunny island. Plus, she made many sacrifices in order to study at Bristol. If anyone deserved happiness and success, its gotta to be Sweeny. If you are reading this sween, YOU have my utmost respect, girl.

I'll miss a friend who never failed to remind us to reduce water usage, to recycle, to finish up our food, to save the environment etc. She was one of my fabulous girlfriends who made NJ life bearable, and dare i say enjoyable. She made sure we did our work and shes a great dining partner. FYI, both of us eat really slowly and we actually appreciate FISH and veggies. A person like that is truly hard to find. Shes an animal-lover and possibly a potential Steve Irwin's apprentice if he havnt left us so abruptly. Anyway, after the gathering dissipated, sally, hua n i went for dinner but they cldnt finish their pizzas. These are times when we need sweeny, cos shes our resident blackhole (in the nicest way possible, mind you.) Haha. Honest!

Well, we held a hi-tea gathering for Sweeny earlier this month, but it wasnt that successful due to much complications. Some friends of mine didnt see its importance as much i did, subsequently my anger at their absence has caused them to be pissed off at me instead. I feel sorry for the state of awkwardness between Ivy and I, but still i dont think i should be so easy on issues like trustworthiness and responsiblity. She has already disappointed me deeply for her no-show and the lack of early notification. I suppose when i confronted her about it, she was hurt by my hostility. Sorry for my tone, but if i dont tell her why im (extremely) mad at her, i dont think its a credible friendship that we have between us, if we are unable to trash things out. At the same time, I dont like to hold grudges for long. I've already forgiven her, but i doubt she has. We'll see...

On a lighter note, i hope my note reaches Sweeny soon. Im just afraid that the note will only reach her in say, Xmas? When her parents ship her stuff over then. Haha. Anyway, Sween, i wish you all the best, girlfriend. Love you lots. Take care.

SMU Circle Camp 2006

Circle camp run 3 was a blast. I'm really glad I went for it. I love my OG mates. The pre camp outing went well, but i heard countless horror stories about the earlier runs, so i was reluctant to go. In fact, i was seriously considering doing the 150hours of CIP instead. haha, but what was I thinking? I wouldnt want to miss out on all this fun for the world.

We already started to fun within an hour of reporting, playing some chicken/eagle game. Cindy is a pro! We then warmed up to our lovely campsite and played all the mandatory games while waiting for lunch. Who knew that games like "tui tui tui" and "yee har" had such a big impact on us later? Big Titty Cow Girls! Anyway, the group's morale was pretty high after the giant's finger game. I felt pretty indignant when we were made to redo the near perfect attempt. Bleah, my fault! But nobody blamed me and everyone just did whatever we did earlier. I love these people. They have like skyhigh tolerance or something. This was extremely evident when we played the slapping n pinching game. Gosh it was so cruel. I even cried! (red face) Cos of the pain and because i couldnt bring myself to hurt another person. Long after dusk fell, we headed to the area near Changi Hospital. The girls were scaring ourselves silly there. It turned out that we didnt go to a real haunted house e.g. the old Changi Hospital. Instead it was a fake one which wasnt creepy at all. The guys were gallantly helping to make us feel better by walking around us. Its the lunar 7th month and im not taking any chances. Call me superstitious, but i dont mess around with stuff like that. Oh yeah, thanks to Justin and Zhihao for drinking our spit-infused water! (yucks!) So midnight came and went, we were the only bunk with our lights still on. More games...

Morning alarms went off and we treated ourselves to unsatisfying breakfast. Next, we arrived fashionably late for the wizards challenge or something like that. We did ok for that. The rain came which saved me from the maze part. I didnt really like it cos it was pretty boring. Plus i realise i suck at the superman game. Haha. Then it was kayaking! The rocks or debris on the beach were really threatening. Anyway, Cindy fell unto them when we came back. How unfortunate, and i had to to send her to the strangely hyper medic who seemed to experience pleasure to see someone in pain. Before that, I have to talk about our adventure on the high seas. After detailed planning and strategising, we managed to move people on kayaks without any speech involved. haha. we are gonna be famous for our estascy cheer (which was caught on video!) on the kayaks with a spectular jump off the kayaks at the end. The guys got a scolding for that though. Then we had a campfire in the evening. I am so proud of the Europeans - Big Titty Cow Girl was the star! He stole the show completely. Haha. Well at least i now know that stuffing a sleeping bag under your shirt is much more effective than Maximisers. Hehe. Oh what's up with Mambo songs!? yikes, some retro songs are nice, but im not a hardcore fan of mambo songs. Might as well do some old-school DDR or para para. I want my RnB & Hiphop. Did u hear me DJ??? But it was great dancing under the stars, near the sea and with a group of friends. In the wee hours of the morning, there were more "Have a nice day" n polar bear/ panda game. We crashed at arnd 3am i think.

The next day, we had to stomach the worst meal of the camp. It was just plain white bread with some spreads to go with it. Urgh. oh well. The final challenge started soon after and after that mad adrenaline rush, we made 1st in our 5th wave. Thank you CK for downing that gross drink ( i think it was water+flour+ other mystery ingredients, gag.) Thank you R85 for letting me survive that car ride on the wooden homemade cart at a crazy speed. Haha, Thank you ALL for making the camp so memorable. I miss u all already!

R85 (el nino) hamming it up for the cam