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Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Hope you are having fun this CNY. :)

On 'ang baos'.

I can’t help but notice how the amount collected from my annual ang bao rounds gets lesser and lesser. And while more people get married as we go along (read: additional red packets), others retire (read: decrease in quality of existing red packets) or are simply piling less notes into those little red things (I wonder why).

One of my aunts, interestingly, went as far as putting lottery tickets into her red packets – designated for those who ain’t studying anymore. (Thank goodness I am still studying and I get i-like cash versus hope-i-get-lucky lottery ticket.)

Bright side of it: The grand prize reads SGD TWO MILLION. Woohoo. Not a bad idea at all.

I enjoy CNY nonetheless. The red packets (of course). The holiday that comes with it. The once-a-year gambling. The catching up (and the being plastic for some occasions). The food, sinful. And also how my mum seems to take much pleasure in this particular festive season.

Risk sounding like a materialist, I remember once telling Meiqi, “CNY is the only time of the year where people – even those you barely know - would give you money for next to nothing.”

So go visiting!!! :)

-------------------

On pineapple tarts.

This year, we made pineapple tarts based on the recipe Sindy, the great baker gave me and as usual, it comes out uber yummy.

And I said ‘we’ because almost the whole of my family help out in the affair this time round. I bought the ingredients. My brother did up the dough. My dad kneaded the pineapple paste into small rolls. My mom wrapped the paste up with the dough. I do the baking. My dad then arranged them nicely in containers. And my sis? She helps with the eating I suppose. -_-

Their help did make the whole experience a whole lot easier and more enjoyable – like a family activity, something we do not engage in a lot.

My dad is so proud of the tarts he repeatedly swear he would not buy any pineapple tarts from other people/places anymore and claimed the ones we make taste better than Bengawan Solo’s. (The latter I am skeptical. Haha.)

Nonetheless, he went round this new year telling people, as and when the topic drifts to pineapple tarts, how good our tarts are - resulting in us giving away three out of the five containers we have. Haha. And now, he wants to make a second batch when he returns from China this Sunday. We'll see, it's way too taxing for me.

-------------------

On resolutions.

I have a new resolution to make and that is to exercise at least three times a week from this week onwards.

I am a combination of fatness and flabbiness now. Urg. Eeeekyy.


I’ll soon draft up my resolution list and add it to my right side bar just to make sure I follow through. :)

-------------------

‘Nuff said (though I still have some stuffs to blabber about).

Here’s random pictures from the first day of CNY.

Brown, Gold and Glittery this CNY.

HAPPY CNY, ALL!!! :)

What we need to do to get the MAIN red packet of the year.
Me/Dad. Brother/Dad.
(Sis still sleeping - sick on CNY. Urg.)

29th Jan also happens to be my mum's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MUM!
(Click for larger view.)

My bro and I barely look alike.
(Urg, I got fat face in this picture.)

Badly self-taken photo of dad and I.

Backview of everyone from the rear seat.
Paternal granny in the middle and her maid on the left. I think I coincidentally captured the shot of her wiping tears. She's rather poor thing 'cause she only gets to go out when my granny does, which is not often. Thus the tendency to get emotional when we bring her out.

Narcissism in action, at the back of the car when no one's looking.

Another backview of treasured family members. :)

And an abrupt ending to this entry.
(Apologies, got to rush out now!!)

Saturday, January 28, 2006

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

So I bet everyone is having their reunion dinner around this time.

It’s 1930 and my sis ain’t back so we couldn’t start having the dinner and consequently, commence on our once-a-year mahjong session.

I want to play MJ, MJ, MJ, MJ, MJ!!!

It’s CNY in a few hours time (HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!) and bad news is: I still do not have anything to wear tmr.

Have been out scouting the last few days and couldn’t find anything I like. And it is until this afternoon that I finally decided to get this black Topshop thighs (not your aunt-ish thighs, it’s niceee), and the shops have either closed or have ran out of it. To think I rushed to four different Topshop(s) in all.

Kill me, somebody.

Collin’s been with me on my hunting trip these few days and while he has been patient, I don’t think he enjoys it very much, if at all. (I don’t expect myself to enjoy it if I have to go round for a few days looking for his stuffs anyway.) Furthermore, he doesn’t see the significance of wearing new clothes on CNY day itself. So…



Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
(I don’t think you read my blog though.)

I have to say - wearing new stuffs IS tradition in my family and it’s really down to the details. New lingerie. New pyjamas. New clothes. New bag. New shoes. New everything.

I’ve got the pyjamas. I’ve got the shoes. I’ve got the bag. I’ve got a few random new tops (but with no bottoms to match). It’s just not complete. So, this Year of the Dog, I am kind of breaking tradition.

And I feel sad. (Though it isn’t very rational to be.)


Wokay, sister’s back and mommy’s screaming for me now.

Food, then MJ!!!! Whoopee!!

------

Time now is 2310. I have finished the meal and also the MJ session.

Didn’t get to publish this entry earlier ‘cause mum was really screaming for us to eat.

So I lost SGD1.50.

Talk about using your time productively. Heh.


Anyway,

Good luck to all you seasonal gamblers out there!!! And collect loads of (fat) ang baos!!

Here's a time where you'll be glad you're single (read: unmarried). ;)

Friday, January 27, 2006

This is a boring entry.

I just realise today (after months of shopping without keeping track),

I am one broke girl.

My accounts’ dipping dangerously low. Sigh.

And being 21 next month means more frozen funds (the minimum SGD500 thingy in both UOB and POSB). Double sigh.

CNY. Come, come, come.

Next month’s allowance. Come, come, come.

I think I really need to do some form of financial planning.

First thing - I need to wake up earlier to prepare for school so that I stop hailing cabs. Urg.

---

Loosely related to the above, I have set up a Punctuality Fund (in fact, it should be called just the opposite but punctuality sounds better).

Basically it goes - every time I am late, I save a dollar.
If I am so late that i've to take a cab, that’ll be two buckaroos.

May sounds petty money to you, but think how I can be late two to three times a day at times, I imagine I would be rather rich when the year ends.

Economically speaking,

More S(avings) = Less C(onsumption)

And less C makes a grouchy Qimin.

So, not something desirable at all. (And till date, the piggy bank has been receiving considerable income.)

---

(Apologies for the lack of flow, but I am jumping topics again.)

Anyway, I met up with sissilicious Sindy on wednesday and I enjoyed it.

Love you, babe. ;)

Pity we didn’t take any photo. (Private joke: 招财进宝。)

Heh. We should do this more often.

And with Jas and Weilin! Where’s our MJ session!? -_-"

---

Haven't gotten my new year clothes. Can't decide to dye my hair or not (though appointment's fix today). Horrendously lagging in school. Getting fat (and lazy to exercise). Ugly complexion.

I've so much to rant these days.

I need a getaway.


Faith. Fate. Me: Ctrl-F5.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Cross roads.

Her:

Truth is.. I think we should be giving this relationship a break.
Yet, how can we be sure?
My only fear is when i realise what's best for me, I've already lose it.
The irony is I know i still love you at this moment. A lot.


Him:

I think its e same case for me too..

---------------------------------

If so, why is my heart aching so much?

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Finally - updates.

Sorry I kind of disappear without a notice. I tried to blog once and that attempt was stymied when my laptop restarted on me for some unknown reason.

Yes, yes. Updates.

So I’ve been busy unpacking and packing my room because mum decided to get us new furniture since our* cupboard was falling apart. So I’ve been at it for approximately a week by now and it’s still pretty much a mess. So photos after I am done.

(* FYI: I share my room with my elder sis.)

It’s only with the new furniture that I realize how grossly mismatched my old furniture were. I mean I know they are mismatched, but I didn’t think it was THAT bad. Good riddance!

Did I mention – I hate packing my room? Urg. There are so many random items lying around that you don’t know what to do of them.

Like gifts from random people. You can’t throw them away, but if you keep them, you know these things will be around and left untouched for the next coupla’ years (till you pack your room again).

And letters and cards – friends, boyfriend, lover-wannabes. Then there are also old school uniforms, (tonnes of) band tee-shirts, (millions of) starhub tee-shirts.

I mean tell me! What did you do to yours? Bah.

In this mayhem, here’s one notable event.

Lo and behold – the worst chat-me-up line:

“I think I left my screwdriver in your cupboard.”
Don’t sneer ‘cause that’s what the guy who moved my cupboard said before proceeding with his erm, chat (unsuccessfully of course).

For one, he ain’t even cute, or young as a matter of fact. He look like he could be my dad, had he been erm, "adventurous" in his younger days.

He called twice – once to ask if his screwdriver in my new cupboard, and the second to tell me he found it. And it is in the latter that he ask if we could be friends and that his fellow colleague is interested in knowing my sister.

Seriously, what the f is he thinking?

I think it’s not the screwdriver they left behind, but their screws. Bonkers, really.


One last update before I end it off.

I met up with Leisha, together with Ting (and Lynett and Amanda briefly) on Friday before she is due to fly back to Atlanta this morning. It’s great seeing her and to know she is doing fine since our last meet-up in Aug ’04.

The blithe days we had in our lower secondary seems so far away. Childish politics. Boys. Discoveries. In retrospection, we didn’t think how we would turn out seven, eight years down the road.

We all turn out to be quite different (with positive connotation) and I’m glad the bond is here to stay.

Till the three of us meet in 2008, take care darlings. :)

12 August 2004
Image hosting by Photobucket

20 January 2006
(Will update when I get the photos from Leisha.)

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Life is in the small things, indeed.

From my site tracker, this certain blog address that goes [lifeisinthesmallthings] caught my eye and I paid it a visit.

And scanning through, I saw this:

Me: Why should I marry you?
DD: Because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you?
Me: And?
DD: ... I don't know darling, I'm very nervous and I can't really think right now.

I say this may not be the most romantic proposal lines.

But I do hope for the day where someone (I love deeply in return) would come to me and say,

"Because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Erm, pardon me.

Isn’t it funny how we can be so unforgiving and critical of some people and the things they do without analyzing the reason why?

Like people sporting sunglasses indoors, or on the other end of the spectrum, wearing jackets on a hot steamy afternoon outdoors.

Like people taking photos at MRT stations.

Like people who don’t give up seats in face of the elderly/pregnant ladies/young kids.

Like people who rush (and shove) for seats on public transport.

Undeniably, I’m sure one, if not all, of the actions above irks you to death sometimes.


But if we consider:


He is wearing sunglasses indoors to hide that puffy and red eye lids/bags. Perhaps they are due to a bad quarrel, or maybe someone dear died. Or perhaps it is due to some weird allergy reaction.

He is wearing jackets outdoors ‘cause he is sick and is feeling really cold despite the more-than-ample coverage.

They are taking photos at MRT stations because they ain’t local and thus, our (boring) train stations are fascinating in their eyes.

She ain’t giving up seats because she’s having horrible cramps (damn the cramps), or perhaps it’s been a rough rough day for her.

As for people who rush, or worse, shove for seats on public transport - they are unpardonable because that’s plain uncouth and uncalled for. The only reason I can think of is, they need to pee and can’t possibly do so while in the train, so they just got to take a seat. (Whatever.)


I think we can forget about that last point and focus on the first.

So the next time, you see some girl sporting sunglasses indoors, please do not be all set to make snide remarks.

For all you know, she may be having some weird allergy reaction (as mention earlier), due to falling asleep with her facial mask on.


And that girl… could very well be ME.

[T_T] Criessssssssssssssss.


P.S.: Xiang, I went back for that brown dress (remember the one I told you it's only cute and that's it) and it is GONE. *strangles myself*

Thursday, January 12, 2006

I need a breakkie.

Barely a week into school term, I am totally whacked. School has this thing about sapping the energy out of you.

TGIF.

(And because tutorials have yet to start, my lessons end at 12PM tmr *woohoo*.)

Anyway, Fengxue and I have decided to drop [Cosmetics and Perfumes] before the module kills us. It may be interesting content to know but er, memorizing is just not my cup of tea.

*[-_-]* I need to hit the sack now.

(Urg, got to go buy hammie food first. My poor Pepper's been eating yogurt drops and bread the last few days.)

-

If you are bored, here's a link to visit (especially if you are a hardcore Star Wars fan):

www.storewars.org

Watch it! It's hilarious.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The right person at the wrong time?

Last* night, I had a dream.

(*Not "yesterday night". Thank you, Dorcas, for the correction. Haha.)

In fact I had so many but this, being the more prominent.

[dream]

Collin and I were strolling along Clarke Quay and the time frame was that he has ORD-ed and is awaiting university admission soon.

Then somehow, perhaps triggered by his nonchalance in the dream, I initiated a break up because I wanted to meet more people and I wasn’t sure he would stay in the relationship after he enters uni.

He agreed promptly and I gathered he wants to meet other people too.


[/dream]

And the dream ended.

My subconscious talking to me? A foreboding? Perhaps insecurities?

Have you ever met someone way too early and hope you have met that person much later?

Or was it too ... late, for you?


-----------------------------------------

Sometimes people move on,

and I find myself tracing the footsteps left behind eons ago.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

School gripes.

One day of school and I am on holiday again. (It’s Haji. Don’t you just lovee it when it is none of your business at all?) And since Wednesday is my free day, -woohoo- tomorrow’s my another day to slack slack slack away.

So school started yesterday and it was truly a bad start. Both lectures sucks; one being too technical and the other simply borrrring. *yawn* Welcome back to school life!

A twist of events (i.e. not being able to get the modules I want), I wind up taking this module called [Cosmetics and Perfumes]. While it sounds interesting (and perhaps bimbotic), I think it will be all but the above mentioned.

Try this:

Comment on the statement “Colour is one of the essential elements in cosmetics products for the face, the hair and the nails”. What precautions should the consumer exercise when buying and applying these products?

Or this:

In the late twentieth century, a new generation of monolithic perfumes was produced. What are monolithic perfumes? Give examples and discuss the composition and character of such perfumes.

And the ultimate:

What is biodiversity prospecting? Describe how monitoring of plant biorhythm can be carried out during biodiversity prospecting in the rainforest canopy?


Urg. The last question sounds Geography to me.

I’ve been warned by Yiyi. Not that I don’t heed her advice, just that there is nothing else, really, for me to take this semester. (Screw Sem II!) I’m so going to S/U this.

Upside to yesterday:

I finally have Chinese installed on my laptop.

Rare moment #1:
In face of hostile male technicians, use your [gender: female] to your advantage. ;)

Saturday, January 07, 2006

-Insider "Joke"- To: UG only

Before I get started, I say abso-fucking-lutely NO discussion on my tagboard, on each other's tagboards, or any public domain as a matter of fact.

Further discussion only allowed on private msn chats, bitchy phone/sms sessions, or the next time we meet face-to-face.







Ok. As promised:

"UG, I have something to tell you."

Friday, January 06, 2006

Driving is uber fun!!!

(And my vehicle din stall at all! Lala~)

Driving lesson tmr at 8:30AM.

Note: Most of this entry is drafted mentally during my forty minutes walk back home. (Yea, I was walking real slowly.)

23 minutes into the run, I gave up and walked the remaining journey home. Discipline is not something that exists in QM dictionary. It’s the same in studies, in sports, and perhaps everything else in life. I can’t really say it is a bad thing, but it can’t be good also.

The last time I was somewhat close to having any form of discipline was when I’m in the band. (Not any band, but TKband. *smug*) Then again, it wasn’t really discipline but teetering towards obsession.

Coincidentally, Collin has the discipline enough for two persons. I can always count on him to push me on when we do our runs; no matter how un-exercised he is and over-exercised I’ll be at the end of the whole workout.

He, a sports person. And me, not even close, which probably explains why I was briefly in track (and field) back in secondary school days because Justin Toh*, this handsome young teacher-in-charge, said I was a ‘natural runner’ and wanted me to do long distance. Of course, I decided band is still THE thing and even after buying my first track shorts and a new pair of track shoes for it, I quit the whole idea after one or two trainings because the training bores me to core.

(*Not "Justin Goh". Thanks Ting for the correction. Haha. It all sounds the same to me.)

So as I walking home from Fort Road, the mental picture of juicy sugar cane drink suddenly popped out and had me craving seriously. I began skimming the ground (I didn’t bring any money) as I walked on, hoping I’ll be lucky and perhaps find a one dollar coin dropped by an unlucky someone.

I did that until I reached sugar cane heaven, which also happen to be cockroaches 2nd heaven (their 1st being the chutes). And the sight nearly killed me because the ground is so littered with fully squashed roaches and half crushed (but not fully dead) ones. Urg. I rather die from thirst. Thank you.

Talking about roaches.

I was at this New Year gathering where I became “Collin’s girlfriend”. (You know that kind of gathering you go to, where it’s all your boyfriend’s friends and people only know you as girlfriend of so and so.)

So anyway, the house has this irresistibly pretty Shetland Sheepdog and everytime the dog nears this girl, the girl starts hopping over sofa. You never had seen anyone jump up so fast before. And I was wondering how irrational – dogs are like the cutest things ever.

Then I thought, I would have done the same if that was a cockroach. And she must have had it much worse because the dog was one third her size, and perhaps a thousand time larger than a cockroach.

Ewwwww. I don’t even want to imagine that.


Wokay. I got to get ready to sleep now because yours truly will be having her maiden driving lesson at 8:30AM tomorrow. Woohoo~ (Don’t worry, Singapore roads are not in perils.*)

I said, I want to start driving lessons before school starts right?

And I did. Three days before I embark on Year 2 Sem 2. ;)

*Collin's male ego is so super enlarged when it comes to the issue of driving. And because, me, read: femme - I'm so sure he thinks badly of me as a driver even though he hasn't put this across verbally yet.


HELLO! DRIVING IS NOT A GUYS' DOMAIN.

I am so going to prove him wrong. Hmph.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Goodnight. :)

I am blogging because that was a rather melancholic entry and I wanted

to


push


it


down

.

So there. :)


For once, I’m going to bed at 12AM (plus a few minutes as I am still typing this).


Off to put on my facial mask.

Good night world.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

The truth about 2005.

Up till a point in 2005, I stop bothering.

Stop bothering to care about people when they don’t even fucking care. I mean, why bother? That energy can better be diverted to those who care about me.

Then somehow - along the way - I lost the will to reciprocate too.

It’s all going very wrong. Maybe it’s karma.

But I only kept going, and brushed it all aside.

I could remember clearly – sometime early last year - I sneered when someone say she wouldn’t consider herself nice and wouldn’t go out of the way to help someone.

Back then, I thought hell, I would and in normal circumstances, I consider myself a nice person (subjective though, depending whether I like you – face it, all girls have that bitchy streak, be it blatant or latent).

But again, I can’t really say the same now.

I guess when you start measuring relationships on a scale, everything changes.

So as we step into the new year, I shall search my inner soul and find back the old me. Who say progression is necessary better?

And for a start, I shall start filling my organizer with lil' birthday notes.

Also, get a ergonomically designed phone so I would sms more often. Nokia’s 7600 is one phone that kills every sms addict, no matter how adept you are with it – though the adeptness only sets in much later.

Linking back to what was said at the beginning of this entry, I think the thing is this:

You give not because you have to, but because you want to.


Why didn't I see it through earlier? Or like any other, I was too intent on (and blinded by) reciprocity and returns.

This, I'll change this year.

Love, min

Note:
As I typed this, a bookmark on my bed caught my eye and it goes:
"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world." - Buddha
A message from the mystic force himself (slash herself - maybe it's female)?

Ha. It's true. The world through my eyes ain't that picture perfect right now.

Time to give some l o v e.

And I am sorry - to the well-worth-its - if you've been shortchanged.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

happy twenty-o-six!!!

Yep.

A very, very, veryyy

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hello there and here’s my first post of the year 2006.

We shall start with some good ol’ New Year resolutions, like:
I must learn to be more punctual.
(Same old, same old every year, but I never learnt. Sigh.)

Or
I want to secure a strong CAP (cumulative average point) that guarantees a 2nd upper class honors by the end of this year.
And relationship wise - all we hope is,
we stay as happy as we are now. ;)

Bear with the soppiness, but I love Collin! And this long break has been wonderful, I’m so sad it has come to an end. (Time always pass by fast when you are having the most fun.) So now he’s back working (army, army, army) and I’m waiting for school to start.

School will be a not-so-great four days week. Hours ain’t long, but I say not-so-great ‘cause I was hoping for urg, three days instead. Screw sem II and its lousy time table!

Of course, there are some people on the far end and highest point of our sunny island (just to illustrate its ulu-ness) who are just happy they have a nice looking five days week. I am referring to NTU, and its engineering students more specifically. Who else takes seven modules a semester? It’s absurd.

Academic issues aside (read: sleep inducing), the last few days (Xmas, then New Year) before we step into a new year is always especially brimmed with the holiday bonhomie, despite how hyped and commercialised this part of the year is.

But I like this time of the year. ;)

This year's countdown, we spent it at Esplanade. Got an excellent spot to view the fireworks display. Waited for 3 hours which is almost well worth it 'cause the entire ten minutes of fireworks felt almost magical.

But the going home is crazy and I swear I never do this again unless we have proper transportation home, e.g. I drive or Collin drive – something quite credible by the end of this year.

(Add to my NY resolution list: Get my driving license!)
I used to adore crowds ‘cause that’s where you feel THE spirit. But crowd-hater Collin successfully change that and I’m now a convert. I’ll choose snuggling up and watching some DVDs over snacks, anytime. All this in the comfort of air conditioning and the only crowd you’ll probably experience is the man next to you who’s occupying a larger portion of the bed/sofa than you are.

Then again, I don't have to be bothered with this until (approximately) another 356 days.

I've blabbered enough. Here are pictures from our New Year's eve dinner at Hotstones – this restaurant along Clarke Quay:

My date.

Me and my belated X'mas present – the MNG jacket I was lemming for.
(The story behind the jacket is that, broke me wanted to wait till final reductions, i.e. up to 70%, before I get the jacket. Only to find out in the end, the difference was a mere 10 buckaroos for a two weeks plus wait. Good thing there’s still sizes, else I’ll probably want to kill myself. Anyway, I didn't pay for it in the end 'cause Collin got it for me. Heh.)

What we had:

I had Unagi on hot stone - and I vaguely remember the menu saying it's on oily bamboo leave - served with rice, Unagi (or was it sukiyaki) sauce and garden salad (which I don’t take).

Collin had tenderloin steak on hot stone. And the beef came really raw (you have to cook it on the square stone). Gulp. Comes with potato salad, amongst other choices of fries and mashed potatoes.

Battling the beef for the perfect medium rare finish, against the foreground of my already cooked Unagi.
.
.
.
.
.
AND with excess sebum secretion
.
.
.
.
.
.
and perspiration galore
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

THIS is the first shot of year 2-0-0-6.

(What an abrupt ending and boring "first" post.)

Nonetheless,

May 2006 be a smacking good year for you!!!





Cheerios.