A New Beginning

Ha! Damn true!

2011-08-28T16:29:00.001+02:00

After getting dumped by boyfriend

Expectation:

Reality:

Repost from: http://expectationsreality.com/post/8546200541/after-getting-dumped-by-boyfriend

Snow-skin mooncake

2011-08-28T16:18:00.004+02:00

Ingredients: Lotus paste; Walnuts; Cooking oil; Hong Kong flour; Cooked glutinous rice; Icing sugar; Banana essence; Shortening; Cold water; Hot boiling water

Three people + Ingredients + Five hours = 120 mooncakes + Aching shoulders

(I'll put the pictures soon!)

The five year motivation plans!

2011-08-28T15:45:00.003+02:00

My five year plan (2011-2016), in no order of priority:

Obtain driving licence.
Be a certified yoga teacher.
Learn how to cook.
Travel to Africa, America and Antarctica!
Buy my own house!

Driving Licence: Just aiming for auto licence, hopefully I can pass on my first attempt by November this year. I just get so drowsy when I am on the road. My body somehow just switches off when I am on the road, which makes me a pretty good at travelling long distance. That also explains how I do not get jet lag on a 33 hour journey from Singapore to Brasilia :)
Yoga teacher: Am quite addicted to yoga since December last year. Unfortunately, with a screwed right knee and a strain hamstring I am not able to advance as much as I hope. At the beginning, my hamstrings are really tight but it is really so much better. The sense of achievement of being able to do a new move every few weeks is quite exhilarating. Last month Ash threw down the gauntlet: By end of October, I was to do splits. Ouch! Secretly, I love the pain from the stretching, as what my teacher always say: "Enjoy the sweet pain".
August 2011: Marks the first month where I will learn how to cook properly. Hence, for the next five years, I will be learning a new dish every month. Maybe I will document some of the process here. The first dish learn this month is Snow-skin Mooncakes! Awesome! :)
Complete my seven continents travel by the time I am 28! Oh My Gosh, I need a travel partner! Please leave a message if you are interested to go to any of these three places! :D
Assuming the end of the world is coming in about two years time (as analysed by the "planners") I think I may be able to save enough for the deposit. Woohoo can't wait to own my home! First step to independence! This gets me really motivated in life.

Desire earnestly

2011-06-20T18:34:00.003+02:00

Today's conversation made me realise something. I am losing my focus. In the midst of trying to get in what I wanted, I was diverted by promises of other things. It is time to get it back. Explore and see the world. But what should I really do so that I will have a competitive advantage over others. In terms of leading a more quality and fulfilling lives, health is the most important thing and should never be compromised. Treat your body like it is a worthy temple for God. I had been working hard to achieve the certification. Yet, because of the rejections and the disappointments I had with looking for other opportunities I neglected on how I should move myself forward in my career. Must not forget that I have a dream in mind and now I have to really think of how I should go about achieving that. Have to stop micromanaging my life now.

Much

2011-05-14T07:47:00.002+02:00

Many things come and go, many things happened this week too.

But anyway let's go back to the original purpose of today's which is titled "Five years from now."

When I read today's paper, I was astonished to find that a minister could mentioned in an interview that she was startled at how much resentment the people have on the government. Personally, I was simply shocked to find out that she actually has lost touched with the folk that much. Well, it seems that those issues repeated relentlessly in that nine days were pretty obvious. Then I realised something. There was this negativity suppressed within me. How so? Guess it was due to fear of being rejected by the society if I were to voice out my unhappiness. Especially so when you read about the outcomes of some members of the alternate parties. In this short nine day, people of all walks of life came together, all the issues were compact and compounded with emotions. On the streets, you hear talks about politics about who they want to represent them and about the pressures of life. It is disheartening to hear that people referring to the ruling party as the government and the rest as opposition. When there is a general displeasure among the people, regardless of how depthless the alternate parties are they will surely garner better support from the electorates. Thankfully, the education made us still rationale. Most voted based on the candidates present in their residential areas. Folks still are clear about who are versed, celebrity-like and air heads.

The state has evolved with times and her people. We have spoken and it is conclusive that we are thankful for the progress and stability but at the same time we yearned for a place that we are not second to others. We should not be slave to material needs but be protected by policies not short-changed to simple economic progression. So much voices erupted will they be heard? Let's see.

Pretty

2011-05-07T12:29:00.002+02:00

All beauty comes from God. And I know I am beautiful.

How long will it take to have the light back in my eyes?

I dedicate this song to you

2011-05-05T17:51:00.007+02:00

Who do you think you are? To break my heart like this, you lost the love I loved the most.

I know I can't take one more step towards you
Cause all that's waiting is regret
And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore?
You lost the love
I loved the most

And I learned to live, half-alive
And now you want me one more time

Who do you think you are?
Runnin' round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
So don't come back for me
Who do you think you are?

I hear you're asking all around
If I am anywhere to be found
But I have grown too strong
To ever fall back in your arms

And I learned to live, half-alive
And now you want me one more time

Who do you think you are?
Runnin round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
So don't come back for me
Who do you think you are?

Dear, it took so long just to feel alright
Remember how to put back the light in my eyes
I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed
Cause you broke all your promises
And now you're back
You don't get to get me back

Who do you think you are?
Runnin' round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
So don't come back for me
Don't come back at all

And who do you think you are?
Runnin round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
Don't come back for me
Don't come back at all
Who do you think you are?
Who do you think you are?
Who do you think you are?

Leviathan- by Thomas Hobbes

2011-05-04T16:34:00.005+02:00

Introduction: Leviathan is a book written by Thomas Hobbes. (Click here to find out more)

Had a crash course in Yale Online on Hobbes and his ideology, it was interesting as this coincides with this year's election. Hobbes mentioned that we make decisions based on rational choice and we do not have absolute free will. Well, I feel that there is free will and it is absolute, no grey in this area at all. The idea of not having absolute free will just doesn't gel for me. Yet, I argue from the same point on rational choice, where we pursue our will and self interest. By pursuing our self interest we need to be free in our thoughts and not restraint or oppressed by others, and one can achieve but sometimes at a huge cost. This cost is how we weigh our decisions. Many times our fears (rational or irrational) decrease our desires to go after them. It is easy to see how we apply this in our daily lives.

A week before my father passed away, I was contemplating bringing him to church and helped him be closer to God. Yet, the fear of rejection was so strong, that when I asked him, there was not enough sincerity and hence it failed. Fear can sometimes not only decrease our desires but inevitably caused us to lose sight of what is important to us and not being able to get the best result possible. So proceed with your thoughtful plan, and do it without fear.

Hobbes mentioned that we are power seeking and I do see in many instances we want to win others over and gather them for our causes. Hobbes was a radical thinker of his times and he suggested "all men are equal" in the 1600s. What is really interesting is that the idea on social contract in which people exchange to preserves their rights. His idea was that good laws should serve the people not just the sovereign really hits the bull eye. It is like a realisation that all this time what I was looking for is whether the elected members are going to be able to serve the people well. First of all, I think they should do it by understanding the people. As we can't expect others to see eye to eye with us, if all we are doing is looking down at them. This does not only apply to the government though. In managing relationships, this is vital.

Sometimes, we are rude to others and we make insensitive comments. Actually, unbeknownst to us what we are really thinking is that the other party is stupid and we are superior, smarter. To us, it may be that we are trying to educate the other person but if we subconsciously doubt the person's intellect, our arrogance will flow through our presence and our tone. We may choose the wisest words to present our ideas, but our body language will betray us. Take a 15 minutes challenge and see if you can speak in this manner and not be betrayed by your actions. The other party might swallow his/her pride to listen to you, but if there is a third party present. It will only disgust them. It is difficult to change, but if we want real respect we have to speak to others not with such thoughts but cultivate a habit of humility and remember that we live in a vast world with many things to learn.

3 months from that day

2011-05-03T19:30:00.003+02:00

Today you asked me how I was. I was emotional when I saw your message. You said you were wondering if I was doing fine. How could I? All I could do was to distract myself and pray that I forgive you everyday. As I tried to reply, I typed and deleted what I typed. The anger was lessened but the pain still bears in my heart. Alicia asked me to give myself three months. You said that church there said six months. But what did you do? One short week. Does what you said to me even make sense?!

Your love became a poison.

Every 5 years. (1st time)

2011-05-03T18:00:00.005+02:00

This year Singapore's Election is really exciting. Amidst all the "celebrity" opposition candidate, the ones that really impressed are from a party I previously thought was led by a crazy guy. It is really interesting how the media and social media affects our mind. The emotions they create and the ideas they put in us fuelled our buried feelings and some disappointment.

The ruling party was flamed by many netizens by their choice of candidates and them not resolving some issues. I too have my issues and wish dearly that it can be properly addressed and resolved. In the rally, there were many proposals put up, some make sense some don't. Yet, some just choose to keep justifying with no resolutions made. I used to think that I do not care about politics, but this GE has really attracted my attention. The root stems in not discontentment but wishing to see my country moving forward and keep improving. Many tell me I have an easy decision to make, but how can this be so if the good candidate is openly gay?!??!?

The generation Y have led a good life, we grew up in a time of prosperity in Singapore (even with some crisis from time to time). The government handled countless issues so smoothly that sometimes I cannot foresee what will happen if things does not go well. Till date even though there were some blunders made, I truly felt that overall it was still a job done well. I live a sheltered and happy life.

Whenever I travelled and see the good and bad in foreign lands, Singapore is always like a basis of comparison for me. Yet, I felt increasingly out of place. My mother (I love you, Mum!) constant nagging at home doesn't help the situation either. I want to move out to live on my own, but the prices of the houses kept me back at my parent's home. In this materialistic and expensive city, people become brand concious, and many are always worrying about their bills. It is sad but there seemed to be a high proportion of people here always worrying and complaining. I don't think complaining is a genetic defect. It should be more of a society issue. Hopefully, someone can persuade me to vote for him/her by 7 May. If you want to get the 14k a month pay, you better do a damn good job in convincing me.

The lightning vs The rocket

Who strikes who?

Thank you for all the pain you have given me, I will never forget you

2011-04-27T17:20:00.002+02:00

On 23 September 2008, I met someone who was the love of my life.

Two months later we accepted each others feelings and were very happy then. After all, he is my first and for the first time there is actually a guy who is so sweet and gentle with me. I am touched by his actions, big and small. It was actually fun to go hiking, although I am not much of an outdoor person and to listen to what he views are. They are just so different from anyone I have ever known, so fresh and funny, even though there are countless times I did not understand his points.

On 30 April 2009, he has to leave for his country. I thought that would end it. Yet, he insisted on not giving up. His perseverance impressed me, and well my head cannot handle the emotions and my heart took over.

At the beginning, it was nerve wreaking, and everything is so mysterious. I have no idea what is going on there. Our means of communication was limited to messaging online and we did not even use webcam. Then we talk on the phone as I subscribe to using voip to call him. Still, everything was unclear and the wait was supposed to end by December 2009 but was delayed, due to him having tons of tests to clear.

I had to see for myself was it like there, what was actually going on. And so a ticket was booked on the eve of Good Friday 2010, so that I could spend Good Friday with him. Well, it turns out that things promised was just promises. The trip was not what I expected and it was so disheartening. A month later, I came home.

Life goes on, but on several occasion I thought this has to end. The stupid wait, and even more dumb postponing of flight here. It was unnerving and it made him appeared untrustworthy. The latter upsets me more than anything else, cause in my quiet faith I believed he would be here. Then something major happened at home and my heart and soul was grieving. For months I cried myself to sleep, everyone tried to say something. But I shut everyone out. Cause nothing they say eased my pain and I hated the fact I had to face others with a straight face telling the I would be all right and I will take care of my family. It was the deepest valley in my life. It was then his love and concern calms me down, even it was a little. Everyday, a little by little I felt my pain was understood. That the fact he was extremely patient with me helped me overcome this. For months, I was weak, emotionally and physically. He was like an anchor to help me to settle down before my soul floats out of my body. He thought me to turn to Jesus and placed my fears, sadness and pain with God. I fell deeply in love with him again.

There were a couple of incidents from time to time that causes us to distrust each other. But each time, it was settled, or so I thought, on my part though I trusted him as long as he tells me so. Yet, the wait is a little too long. Soon many asked me to end this, to me all are noises except the opinion of my mother. It was getting unbearable to stay at home and I chose to escape by staying out late almost every night. I took up a new sport as I had injured my feet many times. On many weeks, I spent as much as 10 hours a week on that sports, reaching home at about 10-11pm on most of the days. I felt better when practising the new sport, and did not bother about interacting with others.

Nothing will prepare me for what was to come next, as everything was going so smoothly and I was peaceful and glad that the wait is going to be over. On 6 April 2011, I felt something was obviously wrong when for the first time, he did not send me any messages and refused to pick up my call. As it turns out, on the next day, he sent me a message:" I am sorry, this is not going to work." following which he changed the status on Facebook. Then negative emotions flooded me once again. I was going through a roller-coaster ride of emotions and was so tormented. Words do not do justice to the emotions ride I faced. In short, perplex abandonment.

Turns out that he thought of me very very badly when I reached home so late, like I was always partying or drinking. It was not only disturbing but downright hurtful. No matter what I said, it was hopeless. A decision was made, his decision alone. Inwardly, I wanted him back as long as he is still no one else.

Not even two weeks passed and he is in a relationship again. On the day he broke up with me, he actually went to "visit" her. Next she is only 17 years old and he is 26. Now, this is lowly and disgusting.

Hence, thank you for all the pain you have given me and wasted so much of my time, I will never forget you.

I am thankful that my friends and family are constantly reaching out to me. The network of support is there for me. With God's words, I am constantly reminded of the good and love. With love and forgiveness, I will be strong again.

Going through like it didn't hurt

2011-04-19T17:26:00.002+02:00

Yet the truth still sting, and as much as I try to distract myself with other activities, the moment I lay my head on the pillow, tears just roll out on their own.

All of it has come to an end. I just need to be stronger and lead a life that is an inspiration to others.

I love to worship my Lord with this song :)

2011-04-12T18:01:00.002+02:00

Revival of blogging

2011-04-12T17:58:00.002+02:00

Time to start a furry of blogging! Watch this space people! :)

MY Astro《惜福》2010 Chinese New Year Song

2010-02-17T15:45:00.001+01:00

A lovely and touching song for the new year ahead!

At the Zoo :)

2009-07-02T18:03:00.004+02:00

Hoegaarden

2009-06-30T06:23:00.001+02:00

Alright butterflies, I wanted to bring the 3 bottles of Hoegaarden to school for the party after Commencement, but my Dad took it for himself :(.... (Blogger still don't let me post pictures!!)

Argh!!!

2009-06-28T16:25:00.000+02:00

Stupid blogger!! I can't post my pictures at all.....

Now and Then, Here and There

2009-06-18T17:46:00.003+02:00

"No matter where you are, no matter what adversities you face as long as you got your life something good is bound to happen. Something so totally awesome that would make up for all the bad stuff. Sure, it can get pretty tough in the meantime, I don't quite know how to put it but... you know.. um... Well, there you have it." Shu, from Now and Then, Here and There.

I have been watching two terrific animes, first was Le Chevalier D'Eon and the second one was Now and Then, Here and There. Le Chevalier D'Eon is a loosely based historical anime with good and animation and the music is so captivating. The conspiracies leading to the French revolution with the story revolving around D'Eon de Beaumont is really amazing with all the supernatural involved. Production I.G. (the team that brought Ghost in the Shell animation, someday I hope to cosplay the Motoko) never let me down! The next was Now and Then, Here and There, the story is thought provoking and very inspiring. Seeing how Shu overcomes his adversities with his optimism and the challenges he faced brought tears to my eyes on countless occasions. Recently, someone asked me on my msn nick, on why I can believe that the universe conspire to give me the best. I am sure obstacles are there to make our life worth living. It won't be to naught, the obstacles are there so that we can be better equipped to achieve greater things when the right opportunity comes along. Although, the design and graphics is quite cartoon for this show, the story makes up for it totally! The pace of both the shows were equally good, as for originality I would say Now and Then, Here and There has the upper hand and it is undoubtedly a show meant for mature audience. Both are higly reccomended! If you prefer something short watch Now and Then, Here and There, which has only 13 episodes (I finished in half a day), or if you want good graphics aim for Le Chevalier D'Eon. すばらしい!

Updates for the month

2009-06-16T17:19:00.002+02:00

Haven't been diligently blogging for quite awhile. Since did not make any interesting travels or had much motivation to blog. Oh ya and I told someone that I will blog more only after I found a job. So I have a job offer! Yeah!! Will be going down to the office this coming Friday to see the letter of appointment. Pretty excited about it! More importantly, that is the end of my job hunt! Yippee!! So update for this month. First week of June was playing host to my relatives from Malaysia and we went to the zoo!! Met up with good friends and chilled out as usual. Haven't been exercising though. Had an accident and went to the A&E in NUH in an ambulance, but luckily was alright in the end. Went to East Coast to cycle, felt really good with all the aching after that. Well more importantly, I am going to my graduation trip!!!! So excited and can't wait for it. Keep a look out for it! :D

Chiclete..com Banana 100 % vc

2009-06-10T05:25:00.001+02:00

American Idol season 8 (2009)

2009-05-21T04:22:00.004+02:00

Arkansas student Kris Allen wins "American Idol" (http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE54K09020090521)

This title screams of the new American Idol of 2009, and well I am truly disappointed. Just felt that in a competition, the best person should win, but there were so many instances in American Idol (previous seasons) that was not the case. I am swearing off AI (for the fifth time!!!). First was when Clay Aiken didn't win, then followed by Bo Bice, and then Merlinda Doolittle, and then now Adam Lambert!! But the worse should be Chris Daughtry, cause he didn't even make it to the top 3!! I think this is a curse. As I was browsing Wikipedia, on the past seasons of AI, I realised none of the winners were actually my favourite for the season, with the exception of season 1, cause here they didn't broadcast it. When I sweared off AI, I actually kept true to it for some seasons, and as for this year I only started watching from the last 4.

My favourite performance by Adam Lambert.

Graduation? More anxiety to come...

2009-05-12T18:18:00.004+02:00

This semester I took four modules in grand total! Well, they are design 2, food technology, introduction to Japanese studies, and HR, overall it was quite enjoyable except for design 2. Reason being, my requirement was changed in the course of the project, and frankly speaking the group communication was a bit disappointing. This semester, I am glad that I found another good friend which is Miss Erlinda (ha ha, if you are reading this I think you will think it is odd that I mention you like this). Anyway, this semester I took exactly the same modules as her, and did quite a few projects together. This semester also allowed me to enjoy my happy "two days week" as a final semester student and because of it JT and Marilyn complained that I was a little withdrawn throughout the semester. I will agree to that statement to a large extent. While I was in school I spend quite a lot of time chatting, complaining, discussing, rejoicing, learning etc. with PF during lunch, and while I was not in school I spend my time on tuition, job hunting, and trying to lose weight (ha ha!).

Of course, this semester was the time when I learned that relationship is a very taxing affair. SM, do you know how much time I invested on you?!?! Anyway this added a whole new dimension to my life, as it was relaxing, enriching, painful, tiring, stressful, joyful experience. Overall, it was just something novel for me. I trod the uncharted territory with many insecurities but was assured over and over again that it was safe. There are times that I am sure, but certainly more than ever I was doubtful. But now that you are back, I have to learn to let go of it, and well it takes time but I know that there are always those who love me to help me through.

Finally after this four gruelling years, where I had to not only cope with the unbelievable workload from school and work, I am able to feel the graduation ceremony within reach. It is something that I am certain, many of my peeps are more than happy to be at. However, God has decided to be a little cheeky, and in one of my modules, managed to assail me and well it was a job well done. It was almost laughable, when I had to repeat my situation to the administrator. Luckily, in the course of that unbearable week I had a group of friends to rely on. Thankfully, with the help of PF, HY, Ah Li, SJ, JX, CYS, I was able to pull through this situation. Also, I am extremely glad that the personnel from my department office gave me invaluable input for me to change this losing battle. Holly shit! If it was the ex-administrators of my department, they would have given me hell and made the losing battle into a total devastating defeat. All those peers, if you have dealt with those ex employees, you would know what I meant. I was unable to keep my cool, and in the end I vented my anger on someone so dear to me, that I felt so sinful after that. But frankly speaking, if I did not let it out and bottled my feelings some more, it would be disastrous, as my thoughts were getting too extreme for me to handle. In due time, if unresolved, it would be heading for the rocks. I could only pray that after today's incident, that I can salvage the situation as much as possible.

Today, the time spent with my cousin was well worth, and we did various things to chill out together. The bulk of it was spent in KTVing in Newway, it was just a great experience, the only glitch was with the remote control, that seemed to enjoy having a mind of its own in controlling the volume of the music and mic. -_-111 The price there was unbeatable as well, service, ambiance and quality was great for its value! The both of us managed to drown in each others voices for four hours. Pitching problems was not an issue as both of us were in the same boat. In a bell curve, our flaunting of the rules of proper singing together would entitled us to pass it anyway. After which, we went to style our hair and went back to the initial ones. So now I'll be spotted with a student cut and she is a spunk rock. Well, hopefully with this more manageable hair, I'll be revamped and showered with more good news. I love to chat with her as well, as the certain unmentionable things would be alright for me to talk to her about.

Tomorrow, I hope things will be a blast! Also, this certain someone better start replying me, cause I am getting a little impatient now!

(P.S. PF, I hope things will go your way tomorrow!)

SM

2009-05-02T18:21:00.003+02:00

SJ was so funny the other day, said that I am into SM. Hahaha, funny but true. I just want a pair of wings for birthday this year, can I have the present in advance please? JT, your 刘力扬 "一个人就好"，对我一点都不好。

YouTube - ANA CAROLINA E SEU JORGE - ISSO AI

2009-04-27T10:50:00.002+02:00

PORTUGUESE	ENGLISH
É isso aí	That's it
Como a gente achou que ia ser	Like we thought it would be
A vida tão simples é boa	The so simple life is good
Quase sempre	Almost always
É isso aí	That's it
Os passos vão pelas ruas	Footsteps on the streets
Ninguém reparou na lua	Nobody noticed the moon
A vida sempre continua	The life always goes on
Eu não sei parar de te olhar	I can't stop looking at you
Eu não sei parar de te olhar	I can't stop looking at you
Não vou parar de te olhar	I will not stop looking at you
Eu não me canso de olhar	I don't get tired of looking at you
Não sei parar	I can't stop
De te olhar	Looking at you
É isso aí	That's it
Há quem acredite em milagres	There are people who believe in miracles
Há quem cometa maldades	There are people who commit cruelty
Há quem não saiba dizer a verdade	There are people who can't say the truth
É isso aí	That's it
Um vendedor de flores	A florist
Ensinar seus filhos a escolher seus amores	Teaching his children to choose their love
Eu não sei parar de te olhar	I can't stop looking at you
Eu não sei parar de te olhar	I can't stop looking at you
Não vou parar de te olhar	I will not stop looking at you
Eu não me canso de olhar	I don't get tired of looking at you

Overwhelmed

2009-03-23T16:01:00.004+01:00

I am truly overwhelmed by the amount of work I am supposed to handle. Today was the deadline for Design 2 individual’s report submission. The moment I handed my report in and walked out of the office, I felt a sudden sense of lost. All of a sudden, I do not know what to do with this new found freedom. (OK, even though I say that, this new freedom is extremely short-lived.) As, I stood around for five good minutes pondering what to do next, I realized that it is time for my tuition. I have not looked forward to having tuition for such a long time.... Weird as it is, I was totally rejuvenated, after my four hours tuition. Oh, time to plan for the next project due next Monday! I cross my fingers and hope not to meet tomorrow. I want to go out and rest. More importantly, I need to shop for shoes, because all my "school" shoes are kaput! Well, I have not bought any shoes for quite a long time; the last pair was bought in Nov. 2008..... Since it was only a pair of sandals it gave way long ago, but as for my trustworthy pair of Converse, it is no longer functional. That pair was repaired 3 times in a month by my Dad, who used super glue to keep the shoes from falling apart. I was that desperate for a pair of shoes. This month, I am keeping my schedule packed to the brim, and well, I am happy. Why? Because that means, I have less time to think about troubling thoughts and focus on what matters. Probably, it is also because I am taking HR and GEK modules in school which is very refreshing, and really gain a deeper understanding of how people worked. Actually, I am very apologetic to my lecturer because she is really quite wonderful, but I am trying my very best to keep up to it.

As the years passed by, I began to ponder and reflect deeply on situations more often, whether it is a major or minor event. Ever so often, I feel that even with many discussions with people I find it quite impossible to find a deep conversation. The issues talked about are usually superficial, and it beats around the bush. It is great for friendly situations, but when real situation arises, and when you feel the need to talk about who you are, you realize there is no one there for you. Maybe, they are very caught up with other concerns, but whatever it is, you might slowly get to a point where you realize this is going nowhere. No one is there for you and you are for yourself. If up to this point, you think that I am saying people are selfish and many people built relationships superficially, you are totally misunderstanding me. What I am getting at is, people are always there for you, and what is important is how you relate to them and bridging this interactions so that you do not lose your true self but never get disappointed with them. I am glad that, I realize this now; hence I can say that people cannot frustrate me anymore. I blog on this, as I want to thank the people who aid me into this consciousness.

What truly matters is being true regardless of the situation by taking pride in my effort; do take time to smell the flowers in doing my best to help others. Happiness is self-defined, others-comparison, group-resistance.

BUSY!!!!

2009-03-03T10:09:00.003+01:00

Hysys caused me to lose my sleep and eyesight, which is super terrible, cause it is turning me into an old, ugly and potentially dumb person. *Sigh. Let's see the list of undone projects due this month: FYP poster day, HR reflection paper, HR project, GEK term paper, Design 2 indivivual report (but first is finalising Hysys). FREAK!!! And I think all of them are pretty major stuff..... *Sob sob* plus my 5 groups of tuitions and jobs hunting, I think I have officially over-loaded with stuff. Eeeks......

On a happier note, I was invited to Alison's 21st Birthday Party at Rasa Sentosa. It was the best birthday party I have been too. It was supposed to be at the pool side party but it was changed to the Barnacles caused of the heavy downpour. But anyway it is superb caused the setting was great, the people were fun and the food was none other than marvelous (prepared by a chef!!) with free flow of good wine. Alison looked gorgeous in the party! :D

Beef at Home

2009-02-15T17:18:00.003+01:00

Within one weekend, I realised that, the route from Tree Top Walk to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is practically non-existence. It will lead you to somewhere creepy (by creepy, I mean that the trees have an eerie green glow which is unbelievably freaky!), and also straight to a reservoir which happens to be a dead end. The best part to it is that there is a no fishing sign there, for who I wonder???

Also, I found out that Brazilian food is so salty that my tongue almost went numb with saltiness. At this point of time, water has totally lost its effect of quenching my thirst and only my ultra sweet and dense almond apple pie can revive my tongue later. Today was the first time I "cooked" beef at home with fries, so lunch was very delicious :D. Dinner was not too bad either as I had my favorite crab but since it is not cooked with butter well lunch was probably better. (I wanted to take the photo of the beef steaks! It looks very presentable for a home cooked meal, but I was so hungry I totally forgot about that :P)

SGD10 million TOTO!

2009-02-07T05:09:00.002+01:00

Yesterday's exciting prize money of theCNY TOTO is snapped up by 14 winners, the largest number of winners up-to-date (as far as I can remember). Ha which means each of them get less than one million. Also, considering how people love to pool in the money to buy TOTO when the prize money is so huge means that there probably might be 1st prize winners who goes home with less than 10k in winnings. Muahaha, imagine the excitement of the person when he/she knows of the winning numbers and then finally realise that they won so little. Damn funny sia!

Anyway, to continue my tradition of my yearly support for the Singapore Pools (有买有希望 !) :), I would like to declare that it was "全军覆没", I think my "Huat ah" during my "Lo hei" and praying at the temple was not loud enough, somehow 财神爷 did not seem to response to it very well (or is it because there are so many people in SG now that he is too busy, noise level too high distracted him! Never mind, next year I bring loud hailer to "Lo hei" :D). Hahahah, OK anyway I will take a year's break and support them again next year! I think I am starting to get the trend of what numbers to buy le, heh will try my theory for the fun of it next year, shiok!

CNY

2009-01-27T05:50:00.004+01:00

Happy CNY people! I just a span of two days, I gorged so much sweets, and food i think i might die due to high cholesterol level. But this is absolutely worth it!!! Christmas food is nothing compared to CNY food!!! This time I only get to stay over for one day... WL I am not happy about that, why the hell do I have to come back to Singapore so soon, I want to stay there longer, here suck. No atmosphere and boring. Bahhhh...... Contemplating to cook more than a few dishes on CNY next year hmmmmm.

(I wanna go do more visiting, to check other CNY goodies.... :) Shiok to the max! Newway is so expensive on CNY.)

New Agenda

2009-01-10T19:21:00.002+01:00

"i wanna go ice-skate, ubin, cycling, tree-top walk, horse riding, learn tennis, go scuba........."

This is what I wrote on my msn.

And I did the tree-top walk today, er mm I mean yesterday, and gotta say the view was great. :D Folks, if you wanna go for this, please remember to wear proper footwear and bring a big bottle of water! The first time we went there, we reached at 6pm. So yesterday was our second attempt and we were fast! We just took about 40 minutes to reach the the entrance from Thomson Plaza, quite a feat :P. I actually find the hike and the whole walk pretty easy. Not much of a kick. The hike I had in Aussie 2 years back, was in my opinion a way more difficult one. Probably because I was heavier and it was winter time, so I was wearing more.... Yeah, I was just unhealthy that time. Anyway, did you know that apparently along one of the trails in MacRitchie Reservoir, that there is a Chinese tombstone? Dunno why it is there, but imagine we stumbled pass it, when the after dusk. Ah lucky not the seven month, that would be creepy.......

So now 1 down time to put another activity up "play badminton" !

钱不够用2

2009-01-07T17:18:00.003+01:00

While watching this show, I realised that some things are actually not forgotten, it can never be forgotten. Last month, as 31st approached I couldn't help but feel indifferent to the day. It confirmed that I was right about me being heartless and all, and throughout that day that I can't help but feel a little guilty about it. Somehow, watching this show changes all that, perhaps I have just been burying those feelings and sealed them so deep that I numbed myself totally. And yeah, Chinese New Year is coming, do you feel the excitement? I used to love CNY so much, that I looked forward to it more than any days in the year. How can so much change within a year?

Anyway, emotions aside this movie was actually not as bad as the critics and reviews make it out to be. A true blue Singaporean movie, non-Singaporeans (maybe only heartlanders, I doubt atas will understand.) will perhaps not get the joke or connection made to the society, law and government. Not as hilarious as the 1st one though, but still worth a watch when you are looking for a laugh. Great movie to end your tiring day.

I know why I binge so much recently le!

2009-01-05T19:09:00.003+01:00

Despite the insistent of Marilyn saying I eat very little (cause u just dunno how I over-eat these past 2 weeks), I have really been over eating by ridiculously much, until the point where my mum got seriously fed up. Now I found out the reason to me bingeing, which is recent anti-smoking campaign! Because so many places have put up their no smoking signs, my dad have decided to attempt to quit smoking. Well the thing is he tries to do that by snacking. Best la, no wonder my house got so many cookies, snacks, cakes, tarts, egg rolls, ice cream, sweets, peanuts, melon seeds, etc.

Wah liew!!!!! The list can seriously goes on forever and the worst part is when he watches t.v.and snack ever so happily, with me helping myself as well. This is like my daily evening activity. Lucky, I run a bit here and there from time to time, otherwise my weight will balloon like crazy. That seriously sucks, cause even now, I am addicted to all the nuts and cakes. Junk food rocks..... So if I go to the supermarket now, I will surely aim at that munchies section, and then probably reflect back to my dad on what I think is good....... This is like the most enjoyable vicious cycle lar! Damn it... I better put an end to that somehow.

On the side note, now I have totally renounce my passion for shopping, thanks to Socii and the crowds and the prevalent "offers and sales" here, I am no longer able to look at clothes with interest. Nooooooooooooo....... That makes me feel so empty inside. If someone ask me to go and be a nun now, I probably will be able to succeed in it. Cause I totally lost my drive to worldly desires. The world is my playground, so why am I choosing to meditate there?

What Should I Resolve to Change This Year?

2009-01-01T13:39:00.001+01:00

You Should Make 6 Resolutions

Lose Weight
Save Money
Eat Right
Get a Better Education
Reduce Stress Overall
Volunteer to Help Others

OOH all very applicable!

What Should You Resolve to Change Next Year?

2008

2009-01-01T05:41:00.004+01:00

Last year marked a year of the most dramatic changes. It was a year which I lost someone very very dear to me, it was a year that started out with full of regrets and pain. However, it was also the year that I experienced something new, not exactly very exciting, but nonetheless very emotional for me. It was also the first time I spent almost half a year overseas, far away from home thrown into a different culture altogether. It was not only difficult, and novel but at the same time an exhilarating experience for me. That plus the previous event caused the most major change in my mindset, which includes the value of humans, human relationships, the meaning of life, the understanding of communication, the way to learning,and leading the everyday life. Yes, all of them are very heavy weight ideas, interconnected in various ways, so indeed last year's event impacted me the most. So much so that, in the year's to come and as I embraced 2009, I cannot but hope that given a chance I might not want to live no matter how wonderful the future might be.

I cannot be thankful enough of how much care and concern a few friends have given me, when I am going through the most heart wrenching period of my life (esp. JT). Some of them were the most unexpected from the people I know, while there are others which I can only say that lets me see their true self. Yet, I totally understand their rationale, cause given that situation most people, and maybe I will act the same way as well. It was disgustingly logical. As the days continued to go pass, I did become stronger mentally and physically as well. During the stay in Germany, I lost probably about 7 kg, despite feasting and drinking unbelievably much in parties and also not forget the daily chocolates and weekly ice cream treats for myself. I had a new found best friend in junk food, in particular chocolates. Living in a land where you cannot hold even the most basic communication with others, is not only a pain but also can be a hazard. Thinking back I am sure WY and me are still very amazed that we are able to survive our SEP there. I must thank her for putting up with me and helping me when I was being difficult. It is certainly true that when you been through the lowest point in your life, everything else can only turns up better. After shedding those weight, I suddenly became more weight conscious (but I still declare my undying love for ultra sweet food. I never knew I had a sweet tooth before that!!!), and in the past I would rather die of obesity than go run, but now I try to run regularly.

I am also very grateful that I had a wonderfully helpful PG to guide me through every single details in my FYP and being part of a nice team of people. While 2008 had plagued the world with various major events, it had also left a beautiful scar in my life. And as I watched the Marina countdown on t.v. last night, I wish a joyful new year to all my readers (if I have any at all, ha ha), and hoping that all of you can find your inner peace and be loved by others.

(Lead a victorious life everyday!)

Fat

2008-12-31T10:49:00.004+01:00

My cousins constantly reminded me of how much I ate for lunch today. I think they are trying to hint at me something..... must be the constant feast for the last 5 days.... OK, that's it I am going on a diet..... (Do not talk to MY about food, and do not feed her) Somehow I think I am a goldfish, my sensor in the brain is not working properly, cause I can't tell when I have enough of food?!??!?! Argh what is happening?

Sales

2008-12-26T17:12:00.004+01:00

I seriously do not understand. What is with all the retail shops these days? Here "sale", there "sale", is there even a point in having the retail price in the first place? Now I don't even go shopping anymore, cause seeing all the sale makes me sick. It is like all the items are pretty cheap and worthless. Such materialistic society, truly disgust me. Even though, I am do like the idea of having purchase certain goods that are cheaper than usual, but the intensity of the "sale" is getting on my nerves. Even luxury brands like Versace, Armani and YSL goes on some year-end sale thing (luckily I don't see Hermes yet....), which I feel is getting a little overboard. Yucks, and another reason (known only to certain friends)I don't go out anymore is that being out in the streets in Singapore makes me uncomfortable, very uncomfortable.

MindCafe Christmas Game

2008-12-26T04:30:00.002+01:00

This year my 1st Christmas "celebration" is at MindCafe (thanks to JT, aka organizer). We were supposed to meet at the one at Purvis St, but I was so blur I took a bus and alighted at Serangoon... It was a bad half hour's walk to Purvis St. on heels. What's more, I am not familiar with the little corners and roads in Bugis, I went to the receptionist in Intercontinental Hotel to ask for directions and a map. It was lots of fun, with a decent turnout of 7 butterflies. Love the 'Taboo' game, although generally I suck at it. And I also learn something about the game of what my friends really thinks about me....... "I am still fat".... *Sigh sigh.... But the best part of this is the gift exchange, although I wanted to choose back my gift, lolx I was given SL's instead, and it was Jelly Belly!! Heehee, super shiok!

Christmas!!

2008-12-24T02:55:00.003+01:00

Glitter Graphics Maker & MySpace Layouts

(Presents, Presents come to me!!!)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 film)

2008-12-20T08:39:00.004+01:00

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Earth_Stood_Still_(2008_film))
It is the remake of the 1951 film, and I think despite the superb computer graphics, this movie lacks the content and the ending kind of leaves you hanging there. Simply put, watch it only if u are a fan of Keanu Reeves. Let's see, I shall be nice to the IT people working hard in this film and give it a 2.5 stars (Passable grade.)

Yes Man (film)

2008-12-20T03:21:00.004+01:00

Yes Man
"Say 'Yes' to every opportunities presented to you...."

"You say 'No' to life, therefore you are not living..."

This feel-good movie for this festive season is really a must-watch movie! I totally advocate for this show if you are those picky about movies and hate going to cinema person (aka. MY), because at the end of the movie you will feel absolutely refresh and more optimistic about life. Yesterday, I got a movie ticket from a friend of a friend to watch this at Eng Wah Suntec. I have to say that the cinema there is good. I guess it is quite a new cinema, cause the seats are comfortable and is the overall atmosphere of the theatre is worth the money. (I have been to a lot of terrible theatres, and just to name one of them: the one at Bugis is the worst.) Yesterday, I was seated beside a mother who brought her two young kids (I guess they are about 5 years old) and maid to watch this show. Usually, I hate (Yeah, I know it is a strong word) to sit beside some young kids in a cinema, cause they are noisy and super fidgety. It is impossible to get them seated there and watch the screen for more than 30 minutes. Naturally, at the start of the show, I was quite pissed off, as the two young children kept pestering to sit on their mother's legs. It was only about 20 minutes from the beginning and I was wondering how the hell am I going to endure this throughout the show. But luckily, Yes Man is so much fun to watch that, I was able to enjoy it thoroughly and I thought it was even quite fun to have those kids around me laughing heartily at the show ever so frequently. I love this show!!! 5Stars :)

"The world's a playground..."

"When was the last time you did anything fun?"

So mark this movie down and go watched it! "Stop making excuses for everything..." You can watch this even on your own, trust me it is that good. (Yes, I am referring to you: Marilyn! LOL!!)

1st Month

2008-12-17T16:21:00.002+01:00

Ok great, I totally remembered the wrong day. Best la. Hmmm, the cookies I made does it even matter then? *Blur sia....

(END of story)

Angry

2008-12-10T01:27:00.002+01:00

I am such an idiot.... My perfect plans have been ruined all because I overslept. Argh! This sickening problem is compounded with the my very handicapped situation, and I have to do things extremely slowly. Why is this happening to me?!?!?!? I am so fed up with myself. Unproductive and inefficient. I should go and die la.

Kindness

2008-12-01T05:18:00.002+01:00

I just wanna say a big thank you to the very kind Indonesians who returned my phone yesterday! Thanks alot!!!!

Jobs and Projects

2008-11-28T10:18:00.002+01:00

Hey people,

I am looking for suitable candidates to be a sales part time intern. If anyone interested, do contact me by leaving your comments for this post.

Oh yes, I am also wondering if there are anyone out there interested to do a project regarding climate change. Details will be provided.

Good Reads

2008-11-28T07:02:00.004+01:00

Been wanting to read some good books after exams. Any recommendations? (No Harry Potter's 10Q~_~)

One of my other favorite quotes:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."
— Albert Einstein

Age:28

2008-11-27T17:25:00.003+01:00

The other day someone bugged me about thinking of 10 things I want to do before I graduate. So I gave some thoughts to it, but nothing much about school related stuff came up. So I thought about it and well so far I only am pretty determine to do only this:

Travel to the seven continents!

Hopefully, bringing my joy and experience to the different people I meet along the way, with the ability to eventually help them to achieve their goals and dreams in life. To be free-spirited and just keep traveling and earning my keep along the way is the way I hope to travel around the world. Discovering the world and seeing it from others perspective is my aspiration. The toughest and the most expensive one I think should be Antarctica. The travel and winter wear will probably go up to 10k... Is it worth it? I dunno, but it is just a dream, to step on the 7 different continents in the world. So far I have covered: Europe, Asia and Australia, hm mm hopefully the next one will be US :D. I can't wait for my graduation! So that I will have a few months to travel!

Models
Color-coded map showing the various continents. Similar shades exhibit areas that may be consolidated or subdivided.
7 continents	North America	South America	Antarctica	Africa	Europe	Asia	Australia

(Picture taken from Wikipedia, 2008, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent)

I will be thinking up of more things to accomplished while I am at it. Been putting post-it notes all over my cupboards every time I thought of things I have/want to do after my exams, in the middle of my studying, and the top of my list is: FYP..... got to hurry up and get it done and over with.

南拳媽媽 -下雨天

2008-11-18T03:51:00.001+01:00

下雨天了怎么办我好想你
不敢打给你我找不到原因
为什么失眠的声音
变得好熟悉
沉默的场景做你的代替
陪我等雨停
期待让人越来越沉溺
谁和我一样
等不到他的谁
爱上你我总在学会
寂寞的滋味
一个人撑伞一个人擦泪
一个人好累
怎样的雨怎样的夜
怎样的我能让你更想念
雨要多大
天要多黑才能够有你的体贴
其实没有我你分不出那些差别
接近还能多一些
别说你会难过
别说你想改变
被爱的人不用道歉
喜欢让人越来越疲惫
谁和我一样
等不到他的谁
爱上你我总在学会
寂寞的滋味
一个人撑伞一个人擦泪
一个人好累
怎样的雨怎样的夜
怎样的我能让你更想念
雨要多大
天要多黑才能够有你的体贴
其实没有我你分不出那些差别
接近还能多一些
别说你会难过
别说你想改变
被爱的人不用道歉
怎样的雨怎样的夜
怎样的我能让你更想念
雨要多大
天要多黑才能够有你的体贴
其实没有我你分不出那些差别
接近还能多一些
别说你会难过
别说你想改变
被爱的人不用道歉

Phobias

2008-11-18T03:46:00.001+01:00

Phobias. Noisy and quarrelsome people. They are the worst.

Packed lunch

2008-11-03T16:19:00.002+01:00

This week I had salad with egg for lunch on Monday, and tomorrow I am having sushi for lunch!! Yippee I am so happy, cause my mother's sushi are just absolutely delicious. Especially when she only use the best ingredients.*Mmmmmm I am so blessed.

Right now, I am watching Soler in 一煮成名 , so cute!! And the lobster dish looks absolutely delicious! It is already 11:30pm, and right now my neighbour is cooking curry. The fragrance is driving me nuts!! I wanna have some of the curry too........

Food Food Food..... Why is my whole mind filled with food........Eeks! My 50kg looks so unachievable :( (Alicia, I think 50 kg a little impossible for me....)

Oreo Cake

2008-10-29T15:08:00.002+01:00

A simple recipe:

100g of unsalted butter

115g of bitter/semi-sweet chocolate

200g of oreo cookies

Procedures:

Melt the butter and chocolate in a pot of simmering water.
Meanwhile, crushed the oreo cookies.
Place the crushed cookies in a metal container, and add the melted mixture.
Stir the mixture well.
Refrigerate it overnight.
Place in freezer 2 hours before serving.

A simple dish to cheer and encourage your friends. :D

Concert in Victoria Concert Hall and updates

2008-10-27T08:06:00.004+01:00

Let me think.... I think this should be the second time I went to my mother's concert, despite her having regular concerts, so I guess I am not so filial after all..... So the other day I saw my mum making calls to some of her friends asking them if they want to go for the concert, and I just told her that I will go instead. I should be meeting my brother before going in the concert hall but as usual in public he will "act cool" and pretent not to know me! Horrible brother! Anyway, I am quite glad I went for this concert, cause it is so much better than her past few performance, since there were orchestra as well. In fact, they were really good!

Hmmm, now for the weekends update. On Saturday, I realised there are actually nice people around school! Cause I left my thumbdrive in school computer the day before, and went back the next day around noon to find it, and a really nice guy found and past it to me!!! I am so thankful for it! On Saturday, my attempt to learn to bake chocolate cake failed terribly and in the end chocolate sweets with coconut was made instead, but no thanks to me though! LOL I am only in charge of eating them. But!!! I know the ingredients and the steps to make that. :D Watched two movies, which I almost puked blood in the show "Before Sunset" cause the ending really leaves me hanging!

This weekend was pretty good caused I managed to resume my tuition again! Felt so poor after stopping the tuition for about two weeks. Yes I forgot to mention something cool! I found some great products for my nails, that sales lady tried on one of my nails and I loved the result of it, but then as being a very cautious buyer I will put this on probation to see how long it can last before I make my purchase. Sunday was great as I got back to running at long last, cause I think my muscles are getting too big, and it was just a warmed up for my badminton with my family later, and I enjoyed it so much. So I must try and make it a point to go play with them more often! I hope my dad goes for golfing soon. I am starting to miss it already. But this time I will remember to bring more plasters!

Emo

2008-10-22T16:32:00.002+02:00

I am overwhelmed with emotions and well it is rare to get me this emo..... Oh yes I am having certain thoughts, but it is different from the past. It is time to pick myself up again..... So tiring (probably more sleep is needed)...

Delighted!

2008-10-19T17:20:00.002+02:00

I am quite happy today, cause I got my school shoes and SJP's Covert at long last! SO happy! Also what is more wonderful is that I found 千歲情人 the show in which i had waited for about 7 years before i declare I gave up waiting for Channel 8 to replay that show..... I love the internet!!! They have everything! Anyway Jing Ting ask me to watch "Last Friends" with deep implications to it. *wink wink.

Determined

2008-10-15T18:38:00.004+02:00

I resolved to that I only need one relationship to make things right. Cause I am not those who will try around. As much as I want to or might desire to, this is definitely not for me. I don't think that even though most people dun get it right on the first relationship, I will be the same as well. I only want and only wish for the best. Nothing else but the best. Hence, I will take as long as I need to know and understand what I need to know before any action is taken. Enough said.

Pepper crab!

2008-10-15T18:16:00.002+02:00

Ooh Supper taste so unbelievably good!! Thanks Daddy :D I got my long awaited pepper crab! Tomorrow I better go run like 30 rounds in the tiny park near my place. I have delayed running for so long...... Losing stamina already..... I always feel better after updating on my other blog. It is such a good way to voice my thoughts. :)

Best Dinner

2008-10-14T07:29:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, I went to visit my uncle's family. Cause I haven't seen his son since he was hospitalised the last time, so I guess I better go there soon otherwise I will be overwhelm by guilt when my cousins ask me about it. So after a short hour lecture, I went with my mum to my uncle's house. I am so glad I went :D Cause I had one of the best dinner ever. It is not that the food is fantastic or grand or expensive, but that there I felt family warmth while having dinner with them. I only started appreciating having dinner with my family only recently, and it is wonderful. Oh my my baby cousin is so cute!!! I miss my other cousins in Malaysia, hopefully I can go there soon :D

(P.S. I am going to get a bus stamp! Public transport is creating holes in my pocket!)

Oh anyway, yesterday's facebook has a lot of activity isn't it?? I better go start mugging for 4201 test on Wed. Must do well this sem! Gambatte!!!

Secrets

2008-10-12T17:50:00.001+02:00

There is so many things I wanna blog about but I dunno where to start....

And by the way, I do have a secret blog... *wink wink.

Birthday Gatherings

2008-10-06T08:19:00.003+02:00

Let's start with an extremely overdue post, which is my birthday gathering and the day we went to pick Ernest up from the airport.

26/09/08

That marks the day which makes me 1 year older. Not exactly a day which I will go celebrating in parties and champagne if I am past my 30s, but this year it will be the same, aka. no cakes and no mee sua. Had to go office for a meeting, then went to lab to do some work after which I went with butterflies to T3 of Changi Airport to pick Ernest up. T3 food is pretty good and I think it T3 on the whole is superb. Ok let the picture do the talking then:

(P.S. Stupid blogspot dun let me post the pics......)

3/10/08

Randy's birthday celebration was at Fong Seng's. Wahahhah luckily mine was not there, otherwise I will be so sad. Very unglam to have a birthday gathering right? Anyway, to add to our disappointment most of the butterflies didn't turn up. Poor Randy..... Anyway, he was quite sweet and treated us to the meal there, which LChong "shamelessly" ordered a lot more when he realised Randy was going to treat us. Haha. Food there wasn't fabulous but the company there was great. :D Luckily we did not take pictures that day, cause I was wearing very "lok kok". *hehehe

(P.S. Regarding the subway cookie, LChong you are not out of the loop, just that because of JT's forgetfulness that Randy wasted my 71 cents!!!)

(P.P.S. This is crazy the bus fare for a single stop is 71cents now!)

Subway Cookies

2008-10-03T19:00:00.001+02:00

Randy you owe me one macademia subway cookie! JT shall fill you with the details. By the way, Happy Birthday Randy!!! Hope you have a fabulous year ahead :D

First Night Race

2008-09-28T16:55:00.000+02:00

I have only one word for them..... Dramatic!

Once a year event

2008-09-27T04:48:00.002+02:00

Thanks to everyone who remembered me yesterday :D It is really sweet of you all. And thank you JT for organising yesterday's outing, at long last I get to see terminal 3 *giggles*.

Random outings with butterflies

2008-09-22T16:03:00.002+02:00

Today did my first cell work which was quite exciting cause it gave me the feeling that I am working on cool stuff after having to put on the other kinds of PPE. Anyway after that had dinner with PS and Randy, very odd combination for butterflies dinner lol. But it was not too bad. Had XO fish soup from Holland V and later had ice cream from ColdRock, both items are seriously over price and not that fantastic. The Korean meal with JT and Marilyn was unbelivably good and can't be compared to this. Quite a good day, considering I did some work and went out as well. But right now my arms are aching like crazy.....

The most potent combination

2008-09-21T16:03:00.002+02:00

I am never ever ever going to swim at 12-2 pm and have fried food for lunch after that. Because it is almost immediate that I will get sore throat, flu and muscle ach at the same time in about 7 hours time. Bloody hell, my body should just give me a fever as well, and I will have enough reasons to go see a doctor. Anyway, when I get sore throat I am easily irritable. Plus when you add flu, it makes me hungry and unable to eat, cause it is too painful to swallow my food, all the time.

But anyway, the next day after forcing myself with about 15 tablets of TCM and 1 tablet (from my brother's leftover medicine), I am well enough to give 4 hours of tuition + 2 hours of golf + play with my little cousin a little while + 2 hours of badminton. Now I feel totally drained out again, makes me wonder am I well enough to do my FYP tomorrow.....

Anyway, after reading Marilyn's blog it makes me wonder if I should put my Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon free.

Hangover

2008-09-18T11:22:00.002+02:00

Actually what I love most about clubbing is what happens after that. It is like the next day my mother seems to be extremely sweet to me, and since I am a little retarded during hangover, my mood seems to lighten up alot too.

Please help me with this survey reagarding GM food in Singapore

2008-09-14T15:31:00.000+02:00

Click Here to take survey

Artsy Day!

2008-09-13T18:33:00.005+02:00

Updated!

Today turns out to be quite unexpected. After my internship training in the morning, I was wondering who I can give a last minute call to go out with. So the first person I tried calling was Marilyn and it turned out that she was waiting for someone to ask her out as well. So first stop was to Plaza Singapura's Yamaha to watch some performance by her base teacher. Since I am not really a big fan of base I only really starts to enjoy the show when there was a singer in it. She is supposed to be pretty famous in Singapore's music scene, and I fell totally in love with her voice when she sang "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys.

After which we went over to Singapore's Art Museum, and explored almost all the art pieces and discussing most of them, it was quite a refreshing experience cause I get to see art from in a different view, since everyone has different interpretations of art works. In the main building my favorite section is the collection on Chinese Contemporary Art and in the 8Q wing is the collection from Masriadi. Really love art works with strong colours and brought out a certain formed of wicked humor, those works still linger in my mind. Following that we went to Suntec, wanted had dinner and wanted to shop at Joop, but this season's focus too much on office wear.....-_-111

Anyway, we went to Esplanade for a change, and we were in luck today as there were some performance in celebration on mid-autumn festival. Met Jiexin there as her father was also performing with the Chinese orchestra! It was on Teochew music, so the pitch was really high but overall it was not bad. But the highlight of today's performance was really the ZingO Drum Group. It was so mesmerizing, and I know Marilyn is pretty captivated by the "hot bods". *Keke* Hm mm wouldn't mind heading down there again tomorrow in the evening to watch that again though, and despite my usual disinterest in paying to watch musical stuff, I wouldn't mind paying to watch them perform again. It is really that good!

(P.S. On the hindsight I wanna join some dance group leh! Anyone interested? But I dun really want ballroom dancing. Haha. Tell me if any of you are looking for people to join with you k?)

FYP 1st experiment!

2008-09-10T17:55:00.002+02:00

Yipee! Today marks the start of my FYP experiment proper:D Thanks to great help given by my PG Wenhui and Yiren, I managed to fabricate my spheres. Interestingly, I might be killing mouse for my FYP and there I thought I never have to kill any animals by being a chemical engineer. Well, let's just see how it goes then. Hope I don't cry and faint while doing that.

Mooncakes!

2008-09-09T13:06:00.002+02:00

The time of the year is here again! It is time for us to feast on mooncakes :D They are so delicious!! Butterflies will know how much I adore them. Recently I have been surfing the net to look for interesting mooncakes from the restaurants and I found this website: http://www.timeout.com/sg/en/restaurants/feature/mooncakes . All of that looks so sinfully delicious. Alicia how to lose weight like that??? -_-111

Freaking obnoxious Singaporeans

2008-09-01T14:36:00.004+02:00

This is the last straw! Freaking Indian lady from the career centre in (National University of Singapore)NUS is so bloody rude today to me at the DBS recruitment talk. Moreover this is not the first time that she behaves in this obnoxious manner. It was only last month when I went to the career centre in YIH to participate and learn more about the new website that the career centre had set up for NUS students and alumni with SL. When I asked her about whether we had to do the survey here or can we do it at home, she was so attitude to me. Bloody hell! WTF does she think she is, can't she be more polite to students? Even the lecturers and the professors are kinder to us. It is actually quite a common phenomena in NUS that the administrative staff in NUS are very abhorrent to the students. This displeasing act displayed fully the bad quality service Singaporeans suffer, especially when we students are the "customers" of the school. And that is something I cannot phantom, why is it that those staff have to be so impatient when answering students queries. It is precisely that we do not know that we seek their help isn't it? I am so glad, I am getting out of NUS soon, anymore contacts with rude people like those will really make me puke blood. Not surprisingly, they are one of the reasons of why I prefer to study in HE (Hochschule Esslingen) than in NUS. Really makes my blood boil when typing about those NUS staff.

Second encounter with another detestable local is in my tutorial today. This guy came in late for our lesson, and throughout the lesson he was frowning and look extremely displease with something. Lucky for me, I did not have to do my group project with him! Phew! The other group had to take him in, and for a moment when the tutor announce that he had to join that group, I saw the very disappointed look in one of the girls. I really sympathise with you guys. I hope he won't be too hard to work with. OK another thing about that guy was that when he points to others he uses the middle finger!!!! This is like extremely offensive isn't it?? I mean that is a vulgarity and when he is in Singapore, he should at least know that. I truly hope that the next time he does that, someone will teach him a lesson on it. (I am the least forgiving person especially when it comes to attitude to strangers.)

The two unfortunate encounter happens today, which is why I am so mad by the time I get home, that I ask my dad out for dinner and drank a bottle of Tiger to appease myself. Continuing on the subject of sickening attitudes of Singaporeans is a lady working as a cashier in NTUC Finest in Bukit Timah. That day mother gave me instructions to buy some groceries and I had to buy more that 25 dollars of it. Cause NTUC now have a special offer on some kitchen wares but that is only applicable if you have collected certain number of points to it. However mother only gave me 30 dollars to spend, so by the time I am done with the grocery shopping and was going to pay for the items, I realise one of it is a "purchase with purchase" item, which means I can't buy that thing for the amount unless I spent more that 25 dollars in the first place. Freaking confusing for someone who don't go grocery shopping in Singapore for sometime. Hence, I had to quickly look for some other stuff instead. That day, I must be an idiot to queue line and to get myself pissed off unnecessarily by the cashier. Since there were other empty line as well. Anyway the point is that the lady was very rude and had such a bad attitude when she realise my situation, I really wanted to slap her in the face.

The next stranger that is rude to me, I am gonna rebut and give them hell!

Quick Updates :D

2008-08-10T14:56:00.002+02:00

Went to donate my blood at HSA last week, I was so proud of myself because this is the first time I manage to be done with the whole thing pretty fast and I didn't felt weak or felt like fainting after that. This week also just started with new tuition assignments, tuitions = money = happy! Also when to freelance as a game master on Friday and it was a hell of a mess. This event company, set up by two inexperience young man, was supposed to organised some kind of bonding activities for a corporate event and in the end it was so disorganised, it left so many people unhappy and unsatisfied with it. What's more when it comes to giving our payment at the end of day, the guy tried to avoid giving as the cash as promised and told us that he will transfer the money to us instead. What a load of BS! I can't even believe this is a legit company, and well it seems to me he is just out there to cheat our money. What a failure company, I supposed probably because they have done some kind of MLM before that they think they know how to run a company. I seriously pity their clients. My best guess at how they clinched their job is by quoting a unbeatable low price, hence moral of the story is do not be fooled by the price of the goods, always check the quality of it first!

Anyway, on the happier note, I learned to bake Oreo Cheese cake at Alicia's place today!!! It did not turn out as expected but it taste wonderful all the same! Definitely one of the best cakes I have ever eaten :P And now I know who is the expert in baking cakes! Had a really relaxing and great national day chatting with Alicia as well :D Now I really feel like I am back in Singapore, cause haven't had a chance to chat with anyone for so long. Thanks girl! Heh heh, now I am bugging my dad to get an oven so I can learn to bake more cakes!

Hello Blog are you still alive?

2008-08-02T07:14:00.002+02:00

My blog feels dead. Even I feel sian-ed. Without my travels, I have nothing to blog. Absolutely nothing.... I'll probably be setting an e-shop very soon to help my relatives. My FYP is another tough issue to deal with, I think I chose the wrong topic to deal with, *sigh* I got no idea what to work on..... Hopefully I can come up with something by Monday.

Great tomorrow will be going to Sentosa with ShiJing! Beach volleyball? I hope I don't injure myself while playing. On the side note, why am I putting on weight when I don't eat so much? My metabolism must be slowing down to snail speed. Terrible, I have to go run on treadmill for 3 hours then! Ciao!

IA

2008-07-28T19:00:00.001+02:00

Actually I think I am in a serious disadvantage for not doing any IA. No work experience with the field that is the most important to what I am study now. Dead....

Rising cost of living? Fight it!

2008-07-25T06:40:00.000+02:00

Last night tried to auction my dad's golf bag on ebay, and I chance upon this article "Mercer's 2008 Cost of Living survey highlights". Singapore is now the 13th most expensive place to live in the world, way ahead of Munich (37th) and Berlin (38th) in Germany! Great :D This gives me one more reason to go to Germany :P Read through the article and was reminded of the news reported in Singapore last night, that our inflation this year has been adjusted to 7-8%! This is terrible isn't it? No wonder when I reached home, I could immediately feel the increase in the prices of all the items, especially the food items. So now I am going to give a little advice to fight against the inflation.
How to combat inflation MY's style:

Earn more money! There are always jobs available, you don't really have to be picky about it. First place your priorities, do you want to earn more or do you want to learn more from the work? It is usually one way or another. You cannot really get the best of the both worlds. Otherwise be creative and think of other business to start-up.
Spend less! This is idiot proof to work. lol, I am probably be thought as an idiot to say that. But there are so many ways to doing that. One, you could use the energy saving way, the alternative method to continue your usual routine. Or, you could axed away your luxurious lifestyle and opt for the cheaper way, like buying house brands instead of the other brands of the same items.
Next, search for lobangs! Easier said than done. But sometimes you just need to know that one person (aka. me of course!), with the network to everything.
Now, that we see the above few that deals with the monetary issues, let's explore other interesting ways in dealing with problem. Read! Our national library is there for us, and what's more it is free :D Well, I know sometimes it can be frustrating if we cannot find the best selling book, in that case just go and rent it! I do that too, when I can't get my hands on the books I want and I find that keeping it at home is a waste of space.
Learn to be a wonderful cook or pick up a new skill. Be it technical, mechanical or whatever, you never know when it is going to be useful!!!

Ha! All of the above is just for me to refer to and constantly remind myself :D Hopefully I can do what I preach......

Back home thoughts and food alike...

2008-07-23T15:24:00.002+02:00

For the past few days, met up with a few friends, and yeah I notice the changes with everyone so far. Well at least we change for the better so I guess I just have to get use to it. I got into DoTAing as soon as I got back and rested enough. My skills more or less did not deteriorate into nothing. Have to start reading my notes on FYP, finish with my stipendium report plan on what modules to take for next semester and look for some jobs. The only thing that is a little more exciting is my FYP now. Maybe because it is something different, something new. As for the next semester, I will only be taking 4 modules (OMG! Tons of free time???) and this time the modules are more or less fixed so not much planning to do, except for arts gem. This time I do not really want to get more tuition, although the money from there is the best, but I just want to try something different and more exciting. So probably will be contacting my agent soon to see if there are any other opportunities.
Now that I am back in Singapore, everything in Germany and Europe seem to be just a dream, did it really happened? Luckily, I took a gazillion photos there, these are so precious to me. Somehow after being back here, it feels like it doesn't really matter if I am here or there anymore. What I am trying to say is that I do not feel the importance of my presence here in Singapore. Maybe it is because of what happened in the beginning of the this year.... Being in Germany makes me lose some interest in food. lolx! This is pretty good isn't it? Considered that I still need to slim down. *Sigh..
Yes! Today I found out the reason for people to enjoy using facebook to upload photos over updating their blogs with photos. Cause it is so much easier and convenient and quicker! I am quite slow in discovering the tech stuff. Can't wait to meet more friends in the next coming weeks :D Well so long people! Back to boring Singapore for now :D

Amsterdam (The very last of Europa)

2008-07-20T09:41:00.006+02:00

*Sigh* I miss Europe already, Singapore is so humid and warm....... Esslingen is a little boring but still.....
Touched down in Amsterdam at 4 pm, and reached the city center at 5 pm alone. Had to be back by 8 pm. So it was a little rush for me, and I just kept walking around with my 5 kg bag and without a map for the whole 3 hours. Kind of tiring...

Barcelona

2008-07-20T08:47:00.010+02:00

Went to Barcelona by plane, it was really cheap as the air tickets were free and we only had to pay the taxes and fuel surcharge. The hostel (Barcelona Urbany Hostel) I stayed in was wonderful as well as the location is great (on one of the main streets) and there were it just started operation on 1st July so everything is really cool and new. Started the sight seeing only at around 5 pm so went to the further places from the city center.

Firstly went to Sagrada Família Church, the masterpiece of the genius Antoni Gaudí, but it is still incomplete, probably will finished by 2026. Next was to the FC Barcelona Stadium, saw some hype and probably some soccer player, took a picture of him, although I have no idea who he was. If anyone knows, tagged me about it okay?

Then off we go to the Olympic park, it was a relaxing and beautiful place and there were some unbelievable grand buildings as well. Saw the sunset from the hilltop, pretty!

Do you see what I am looking at? Beautiful scenery :).

Took a relaxing stroll in the park, life's good here.
Next day had breakfast and then went to the port and the city center, skipped all the museum except including Picasso, although I did go in the shop to check if I could get any souvenirs from there. The girls there are hot! Did not wear anything nice there, cause I thought of throwing my clothes there... -_-111 So in the end went to get some nicer clothes, I think that I am just looking for an excuse to shop, ha!

Along the famous La Ramblas, it was flooded with tourists and there were tons of street performances, artworks, pet shops etc.

I am happiest went I have good food :D, seriously it was not bad and the waitress was incredibly helpful and nice to us.

This time did not explore much of the sights in Barcelona, and missed most of Gaudi's work (schade), well I guess I have to go back there in the future then!! :D ------ Overall, I found that Barcelona architectures for almost every other buildings is very innovative and unique, however there were too many of these structures in one location, so it is messy in a sense. ---------

Last week in Deutschland

2008-07-20T08:23:00.003+02:00

14th July:

Tried to start packing and did some last minute shopping.

15th-17th July:

Went to Barcelona by plane, it was quite an interesting place.

17th July:

Had a farewell party, it was quite fun.

18th July:

Time to head home! Went to Amsterdam central during my transit, but it was only for 3 short hours, but still I was glad I made full use of my time there. :D

Updates!

2008-07-13T23:40:00.002+02:00

Hi!

I am dead beat! My mum just sent me an offline msn message, asking me where I am and why have I gone missing for so long! Opps! This will just be a short update for me to keep track of what I have been up too this past few days.

10th July:

Had an exam on analytical chemistry for 45 minutes at 2 p.m. Then rushed off to Baden-Württemberg Stipendium Jahrestreffen to give a presentation for 500 people in the Neckar Forum (Esslingen Convention Centre). After that went back had dinner and changed out of my formal wear to go to a party in school. Found the drinks were way too expensive so went back to Tina's room for some drinks. Went back to the party, and found the music too horrible so when I saw other friends going to a pub I just went with them. Played table soccer and sucked at it :(.

11th July:

Wanted to sleep in more but someone knocked at my door at 11 am!!! Could not go back to sleeping, so went to the bank, did my laundry, etc. Met with a friend and had lunch before going to Metzingen to get my burberry bag. Hehe shopped for a long time in Esprit there were others store but not really interested in those, just went in to take a look and came out. Realised the bag is no longer there! WL. Ultra =_= Came back home, someone asked me to go party with them, so went club hopping in Stuttgart on a bicycle! Many stories following that, but I am not going to write it here.

12th July:

Came back in the morning, still very sleepy but changed out and went to Stuttgart to see if I can find any beer stein or suitable gifts for my mother. Did not happened and got some other things instead, regretted not going to a party later.

13th July:

Woke up and it was in the afternoon. Terrible weather, very cold and drizzling, but still went out to the city wanted to go to Ludwigsburg and Universitaet Hohenheim (because of Fullmetal Alchemist.) In the end went to the Fernsehen Turm instead, it was on a hill and went to the top which is 150 meters and from there I could see Schwarzwald (Black forest). Pretty cool. Found the souvenir I was looking for. But did not bring enough cash and the nearest atm is in another town. So had to go back there tomorrow. In the evening, went to the very last barbeque party for Austausstuden.

Ok, so I guess that is all, and let's see what else I can do tomorrow.

10th July

2008-07-10T22:16:00.000+02:00

Alles ist fertig! Yipee! Now time to party :P Will update on here later! Ciao!

Milano

2008-07-06T16:37:00.009+02:00

Took the weekend to make a trip to Milan, it was with the tour group again and the we traveled to and fro on the night bus. Set off on Friday night and came back on Saturday. It was tiring. But the time saved was well worth it. Had to pass by Switzerland before reaching Milan, so I have officially been to Switzerland :D. Yes and there were stop overs as well, so I did took some photos there :D. Driving through Switzerland reminds me of Singapore because of the numerous tunnels, it is a mountainous country. That was extremely gorgeous, when I first saw it I was stunned for about 20 minutes and couldn't tear my eyes away from that amazing view (pardon the poor quality, I took the photo on a moving bus.). Unfortunately, I have forgotten the name of the lake although I do know it starts with G, so my best guess is Grimselsee, although I may be totally off. After which I went to wiki on the lakes in Switzerland, and each of them are just as breathtaking. I MUST go there someday!

Reached Milan on Saturday morning, was pretty excited upon seeing Castello, despite not having enough sleep. There was a museum in it but chose not to go due to time constrain, there was only one day for me to cover as much of Milan as possible! Found out where the last supper was kept at and made my way to the next stop, Santa Maria. By now, I am at "expert" in map reading and finding my way in a city, just needed two minutes to orientated and understand the map. Map-reading skills taught in school was actually pretty much useless, had to re-learn the whole thing here. Was told by the ticketing officer that the tickets to see the last supper were sold out for the next two weeks! *Fainted, I knew I had to reserve the tickets but oh well too bad next time then.

After that went to the San Siro stadium, home of Inter and AC milan! :D Had to walk for about 25 minutes from the nearest metro to the stadium, and under the sweltering heat of 32 deg, it was totally unbearable (I hope Singapore is cooler than that now.). Reached the stadium with hopes of getting in to see the field, but was told that it was closed for today and will be opened tomorrow! *WTH, now I am really pissed off, first I can't see the Last Supper and next the stadium is closed and I walked so far to get there! Only later then I realised it closed due to a concert, Ligabue concert. See the amount of people sun-bathing outside the gates? They are there to watch the concert. Luckily there were many hunks and babes there, otherwise I would feel that it was a total waste of my time making it there.

Finally to the grand Milan Cathedral, the architecture of the church is really amazingly stunning. Great place to take wedding photos! The church is located right smack in the city center and there is a beautiful and grand shopping complex (Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II) as well as many shopping streets.

There was a summer sale there, and well it should be great for shopping except that it was on a Saturday and the crowds were crazy. So many people, I almost hyperventilated in one of the stores. This area has a few streets of the high end luxurious goods, Prada, Gucci, etc.
Almost everyone on that street were seen with a shopping bag from these brands. That is Santa Maria presso San Satiro, it is hidden in one of the shopping streets. Also went to the main train station to check it out, and there was a supermarket in the station as well. Luckily for me, as I am running low on water and they were not charging exorbitantly unlike the supermarkets in the train station in Germany.

Eventually made my way to the recommended restaurant by Jomos, but it was closed for the day! Argh just when I am craving for good Italian food, in the end settled for some other dinning place. Busy cutting my pizza and eating it, not that good I suppose and there was a two euro cover charge on my five euro pizza? WL I feel so cheated.... Had to hurry back after dinner as the bus was leaving in half hour and off we go back to Esslingen! Enjoy the photos :D

1st paper in the official exam period! + pop quiz for the day! :D

2008-07-01T22:53:00.003+02:00

Had my 1st paper today in the official exam period, well and it was not so bad after all, although I did not finished the paper. 60 minutes for 6 questions, each having 5 subparts it was impossible to finished everything. Anyway my next paper is going to be 10th and this time it will be for 45 minutes only. Terrible, wont have time to flip my dictionary! Oh yes about my dictionaries, I brought two big dictionaries into the examination room and when I wasted time to them flip I could not find the words at all! Fainted..

Went to Metzingen with Chris after that, it is famous for having the factory outlets for Hugo Boss, Escada, Addidas, Puma, Burberry etc. Luckily for me, since Chris had to work, I get to shop and naturally I went on a shopping spree again! So super happy! Went in to Burberry saw a really nice bag, was wondering if I should get that, but oh well I did not.... Argh I regret it!...and Got stuck in Esprit for an unbelievably 3 hours. Pop quiz for the day:"What is better than shopping in a factory outlet". Answer:"When the factory outlet is having a sale!" In Esprit there were little trolleys for the shoppers, and at first I thought "why in the world could anyone use that?". Esprit is not that cheap, as far as I know of. Anyway, lady luck was really smiling at me today, and I had such a good time shopping there. This time the amount of stuff I bought in total was crazy, if I had to buy everything in their original price it would be 400euros (and I would have to say goodbye to the money I got for July)! I did not even finished combing the whole of Metzingen's factory outlets. I think I could stay there for 20 more hours to shop. Hahaha. I love Metzingen, it is such a shopping heaven! Before going back to Esslingen went to change the Audi to Benz CLK, which can reach a top speed of 260km/h. But in the end did not able to reach the top speed, and as Chris said my speed record in Germany is 230km/h, well not bad I guess :D. Dead tired when I reached my room, and had a little headache, maybe I had drank too little water today and dehydrated, but I realised later that what I really needed was sweets and chocolates. Cause after eating them I felt all better. :D Lesson for the day: Low glucose content in blood can give me headaches! (special thanks to Chris for bringing me to Metzingen, it was absolutely wonderful!)

(Factory outlets and on the right is the factory outlet of Hugo Boss, they have the whole building and it is really quite big :D )

(P.S. I think before I leave I am going to the photos of all the clothes I bought! :D)

EM finals

2008-06-30T13:03:00.003+02:00

The Spanish won, wow that was so not surprising.
Anyway, I went to the public viewing in a park, "Deutschland~Deutschland~". Photos time! (oh great... the photo-taking wasn't that good....) It was not so crowded, a lot of youngsters there, and so many underage drinkers (I am only guessing!). The were two large screens, one indoor(inside the tent) and the other outdoor. Atmosphere there wasn't as crazy as I hoped, but the security checks was still quite tight. Went back at half-time, cause was there alone and didn't felt like walking back that late.

The change in MY + Yet another shopping spree! Yipee!

2008-06-28T22:08:00.005+02:00

The summer sale is now on for most of the stores here! Super excited! Today after going to get some past year's for "senior", I went on a shopping spree! First off was to Lidl, I have no idea why I realised savings I can make from getting my groceries there so late, imagine how much I could have saved if for the last 2.5 months I bought the necessities there instead of REWE (pretty much equivalent to Liberty's or Cold storage in Singapore). That could amount to probably 2 more tops from H&M! Hahaha, yeah I know it is not that amazing, but still.... ah well should stop lamenting and looked forward to buying more from Lidl (woot!). Make the same mistake today in shopping in a supermarket in a hungry mood. But this time I bought more junk food than the last time (the last time bought too much veggies and couldn't finished before they rot away. Wasted!), so in the end I was pretty pleased with myself *grins*. I have tormented myself long enough at looking at those sweet treats, and constantly reminded myself of how much calories it contains, and to an extend of comparing the price of those cookies and chocolates with the fruits (very useful cause the fruits here are cheap, like 1 kg of apricots cost about 4SGD.) Hunger pangs + wasn't feeling well the past few days by eating veggies only, make me totally ignore my conscious brain and just buy on impulse.

After that, went to Esslingen Stadtmitte (literal translation: city center) to shop, I was so dying to do that. That was all thanks to Leung Chi for telling me that the Baden-Württemberg Stipendium committee have decided to top up our bank account with 400euros more for July (it was supposed to be until June)! I have not checked the validity of it yet, but I reckoned it should be the same! Woohoo, ultra shiok! So went straight to the first store I see in Das Es (a little shopping mall in Stadtmitte, no smaller than West Mall). In the end, that proved to be my last stop as well as I splurged on 3 tops and 3 bottoms there in the span of 1.5 hours. I literally had to be reminded that the store was closing by the shop keeper while I was choosing for more clothes to try on. Last customer of the day, *kaching*! Felt a sense of achievement now, as I looked at my receipt and discovered the tremendous amount of "savings" I made *Heheh*. Especially on the pair of jeans, which had no price tag to it, it was half the price that I thought I will be paying for, which means it was only 1/4 of its actual price! Realised the downside to losing weight, cause now I could actually try more clothes and look ok in them, I just want to buy everything.....
Earlier today, chatted with Alicia and discovered that staying away from home after 6 months proved to be a turning point and mark a change in both our attitudes and behaviours. To other exchange students (specifically Li Ming and Ernest), did you change as well, and how much? I now know the true meaning of independent and am so glad I came here for exchange (plus all the travelling was so fun! Going to Milan the next week and Barcelona the week after next before heading home.). If I don't sound too excited going home, that is because I am still toying with the idea on extending my stay here (got 400euros more, no worries! muahahah!).
Ok great now I go to go back to worrying for my Tuesday's exam (materials-MLE1101) Damn, I regret on not borrowing Sze Ling's hardcopies of MLE here, it would be so much easier to study. *Sigh*

(P.S. Fainted last night, so I vowed never to eat bread after it has become hard as a rock, and baking in the over will not kill the rottenness in the food.*sigh.. How would I know, the bread looks perfectly fine, *lol* only that it was so hard that went I throw at someone, I am pretty sure they have concussions. Haha)

FYP blunder

2008-06-27T19:47:00.003+02:00

Ah! I can't believe this! I actually managed to not notice the description page attached behind the project list! I am so careless... *speechless* And I happily sent an email to my prof. earlier to ask on the project. Ok I am so blacklisted! Arghhhhhhh...... Stupid me..... I shall paste the description of my FYP to constantly remind myself to be more careful the next time!
(special thanks to Jing Ting, for telling me before I go on and make a bigger fool of myself...)

Liver Tissue Engineering on Microspheres	Polymeric microspheres have been used as drug delivery systems in a wide variety of biomedical applications. This project adapts the use of such microspheres to the area of tissue engineering whereby the microspheres will be synthesized as scaffolds for attachment of cells. The overall goal of the project will be the development of a novel tissue engineering system using well-established biomaterials such as poly(lactide-co-glycolide) or novel polymers. In this project, the student will select a suitable polymer , learn the techniques to synthesize microspheres and to culture cells on them. The student should have interests in biomedical and tissue engineering, and also in polymer science and chemistry.

Europameisterschaft (EM) 2008

2008-06-26T00:34:00.005+02:00

Hi there people! Well since I really do not know what to blog about if I am not doing anything special or going on any trips, that was why this blog looked dead for awhile. Last Saturday (21/6), went for the last excursion with the Deutsch 2 & 1 class to Kessler (the oldest champagne/wine producer in Germany) .

Tried three different kinds and my favorite is the halb trocken (half-dry) cause that is the sweetest :D. Have been watching almost every single match in EM, glad that Germany will be playing in the finals! Haha people I have a new favorite soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović, although I still find Zinedine Zidane the best. Ibrahimović plays for Italian Serie A club Internazionale and the Swedish national team and so too bad for me, when Sweden did not qualify after the group match. Russia is a surprisingly strong team this year, and technically I think the best match was Netherlands vs Russia, even though the number of goals was very little... Turkey proved to be one dangerous team after their numerous miraculous attempts to turn the tide successfully against all odds, which reminded me of their team in world cup 2002. Today marks the last day of my semester in Hochschule Esslingen (HE), only had a German test in the evening, and later went out as a class to a Biergarten and had a drink (maybe after I get the photo from my friend I will post it up.) I am really glad that I came to Germany and chose HE for exchange, it was such a relaxing semester, and the all the lecturers are exceptionally helpful :D. *Applause!* I think my suffering for next semester is going to double, since I have stopped mugging for such a long time, and what's more there were no tutorials for me at all in HE! Oh yes! I am going to Milan from next weekend and Barcelona on the 15th to 17th of July. Flying home on 18th, and maybe I could use the transit time and make a trip to Amsterdam city center. I will really miss Germany a lot a lot.... -.-

Tübingen

2008-06-15T00:47:00.004+02:00

Today marks the last trip with the others from the Landeskunde class, and this time we went to Tübingen which is about 30 km from Stuttgart. Reached there in the afternoon and saw a boat race along the Neckar river, interesting and especially funny when the competitors dressed up. There even was a team with "super heroes", with batman, spiderman, superman, etc. This town is a really comfortable place to be in and really beautiful as well, and naturally very popular with tourists. Pictures' time!

The pictures below are the fortress/castle and the view from there was simply terrific!

After a little tour around this university town, we head back to the river for a ride along the river and I even get to try to "row" the boat :D This rowing and steering the boat is quite similar with how it is like in Venice.

Love of my life

2008-06-11T16:27:00.003+02:00

Now I present to you the love of my life! Chocolates! I am so addicted to them now, I wanna goto the chocolate museum in Cologne! Alicia you should be here, then we can go to the museum together! A sudden desire of knowing and tasting chocolates just seem to overwhelm me. Yummy!!

Ulm, Neuschwanstein and Munich

2008-06-08T14:28:00.000+02:00

Hello people! May was a month of drought in terms of my travels, as I was only in Rome for the mid-term break and to Munich for the last weekend. So from where I am to get to Munich was a 3.5 hours train ride. This time I went with a group of people from the exchange program as well. We had to set off very early and unfortunately since WY overslept we missed our direct train to Munich. We had to change our trains at Ulm, the place with the tallest church (Ulmer Münster) in the world and Albert Einstein birth place. Since we had some time before the next train comes along, we took full advantage of it and went to city center and check out the church. There was a market in front of the church and the fruits sold all look so delicious!

Check into the hostel and left our luggage there first before making a trip to Füssen by train again. Only had an hour to find the hostel and check in before moving off again, so it was quite a rush. The train ride to Füssen was unbelievably slow, and by the time we arrived it was already 3pm. Since the latest train to get back to Munich was 7 pm we actually didn't have that much time to spend in Neuschwanstein. The castle was a little further away from this little town, and it is location is unbelievably scenic and relaxing :D. Walt Disney actually modeled this the Sleeping Beauty's castle after Neuschwanstein.

By the time we got back to Munich it was already 9pm! Spend 7 hours rotting in the train in total! Anyway we had to make full use of our day and since the Arena in Munich is famous for changing colour at night we definitely had to pay that place a visit.

Set off pretty early the next day to explore Munich, but in the end because the guys love the parks and stadiums and garden so much that we did not managed to go to Schloss Nymphenburg. -_-111 I want to go there!!!

BMW! I love their cars too! Going to add them to my collection of favourites! The BMW building is only next to the Olympic Park, spent like bloody three hours there.....

Had lunch in the English Gardens, ermm the park is filled with people who sunbathe naked.-_-111 But I am glad I had something nice for lunch! :D

Marienplatz is absolutely stunning, but this time did not have time for any museum at all. *Sigh*

EM+shopping spree week

2008-06-07T23:09:00.003+02:00

The great thing about staying here is that I can watch all the great soccer match while eating dinner! Ha lucky I chose to come during summer, so now I can watch and Champions League and EM (European Cup) live, shiok! This week was quite a good week for me especially after my presentation on Thursday. I had a shopping spree, tried some new food in school and managed to cook some new dishes as well. :D Happy Happy :D

Lack of updates!

2008-06-06T19:00:00.000+02:00

Hey peeps,

Last weekend I went Ulm, Neuschwanstein and Munich for a weekend getaway with some other people. I will blog on that later, if blogger dun give me problems when I upload my photos that is. After my weekend trip, I had to prepare a presentation on bioartificial liver, very difficult topic for me to understand to papers and journals considering I only took 1 module of cell biology in university. After the presentation did some happy shopping! :D Oh well something funny happened in school today. While I was in lesson this morning and concentrating really hard, I suddenly saw a bubble flew past. A guy sitting in my row is blowing bubble! LoLx, he looked very happy while blowing them in class with a teacher around -_-111 Mind you that my class is more like a seminar or tutorial class size, it is pretty unbelievable that someone will do that in class. Anyway, I was quite distracted by him that I lost track of what my prof was talking about.... (Does that reminds our butterflies of OMG? LoLx, but the major difference here is that guy is really cute, ha I am still quite mean.) Hopefully, this weekend will have a great weather so that I can go Ludwigsburg Palace and start my souvenir shopping in Stuttgart. :)

Cheers,
mingming

Party!

2008-05-30T14:25:00.002+02:00

I really miss partying! In Germany the party is always with alcohol, so it actually turns out to be like clubbing in Singapore. Last night, after Japanese class I went with some of my neighbours to the rooftop to play some drinking games. It was really hilarious as when we play the murderer game and were a little high. After that, some of us went to one of the parties in school (They love to have parties in school). It was so funny when a guy ask for my number then I told him I forgot and he didn't believe me at all. -_- I think when I drink more my German gets better. :D Oh well, I had lessons this morning but I had a hangover, so ha I just conveniently slept through it! Actually partying is quite tiring, I wonder where do the people have the energy to party every week? Maybe every other fortnight is ok? Ah enough of my ramblings, it is time to start studying, cause exams are coming pretty soon.

Internet downtime

2008-05-26T12:38:00.002+02:00

If for the last week, you don't see me on msn often, or if I chat with you and then signed off all of a sudden, then the reasons are:

My internet has been down for a few days, caused my hostel is changing the router for faster connection, but it was not exactly successful and now I have to deal with an on/off connection all the time.
I am watching anime as usual I am an otaku, right butterflies?
I just leave my msn as appear offline, for fun! lolx!
When my router connection was not working as it should, I am tapping on the other levels wireless. (with permission of course!)
I fell asleep while chatting. Heh.

Well so regardless of my sign in status, just msn me if you wanna chat with me, since most probably I am online most of the time. My lessons time are really little. :D

I went with a few others to an exhibition or some sort of fair about technology, it was interesting. There was a section in the fair where it was for the children and the tech displayed according to their ages. The thing is at a really tender age the German children are already learning very advance stuff. -_-111 I wonder if they do play the kiddie games like with erasers and rubber bands. I had a happy childhood before I transferred into another primary school with full of bitches :)

Dilemma (money troubles)

2008-05-18T19:39:00.003+02:00

Yes, every time I come back from splurging on the travel, I am plagued with this problem when I start counting how much money I am left with! LOL, wonderful! Now I have to decide if I am going to give up food for travel or just borrow cash from my father. This is getting more severe as time passes, I am really getting the travel itch. I can't even stay a week in this town without getting bored to death! I used to be able to stay in my house for a month without needing to even step out of the front door once! Best la! Where is my ktv, Vivo and Orchard Road?? Mum and dad, do not need to worry about me even if I complain I have no money to eat, cause I will feed on Nutella! Heheh, maybe that is not very wise, I should be using this opportunity to lose weight right? But Nutella is super addictive! I finished 1 450g jug in a month! *Faint* Need to exercise more! Oh yes and practice my German as well.....

Rome - The Eternal City

2008-05-16T12:50:00.016+02:00

Prepare for a long long post flooded with pictures! Did I say I love the time I spend in Rome?? Haha I think I did a couple of times, yeah Rome is a terrific place for couples, singles, families, essentially everyone! :D Thanks to a few "kind-hearted" souls who reminded me all the time to be careful of the pickpockets there, it throughly dampened my mood and I was not as excited as when I went Paris. Alright, so arrived in Rome in the evening on the 1st day, so did not have a chance to tour anywhere, but it was a good chance to familiarise myself with the transport system and the sight-seeing places on the map first! On the next day, the first stop was Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, major landmark in Rome and the first church I was awed by its grandness.
Colosseum is just a stone throw away from Santa Maria, and as expected from the weather forecast it did started to drizzle. But still very excited to see the Colosseum!!! ISIC bluffed me! There was no reduction for the entry and audio guide to it and Roman Forum! There was a mini exhibition in the Colosseum as well. Just next to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, the heart of ancient Rome. Interesting and humongous place and in the end spent a total of 5 hours in merely these two places!

That is Arc of Constantine, people in the past love to celebrate their victory with all these arcs. The picture below sums up my entire day, *sigh* I was so upset with the rain...

(This picture I supposed was the original room painting from the Roman empire, I wonder how it managed to last so long and now it is very well preserved with many securities who will make sure no one goes near them at all.)

After taking a short lunch break, next was off to Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, it is a gigantic monument! Walked through the museum with lightning speed since it was about military things. Caught a glimpse of the changing parade at the monument, pretty cool :P.
Again there were a "few kind" souls informed me about the road conditions in Rome, making me a little nervous before going. The streets of Rome is indeed more chaotic than in Germany and Paris, but then again it was nothing compared to what I had seen... Next stop will excite Raphael fans, as I moved on to the Pantheon, the resting ground for the great Renaissance painter and architect. Tourists, tourists everywhere, many desperately trying to get a good picture of Raphael's tomb.

Went to Piazza Navona as well, this time took did not walk along the river like in Paris, but instead took a bus and traveled with no destination in mind. I have to go back to Rome someday, since I chose not to go in the Castel Sant'Angelo even though I read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. Now I am seriously regretting my choice....
Second day was supposed to start with a trip to the Vatican City, but I saw a whole lot of people walking towards 1 of the entrance and queuing and so I did the same as well, and well we did went in to St. Peter's Basilica instead of the museum. I almost saw the Pope! But when I found out that the Pope will be giving a speech, I turned back and went to the museum instead. Aiya, I dunno if that is a correct decision or not... (While waiting in the queue, we saw a little boy who looks like right out of a fairy tale, very cute!!! But I did not take the photo, is Wang Yan! She was more excited to see that little boy than she was when she saw the Colosseum....-_-111 I am speechless...)
The Swiss guards in Vatican City. Pretty cool.
Ok never mind about that, once inside the Vatican Museum I am happy enough. Lots of exhibitions and important works of art found there and the photo is of a real mummy! Ya saw that in Louvre but still quite fun to see it again! Vatican Museum is not as big as Louvre, but its collection of art certainly does not lose to Louvre. If you are into paintings go to Louvre, if you prefer sculpture come to Vatican.... Nah I was just kidding, go to both don't even bother to think and choose! Alright, I try and not flood this post with too many art from the museum, if you want to see more, ask me when I get back.

Stayed in the Sistine Chapel for quite some time to absorb the magnificent and detailed paintings from Michelangelo and Botticelli. It is just so gorgeous that I could stay there for the entire day just to admire the art. (The picture of the ceiling of Sistine Chapel was taken before we knew, we were not allowed to take any pictures in the chapel.) Now that, I have seen the 3 great masters art, I understood about each of their art a little better than before. Michelangelo art is so full of beauty and excitement, Raphael's is just pure pure soft captivating beauty, while Leonardo's work is mysterious and sharp beauty. (That was purely my opinion!) Vatican Museum was only the first stop, so naturally had to proceed back to St. Peter's Basilica, but again had to queue for about 30 minutes before going in. Saw a Chinese couple cutting queue, wah liew shameless... Here I am queuing for so long and they just cut the queue like that.... Pissed me off...
Anyway, this basilica is so grand and huge you will feel that you have shrunk to nothing when you enter it. Again no amount of picture can describe the grandness of the 4 Papal Basilicas (I almost missed 1 though! Phew!), their beauty are impossible to be captured on mere mortal cameras. Went to the tomb of the Popes as well, very solemn place.

After lunch break, was off to Piazza del Popolo, Spanish Steps to eat ice-cream (my craving for sweet food is getting worse!), went to throw the coin Trevi Fountain and hoped I returned to Rome soon (actually I was hoping to get a chance to tour Europe again after SEP soon :D)

(Can you find me in the Spanish Steps?)

That is my favorite picture of the Colosseum.
Luckily the 3rd day weather was a good one, I was expecting showers as well. Thank God! Did my jump in front of the Colosseum :D. I can be very very grumpy when it is raining.... I am truly a budget traveler now, I stayed in hostel, traveled in budget flight and eat only from the supermarket.... Desperate attempts to keep my expenses down, while feeling the itch to travel every other weekend. Ryanair sells lottery on the flight, I was so tempted to buy one just to try my luck. Ya, I am digressing.

Anyway on my last day in Rome, woke up very early as usual and made the final attempt to cover as many places as possible. Interestingly, the last day discovery of Rome was actually more fun than the first day, I truly suspect it was the lousy rainy weather that made me unable to feel a surge of excitement (except when I saw the Colosseum). Went to the last 2 major basilica (Basilica di San Paolo and Basilica di San Giovanni) and lastly to Santa Maria in Cosmedin, where La Bocca della Verità and the skull of St. Valentine. Aha and my last secret mission is accomplished! (Erlinda, I was thinking about you on my secret mission("Love Revolution" 1st episode), can you guess why? *giggles*)
(P.S. Thanks Wang Yan for the supplement of photos after my camera died on me (it died right after the picture of the Italian police Lamborghini! Stunning camera, before it die also must take picture of Lamborghini, lolx!), really appreciated it.)
Congrats for completing this ultra long post! Damn it took me 1 whole day to do this! The upload speed of the photos are so disgustingly slow.

Karlsruhe

2008-05-16T12:19:00.003+02:00

The flight from Karlsruhe-Baden airport (FKB) to Rome (Ciampino) airport was from 16:55 to 18:25, so had the liberty to have a half-day trip in Karlsruhe Schloss before heading towards Rome! :D That is like killing 2 birds with 1 stone! Quite shiok! The entry to the museum in the castle was free as well, so needless to say I went in to check it out, and climbed up the tower to take a nice photo from the top of the tower :D. The seats in Ryanair is surprisingly spacious, and for both trips I managed to get the seat at the emergency exit, so I had extra leg space! Wah liew, that is like more comfortable than KLM and way better than China Eastern.... Seriously, those 2 airlines should do something about their fares...... Never mind, the next post will be a ultra happy post about Rome! ^_^
(P.S. Butterflies sorry about the double posting, I did not realise, I posted on the wrong blog. lolx)

Mid-term break!

2008-05-15T23:28:00.002+02:00

Yep, in Esslingen we have mid-term break as well :D, so this time I took the opportunity to go to ROME! Wahahahaha I love it there! Roads are a little chaotic, air isn't too clean, but the people there are sooooo friendly, and well the transport are easy enough for me to understand. There are only two metro lines, and the buses and metro come frequently enough, so it was hyper fun! I miss Rome already! But the only not so good thing was that Rome only has shopping streets not a single mega shopping center, when it rains it ruins your entire shopping mood..... Oh well next post will be Rome trip! :D
(P.S. Hi Marilyn! How are you?? Dear Alicia, I will update my blog a.s.a.p! Yo Dangni!! Yeah I have been watching anime constantly, maybe we can chat about that some time soon!! Miss ya all!)

蕭煌奇-阿嬤的話(原聲原影版)

2008-05-10T22:56:00.001+02:00

Random Entertainment

2008-05-08T22:29:00.002+02:00

As I have said this is random entertainment from my neighbour. I didn't take this picture, Wang Yan send it to me. What a stunt huh? Maybe, I should get him to show me how he does it sometime later. Anyway, I did a lab report on tissue culturing all on my own! Heh, life without seniors are different mmmm...

Screams of Boredom! BORED!

2008-05-04T17:49:00.003+02:00

I am so bored, seriously I wanna hang out in kbox or go shop in Vivo or Orchard, with any of you. Oh but anyway I still have some reports due and I haven't touch them at all.... This week is ultimately the most boring week ever, maybe cause I go out too often, so now if I stay alone for some time I think I am dying of boredom. I did some window shopping in Stuttgart on Saturday, boy oh boy, the clothes are so punk. For this season, I like Mango and some Esprit clothes, I miss Joop clothes in Singapore..... Spending had reduced a lot the past month compared to March! Great! :D Which means by July, I will be able to shop or travel more! I can't wait! :D Mid-term break coming soon! This time I will be traveling to Rome, and staying with Youth Station Hostel, hopefully it doesn't sucks. I don't have a good impression of hostel, after the aussie trip. But well, financial constraint so I don't have much of a choice :(.... European culture is so rich and beautiful~_~, Edwin Ng you better either get a scholarship to come to Germany, if medicine reject you! (Hehe, *thinking of future free accommodation!*)