Vennie's Little World

One Year Flies

2011-07-10T22:40:00.002+08:00

One more day and it is exactly one yr since I came back from Merryland. Missed the life there so much...stress-free, worry-free although we were living a frugal lifestyle. Back here, it is so so so much more stressful...not to mention, my bosses are terrible, such that I have to be on guard at all times.

Looking forward to my wedding, not the ceremony itself, but rather the week-long marriage leave I can enjoy and be away from the stressful life for the time being. Sianzz...weekend here passes so damn fast. Back in Merryland, everyday feels like a weekend...

Quarterly Update

2011-05-17T01:15:00.003+08:00

Time for a quarterly update! haha~ I sound like a finance professional now.

Work

A small cause for celebration... I just received my confirmation letter for my employment!! wahaha...no big deal actually, as rarely do people fail the probation period...but this is one small happy news in my otherwise boring and tiring working life.

Working in a bank is very hectic. I finally know why they are paid higher than other professions, on average. The work and effort put in is much more, than my previous job in civil service.. Working for govt is one of the highest paid job, by per hour, per % of brain cells utilized. Seriously considering going back when I have kids or plan to retire in future... Previously, I get to have long lunch hours, random chit chat sessions/tea breaks with my colleagues, and quite a bit of surfing time on fb everyday. I just need to sit in meeting, and I can virtually shut off throughout the session. On the other hand, for my current job, there isn't one minute of my office hour which I'm not working, or at least thinking about work. I don't even have time to pee or poo as I like, or even respond to handphone messages. J**** ppl really know how to squeeze their employees dry, while they do nothing and shake their legs. They are the masters in work delegation man. Earn so much $$ for doing nothing. Pui! One thing I hate about them most is their stingy calculation of working hour. They do not allow us to use one more minute of our lunch time, and face turn black when we work OT. They think we are inefficient when we need to work additional hrs. But...so much work to do! and they do nothing, and want to go home early...sometimes really fed up with their rigid mentality. I am really stressed working here, as my bosses are known to be not forgiving when making mistakes. They remember when u make errors, and may ask you to leave when you are not performing. This is what happened to my predecessors. Really stressed. And scared.

It doesn't help that I have a million tasks to do, due to job rotation every quarter, and my analysis work..which don't get rotated that often. Although I learnt so much more stuff...I feel the curve is a bit too steep, as I have so much so much to remember within the limited time. And I am expected to master them in no time. Really no joke. The positive aspect is that I am like a dry sponge right now, trying to soak in whatever knowledge I am exposed to, this motivation keeps me going... And colleagues are pretty nice...esp one gal of my age..who really helps me a lot...so, so thankful to her...too bad my team member/buddy, who is supposed to help each other out, is pretty sucky at times...dun't like the way she talks either, haiz, office politics..

Work life now is just so exhausting...to the extent I just want to go home everyday after work to have dinner and have my long awaited sleep at 10:30pm. I have no life now...in fact, a little anti-social...haizzz.. Still have tonnes of wedding prep...lucky Cha is there to do most of the stuff...haiz...what to do without dear Cha...

Wedding Prep

5.5 months to go....wah.. scary. And I have not had much done yet... except had my photoshoot done in Taiwan, and bought the si dian jin. Guest list not out yet!!! *a bit worried*. Some outstanding stuff are:

Bridal car

Bridal bouquet

Invitation cards

Chinese kua/ shoes

Chalets for my relatives

Guo Da Li

Dowry

Conclusion: Going to be damn poor.

Taiwan Trip (9 -17 Apr 2011)

Had a 9-day trip to Taiwan. Really a refreshing break from my hectic work. And so long nvr travel with Cha liao! Really miss staying together with him :'(

Photoshoot was really tiring, but happy experience. How I wish it wasn't so cold, so that I can be more proactive in my poses. More enjoyable as well. Their styling and make-up skills are really good. 2 thumbs up for it! But photography skills...arh-hem... think Cha's better...hehe

This trip was largely focused on food, food, and food. Of cuz, slacking as well. My god... I love travelling so much!!! Now I hope that the Taiwan BS will do a good job for us...and make good of all their promises to us. Or else...they will see us there again...over-turning their tables... hiak hiak..

Some samples of the wedding shoot photos

Most Recently: Family Chalet

Celebrated my dad's bday at Coasta Sands, Downtown east. First time in my life. And probably the only time. Cuz it was soooo tiring... and cost a bomb as well...*sweat* siong ah! Pretty enjoyable. A lot of "first times" eg. chalet, K-boxing and BBQ. I enjoy the wine appreciation session too...And not to mention.. the slacking. Now I feel so blue that work day will be starting again on Wed...sian lar!!!

Updates for First Month in 2011

2011-01-30T21:52:00.004+08:00

Wow, have not had the time to update this blog in a long long time. Wonder how long would it be until I abandon this blog totally. Hmm..

New Year Eve celebration, as usual, was with Chaa. Dinner was at Fosters located in Holland Village and countdown was at Villa Balli! Countdown was pretty quiet as I guess all the fun was in town area bah...Drinks were also very cheap! We opened a bottle of red wine and spent the whole nite talkng abt life, haha...quite seh tat nite but...Shiok!

Next was Cha's bday celebration liao... bought a Sony Walkman for him, and gave him a surprise treat at Melt The World Cafe, Oriental Mandarin Hotel, since he wanted a buffet. Buffet was pretty good with a lot of varieties, but very pricey at $79++ wow.. we din even eat a lot cuz we dun wan to overstretch our stomach. But the highlight was....a HK celebrity, Xia Yu sat right next to us! Cha still gong gong, did not know who the heck was he. We both ended up taking pics with him, hehe...He's very friendly n even pulled a chair for me to sit next to him! wa nice~

Also attended Wyn's hen nite at St James last nite...wah very siong...kelvin KO very early in the nite, and ZY also sibei high. Keep on shouting for TEH O during supper...haha...Cha said that even nearby customers abandon their food and fled when they saw zy... Wyn also blabber non-stop when she high..haha...quite funni...but THAT'S THE POINT of a hen's nite and a stag nite! hehe..lucky mine over liao lor =p

Had a super filling reunion dinner today. Mum's self concocted shark's fin soup was yummy and the yu sheng was really huge! Wow. Super delicious dinner, and filled with joyous laughter as always =)

So fast, January has come to an end, and Year of Rabbit is arriving. Hope the coming year is a better one! HUAT ARH!

2010 Finale

2010-12-30T23:15:00.005+08:00

2010 was an emotional year for me, with a lot of upswings and downfalls. I spent the first half of the year in Merryland, while the rest of the year was back in Spore. Really emo for me. First, I had my last semester of studies, then I had my graduation. Subsequently Cha and I went for a few more trips, such as a re-tour of the east coast with his family, and our own graduation tour at Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Not to forget that we had our New year countdown at the Seattle Needle and previous Xmas at Alaska. Wow. Unforgettable. Then after much fatigue from all the packing, we returned back to Singapore. Really happy to see my family and friends, still in the pink of their health after 2 years. Many are even getting married! Soon after that, I went to Shanghai with my parents, which given my bz work schedule now, could be my 'only' family trip in the foreseeable future.

Have to admit I missed life in Merryland a lot. The kind of freedom we had. Going on roadtrips whenever we had holidays. Building and living our lives in our first home together. Getting all excited about snow storms. Thinking about what dinner to prepare for Cha today. Even enjoying life as students together, and doing our homework diligently opposite each other... All these memories make me really nostalgic and sometimes make my work life a little unbearable. Think I'm too spoilt. But I really prefer simple life like this...

Next I experienced the anxiety of finding a job. At that time I was really scared that I am not able to find a job I enjoy. Now that I have found the ideal one, one which every fresh grad specializing in Finance (I suppose?) would want to start off in their career, then I begin to worry for my performance, whether it's up to standard. Especially when I seem to know nuts about the operations and procedures, and pale so much in comparison with my colleague. Maybe I'm too hou2 ji2. But who won't worry, when it's so competitive in the banking sector. Anyway, just let nature takes its course bah. Or else too much things to stress about.

2011. Of cuz I hope this would be a better year. But I guess it would take sometime before I won't miss Merryland life entirely. *tink Cha will flip*...prob it won't happen..I dunno.. The most important thing now is to learn and absorb as much as I can in the new job. 2011 is also the year I will be holding my customary wedding. Again...the cost is a huge concern for me...hope I can at least breakeven. Really heart pain for the amount of $ my parents have to fork out for my wedding. I rather not have it at all to minimise cost.

Looking forward to taking my bridal shoots in Taiwan next year. Hope everything goes PERFECTLY fine. Start to get worried again. Damn. Next we have to start planning for honeymoon!! WOOHOO... The most awaited item on BB's list. Not even the banquet matches up to it. haaa...Finally, with some luck, we might get our house before Oct. PRAY HARD FOR IT!! A lot of $$ to be spent on renovations and furniture...but I don't care liao...I want my own house near Orchard Road and MRT! hehe...

In any case...I really pray hard that my career will be successful, or at least I can get very comfortable with my current job. Of course.. win the next big sweep, which will automatically solve all my problems. Most most most impt, I hope my family, close frens, Cha and I will have a healthy and safe year ahead. That's the most important. I just want a happy year.

*ps. it was really tiring for me, a 27-year old woman who has to sleep at 10.30pm every night to write the blog. But I know I will surely have a lot of regrets if I cannot post this last entry for 2010. Looking forward to 2011 NY celebration with Cha=)

X'mas with Cha

2010-12-30T22:50:00.002+08:00

Xmas with Cha...hmm...have always loved it. Dunno y, although we are both non-Christians...Xmas is definitely one of my favourite celebration. This is much to Cha's horror, as this means additional expenses!! I don't care!! I want a Xmas tree and roast turkey at my house next time! =D

My gift for Cha was a Man U Nike bag. And I was certain that my gift was definitely more expensive than his gift for me (we agreed on cheap Xmas gifts way back when we were together:P) But I was really happy to get him this first gift with my first paycheck lor...

So I was a bit surprised that he gave me a Swarovski bag with a cow print with several crystal studs on it. Even more shocked that he told me it cost more than one hundred bucks...hmm...although I cannot see why this simple bag cost that much...I still have to like it as it was Cha's kind intention... Haa.. Really cannot figure out what Cha likes about the design...At that time, I was thinking: well, it's man's taste, but it's the thought that counts right? Eventually, I grew to like the bag, and I happily changed to carry this bag out =)

Xmas dinner was at Paulaner, Millenia Walk. The restaurant was suprisingly nice and country-like! Cha had the famous crispy pork kunckles, while I had chicken sausages, a pretty safe choice for me. It was a very unexpected surprise when Cha told me that the Man U bag's zip got stuck, when he had in fact placed my actual Xmas gift inside the bag. Wow...guess what...It was what I have raved about these few years: The Swarovski Bomberman. I knew Tien also has a pink one as a gift from her colleagues, but it's really a coincidence becuz I already have my eyes set on it when I was still in Maryland, and everytime I walked past the Swarovski shop will definitely stop by to have a window look...haa...We have a lot of preferences in common!! Eg, the burberry bag, pink coach bag and the bling bling Erika =)

Therefore...I was really happy with the 'surprised' gift! And it turns out that the bag was a free gift, and I brought it out for Xmas -_-"

Thanks, Cha!! * Mucks!*

Life Updates and Xmas Eve

2010-12-27T22:08:00.002+08:00

Had a very fulfilling month, slowly getting used to worklife, and able to perform my work without much help was one big achievement. Also went Kukup with Pinkies...hmm..after 13 years since our Malaysia trip in sec 2? My gosh... It's again Malaysia..hehe...A very relaxing trip at the kelong, doing nothing but eat and sleep, and living a pig king's life...Also Cha and my first trip since we returned from Merryland!

Had 2 days mc barely a month into my work. Bo bian...had a fever...think had too much heaty food at kukup liaoz...Finally the most awaited event came the last weekend, Xmas Eve celebration with Pinkies after 3 years! It was a really enjoyable celebration, have not had such a lively xmas eve in a long time liaoz!=D

First Week of Work = Hectic

2010-11-21T11:36:00.007+08:00

There is no such thing as honeymoon period for my new workplace; probably just the first day. I practically OT everyday! 'Overwhelmed' describes the entire last week. A lot of new things to learn, esp the operations which I have to do daily, trying to understand the systems involved and how the reports are linked to the data inputs. And I'm a bit stressed over the fact that next week will be my one-man show as my colleague has to go on a business trip. *sweat*. Everyone wants to teach me everything within a very short time, but at the same time, I found it so difficult to ask them questions and clarify my doubts as they always seem so bz. Sian.

A lot of other things going on as well. Have to pick up VBA, as well as to revise my textbooks on the relevant concepts. My boss is also nice to give me a short lecture everyday when we both have the time. Lunch is with my boss, as she brought me ard to the cheap and good places to eat. A very nice lady, and seems very motherly.

Can see the huge difference between govt and private sectors, deadline for work in a bank can be as short as within minutes, while those of govt jobs can stretch to months just on a single paper. So far...I think I can adapt. Look forward to the time when I master everything and not burn out my weekends on reading up textbooks, but the chance looks dim, as I will be understudying another team in a few months time. LAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~!!

Visiting my Ex Employer

2010-11-12T15:41:00.006+08:00

Decided to pay my former company a visit before work starts. Wow, the office has changed so much that I cannot recognize it at all, seemed like I walked into the wrong office. It was a complete overhaul! Many colleagues, esp the older ones, were still there, although turnover of the executives was higher. Saw many new faces, as well as familiar ones. Had a wonderful time catching up with them, and had a small chit chat with my director. He even invited me to a birthday lunch celebration for November babies in the staff lounge! He also introduced me to the other new staff who have not met me in his opening address, so damn paiseh and dumbstruck. He very nice leh, told me to return to the company if I try out in the bank and don't like it...haiz..where to find such nice HR policies...touched~~

Too bad I cannot linger too long becuz I have to see a dentist!! wah lau~ My wisdom tooth has to act up when I am about to start work next week, where can take leave to go for surgery??!! *sweat* Dentist say maybe can tahan a few more months before the extraction liao lor...meanwhile I have to monitor and take really good care of my teeth. If really pain, must walk in his office to operate liao...sianz..

Another upcoming surgery is also expected in the next two years to remove all my lumps at one go, before we plan for any child and require breast feeding. Tink my new company will hate me for having so many problems... sianz...

Last Week of Freedom

2010-11-10T14:46:00.004+08:00

My last week of freedom... I'm starting work next Mon! My gosh, I have been detached from the working society for so long I'm not sure if I can adapt well... At least, my dream of working in the town has realized! ha..taking train to work is a breeze cuz no need change to another feeder bus liao, easier to plan timing to get out of house. It's even better when I move to toa payoh! Only 7 mrt stops to my workplace, sibei shiok!

The work scope seems to be of my interest, although I have no way of knowing until I start work officially. Cha took leave yesterday to accompany me before my work begins. I have never gone out w Cha bfore on a weekday which is less crowded, and we get to enjoy more dining privileges for weekdays. Moreover, I cannot take leave during probation, so the next time we get to enjoy weekday off will be in a long long time liao...perhaps during our wedding week itself... sadz..

Had our brunch dim sum at Hua Ting, Orchard Hotel. We reached at 11:15am, but to our despair it only opens at 11:30am! Pengz~~ so we waited at the seating area, starving and trying to kill time by comparing toto results...and not surprisingly, the numbers didn't match -_-"

Dim sum was quite good! Must try food are the chicken pies and custard buns. Siew mai and chee cheong fun were also awesome! I believe custard buns are a die-for dish for custard lovers. The custard filling is mixed with egg yolk, which will ooze into one's mouth when taken a bite. Shiok~

After that we went shopping for my work wear, which literally bored Cha out, haa...Then we racked our brains to go somewhere which will enjoy significant discount on a weekday than on weekend. Shortlisted choices were: Bowling, movie, ktv at Marina Sq... We ended up settling for KTV, Cha's favourite hobby! It's amazing that we have never been to ktv in our 5 years together, although we met at a ktv session, haa! So there were only the 2 of us singing for 4 straight hrs, until my throat was sore, but Cha still did not get enough of it...wahh, and the total bill came close to $40...hmm..tot weekday ktv is cheaper??!! ##$$@@!

Really enjoy going out on weekday, hope we have a chance to do it again! hehe~

Recently went for an ultrasound again, yes yes yes another 4 solid nodules found, bringing to a grand total of 7, that's great! More money has to be spent on follow up consultations again, life is just so great.

October Updates

2010-10-29T20:43:00.007+08:00

Had a great time at Rose's ROM, it was simple and heartwarming. Also Cha's first time trying his photography skills at such an event... pretty good feedback from Pinkies =D

Also got my first job offer at a bank...wah liew...the transition from govt to banking sector is damn painful... seems like the banking employers have a stigma employing either former civil servants or married women..so I'm lucky in a way to land myself in the position, and further more, it was my first job interview! phew...but now a bit worried, cuz they haven't got back to me after I made additional requests...oh no~~

After a nice long break, not sure if I can get accustomed to working life fast. hmm...hope colleagues are nice lor...and willing to coach me...

Exactly one year from tomorrow will be the day of my wedding banquet. 30th Oct 2011. Nah.. 11 and 12 Nov 2011 are both taken up...sibei sian.. will be at Orchid Country Club, and yes... to my horror, it will be a 50-table banquet. Have a headache whenever I think of all the administrative stuff and the humungous costs we and my parents have to chalk up. Horrible.

Emo

2010-10-11T00:29:00.007+08:00

Too warm to sleep. Head is also aching. As well as thinking of my pending wedding next year. Wedding date will be on either one of this dates:
01 September 2011

25 September 2011

04 October 2011

07 October 2011

30 October 2011

11 November 2011

12 November 2011

Hmm..so far I like 11 Nov 2011 best, but it could be more expensive as well... so pending further confirmation. Somehow I am not at all excited. Instead I'm worried and anxious. From my perspective, an unforgettable honeymoon and cozy home are more important priorities, and that's where I'd like to channel the $ to. But from the parents' perspectives it's their show. But who's going to pay for it?? It could be a whooping 45-table banquet, where the couple will look like a pair of clowns marching into the ballroom amidst the sea of strangers, and only 5 tables sit my own friends. Most guests might just be more interested in the food, and nothing else. So...is it worth to host a grand banquet and risk losing tens of grands of dollars? Although I would also like to live a fairytale for the day, but the price is too great to realise this fantasy. I would rather go on a good honeymoon trip. Afterall, marriage more or less centers on the couple, not the strangers. A tiring investment with negative returns. Not to mention the sensitive money issues that may conflict between the two families as well as between the couple and the parents.

So just be done with it. Minimal loss is what we are aiming for. I just wan my own house and my honeymoon. Although I may seem like an ingrate, but I am indeed much much happier in Merryland, where I'm not tied down by any restriction, expectation and obligation. My home then was sparse with only the most basic furnitures to cater to our primary needs. No sofa, no coffee table, no huge TV. I'm perfectly happy with a basic kitchen, a table and chair with my laptop, and a bed. Such a basic home actually forms the happiest memory of my life. But now, despite I have everything, obligations of harsh reality sometimes make me feel really empty and despair. Sometimes, I feel that if I appear too strong or very well-off, obligations can suffocate me until I lose all motivations in life. I definitely feel more cherished and my presence felt when I'm not physically well or when I'm leaving for a long time. Life is never fair to give us the best of everything.

Maybe I'm just Pmsing...

Most Expensive Family Dinner

2010-10-07T23:21:00.006+08:00

Just returned from Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant, and had the most expensive dinner I have ever eaten for a family meal. Most unique dish has to go to the Canada Geoduck Clam, which can be eaten sashimi style... Hmm...but as the choosy and the cheapo eater, I prefer the cooked style. Just a short soak in the steamboat soup is delicious for me! haha...this clam comes not cheap, at a whooping $400+ bucks before 50% discount. Next most unforgettable dish of cuz is the Alaskan King crab which also amounts to $400+ bfore promotion. I cannot believe I have another chance to eat this after the Alaska trip again! Haa...but my dad actually ordered it mistakenly, he had tot it was a Sri Lanka crab lor...well..this is a happy mistake for the rest of us as we loved the super meaty sweet flesh! Very worthy of the King of Crab title!! We had a fish, known as the France Turbot, very classy name, which also came with a costly price tag. $155 bfore discount, we cannot believe it~~ The most expensive fish ever eaten, well.. and the most tender and smooth meat as well... Given all these super expensive dishes on the table, abalones and shark's fins pale much in comparison -_-" Well at least all of us enjoyed it, especially dear Cha, whose dieting plan came to a naught AGAIN~

5th Year Anniversary (2nd Oct 2010)

2010-10-04T15:57:00.010+08:00

Happy 5th Year Anniversary!! So lucky that the actual day fell on a Saturday!

Was in a frenzy trying to prepare the scrapbook containing all the highlight events of our 5-year journey together, including V-days, Xmas, birthdays, love, wedding anniversaries and travel highlights. It was so difficult trying to find some pictures that were taken way way back! And it was tough tricking Cha into passing me those pictures using the excuse that I needed a copy of my previous transcripts that were saved in his hard disk. But this plan backfired when I realized the photos were not in the hard disk I had expected! Cha ended up burning midnight oil trying to locate those transcripts for me, thinking I needed them urgently...*sayang*. Very proud of my accomplishments, I completed the 40-page diary and the longest card I have ever written to Cha in just 3 days! wahahaha~

This year's celebration was just food, food and food~ Lunch was at PS cafe near Dempsy Road. I love the open air concept with drop down windows showcasing the greenery outside, which is a rare sight in Singapore. We also realized from that day that this place is actually very convenient from the bus stop at the main road!

We then spent the time at Orchard Ion (again!) before we slowly made our way to Rochester Park for our dinner. It was a posh western restaurant called Graze. Hmm...I would say that the food was good, but not really my cup of tea. I ordered a seared duck breast without knowing it was cooked medium rare. Raw duck meat!! oh gosh...I dun even take sashimi... To be fair to this pricey dish, the meat was actually very tender, and the highlight of the meat was its texture, unlike most well done breast meat which are very tough and somewhat spoil the original taste of the meat. In the end I exchanged my food with Cha, who is a hearty carnivore, and he would be able to appreciate the dish better. Hmm.. guess I have really cheap taste, which is a joy to Cha... Finally presented my fruit of labour to Cha, coaxing him into believing that I bought him an organizer due to financial constraints. He looked "not that excited" in receiving just an ordinary organizer, so it was a huge joy looking at his super surprised face when he saw that it was a hand made love diary! Looks like my handmade gift is more precious than any other expensive gift, and no excuse for Cha to forget any of the event we celebrated in the past 5 years wor!

Got a new pink watch for my anniversary present! Loved it!=D

First Class F1 Experience

2010-09-27T14:25:00.013+08:00

Felt the same kind of happiness as striking a lottery when we got free suite tickets to see the F1 race. Although it was for the practice round, but Cha and I were so happy that we talked abt it for a week! hehe~

Was a gloomy and rainy day though, lucky for us, we had the suite and the rain wun reach us...Food was great, alcoholic drinks was free flow, ambiance and service were first class. Sky suite was a small room with five tables, with a drop down window and a dedicated private balcony for guests to see the race in action. So it was actually very convenient to move in and out of the aircon room to enjoy food and drinks and at the same time, enjoying a splendid sweeping view of the race. Had three rounds of food servings: reception, dinner and light supper. Dinner was luxurious, with smoked tuna, pan fried salmon, and succulent scallops and prawns as the hot favourites. The roaring sounds of the engines was a little unbearable, and even with the protection of the ear plugs, I can still feel my ear drums at the brink of bursting. Think I wore the plugs wrongly though, dunno y my orange plugs were sticking so far out while the rest had theirs fit so comfortably inside their ears...hmm...food for thought... There was even complimentary massage spa services for suite guests!! My gosh~~ but the queue was too long liao, so we din manage to try the service...One huge regret here!

For me, the main highlight of the evening was the show put up by Chippendales!! wahaha, I love their entertaining, well-choreographed dance, they were all so amusing and sexy! haha...think Cha was a wee bit put off when these muscular men started tearing off their shirts and pulling off their boxers..haha... On the contrary, the ladies had a fun time screaming their heads off lorz! Think Pinkies would love Chippendales, it would be so fun going gaga over these guys together as Cha was not a bit excited at all -_-"

Lucky for me, Cha was still willing to take beautiful pics of me with the guys! ha...I sat on their legs, which were huge enuf to form a cushion chair for me! I was so flustered and stoney when I took the pictures, cuz I didn't know what to do, what to pose or where to place my hands...hehe... Should have seen the long queue of girls lining up behind me, salivating and thinking of the poses they should take with the guys...lucky I was the first few in the queue, or I cannot be bothered to take pic w them liao! Alone somemore -_-"

Five-star rating for this experience, thks to Mao! =D

中秋節

2010-09-23T16:38:00.012+08:00

花好月圓慶中秋﹐

團園飯﹐ 吃月餅﹐ 臉變園。

Reunion dinner was held on Sun evening, again a great feast! So last nite, Cha and I went downstairs to play with lanterns but Cha forgot the lantern sticks and we have to use wooden chopsticks instead lorz!! Ended up we felt so out among all the kids playing in the playground. The only adults around were there just to accompany their children -_-"

Saw from the news that this year mid autumn's moon was the smallest in 18 years, cuz distance from the moon was further. Ha, ironic. So 賞月 was not spectacular bah...

Next event to look forward to: 5th year anniversary.

Hmm..Cha's face really round...just like the moon~

Sickly September

2010-09-15T13:48:00.007+08:00

Think the combo of eating BBQ stingray and dua tau on Hari Raya and BBQ with Pinkies on Saturday stretched my stomach limit for the week liao...ended up with a fever on Sun, and food poisoning up to last nite, breaking my record of good health of nearly two and a half years...wah...think my stomach still need time to adjust to BBQ and spicy food! What an "eventful" long weekend~ As it is, my stomach still feels weak, and I have another BBQ session with Cha's colleagues this Friday! Oh noooo~~ but I still wan my hot dogs!

Supper at Makansutra

Everyone so engrossed in making funny faces esp Jun..hahaha

27th Birthday

2010-08-19T01:28:00.005+08:00

Received a sweet surprise from the home delivery of the cuddly bear holding a mini bouquet this afternoon! Din expect this, since Cha was complaining of being very bz this week..hehe=D This bear shall be named TEH BEE! The combination of Cha Cha and BB...wahahah!

Dinner tonight was super fulfilling, still..mum's home cooked food tastes the best after she show hand most of her skills for my bday... Got sea cucumber stew with duck and mushrooms; abalones with spinach; abalones; chicken (tapau) with home-made vegetable mix; sweet sour duck (my favourite), sweet and sour spicy sotongs (also my fav); and siew bak. We managed to finish most of the food, thanks to Cha's big appetite, ha! No wonder my mum is always so pleased w Cha during meal times eh~

Bday cake was a D24 durian cake bought from my elder sis from Tampines Mall, wah taste really good! *touched*

Have not had such a heartwarming bday celebration with family in a long, long, time~~ I always feel very helpless, and kind of sad towards the midnite signalling the end of my bday, as well as having to accept the harsh reality of being one year older~

Birthday Celebration with Cha (14th Aug 2010)

2010-08-16T00:53:00.009+08:00

Finally my most most favorite day of the year has arrived, but the day started off with a bad quarrel with Cha... Cuz Cha accidentally deleted all my photos from my memory card and I haven't backed them up yet! wah...was really shocked that my photos were all gone, including those outings with Pink Army, especially very xin tong those taken at Hong Hu where they celebrated my bday with me...So damn sad leh! Nan de took pictures with them for my bday after 2 years of bday celebration in isolation, and my photos were gone~~ So I was pretty upset and became worse when Cha pointed out that this wouldn't have happened if I had diligently backed them up...well although Cha was right, but no point rubbing salt on my wounds when I feel most upset rite...

But still I had looked forward to this weekend amidst my frustration of job seeking, which had not been as smooth as I had expected. I was still very happy and surprised that Cha brought me to a relaxing full body spa at Carlton Hotel and it cost us less than 100 bucks due to credit card promo! Quite good deal eh! Afternoon was spent strolling ard Marina/ Suntec area before we adjourned for dinner at the Lighthouse, Fullerton Hotel. Well, food portion was super duper small, and I was even hardly 20% full...And too expensive liao, so din order starter or dessert... Most ridiculously, one bottle of mineral (still) water costs us $10 each! World's most expensive water lor! Total bill also amounted to $122, when we only ordered 2 main courses plus 2 water and one orange juice.

Overall review: We pay for the ambience, not the food. Food is rather...average, given the exorbitant price. Still, we managed to watch the fireworks at the rooftop, and it was not crowded at all, probably the restaurant was really too pricey liao...Pretty romantic, so... the $122 was more worth than any other day of dining for sure...

Cha accompanied me for the whole weekend, where my parents treated me to a seafood feast, G7 at Geylang today...wow...much more bang for the bucks as compared to the hotel restaurant...the seafood and the frog leg porridge were super yummy! Also can tell that Cha enjoyed the food a lot..hehe

Very very sad now that my bday celebration was over, in a blink of eyes =,( Why do good times pass so fast de? Now counting down to my actual bday on wed, where my mum will cook a big spread for me and I will get to blow out birthday candles on the cake!

Thanks Cha for the birthday surprises, expensive treat and my birthday pressie!! I love it=D

Shanghai Trip (19 - 28 July 2010)

2010-08-05T02:16:00.006+08:00

It has been a week since I returned from a 10-day Shanghai trip with my mum. My dad is still in China for his businesses, and will be back tomorrow. Overall it is fun although I think I went at the wrong time lo. Summer weather there was quite unbearable, but lucky the winds helped to alleviate the heat a bit. Secondly, it was summer vacation for the kids!! My gosh, everywhere was so so crowded until you won't want to move anywhere...Plus the people not very civilized, PUSH PUSH and PUSH, my parents kana pushed dunno how many times, and those people there also double standards for the ang mors, they are really $$##@@!!###, damn RUDE!

But other than that, I truly enjoyed the stay, as the night lights of the Shanghai city was simply gorgeous. Think it is one of the top 3 cities in the world, indeed, it is comparable to the Big Apple! But the crowds and the behavior of the people made this gorgeous city a little less than ideal to live in, not to mention the dirty toilets! *puke* Lucky Shanghai still had a big redeeming quality -the ultra delicious food! Cannot forget the food we have eaten in Shanghai, I am willing to go there again just for the food! haha... the most memorable meals are the "congee" seafood hotpot, and the "xiang1 cai4" near our apartment. The regular shampooing of our hair at the nearby salons, and the full body and foot massages are another motivation for me to go again the next time. Simply relaxing~~ Have not been to such a relaxing trip for a long long time, where I can sleep late every morning and go for massage every alternate day. Shiok! =D

When my dad was not working during the weekend, we also went to Zhou Zhuang, a 900-year historic water town, macham live from the Hong Kong kung fu dramas man...a very nice place to take pictures... We visited Suzhou on Sunday, where we joined a guided tour. Not too bad as we went to visit Liu Garden and the Tiger Hill, the oriental version of the leaning tower. Haha, of cuz no fight for the one in Pisa, as the latter was taller and had a bigger lean. Moreover, not as crowded -_-"

Next visit to Shanghai will be with Cha le, my parents kept urging him to come along before they are willing to take me to Nanking, since they dun want to make repeated trips. Anyway, the food, the massages and the city nite views are enticing enuf for me to make a second trip there! This time hopefully in the fall when it is not so hot and when EVERYONE is schooling..haha!

Anyway, have been sending out my resumes like mad, hopefully, there is good news soon!

First Week In Singapore

2010-07-19T07:38:00.003+08:00

Finally saw Pink Army on Fri after 2 years! wow...everyone still remains the same, and seeing them makes me feel that I have never left Spore for the past two years...ha...but as usual, our volume keeps on increasing until we practically have to shout and ends up having sore throat eh... wah...so long time never like this liao, finally, I have my social life back! hehe , had dinner at Hong Kong Cafe, where I had maggie mee with luncheon meat and egg. Hmm really miss that but, again...no appetite...but my appetite coming back since yesterday and had put on 1 kg! After my trip today, I think I will put on at least 2 kg and return to my normal weight le bah...

Yesterday had dinner with my family and all bfs at JP...wow...my sis really all grow up liao, and it's a bit weird to see their bfs at this parent meeting session... Big sis's bf is really tall, but one yr younger than her, small sis's bf has grown fatter (saw him once when he gave tuition to my sis), but is 7 years older than her!! wah...yuan lai both my sis so hip, either got jie di lian or lian fu qing jie...haha..rather funny...only danny and I are normal de...hehe..but both look ok la...anyway they still young, still got lotsa choices around!

Back

2010-07-15T03:25:00.006+08:00

I cannot sleep now and have really weak appetite despite all my cravings for spore food...wah liew...suffering from serious jetlag...my bioclock is in a seriously confused state rite now...dun feel hungry when I'm supposed to, and I feel really seh after dinner tonight...had wanted to zzz only after 10pm...but I succumbed to the fatigue at 8pm that was accumulated from yesterday's forced lack of sleep during the day -_-"

Flight with SQ was really smooth, but the flight on UA sucks. Turbulence was terrible and I broke out in cold sweat during the bumpy ride.. cannot believe I have taken 22 hrs of flight, and including transit and waiting times, I've spent ard 30 hrs at the airport...no wonder I've lost weight these few days...anyway, good to see my family again, and glad they are all in good health...now looking fwd to see all my friends~ Soon, I'll have to do serious job seeking liao...Really stressed abt it...hope I can find an ideal job as it could be the stepping stone for my subsequent career life. I wonder how's the job market rite now...To add on I do not have prior experience in the bank sector, finding a job will be a huge challenge... but my parents help to relieve this stress by wanting me to enjoy a good long break before I start looking for jobs, and even hope I begin work only next year! wahaha..my parents so liberal and nice...but Cha and his family will jump la, haha...anyway I will try my best...and at least I know now I have the choice to accept only the job I like, rather than take the job in a rush, as in the case with MOT 4 yrs back...hmm..still, I feel the stress and anxiety as I go crashing back to reality after 2 years of worry-free life=s

Last Day in Merryland

2010-07-11T17:15:00.002+08:00

Wah, again..so fast, last day in Merryland liao. Taking very early flight tomorrow..these few days have been havoc for us man...the cleaning part took us weeks, did a lot of packing, settle administrative stuff, banking matters, and finally , dispose off our furniture and car..

Our car has the most pathetic fate, only $1000 cashback! Wah liew, we paid $5k for it leh...heart bleeds. Ended up have to throw away our mattress and bed frame, as they were really too heavy to carry to donation center liao...The rest we either sold them, gave away to classmates or donated away liao...Now our house is really empty, and it is reminiscent of the first day when we arrived Merryland lor...haiz...so nostalgic! Tonight we are going to sleep on a floor mat! Even our comforter was gone... Now awaiting Papa John delivery for our dinner...

Hope the flight and check in at the airport tomorrow is a smooth smooth one~

MERRYLAND, hope we'll be back again! Will miss this place a lot ='(

Food Updates

2010-07-08T23:13:00.002+08:00

Food updates again! Had dinner at Egg Spectation, Chili (after hearing Mao's raves abt it) and Malaysia Kopitiam these two weeks. Msia Kopitiam is too overpriced for its hawker style food in Spore/ Msia leh, lucky we have $15 coupon...But still, we are pretty sure that we can find cheaper and better food anywhere in Spore... Really really miss spore food, given the ultra limited American food and Chinese American food offered here. Glad I'll be back soon for the delicious chinese cuisines! And one of these two days will also be able to make it one more time to The Melting Pot for cheese fondue, one of my favourite restaurant here, yaayy~

Hmm...now struggling to finish the eggs in the fridge, threw so much food away...very wasted. Feel sad that we have to leave so many of our belongings behind..How I wish SIA can give us extra baggage allowance... Our bed frame had been dismantled and dumped liao...now sleeping on mattress on the floor, macham like Japanese. Even more sad that no one wants our bed and mattresses and we are forced to throw them away although they are in perfect condition. Sad, sad, sad~

Graduation Photo Shoot @ Maryland Campus

2010-07-06T13:44:00.004+08:00

Our agenda is fully packed for this last week in Merryland. One of the most important one is to take graduation photos at our campus which leaves good memories for us being students. We may also consider taking studio pics together when we return to Singapore. We woke up at 7am to get dressed, and after the long nite out at DC on the day before, I was really reluctant to get out of bed. But that day was the best day to take pictures without too many curious stares, as it was a public holiday on 5th July! So...no choice, we can take nap in the afternoon~

Just spent USD 400 to ship our 160 pounds of stuff back, by DHL...heart pain sia, as Cha's company did not sponsor us on this (##***$$$##@@), haiz...Hope our stuff made it safely on time and pray they arrive before we reach home!

Still, our 4 checked in luggages were hardly sufficient for the rest of our stuff, but we were simply unwilling to spend more on shipment. We had to throw quite a lot of personal stuff to make it for the baggage restrictions. We are also quite worried about the strict 7kg hand carry luggage imposed by SIA, and that we would be forced to throw away our precious belongings...Pray hard all can pass. And hope Cha's company can reimburse us the 4 checked in luggage for our domestic flight to LAX since UA does not offer complimentary checked in baggage lor! Or else it's an additional USD 120...more $$##%%@@!!

A bit she bu de our Merryland home...the freedom here makes me so happy and carefree. Hope this will be the same case when we have our own home in Toa Payoh, no restriction, no obligation, no control imposed by others... In particular, I quite she bu de our car, bed and kitchen~~ But all in all I feel that this is a realistic preview of having our permanent home in 2012, and during these two years, we get a glimpse of how our future lifestyle and respective roles will feel like, a pretty good rehearsal I'd say, hehe =D

Celebrating Independence Day - 4th July 2010

2010-07-06T12:48:00.001+08:00

Just had a once in a lifetime celebration of 4th July in Washington DC! This event is akin to Singapore's National Day Parade, but MUCH BETTER, becuz the celebration is free for ALL PUBLIC, not like Spore still need to ballot for tickets, and me as a Singaporean who has stayed in the country for 24 years, did not even have a chance to attend NDP on 9 Aug. As usual, only a selected few and the more privileged members of the garment can attend. A pity we missed the Independence Day Celebration in DC last year as we were in Montreal, but I remember there was also a nice funfair and parachuting performance at Montreal's Bayside!

Anyway, we missed out the parade in the morning as I overslept, so we parked our car at the Metro Station before making our way to National Mall via the train. We were worried that the car would get stuck in traffic and due to many road closures, we tot taking public transport would be a better option. That day was really hot, temp shot up to 35 degree celsius. Think Merryland and DC are badly hit by a jialat heat wave, these two days will reach up to 38 degree celsius!! My gosh...better keep ourselves indoor and properly hydrated. And lucky our apartment is fully air conditioned, can blast all day.

The fireworks display was really spectacular, lasting about 20 minutes. We started "chopping" a good place to take photos right at the edge of the reflection pool so Cha can take fireworks pictures with the Washington Monument as the backdrop. Good pictures came with a price though, as we started sitting in the sun and heat from 6pm onwards, and as sun sets around 8:30pm in summer, my head was hurting really badly towards the later part of the day. So much so that I feel like vomiting into the pool from the pain. But the fireworks and the celebratory mood in DC were well worth it. Fireworks was generous and grand, and everyone was either laying on the ground leisurely or sitting on the picnic mat to enjoy the display with the accompanying soft music. We feel that the fireworks could be better choreographed, with a more consistent theme, and more could be done to improve the "spoiled" fireworks, as any firework that failed to open up will affect the quality of the photographs. The best advantage from our spot was that the fireworks were released from the reflection pool from where we were seated, the displays were so big and near us that they seemed to explode right over our head! Was really impressive and unforgettable. The only bad thing was that the thunderous sound of the fireworks made my headache even worse :( Not to mention the long walk to the metro station with the gigantic crowds, lucky we are true Singaporeans, so we can squeeze in the first train pretty fast..hehe..

Sat Date on 26 June 2010

2010-06-29T12:11:00.005+08:00

Farewell to Tyson's Corner, sobz... shall miss the yam flavor yogurt ice-cream store. Recently Victoria Secret got quite good sales, 15.99 for all sales bras, and 2.99 for all sales panties, but as usual, I think my size is really common here, so not much good stuff left. Instead designs for those super big sizes were readily available! Of cuz I managed to grab a few before all were gone..haiz..those were the last of the dollars my dad gave me as ang bao~~ But hor, quite disappointed with the quality of my first VS purchase. The color came off! Dyed my other white apparel blue...I was really incensed man... So beware of VS bright colored bras! And only buy them on sale lor, or else not worth the overpriced hype.

Sat was pretty well spent. FINALLY, we got around to make our free photo coffee album which we were entitled to when we purchased Cha's new Nikon camera during our Seattle trip in Jan. We selected classic pictures from our stint in the US, and were very pleased with the results, despite being a free product. But as expected, something went wrong during the printing process, so we had the chance to make a second album!! hehe~ One AT couple saw Cha's photography work in the album, were quite impressed and even approached him to help take pictures of their child. Haa..But dunno we got the time or not la..given that Cha needs to tie up loose ends for his thesis, and not to mention the immense amt of packing that needs to be done...wah think liao also headache. We are unable to bring all our stuff back!!! May resort to shipping, which cost us a bomb! 260 bucks for 100lbs. Cha's sponsor really KNS, only give us 75 bucks for all the shipping, where got enough???!!! How come other high ranking officers have half a container, we can barely only ship one small box, so unfair lor!!

Another attempt at new york cheesecake. All my fault that there was extra cream cheese in the fridge. Me too greedy, so bought extras when it was on sale. Now bo bian I had to bake one cheesecake for our breakfast for the next one week. So fattening!

Hopefully Cha can more or less get the green light for his thesis soon, then we can start booking air tix! When I return, need to rebond my hair first, my hair is in a bad shape, next must go for big seafood feasts, and lastly, hope I can get a good job as my bday present! hehe=D

June Updates

2010-06-20T00:48:00.005+08:00

Here are some of my June updates. Had a quick dumpling festival dinner with a fusion of western food such as roast chicken and baked potato, and asian delicacies such as stir fry vegetables and sauteed sotongs with spicy tomato sauce. Cha was full of praise for the roast chicken! Today had dinner at Cheesecake factory, should be our last time patronizing this place. Will miss this eatery, and pray hard spore will open one franchise soon... Most impt of all, I have decided on the lumix camera and it has arrived!!! Yaayyyy~~~~~ Also made some bargain purchases at Victoria Secret today, therefore very satisfied, hehe!

Yellowstone & Grand Teton (8 June - 15 June 2010)

2010-06-19T23:37:00.002+08:00

Finally get to blog about this trip since our return on Tue evening. Yellowstone and Grand Teton are really gorgeous national parks! Think geology enthusiasts will enjoy Yellowstone a lot as it is one of the world's hot spot for thermal activities. More than two thirds of the world's geysers can be found there! This is not even including the amazing number of hot springs there...Impressive~ But the weather was still freezing when we were there, a bit sian that I have to wrap up like a dumpling throughout the trip, since almost all my trips I almost always wear the same cardigan..hehe..bobian lar, too cold liao! I rather be overdressed than shiver in cold and cannot thoroughly enjoy myself. That's why the hot springs looked so tempting to me lor, really wanted to soak myself in those colorful and comforting hot springs that are in the national park, but they are all too hot liao. Heard there were numerous deaths in the hot springs, so better dun play play...

The must see is the Old Faithful Geyser and the Grand Prismatic Spring. We found it fascinating that hot springs can be so colorful due to the heat loving extremophiles. We also had to hike relatively long distances to see major attraction spots, therefore this trip was comparably quite an exhausting one. Even threw my tantrum when Cha lost us in the deep forest on our way to see the hidden falls -_-", haiz...feel a bit bad after that, when we finally reached the Inspiration Point that beheld a gorgeous landscape of the Jenny Lake. Also had a lot of fun photo taking, although our poses all looked the same as there was a limit to taking self shots. This was esp the case when we were using tripod to take pics and Cha was the one to carry the heavy equipment throughout our trip. Kudos to Cha!

All the fatigue was however more than compensated by the huge feasts throughout the stay. How can we not try the game meat that was an icon in the downtown? Hehe...We tried both bison and elk meat, and found that bison (aka buffalo) meat taste just like beef , just a tad tougher. Elk meat (aka deer meat) is more tender, and reminds me strongly of my all time favourite, hot plate deer meat in spore! I wonder why bisons are also called buffalo in America cuz the buffaloes in spore zoo looked different one lor! At least they swam in water, I remember. Breakfasts were also good as we hunt for different cafes that served delicious hot American breakfast every morning. Yummy!

Thanks to Cha's meticulous planning again, I have thoroughly enjoyed this trip which was entirely focused on the nature theme. Yellowstone NP is a perfect place for geological education, stunning natural landscape and wildlife spotting. It's confirmed guarantee plus chop that one can definitely sight a wildlife. And very close up too, much much better than nite safari in spore where I had to squint my eyes to look for any animal in the dark (if there were). I think US is really very, very fortunate to be blessed with so many impressive and magnificent national parks. No wonder the locals rather travel domestically than buy expensive air tix to fly elsewhere. Lucky Americans!

Next Trip: Nature Expedition

2010-06-07T13:06:00.001+08:00

Counting down to an 8-day trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in a day's time. But we will be slowly making our way to the airport later this evening, as our flight is tomorrow morning at 7am. So, will be staying overnight at the airport today, another sleepless nite...Looking forward to the yellowstone part, as it is one of the most visited national park in the US where it houses several stunning geothermal features such as old faithful geyser, old mammoth spring, prismatic spring, and mud pots, which we hope it's worth taking a flight there.

Cha is getting another new camera for me, as the canon powershot camera had several "spots" which contaminated all the photos that were taken, very sad... when we return to Singapore, will definitely try to get it repaired, as it's still my favourite camera. A pity repair service in US costs too much and takes a lot of time, hope Spore will be cheaper..Now torn between an upgrade of canon powershot model SD 1300 and panasonic lumix FH 20. Which one is better???? Have been reading up a lot on the reviews and many seemed to be on the lumix side. But I think Canon has better lens, better picture quality, has superb macro shots and gives freebies such as memory card and leather casing...Hmmm...tough choice to make~

Cha's Family Visit to Merryland (18 - 29 May 10)

2010-05-31T15:04:00.010+08:00

Went for a road trip to Boston, Maine, and New York City after we gave Cha's family a tour of Washington DC. We set off the day after Cha's commencement ceremony, which was well, another hypnotizing session for Cha's mum and me, as we practically slept thru the ceremony half the time. The worst part was that Cha's graduation ceremony was split into 2 different days! My Gosh! Think Cha also dozed off after he walked the stage ...hehe..

The road trip was almost identical to last year, albeit shorter one, as we did not have time and visa permission to tour Canada this time round. Was still as impressed with Harvard University's gorgeous campus. Really regret last time did not study hard enough to piah for a scholarship to enter Harvard. I can really feel the pride of being a harvard student when we visited the campus. The beautiful and prestigious campus was unrivaled in the world, I think. So envious of the students here lor, if my future child has to go for overseas education, I think it must be Harvard and nothing else...will pray hard for this to happen!=D

The lobster feast in Maine was still as fantastic. The pincer meat was one of its kind, succulent and amazingly sweet tasting. Cha's dad loved it so much he had it twice for two days straight despite high cholesterol. Cha also! Must control his diet for the next few weeks liao...hmm...Of cuz..another advantage of my future child attending Harvard 20 years down the road is that we can get to eat the super delicious lobsters again!! hehe...dun think we can ever get to eat it in Singapore, or even Msia...I'm gonna miss Maine lobsters a lot. It's a great pity my parents did not have a chance to eat the lobsters here, I'm sure they will love it as well=(

We were blessed with sunny weather at Boston this time round, and although we had been there bfore, we took a lot of pictures again! Had a couple of good jump shots with Liberty statue, but my ankles hurt when we were done after the many NGs! It was fun though. Too bad due to time constraints, this trip was a little rushed, or else it would be more enjoyable. And my poor Cha was so tired due to the endless driving of 1600 miles and deprived sleep during the week. I think family trip was more tiring as we had to constantly make sure that no one gets fallen behind, and of cuz playing hosts were really exhausting. Heh, and we also cannot be siao lang when parents were around and cover as much ground as bfore... But having someone around to take photos for us was a plus, esp Cha's dad and bro are both really good in photography~

56th Monthly Anniversary @ Melting Pot

2010-05-31T14:24:00.002+08:00

56th monthly anniversary - another month passed by again! This time we decided to use the $50 voucher we had from Groupon to enjoy a lobster steamboat feast at Melting Pot!! hehe...this restaurant has always been my all time favourite in the DC area , their cheese fondue was ultra delicious which was a perfect blend of blue cheese and white wine taste. Simply heavenly lor! We had our steamboat in carribean mojo style which was fantastic for seafood. But this 4-course set did not come cheap lor, cost us USD 48 each, lucky Cha paid only $25 for the $50 voucher, so we saved around 25%. A pity I was too full from the main course and all the starters we had, thus I did not really enjoyed the dessert chocolate fondue to the maximum. Free flow dippers somemore....haiz, should not have eaten all my salad:( Although this meal caused me to ingest more than a week's worth of calories, I still think it's worth it, considering it was our last time at this pricey fondue restaurant. I really like this restaurant a lot! Hope Spore will open a branch soon~

Graduation Ceremony for my Masters!

2010-05-16T01:25:00.001+08:00

Today symbolizes an important academic milestone for me, finally...the commencement ceremony was held today after two years of hard work =D

A new graduate reception was held on Fri evening. I din expect the food to be that good! Lucky we went...the cake desserts were indeed some of the best cakes I've eaten in the States. Esp the black forest and vanilla bean cakes...my gosh...they were so nice! Too bad I was too full from the mains to even get a second helping...

But...the graduation ceremony held today was tortuously boring...I stood at the backstage of the auditorium staring blanking into space for one and a half hour, so that all graduates were lined up properly for procession, so sian lar! I felt giddy and unwell, thought that I might black out somemore...maybe becuz I did not have enough breakfast, and the long standing duration made the sickly feeling worse. Even after we got to sit down in the hall, we spent another three hours listening to speeches and waited for the rest of the graduates to walk the stage...buttock also become numb liao...

Hmm...it was quite a lonely ceremony for me..as I do not know many classmates, and the few I know either did not attend or it was impossible to locate them in the sea of crowds. Therefore even though I had 10 tickets, only one was used by Cha, the rest went to waste...haiz..how I wish my family were here lor... Also noticed a few differences between NUS and US graduation ceremonies here. In the US, the hoods are meant for master students, however I remember I wore hoods when I graduated from NUS last time. Undergraduates here wore stole of gratitude in place of the hood in NUS... Also, the gown for US graduates is MUCH MUCH easier to wear! Just zip up can liao... Strangely enough, the master hoods have to be put on by faculty members, so as to formally symbolize our advancement to masters degree. But in NUS, my hood was already securely fastened to my gown even before the ceremony! ha...lucky I din try the same stunt here, or else, I macham very kan cheong to declare my degree in advance, haa...

After a few pictures taken in my graduation robe, we spent the rest of day waiting for our car to be repaired, need to change two front tyres leh!!! LAAA!!~~~ Again, this car really cost us a lot of money sia...this time around $250, but better change cuz threading of the tyres have already worn out, so may skid in wet weather, which would be very dangerous lor... Reminds me of the Alaska incident~

May Updates

2010-05-16T00:32:00.001+08:00

Wah so fast coming to mid May liao...how come everyday passed so fast like nobody's business... Anyway, although exams over liao, but still quite a lot of stuff to do in May..., have to do lots of packing, have a check up scheduled on Mon, and Cha's parents are also arriving on Tue morning, then after that will siong for around 10 days as we will play host bringing them around to Washington DC area, and after Cha's commencement we will travel to New York, Maine and Boston, as per last June's trip itinerary. Quite look forward to the cheap lobster feast in Maine again...hmmm...

Return date to Singapore is also constantly changing, which is based on Cha thesis's outcome. Apparently, after his grueling session with his professors during his defense of thesis last wed, one professor insisted Cha to make major changes to the thesis...so bo bian, have to extend into another sem, but Cha will finish his work as soon as he can, so we aiming early-mid July, depending on his thesis outcome le...then will be in time for Rose's ROM! Yay!

Today also my dad's bday and tien's as well..happy bday to both! My family went Genting to celebrate dad's bday, so my dad should be happily gambling in the casino now -_-

55th Monthly Anniversary - Alexandria Old Town

2010-05-02T13:50:00.003+08:00

Happy 55th Monthly Anniversary!! So fast and it's another month again! Were wondering whether we would be able to celebrate 1000th monthly anniversary...dunno whether we are still around...got 500th monthly anniversary already very grateful..hehe..

We went to Old Town at Alexandria, located in Virginia, a historic site where George Washington used to live in...wahhh...really quite old liao, it's the nation's third oldest town! Reached at 10am cuz we wan to chop free parking but our worries were unfounded, cuz not many ppl at all! First stop was the farmer's market at market square...Bought one pint of ice-cream, which was a really huge tub! Greedy Cha gobbled down more than half the tub and ended up having diarrhoea lor...haiz...In the end settled our lunch at Hard Times Cafe for the supposedly "best chili" in America, so that Cha can use the restroom...I'm not a big fan of chili, but it really tastes quite good... As for Cha's main, it was a wash out la..fries lacked crispiness and chili dog TOOOOOO salty liao lar...lucky I played safe and just ordered the appetizer chicken tender...

Old town got a lot of eateries leh, we even saw the jap restaurant Ichiban! Wahh so miss its food and so tempted to dine there, but too full after the ice-cream liao lo...Harbor also quite scenic, but temperature was scorching hot... Such a contrast to the chilly weather for the past few days, but so happy to wear my singlet and shorts!

Dinner was at a thai restaurant in Silver Spring, had wanted to dine at a more unique restaurant in Old Town, but Cha needed soupy food to soothe his very upset stomach la... Nonetheless, it was a good outdoor trip as compared to our boring shoppings centers lor! And spend less $$ too~

New Haircut

2010-04-29T00:56:00.012+08:00

Had a new haircut at the training school on Sat...at first I thought the new hairstyle looked really nice as the student helped me took off a huge load of hair, and incorporated much more layerings than all my previous haircuts, at least my hairstyle looks more "lively" and head feels lighter...No joke when I saw the amount of hair on the floor, can make into a single wig lor! But horror struck after I washed my hair and slept in with my very thin mob...When I woke up, I was horrified to see that my hair was curled out in all sorts of directions, and the problem is that it dun look like permed hair lor!! LAAAA!!~~ Sooooo hard to tame now, I think I look better with my previous thick hair, at least in pics...sian + sad...Only rebonding can save me!!! WAIL~~ have to wait two months more lor...

Now Cha and I are both freezing...all geared up in my sweater and thick wool socks...ridiculous that it is almost summer now and we have to shiver in the cold almost everyday. Unpredictable weather...all becuz our apartment management refused to on the heater, really lousy A/C, heater system...all centralized one leh! And they cannot be bothered to monitor temperature every day..Worst still, our portable heater is spoilt!!! LAAAA~~~ But I think such weather is still much betta than the hot humid Singapore weather bah...dunno how Cha who is so scared of heat can adjust back to tropical climate and have to endure with the "sticky sticky" feeling again...hahah

Got my results too...All As! Yaay! My prayers are answered, gonna pass my good luck to Cha~~ =D

Food Updates

2010-04-29T00:51:00.001+08:00

My monthly food updates again, recently used a lot of celery in my dishes, cuz Cha has high cholesterol!!! Must control diets liao... a celery a day keeps the doctor away~

April "Food"

2010-04-20T01:40:00.001+08:00

Siong ah!!! Down to my last paper...since last sem liao, give me straight As ok!! hehe.. very very bz with school work for the past week, have to juggle between my final exams and paper deadlines, although a bit stressed out, this could be the last time in my life taking exam and submitting academic paper lor! haha...trying to enjoy the process...but...still stressed! Not as stressed as Cha though...his face is green with anxiety, so ke lian..he is turning panda man liao! Cuz next week Cha defending his thesis, and he's still stuck on his paper...no fear no fear, jia you le wor! After we both submit our papers can go happy liao! YAAY!

Pictures of our sat outings...mostly food~

Cherry Blossom Festival

2010-04-05T02:00:00.007+08:00

Despite waking up at 6am in the morning, I had thoroughly enjoyed myself at the cherry blossom festival, but it was toooooo crowded liao! Even though we arrived at 8:30am, we were shocked to see crowds already forming at the Tidal Basin and cars were already forming lines to the carpark. LAAAAAAAA~ Talk about kiasuness leh! So difficult to take photos without at least one person inside the picture, somehow, somewhere, there will be "extras" appearing in the background..haha..but Cha, the soon-to-be accomplished photographer, had managed to take many pretty pictures without too many intruders! heh...good good..

And we were blessed with very sunny weather. When we just arrived in the morning, the sky was really gloomy, very much like last year's weather when we went to the same event. But the sky cleared up really soon, and the temperature was so comfortable when the sun was out! Some of the trees were not in full bloom yet, but it was still a gorgeous sight with so many pink trees dotting the metropolitan city, and we virtually walked the whole day admiring the beautiful scenery lor! No joke leh, we were really on our foot from 9am to 7pm, except when we were having our meals or lining up for toilets, but no complaints, cuz I really enjoyed it! And we had a "great time" climbing up the trees to take pics...like monkeys, heh... But I had trouble climbing up leh..need a lot of hoisting and pushing from Cha =p I wonder how come the other girls so agile, a few steps already can reach the branch...I'm so embarrassed as I struggled to hold my footing while so many people went past me lor...

I love seeing these pink blossom trees in their bloom everywhere we go. If only it was not so crowded, the place would be a perfect place to hang out the whole day. Also had a picnic lunch which was an unforgettable experience, as we joined in the crowds to settle our meal on the field. Hope I would have the chance to see sakuras again, maybe in Japan! hehe~

After the long walk along the tidal basin, we spent the rest of the night waiting for fireworks display opposite the waterfront. It started at 8:30 and lasted for around 20 min. Quite nice, although it could be better choreographed with music, and Cha got some really good pictures too. Think that was his proudest achievement for the day =D

54th Month Anniversary

2010-04-02T11:43:00.004+08:00

Happy 54th Month Anniversary!!!

It's the time of the National Cherry Blossom Festival again, WEEE~~!!
Planning to go to Washington DC very early tomorrow to chop parking lot, hope the cherry blossoms are at their peak bloom and we are blessed with good weather!!! I LOVE SAKURAS!! Aiming to set off at 7am..hmm...seems like a tall order for a sat outing eh..

Still can remember last yr we also celebrated our monthly anniversary at the cherry blossom festival..counting backwards, it should be our 42nd month anniversary then~~ seems just like yesterday lor... Time dun pass so fast, PLEASSSEEEE~~!!

Last Day of March

2010-03-31T14:55:00.011+08:00

Hmm...so fast we are going into the month of April, a few months later we'll be back to Spore...time moves so fast and we are so preoccupied with school work that we cannot even properly enjoy the last few months in Merryland...haiz..think I'm going to miss this place...just like how I was saddened to leave Singapore two years ago...a bit fan4 jian4...heh... Although social life here is sorely lacking for me, I like the stay in Merryland because it is so carefree, without having to worry about other people's expectations and obligation of us. Pressure for these obligations is tremendous and totally uncalled for in this new age, that's y the choice to come to Merryland was prob the most correct choice we have made...Just hope that we can lead a happy and carefree life as we do now when we go back to Spore, I miss my family, friends, and of cuz the local delicacy, and I certainly prefer my home in Spore, but I just don't want any unnecessary stress and obligations that we have to worry for... Because we are already adults liao! We should have the freedom to choose what we want to do and are certainly learning to be fully independent and are preparing to set up our own family unit in the near future..

Cha has been suffering from persistent chest pain since last week, which culminated on Sun, where every little movement he made hurts like hell.. We cannot really discern whether the pain was due to muscle problems, or worse still heart problems. Cha has such on and off chest pain even bfore coming to Merryland, so the pain was actually quite worrying. And the health center did not help much at all lor! Last week, Cha was already complaining of intermittent chest pain and yet the urgent care he received was just a consultation with a nurse practitioner...gosh..DOES IT HELP??? SHOULDN'T THEY FIND A DOCTOR TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM???? So this nurse prescribed muscle relaxation pills for Cha, on the ground that he was PROBABLY suffering from muscle problems, and the funny thing is, anyone with heart problem have significantly increased risk of heart attack upon consuming these pills...WHAT THE???!! Shocked beyond words... What if Cha's condition really stem from the heart itself? Judging from Cha's intense pain on Sun, it don't really seem like muscle problem as muscle problem usually goes away in a few days, so Cha decided not to take the tablets and asked the health center to schedule another appointment with a REAL DOCTOR today, who specialises in sports injury by the way, but better than nothing. At least a real doctor can refer him to a real specialist if there is a need to...

I think Merryland Uni's health center is LOUSY...First, they refused to let him see a real doctor even when it's chest pain, secondly, they anyhow prescribed dangerous medicine for him, and the most angry part is when Cha requested to see a doc on Mon because of the intense pain the day before, the heath care center refused to let him see the doctor earlier, must wait for the appointment on Wed Afternoon... So if it's heart attack, also must wait for the scheduled appointment lar??!! Who says Spore is too rigid and always goes by the books? In this respect, Singapore pales in comparison with this O'mighty country. Fumed by their lack of urgency in areas that they should...And I still can remember how the women's health doctor referred me to sonogram check up on the WRONG breast...PENGZ!

Arlington Sightseeing

2010-03-22T01:42:00.008+08:00

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!! Yaayy..Think it has been almost 6 months since I last wore my singlet out without putting on tons of jacket, gloves, cap, etc...So we decided to go sightseeing at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. It is a huge tourist attraction which we had somehow always missed out in our previous DC trips, largely becuz it was so way off the downtown. But apparently, any visitor who tour DC must visit this cemetery! It was very famous as it is a huge burial ground for the American soldiers, the oldest can be dated to even those who died in world war 1! And this cemetery is still in use for any soldier who desires to be buried there, and their wives as well. Most famous gravesite belongs to John F Kennedy and his family where there's a special memorial that was dedicated to them...

The cemetery is really huge..think we walked for three hours to cover all major attractions. The amphitheater is grand and nice, used to be a stage for motivational speaker fighting for freedom and honour their soldiers etc etc...

We spent the afternoon in Georgetown. It was ssooooo crowded, and we can hardly find a parking lot. In the end, Cha paid 16 bucks for 1 hour and less than 5 minutes at a private parking garage...damn..we overshot by 5 min so must pay the hourly rate. Anyway this town was like Spore's Orchard Road, but was mainly unsheltered. Got herds of people, cuz weather really good on Sat.. many shops lined the street but quite hard to walk on the pavement without knocking into anyone else...

Dinner was at Penang Restaurant in downtown. Ambience was very westernized and fusion style. Food quite good, although the food they served were mainly asian fusion food with Spore, Thai and Malaysia flavors mixed together. A bit overpriced for their satays and roti prata. 2 chicken and 2 beef sticks cost 6USD!!! SIAO! Roti Prata also...one very thin slice cost 5 bucks...wah lao..think I can open a store here and make lots of $$$...

Hehe...lucky we got food coupon lor! we paid $10 bucks only for $35 worth of coupon...we topped up a bit cuz the bill exceeded liao..so all in all quite worth lo...but dun think we will ever go and eat at its original price leh...

Food Updates

2010-03-22T01:37:00.000+08:00

Weekend Updates

2010-03-14T01:07:00.004+08:00

Had TGIF for dinner on last Sat again. Their set dinners were extremely good value for money which cost USD 12.99 for a huge appetizer, main course with a good selection of choices, plus a dessert, which can be a cheesecake or a chocolate brownie. There is no where else which can rival this value set, not even the food court! hehe...hope this promo will last until we return to Spore so that we can always head out here when we are on a tight budget...

Today had an early dinner at PF Chang again, this time to grab its early bird happy hour rate. Many starters were slashed to almost half price if we dine in before six! hehe...another good value...We ordered three starters and two mains, fried rice and lo mein, and ended up taking away the huge amount of left over food, which can be our lunch for tomorrow lor...I particularly like the American culture where they advocate takeaway of any leftover so that food are not wasted, I think that Singapore's western style cafes should learn with respect to this regard!

After dinner, we went strolling in Columbia Mall to exercise our overstretched tummies and shun bian visit our most beloved pet shop. This time we played with a tiny chi hua hua who was only about 10.5 weeks old. She's very very adorable...so tiny and blur blur...maybe becuz she just came into this world, so still dunno how to react to people and her surroundings yet...

These few weeks had been crazy for me le...so many assignments, projects, mid terms and papers that are due back-to-back...Have to wake up early in the morning and piah all the way till after midnight...so hardworking and tiring...had wanted to slack thru my last semester, but it seems not possible liao..

Dinner @ TGIF on 6 Mar 10

2nd Wedding Anniversary @ Virginia Beach

2010-03-01T00:52:00.002+08:00

Wow, time really passed so fast, it's already our second wedding anniversary!! Had expected Cha to bring me to some good restaurant to celebrate our anniversary on last Friday, but I got a shock when Cha told me to pack up for a short getaway trip on Thur night! WEEEEEEEEEE!!! We went to Virginia Beach which was a good 4 hour drive away.. Although I had to leave tonnes of homework behind, but I was really happy to go for a short short trip! To celebrate our anniversary at a beach front was so nice and romantic...Cha booked Marriott Springhill Suites which he redeemed from the points we have accumulated. Our ocean front room was so NICEEEE!! The bed was by the full length window which had a balcony directly facing the Atlantic Ocean!! Think it was the first time in my life getting to see sunrise from the bed, although my eyes could hardly open when the sun was rising...Haa..Cha was already at the balcony taking loads of sunrise pics while I was still pigging out.

Dinner on first evening was at Mahi Mah's restaurant. The food was nice and ambience was quite good, although a bit noisy from our neighboring tables. It was supposed to be a candlelight dinner! Cha had oysters and ordered the sashimi plate...can tell he enjoyed the food lor...esp sucking the oysters, can see the eyes rolling upwards.. lol~~ I ordered a seafood mix with broth...very delicious too!

The second day was spent taking pics by the beach front. I realized Virginia Beach was really quiet during winter, probably it was too cold for beaching le...shops closed early, and not many people at the beach...was nice though, cuz the stay was really peaceful and quiet..and we can just spend the day strolling by the boardwalk and ocean without running into people everywhere. Buffet breakfast was good, supposed to be award winning, but definitely lose out to Singapore hotels' international breakfast lar..boo~ Again confirmed my thought that Americans missed out a lot on good food in their lives man~

Afternoon we went whale watching..but sad to say, after having the freezing wind slapped our faces for 2 full hours, there was not a single whale in sight, haiz...lazy whales..dunno go where to sleep liao...spent $56 staring at the horizon between the sky and sea and have to bear with the cold wind some more leh...LAAAAA~~~ To console ourselves, I guess it's the company that counts bah..=p

Second dinner on the actual anniversary date was at Roackafeller's restaurant. Their crabmeat balls were damn good la, no fillers at all...Their main portions were really huge too...the grilled tuna and salmon were so thick, I cannot finish my vegetables and potatoes. Very worth leh...salad + main course + dessert = $13.99 only!! wahhaa, cuz it was the happy hour mah...had the dinner early so Cha can drive the long way back~

This second wedding anniversary was a memorable and happy one, which I will remember for years to come... But it was toooo shorttt!! We made a pact on the boat that we will visit Hawaii again on our 10th year wedding anniversary~~~hehe~ Looking forward to it...Think my honeymoon will be something like this, just relax by the ocean, having spa, shopping, strolling...~~ Hmm...should be nice...If we take city tour, then will be too rushed and exhausting liao...

Thanks Cha for all the planning done, it was really enjoyable with a lot of good food! Hope we will always stay so happy and loving in the future! But I guess that the most memorable part was when we were exchanging cards, cuz WE BOUGHT THE SAME CARDS FOR EACH OTHER!! PENGZZZ!! We laughed so hard until I had tears coming out. So funni...and yet, so special, cuz this shows that we share the same frequency! =D

CNY Celebration @ Singapore Embassy

2010-02-22T01:15:00.006+08:00

Wahaha~~ Free food by embassy again...of cuz have to go and eat! We got pay tax one leh~ As usual, their siew bah and char siew...sucks..Cream puffs really good! And hor..feel like kicking myself for forgetting to bring my ID to enjoy their FREE FLOW of ANY alcoholic drinks..Half the guests there are ang mors...I feel disturbed why these ang mors can be let in to splurge on our food, on our tax income! Hmm..prob is to promote Singapore tourism? Or worse, to attract foreign talent? Are we crushing our own foot with a rock? And how come we don't get free food and drinks back in Spore? Hmm...Food for thought..

CNY Celebration @ Home

2010-02-22T01:08:00.000+08:00

Prepared similar dishes as last year's CNY feast, except for the garlic prawns, for our mini reunion dinner. Think this will be the last yr we will celebrate CNY with each other le bah...Every yr from now we wun be so lonely as we will have lotsa family and friends to celebrate CNY de..Think this is what CNY is all about! REUNION~~ Here no ba gua, no Msia durians, no pineapple tarts~~ nvm....at least we won't gain so much weight as a result of eating those new yr cookies lor...Managed to get some frozen Thai durian from Kam San thou...better than nothing!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T01:10:00.004+08:00

Had a huge surprise when Cha returned home with roses yesterday. He went to Safeway to buy flowers on the pretext of going to school, but I blur la, din even know the school was closed on Fri and really thought he would be going to school to do his stuff...Never did I expect that he will come back one hr later with a bouquet of flowers in his hands! wahahah~~ Although roses on V-Day are exorbitantly expensive, but I guess girls still like to receive flowers sometimes bah...not every year, but sometimes a surprise like this is more meaningful than when flowers are expected every year...I really thought Cha would give me flowers only on our wedding anniversary! heh..

Had an early celebration at Copper Canyon Restaurant for V-Day, as tomolo I'm planning to prepare a CNY feast as a reunion dinner lor...and also if we have dinner outside today, it will not be that expensive as V-day menu is not out yet...Wah, this weekend so sinful sia, have so much food for Sat and Sun...must really lose weight before going back to Spore for a second round of food indulgence liao...

School work has been really hectic for me since school starts. Homework, projects and readings seem to pile up endlessly and a whole week of class load starts again when I barely managed to finish the work for the previous week..sian..But I still enjoy student life better than a working adult lor..haha...

Another snow storm occurred again on last Tue, dubbed as Snoverkill, bringing the total snow level to a new record high...Now there are so much snow everywhere, and are even covering some of the road lanes and parking lots lor.. At first I thought snow was so fun and pretty but later on I realise that too much snow will cause a lot of inconvenience to commuting and as a result ppl are unable to carry on with their usual life...When we drove out today, it took us significantly longer time to reach our usual destination at Columbia Mall, as several lanes were closed due to snow. And hor, ppl could not find parking lots easily as the staff had to store the snow on huge parking areas, so supply quite limited ah..lucky we managed to get one lot pretty quickly... I think the snow will take weeks to melt lor, since temp is really freezing these few days. And...we are expecting another snow session again on Mon...arrrrhhhh...This means my class will likely be cancelled liao...Waste my school fees~

May the start of the new year mark a new, happy beginning for all. Happy Chinese New Yr to everyone! GONG XI FA CAI!!!~~~

Having Fun with Snowmageddon

2010-02-07T01:30:00.007+08:00

Although this Snowmageddon, as termed by Obama, has caused a lot of inconveniences, stalled traffic and turned the whole city into a dead town, but it was really nice to be part of history, as snow level in some areas really reached record high! So for the past two days, we stayed in the comfort of our home studying hard and turning couch potatos, and also got to see, thru our huge window, on how the storm dumped thirty inches of snow in 2 days, slowly burying the cars. True to the forecast, the sky really snowed non-stop for more than 30 hours...

And we went down to take pictures again when the snowfall started to subside today, the snow reached knee-level as we tried to make our way to different parts of our estate to take pictures with the snow sia...I think ppl looking out of the windows would think we are siao eh...so cold and in the middle of the snow storm why still take so many pics..heheh... lucky we thick skin leh...Wah seh..the wind was really very strong, up to the point where it picked up all the snow and started blowing into our faces, making it hard for us to see, and even breathe properly... But we dun care eh...we managed to take pictures during pockets of time when the wind was weaker. Also had snowball fights with Cha, he was so evil to throw so much snow at me! HUMPH! Not gentleman at all leh, should not retaliate when I hurled snow at him ma..heheh..

Anyway, it had just stopped snowing and people are struggling to clear up all the snow away from the cars and the pavements..poor thing, lucky our car's parking lot did not accumulate that much snow...It is still a dead town outside, and the roads will prob be quite empty tomorrow bah, since there are still tons of snow on the roads and tomorrow's weather is going to be unusually chilly...

Food Updates

2010-02-07T00:52:00.000+08:00

Called in pizza and wings delivery during the first snowfall on 31 Jan 10. Too difficult to drive on the slippery road to any restaurant liao...but the pizza was really comforting in the midst of snowy weather!

Snowpocalypse

2010-02-05T19:30:00.002+08:00

Have not seen so much snowing in a week before. It has been literally snowing since last Sat, except Mon and Thurs... And we did not even stock up any food before the heavy snow on last Sat! Were trying to drive out to H-Mart on that Sat afternoon when the car skidded again on the highway. We were really scared of skidding since that Alaska incident, thus we turned back home without getting any grocery for the week...Lucky we bought two chicken packs on Fri at Safeway liao, so we survived on those le...

Another huge storm warning for this long weekend, this time we are smarter, we got to the supermarket ahead of the crowds to get our grocery and stock up on staple food in case of power outage. Read from the news that the Washingtonians were in a panic state and had ransacked the supermarkets empty of milk and bread this morning. Hmm..actually the forecast was out since Mon, why did they have to do such last minute shopping leh?

It had already begun snowing heavily since 1 pm this afternoon, and will continue non-stop up to Sat night. This would be the second snow storm in 2 months, a first in the past 100 years, and threatening to make another historic record in terms of accumulated snow, could be up to 30 inches! Wahahah...can build snowman liao...so we are going to stay holed in for the next few days le, very sian..had been wanting to go out on Sat, I'm so bored!!!! No choice but to stay home because of the hazardous driving conditions for the past two Sats...Hope no power outage ah, or else how to cook???!!

Photoshoot @ Annapolis

2010-01-24T23:50:00.008+08:00

Had a great time at Annapolis on Sat, the capital city of Maryland state...This was a charming historical town, and home to the US navy in Maryland. A perfect place to take photos! Although it was a little too cold, we had lotsa fun taking pictures trying different poses..haha... good for our wedding montage sia...And of cuz this was a good experience for Cha to try out his honourable new camera =p

Dinner was at McGarvey's saloon & oyster bar, although we did not have any oyster la. The fried fish steak with roni pasta which I ordered was not suited to my taste, but their new england clam chowder was thick and creamy! Dessert was good too. This dinner was quite worth as it costs ard USD 17 inclusive of soup, main and dessert, with a nice ambience. This price is considered quite rare in the US de...Hope we have a chance to visit Annapolis again when the weather is warmer!

But one thing very sian, school is starting this week!!! I can already feel the heat of the super hectic course schedule, and Cha is also working feverishly on his thesis ahead of sch reopening. Why does winter break pass so fasssttt???!!

Ah Yun's Egg Tarts!

2010-01-22T23:50:00.002+08:00

First time making egg tarts! Very proud of the final product, hehe...Although cannot be compared to Tong Lok's dim sum egg tart standard, but it's definitely more value for money than egg tarts sold in the US =D

Life Updates

2010-01-20T22:40:00.001+08:00

Pics of food again! Thinking of trying out different dishes before sch reopens and homework starts wearing me out again...Made a second attempt at pumpkin pie and chicken baked rice. Both turned out much nicer than the first time..hehe happy...

Hong Kong style egg tarts are next on the list! Need to get one more ingredient from Safeway though..

Went to PF Chang, a chinese restaurant for the first time on last Sat. Had wanted to dine there several times in the past but always ended up at Cheesecake Factory as we perceive it as more value for $$ and they got a wide selection of very delicious cheesecakes. Turned out to be very satisfied with the chinese food at Chang's, cuz more authentic and their Mongolian beef is so ultra delicious. Remind me of my all-time favorite hot plate deer meat back in Singapore...yummy~

Farewell Dinner @ TGIF

2010-01-14T21:30:00.001+08:00

Both Cha and I are now down with sore throat, runny nose and cough, the perfect recipe for a flu man...The flu started from me, then spreaded to Cha, so I confirm that we are not having swine flu, since Cha was already vaccinated from H1N1...

Had a farewell dinner with Cha's buddy, Occa and his family yesterday at TGIF, before they return to Australia next week. He's a good friend who is always there to help when we have problems. Will never forget how he braved through the slippery snow roads to give us a lift to the airport. Had wanted to give them a treat yesterday, but they snatched the bill from us and foot it instead...so paiseh... Can tell Cha and Occa are quite sad to part with each other, hehe... They had spent more time with each other than with their wives lor...Sometimes even jealous of Occa..haha...anyway...they look so "gay" when they are together...It was funny to see them talk to each other like lovers, and do it openly in front of me somemore... LOL

Hope we have a chance to visit them in Melbourne!