Thursday, December 25, 2008
So fast, my first Xmas in Merryland is coming to an end...It's my second straight year that my Xmas Eve was spent without Pink Army, last yr Xmas I was on a Taiwan trip with my family... Really missed the 一年一度 gathering with the usual gift exchanges since we were in sec 2??? It has always been a grand affair for the Pinkies to dress up for the night and countdown together..macham like the Star Award lidat... haha... Although this yr there were only Cha and myself on the Eve, but Chaaa surprised me with a Xmas Present under the Xmas tree!! haha...it was there all along since dinner last nite but as I'm quite short sighted, I couldn't really see anything under the tree...It was only after the Xmas countdown then Chaa asked me to look under the tree for the present -_-" I got a camera!!! My FIRST CAMERA in my life..my gosh..so touched... I even feel a bit paiseh that I din get anything for Chaaa...
The Xmas dinner tonight was sumptuous, we roasted our own turkey!!! hehe, so excited..never washed and marinated such a big bird before..although Chaa did most of the work la..hehe.. We also made our own mashed potato with gravy, butter garlic prawns and broccoli with carrots... all were delicious lor!! But the bird was simply too big, we could only finish around one third of it..will have to eat leftovers from this bird for a few days liao... The dinner was accompanied by dessert wine, simply shiok... As for dessert, we bought a tiramisu cake from a supermarket nearby, cost us 13 bucks lor!! I wanted a log cake but it was not sold here leh... The clean up work was tedious lor...Chaa ended up scrubbing the oven cuz the fluids from the bird overspilled... 茶。。。辛苦你了﹗﹗
My very first camera, in baby pink!! nice hor...
Self prepared Xmas Dinner, too much food for 2 persons liao lar...
Proudly presenting self-roasted turkey- It's an unexpected success!!=D
The chefs with the food~
11:31 PM
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Cha and I made an impromptu trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for an overnight stay at Omni Independence Park Hotel last Sun...It was freezing all the way...even the water puddles on the roads and the water droplets on the tree branches freezed to motionless. We toured the downtown area, taking lots of pics in the State of Independence for eg. the second bank of the US, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Alfreths Alley and City Hall. Decided to cut short the trip the next day, cuz it was simply too cold liao...my hands were aching becuz of the chill lor! But overall..it's a nice retreat for both of us..and hor Chaa and I cannot stop watching the tv in the hotel, cuz we are simply too deprived of tv for months liao! heh..
Our hotel room
The Second Bank of The United States
The Liberty Bell
This is where the Declaration of Independence was signed in the 1700s. The place is original leh!
Philly's Cheese Steak: Comforting hot food in winter~
Alfreths Alley, the first houses built in Philly (also in 1700s)!
Various Pics of City Hall
John F Kennedy's "Love"
8:27 PM
Friday, December 19, 2008
After the Golden Bride, I have been keeping myself busy with the latest HK drama "The Gem of Life" from online videos. As only half the series is out, I finished 41 episodes within 3 days. This show is very nice and fast paced, too bad have to wait patiently for the rest of the episodes which will be uploaded, soon I hope. Then, as I'm very sick of korean dramas, I decided to try watching the recently hyped channel 8 show "小娘惹"... hmm..really nice...Finally I see a productive Spore drama after so long liao, which poses a stark contrast to the recent trend with a focus on "family and societal" issues, which are all somehow repetitive of one another... very sian one...Nowadays Spore dramas no longer reflect the sort of quality the then "SBC" dramas have, with more daring themes and interesting cast in shows like "Shuang Tian Zhi Jun" and "Zhui Hou Yi Ge Da Xia", which are my fav shows of all times when I was in primary sch leh...
Have been watching "小娘惹" from youtube, must they cast such a blockbuster in a year when I'm away with no ready access to TV??? Haizz... Youtube videos only load till episode 17, also dunno whether the loader will finish all loading or not..later hanging halfway without knowing the ending, will be very frustrating one...looking at the nyonya kueh in the show really makes my mouth water leh...I want to eat so much!!! Esp kueh lapis...sobzz... I also like the nyonya costume in the show, the designs are all very intricate, and shows off the figure a lot..hehe...From this show then I recall Cha is one quarter baba cuz his grandma is a nyonya...haha..maybe if got chance will wear for my wedding shoot bah=D
Cha's final paper is tomorrow...soon he will have more time for me and can go anywhere we wan at anytime le..yaayyy!!! But may have to clean up the house a bit and pack up for our trip next wk le... wahh.. so excited!
12:08 AM
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
I am watching korean drama "golden bride" now... now at episode 55, starting to feel the drag liao, the heartless dad still haven acknowledged his illegitimate daughter; 10 more episodes to go...kambatte!!!
As we move towards 2009, beyond the golden quarter century age of 25, I suddenly feel so old, and forced to be a real adult...I wonder what will happen to me in the next ten years... Will I have kids by then? and what will I be working as? What will be my new home be like, etc.. Will Chaa still be the same to me? hmm...life is unpredictable... the tragedy of the Singapore hostage in Mumbai bothered me for quite some time, cuz she was at the pinnacle of her life, with a successful career and a loving husband, with no idea that her ending will be like that...
Like Cha's mom had said, the world is becoming a scary place to be. Terrorists have no regard for human lives, violence is now the new trend to resolve problems in this world. Or if suay enough, one may die unknowingly under the gunshot of a depressed or sadist person who just want many people to perish with him by firing relentlessly in class or on the street. This is not uncommon in the States, where people are allowed to carry guns. Make us fearful whenever we are outside. Even when kana bullied also have to keep a low profile and bear with it, just in case the other party has a violent tendency...
Haizz... Guess I've turned into a coward as I'm growing older... -_-"
*
Sidetrack a bit...as commented by my colleague on my fb, 漂亮的胖子 really looks like a terrorist leh! So scary~ muz make him wear a pink cap next time =D
10:25 PM
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
My fall semester is finally over, did pretty well for all my classes, but Chaaa still piahing for his projects and exams, will take another 2 weeks before he could take a break.. Meanwhile I'm living like a queen, hehe, everyday wake up at noon, watch dramas, cook meals and watch dramas again till two am bfore I go to sleep. Everyday also lidat. Sometimes sian, cuz Chaa has no time for me at all, but at least I get to do what I enjoy now... Cha'll be finishing his exam on 19 dec..hehe must go celebrate that evening, no need cook dinner yaayyy!!
Also looking forward to Xmas, hope it will snow that day and let us experience a white xmas over here!! hehe..but seriously weather here sometimes too cold liao, like yesterday can dip to -9 degC. But tomorrow weather forecast that the temp can go up to 17 degC, so erratic... this kind of climate will get sick easily one...Sometimes dunno whether to boil "liang teh" to bring down heatiness better or brew herbal soup to drive the chill away better...
Then we will be embarking on a vacation trip for abt 3 weeks. Will take a plane down to Denver then drive down to various national parks: Arches, Mesa Verde, Canyonland, Death Valley, Yosemite, Bryce and Zion; and to cities: Las Vegas, San Fransciso, Los Angeles and San Diego. I'm so excited!!! Especially looking forward to San Francisco, where we can visit the prison island which had imprisoned several notorious criminals in the past...and of cuz to celebrate Cha's bday le =D
Hiaz but until then, Chaaa has to work really really hard...
漂亮的胖子﹐加油吧﹗
(* Chaaa likes to call himself that, hehe...)
3:29 PM
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Was invited by Cha's classmate, Occa to a Thanksgiving lunch today. My first time celebrating Thanksgiving... I dun even know what is the festival abt, but it seems like a big hoo-ha in the States. Actually most of us at the lunch don't celebrate Thanksgiving cuz only one is American, the rest are from Australia and Denmark... But the whole intention was to get- together on a holiday for international students bah, since we all have no family here...Their house is HUGE lor! Three storey house for a family size of 4. Occa and his wife, Wendy are from Australia and also on scholarship to study here, but their govt so gd, sponsor this super big house with nice furniture, not like Singapore so kiam on us, we are only able to get a small apartment unfurnished lor... somemore we are thinking of downgrading our house to save on rent lor..haiz..but cannot complain la, better than none, anyway I think my current place is quite cozy also...=D
Today was the first time I saw the complete turkey bird, it was gigantic and delicious! Cha and I brought some Chinese food, char siew, sweet and sour pork, pork meat balls and green vege from the Chinese eatery, but seems like they were not popular, pretty much untouched, maybe becuz the char siew tasted like shit lor... I love Occa's kids, Alice and May, both look like barbie dolls, and their cheeks are so red and chubby. Had a really full lunch and dessert at their house, so later Cha and I skipping dinner le...
Helping to peel sweet potato skins~
Alice~ The cutie baby
Looks like a family portrait hor, hehe...the elder sis is May~
Yummy Turkey!
Chaaa's classmates and friends: Occa, Wendy, Jason, Hayley, Marc, Emily and Mio
7:20 PM
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
I passed my driving test here!! Wahahah...so nervous during the past few days, I HATE driving tests...Took 6 points off for not observing traffic, though my car was the only one around in the circuit... Cha also passed the test with me today and we will get our US driver licenses in 2 weeks time!! Hooray!! I obtained the license is only to make our insurance cheaper, so don't think I will drive alone much, cuz the roads here are the opposite of Singapore's traffic, and drivers here are more reckless, so driving here can be quite stressful...
12:48 PM
Saturday, November 22, 2008
** Decide to change my blog skin again cuz have some problems formatting my photos and I was rather pissed off with it...
Wanted to do something outdoorsy today due to sunny weather, so we happened to chance upon this Washington Monument State Park after we made a disappointing trip to the Ohio and Canal Historical Park (it was closed today). Well...nothing fanciful, just a jumbo size furnace to commemorate Washington...it was really cold today, hovering below and at freezing point... Don't understand y it's so cold during fall.. it even snowed yesterday while I was cooking maggie mee, and IT'S ONLY AUTUMN!!! Heard from Cha's classmates that this winter is going to be a very harsh one with heavy snowfall... even now I cannot tahan liao, and wrapped until l look like a long dumpling liao, so wad will happen to me in winter??? haiz...
Anyway Cha and I bought a mini Xmas tree and bought lots of decor for the tree..hehe..now my house got Xmas feel liao...looking forward to Xmas this yr, planning to grill turkey for xmas meal leh =D
Meanwhile, have to piah 2 papers this week before my semester comes to an end..so fast...but a bit stress cuz my paper not even half done yet...need to jia you liao..
Washington Monument State Park (Check out my new boots!! hehe..)
The Monument itself- Nothing much actually leh..
So damn cold..brrhhh~
Our faces were turning numb, Chaaa also cannot take it liao...
"M" on my cap stands for Maryland..hehe..
That's the gloves and scarf Pinkies gave me!!
Eh...we accidentally made the wrong turn and came to this place (still muz take pic...)
My new haircut (uploaded on request)..look how blunt the base of my hair is.. some layers don't flow with the rest of my hair..haiz.. dunno if appreciation of beauty is different here...
My First Xmas Tree (Cha and I did this tree together, we are so proud of it =D)
11:56 PM
Friday, November 14, 2008
Some classic pics of Cha's double chins..haha
Genting: Jul 07
ROM: 27 Feb 08
Vienna: May 08
Washington: Aug 08
Baltimore: Last week
Conclusion: Cha's double chins never got smaller lor..hehe *evil grin*
2:29 PM
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Did a second ultrasound scan yesterday at the Washington Radiology Clinic. Woosh..the good news, lumps are either stable or growing smaller, and some cysts even disappear! So relieved... I so scared if worsen need to do biopsy which involves a thick needle inserting into the affected area to obain cells for lab testings..painful lor! And no hundred percent accuracy, end up getting poked a few times *faint*! Need to do a third follow-up in six months time..maybe somewhere in May ba.. if everything stable and not growing bigger, I no need do anymore ultrasound le, just self examine will be sufficient...yaayy! So damn scared when I was lying on the bed yesterday while waiting for the doc to comment on my condition, made my tummy hurt and feel like going diarrhoea, but was wearing the medical gown and dunno where the toilet was, so had to bear with it throughout the entire scanning process..then made me wait alone in the changing room for 45 min before my turn, so damn cold in that scanty gown lor! But get to read a lot of magazines to update myself on gossip la..hehe
Very relieved of the results. But hope that the next consultation will yield the same diagnosis, cuz if any grows bigger, likely have to do biopsy which I'm so scared of... Realize diet control does help, eat organic chicken meat, no soybean and drink my mum's herbal tea all play a part I guess.. Most impt, I'm less stressed over here as I'm starting to adapt to my new life, and get to exercise in the gym occasionally..I guess this routine hav to be maintained for the rest of my life... I realize the importance of health over these few mths... I used to take it for granted that I'm young and hav a long healthy way to go...but not necessary...Without a healthy body, everything else is meaningless, no matter how much money one has..also cannot make up for the opportunties lost with an ailing health.
10:18 AM
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Dunno y Cha was so excited abt the ESPN Zone cafe...
Waiting for dolphins to come out...
Wearing the 4-D specs in queue for the 4D show...
Stamps for re-entry..but we din go in again lar...
Nite sceneries: similar to clarke quay
Pork pulls with two types of fries...
Cha not full with his small servings of food...
Another set of pics from my Sat spent at the National Aquarium, Baltimore today. The aquarium was huge, five storeys high, but cost us $28 for each person. The tix also entitled us entry to a dolphin show and the 4D Immersion theatre lar. But hor not that worth it, cuz the dolphin show not spectacular at all, lose out to spore zoo's one leh...the dolphins only somersalted a few times and clapped their hands, so I was rather shocked when the show ended and I was still anticipating a climax performance from the dolphins lor..waste of money... But hor, a nice change from the previous Sats of "window" shopping lar... dun really like shopping here cuz I realize all the malls have similar shops so even if we go to different malls every week, basically we are seeing the same things, very sian one...Dinner was at J Paul near the aquarium, was really full with the pork pulls and fries, and their cocktail was huge and cheap (ard $7.50 for a huge glass)!
11:46 PM
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Daylight saving occurs at 2am in the morning today, which means we have to turn the clock back for one hr. A strange feeling...cuz we sort of gained one hr today for sleeping. Ha of cuz have to pay it back in Spring lar... Now I'm 13 hrs behind in Spore time.. sibei sian.. means I have to wake up earlier one hr every wk to call home..wahaha
Last Fri was my first Halloween in the States. Well...din hav much festive feel here leh.. I tot will have kids come knocking on our door leh, cuz I see a lot of kids staying at my block ma, in the end, we bought so much chocolates and not a single witch or dracula came to our door..disappointing..humph..still tinking of taking pics with them de..lol
Btw, to pinkies and frens...last Sat we went to another shopping outlet mall, and we found a COACH outlet leh!! woohoo..! Cha bought me one coach bag, cuz my old bag crack open liao..hehe..so those who wan me ship some bags back can mass collate and let me know de, and the next time i go shd be in spring or summer le...hehe..
1:50 PM
Proudly presenting self-roasted turkey- It's an unexpected success!!=D
Philly's Cheese Steak: Comforting hot food in winter~
John F Kennedy's "Love"
That's the gloves and scarf Pinkies gave me!!
Washington: Aug 08
Baltimore: Last week