mid-air in the skies....

Wrote this to while on the flight to Taipei...written on 24 Feb 1115am.

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Here I am sitting alone on SQ872...Just finished watching "Juno". Nice show.
I like Ellen Page..at least I think that's the lead actress' name.
Young teenage girl who's wiser beyond her years...I like the way she carries herself.
Sort of a cross between an innocent young teenage girl and a street punk.

Just had a brunch of chicken sausages, scrambled eggs and a little bit of chocolate truffle cake...
Food not too bad I musat say..pity I couldn't finish the cake..didn't want to eat to much in case the tummy goes haywire again...As it is, it's not been doing well lately hmm mm..

Listening to classical music now while jotting down my thoughts..

Feeling better now, I can breathe easier...Felt a little constricted just now..nose was a little stuck too..Was having the jitters. Bopian..Can't blame me lah.. haha...
Virgin time flying alone, at the grand old age of 27...Anyway, I always get like this whenever I fly...so...oh well...the nervous paranoid me...

It's 11 now. I'll be reaching Taipei in about 1.5 hours time. It's a 4h 30mins journey...virgin trip alone..bleah, I can;t go to the washroom without dragging my full luggage with me haha..Leychey, carrying a laptop bag, my own handbag...and a suitcase...

Hope the weather is good..There's reports of possible rain..and so, the auntie me brought a brolly along just in case...Hope it doesn't get too cold too...It;s funny, I was darn sleepy just now..but after sitting down, I don't feel that tired anymore...

Wonder how the room will be? Finished reading Sunday Times already...Think no choice, nothing to do..will just go catch 40 winks...

DSD: Dim Sum Dollies!

Wrote this while on the flight to Taipei...

===============
Watched Dim Sum Dollies on Friday night. Was supposed to go with ahboy but the big D 9for diarrhoea) hit him....and so....I went with HB instead.
A surprising companion...as epitomised by Daniel's big reaction of a single word or sound or whatever you call it..."WAH...!!"

But oh, he followed it up with a phrase "Err...Will it be weird?" Lol..
.

The play/show was fantastic. Hossan Leong was fantastic!! One who watches the play will be gripped by laughter from start to end. English, Mandarin, Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese...were used. I'm glad I understood most of the phrases uttered and all of the jokes presented to us.
But I wondered if those Caucasionas watching the play would understand the jokes...

Because the whole play wsa based on local references, on local issues, on SG's historical events...Witty jokes, subtle references to the government blatant to the ruling party and the well-renowned MM.

Hilarious moments were well-balanced with emotinal undertones. Clever twists and impersonations were accompanied by paradoxical references to nationalistic pride....It was gooood..Lotsa references to the current situation SG is facing. The ruling party, the political situation, the economy, the police & their ring-fencing, F1, en bloc sales, the IR project, sarong party girls, etc etc etc Lotsa past history & references were made as well...opium, world war 2, the split with the Malayan Federation, the formaiton of PAP, etc...

Hossan was wonderful. Every appearance he had on stage brought a certain twang to the atmosphere. Witty, totally comfortable in his own skin. Talentedm abosolutely talented.

I like Selena Tan, but I think she's overrated. haha...Pam Oei, um, I don't quite have a good impression of her but she's okay in the show..

I like Emma Yong though. She was great. Full voice! Her singing was good and resonating and well-controlled...Figure not bad too haha...Contrite & precise pronunciations....

A definite must watch...If the show runs again next year I'll go again...
With Ahboy this time round I hope.

zzzz....

Hmm...Jas left liao...

Handling some of her duties..Piangzz...

Corporate Tax, Financial Audit, Internal Audit, Professional Indemnity Insurance, Directors/Officers' Insurance, Admin Matters, ISO, Budget....

Hmm mm...1st time dealing with Financial Matters....*faint*

The non-numerical me..doing numerical stuff...

LOL....



===========

Stomach spoil again...Woke this morning feeling weird.

Felt a bit giddy last night during dinner with Mr Bull...Sweet thing sent me home...Abit paiseh haha cos he had to take the MRT home...



I'm spoiling!!!

The Perpetual Procrastinator

There you go..Budget is out..
Hurrah, better public assistance scheme, greater subsidies for adult PT education and better bursaries for students, more help for start-up business...
you know, the whole gamut...

And then I saw a bullet point highlighted...Cheaper Liquor.
Cheaper vodka, whiskey, brandy, the whole works.
Oh wow, and I thought there was an extensive media report on how the youths in SG are drinking their $$ away...and how this phenomenon has to be curbed..
Now they've gone to make it even cheaper...

Good news for the pubbies & clubbies...DRINK ON folks!!!!
The theme for this year is GUZZLE GUZZLE GUZZLE!!

Me? Nah...Realised I cannot drink much anymore...
Not a matter of holding my liqour or what...
But my stomach seems intent to be at odds with me...
Even the horoscope for Monkeys this year said something about needing to take care of intestinal & stomach related problems...
So oh well...moderation is key...
2-3 glasses of red wine and yeah, that just about does okay for my stomach.
Anything more and a warning lurch looms up.

===========
A simple dinner in a simple place..
A simple conversation and a nice companion..
That just about makes a formula for a nice Friday evening..

A bowl of sliced fish mee sua, a can of green tea.
A plate of grilled mackeral with rice, a can of liang cha.
A nice little corner table in Food Republic at Suntec.

Voila...c'est une bonne fois avec mon copain, Monsier Taureau.
Voila, it was great time with my friend, Mr Bull.

===========
The Orh-Cheh is still apparent on my left inner elbow...:(
The swell has subsided abit but there's still a small lump...:(
I never ever want to let anyone draw my blood again!!! :(

Hope my test results come back good..in about 2-3 weeks' time.
Hope my cholesterol level is fine..Hope everything is fine!!!

My BMI turned out low haha..below average...17.75
My blood pressure is fine...

===========
I have class later again..xianzz...
Supposed to be bathing by now..and I am still here typing away...

Oh me, the Perpetual Procrastinator...
*shakes head*

Ah Long!

Watched "Ah Long Pte Ltd" just now..It's one of the funniest movies I've seen in quite a long time..I'd safely say..without Mark Lee, the movie will be a flop...
He was the star of the show...rubber-faced, rubber-bodied...expressive, comedic...I'd say he knows himself well...:) Fann Wong looked too pretty-faced to be a Da Jie Da though..

Hokkien, Cantonese and Mandarin filled the dialogues...English & Mandarin subtitles peppered the screen...Shall recommend for my two old folks to go and watch too...

Really laughed like mad cows just now..It's fun to laugh together as an audience..
Think of it as a weird bonding session with strangers...

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Received a stalk of rose today from Uncle Png...kinda funny.. haha cos I really don't know him well..Just a word or two in the pantry when we happen to meet..that's about it...
But he wsa nice enough to "award" me with a single stalk of red rose this afternoon...=)

Les left a pink soft toy rose on my desktop...lol...with a message that said "From your Secret Admirer" haha...goondu...Got a Tatty Bear card from Mr Bull...and 2 pieces of Rocher chocs from the company...

==========
Uh-oh..I forgot I'm actually having gastric flu..Had some fried chicken just now cos ahboy wanted to snack on something...
Shit, now tummy feeling weird again...

Oh, I didn't mention..I had diarrhoea on Tuesday..Went to the loo for at least 7 times between 1pm till 11pm...To speak crudely...my ass was burning. lol.

Too much good food in a short span of time..

==========
Bad streak of luck on Scrabulous lately..Been losing games here and there...=(
My ratings have dropped from 1700+ points to 1400+ points now...bleah...

==========
David Tao concert on 19th April...might give this a miss since I've gone to both his previous ones already...

MayDay concert on 26th April..will be going for this one...never been to any of theirs before..but heard they are darn good live on stage!!

==========
Colleague leaving...Jasmine..been with the company for at least 7 years already...hmm..some of her things will fall into my lap..I don't mind doing some of her things...

But....damn it. I think ISO will come to me....
Eh seriously leh...why is ISO stalking me??? From LHUB to Achieve and now to IDA???

What more I am new to this place..not sure of the procedures & processes....
Sigh...boss will start chasing me soon liao....

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Think something is wrong with my feet..or their bone structures..
My toes are aching, they frequently get blisters too...I mean, the shoes I wear are still the same as thsoe I wore 6 mths ago...but why do my feet ache more now ??

If the shoes are constant, it means the problem lies with my feet?? :( ugly corns, ugly blister scars..and oh ugly deformed toes!!!

Tired..heading to bed..

The Paradox of the Scales

The Scales. The symbol of the Libra.
The symbol of perfect balance, of equilibrium, of harmony.

Meet me, Michelle. The Paradox of the Scales. The girl born under the sign of the Libra.
Supposedly to be the personification of the Scales, of equilibrium and of balance.
But oh, in reality, anything but.

Maybe I represent a scale which does not have a perfect zero. A scale which needs tuning. A scale more often swinging to and fro, wrangling up and down, than hanging in a sweet sweet balance. A scale more at home being in disequilibrium than in equilibrium?

I like people, yet I crave for my own space.
I am in a crowd, yet I am in my own bubble.

==========
The day started out fine.
Started out good actually, was looking forward to the lunch celebration for Granny's 92nd birthday when an sms came that spoilt the mood for me totally.

Great, on the 4th day of CNY, my kite was flown. My aeroplane was flown.
Now again. For the 2nd year in a row, I have to face 8 relatives and my own family.
And give lame excuses.

Giving me an sms 30mins before we were supposed to meet is unacceptable.
So what, when 2009 CNY comes? I have to come up with reasons, excuses again???
Do I have to???

I hate to say this but it could be granny's last few years celebrating her birthday with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. I was happy when I thought all could turn up, when I was given a promise that I'd see you there. I thought it'd be nice for granny to see everyone having lunch together, singing a birthday song for her.

Guess this is not the year. KNN.
Disappointed.

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After winning 16 games in a row...the time has come for me to lose a few Scrabulous games...
Lost about 4-5 games over the past few days...bleah...

==========
It will be an upcoming week of eating...

Monday lunch - Wah Lok Restaurant at Carlton Hotel
Wednesday lunch - Marina Mandarin Hotel AquaMarine Restaurant
Wednesday dinner - Imperial Treasure at Taka
Thursday lunch - Buffet function in office
Thursday night - Undecided yet but it's a dinner outside..

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I feel like taking a nap but I'm feeling abit irritated..
Hope to be able to catch at least some winks before I head to Peiqi's house for yet another gathering...

Sigh. More food on the way...?

It's a bright bright Tuesday!

Munching on my little piece of raisin cake now. Been a long time since I blogged a long entry during office hours. Oh well, cut me some slack yah.. haha...it’s the festive season and I’m in a slacker mode already…

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Just thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and comment a teeny bit about Edison’s photo scandals…Then again, why should it be a scandal? Or why should it even be considered a scandal? Just cos he’s a celebrity? Just cos he bedded more than 14 actresses? Sigh, pity those ladies in a way…but then again, it’s a matter of choice. Who are we to chastise him? There’s prolly others out there who are doing more than him...but aon’t in the limelight because they are not a celebrity…Oh well, fodder for much much gossip in the tabloids…

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Realised I’ve always been making the same few grouses on separate occasions. Thought I’d just consolidate all and gripe about them in one single breath. Saves time ahhaha lol.

People with blaring headphone/earphone sets on the MRT. Please please please. I know it’s your favourite piece of music but it might not be others…

Public transport….Can you folks just take that little bit of effort to move in abit more? So that others don’t suffocate near the doors?? And can you just not barge in when we are coming out of the trains?? And can you not lean your whole body against the support pole, there are others who need to hold onto it leh!!!

And please, could you just say sorry when you bang/slam/hit someone while you’re walking?

Was in my apartment lift yesterday morning. Held the door open for a whole family to troop out. Not a single person said thanks. Mother, father, two sons and their granny. What the??? It’s no wonder why some kids turn out to be preposterous when they’re grown up….upbringing? I can choose not to hold the door open for you one leh. I can choose to barge my way out before you guys. But I let you guys out first cos there was a granny! And there wasn’t even a single word of thanks, not even a nod of the head. I don’t want to sound racist but...they’re from the smallest proportion of people in SG.

ARGH.

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Was humming a Buble song when walking to office today from the MRT...Was already within Suntec when I passed by an uncle in office attire as well..He stared at me…
I thought to myself “Maybe he thinks I’m nuts”. But smiled a little at him anyway...Lo & behold, he smiled back. A simple smile with a wistful hint that said “Ah, youngsters”.

Lol..it’s the little things like this which makes your day sometimes..:) Well, it got me off to a good start to the day…hope it stays this way! :)
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Ok, hehe, started writing this at 9-plus…now it’s 1030am liaozz…LOL…
Juggler of work & blogging...;p

I'm back from Genting!!

Ok, I did something bimbotic..Well not exactly...shall leave it to you to decide...
I've always thought long lashes were so pretty...
My lashes are of those short and "stubby" type...Not sure if you can use stubby to describe lashes..basically just short, straight and super unable to curl..

Was shopping alone in Genting on Tuesday afternoon..we all split up each to his her own directions...
And I got for myself a pair of fake lashes..long, thick and curling..
But err...I don't really know how to use them now..hmm mm....darn.

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The most sinful thing I did during the 3 days in Genting...
Was to each a cup of steamed corn each day...and well to gorge myself on dimsum on the 2nd day's lunch.. ahha..

You know corn's kinda hard to digest..so well..this morning when I went to poo poo...I realised...darn..the bloody yellow things are still somewhere in me!! haha..
Too much information I know...ahha..;p

Ok, the next sinful thing I did was to gamble at the jackpot.. haha...
Lost about 10RM. Small amount...but hor, I don't understand how people can sit there the whole day and just do nothing but press the button and let the cartoons roll on the screen..
It really takes ZERO brain power and maybe only a little arm/finger strength..

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Slept at 1am last night and was half a zombie at work today...
But am glad some things were cleard during the course of the day's work..=)

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David Tao's back here in April..Shit...dunno if I should go or not...
Kinda running low on finances after some big ticket expenditures in the past 1-2 months...

But I've been to both his previous ones liao..hmm mm....

Itchy Itchy...

sunday..

Some issues bothering me..
Both work and personal..

Not feeling too good. Feeling abit bogged down..

========
Need to go to Golden mile tomorrow at 730am..zzz...
The Genting division retreat starts tomorrow..will only be back on Wednesday night...
And then back to work on Thurs xianzz..

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Recently, there's a group of Prudential people stationed at Tampines Interchange..
And without fail, everyday after work when I walk past them..
At least one guy will stop me..It's really amusing..

From Tues to Friday, every single day a different guy will stop me..lol.
Each with a different tactic..

The one on Thursday was the most hilarious..walked with me for quite a long way..
"excuse me, pls lah, stop!! wait for me..eh don't walk so fast leh! very tiring leh! do you have medishield? I only want to ask you a few questions! hey! wei! wei....!!!!"
haha...

My standard line now is..."I walk here eveyrday and I get stopped everyday already...thanks but no thanks.." haha..

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Have you gotten your CNY stuff?
Frankly, I did not really get any haha..more like those new stuff which I bought over th epast few months but have not worn...those will be my CNY clothes liao I guess.. haha..

No mood to shop too much...There's hordes of people out there..can get giddy just seeing people walk in and out of MRT stations..

Was having dinner by myself at Breko on Saturday evening...Bugis was jam-packed with people..It was disgusting man...The traffic junction between Bugis Junction and Bugis Village was a madhouse in its own right.
People crossing from one side to the other...I think at least 150-200 odd people were trying to cross from both sides...
There were stil lpeple crossing when the man went red liao and the lights turned green liao...taxis were honking and cars were stuck cos people just ignored them ahha...

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heading to bed liao...hope genting won't be too cold..:)

the emo memo!

oh no, the emo days are here again..argh! go away quick!
the below was what i wrote on my journey home..i was on the train..was looking for a piece of sracp paper or something to scribble on...but alas...i did not have any..

at times like this...there's always the trusty phone..with it's SMS "save draft" function...and this was where my words resided...till now...when they are released into the world wide webby.....


...I stand alone. Staring at my reflection in the train window.
People all around me. Talking, chatting, napping, listening to music.
Men, women. Indian, Chinese, Malay, Foreigners.
I'm plugged in too. Maroon 5 infusing my ears with drums, guitars, alternative music.
Cooly imbibing me.

I feel strangely alone. Cocconed in my own invisible shell. I wonder what each of them are thinking or feeling?
It's like as if I am ensconced in an alternate bubble. So much with them and yet so different all at the same time.

The journey home seems long. I am tired.
Feet are aching, calves are sore. The body is beat. But the mind is active though.
A mambo jumbo of broken thoughts as usual. A little here, a little there.

I am thinking of things I maybe should not.
The mind itself has a mind of its own does it not?
Scary at times. The will is working hard not to fall. Not to fail.

Pray tell, I will be strong.
Pray tell.

Lemme see..been a few days...

Friday night..
I was screaming at the Indoor Stradium..watching Jay Chou..with Daniel & Yanling
Extremely talented..he played the guitar, the drums, the piano and the zither or more commonly known as the gu zheng. And I thought the duet with Lara was nicely done...

Pity he sang too many new songs..Couldn't connect as well with the people like me who prefer his older songs..He didn't even sing Jian Dan Ai...
But it was still a good concert...

As with all other concerts, there were planned encores..
One thing was that there were too many intermissions in between songs...too many breaks..
It kinda broke the continuity..I mean, you sing a fast song...it gets you high and then there's a 3 mins break..before the next song comes up. And when it does come up, it's a slow song...

I loathe the wrath some might feel but maybe he doesn't ave enough stamina to do a "full-steam" kinda concert"? haha...
David Tao and others go through full length concerts...hmm mm.. hehe..

Oh yah, I bought a lightstick! haha an expensive lightstick!

Poppoed by Dempsey after the concert..Went to House & Barracks..and had a jug of pineapple & cucumber juice with them. It was pretty good actually ahha....probably next time can try it out at home...;p

Saturday night..
Went Hong Lim to buy CNY stuff like fish maw, mushrooms, fungus, scallops...and then made our way to Great World City to watch "American Gangster"...
Wow, long show! 2.5 hrs...but worth watching...
Ahboy said it was based on a true story..hmm mm...if it is..then wow, it makes it even more nice to watch...

The details put into this show which is set in the 1970s was amazing...from the music, to the types of cutlery they use, and the clothes they wear and the vehicles they drive and the phone sets they use...woohoo...
Nothing was left out of sync...

Sunday night...
Went to Rohlin & Yong Soon's wedding dinner at Meritus Mandarin... haha..first time in my life I had chicken rice for the main carbo dish for the dinner...
But I think ever since the chef left, Chatterbox's chicken rice has never been as nice anymore...

It was very nice catching up with the rest again...HB had an aura of smoke about him..Didn't quite figure him out to be such a smoker...
Bernard was there...hmm..the guy whom I used to call Ah Ber...the guy whom I went to school in yr 1 with..
And I shan't be shy to admit, one of the guys I think I had a mini crush on last time...ahha..
He looked much better yesterday than when I saw him about 2-3 years back. More refreshed and happier...
I think his business is picking up now...and he's helping his dad out in the family business too...

Sky was as usual in a flowery shirt..flamboyant but sweet as always...ah ger was quiet as always...laughing when necessary and von was still as chirpy as ever haha...
Saw terrie & weijie..gosh, been at least years... ahha..Tianfeng said I lost weight! hee..
Bernard said my head is smaller now hahaha....

quiz quiz quiz!

Haha lol, a quiz I did on Facebook last night...

What Kind of A Date Are You?

You are mature but still in the prime of your life.
You especially cherish your friends, and you're emotionally ready to try out long-term relationships (if you want!).
You are experienced (maybe beyond your years!), and people find that very attractive.
Your date better be prepared for scintilating conversations coupled with the occasional wild time out!


Darn, I just love doing these boiao quizzes haha..=p

states..

Confusion. Delusion. Tiredness. Anxiety. Irritation.
Hope. Happiness. Pensiveness. Brightness. Sadness.
Sunshine. Stress. Relief. Apprehension. Wonder.

Is it a little too much of a myriad of emotions to feel?
In just 16 short days of the year?

Yes, I am a little confused, pensive and a wee bit stressed now...
It's been 2 weeks into the new year and somehow it feels like it's been 2 months...
Nah, more like it feels like 2 years into the new year...haha ok, abit kua zhang.

But it just feels like so much (and yet so little) has happened in 2 weeks...
Hmm mm....
Nonetheless, I think the few broad categories I listed out sometime last year...on the right panel of this bloggie..Still stands true in 2008.

Might be a bit broad...but sometimes...specifics aren't for us to list out...
I prefer something a little more sketchy...I'll fill in the details when the time passes by...

americano..

Just finished watching American Idol..Season 7...wow..It's been that long already?

Oh yah, I only have 2 words to say. Sore Losers.

Come on, if you're not good, just face it. Why curse the judges? Why curse the makers of the show?
*rolls eyes*

Oh yah, another 2 words. Sour Grapes. Wait hang on, it's technically supposed to be a single word.
Sourgrapes.
There you go.

If you don't get in. You are just not good enough. The least is that be man (or woman) enough to accept it and fark off. Don't go barking around every streetlamp and pissing around every corner...I mean sheesh...

Sunday...

Went to wine Network on Saturday evening with ahboy.
Damn it! They ran out of the Spinach Pizza. I was thinking to myself, we were the first customers there for the evening...we reached there around 7pm maybe...and there were no more Spinach PIzzas?
Sigh, guess it was our day to have it..though we were craving for it haha..

Neveretheless, the Italian Ham and Mushroom Pizza was very nice as well..same goes for the Grilled German Sausage...the cheesy interior was just oozing and oozing...haha..

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I'm losing steam for French...But it's the longest I've lasted for any course I have taken..So I think it's still a mini feat to celebrate haha lol..

Oh by the way, I've gotten my test results...75/100! haha...
And for that, I got a Good. 51/70 for the written and 24/30 for the oral...=))
In the slightly above average band within my class who took the test...Wonderful!!

Am thinking of whether to continue for the next semester or not..

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Did I mention? My trip to Taipei in February is confirmed.
Official trip. Should be from 24th till 27th. Only thing is, I think the conference venue is not anywhere near to Shih Lin Night Market, darn, was hoping to get a chance to go there and jalan abit...

Think there's quite abit of things to do..Hmm..better ask around what are the procedures like..think I am only given $220 a day for my allowance...(hotel stay inclusive.)
How to survive?? The hotel is already $190 per night I think...the one that the conference people is reserving for us...Gosh...

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Ok, wonderful number 2...My BKK trip in March is confirmed hahaa...hotel & tix all booked.
But hor, not worth it leh! Dunno how come the currnecy rate dropped so much...It's now around 20.5BHT for every SGD$1. A few weeks ago it was at 23BHT for SGD$1...*faint*

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Sometimes, when friends grow older...expectations change, dynamics change, people change...
I don't know if it's me who changed..or my expectations are unreasonable or...
Oh well..sometimes I wonder what happened over the last 3 years...we grew so so so apart in such a jiffy..

Oh yeah, when you met with a break-up in July last year, you called me out of the blue and I tried to be there...Think that was one of the rare times we had dinner together and talked heart-to-heart...
After that? Earlier this year..when you had another relationship problem again...Another rare time.

And then? It was silence all the way...not even meeting...unless for group gatherings...

Sigh..Things change. People change.

Love Stories Project

Am helping a friend to promote his project...

www.lovestoriesproject.blogspot.com

He's hoping for people to share their love stories or other stories of love...with the eventual aim of spreading warmth, happiness and hope as well to share stories where people can learn from..

If you have any articles...or things you wish to write on..just visit that site, there's an email address to drop your article to...

Let's just say...he was a dear one to me oh so long ago..

OMG

What have I done? hahaa...I paid $$ to torture myself every Monday from 630pm to 730pm...

TBT class. To tighten the Tummy, Buttocks, & Thighs.

The instructor is a nice lady....who had a dark side to her...
She absolutely revelled in making everyone groan and complain haha..
It's a course organised by the company. Held at the studio in our common recreation floor...so it's pretty convenient..

Thighs aching now man.. haha..About 15mins after the class, when I was stepping down the road kerb to cross the road, my thighs actually "wobbled" from being overused today ahhaa...

Oh well, such is the price to pay for being a slob for so long...

p/s: Xiao bai, yes, I am still freezing in office haha lol..

fatter?...:(

Wah. Sad...sigh.

My French classmate. This lady in her 30s, reaching 40s. Told me straight in my face.
"Ni fei liao!"

aka "You're fatter!" What happened to you? Ate too much during festive season?

Gosh. First time she told me this was in early to mid December. Then now January liao. Another remark from her....:(
Demoralising...

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Wah, I bought a bra from Vietnam for $40 SGD after conversion...
Went to check out the same model just now at a department store..It was selling for $70...
What a huge price difference.. ahha

Ho Chin Minh...

Oh well...some pictorial mementoes from my Ho Chi Minh trip recently...

Xiao Bai, have fun viewing!! Hee...Hope things are going fine for you...

Have you ever seen bikes parked inside a fast food restaurant?

This was on our first evening..

Interesting hor..Their fast food outlet..I think it's a big chain cos I saw a number of their branches...

People just park their bikes in there while they order food for take-away..Some just park right in there while they have dinner...

The food was good here. Sort of abit like Mos Burger's pattern. haha..

The other interesting thing is that...I did not see a single MacDonalds around...But there were lots of KFCs...Oh yah, they don't have 7-11 stores too!!

On our first night, we tried to find a French restaurant that was recommended by some people...

But then walk here walk there...wah lau!!! We couldn't seem to find it!

So we ended up at a Korean place...Food was nice...We ordered two mains but didn't realise it came with so many little accompanying side dishes...

Ate till I couldn't quite stand up straight haha. And the bill was only S$15 for two...for so many things...

Visited a War Gallery Museum..lots of lots of pics depicting scenes from the war...from blasted bodies to American soldiers to Viet natives running..to scenes showing people before they were executed by firing...

This particular pic is of a guy aged 23. Born deformed because his parents were exposed to chemical used by the Americans in an attempt to force the country into submission..

Chemical warfare....effects are still around 30 yrs later...

These are some of the other pics they put up at the gallery..to show how the effects of biological warfare is like..An extremely cruel form of warfare.

30 yrs later after the war, children are still being born deformed becase their parents were exposed to the harmful chemicals last the when they themselves were children....

Ok errr...these two jars contain specimens of deformed foetuses, also deformed cos of Agent Orange..The one on the left is a pair of Siamese twins joined at the chest/tummy.

The one in the right jar looks almost full term...severely deformed head.

And um, the hole you see in the middle of the jar, is actually its mouth, with a gaping cleft...

Let's just say..it was kinda disturbing lah to see these..

This is a guillotine used by the Communists to execute their enemies..

It was I think close to 8m to 10m in height...Check out the blade...

Ok, this is how they sell puppies...

They keep most in cages which are strapped onto their bikes..and then they tie about oe or two on top of these cages so people can see them clearly...

Wanted to take more pics but the two ladies were sorta like staring at me already...so I inched away.......

This is the Notre Dame Catheral..

A pity that when we went there, it was closed to the public already..Took some peeks through some holes in the walls. There were lots of stained glass walls within the church..

We visited their General Post Office...

The interior of the Post Office...

A small glimpse of rural living..drying spices on your roof...

The first 3 rattan plates of "stuff" is actually frangipani flowers..It's an old lady's shack..

Wanted to ask her what was the use of drying frangipani flowers. But doubted she would understand English so I just kept my mouth shut haha.

Visited the Cao Dai Temple...about a 2 or 3 hr drive from Ho Chi Minh City

The monks or venerables were having their prayer rites..Apparently in the month of Dec, they will pray at the temppple 4 times a day for 30mins each time. At 6am, 12pm, 6pm and 12am.

We visited the Cu Chi Tunnels...a 200km maze of tunnels used by the Viets during the Vietnam War to overcome the American GI soldiers. This is just one of the many many little holes hwich they used to get into the tunnels...This ang moh tourist was like almost 1.85m in height I think..and definitely bigger sized than most Asians. He went in there but couldn't really move around as you can see from the next pic.

Seriously think I will freak out from claustrophobia if you ask me to go in these tunnels...

Must applaud this ang moh for trying it out.. haha.

But the desperation & will for survival must have so very strong for those Viets to have hidden in these tunnels for long periods of time at a stretch..

Some bomb relics... View from my hotel's highest floor restaurant. 9th floor...

Taken while I was having my breakfast on my last day there.

Common common sight..little stalls everywhere, selling things from trikets to food to sunglasses to hats, blah blah blah...
This is considered a nicer looking stall with chairs & a counter to sell from.
Some just carry a basket, find an empty space, sit down on the street and sell their wares...
Some don't even have a basket, more like a rag to hold everything together.
Oh, the WC you see behind stands for "Water Closet" i.e. Washroom....so traditional haha.
Alternatively called "Nha Ve Sinh" in Viet.

Common common sight..rows and rows of motorcycles parked along the streets..

They even have valets to help you "arrange" your bike into a nice position..

Nice little can of Sprite with artworks of CNY 2008...damn cheap.

This costs only S$0.90.

My fried beef rice topped with a lovely sunny-side-up.

The rice was pretty good...except that some of the rice was abit little too hard...

His beef noodles..
It was really just lots of vege & beef thrown into a bowl of maggi mee.. haha...

The goondu is not co-operating..

And so I gave up and cut him out of the pic...

1st Thursday of 2008...

2008 is here...been meaning to sit down & reflect & to pen down my goals for the year ahead..but frankly, I've not had the time nor the energy to do so
Though I really hope to be able to do it this weekend..Sit down & think about things...

All I can say is that the past 2-3 months have been pretty hectic and sometimes abit draining.
Oh well, you've heard all about it. I blog so infrequently these days...and when I write, it will be mostly about me being tired...Gosh, I bore myself even haha..

The last two weeks were a rush of things at work..these few days too..
Just for the simple hour-long briefing to a minister tomorrow afternoon.
So much work, ,just to prepare for a 1hr - 1.5hr slot with him.

Wonder how it'll be tomorrow...haha..don't think I will be asked to speak else I'll pee in my pants..will just be there as part of the bosses' entourage..
Macham going for a triad meeting..so many people there..but only the bosses speaking.. haha..

Such is civil service life for the working level people...;p

==========
First time in my life that I spent the New Year's overseas. Ahboy & I went Ho Chi Minh..
It's much like how Bangkok is..but the traffic was horrible..

Traffic
This is one glaringly obvious characteristic of the city...Nobody paid attention to road signs, nobody cared where each other went haha..It was a stressful first day. We just stood by the road side and were dumbfounded, didn't wuite know how to cross. There were lots of zebra crossings...but no one stopped..haha.

Took us at least a day to get the guts to just cross like the local people..i.e. take a leisurely stroll across...the vehicles will just swerve and scoot around you...(hopefully) hahaa...

Oh yah, motorcycles galore...Actual statistics says there's like 5 million bikes in HCM itself. wah lau, more than SG's population...You can see families of 4 riding on one single bike. Dad controlling with a little one in front. Mum at the rear, with another little one in between her & the Dad. I saw a bike carrying 4 adults too...wonder how they balance man...kaozz...
I suddenly feel a surge of love for the orderly traffic here hahhaa...

Food
Food was ok lah..Bangkok's food is much nicer..but the coffee is good. Not that I drink it..but ahboy ordered a number of times so I just took a few sips...and most that I tried, whether iced or black or with milk, were good. :)

People
The girls are generally slim with good figures..mostly well-endowed. If you think Taiwanese girls have good figures or are slim, so do Viet ladies... haha..

The people there are not so well-versed in English compared to those in Bangkok, both street vendors & hotel staff alike.
I had a massage done. The girl spoke to me 100% in Vietnamese. I just stared at her thinking wtf?

Weather
Weather's good at the end of the year..not very hot...bright but not too sunny. Only on about 2 occassions it was very sunny and very very hot but even then it was only for awhile...

Sight-seeing
Went to visit the War Remnants Museum..saw lots of war photos..some disturbing, others normal...Saw how bio warfare can be so-so-so damaging to a country..In fact, till now, the bio warfare effects are still around...
Kids being born deformed..some are now in their adulthood but unable to care for themselves..blah blah...Saw photos of those who were tortured and who were paralysed for life after that...saw jars of preserved deformed foetuses..

Went to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels as well..200km worth of underground tunnels used in the Vietnam war to fight the American GIs...well, Am proud to say I walke dhtrough like 30m of it? ahhahhaa...Eh, damn stuffy lor...and you have to duck walk through it..it's that small..and yet, that section of the tunnels were actually enlarged already for tourists to go through...My guess is for the ang mohs cos they are larger in physique...

NYE
It was a busy busy noisy noisy night...alot of streets were packed with people & stalls & stages...it wasn't one consolidated stage...more like a few big stages here and there, a few small stages here and there..all belting out performances of their own...
We hid in the hotel room...not much of a crowd-person I am..so is he. Lol...so I crossed into 2008 in a Deluxe room of the Liberty 4 hotel along Pham Ngu Lao street in HCM.
Haaa...

Technology
Hmm m...I was subtly impressed when I took a 2hr bus to the Cu Chi tunnels...and I passed by the outskirts of the city...relatively ulu places actually...and I saw shops carrying signs that said "Internet ADSL here"...lol...
Okook, I know I am bad..but I seriously did not expect them to even have Net access in the more rural areas of HCM...
Wah lau, I even saw at least 2-3 people in HCM using iPhones lor!!! (hmm...dunno whether are they authentic pieces or not hehe ;p)