I reaLLi DuNnO's EnTry

Braised Beef Noodles

2009-09-01T14:44:00.000+08:00

Menu: Braised Beef Noodles

Ingredients (Serving for 1)
600 ml of Beef Stock (Made from Oxtail broth)
250g of Fresh Handmade Noodles
100g of Braised beef, chopped
1 brunch of Cai Xin Vegetable
50 g of Black Chinese Fungus Mushroom
70g of Chinese mustard leaves
2 Thin Slices of Chinese Ginger

Seasoning :A dash of Chinese Rice Wine(Hua Diao Jiu Or Shao Xing Jiu)
A dash of seasoned Chinese dark Vinegar
A pinch of pepper
Garnish : Corinader leaves

Method :
-Bring Beef Stock to boil. Gently cook the braised beef for 30secs.
-Cook noodles,Cai Xin, black fungus n mustard leaves with a strainer in boiling water wif a little salt. Alternate between hot n ice-cold water.
-Add the cooked noodles n vegetables into a serving bowl, add the boiling beef soup and braised beef
- Add the seasonings n garnish with Corinader Leaves. Serve.

Alternatives - Use Chicken instead of Beef
-If u can't cook, get a chinese noodles cook.
-If u can't cook and get a chinese noodles cook, go to a foodcourt n order the
noodles(PS: Flavour n taste may vary).
U can save the fire-brigade n innocent food-tasters.

In memory Of Go Li

2009-03-27T12:54:00.006+08:00

As I am typing this blog post, I'm filled with anger because my goldfish Go Li has been eaten alive by a crow this morning which had the guts to fly into my kitchen, even when the windows grills were locked.

I have no idea how did the crow flew in or managed to squeeze itself through the window grills square. I came out from my bath n remember seeing my Go Li's tank empty, with spotches of water around n a giant crow at the window sill. That crow even glared at me n was unafraid as I approached the window sill. N then, that bastard crow flew away, cawing loudly.

Its a really gigantic crow. Not like the ones we usually see. I researched on the net to find out iwhat that bird is. I found that it is a large billed crow or a jungle crow, which likes to catch live animals n to my horror, I found this article;(see below)

My poor fish, I was about to feed it after my bath before I left for work. Sigh....

Print Article
>> Back to the article
Mar 20, 2009
Large-billed crow has H5N1
HONG KONG - HONG Kong authorities said on Tuesday that a dead Large-billed Crow found in the territory had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said the latest case has taken to 12 the total number of birds found to have the virus, which can be fatal to humans, since January 29.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, the department said that the highly decomposed carcass of the Large-billed Crow was found on the predominantly rural Lantau Island on February 5.
It said the 'test result available today indicated that the dead bird was confirmed to be H5N1 positive.' The other 11 infected birds included chicken, ducks, and a Grey Heron, data on the department's website showed.
Around 250 people have died of the human form of avian flu since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation.
Most had close contact with sick birds, but scientists fear the virus could one day mutate into a form that would spread rapidly among humans, causing a pandemic.
In December, authorities found H5N1 in a chicken at a poultry farm in Hong Kong, prompting the slaughter of more than 90,000 chickens.
Hong Kong was the scene of the world's first reported major H5N1 outbreak among humans in 1997, when six people died. -- AFP

Merry Xmas

2008-12-20T05:33:00.005+08:00

I'm finally back. It has been a way long since my last post. Over the weekend, I was at Compasspoint and there was this very nice Mr Men's performance. Here are the picture and video.

This is Miss Smiley and Mr Happy. Don't they bring just bring a smile?

Here is a short video on the Mr/Miss Men Singing. I got a full video of the xmas song but file is just too big to be posted. Anyway, enjoy=)

Happy Chinese New Year 2008

2008-02-14T15:32:00.004+08:00

Happy New Year to all! May u have a good rat year ahead!

This year is the start of a new year in the Chinese Zodiac Calendar and the humble beginnings of the Rat Race; where our clever little rodent friend emerged first amongst 11 other stronger competitors in the famous animal race. This probably answers to the rat race n paper chase of the working society. Well, brain is mightier than brawns =)

This year, I went to the night market earlier on the night of 29th(as according to the chinese calendar and markets now close on the 30th or New Year's eve!) n it was buzzing wif ppl n rather chaotic as most were shopping for fresh produce like fresh pork, vegetables + items for steamboat reunion dinner etc etc. In fact, it is the best time of the year to see a roaring change fr the usual quiet, dinky, dark market image n some markets operate till dawn! Wow!

Its kind of magical see to what seems like a never-ending supply of food sold. Lorry-ful of fresh vegetables are unloaded and sold fr styrofoam boxes. Ppl get boxes of Mandarin Oranges or 'Kum' and the greenish,pungent,citrus Pomelo from the fruit stalls. Endless of ppl queueing to buy roast duck and fat pork belly,fresh pork, poultry and seafood.

My favourite is of course watching the fish-mongers struggling to weigh huge live fishes(red snapper) which slap n smack the fish-mongers! These fishy fellows are gd smackers!

Oh... and not forgetting the butchers lay out armful of fresh pink pork(ohh... its quite tempting to walk up n give the fresh mass of pink flesh a gd smack cos u know its gd meat=)) and work their way through the meat skillfully wif their choppers. And all this adds up to a moist, humid air which completes the market scene.

This roughly sums up the chinese new year market shopping and I look forward to visiting the market at the same time in 2009 =)

Emergency Situation

2008-01-04T03:28:00.002+08:00

On my way hm hurriedly this evening, I bumped into a group of young youths(13 or 14 at most) who were helping this poor old man who had collapsed in front of us.

On seeing that the old man was having difficulties communicating with the youths, I approached them n asked what has happened n at the same time, asking the old man(in chinese) where his discomfort was(he was not able to control his bladder n had high blood pressure) n if it was ok for us to take him to the doctor's or call an ambulance.

The old uncle seems confused n was unable to respond in Chinese. There was a crowd of working adults standing around us - the minute we asked anyone could speak dialect to help us, the crowd started to disperse n hurried away as if we were asking them for a poisonous task.

We called up the Police (as the old man seems dementia n did not know who he is n how he came here) n fortunately they took over the situation with professionalism n took the poor man to the hospital.

Looking back, I do feel sorry for the old man as he kept asking me to call his son n even as the Policemen arrived, he was asking them to do so too. He must be feeling so unwell but to him seeing his son is nothing more than comfort.

Geesh... What a day...

Winter Solstice ( Mushroom n Stars )

2007-12-22T03:12:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the middle of the bitter cold winter, ironically in the little humid, tropical Singapore weather!

Winter Solstice festival is my all year round favourite festival. All the kneading, rolling and pressing of the soft, fragrant rice flour dough over loud chatting n dumping each shape into the bubbling sweet ginger soup. Yummy!

This year, I have decided on having mushroom n stars in sweet ginger soup. Enjoy!

Demoralized

2007-10-15T03:47:00.000+08:00

Allow me to present... ( The fanfare goes out of tone like a flat tyre)

Crocs - U see them everywhere on the little-pitter feet of toddlers to the unflattering neighbourhood uncles n auntie. The array of undazzling colours n the familiar huge round holey design probably originated fr some cheese maker, who had done better than to recycle his worst roughest stock of poor moth-eaten cheddar cheese into the revolutionary disastrous footwear of the 21st century.

And last afternoon, I happened to be a very "fortunate" owner of a pair of these vermin-bitten footwear and I got an overly sized pair at 2 sizes larger than my feet.

This is seriously demoralising. GRRR!

I juz wanna hide under the umbrella.

Funny Thai Ad

2007-10-07T14:36:00.000+08:00

That happens when u dun brush ur teeth.... Enjoy!

Class Photo of Life Vice No.1

2007-10-02T17:18:00.000+08:00

Look at the beauty of these drinks.. I wanna go ahhhh..... Too bad Absolut 100, BLing BLing n Lychee isn't here to complete the picture.... Enjoy everyone!

The Doctor's Order - Out Of Action

2007-08-30T10:54:00.002+08:00

I'm currently down wif multiple fractured foot cos my glass wardrobe door gave way on sunday n fell squarely on my foot n fifth right toe.I count myself lucky cos it could have been worse if the glass door had shattered.

The whole painful agony is i'm given at least 6 weeks of MC to rest n stay at hm. ARHHH!!! Its only the 5th day n I'm dying of boredom n going starkers.... I wan to go out n watch Rush Hour 3 + Ratatoulliee.

Can anyone contribute ideas on I could spend my 3 to 4 weeks at hm?

Ahoy Pulau Ubin! (Part2)

2007-06-15T15:39:00.000+08:00

The Ubin Adventure: Starring : The Mischief, The Bitch and The Choco Lover
Directed By : The Mischief, The Bitch and The Choco Lover

Here we r at the ubin gates. Our adventure stars the next 2 hrs.

Following the Lagut Trail, our first sighting was this kampung coconut tree style mangrove swamp. Ahh....

The azure blue sky looks lovely but it spells a dry mangrove swamp.

That's how hot n dry the weather was. N we were lost in this dry wilderness.

We spotted a huge 7-legged spider(abt the size of a man's hand) juz outside one of the kampong houses. Gesh... What happened to the eighth leg?

Phew... After the long n hot hike out of the wilderness, we found the Pekan Quarry!! Yeah! Unfortunately, all quarries are under construction n r sealed gates. Hey! but I did get to see the quarry. WooHoo!

Another photo of the lovely quarry!

That's my pictures for the time being. I will update more n some funny videos the laughs!

Ahoy Ubin!!!

2007-06-11T15:34:00.000+08:00

On a restless sunny sunday mid-morning, 3 girls, that is one bitch, one choco-lover n one mischief, decided to embark on a hike at Pulau Ubin island.

Braving the blazing heat, lack of sleep(I hav Edwin n the boys to thank for) n choppy waters n a smoke emitting diesel engine old bum boat, these 3 girls had lots of fun taking photos n acting cute in the open view of the other 9 boat passengers which includes a very very nice old uncle in his 80s.

On reaching the island, the 3 girls went to the Police station to report themselves for the hike. However the police station was CLOSED!!! Yes! Closed n the gates n entrance were locked wif padlocks. Interesting.
Rule 1 : If u got lost in Ubin, u can 'count' on the Ubin's Policeman to locate u.

So we went to a small provision shop where the bitch bought a new pair of slippers becos her nike soles had fallen off. The mischief had the first sign of exhaustion n hog the shop's only fan n Val a.k.a the bitch's umbrella.

Despite the initial hiccups, these 3 girls took 1.5 hrs to trek along the Lagut's trail where they saw Mangrove swamps, traditional Kampongs on slits, Zinc roofed houses, traditional water tanks n wells the villagers used. The mischief hid under the bitch's umbrella n clutching a pack of ice under the scorching heat( trust me it was really really hot) while the other 2 girls were busy taking secret snapshots of the mischief.

Halfway through the lagut's trail, the girls were lost in the endless wilderness n there were no human or animal sights. Juz patches of dried up mangroves n endless trees. At this point, the bitch showed signs of exhaustion but fortunately, her umbrella,some water,loud jokes n companionship did the magic n she was up n running again. It was really scary n lucky we hav the choco-lover's great navigation to applause for!

After another 15 mins of endless trek, we finally emerged to the main road n were glad to see n hear human life. The 3 girls headed for the final route, which lead to an outer view of the Pekan Quarry!!! That's the peak of the trail and we were treated to a pictureque view. Heee!

Another 15 mins walk n we were back to the old shop where we had some coconut juice n cool down. N finally the Choco-lover was struck wif exhaustion.

Its a very interesting n scenic experience! However, I will nv go to ubin on a midday n will be armed wif an umbrella!

Anoymous Blog

2007-06-07T05:26:00.000+08:00

Actually, I hav no intention of blogging abt today's happening. However, though the event was really short n really nasty, I was quite fathomed at myself... A couple of years back, if such an event had happened, I would pout n sulk for days. However, I juz calmly listened n handled everything calmly yet firmly n professionally, knowing that I hav given my best, fullest attention at my tasks n communicated professionally through the right channels. By the end of the day, even with the most whipping insults thrown at the very last moment, I had no personal bearings at all. I juz pick up n move on... to more important n deserving issues.

Oh well, the next thing on my mind is a nice holiday trip wif my family. Any ideas of a good location for a family holiday for a week?

Ok... Got to go! Yawn! Its time for the familiar grounds!

Supermarket Tales

2007-06-06T23:46:00.000+08:00

It has been really lo...ong since I updated my blog.

On Monday, I decided to pop by the new NTUC at Hougang Central after work. Well, its quite convenient cos opened till 11 n it may extend to 24hrs! Another place for late night exploration!

Anyway, here are two interesting finds

Apparently, MusThroom noodles is a must try. My colleague who tried said it is like Mee Sua, good taste.

Down the aisle, this was spotted
A few of my expat colleagues who saw this advert thought it was a typo error and wanted to inform the supermarket staff! Nevertheless, after much explanation from me, they found this advert highly amusing.

Well, read my next post for what I call highly amusing tales.

Playing the Arrow Game - Part 1 of Office Warfare

2007-05-17T10:04:00.000+08:00

Warning : Only For Working Adults (CLASSIFIELD!)

Current Role of Xuan : A Dart Board

Expected Employer's Responsibilities : To openly receive all arrows thrown n let her bled till death where arrows will still be thrown even after her death.

Employee's Roles n Responsibilities : To avoid as many arrows possible n especially misleading arrows that r shot which could result to incessant nagging n possible reputation damage.

Possible Solution : Learn to take refuge n camouflage. Be a silent archer. Defensive Warfare is a Big NO NO.

Wat A Day...

2007-05-09T03:54:00.000+08:00

Today after work, I went to do a little shopping at around 8 b4 heading hm to bathe n meet a friend to do up his resume.

Wooo.... Here is something especially SGT JOHNNY should read.
I ran into Fa Fa after work. He's still the Same n he's on MC for the past 3 mths cos he broke his left wrist n its still dragging fr his arm(Yucks!) It looks really painful n the MAIN reason y he stopped me was to he wanted to know what is between The Rumours of the OLD POLY DAYS OF JOHNNY ZHU n >>>>>. I dun wan to evaluate more on that. That Fa Fa is still wanna dig out n indulge in rumours that was like 2 years ago n has been way buried n forgot? Hello? Army did not make any sense on him.

SGT Johnny better note that Fa Fa is very interested in what u r currently doing n everything abt u. Maybe he can be a new pal in the SGT's gay orgie parties but its juz that all the gays' n straight will hav a better time wif the lamp post n the anticipate thoughts of being entering monkhood wif Fa Fa around. Argh!

Its really What a Day...

Nice and Careless

2007-05-03T12:46:00.000+08:00

Here is an SMS reply fr a friend who msged Mr Nice n Miss Careless for a trip to sentosa

Mr Nice : Sorry, today I have programs, can't meet you people.
Miss Careless : Sorry, today I got program.

Wooz~ This sums up to Non Contactable. We shall see what happens in time to come. =)

Irritated

2007-05-03T01:14:00.000+08:00

Ya... I spent the day at sentosa on 1st May n the weather was quite good. However, things were marred by toilet snatching PRCs(YUCKS!). Its not a surprise why most people dislike PRCs because they DUN KNOW that basic manners of quening up n they even dare to shout n make a scene when asked to queue in line. Definitely boorish n to think they pride themselves and their Motherland even as they were shouting!

Its so irritating having to meet one who acts like a sovereign in the illusion of an individualism world. Anyway, I hav seen how quickly one changes n indeed I feel sad. I can't help feeling being treated like a food can that has been marked expired n non-chalantly tossed into the bin. Maybe this is how human nature is or maybe I'm being too sensitive.

Since last week, I hav seen quite a few sudden changes. Its juz too fast n I'm suddenly facing situations n having perspectives that r totally different fr the past, to a level I personally find so profound, like being drawn in between a marginal line of black n white.

Enough said. Its a better day tmr =)

My Inheritance

2007-04-19T23:13:00.000+08:00

It took me almost 3 mths of endless search n finally I found it. To my biggest shock when I open the tight lid box, I found not just one, but two manual Nikon SLR cameras!

Here is part of the collection which includes some lens I managed to find so far.

The lens are tinted with mould. I don't know how great the damage is or whether the cameras could still be used (I tested the shutter... so far they are still ok). I will repair these cameras or try to retain its original condition no matter how costly it is cos it means so much.

Mountain Tortise VS Mountain Tortise

2007-04-17T23:49:00.000+08:00

Here is a chat a few days ago with JR, one of my die-die ppl(Haaa!) I wish I had known her much earlier or even during my poly days. We would have so much fun=)

Definition Of Bukit Timah Hill
JR : " Wah, you very courageous. This sat going to conquer Singapore's highest mountain."

Me(Laughing) : " Spore got no mountain lah... That one not even a hill... Its juz a big lump of sand and rocks."

Definition Of Mountain Tortise
Me : Btw JR, is Bukit Panjang Plaza near West Mall? Are they both in walking distance? I have nv been to Bukit Panjang Plaza. How is it like?"

JR : "Hey, U very shua Ku leh. Spore so small n u nv been to Bukit Panjang Plaza. (JR lives in Bukit Batok n she is a big patron of West Mall). N she goes on n on talking abt West mall.

Me : " JR, u know where Hougang Mall is?"

JR (In a very surprised tone) : " Hougang got mall meh?"

Me (Laughing) : " Look who is Shua Ku... U nv heard of Hougang Mall... at least I know of BBP.

JR (In Mock Anger): " Fine. Educate me then."

Anyway, it's fun know ppl fr all over S'pore gathering together at a centralized office n labelling ourselves according to the region we support.

In the final note, Dear Miss JR has advised me to throw bananas to ward off any monkey attacks. Hmmm

WHY syndrome

2007-04-17T02:11:00.004+08:00

She comes in n walks with an air of gracefulness, yet haughty looking. Her heels click to a stop. In the midst of her well-pressed suit or auntie 3 piece suit, she folds her arm n glares at u. Oblivous to the profound crease on her forehead which does injustice to the months of hard spa treatment n botox jabs. Her lips pouted n instantly, u know the word that is hanging on her lips... Open sesame n she rattles a string of WHY WHY WHY...

Yeah... She is the lady boss. The one even some male counterparts stay away. The one u wish u could hate but possess some kind of aura to make u respect her. She's the one that carries some kind of invisible whip that makes some ppl jump out of their seats with her advances.

In fact 97% of her questions r peppered with WHY n rejecting others ideas. U wish she could stop with all her WHYs n NOs...( Why is there no outcome? Why do u hav to do things in this way? Why is everyone so slow? Why are u sick? - Imagine answering that when u are having a throat infection. Why is there an overspending? NO... I believe things should be done in an orderly step n I do not tolerate any wild ideas)

There r many reasons y the Lady Boss uses WHY. Here goes :
1) Her oestragen level is fluctuating... Beware!
2) She feels insecure
3) She is just basically trying to a boss

Update as of 1 June 2011
YX can relate to the Why lady boss - being in a highly male dominated industry, ladies got to prove their worth. Fortunately, YX does not go to work in suits but in very comfy dark jeans, is neither graceful, possesses a relaxed n listening manner n she asks How =)

Its you that makes the environment...

Weird

2007-03-17T12:36:00.000+08:00

I wonder how can two person with totally no blood relations look so alike, behave so alike, have almost the same physique( Probably just 1 or 2 cm difference ) , enjoy carrying similar design and colour bag pack (Black n yellow), they are both born in the same year (though different mths), the working and communicating style is so alike.

Seriously, its so weird. Gesh...

I hope out there, my friends or anyone whom I know, do not meet another look alike + behave alike Xuan. Its just too weird.

Miscellanous

2007-03-15T00:13:00.000+08:00

I took this picture of one of my newbies new home window. If I have a chance, this is the coolest place I wanna live in. ( The balcony has full seaview!) Super breezy, superb view!

This past few days, I have been involved in lots of planning work, lots of discussions, lots of meetings (yucks!), lots of talking n lots of paperwork. Its definitely less menial/physical n more time relaxed. However, my brain keeps running 24/7 n it does burn some brain cells. Opps! N everyone is asking for Xuan at the same time! Argh!!! (That's one thing that has nv change since I stepped into this office). The best part is the meeting room and discussion corner has become my new office. (ARGH!!!! To sidetrack - will seating too long develop bigger butt?)

N y some much blogging lately? Bcos my brain is still running n I'm feel so energetic.

Meetings

2007-03-13T03:38:00.000+08:00

Seriously I dislike going for meetings. I often dread being in one n staying for hours n hours listening to one drone on n on abt some topics which are not of my concern n I do contemplate thoughts of walking out.

Anyway, I attended a few meetings lately (Trust me, I survived 6 hrs long each round) n I got to know a few interesting people in the meeting room itself. I found this cute engineer seating next to me during my first meeting n he reminds of someone. His looks, build, dressing is almost identical to this individual(I wondered if he is a twin n I found the surname different).

During a 10 mins break, we chatted n this other young engineer seating opposite us, keep disrupting n answering the questions the cute engineer n I asked. Damn irritating! N the worse was, when it was Q&A, this young engineer keep dumping questions on me (I was so sleepy n dying to yawn).

Ok... I also met a fresh CPT grad in the meeting (apparently, her supervisor is too lazy to attend these silly meetings). It seems so refreshing that we click like old friends even during the first time we met. Hmm... she reminds somehow of myself, when I was younger, eager, fresh out of school; the kind of little fun n the fresh school image she has. We do enjoy talking to each other n I hope to meet her + the cute engineer in the next meeting (this friday!) That makes everything more bearable. =)

My Handsome Electronic Hunks!

2007-03-12T23:57:00.000+08:00

I remember last year struggling over my decision in getting a new computer. Being Miss Fussy Xuan, I wanted something that is powerful, fast, good graphic features, good looking, affordable and light. After endless of laptop viewing n headache inducing decisions, I got the Acer Aspire, which has the closest match to what I wanted over my second chance of Fujitsu Lifebook S-series.

Nevertheless, I'm very happy that I'm assigned the S-series Lifebook for my latest assignment n be its surrogate parent! Yeah!!!

I love my Acer Aspire. Its cool, sleek, trusty, mean Duo core horsepower n handsome. To put it simply, it befits a dark lustrous sports car .(SEXY!) ~ If only my future partner were to be as powerful n as good-looking... Hmmmm

Here comes the next companion to my Aspire Duo babe. Fujitsu LifeBook S-Series! Its a light yet power-packed.

And here comes the heart-stopping moment :

The top view of Fujitsu S-series Lifebook and Acer Aspire

The full view of Lifebook and Aspire... Awww!!! Two super powerful and cool laptops!

That's all folks. Its time for me to fondle with the Lifebook after hitting on my Aspire for the blog...Heee!

Geeky IT Show!

2007-03-06T12:03:00.000+08:00

Who can resists this Babe? It is the most lethal and seductive workstation and its worthy of me to drool over thinking abt it. Oh... Any sponsorships please?

Hyperactivity

2007-03-06T00:27:00.000+08:00

I think I'm suffering from hyperactiveness. It has been a long day at office running around n I still feel energetic, wide awake, can't seem to seat still, feeling really bored(even at work), restless n unable to focus. I juz want to walk around n have a 2.4 KM run at this late hour. Help! Wat's wrong wif me?

All In A Day's Work

2007-03-02T13:25:00.000+08:00

Phew... Its has been a long week. Since the big guy is off to Thailand for an engineering conference, I'm left to fend off all the PC problems alone, which includes going down to the Microsoft n visiting representatives for some discussion.

The Microsoft Office is super cool n the ppl seems polite. However I have been having this flu sick-to the stomach feeling. Halfway through the 4 hr discussion, I excused myself to the washroom to be sick ( the representatives were quite surprised cos we were engrossed in some process flow discussion).

After I came out of the cubicle, there was this lady who give me this auntie "I-am-really-concern-look" n asked me " You having morning sickness arh?" Without waiting for my answer, she drag on n on abt how young pregnant ladies nowadays get morning sickness, how skinny I look, how pale n malnutrition I am for a pregnant lady ( I am not pregnant, U bitch.)

All this while, I was standing by the sink coughing away n trying to fight off the wave of nauseaousness. It does'nt help wif the nosy insensitive remarks of a "I Know It all" auntie. In a fit of anger, I returned to the cubicle n slapped the door as hard as I could. Finally that idiot left the washroom. Peace.

Its so irritating bumping into such a bird-brained who thinks that every girl who goes to the toilet to puke is pregnant. Hello! This is one idiot who truly deserves my Flu virus n I am very optimistic abt her chances of being contaminated. That includes the puking part too. It will be a very enriching experience for her indeed.

OK... I'm still feeling giddy, sick n super tired from the flu. Got to install some GemPlus Card reader for the users on Monday. WooHoo! At least work distracts me fr the sick feeling =)
Work! Work!

Happy New year!

2007-02-22T22:36:00.000+08:00

Its the 5th day of CNY n I hope everyone had a wonderful CNY celebration. Gong Xi! Gong Xi!

My 3-4 days of new year celebration was spectacular. As usual, there were lots of Hainanese meaty stuff for reunion dinners (my fav chicken soup), nice lo heis, ang pows collection n of course me polishing off pineapples tarts on hm visits. (Yummy!)
Fortunately, it was not as bad n boring as I thought initially.

The good thing abt being the youngest kid n CNY is to be able to loot all the yummy cookies n snacks in house visits. It is a respect not to reject any goodies serve by ur elders n ur hosts r pretty happy to u eat watever they serve. In short, its ok to loot/polish off ppl's house supply of goodies during CNY. On top of that, u get a wonderful red packet of cash as blessings. Woo hoo!

The result of my festive gorging is a bad cold n sore throat. I sound like Kermit the frog n managed to increase the sales of Kleenex tissues due to the endless sneezing n blowing of mustard-like nasal fluid. (Hey, I'm feeling happy cos I had a wonderful time eating this year.)

Got to go folks! Enjoy the remaining 10 days of CNY!

A Gd Meal

2007-02-10T02:53:00.000+08:00

I love today's dinner. Sal, Val n I went to the Bugis steamboat outlet for dinner... As usual, I was busy force feeding the gals by dumping food into their bowls, whether they wanted the food or not.

Haaa! Hey, Xuan is a gd dinner host. My specialization is in Steamboat Force Feeding, by endlessly serving food to anyone on the same dining table.

We had lots of beef n this time round, I'm in love wif the tom yam soup. Yummy! It was lots of fun but of cos there were some industrial accident involving a rolling fishball, suicide prawn n a fallen chicken. Oh.. I was treated a generous dose of lychee syrup foot wash by some dumb girl who hav no idea of the proper use of the water dispensary. Dumb.

Anyway, this is one of the best dinners for the start of 2007, including one yesterday. Seriously, I wan to enjoy all my dinners b4 Chinese New Year.

One last thing... I hope all the crabs n beef n tom yam will not make me visit the doctor again. (Glup!)

Window Vista Sucks

2007-01-23T20:53:00.000+08:00

I'm very fortunate to be given a review n to try out the latest windows Vista business at work. However, disappointing is the word for it.

The interface is quite pretty but a poor imitation of Mac OS. The layout is also totally different fr the previous windows versions we used (quite complicating... U hav to hunt for the features). In Microsoft Office instead of having the former dropdown boxes for selection, all the icons r scattered around.

As I used Vista, I hope I won't get to install Vista to the user during my time here... I can't imagine how many ppl will bang on my server rm door....

Bad Hair Day

2007-01-13T21:22:00.000+08:00

I had a haircut yesterday n its good enough to make Mrs Choy give her both thumbs up. ARGH!!!! I ask the hairdresser to trim my hair n layer my fringe. Instead she cut off my hair and fringe! I can't see my fringe!
It was the ideal hair length I wanted =(

BOOHOO!!! I'm mourning over the loss of my long hair. Sucks! I wan long hair for this new year but its not possible.

Now I look like a secondary sch kid. Even my secondary one newbies parents remark I look 15. Sian.

Here is the damage done:

I keep staring at this pictures n thought I really look 15.... Sigh!

April's Fool

2007-01-04T15:06:00.000+08:00

The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. -- Mark Twain

April's Fool

2007-01-04T15:03:00.000+08:00

The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. -- Mark Twain

Welcome to Hell

2007-01-03T19:04:00.000+08:00

Today is the start of a new sch term. So is the start of my first lesson of the year wif these brunch of sec 1 newbies. Overall, the lesson was fine n these newbies( I dun wan to call them kids) r very attentive; until at the end of the lesson, we talk abt the new schs they juz got in.

One of the newbies got into Anderson Secondary and transferred to Holy High. I asked her y did she make the switch and she said Holy High is a very reputable sch, the teachers r good n has a conducive environment for studies.

And she made the decision of the switch herself.

She wants me to sum up my experience as an Ex Student of Holy High...
Here goes:

Welcome to the world of 4 years of chaos n noise, Welcome to the world of no government.

Welcome to hell, sis...

Curse Of The Golden Flower

2006-12-29T13:39:00.000+08:00

Will be watching Curse of the Golden Flower
(kekekeke! In seetoh's fashion).

Its December!

2006-12-12T12:47:00.000+08:00

I love December! Here are a few things I look forward to:

9 Dec - Trip to Pengarang
17 Dec - Cycling at Ubin
23 Dec - KTV and Shopping
27 Dec - Time to feel older
29 Dec - Indochine n MOS!
30 Dec - Hav no idea wat horror is installed after MOS
31 Dec - Dinner with family

I'm may plan for a little bbq or picnic maybe on the 24 or 30 Dec. Dunno if Karen still planning for xmas bbq on 23 dec? N whether should ask Hong out on 23 dec?(If Wen n I hold outing together) Though he has been an idiot lately, its like having no one to bicker n sa jiao wif ; no Hong, no fun.

Back From Pengarang

2006-12-10T03:02:00.000+08:00

This morning, Karen n I went to Pengarang wif her AB Electronics team. Its was really fun as the guide was very comical n as energetic as a duracell bunny. We spent the morning taking light naps n watching the coach sped past endless stretch of oil palm plantation n the azure skies.

As we approached the outskirts of Johor, there r many old zinc houses built on top of hills. I guess its cool to live on a hill looking over expressway n oil palms! The cars r driving at a limit of 50km/h. Its peaceful n the place resembles the Sleepy Joo Chiat Place where life is played in slow mode.

As shopping dominates the cash lines of women, I made endless purchases, only to realise that I got for myself a packet of Chrysanthemum tea n some Wrigley's chewing gum n lugging giant dragon fruits, water apples n boxes of tau sa pia hm. Sian.

To sidetrack abit, its feel comfortable n weird to be on a coachful of engineers. Getting into engineering topics is inevitable n we chat abt engineering stuff, schematics, volatile testing... It made me kind of miss the engineering industry. I'm starting to itch for it. Grrr!

Lordy... I damn tired. Can't wait for my card reader to be reinstalled.

Haapy Birthday Chuan

2006-11-07T14:04:00.000+08:00

We celebrated Chuan's birthday on Friday having steamboat at Bugis.
I'm sure everyone hav a great time eating cos there was no lack of food.(Heee!)

Anyway, here are some unseen footage of the birthday girl.

Firstly, a warm smile to the camera,

Then take a gentle sniff of the lilies' frangrance,

And eats the lilies? Eh... we juz hav buffet dinner.

Kids Say The Darnest Things

2006-10-17T15:37:00.000+08:00

Maths Problem 1: 7 X 7 = ?

Primary 2 kid : "Teacher I dunno how to do 7 X 7. Can I do by add?"
Me : " Yes. 7 X 7 is equals to 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7. So can u add n tell me the answer?"
Primary 2 Kid : " 7 X 7 = 7s "
Me :" How come its 7s ?"
Primary 2 kid : " Cos there are 7 sevens.

Science Problem 2 : Why are there gaps in between pavement path?

Primary 4 Kid : So as to allow drain water to flow and mosquitoes don't grow.

Breakfast Toast

2006-09-06T23:24:00.000+08:00

Breakfast gets better wif a chilled glass of milk n homemade crisp French Toast laced simmering butter n fresh buttery aroma. Bon appétit!

Being Happy - To my Mentor

2006-08-30T01:33:00.000+08:00

What defines happiness? What does being happy means?

Personally, I feel happiness and being happy is dependant on the individual itself. Yes. What determines how happy we are or happiness is no other than ourselves, our interests, our dreams and wishes.

This evening, I reached a surprise call fr a friend cum mentor. It has been a really really long time since we chat. We chatted n I learnt that things were not going too smoothly.

I know that u r feeling vexed over the issues n the whole world may tell u that u r crazy.[Frankly speaking, if I were Salem, I would probably think that u r crazy too. But I'm Joyce! =)] But u made the right choice by following ur heart - what u feel happy abt.

Finally, believe in miracles. It always happens =)

Sincerely,
Joyce

Welcome Back

2006-08-18T13:40:00.000+08:00

Though I left this place a year ago, being back to familiar grounds is so comforting. My days in this place was not too fun but being back now, walking slowly around n chatting wif the former individuals made my life miserable in the past ~ Surprisingly, it is so therupathic talking to them ; the sound, sight, heat, colours, cheer my spirit. Its really boost my morale. Watching the hustle n bustle reminds me of the times when I was like them; moving on too fast, no time to appreciate how beautiful this place is, no time to soak in n enjoy in the hustle n bustle of youth...

Its true that no matter how much u dislike this place in the past, being back in the present makes me reflect n reminisce abt the past, abt the regrets, abt the joys n fun amidst all the work,

I'm glad that I'm back n now looking back, I nv regret going to this place.

Actually I plan a short stay, but the "home-like" feeling makes me wanna spend the whole afternoon here.

Yeah! I will spend my whole Friday afternoon here =)

GCE O levels Blues

2006-08-15T14:42:00.000+08:00

Since sunday, I hav been digging out on my past years science exams papers, practising on the formulas (E.g F = M * A), trying to recall my previous science notes(well it wasn't easy since I hav given 95% to my cousin after my O levels).

Am I going for O levels Science after 5 years? Nope. I preparing to teach an O level kid today n gosh... teaching is not as easy as it seems to be especially for an O Level student who failed her sciences since sec 3.

Now I know how Mrs Tey felt when she took over our class. It feels like I'm back fighting a battle but this time round, I can only stand by the battleline n watch the fight or simply to put it, its more stressful to be a shi jun(Teacher soldier).

Well, good luck to student n to me.

Central Nightmare

2006-08-13T12:57:00.000+08:00

It gets on my nerves that some boys out there r really rude.

After watching the fireworks at Marina, Karen n I head back to City Hall MRT quickly, to avoid the imminent crowd. Then at citylink mall, there was this boy, who purposely stomped straight into my sandals n my sandals snapped. This idiot shove me aside n mutter a quick "Sorry" n hurried into the crowd wif his bunch of peers, giggling away.

Is that very funny? I had to hooble through the crowd, desperately looking n hoping that URS n other shoes shops hav no close. N mind u, it was 9.30++

Fortunately, Charles n Keith was still open n after getting my shoes, we had to squeeze through the avalanche crowd n walk to take the Bus back hm n there was a heavy traffic jam. Btw, I reached hm, it was 1140.

Luckily, I had Karen who accompanied me very patiently, carrying a huge load around.

NDP Preview

2006-08-01T23:27:00.000+08:00

The NDP Preview was really fun. With lots of fireworks, music, kids screaming in the air, a heavy bouching bag of goodies n lots of friendly Kaki beret Guards who guide us in n out of the stadium.

Here are some pictures:

Volkswagons wif the flag b4 turning into the stadium.

With Karen n her NYP band friends. Complimentary of Karen's NDP tickets=)

A view from the place we sat. Lucky the weather was cool n the skies were clear.

Paratrooper on the descend.

Soldiers on the march=) I got to confess that I hav a little penchant for ah bin ge...Heee!

Night falls n the excitement comes wif lots n lots of fireworks!

More fireworks

And more!

And more

The sparks of reacting magnesium made the inky night sky glitter wif kaleidoscopic glowing stars.

Wat a lovely night=)

Ajax Fabuloso

2006-07-31T16:14:00.000+08:00

Ajax - The Dutch name has lots of meaning attached depending on which areas individuals refer to.

To soccer fans AFC Ajax is a large Dutch Football club.
To IT progammers at large Ajax is the shorthand for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, a web development technique for creating interactive web applications. (With Reference From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Ajax (programming), line 1)
To our sporean housewifes Ajax Fabuloso is a trustly household brand floor cleaner which brings a wonderful lasting frangrance to the delight of our mummies.

To my personal context, Ajax stands for Anti Ja_ AXis. What an Ajax catastrophe.

Re-cycle Movie

2006-07-14T01:02:00.000+08:00

The starting was abit spooky, wif all the likely hood of Yin Te being psychopathical cos of her belief in immersing herself to have a real experience for her books as a novelist. Personally, I like the movie cos it has a storyline appealing to the emotions of the viewers.

However, I was chuckling through the movie. Firstly, there r scenes which looked like it is ripped off from Constantine. The same living dead's dark, empty street scene n the scene "erroding" into the air.
There was this scene where Yin Te was in this place which contained her "abandoned " toys. Well, it looks like we have gone back to Sonic the Hedgehog fairyland world game, except the difference here is Yin Te running from an erroding sky instead of collecting coins. Next was a series of flight of stairs which looks like the changing stairs featured in Harry Potter's Hogwarts sch.

Nevertheless, its a movie worth watching. If everyone could juz go through a "Re-cycle" juz to bring back our past, n cherish our present life.....

Jacket

2006-07-05T22:06:00.000+08:00

I hav been searching high n low for this French WC 2006 jacket. Sadly, its either out of stock or lack of my S size. Sigh!

Though the French jacket is on my mind, I hope Portugal wins this morning =) Luiz Felipe Scolari + Figo rocks =)

Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish

2006-06-25T13:57:00.000+08:00

Today marks the last day of my archery lesson and its a relief.

1) I dun pay to seat for an hour for every of my 2.5 hr lesson, listening to the instructor hard selling his lousy bows.
2) I dun see myself learning from a plain lazy, lots of fei hua, vulgar instructor who does'nt care abt teaching the right techniques.
3) The muddy shooting pitch has knee length grass n lots of rusty arrows amongst the grass.
4) The instructor n archery members try to psycho parents into buying n joining their "exclusive" membership - $144 a yr for the use of pitch(as mentioned in line 3) n $300 for a lousy plastic bow.
6) Did I mention that some of the bows notch r loose n the arrows fly to the side or at ur feet?
7) Everyone in the class is very displeased wif the instructor.

Daunt Feeling

2006-06-12T12:49:00.000+08:00

I feeling like a deflated tyre. Low energy, hungry but dun feel like eating, very restless, impatient, obnoxious blah blah blah. The overall feeling combines to a low powered battery running on a high energy consuming device.

Arh... Its near the time of the month n my hormones r starting to go haywire.

Seriously, I hate oestrogen.

Cravings

2006-06-11T02:13:00.000+08:00

Its the rainy season=) Its time for me to indulge in more food cos the cold weather = higher metabolism rate.

My top list of current cravings are

1) Kokocrunch in chilled Magnolia Full cream milk( Yummy! Especially taken before bed time then snuggle under the covers)
2) Hot Vanilla n Oven Fresh baguette from Delifrance
3) Poached eggs + Karen's mum Fried rice(That's one of the best Fried Rice!)
4) Lightly buttered grilled crabs n prawns
5) Tau Hway
6) Medium-rare black pepper beef steak n mashed potato served in thick brown sauce from Fork & Spoon foodcourt in Toa Payoh( I juz like the brown sauce)
7) Platter of salsami
8 )Vietnamese Beef Rice noodles Soup From Anchorpoint (The beef soup broth is superb!)

Lessons... Lessons

2006-06-08T12:22:00.000+08:00

Surprise.. Surprise... After appearing sulky for my yoga lessons(due to mum's dragging me), I come to like yoga. The aunties r pretty nice n the yoga instructor is a totally patient n fun auntie!! Haaa! I never expected to hav aching muscles after the Yoga class( cos of lazy muscles), the nicest part was having to immerse myself in deep mediation for 10 mins( its considered a great accomplishment for a hyperactive person)

Move on next, was my archery class. The activity was fun but the sad part was the instructor is more interested in making business by forcing everyone in the class to buy the hand guard n finger guard juz at the start of the class; a whipping $35 n we are not allowed into the shooting range wif out the gears. (These things does not compromize wif the safety as instructor hav insist).

Moreover, he was loud n shovy n kept yelling (using words like DUMB N STUPID) at us to disarm our arrows quickly, wif out showing us the right shooting tactic(cos he wanted to show that we get to shoot as many rounds as compared to other instructors). There were some little kids around 5 to 6 n he gave them adult bows, which were a 130CM in height n expected them to shoot. Hello? Where is ur common sense? There r bows n arrows for kids ok? We r not DUMB. One of the kids got scare n cried, my instructor shouted at him " Why are u cry baby? So useless!" WTF! Bullying a child becos he's young?

After one hr into the practice, he juz disappeared n came back 1 hr later wif a kopi. Fortunately, there was this other assistant coach, who was millions more patient n taught us the proper standing poses. Damn the fat glutton,wanna eat away time.
If u all wanna hav an idea of how my instructor looks, he is the typical uncle butcher or bak choe mee assistant at the neighbourhood market.

can't wait for the archery lesson to end so I can move on to a new coach.

IT fair tips

2006-06-01T21:25:00.000+08:00

Woo!! I'm a avid fan of the IT fair. Feeling frustated over the crowd n sweating in the air con? Here are some tips I would like to share

1) Try to go to the the fair early before 3pm if u dun enjoy "packed like sardines" scenerios
2) Wear covered shoes. Looking gd is a trival issue here n you ain't going to look gd when stomped in the foot.
3) Watch out for the squeeze n squeeze crowds. Their eyes r glued on the "best squeezed discounts" which includes squeezing ppl around the fair.
4) Dress decently. Skimpy dressing invites only more squeezes n eyes glued to the wrong discounts.
5) Eat cuttlefish when u caught in a squeezy crowd, breath though ur mouth. It helps to relieve human congestion.
6) Go to the fair once a day. Going in more than once may result in disoriented buying, more stomping in the foot n unnecessary scolding from sales personnels who r less pleased to serve u twice.

Finally, enjoy urself in the midst of the crowd. Thta's the art of Sporean fairs.

Rainy ECP

2006-05-23T02:03:00.000+08:00

Today is the first day I took 2 hours to cycle from ECP McDonald to Bedok Jetty. Can u believe it? My stamina is so lousy? Argh!!!

From 445 to 515, it was sunny n cooling. I pedalled at a slow speed n went to my favourite pond for photo taking. As time went by, the sky become overcasted n dark n I thought it was a wonderful day to cycle. I race though my favourite restaurant stretch at the Long beach n it started drizzling. I raced up to the bedok jetty as fast as I could, thinking that I could catch a rainy sunset. That was my worst mistake.

All of a sudden, there was a heavy down pour n I had no choice, but to seek refuge in a shelter wif a bunch of noisy adolesdents wif vulgarites on the tip of their tongue, two old ang mos, two expert fishermans wif their wives n a cool skater around my age. For the next 45 mins, fishing rods,tobacco n Linking Park mingled. Great... To think I hav to endure Camel Filters.

At 6, the rain finally stopped n everyone got out of the shelter. I turned into bedok jetty n enjoyed a wonderful ride up the jetty end, wif the strong sea wind blowing on me. As soon as I turned to leave the jetty, the sky turned grey n a flash of lighting n there came a heavier downpour. Gosh! I had to seek refuge in a pathetic little bus stop like shelter on the jetty n this time, at the mercy of the full blast of rain blasting at top speed. There, I spent another 1 hour wif this old uncle talking to me abt his fishing trips n watching for his jumping prawns.

Finally, the downpour mellowed a little n I had no choice, but to race my way back to return my bike asap. I already soaked to the skin at the jetty n my trip back was damn cold wif all the wind blowing. I was shivering profusely n the raindrops from the trees was painful on my skin.

However, its fun cycling in the rain. But next time round, I wanna put on a rain coat n hav prefect eyesight.

Ex-work updates

2006-05-09T02:07:00.000+08:00

Alas! Today is an interesting ex-work update day, I bump into my former colleague, Helen at the MRT station who was on her way home after work and we had a nice good chat.

Then when I reached home, I received an email from my former Yokogawa supervisor cum friend cum mentor. Yeah!! Its relieve to hear from SK after a long long wait for around 2 mths ++ cos of busy project schedules. N the best part is that he is getting a break after working non-stop since June last year. Cheers!!

Another big news update which made me "Phew...." in relieve too. I'm due to double confirm some things n its best not to put it up in the blog too. I juz glad I made the right choice =)

Update

2006-04-27T01:17:00.000+08:00

I guess it has been a long time since I update my blog since I hav a new computer. Hmmm... Laziness plays a part =)

Interestingly, I hav been learning quite a lot n not learning much at the same time in this standstill period. I dunno how to describe this form of learning but I observe, yes alot.

Career ~ It seems slow but yet fast. I hav no idea of what I wan.

Education ~ The SIM acknowledgement letter has arrived but I dunno whether I should accept it cos SIM has refused on the exemptions.

Heath ~ my ears still ache from time to time n it get stuck as well... Hopefully, the liquid in my ear drains out completely n my hearing will be back to normal.

Aquarium ~ Wooo! I found a wonderful aquarium at Hougang ave 8!! Very strong n healthy fishes!!

Leisure ~ Waiting for the new aikido n nature photograhy class to start in May/ June. I wonder if anyone has gd offers on nature photograhy classes.

I hate Admin + customer service ppl

2006-04-05T17:18:00.000+08:00

I am going to an explosion point.... The SIM admin ppl really sucks!

This is what happened; one of the admin ppl called me at 5.15pm... she told me that I must take 3 years to complete the Information Management Systems(BIM) degree cos I can only take one exemption for the degree briging course, which is either economics or mathematics. I ask her y I can't take both, she said cos of the 1/2 units for mathematics... Juz bcos of a 1/2 unit n I can't take the briging course for both subjects?

I explained to her patiently abt the econs modules I took in BusinessIT n she was like " arh.... BIT got econs n biz sujects meh( Then why my diploma is called Business IT if it has no biz subjects?Rubbish loh) Sorry, u still need to take 3 years to complete the programme... I asked her to explain the BIM modular structure to me(since she said I could only take one exemption) she was unsure of it herself... "eh... I'm not too sure.... U hav the booklet wif u? Read the booklet.... Y did'nt u check the degree modules yourself before u registered for the programme?"

Damn... I told her that at the point of registeration, the admin told me to take the both bridging subjects so I can move directly to year 2. She was like" eh... really?" I snapped at her n told her that I am very sure of what the admin person hav told me. N her planning of my modular structure is like this

Year 1 = 1 subject
Year 2 = 6 subjects
Year 3 = 2 subjects

What the hell is that? I hav to spend one year doing a 1/2 unit mathematics or economics module? The worse is that I hav taken both micro n macro economics in poly. Like that, I rather do some degree that is totally not related to my diploma n graduate in 3 years...

The very funny thing is that I can move on into year 2 for any other totally unrelated UOL courses like banking n finance n BIM being so related to BIT, I can't have exemptions? Hello? No wonder my fellow BIT ppl hates IT degree.

The most blood sucking thing is she want me to call her first thing tmr morning to see whether i wan the bridging course. Ya... she actually expected me to make my decision in 5mins until I snapped at her the 2nd time.

Grrrr!!!!!

My Aspire 5560

2006-03-19T18:02:00.000+08:00

Lets welcome my new babe-cum-workmate-cum-technogadget; Acer Aspire 5560WXMi

I love my new laptop. The graphics is excellent, multi-tasking n processing response is fast. Its perfect for all the graphics n Programming software I plan install. Work n play balance out =)

On the down side, it has a pathetic battery life of 1hr n 45 mins(max). Goodness! I may hav to invest in another litium battery. The laptop is too heavy for me to carry in a bag. However, I felt much better carrying it in my hands. N if the speaker is altec lansing, it will round up the whole multimedia features.

I'm glad I got the aspire 5560 series over my initial perference of the travelmate 3200 cos though it cost $150 more than the latter, the mulitmedia features n hard disk space is much bigger. Though my overall favourite would be the Fujitsu lifebook, but at $3.3 K ++ n running on a Centrino M-processor, it will rupture my whole pants rather than juz burn a hole in my pocket.

Ok... I hav been enjoying a slow paced life. Taking some time off to do some reading, planning the next step of my life. The clearance was better then I though n its feels much better talking to her. Thanks =)

Talking abt books, I came across this very interesting fiction called the Last Nazi. Its filled wif all lots of conspiracy, modern journalism + biotec novel n of course, humour. Yeah!!! I love the book.

After much contemplating, I made up my mind to ask abt ISM. Who knows, we can learn something new =) My heart is smiling =)

ORD count-down

2006-02-20T12:51:00.000+08:00

Its weds n I'm left wif 5 more days before my ORD.

I hav been thinking a lot these days. What to do? Where to go? What to look forward to? It all seems so close but yet so far, so clear yet foggy.

The HR called... Its the same old news, wif the same old thingy... Yes... It sounds very attractive but this is not the field which allows career advancement and I hate being so stagnant.

I discovered something that taken me by surprise. Someone I spoke to lately said that I hav an aptitude in the banking n finance line n that I should consider getting a degree in Banking & finance n consider banking as a career.

Hmmm.... Should I take this statement as a pinch of salt or should I try my luck in banks?

Seriously,I hav nv consider working in banks as a career cos it reminds me of money, transitions, cash ~ which is inter-related to accounts. I always thought myself dressed in a lab coat involved in product & development stuff or being enaged in all kinds of innovation n technological stuff.

Arh... can I juz strike 4-D?

Happy Memories =)

2006-02-13T17:10:00.000+08:00

I had a very very fun filled an enjoyable Thursday! I'm glad that my team mates n I had so much fun together =)

My most memorable part of the game was leading my team into "attacking" our top scorer by surrounding... Haaaa! She got so confused n stucked wif the 3 person : 1 person ambushed... But nevertheless, it was great fun.

Today, an incident happened on me. I was utterly disgusted by it n guess what... I hav no wrongdoing n this has harden my resolute to do even better =)

Cheers everyone =)

Chinese New Year

2006-02-08T09:38:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year to all!!! I wish everyone a fruitful year ahead!

This year's new year is the same old spring cleaning n usual eating stuff... However, I did not eat so much cos a of nagging sore throat n headache. Argh!!! Nevertheless, I should execute my jowls power now that I'm better!

The new year eve n first day of new year was spent at my Paternal's family side.... n my two very adorable nephews who hav grown so much!!!

This is Mitchell...the elder of the boys. He is super cute! On the first day of CNY, he went around wishing everyone Gong xi Fa Cai, Da Hong Bao lai!~ wif this cheeky grin! He kept running run n run me, asking to play wif my Camera(which was a big NO... He's 3.5 years old)... In the end, he sang, dance, hop... n he gave this little cheeky grin. Arh...Toddler manipulation! Who can resist this cute grin?

Mitchell n his younger brother, Macken. Macken is super super cute... he give this lost look when I was taking this picture n he came running for a big hug=) I got my hands full carrying him during CNY. I miss the kids but I will be seeing them on the 15th =) I willl take more pictures!

Granny's hm old mongrel, Lucky. There the boys n I were playing wif the Holla Ring(whatever its called) n Lucky kept a lookout for any of the boys running to the road n ran to pick our ring whenever it rolled away into the road. That's y dog is always Man's best friend =).

On New year's Eve night, my mum n I went to the market for some mid-night shopping. Its so cool to see so many ppl crowding around n doing last min shopping at 11pm. Everyone seems so energetic n the once stale n quiet market roared wif life wif vege sellers n butchers yelling the prices of their goods n old aunties yakking in the din. My favourite is always heading to the fishmongers n watch them struggle getting live flipping n grasping fish on the weight scale.

If only market place n shopping centres could open till 2 am on public holidays, would'nt it be gd?

On the 2nd day of new year,we went to my maternal's uncle's hm in the morning n as a tradition, my brother n I will stay in my uncle hm 3++ where my uncle will fetch us to our grandmother's hm for lunch. Its nice to hav a gd old chat wif Kai Xuan n she now has a nice cool room to herself. The guys played on Marcus's computer while we girls helped ourselves to the pineapple tarts n cookies. My aunt prepared lots n lots of yummy chicken wings n curry chicken while we waited for everyone to bath n my uncle n aunt start their"fashion parade." Haaa! That's the most exciting part n my uncle n aunt will keep changing clothes n ask if they look handsome n pretty! Then everyone gets ready n my uncle will fetch us in the Ford.

At granny's hm, Vanessa will wait for the three of us~ that's my brother, me n Kai Xuan to hav lunch, during which, she will exclaim that she has to wait for us to hav lunch every year! LOL!!! My favourite day is the 2nd day of new year cos of my granny's cooking! ( MY Maternal grandmother is also a Haninanese)Succulent steamed chicken. roasted duck n roasted meat, yummy mushroom, chicken soup n stired fried veges, prawns n of course, my granny's speciality of Mutton Soup! After lunch, we usually talk to our granny abit n she will be in all smiles( she wasn't happy we came late for lunch). then we head to Suntec for movies! Yeah! we watched The memoirs of the Geisha n it is a very nice movie!

Nice new year =)

My Birthday Gifts

2006-02-07T00:49:00.000+08:00

Sorry for this ultra ultra late posting. Been caught up wif lots of work.Thanks to everyone for all the presents, wishes n blessings!!! Here is a picture of my birthday "loot" this year!

All my presents!!! I open up gifts on the 27th of Dec cos its more polite n appropiate to open the gifts when I'm offically 21. So I apologise to all for my late gift opening.

A big thank you to my mum for the lovely necklace from Goldheart! I juz love u + it! Muacks!!

Thanks to Chuan, Feng, Karen, Pang n Wen for the first Timberland wallet as a gift n thanks for the time n effort in getting the wallets! Yeah!!!

A surprise!!! Idog!!! Thanks to Cheng Xun, Edwin, Swee Tong n Hui Shan!!! The centre picture is my Idog wif my MP3 player.... Its showing a normal mood wif Linking Park's Faint... N its shows a sad face wif Black Eyed Peas' Lets Get started.... Hello? Is my Idog too energetic?

Oh!!! Tomato can sling bag n Zara Polo shirt! Yeah!!! Juz my style =) Thanks to Hui Min, Xue Ni, Hui Yi, Serene, Yi Li, Ling N jun!

This is a very special gift wrapping from Zhi Ming!! Luckily, my vouchers are'nt biohazardous =P

A nice bag from my Ah Gong, Zheng Hong. Thanks =)

There r some other gifts as well but I apologise for not being able to post them up cos my fireworks trial has ended. Thanks to everyone n I love u guys!

Need a break

2006-01-25T17:48:00.000+08:00

Time really flies n its going to be Chinese New Year....

I hav been moving on the balls of my feet.... There is a huge to-do-list waiting piling... Spring cleaning, get new year goods, wash my fish tank n blah blah down the list....

Sometimes I wish my Chinese New Year will be a little more special, a little more exciting instead of the usual hm visits then listening to my adult cousins lectures, n seating on the floor of my grandma hm watching silly TV programmes, feeling so automated.

I hope for a nice swim by the pool or strolling down the beach... Nice n peaceful....=)

Anyway, hav a happy nice ahead to all!!!

Life as an IT person( Part 2)

2006-01-04T10:27:00.000+08:00

Here is a recent conversation.

Kor Kor 1 : U r a BIT grad? U learn IT right? U also learn programming?

Me : Yup. A bit.

Kor Kor 1 : Oh... Some of my colleagues r talking abt SAP n Navision. R they programming languages?

Me : No... They r softwares used in organisations as part of enterprise resource planning.

Kor kor 1(Very stubborn n unconvinced) : U r an IT student... U should know that they r programming languages... Juz like Linus(Linux) is a new Database software....

Me : ...

Given a choice, I would tear my head off. Maybe I should tell them PHP means Printer Hyperactive Phenomenon

Science Test

2006-01-03T00:47:00.000+08:00

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could'>http://www.blogthings.com/couldyoupasseighthgradesciencequiz/">Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

Anti-Chocolate Sentiments

2005-12-28T18:05:00.000+08:00

I'm going to be sick after eating so much of chocolate since last week.... Juz now, I receive some very rich chocolates ~Jacquot Confiseur. Chocolatier... (which means chocolates). Its only 3 slices of chocolate n 2 chocolate butter cookies n I'm full to the brim.... My wound hurts...Groan...

I hav a big Choocy log cake waiting for me to clear at hm.... Can anyone pls help me?

My Birthday Party

2005-12-26T22:43:00.000+08:00

Yeah!!! I celebrated my 21st birthday on the 17 Dec on its was great fun! Thanks to my family n friends for attending celebration.

This is where the fun begins.
I love the unit no ~ S.11

My sec sch friends. Catching up wif one another's life n telling lots of ghost stories!!! Arh... did not hav much chance to listen to all these stories.

My sec sch friends cum cycling + fun-making + mischief making khakis!!

My OBS(2003) camp friends.Friendship nutured in a rubber dinghy out in the open sea for 12 hrs. Then snoring on pochos in the pier of sch1. Our lobster skin paid off!

My birthday cake!! Thanks mum!!! Its simple n nice!!

Candles n grape juice wif the birthday cake. Thanks again to my mum n my aunt.

Presenting xuan, the birthday gal. That's me...

My mum, me n my bro. Mum looks so happy=)

My relatives n I ~ My uncle n aunt, Cousins: Kai Xuan, Marcus, Vanessa n Benjamin(Small boy).

All my friends!!!

My sec sch friends, Pang, Wen, Lin, my buddy Karen n me.

The guys n I.

My OBS friends n I

Making my birthday adulthood wishes.

Then its some cheering session!!!

Yum Seng!!! Toast to our friendship, health n many fun days!

I would like to thank my mum for helping out so much in all whole chalet, my uncle & aunt for the satay, Vanessa for being the camera gal always, Pang, Wen, Feng for helping in cake delivery, Karen for the wonderful Fried rice, Zhi Ming for helping start the fire without any gruntles, Cheng Xun & Co for being the balloon masters + my cousins n everyone who has helped in any way =)

Meeting wif Sal

2005-12-26T16:42:00.000+08:00

Sal n I had a meeting in town n a dinner treat on 12 Dec from Sal!!! It feels so gd to meet up for a chat n meal =)

Here r some snap shots

A photo b4 food

Where's my pasta? Nvm, I will take the Spanish wine instead... Its $75 per bottle.

Finally my bacon spaghetti is here!!! Not too bad but its on the oily side...

Sal's Crayfish Spaghetti. Look at the succulent Crayfish!!!

After dinner, we had walk down to PS cos I wanted to shop for some stuff at carrefour. Sorry to make u walk all the way to PS, Sal. Hee! But we had some of the xmas decos along Orchard Road to pep us up =)

Argh... What heavy traffic.

Nice xmas tree outside paragon.

One thing that makes strolling along orchard road distasteful is this mushroom/shower cap like thing which plays repeating xmas tunes in a horrible wail! Yucks! Its sounds like Moaning Myrtle is in town for Xmas.

It has been such a great evening =)

Winter Solstice Festival

2005-12-22T17:06:00.000+08:00

Today is Dong Zhi festival or Winter Solstice festival, which marks the end of the year in the chinese calendar n I shall be 22 years old according the the chinese calendar....(Gosh... I'm still 20!!). Dong Zhi falls in the middle of winter... where its bitter cold n dark in seasonal countries n families gather to celebrate the past year then sip a steaming bowl of Glutinous rice ball soup which symbolises reunion. Its like a chinese thanksgiving day!

I can't wait to get hm to make my very own glutinous rice balls!!!I juz love making glutinous rice balls since I was a kid. I love the fun of pinching the dough, mixing colouring into the dough, rolling out little balls, then dumping them into the boiling water n watch the multi-coloured rice balls gently floating to the water surface (which means they r cooked). Then relishing the chewy texture of the rice ball n devouring in the sweetness of the sugary soup its is served in.

I can't wait for my bowl of glutinous rice soup!!! I shall post some pictures of the tang yuan tmr!!!

Tips on Interviews

2005-12-22T11:33:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone. Hav u felt nervous n not performing up to the mark in interviews? I have written a java aplication on interview tips n hope it helps to ease those interview creep.

* Disclaimer - Read at your own risk. The writer is not responsible for any failed interviews or unpredictable scenarios. Any resemblance of the following scenarios is purely fictitious or coincidental.

public class InterviewApp{
public static void main (String [ ] args) {

Console.writeln("How to succeed in interviews");
Console.writeln();
Console.writeln(" ----------Interview Menu ----------");
Console.writeln();
Console.writeln(" 1. Speak confidently and answer questions politely ");
Console.writeln(“ 2. Keep quiet, dun answer any questions n stare at the interviewer. That’s right keep staring.”);
Console.writeln(” 3 Feeling hot? Remove ur shirt button slowly.”);
Console.writeln(“ 4. Be comfortable n prick ur nose. Then lick ur fingers n say Mamamia!”);
Console.writeln(" 5. Seduce The interviewer… Tell him/her about the ur personal assets ");
Console.writeln(" 6. Feeling gassy or wanting to pee? Juz let it out in front of the interviewer.");
Console.writeln(" 7. Turn off the lights in the interview rm n sing loudly “U Light Up My Life ");
Console.writeln(" 8. Threaten the interviewer… If u dun employ me, I’m going to lock u in the rm. Juz u n me. ");
Console.writeln(“ 9. Tell long soap operas-stories… make the interviewer sleep n grab the sheet of paper he/she is holding n write ~ Suitable candidate, employed”);
Console.writeln(“10. At the end of the interview, remember to shake hands n say “ I will be missing u so much.”);

int opt = Console.readInt("Enter Your Choice:___ );

if (opt != 0 && opt =<10)
{
Console.writeln("Fail Interview!");
}
else
{
Console.writeln("Fail Interview!");
}
}}

Xuan's thesis on the application ~ The truth is always ugly.

Work...Work

2005-12-14T10:53:00.000+08:00

Its going towards the end of December...

Its amazing how time flys. A few mths back, I was slogging away in the computer labs ~ trapped in the confines of 4 walls, with the companion of an Acer desktop in near sub zero temperature. Working from 8am to 10pm daily. For FYP, cursing at the increasing errors during debugging, fretting over stubborn crystal reports extractions, endless of documentations, logic charts, UATs n making stupid calls for a finanical analysis.

Then rushing to complete the ever-lagging SAP execrises, fitting in time to meet for business prosposals in technoprenuership. The never ending minning for unknown data in Business Intelligence, wif the 7 KDD steps n followed by horribly difficult analysis for a stupid Spine clinic( I hope the clinic closes down cos they provide stupid useless data) Preparing endless Business presentations n donning Business wear is an automatic affair.

Come to think of it as I'm typing here in a slightly warmer office n wearing a T-shirt instead of biz wear. Its much slower paced at work but I hav so much fun back then. I miss those gd days where my friends n I seat at the last row giggling in class, smuggling cup noodles to labs, munching of piles of pancakes/ oreos in lectures n the carefree moments when u can run away from lectures as n when u like. Going to NE forums for buffets. Those moments where u can be daring n open. The projects were tough but at least there is a bunch of nice ppl to lend a helping hand n most importantly, to spur n motivate one another to our final goal of graduation. I hav a sense n taste of achievement, joy of team-builiding n the labs aren't that cold with the warmth of companionship.

There are lots of valuable lessons at work. It is a great plus for my personal development n stuff. But gone r the days of reckless adventure, old sch innocence, the little bounce in my feet as I head to sch n nobody to turn to spur on n what's next? I dunno.

I miss sch life...

U/C

2005-12-06T16:15:00.000+08:00

After a week of endless sneezing, the source of my cold came from the construction of my office extension( which is less than 5 m away fr me).... The air is juz so filthy. Arh!!!

My table is dusty, the continous banging is so irritating that I stopped listening to my MP3 player. Grrr!!!!
The air is laced wif all those volatile gases from the paint + dust..At first, I had a headache, but after ignoring the source, I develop a high feeling at the end of the day.

The smell of turpentine juz reminds me of my internship days.

Anyway, I decided its time of my blog to be under construction too. Dreamweaver 8 n Fireworks 8 totally rocks!!! (who cares abt the Adobe Illustrator CS =P).

For the meantime, pls stop the banging n drilling!!!

My Favourite day, Thursday

2005-12-01T14:53:00.000+08:00

I'm so tired from a stupid cold. Have been sneezing all day long n being given the looks as if I'm a germball doesn't feel gd.

I juz feel like a sodden piece of stale donut.

Finally, Thursday is here!

Thursday gives me the feeling that weekend is approaching n thus, it gives me the motivation to enjoy my day ahead, wif the thirst to play harder (thirst-day).

Yeah!!! Y should I let the rhinovirus damp my mood?

I'm so hungry n happy cos the day in office has ended! Time to go home!!!

Hooray!

2005-11-28T17:28:00.001+08:00

My hm is getting airconditioning! Yeah!!!

Goodbye to the stupid warm weather which drives me crazy on sunday afternoons, goodbye to those humid-hard-to-sleep nights+ endless tossing + sticky sensation n finally goodbye to the heat causing headaches.

I juz realise how tired my body is. Though my mind is awake, I can't move my body... haaa!

I hav come to realise how essential accounts is in work. Though having studied 3 modules of accounts in poly, I still can't come to terms to like accounts!!! Yucks!!! This proves that Xuan is still normal =p ( Anti-Accounts League Accredited~ AALA)

Thanks to Fang for the birthday party invitation on Saturday, the food was delicious, Fang is warm n she wore a skirt( n a pink skirt somemore)!!! *Should hav made the skirt-bearer pose at the the swings.* =P Btw, save the bareback shirt for xmas, Fang!

Got a nasty shock on saturday night at Taka... Wen n I sat/walk aimlessly for 1 n 1/2 hr, frantically trying to contact Hong. In the end, we got a call fr him at 11 that he was hm. Feel like thumping him but was relieved that at least we know his whereabouts.

Alas, its the end of Monday, 4 more days to work "book out." Urgh.

November Rain

2005-11-25T17:24:00.001+08:00

Yes! Its going towards end of November n I love the raining season cos its so cool n nice to snuggle in bed n falling into slumberland.

However, there is a disadvantage, I always misinterpret the time I should wake up cos the sky looks 6am when it is 7am! Arh!!!!

As the weather turns cooler, I hav been indugling on some fattening food. On weds, I hav Beef noodles, thursday black pepper steak(yummy!!) n today lunch, Single mushroom cheese fr BK.

Oh no!!! I'm feeling fat from all these ingested beef calories!!!

Anyway, November spells lots of activities n the lack of rest. I'm running a mild cold n feeling tired ... nevertheless, eating lots of fuji apples helps!!

The happiest thing ~ Today is Friday!!! Yeah!!!

Shopping Therapy

2005-11-25T16:42:00.000+08:00

Its a night out wif mum for some window shopping. Its good cos the shopping mood is there for the both of us.The location itself is perfect too. Ikea at queenstown. Juz conveniet from our workplace.

We casually walk around looking at the new furniture, quill covers, household items n christmas decoration stuff. All went well until we reached the garden n flowers area.

One thing I can't understand abt mummies is that they go woo n ah over some new species of flowers. Personally, I feel all flowers dun differ fr one another n I hate soil cos they r an excellent source of deadly bacteria(tentanus n all). Mum goes glassy-eyed over all flowers, plants n flowerpots n she makes it a point purchase at least one flower/plant related item in Ikea. (I hav lost count of the number of vases in our storerm!)

Anyway, we had our dinner at Anchorpoint in a food court call Oscar's Food Mall. No... I'm not promoting it cos of Oskar but the food is superb! We tried a bowl of Vietamese Beef rice noodle. IIts the nicest beef noodle I hav even eaten. Served in with spice leaves n all, the soup base is rich in favour yet light n appetising. The rice noodle(like the keow tiew) is soft n smooth tat I need not much of chewing to slurp it down. The beef is chewy yet tender n it has no beefy taste at all! Even an anti-beef person like my mum says the beef noodles is delicious n kept stealing my beef chunks! At $4 a bowl, the portion is more than enough for 2 ppl sharing! It comes wif the chicken noodles for non-beef eaters.

An interesting ceiling clock at Oscar's Food mall

After finishing dinner, I can't help but notice this cute "ceiling clock." Its even has XI n V numerals on the sides but its better for me to be discreet in phototaking.

I can't wait to go Oscar's Food Mall again!!!

Ahoy D& D!

2005-11-21T15:10:00.000+08:00

I made up my mind to go for the Dinner & Dance. Yeah!!!

Its going to be so exciting. What should I wear? A grown? Or Dress in full Business attire a.k.a Wu Ya dressing? Or simply a casual formal as myself, a proper office worker, yet youngish look?

I juz love/hate to be a girl. * Griggles*

Dinner & Dance

2005-11-18T15:03:00.000+08:00

My brain is shutting down... So wif the remaining ounces of Kilojoules I shall write something...

As I seat in my blue swisel chair, these r somethings I realise abt MNCs.

1) Computers - Local MNCs like Acer, Jap MNCs like NEC or Fujitsu for laptop, HP for desktops n English MNCs like Dell.... Hmmm....

2) Pantry - Local MNCs hav a coffee mixer, Jap MNCs hav Expresso mixer thrown in., English MNCs hav lots of butter cookies!!!

3) Management Style - Local boss - Go solve ur problems! Jap boss - Convince me, English boss - Lets seat n discuss the possible outcomes.

Anyway, I received an email to go to my company's regional division Dinner & Dance next January.

I picture myself dressed in some frilly-lacy fat 1890s dress n bouncing off the dance floor wif some hobbit bug-tooth guy in a top hat (Grasp!). Then seating in the middle of a table wif lots of corporate uncles n aunties chating abt kids, the Big 4 accounts firms, investments off Wall Street n what's the top news on factiva. Help! (The situation is the same as having lunch wif my big cousins!)

Ok, lets be serious. Being a little freshie, its a great chance for better exposure for the company culture n all. But the cost of getting a night grown n putting up makeup puts me off. I hate comestics!!!

I'm still pending whether to go or not to... Hav to give my reply by 5pm today. Sigh!

Frustration

2005-11-13T17:56:00.000+08:00

These are one of the days I ruffle my hair, scoff at the heat. my horomones go hay-wire n I wan a gd scream!!!

This week has been like a whirlpool ride for me. Meeting new ppl, learning biz lessons fr true blue entreprenuers, getting gd opportunies / missing out gd opportunies, shopping wif friends, meeting cuties, facing the dead, losing appetite, losing sleep,travelling on the road at 120km/hr,reviving my dying fishes n blah blah blah... That's too much information, too much to learn, too much to reflect, in too little time.

Fine, the whole world of events can nv stop. What's really bugging me is that I may hav to go back to that rm again. My knuckles go white n I winced at the news dumped by some top medical idiot. I'm scare.

I guess I'm thinking too much, being a deep-thinker ain't too gd when u r still 20. I still have a long way to go, lots to learn, see n laugh abt.

Sunday Morning with her majesty

2005-11-13T15:46:00.000+08:00

As dawn draws n the sun is on the horizon, I stretched my body in bed, wondering wistfully if I should go for an old friend's chalet later in the evening.

A voice breaks my trail of thoughts... " Gal ah... Dun put ur fish tank in the living rm!!" Followed by Deafening bang n the gush of water.

I leapt to my feet immediately, n saw my mum carrying the cover of my tank in one hand n screaming at my gasping n jumping clown loaches, pieces of broken acrylic littering the floor n the brackish liquid creepling in all directions.

My respond was " go get a container of water, mum", while I tried to grabbed my jumpy n slippery loaches out from the debris... Mum juz stood motionless. I yelled at my bro, who was at the end of the living rm... "Hey, quickly get a container of water...." Instead, the both of them juz stared at me kneeling n struggling wif the fishes n my bro giggling at the scene.

At that instance, I lost my temper n shouted... " juz dun stand here...GO GET A CONTAINER OF WATER!!!"

The both of them went to the kitchen n I heard my mum asking my brother," Boy, which container u think is nice to keep the fishes?" I was furious... My fishes need water n there mum is selecting her choice of container!!!

Finally, my bro got a small container n I put my loaches in... N my mum quickly recovered from her shock... n started ordering around" Gal ah... go wipe the floor clean n she dumps a pail n some old rags by my side.

Great. I goes on my fours, sponging all that pungent water, getting my shorts wet n smelling so fishy. How classy. N mum nags at how I dirty her furniture, my clown loaches r going to breed an army of mosquitoes blah blah blah...

Fine. I told mum umpteeth times, DUN MOVE MY FISH TANK. I hav to do all the cleaning n put up wif ur unreasonable attitude.

That's definitely so Fucked up. Nevertheless, I kept my cool n told mum once again~ "Dun move my fish tank for the final time."

N all she dismisses is " Oh... Its juz my carelessness."

Now my fishes r dying. Damn it.

Ya. Her majesty gets what she wants. =(

I'm tired

2005-11-09T22:49:00.000+08:00

I hav not had much sleep since Monday. I'm feeling so tired n can hardly get food down my throat though I feel hungry.

I need a gd nice long walk n quiet break. Hav been closing my eyes n taking deep breath in office to calm down. Its helps a lot.

Time to hav an early rest....Zzzz

I need a walk

2005-11-08T23:15:00.000+08:00

Yesterday morning on my way to work, I happen to appear at the wrong place, at the wrong time.( To those who know)

Its really unlucky, but maybe its juz coincidental.

At first I was shocked n scared. This makes me hav this core unsettling sick feeling.

Its better after talking it out n carrying out the cleansing. But I still hav that sick feeling.

My respects... I'm sorry....

Outing

2005-11-08T01:23:00.000+08:00

Here are some photos of the sentosa trip on Tuesday....

Presenting, the six shadowy figures

Our first stop was the Palawan Beach where we had our breakfast cum early lunch n most importantly, slacking... Went near the clean waters n our skin got roasted in less than 10 mins!!! Arh!!!! Anyway, did'nt stay at the beach for long thanks to some childish fools...

View of Palawan Beach.... Clean sand, clean waters n quiet families on the beach... Ahh....

Our next stop was the Sentosa Luge.... Haaa! Its was quite fun on the cable seat with a panoramic view of sentosa...Didn't take any pictures cos I dun hav a handguard for my camera...

We had lunch at Sakae Sushi n my Ramen came after everyone finish their Udon.
Y always me the last to eat? =( Nevertheless, had a gd time joking n free Ramen.

Took a few photos at this siloso logo... Juz nice for the six of us!

After that, went to town in shorts n slippers. Yeah!!! I love being so dressed-down =P Walk around town n taking neoprints wif unprepared poses...
I can't wait for a next outing...

Hello Jerard n Jerome

2005-11-07T23:37:00.000+08:00

Here is a picture of my new clown teenage loaches, Jerard n Jerome

Both of them are not jumpy, not fussy eaters, eats algae, they r very in love wif Nikki!!

Arh... End of bored-blogger-syndrome-

U are beautiful....

2005-11-06T11:58:00.000+08:00

My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I'm sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won't lose no sleep on that, 'Cause I've got a plan.

You're beautiful.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw you face in a crowded place, And I don't know what to do, 'Cause I'll never be with you.

Yeah, she caught my eye, As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was, Fucking high, And I don't think that I'll see her again, But we shared a moment that will last till the end.

You're beautiful.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw you face in a crowded place, And I don't know what to do, 'Cause I'll never be with you.

You're beautiful.
You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face, When she thought up that I should be with you.

But it's time to face the truth, I will never be with you.

Week 5 Update

2005-10-04T11:05:00.000+08:00

The last few days was quite hectic... On Friday, Karen, Pang n me went round n round TP central in searching for Min's birthday present... It was only till (930 where the shops r closing, we finally found the ideal presents... A wood carved pen holder n a mouse towel holder... Heee!!!

I found a lovely gold lacquered trumpet at the cash converters. I fell in love wif the trumpet( some unknown brand called Supreme) and I can use it for casual playing... So we went to try it... The tuning is gd, sound is smooth...
The price was a $368.... So x... bargain wif the shop manager...he gave the final price $310...=X

Anyway, I have been surveying on trumpet pricing... I hav to see my budget first....

On sat, mum n I went to grandma's hm. I wanted to take her out to the famous shop out at the corner of Joo Chiat Road to have fish head... but in the end, went to Dunman foodcourt to have a steam fish, bbq clay fish, satay, frog leg porridge n wanton mee.
A hole in my pocket but it feels gd treating my granny =)

On sunday, we went to Min's birthday party. At first feel like stoning after eating... but later quite fun playing the games...

Yesterday had a huge platter of steamed oyster sauced prawns for dinner... its so fresh n delicious!!! Thanks mum!!!

I'm putting on weight for this week... Juz had KFC for lunch. Haaa! A quote fr granny ~ "Eating is a bliss"

2005-09-29T10:16:00.000+08:00

Michael Buble ~ Home

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people
IStill feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place

I’m lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far
from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside

When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
But this was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
And even Paris and Rome

And I wanna go home

Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
Oh, let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done

I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be allright
I’ll be home tonight

I’m coming back home

Week 4 update

2005-09-28T21:09:00.000+08:00

Hi, Have not been blogging for quite sometime cos of business n partly I am down wif a bout of bad flu

It was not a very happy week 4...To start wif, Oskar's sudden death on Monday is most upsetting...

I got a chill on Weds.... maybe becos I hav been exposed some bacteria during Oskar's disinfection... Then I got a sore throat n went to see a doctor quickly( u all know how contagious my rhinovirus can be). I thought seeking early medication will be helpful... but NO!!! The flu symptoms changed for the worse... n my body feels heaty... got all those nasty boils...

Felt weak n lousy during the weekend... I nv slept so much in my life... Its like I woke up to hav my meals a watch tv for two hrs b4 feeling tired n heading to sleep again n waking up feeling even more exhausted...

Anyway, I took two rounds of antibotics n they seems to hav no effect on the state of my nasal fluids. My throat n nose feels choked...

I guess I should start eating Ice-cream...

Week 3

2005-09-17T09:51:00.000+08:00

3 weeks down .... Somehow I feel that time passes so fast n yet so slow....

What am I talking abt? Basically, there r so many things I want to do after getting a job n some pay but I hav so little time on hand to perform all these tasks....

I guess the most important n easiest thing on the agenda is to get new clothes. Yesterday found out that my colleagues thought that I'm an Industrial Attachment student... Haaa! (Ok... I admit... I got that student kiddy look, n the air of an intern girl)

Hav been exercising my phone manners abit this week... I feel that confidence play a big role.

I'm scrubbing myself dutifully during bathtime after work wif lots of dettol.... Got scolded by mum cos dettol ages skin alot.... I guess I hav no choice due to some eeeks thingy (to those who understand) ~ I think Oskar is cleaner....

This week, I hav seen great n terrible examples of responsibilities. I learn that no matter how high u climb the career ladder or how minor ur role is( like me, a little grade 20 assistant officer), having responsibility is very very essential n that's makes u stand out...

I have lots to learn...

My Clown Loach

2005-09-11T16:59:00.000+08:00

Hi, here are 2 pics of my little baby clown loaches... Mikki n Nikki, taken during their first week here...

This is Nikki... The hot fierce loach

Heee! The both of them kissing.....

Hmmm.... As for my teenage loaches, Nigel n Gordon, they r to mischievous to stay still for photo taking...

Overbended Rubber Band

2005-09-09T22:37:00.000+08:00

Can u imagine a girl's temperment like an overbended rubber band? Grumpy, irritable, fussy, even cynical... All the elements present in this entry

I got my pay on Thursday... finally, after weeks of chasing after every inch of the agent's ear I could speak hold of.... I feel like an irritant for doing that but I guess I have no choice... For some individual's great delay.

Felt achy n terrible since Wednesday... Drown myself wif all the warm water I could...
felt weak n low in performance... Very tempted to eat lots of sugary stuff to pep up... Have been slumbering everyday on the bus... ( hope i did not drool)
I guess keeping hydrated n warm is the best way...

I feel so bad n sorry for snapping at the HR person who came to my place unexpectedly today ... I'm juz too physically n mentally tired n frustrated wif everything becos of one stupid prominent protein known as Oestrogen infusing my cells.

Dinner rocks!!

2005-09-06T00:24:00.000+08:00

Today we were to hav a mini gathering for the guys before they go into NS on Friday... From a party of 7, it dwindled down to only Sal n me... So sad... I guess its the graduation n our darling FAST system in sch causing us to drift away slowly...

Nevertheless, we met for dinner at Orchard n we went to Breeks cos she had cravings for Roasted Chicken.... I ordered a BBQ half chicken, while Sal got a Rosemary chicken...

Sal's Rosemary chicken....

My BBQ chicken.... Its so delicious!!!

Both chickens were great n to make their edibility(a new word), they were slaugthered to the bones by two innocent looking gals(Wolves in Sheepskin) ... hands on, knives n forks shoo( who cares abt table manners when gd food is there)...

Although it was only the 2 of us, i guess we hav fun n thr private time for girls talk... I enjoy that!!! I can't wait for the next gathering!!!

Xuan, the Mechanical Engineer

2005-09-04T11:28:00.000+08:00

Its the weekend n I'm so grateful for it...

I got a number of surprises in the office....

I discovered that I could walk to office instead of taking the Feeder bus... Its a 10 mins walk from the interchange n its definitely much faster to wait for the bus...

However, the route is like a maze game we see on TV...

First, I hav to pass the MRT under pass to the other side. Then I hav to pass through the HDB flats to the garden or the Land Of Pedes... Y? Its crawling wif millipedes in all directions on the ground... Yucks!!!I hav to tiptoe n look on the ground to watch out for these awful creatures....
The alternative is to walk along the older flats n the route will be longer... its littered with Phelgm n some cockroaches... Yucks!!!

Then I hav to walk pass a rubbish dump n then to a path leading to the road...

After crossing the road, its walking another 50Metres or so to TP3 in the huge complex n I'm at my desk!!!...

On Friday, When I was back from the loo in the afternoon, I saw a nametag on the wall of my seat with my name. Its the kind of black tag wif white letters like the PRINCIPAL tag, we see in our primary sch days.... I'm not very cheery over it as well...

I'm planning to stock up a bit n shop a little cos the Julius Butter crackers in office is making my throat hurt n its so pai seh to take the butter cookies..

Alas!!! I hav 23 weeks more to go...

l feel like an undergoing intern... N I feel so mechanical... Work, Home, Sleep... Work, Home, Sleep... Yup... I know what to tell others what's my job ~ Xuan is a Mechanical Engineer ~ Haaa! FInally, I fulfilled my dream without going to engineering school!!

Will I last 23 weeks? I dunno...I miss my Biz n IT world... they r more authentic to me... I somehow feel my immaturity n unprepareness in the working world... Especially here, in this giant complex... where everyone is so experienced...

Maybe I should buy 4D with my pay n go back to sch...

Everyone Loves A Guest Girl

2005-08-28T17:20:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, met up with Pang n Feng first for lunch in Hougang before heading down to town... Late as usual... So I hav no comments abt it(Heee!)

At Dhoby Gaut, Feng n I went enchantingly crazy... She asked me to wear a white flurry shirt to work on Monday so as to left a lasting impression on my colleagues....( What? I'm not going to Alaska or ur sub-zero temperature Venus ok?) Later at PS, we went to Precious Thots n Pang wanted of all things, a White elephant. Heee! While waiting for Wen, Pang n I kept murmuring n flashing our hp on operating Feng's birthday plans.... Heee!
Feng tried a pink lace shirt at PS n decided to take the shirt as her B'dae present...We were happy that she like it...

Anyway, Feng wore an interesting "Everyone Loves a Guest Girl" shirt. Haaa! It became the day's hot topic n I can't helping chanting incessantly about it... Heee! Its good to drive her n everyone else crazy.

For dinner, we went to Pizza Hut, n took a long time to decide on our food... When we hav made our decision, Feng then took the Menu... We had the 3 layered chesse crust, Chicken supreme pizza, pitcher of Pepsi, Drumlets n the sotong rings... During our meal, Feng kept away from the camera... hmm... u got a nice smile... so keep up with the phototakings...

I enjoyed myself cos there were many jokes n laughing makes u feel full! Nv had so much laughter in a day as well... Heee!!

After dinner, we walked back to PS to get her shirt, met her bf n we went to Istana park for her cake cutting... the Ice cream cake is really nice n delicious. After eating, we took some photos n hang back in the park to chat a while before heading hm in the train...

Happy 21st birthday, Feng n all the best in everything u do! May ur wishes come true!!!

Mum's Birthday

2005-08-20T09:29:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Mum!!! (Can't reveal ur age...Heee!)

After work, I had a mad rush to Hougang cos mum log off early for the day n bro was hm early...

Anyway, got some flowers from Clementi.... hope mum likes them...

Here r some photos.... Heee!

Haapy birthdae to E..u
Hav u make ur wish?
Mum n bro...

Mum n I....

Mum wif the roses....

Missing Breakfast...

2005-08-14T12:48:00.000+08:00

To some irritating rats in the house.... If u hav the decency to eat others breakfast, pls hav the decency to make sure others hav to eat as well...

I hate having my breakfast going missing like this...

Everytime I get bread the night before for the next day's breakfast, some ppl will munch all the bread as supper... Ok... as backups, we also hav biscuits... He will also munch all up...

Imagine, the next morning, u wake up aching wif hunger, u r running late n hav to reach office at 8.30AM n u find the bread n biscuits all missing, only Milo for u. How will u feel?

Since last week, my thermal flask has spoilt n making Milo means having to take extra time to wait for the water to boil...

I bought 1.5 Litres packets of Soya Bean Milk as my breakfast drink n partly, to soothe my skin, which get hot n flushed in the heat...

They go missing as well by the next morning. It is very obvious who the culprit is, who strongly denies that he finished all the packets... 3 packets of 1.5Litres Soya Bean Milk missing in a night!!!

How I wish I can buy a gigantic mouse trap n trap u once u go near the food n drinks in the wee hours when everyone is asleep.

Yeah Vs Yucks!!!

2005-08-13T22:04:00.000+08:00

Its sad to see my collegues fr the Sohar Refinery team leaving one after another after the end of the project(in March 2005)... Most of them hav moved on to new projects n went back to their own countries to spend more time wif their spouses n kids or are getting married( Congrats!)

After staying for almost a year, my supervisor is going to the Sohar Refinery site at Oman, which is planned by the company... I feel happy n sad. Well, the good news is going to the project site, will boost my supervisor's career status to a much higher level... The sad part is I will be losing a great friend n mentor... I hope in 2006, we can meet again...

Its a kind of a goodbye when my colleages leave... We never know when we will meet, due to the fact that they r always travelling around the world...

I wonder is life as a project engineer rewarding? They r always moving to different projects, wif different colleages n different countries, far fr their country... n given a meagre pay as compared to the work load they r given. N its a very very stressful working in projects like this...

Hmmm... I guess I'm happy wif my quiet life for now...

This is life

2005-08-10T12:43:00.000+08:00

Its time for me to leave the teenage shell to the open arms of the adulthood in 4 mths time.. Well, I feel excited about my new status, but yet as lost as a pin in the haystack with the new bound responsibilities....

I hate to graduate... For me, fun was nv there in Business School, but I hav lots to learn abt nasty biz ppl... how ppl slack... I guess bitter medicine is the best remedy...

Anyway, I'm lost abt what career path I should head... Am I making a right decision to go figure out what I like with my Diploma?

At the same time, I'm starting to envy my peers A level graduates in University... At least they r enjoy life, making merry n not to worry abt what kind of path they r going into for at least another 2 years... n they need not worry abt they r going to survive on a merge pay n face the stigma of the society...

After working at TTSH, I am really tempted to grab an Honours n set big flowerpot as my working idol...

I daresay I'm sick n tired of rejections, writing endless applications.... But I learn how to interact with interviwers... how to market urself .... most importantly, how to communicate n work wif ur co-workers...

Well, being young n looking young hav some side effects for a kid like me... Ppl throw their temper cos u look youthful...or as if u have lost ur pacifer....

What to do? This is life...

Sigh

2005-08-06T13:48:00.000+08:00

I have not had 15 hrs of sleep for this week.

I feel tired but I can't get to sleep with this stupid heat... I'm hungry by I can't swallow a single thing ( I feel like retching) cos i think my stomach wants to sleep...

Wake up stomach!!! I hope I'm not falling sick...

I can't understand women!( Though I'm a woman myself) Why are they so tempermental, so unpredictable?

I hate nu er guo!

On the bright side, yesterday, after a 5 min conversation, I'm out of the flowerpot world... I was asked to stay in ttsh for 2 weeks, seat there, take a book to read to kill boredom n take my time to look for a new job ...
Its very tempting but I'm not learning much there...

I will be at Buona Vista on Monday... I hope I would'nt run into my supervisor cos her office is less than 300M away from my workplace... So pai seh... I think I will go blushing... Hee!