I Am Back...

returned to Singapore on SQ117 last night... reached the airport at 7:40pm... cleared customs... got my luggage by 8:15pm...

and then we realised that my LL's luggage was not on the belt... waited until the last luggage had gone round the belt numerous times before we concluded that the luggage did not make it on board the flight... went to the "Lost & Found" counter to report... there were around 10 others who had the same problem... took the counter girl quite a while to locate the whereabouts of the luggages... finally, we were told the luggages had arrived on the next flight from KL... on Malaysian Airlines... joked with LL that her luggage not glam enough to fly SQ... lolz...

strange thing is that we checked in our luggages at the same time... yet one arrived while the other was delayed... apa ini??

Kl Business Trip...

going on a last-minute business trip to KL from Monday to Wednesday...

i shall return...

Casual Sunday...

woke up at 10am... barely enough... but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...

met Kenneth for Bodypump at Cali Orchard... my first gym session since Monday night... SLACKER...

together with David, we had chicken rice for lunch at Lucky Plaza...

watched CRAZY at Cineleisure... nice movie... very touching... but i actually slept twice at the beginning... tsk tsk tsk...

dinner was at Han's, National Library...

dessert and coffee at TCC, Paradiz Centre was the finale of the day... glad that Kerry had the chance to meet Kenneth, Shaun, David & Shawn... nice!!

reached home, spent about an hour to pack my luggage for the KL business trip... of course with mum's help lah... clothings took up two-thirds of the space... while toiletries (plus cosmetics) took up the remaining one-third... hahahaha...

good night Singapore... good morning Kuala Lumpur...

Gather Gather Saturday...

managed to wake up by 9am... rushed out of the house by 10am to meet KC (who came from KL for an Arts Festival performance) for brunch... went to Killiney Kopitiam in Purvis Street for kaya toast and coffee...

then it was more coffee at O'Briens... left KC at around 1pm...

attended Philip and Tracy's church wedding... my first time in church after the breakup with my ex more than 3 years ago... will blog more about church after my KL business trip... jotted down some notes that the pastor said during the ceremony... about unconditional love and sacrificial love... things that are easier said than done... we are afterall human beings...

went to Kerry's place to wash up before going to Chris' place for a gathering... huge turnout... was stunned by the beauty of the place, the crowd and the music... though the theme was latino, only a handful of them were dressed for it... hehe... had alcohol again... smoked too much tonight... time to control myself... such vices should not become habits...

stayed until 3+am... thanx to Ben for the lift to East Coast...

slept at around 5am... yawn yawn... a day of gathering...

looking forward to another busy Sunday...

High High Friday...

had dinner with Shaun before Kenneth, ZJ and David for a drink at City Space, 70th storey of Swissotel...

not only were we high up "in the clouds"... david was also high on alcohol... i was a little tipsy but still manageable... my drinking skills should be AA-certified by now... YEAH!!!!!

it was ZJ's birthday... cosy environment for a mini-celebration... so nice of the management to dedicate a birthday song to ZJ...

at around 1+am... the dark clouds came... and the view from the 70th storey was beautiful...

left at 2+pm... had a drink at Maxwell Market to sober David up before heading home...

Happy Birthday, ZJ... it must have been special for you to celebrate your birthday outside Hong Kong... glad that you liked the pink tie...

World Cup 2006

what happens when you scored an own goal??

in Columbia - you get killed...

in Japan - you kill yourself...

in Singapore - an inquiry will be convened to find out, among other things, the reason(s) for the own goal...

Sawadee Krup...

sawadee krup... phom cheu koon Dave krup... (translated to: hello... my name is Dave...)

went for my first Thai lesson this evening at Jalan Besar CC... the teacher was very friendly (all Thai people are)... and she helped us a lot... we were all made to recite the five different tones and the numbers... interesting that the Thai language has one more tone than the Chinese language...

the teacher commented that people tend to think that Thai men are gays because the language is very soft... lolz...

met up with Kenneth and ZJ for dinner at Lau Pa Sat again... cos ZJ wanted to eat satay again... lolz... we went back to the same stall we had last night... we ordered fried kway teow, fried carrot cake, wanton noodle, popiah with crab meat, yam cake and sugar cane juice... yet another feasting time... OMG...

talked about a lot of things... light-hearted chit chat scattered with serious talks here and there...

thank you, Kenneth, for the ride home...

Tim Tam Balls

saw this at Marketplace, Raffles City... retailing at S$7.70... damn bloody expensive for some balls sia... didn't buy any...

Munch Again...

came out at 7pm from another long meeting that started from 3pm... yawn yawn...

met Kenneth and ZJ for dinner at Lau Pa Sat (LPS)... it's been a while since i last visited LPS... the food is still good... luckily the weather tonight was good... else i'd be perspiring like crazy...

we had deep fried baby squid, BBQ fish, La La, kang kong, satay, BBQ prawns and wonton noodles... yet another heavy meal for all of us...

took a ride home from Kenneth...

did my first facial mask... such a chore... very troublesome!! but the feeling after that was good... hahahaha...

good nite, vanity...

Monday...

went for my final PT session this evening... forgot to inform mum before the 5pm deadline that i won't be home for dinner... SMSed her at 5:30pm... her reply was "aiyoyo"... told her to keep the leftovers and i'll finish them when i'm back... hehe...

after gym, met up with Kenneth, ZJ and Shaun for dessert at Coffee Club Raffles City... i had my favourite Iced Rambutan... and we shared a chocolate fruit fondue and a muddy mud pie... ultra sinful... there goes my gym workout... must control liao...

came home at around 11pm... mum told me not to eat if i am not hungry... she said shouldn't get bloated before bed... so sweet of her... i still finished all the leftovers (without any rice though)...



(from top left: beans with prawns, pork chops with potato, fish, soup)

Tim Tams...

my boss just came back from one of her frequent Perth trips... she bought more Tim Tams for me... got new flavours...



(from top left: Latte, Classic Dark, Double Coat [new], Chewy Caramel, Black Forest Fantasy, Choc Orange [new])

Change In KL Schedule

the KL audit has been re-scheduled to next week... Monday to Wednesday... at least got some breathing space this week... hahahaha...

Crave No More...

the sale lady at the CK fragrance counter said that they have discontinued Crave in the Singapore market... :-(

Lazy Lazy Sunday...

woke up at 12+pm... had brunch...

passed the Father's Day gift i bought to daddy... hope he likes it...

dozed off while listening to music... didn't join the gang for Tiong Bahru market... also didn't blade... lazy lazy me... hahahaha...

was watching Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers on channel 5 earlier... now watching tennis... the Stella Artois final between James Blake and Leyton Hewitt... hope Blake will win the tournament...

an exciting and challenging week awaits...

Fabulous Saturday

left the office at 11:30am... had my third PT session at Cali Raffles Place... Eric continued to work on my legs... and some chest too...

stayed on to do my first Intro Steps class with Mae... she took extremely good care of the newbies... even came next to us to show us the steps... had great fun... will continue to go for Intro Steps from now on...

met Kenneth, his cousin (oops i've forgotten her name) and ZJ for late lunch at Japanese restaurant, Sun With Moon, Wheelock Place... shopped for Shaun's birthday gift at Tangs... i also bought my Nickel facial mask... the sales lady said that i could continue with my Biotherm cleanser and moisturiser... just to supplement with the facial mask...

we had coffee at Paragon PS Cafe while waiting for Shaun to arrive...

the drive to Da Paulo at Rochester was a breeze... luckily we were able to find a parking lot easily too... dinner was superb... good food, great drinks, sweet chocolate cake and of course, fabulous company... the guys took tonnes of pictures... will wait for them to send them to me, before deciding on posting any of them online... hahahaha...

the day ended with a karaoke session at K-Box Cineleisure... ZJ sang perfectly... with those falsetto-parts while doing his David Tao's songs... impressive!! just at about 12 midnight, we dedicated a birthday song to the birthday boy...

Happy Birthday, Shaun... more good years ahead...

Saturday Morning...

came into the office to clear some work... surprisingly i was able to wake up without any hangover... am i AA-certified now?

it's been a long long time since i was last back on a Saturday...

had a meeting with Chairman yesterday morning... and now i have to make a last minute trip to the KL office for audit... my plan is to do a three-day chop chop visit... finish it and come back... i want my weekends in Singapore!! i love this country too much... or do i love the people more?? i think it's the latter...

PS: AA = Alcoholic Anonymous

Father's Day Dinner @ Qianxi Farrer Park

had an early Father's Day dinner on Friday night @ the Qianxi restaurant in the Civil Service Club... the food was superb, better than the outlet @ Katong Shopping Centre (which Melvin and Patrick brought me for my birthday celebration last year...)







(from top left: the sauces, sze chuan soup , deep fried chicken, seafood vermicelli, chilli kang kong, pork ribs, steamed fish, toufu, yam paste with gingko nuts, longan with almond)

the bill came up to only S$160 for six of us... (but only three of us had the dessert)

Quote Of The Day...

GSS ends end-July... retail therapy is perpetual...

More Retail Therapy...

to make up for last night's flopped retail therapy, i went for further therapy during lunch... bought a Picard key pouch from Robinsons at 20% off... then went to check with the Lab Series salesgirl on my acne breakout after trying out their night lotion... her reply was Lab Series might not be suitable for my skin... grrr...

also managed to get the birthday card for Saturday...

let's see what else to buy:
1. sunglasses
2. perfume (CK Eternity or something else?)
3. backpack (from Progress Package)
4. blading guards (from Progress Package)
5. socks (for blading)
6. social shoes (Timberland Nike got nice shoes NOT on sale)
7. key pouch
8. office pants / shirts
9. office shoes
10. ipod nano
11. gym membership
12. blades
13. running shoes
14. skincare products (Lab Series / Biotherm / Clarins)

Loof Wednesday...

Loof Loof tonight, you know?

Flopped Retail Therapy...

met Kerry and Jensen for retail therapy at Takashimaya S.C... Jensen managed to get a pair of Guess jeans at 30% discount... i tried the Guess pink sleeveless T-shirt... not nice...

then we went to look at the Billabong T-shirts i was eyeing... adult sizes cant fit... tried the kids sizes... the style i liked only has size 14... a bit tight... Kerry said looks like "dumpling"... didn't buy...

we adjourned to Wisma Atria... tried the Projectshop T-shirt... too long... not nice... gave up... Topshop was closed by around 8:30pm!!

last stop after dinner was Borders... bought two music DVDs: Delta Goodrem and Two Rooms - Songs by Elton John and Bernie Taupin...

what a flopped retail therapy... got excuses to shop some more then... hahahaha...

Horoscope for Tuesday...

si beh accurate leh...

SAGITTARIUS  (November 22 - December 21) If you let your irritability show then you are likely to make the feeling infectious so everyone gets over-heated. Then no one really listens. What you have to say is important, it's just a question of strategy. More can mean less when it comes to tricky discussions. Be clear, concise and detached, then all can be done and dusted very quickly. Writing letters, making phone calls, holding discussions and negotiations will fill your schedule. You may be a little too blunt at times, and downright argumentative at others.

2827

my Big Walk tag number was 28270... last Saturday's consolation prize was 2827... another S$60 in the pockets... Lolz...

Gym Sunday...

woke up at 8+am in the morning... my alarm clock in my body is working perfectly fine still... something i would like to change... i would love to have more sleep, considering that i slept at 2+am earlier... ARGH...

met up with Kenneth and Hizam for BodyPump... my first BodyPump session... thanx to Hizam once again for reserving the spaces for us... the instructress, Wai Han, is one of my favourites... as a beginner, i was using weights on 2.5kg on each side... by the end of the session, i was totally exhausted... but i am sure my body had a good workout...

late lunch was at Royal Copenhagen, Takashimaya S.C... had a mango chicken set... tasty... Kenneth commented that the setting was very "ang moh"... kinda like sipping English tea on a lazy and rainy Sunday afternoon...

having filled our stomachs, we went to buy an oven for David's house warming... learnt something new:
1. oven can do grilling and baking...
2. there's a top and bottom part, where the heat can cook the food evenly...
3. there's even a fan in it... so that the heat is truly, madly, deeply and evenly distributed...
4. microwave oven can be used for cooking vegetables... plus it can also cook a lot of other wonderful things...

but still not sure what's the difference between an oven and a microwave oven... hahahaha...

Holland V was the next stop cos Kenneth wanted to buy flowers... auntie florist told us that orchids can last a long time...

David joined us for dinner... the night ended with us at David's place... watching Feng Fei Fei concert DVD and chatting away...

Thanx to Kenneth for sending me home... home sweet home... and time to catch up on my sleep...

Gym Saturday...

went to Bugis Cali for the Group X Orientation for Mind & Body... it's the basic class for BodyBalance (a combination of tai chi, yoga and pilates)... the instructress, Wai Han, was very good in taking care of us, the beginners... she went around to correct our posture and encouraged us all the way... ultra friendly!! i like!!

bumped into KS at the gym, who was there for his PT session...

after class, headed to Orchard Cali to meet up with Kenneth and Hizam for BodyCombat... thanx to Hizam for reserving the spaces for us... as usual, the class was packed... but i didn't like the instructor, Azrino, who was not able to articulate the instructions clearly... unlike the other BodyCombat instructress, Christina...

after BodyCombat, the three of us went to iCafe for sandwich and my banana smoothie... good stuff for $8.50... Hizam left us to join his friends for movie...

then it was shopping time... bought two books from Kinokuniya (20% off courtesy of Kenneth's membership card)... Kenneth also bought a singlet from Mizuno @ Paragon that's having sale...

David met up with us... went to the AppleCentre @ Wheelock Place to repair his iPod... no hope... R.I.P... he then bought his Nike Portugal T-Shirt from B.I.R.D next door for tonight's chalet... theme for the day: World Cup 2006... Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole...

we picked up some drinks and a bottle of wine before heading to Ken's chalet...

Solemn Friday...

met up with W for dinner, followed by a chit-chat session at Swissotel Lobby Lounge... they moved the piano to the side nearer to the hotel lobby... probably to attract the crowd... the same "tai-tai"-looking pianist was there... with her glittering gold handbag...

a lot of catching up to do as it must have been more than a year since we last met... hopefully she felt better after the session...

food for thought:

time heals... and the wound may evevtually heal... but the scar will always be there to remind one of the past...

IT Head?

received this in my email just now... is there something wrong with my resume?? or is there something wrong with the recruitment agency?? it's the latter... chopped, stamped, guaranteed... so duh...

Embarrassing PT Session #2

went for my 2nd PT session at Cali Republic Plaza...

Eric started with leg lifts to warm me up... damn siong sia... by the third set, i couldn't even raise my legs above my head...

next we did the leg curls... after that, i started to feel nauseous... kept burping and was going to vomit... Eric immediately stopped the session... told me to sit down and rest... kept telling me to breathe... he started asking when was my last meal and what did i eat, etc... trying to find out the cause of the problem... he said my three small slices of sandwiches were insufficient... and the main reason for my reaction was due mainly to a lack of sugar in my body... he bought a bottle of 100 plus... told me to finish it slowly to get a boost in my sugar level... during this time, i was sweating like crazy and my body was shaking and trembling...

Eric was chatting with me to keep me focus... we did not continue with the training... instead, Eric was telling me about his career as a trainer as well as other tips on diet and exercise... Eric said today's session won't count... he will make it up another day...

i felt embarrassed... but i was grateful to have him as a trainer...

Finally...

i have something to wear to Saturday's chalet... my new World Cup T-Shirt... i liked the yellow colour... and it's NIKE!!

Wednesday Crab Dinner

dinner was supposed to be at Mellben Seafood along ANM Avenue 3... but when we reached there at around 8pm, there was a queue!! detoured to Uncle Leong Seafood that was opposite instead... we were here last month too...

the food was still great... huge tasty crabs... some pics to go along:






(from top left: Playboy Chicken, Pork Ribs, Scallops with Brocolli, Deep Fried Toufu, Crab with Bee Hoon Soup, Crab with Bee Hoon Soup, Butter Crab, Aftermath)

looks like we have excuse to feast again next month at Mellben Seafood... must remember to call to make reservations...

My Heart Will Go On...

after 10 years... this song still never fails to move me...

there's a certain song that lives in our hearts... for whatever reasons...

what is yours?

Intro Step Moves...

went for my first step class at Bugis Cali, despite nursing a churning tummy...

do not be mistaken by the "Intro" in the description of the class... it's actually an intermediate class... had a hard time catching up with the moves... but it was still fun... class ended at around 10pm... and the gym was still crowded... decided to shower and head home...

bumped into Benny... he attended the earlier Boxercise class... jio-ed me to join him on Thursday... but i got PT session this Thursday... next time ba...

crab dinner tomorrow at Mellben Seafood, AMK... hopefully my tummy is ok by then... YEAH!!!!!

goodnight gymmers...

Life Is Great!!

to all photography enthusiasts out there... Great Eastern is having a "Life Is Great" photo contest... click on the link for the entry form...

Life Is Great Photo Contest 2006

on a separate note... such nice weather to be in bed...

Bad Tummy...

my tummy is playing tricks on me... had immodium... hopefully it will be better in the afternoon...

Lazy Sunday...

woke up at 9am...

SMSed Dom about blading... they gonna start at 1pm...

the week had been filled with multiple consecutive late nights... decided to give blading a miss... slept through most of the day...

at 6pm... went for a jog... my first in many months... completed 4km in 25 minutes... far off my past standard... time to buck up if i'm gonna do the 10km and 21km at the Army Half Marathon and the StanChart Marathon this August and December respectively...

saw a bit of French Open action... Mauresmo is out... Clijsters still in the race...

Eventful Saturday...

got out of the house at 1pm... supposed to meet up with Eddie at 2pm to discuss on his FYP on Risk Management... unfortunately he was late... while waiting for him, i was browsing in HMV, a very expensive activity nowadays... couldn't resist the temptation and bought a book, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote... it was retailing at S$12.95 only... saw a few DVDs (The Crying Game, The Talented Mr Ripley, etc) on sale... controlled myself...

we couldn't find the entrance to Marche... went to Spinelli instead... had my usual cappuccino and a slice of chocolate cake... that made up my "lunch" for the day... didn't want to eat much cos i was heading to the gym later... the interview went on for longer than we've expected... missed the Intro Steps class... but made it for the Body Combat at 4:40pm... met Hisham in the class... managed to get a good spot this time... new routine this week... a lot of legs... and much more cardio than the last time... good fun still... though i must say they really killed "Hung Up"...

after gym, showered and took bus 16 to Joo Chiat to meet my ex-colleagues for dinner at Canton Wok... despite making a reservation, we had to wait for our table... it was that crowded... the food was good...

after much deliberation, we went to Changi Airport for coffee... since Siglap / East Coast was gonna be crowded and parking would be a problem... six of us squeezed into Ming's car...

a lot of catching up to do... from Ju's return to Singapore (although most of our topics still revolved around her US stint)... to my social life... to Martin's new job... to Ming's new job and kid...

next month's Ju's birthday... we're planning on either One Rochester or another of IndoChine restaurants... YEAH!!!!!

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

You Are 50% Boyish and 50% Girlish

You are pretty evenly split down the middle - a total eunuch. Okay, kidding about the eunuch part. But you do get along with both sexes. You reject traditional gender roles. However, you don't actively fight them. You're just you. You don't try to be what people expect you to be.

How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

How Is Your Inner Child?

Your Inner Child Is Angry

You're not an angry person. But when you don't get your way, watch out. Like a very manipulative kid, you will get what you want. Even if it takes a little kicking and screaming.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Good Friday...

was nervous and panicky for the entire day... all because of the presentation to the Board... relieved that it was over... and it went well... Chairman was pleased with what we have proposed... *phew*

had dinner with Kerry at Madame Butterfly, Forbidden City... beautiful Chinese decor... terra cotta and "rosewood" dining tables and chairs... food was superb though we had too much of the main course... dessert was, well, sweet... i had yam paste with gingko and sticky rice... simply sedap...

of course it's been more than a week since we last met for The Da Vinci Code... updated each other on the latest happenings... hehe... nice!!

Kerry mentioned he has not watched X-Men... i decided to watch it again with him... we adjourned to Prince theatre... huge cinemas with less than 20 of us in it...

came home, showered and slept... busy day tomorrow...

Dinners...

meeting Kerry for dinner tonight at Madame Butterfly, Forbidden City (Clarke Quay)... part of the IndoChine group of restaurants... never been... one of their signature dishes is called "The Concubine's Delicacy"... hmmm...

the last time we had dinner at IndoChine was when Kerry gave me a treat at Nude (Wisma Atria)...

tomorrow meeting my ex-colleagues for dinner at Canton Wok, Joo Chiat... checked out the map cos i have no idea where it is... quite near to Parkway Parade... will take bus 16 directly from Orchard after gym...

She's The Man...

saw the movie with a few friends yesterday... hilarious... fun... lovey-dovey... the kind of movie one watches for relaxation... especially when i have a presentation to the Board of Directors today...

GSS... The Sale Continues...

OMG... i am enjoying my retail therapy!! i have been shopping non-stop over the last 2 days...

yesterday spent S$103 on running T-shirts, shorts and socks... Nike, New Balance, Nike...

was at Seiyu Bugis yesterday and noticed that Topman is having sale!! ARGH...

this afternoon during lunch spent another S$80 on two pairs of office pants at G2000... sent for alteration... collect in 10 days' time... just realised that i have big hips... size 28 is too tight on the hips and just right for the waist... size 29 is just right for the hips and too loose for the waist... how?

let's see what else to buy:
1. sunglasses
2. perfume (CK Eternity or something else?)
3. backpack (from Progress Package)
4. blading guards (from Progress Package)
5. socks (for blading)
6. social shoes (Timberland got nice shoes on sale)
7. key pouch
8. office pants / shirts
9. office shoes
10. ipod nano
11. gym membership
12. blades
13. running shoes
14. skincare products (Lab Series / Biotherm / Clarins)

Anti-Love Bears...

saw this three anti-love bears in Precious Thots in Bugis Junction yesterday...



(from left to right: What Boyfriend? - Love Stinks - BOO To Cupid)