Day 365 of 2014 already! 又这样过了一年。

In 2014, I...

... quit my old job
... started a new job
... got engaged to awesome Paul
... welcomed Slumpy, Squishy and Rolly

... attended my grandmother's funeral
... had a relaxing vacation in Bali
... took my first trip to Australia
... started RCIA
... took a short trip to KL
... bade farewell to Empress who was going overseas to study
... saw my sister get legally married
... obtained another ugly scar on my knees
... booked our flat!
... ate a lot in Hong Kong
... did many runs
... attended many weddings
... gained weight that I can't seem to lose

Think that more or less summarises my year. 

(this must be the shortest year-end wrap up/reflection I've done LOL)

History has shown that odd years are better than even years (for me), but I wouldn't say this year was particularly horrible. It could have been better if I didn't get that bad fall or if I didn't develop my usual allergic cough (which cost me $280!!!!) but other than that, no bad things happened and for that I should be grateful.

Next year should be a rather busy year filled with wedding prep. Preparing to get married hasn't really hit me hard (yet). Now it's just a ring on the finger and the occasional wedding prep talk. The hectic part would be the 6 months before the big day! The Engaged Encounter was a good way of easing me into what it entails to be a married person and like the slogan says, a wedding is a day but a marriage is a lifetime.

I used to think and was all prepared to remain happily single, spend my days as it comes, maybe have a hamster or two, go for adventures, try new things, jio my friends to go on holidays, and leech off my parents by staying with them till as long possible LOL. Sounds good right? And it still sounds good to me! Hahaha. Trying to find money to finance the wedding, the dinner, the house, the renovations, where to stay... blah. All these were not part of the Plan. But it's OK! Having a loved one to go through life with you gives it a little more meaning and I guess, something to look forward to each day?

I can already forseee the greatest challenge for me in the next 5 years - starting a family (GULP). I really really really really really have no affinity for kids and I don't like them much. Now the challenge is how to reconcile this mindset with the fact that I may end up with my own motley crew some day (DOUBLE GULP). HOW TO PARENT THEM YOU TELL ME. I will probably end up screaming at them till they all hate me. I still don't think I'm self-sacrifical enough to be a parent. Our Slumpy, Squishy and Rolly are good enough for me!

2015 is the year I turn the big 3-0. I can't think of anything else on my to-do list that I want to accomplish before I turn 30. Of course I still hope to continue visiting at least 1 new country each year. Oh yes! I hope to step into the European continent haha. Have never been to Europe! Even my 16-year-old sister has gone to Spain and back. Looks like skydiving will have to take a back seat till about 2016 or later (need to save money). Oh man my life gets less exciting as I grow older :(

Oh and I need to lose weight. 
297 days to the big day my app says!

Here's to a happy, fabulous, skinny and fulfilling 2015! I hope!

Probably posted this before but saw this photo sitting around in my folder.

 

Rolly polly~ Rolly rolly polly~

The sad truth is that I am starting to look somewhat like that now! Maybe not that bad YET but soon to be (!!!).

Please hope that I can lose some of the excess flab in about 6 months time (for bridal photoshoot) and MAINTAIN till October 2015 thankyouverymuch.

Spent a good chunk of my afternoon looking through my old Hong Kong travelogues! (Oops #unproductiveworker)

Haha those were good times indeed. It's actually a good thing that I had the patience to chronicle those trips because they are now really like an extension of my hazy memories!
The older one gets, the more I tend not to remember because of the never ending influx of stimuli daily.
And as you experience more in life, those little things that you thought were once so amazing and wondrous tend to fade into the background...

So yes I'm really glad that I so painstakingly posted every bit and detail of my trips! Back when I was still super free and had lots of time to blog! :D

Reading about my grad trip to Hong Kong in 2007 and watching Shinhwa live conjures up all that excitement in me again haha.

Ended up tagging all my Hong Kong related posts under the "Hong Kong" label for easier reference next time. Might do the same for Taiwan and Japan!

(Think I've typed too many emails. Instinctively wanted to sign off this blog entry with "Regards, Si Yi" LOL!)

Developed my yearly allergic cough again thanks to my sensitive airways (and also not wrapping my chest and neck warmly enough in Hong Kong). Coughing like no tomorrow! I think I'm annoying all my colleagues. Maybe I should start wearing a mask.

Back from Hong Kong and although it was good - cool weather, great food - but it was too short! 4 days away doesn't feel shiok enough. Hah. Oh well a holiday is still a holiday. The next holiday will possibly be 6 months later. Sounds quite long ah. But then Australia was also 6 months ago and it didn't feel like that long ago that I went. My travel periods are getting predictable. Either June or December. Sigh! Where is the excitement of going on a trip on a whim? Just scooting off because you can, or just feel like it? Or being able to take leave during the school term for that matter?

Somemore in June and December there are only that precious 2 weeks or 3 weeks where everyone is scrambling to go on their holidays... already this year my leave clashed with my colleague's for both months and I think boss is not too pleased about it. 

Travel plans for 2015 looks set to be drastically reduced! Also need to save money. Maybe a short one in June and a long one in December.

Found a half written post of photos sitting in my drafts!

Might as well post it now. Staycation at Capri by Fraser Residences for no good reason! Haha actually it was the tail end of the September holidays and it also happened to be our 17th month together (at point of staycation). We're toddler age now! Haha.

In fact my parents also went to Capri for a staycation this weekend because it was their 30th wedding anniversary yesterday. They are quite productive seeing that I was born just 1 year later haha. We had a family dinner at Majestic Bay on Sunday after I "booked out" of my EE weekend and she said "(三十年) 不容易".
Then I proceeded to ask her for some tips since you know, I just came out from 48 hours of intensive dialoguing with Paul and was feeling all motivated to be in this (i.e. marriage) for the long haul. But then she said "有孩子了 of course 不容易". Alamak I wanted tips for a long lasting marriage la!

OK digressing.

Exploring the kitchenette... room was really big and spacious! Compared to our recent stay at Moon Hotel (for my birthday)... Moon Hotel was just a tiny square with no windows and no walking space :x

But ok Moon was $99 only so mai hiam haha

Room has a magic partition that you can lower so that your bed is separated from the "living" area!

Our booking included ingredients for us to "cook" dinner. Actually no need cook la, everything here is quite edible even without cooking.

So we had salad! and the fishball was from the fishball soup we tabao-ed from the food fair at the Expo haha

Awwww bears all tucked in and happily snoozing

They have little rooms on every level with different items inside... found a punching bag in one

And a unicycle thing on another floor

Also posted some other photos from the staycation on my Dayre... for more visit http://dayre.me/hahaheehee/eJ9Yx7FolN. I am too lazy to update!

I AM SO SLEEPY.

You know that semi-permanent feeling of having your head in a wooze and eyes half open and yawning uncontrollably every 3.5 seconds... THAT IS ME NOW. If not for the fact that I'm typing something, I think I can and will fall asleep in 5.341241 seconds.

Have been feeling very sleep deprived these 2 days although I didn't make much changes to my sleeping schedule. Don't think I'll be getting much quality sleep this weekend either coz I'll be away at the Engaged Encounter weekend. Zzzzzz

Permed my hair recently (!) but instead of sexy voluminous cascading waves I got flat limp and straight hair -___-" 2 days after I permed and washed my hair it became as straight as an ironing board. Whuuuuut I paid good money ok! Good money for the hair to look fabulous!

To be fair it was fabulous for like maybe a day.

So I called the salon to complain - or not, since I just politely informed them about the sad lasting power of their perm and asked for their advice - and to their credit my stylist said he could help me do it again. Please give me a stronger perm next time!

True story - my eyes closed by themselves for more than 3 seconds so it's definitely not a blink and I think I may end up typing gibberish - as I am wont to when dozing off - so I shall end abruptly here.

It's my birthday!

LOL I've been waiting all year to post this GIF! But then 1 Nov came and went and I didn't have time to do so haha. The birthday weekend passed by in a whizz! Had a staycation and lots of good food. Belly is very well fed now!

Realized I've been absent from this space for the whole of Oct which probably has never happened in my many years of blogging history... *oops* Sorry blog!

From the last blog update, I've booked my flat, grazed my knees quite badly after a fall while jogging, witnessed my sister get legally married, and turned 29. Last year of the twenties! :O

Need to be in school early tomorrow and so I shall update again next time... geez I really need to find some time to sit down in front of the laptop and document my life properly. These days I'm just instagramming, concussing or accessing the internet from my phone.

Even though I've been doing yoga for at least 5 years, my yoga skills are still quite noob haha. 

But this is PROGRESS! This is to put on record that I can finally do the Wheel pose as of yesterday!!! Woot woot!

Hello world from upside down (no that's not me but a stock image)

Unfortunately the ability to contort self into wheel pose does not equate to fat/weight loss... if anything, I've GAINED weight (horrors) :(((

1-month trial with R-evolution is ending and I would like to continue but the fees are not something I can afford at this point... sigh! Am I really spending too much or earning too little? What's the average expenditure of an unmarried 20-something these days like?

I'm not even having additional savings for the wedding/house at this point :x Must have spent too much of my income trying to see the world during my younger days. I imagine I could have had another additional $20k or $30k if I never went on holidays. 

More updates on the slumpy nest:

Last Queue Number invited for selection of a 4-Room flat in Toa Payoh under the July 2014 BTO exercise as at 15 Sep 2014 : 00032

Joined this FB group and everyone is quite on the ball and providing information on how many flats have been booked! (about 18 units taken to date)

The BAHs (boyfriends and husbands. Male equivalent of WAGs LOL) also had a discussion on flats and property and things like resonance (which probably nobody would have thought of) and Paul is convinced that all these happened for a reason hahaha and that everything fell into place nicely.

We also dropped by the actual site for a look on Saturday! It's near the famous old school dragon playground. Our choice unit looks like it's just around there. There are a few dilapidated looking flats in the adjacent plot but I'm not sure if those will be demolished. Only 3 buses ply the road along the area and it's 3 bus stops away from the MRT/bus interchange. Oh wells I think I can live with that. All for the sake of the location! Hopefully I'll grow to like Toa Payoh in the near future. Not that I don't like it now - used to hang around quite a bit there since I went for my weekly swims there - but it just doesn't give me the sense of homeliness!  I like having greenery and parks nearby to break the monotony and because the 4 blocks are 36-storeys high, it reminds me of a cold, sterile office building. I look at all the other miniature models on display at HDB and all the other projects look so community-like and cozy!

But at the end of the day we have a roof over our head and that's the most important!

Also I would like to put on record the sweet little things that slumpy Paul has done for our 17th month! Haha we are almost 1.5 years old!

1) Bought me a new exercise/gym bag! Old one was bursting and had a big hole at the side :x
2) Randomly popped up at my house at 8am on Friday morning with Macdonalds breakfast!
3) Gave me a free ride to school. Yay!!! No squeezing with people on trains!

Thank you! *mostest appreciative* :D

Yay! We will be the owners of a (yet to be built) house by the end of this month!!! :)))

Housewarming in 2019! Hahaha.

Having gone through the Rite of Acceptance during RCIA 2 weekends ago, I was a little perplexed (and insulted) when my friend insisted that Catholics are not Christians when I met her for lunch over the weekend.

Her argument:
1) We have the Pope, and he is most certainly Catholic because there is no Pope in Christianity
2) We have Mother Mary
3) The teachings are different (but but... isn't that the case for all the different denominations?)
4) There are many denominations under Christianity but Catholicism is an entirely different branch and most certainly not part of the "Christian" umbrella
5) The way we have communion is different
6) In Chinese the 2 are called differently: "天主教" vs "基督教" hence they are 2 entirely different religions

We were taught at RCIA that Catholics are Christians so to me it was like... North and South Korea being at loggerheads at each other. Haha not the best analogy but both believe in God and Jesus so.... why the insistence?

Turned to good ol' Google and the conclusion is:

All Catholics are Christians, but not all Christians are Catholics.
(http://www.diffen.com/difference/Catholicism_vs_Christianity)

But then I also found another page declaring that Roman Catholicism and Christianity are not the same so.... *shrug*

Most certainly there will be different things taught and I do not know what is being taught to Protestant Christians (myth buster - I was taught during RCIA that we do not worship Mother Mary). But different and distinct religions to me would mean something like Christianity vs Buddhism vs Hinduism.

So anyway, after the Rite of Acceptance, I am called a "catechumen" instead of an "inquirer". How do I feel about this "upgrade"? Haha. I don't feel much about it at this point to be honest. Then again, I'm not someone who has very strong faith (religion to me was never a necessity). So yep. Going along because my husband-to-be happens to be Catholic. Just something that I have to go through.

If I were to compare this to 2 years ago when I was very very very reluctant to turn Christian... on hindsight I think it was a good thing because certainly there was a mismatch, or a perhaps a sign of better things to come in future. Because really, all that was stopping it from progressing further (and also caused much angst) was the religion issue. In contrast, I see many many good qualities in Paul that will allow him to be a good husband and leader of the house. And he has been very happy to try to explain my sometimes silly questions about his religion. Least I can do is to try and understand his faith.

Here to break the dry spell for August! :x 

Some pics from Jon & Shan's nuptials:

Theme was modern vintage hahaha but in the end I think the overall decor didn't look anything like modern vintage.

Vintage suitcase and blue mason bell jars (which are prob the most "vintage" looking items of all) rented from The Pixie Pop Shop!

The aforementioned blue vintage mason jar and our noob attempt at flower arrangement

More flowers... frantic afternoon prep before the dinner

Haha the only thing I did was to place the photo frame there LOL. Flowers and birdcage done up by the caterer.

Beautiful hand bouquets for the bridesmaids!

Fluff fluff fluffing pompoms

Behind the scenes

Colour coordinated in blush pink!

And one with the newly weds!

Fast forwarding the rest of August to current time; slumpy nest updates:

Received this in late July for our May Sale of Balance application

Received this yesterday for our July BTO application

Some statistics:

Sengkang SBF

No. of units available: 142

No. of applicants: 1005

Pros:

- Near my home (i.e. can get grant + convenient for me to go home hurhur)

- Am used to staying in the area / familiar with the north-east

- Can get flat by 2015!!!! (i.e. can have slumpy nest right after we get married!)

Cons:

- High possibility that there won't be good units left by the time it's our turn... then we have to wait again *deng deng deng deng*

- Strain on finances having to deal with wedding + housing $$$$$$

- Transport and amenities in the area (especially in newer parts of SK) are not as developed

Toa Payoh BTO

No. of units available: 419

No. of applicants: 4100

So we are actually quite lucky to get such a good number for TPY!

Pros:

- Central location (though I still like to stay in SK...... there are no parks around TPY for me to jog!)

- Confirm can get a unit (and a probably a good unit)

- Ample time to save for furniture and renovation

Cons:

- Flat will be ready only in 2019!!!!!!!!!! Will be homeless till then!

- Pretty far from my house :( ok la I think it's actually the mid-point between Paul's and my house

- Flats are more expensive in that area

And so there are other issues to consider like... when is our selection date? It could be any time from Sep to Nov or Dec... So if SK comes first and we forfeit our chance because all the units left are cui, do we get penalized for our TPY one? Can we continue to apply for more BTOs while waiting?

In other news I weighed myself yesterday and was a horrendous 53.8kg :x

Considering that I was about 56kg when I was at my plumpest, that's not very far off.

Can't seem to reduce the belly even though I've been exercising religiously. Or maybe I'm doing the wrong kind of exercise?

Just signed up for a 1 month trial with R-evolution and trying to maximize the unlimited classes by going 3x a week on top of weekly hot yoga, swim and jog. So other than Thurs coz I have RCIA, I'm engaged in some physical activity almost every day!

Sigh I guess it's back to controlling diet... having smaller portions... and stop being so greedy. WHICH IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME. Dieting is so much harder than exercising! :x

OK enough whining about weighty issues hurhur. Back to work.

Terrible! No time to do anything!

Helping out with the decor for Yuanshan's wedding... seems like there are ten thousand things to prepare just for the decor! Aiyo. When it's my turn I think I will turn into a Bridezilla :x

Snippets of the weekend just past:

  

Mostest beaming after Garfield Run!

The pinks and purples at the successful Hen's photoshoot! Was sweltering hot but great fun!

 

Atas dinner at Pollen! Here's my perfectly cooked salmon

And snippets of last last weekend:

 

Up close and personal with a panda haha

 

 Baked some white chocolate macadamia nut brownies

And snippets of last last last weekend:

 

FOOD (belated Father's day lunch)

 

MORE FOOD (great pig organ soup with selected organs) 

 

Brunch on a Sunday!

That seems to quite accurately sum up July. Not including never ending work at work.

I could go on and on and on about last x 4 weekend (meetup with Ichee after 4 or 5 months and melty charsiew) and last x 5 weekend (Hatter Street, cream puff baking class and meetup with Gassers after 3 or 4 months)... but ok I need to sleep, so till the next time, whenever that is. I need to find some time to blog and compose some coherent thoughts!!!!!!!!!

In case I go MIA again, this is what's up:

This long weekend: KL to attend a dinner/leisure trip/get stuck in a terrible jam back home

Next weekend: Yuanshan's wedding

Next next weekend: National Day and I HAVE NOTHING SCHEDULED! Woohoo!!!

Wanted to post some Australia photos but I don't know where to start... and I don't have the luxury of time to look through everything and pick and choose the nice ones!

Parents are off to Tanzania and every time they are away it only means one thing... HOUSEWORK!!! Bah!

HELLO JULY AND 2ND HALF OF 2014

Am nodding off now... 

OH NO THIS SONG

Sweet but I think I cannot maintain if it's played at weddings... hello waterworks T.T

Never knew Westlife had a song like this haha

Westlife - Beautiful in White

Oops another 2 weeks passed! Back from lovely 12-degree weather in Australia and right smack into 30-degree heat and humidity. Baahhhhhhhh.

Wedding updates: looks like I might not be able to get married on my 30th birthday after all because of church venue issues :(
Such a pity coz the date is so nice (and easy to remember)! 
So Plan B is to get married on Paul's 30th birthday! Which is just 8 days before mine heh :D

House updates: selection date was supposed to be on 10th June but we were in Oz so the plan was to ask Paul's mom to help us select. Few days before we left for our trip, we were closely monitoring the leftover flats and erps it didn't look good coz out of the 6 or 7 flats left, all of them were not ideal (think evening sun shining in directly, or in the middle of nowhere with no amenities). To forfeit means we would be penalized, so the best way out was to hope that all the flats would get selected before the 10th.

To be honest when I arrived in Australia I totally forgot that I had the all important future home to select hahahahaha. I was reminded only on the 9th night when we were at the Sydney Opera House, when Paul received an SMS from HDB saying that we need not come down for our appointment because all the flats have been taken! HENG AH! Thank you lucky stars!!!

But the bad news is of course that we still don't have a house and the wait for the next round would be another 6 months zzzzz.

And even badder news is that for this round, there are 142 units and like 1005 applicants -___-"
That's like around a 10% chance of getting. Meh.

OK gotta go sleep soon because I have to run my school's Learning Journey for the school's admin staff tomorrow! STRESS!!! Organizing stuff like this is such a pain zzzzz.

LOL did my first ever presentation at staff contact time this morning... was a ball of nerves. Luckily it was short and sweet. VP just told me that my voice was very loud during the presentation.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Sorry I just find that very amusing hahaha. Evidently he has not experienced the extent of my powerful lungs... which only a select few privileged ones get to experience. Also I would attribute this to my many years of KTV training although those sessions have since dwindled.

Microphone + Si Yi = LOUD NOISE

5-day weeks feel so long.... *whine grumble grumble whine*

The whole of next week is packed with strategic meetings and I feel like my presence isn't going to make any difference. Not sure if I can get out of it. Else I'll be stoning in boredom while people ramble on and on about the mission and vision and values and yada yada.

Also I HAVE NOT FINALIZED MY EAS LEARNING JOURNEY PLANS @&*@@($!($*%%
Event is planned for 17 June and I won't have time to do it in the next 2 weeks so I better start doing it NOW!
(Was arrowed to be the chairperson of this committee even before I joined officially zzz.)

Met my ex-bosses on my day off last week and it was good to catch up again. Project is moving along so fast! 13 months to TOP and another 18 months to grand opening.

Also to update on Our Slumpy Nest, we are applying for the 2nd round of Sale of Balance for May 2014. Got a number to pick a unit in June but looking at the pickings left... not very optimistic. The worst case scenario is that we get a chance to pick a unit but all that's left are lousy flats. Then we get penalized if we give up and wait for the next round. Zzzzzzzz.
So if this 1st round fails then we gotta wait till Nov 2014 or so to pick the next one. That is if we get a number.

Haha squeezing in all the updates about my life here coz now everyone is too busy to meet everyone else.

OK a long to-do list awaits and then 2 weddings this weekend! Hello big hole in pocket :(

I mean I like weddings but I don't like to pay so much money to attend one hahahaha. I am barely surviving month to month as it is already. Especially NOW! When I have like $300 left in my account! 2 weddings is going to wipe out the whole balance! OK don't say liao later everyone don't want to bao angbao for my own wedding. :(

So on Saturday I went for a hair cut and did hair treatment and had fabulous, smooth, swishy hair without a strand out of place!

Then I remembered I had to wear a helmet later -___- Poof! There goes nice hair. Hair blow until so nice also no use because it's going to turn flat on top and the wind is going to blow it and tangle it again! >:(

Frivolity aside, a few days ago we came up with an unofficial list of #woesofridingabike so I'm going to add on to it.

1) RAIN
2) SCORCHING SUN
3) which results in tanned skin and unsightly lines
4) ULTRA HOT in the KPE
5) helmet hair
6) cannot scratch when hair or head gets itchy
7) danger of falling to my death if I fall asleep (I have fallen asleep but have not fallen to death... luckily. But the danger is very real folks!)
8) cannot carry big bags and barang barang
9) cannot wear tight skirt
10) face and everywhere gets super dusty
11) risk getting hit by carpark barrier if your bf wants to save on parking fees (the barrier once missed me by a few cm but luckily I had a helmet on so... at least you know you won't get a concussion LOL)
12) risk getting crushed by big vehicles (esp after the horrific incident where this huge truck or cement mixer or something smashed into a bike at a traffic light... I super dislike riding near those huge vehicles)
13) must shout over the wind or can only talk when stopping at traffic lights
14) cannot use phone
15) .... to be continued when I think of more

And here are the pros:

1) can squeeze in between lanes and bypass traffic jams
2) no need to queue up to right turn
3) can almost always get parking lot... or if that carpark has no lot for bikes then just park anywhere else hah
4) carpark fees/ERP/petrol is considerably cheaper
5) ... also to be continued

This is a post to inform that I'm not dead yet.

4 day week this week and also luckily for next week (to celebrate our achievements in 2013/14). Can't wait for the next break already!

My future home lies in one of those squares... I hope.

2D1N in Desaru

Desaru is one of those places where 2D1N is more than sufficient... else you'll be bored to death there.

We bought a deal and scooted off during the weekend of our 1st anniversary (yeah we're finally 1 year old!).

Lotus Desaru Resort - got a room that's bigger than what I expected. Hey, it even has a mezzanine floor!

But do not be fooled... we found mushrooms growing on the toilet floor. EW GROSS. :X

The pool right outside our room. The blocks of rooms look a bit like those old HDB/condo style right?

Also do not be fooled by their "water park"... it's just a pool with a very long slide. 

#chey

Le squishy Paul looking happy with our buffet dinner!

Again caveat - not very worth it for RM55. Plus we had a constant battle with flies!

SUSPECTED SPRING ROLLS THAT CAUSED ME MILD FOOD POISONING

Spent most of Sunday night puking my guts out at home :x

Unfortunately I recovered the very next morning. Ah! No chance of MC.

There were some bits of entertainment like table tennis/foosball/carom and there's the beach but really other than that... be prepared to just sit by the beach and stare at the waves and/or at each other.

I found a photo of me circa 2011 looking skinny.

OMG I USED TO LOOK SKINNY WHAT HAPPENED!? T.T 

Sometimes I miss my old job.

I got to do lots of fun things that I probably won't get to do over here...
And I've got fun lunch kakis to do fun things with me too.

Haha was browsing through my 365 days in 2011 blog to break the monotony of a boring Monday morning and that's what triggered this random thought.

Oh wells. 人要往前看!

Just paid credit card bills and am left with a paltry... $310.

Hokay! WHEN IS THE NEXT BONUS??!!

I've finally completed the #100happydays challenge; Day 100 was on Tues.

It started off as a thing or campaign on social media to make you find the little joys in everyday life but then. I realized. Sometimes my days really don't have much joy leh. Or rather, every other day is really much like a duplicate of yesterday and today and tomorrow. --> Drag self to work, sit in office for 9 hours, -insert post work activity-, concuss, rinse and repeat.

In those 100 days I've got some days with absolutely nothing to show. Or at least nothing in pictorial form. Happiness is such an intangible thing, it can't be captured with a camera if you're really feeling it right.

Sure there are things or material objects that are photograph-able that make me happy but there are only so many food pictures to show LOL. Already, ~80% of my #100happydays are made up of food hurhur.

I think I'm already quite content most of the days even without #100happydays. Being content = being happy? Just that this kind of forces me to search for something in a day that can be quantified and marked as HAPPY. 

And it's good that it's only 100 days coz I don't think I can keep at this any longer haha. Just look at the 1 photo a day photoblog that I tried to do in 2011. That lasted consistently for like maybe half a year haha which is not bad liao.

Anyway, been seeing lots of those juice cleanses/detox stuff online lately and it looks very appealing especially to a person who is constantly trying to slim down. *looks at round belly* I would love to try it if not for the price. 18 bottles of fruit and veg juice for $300+? Can't afford. Not something to be done when I am in debt with a super tight budget.

I think I will save it for closer to the wedding when I need to look skinny for pictures or when I need to squeeze my 水桶腰 into a dress. Maybe it can help me drop those last stubborn 1 or 2 kgs! Trying to up my exercise regime again but I can't find any satisfactory kickboxing/boxercise class that is as good as the one at my old employer's. Unless I go sign up for the gym membership coz the instructor is conducting classes there. $$$$$ zzzzz

Now my thighs/hamstrings/legs/bottom half are aching thanks to I dunno kickboxing or T25 but my belly is still as huge as ever :( but YES I WILL GET THERE HELLO 49KG FIGURE!!!

Well well! Being mostest efficient, the date has been settled within a week of booking of our dinner venue!

Date - check
Church - check
Dinner venue - check

So if all goes well, it looks like I'll be getting married on my 30th birthday heh.

双喜! :D

Also I baked an awesome sweet corn chiffon cake today:

Spent a very productive Saturday getting some dates and confirming the venue - must say we're very efficient haha.

Also finally caught up with HIMYM!!! Neglected the show for a while since I didn't have time and only started re-watching from S09E07 a few days back and watched like 7 or 8 eps today. Tomorrow is the last of Season 9, and the last of the entire series. I couldn't remember lots of things that I've watched over the years haha. Such as all those references to characters and incidents. Still think the first 7 seasons were much better; season 9 is a weeeeee bit draggy. Can't wait for Ted to meet The Mother!!!! After all those trials and tribulations! FINALLY!

And thus concludes my 3-year affair with HIMYM.

Saw these GIFs from a HIMYM article I was reading and thought they were cute haha

Will miss Barney Stinson and his wisecracks and exaggerated ways.

And this old image that I posted before but still remains awesome:

Next I want to watch this hot Korean drama that everyone's talking about! "My Love From The Stars" or something like that. Haven't watched any Kdrama for years! Have high hopes for this haha.

Another work week beckons. Boo.

Sometimes ah~

Not that I don't want to be encouraging or supportive but sometimes it gets quite exasperating if the person you're trying to enlighten doesn't see the light! Sorry ah, I don't know how else I can help.

Let's just say I have a friend who is single and she is very very very eager to find her life partner. Her wish is simple - which is to travel with her life partner.

But at the same time she is a wee bit mopey about it, gets discouraged easily, feels that her life partner will never come, thinks about it all the time, gets anxious and impatient, questions where her life partner is and why isn't God bringing the person to her, and sometimes I get the sense that she is envious of what others have because she knows she'll never get the chance to experience it.

I mean, 爱情不能强求 right? Like Saint's famous words, when it comes, it comes. Or the famous taxi analogy, it comes when you don't want it and it doesn't come when you want it. Or maybe it appears when you least expect it. Of course, always good to keep an open mind like when I was single hurhur and met a few weirdos during the Journey to Better Things - but treat it like a bonus. Excellent if you get one! But if you don't, well life goes on.

I understand where she is coming from because it can honestly get quite sian when all your friends are like busy with their other halves or you're out with a bunch of friends + their halves and you're the only single lonesome person. So I tell her, you need to be patient, let go and trust God since she believes that He has a plan for her. Good things will come. Then comes remarks like "easier said than done", "only I know the pain and how much I want the bonus (i.e. life partner)".

Hitherto lies the problem - if you are longing for it so much, the more you won't get it. Sometimes it's like the universe is conspiring against you. The more you want something, the more difficult it is to attain it. At least that's how I see it, especially when it comes to the intangibles like love, the more desperate you search, the harder it is to find. I think the best way out of this is to LET GO and stop harping on the fact that you have no life partner. Let the universe do its own thing.

Plus if your mindset's already negative then I would think like attracts like; people generally gravitate towards positivity. Also how do you expect to meet new people if all you do is to stay at home?

I would be very happy to see her happy because she is a very loyal friend and she deserves to be happy but sometimes I think my Ms Fix-It tendencies kick in and I try to give her advice, which ends up frustrating me because she is not receptive to my solutions.

Oh well. Sometimes there's no need to offer help when it's not needed; clearly this is a situation where she wants to be left alone to mope in her deep dark thoughts and she probably thinks that I am not in a position console her.

In other news, my LITTLE SISTER is reading the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. *horror gasp*
I tried to ask her (awkward much) if she knows what the book is about and I said there's adult content. (I obviously suck at the birds and bees talk.)

She said she already finished reading the 2nd book and wanted to read the 1st to have context of the story.
-_____-"

I am not sure if a book about SM and tall dark handsome men with issues and vulnerable young things who succumbs to said tall dark handsome man is appropriate for a 16-year-old. I didn't even read sex scenes in books till I was about 17 or 18! And I am not sure if she has the mental capabilities to differentiate between fact and fiction. You know teens these days tend to be very influenced by what they see and read. And not to mention the repetitive adjectives and descriptive phrases, I mean, this book is not what we would call "brain nourishment". At least read a book with better writing!!!

But then sigh, what can I do right. Even if she doesn't get the book from me she'll get it from other sources. I shall trust that my sister is smart enough not to be influenced by 3 books and repetitive words; I think teens nowadays are smarter than we give them credit for. And besides she probably already knows more than what I think she knows. I was a very suaku kid last time but times have changed! Unforuntately she is very very very angsty. I sure hope this angsty teen thing is just a phase.

Shinhwa's 16th anniversary concert was held in Seoul over the weekend and I forgot about it! :(
I have failed as a Shinhwa fan. Hahaha.

OK I have a stack of payment vouchers waiting for me to check. Sigh.

WISH I WAS STILL ON HOLIDAY. :x

It's not obvious but there's a black box!

Haha I don't have proper photos so this is a screen grab off the video.

Just back from Bali today and decided to revive my rather dead blog. I hardly turn on my laptop at home now, much less sit down and write a proper blog post. :x Oh well. Till the next!

Important enough milestone to warrant a post at 3.47am when I have to be up early for work tomorrow!

22/2/14 The day I got upgraded!

 I have a king and 3 bears! Haha

I think this the best photo of all because at least my face doesn't look that round here and there is some semblence of a chin!

How come nobody told me my face became so round and fat!!! ROAR! 

Also having no discipline to stick to the T25 workout. Kinda gave up on it after a few sparodic sessions haha. OK MARCH SHALL BE THE MONTH TO KEEP FIT!

I HAVE 1 YEAR (+/-) 9 MONTHS TO SLIM DOWN! HWAITING!

Hello blog! Greetings from my new workplace!

A quick one before February passes us by.

I started on my new job on 3 Feb and well... so far it's been dreadfully early for me and I'm still trying to adapt to the hours.
And also my lunch hour. Lunch used to be the highlight of my day but now... well. It's now nothing more than a quick half hour where you "Eat to live, not live to eat".

Still plenty to learn especially people management since now I've actually got people who are under my care! Gasp!

Can't really find time to blog or even do anything else coz I'm usually all knackered out by 11pm or so. And then I'll concuss on the floor or something before waking up again at 1am.

OK got a bus to catch!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm left with 1.5 days and I can't finish clearing my work!!!!!!!!!!!! :O

My work is in such a mess I don't even know how to handover to my replacement!!!!!!!

News indeed does spread fast in a media and broadcast company... haha. I've got people from FM and Finance and other departments coming to ask me about my resignation. The people here are really very nice, I think that's what I will miss the most about this place... (and also the super flexi hours and 2-hour lunches and being able to wear casual clothing every day.)

I mean even the Canon photocopier service guy is always super friendly (and a little flirtatious LOL) whenever I bump into him. It's the not people in my department (though I admit my bosses give me plenty of freedom and generally leave me to do my own thing) but the people from other departments whom I've come into contact with during my almost 6 years here that make me feel warm and fuzzy. I'd like to think it's because I'm also very friendly and helpful that's why I meet many friendly and helpful people in return hurhurhurhur.

I just had my exit interview and my HR partner is also indeed very understanding of why I chose to leave. I'm already helping my bosses schedule interviews for my replacement and the basic requirement is like "O" levels minimum?! OK so I think I'm like a leeeeeetle over qualified if all they are looking for is someone with just "O" levels.

I've still 3 weeks to go and a whole ton of things to settle before I leave. Gonna miss this place.

Friend says butt pain --> I suggested doing stretches to stretch butt --> Friend says she will pray first

Ok lor. #nocomments

"Officially" resigned! Handed in the letter a second time today.

Also managed to confirm my start date with the other side and the good news is that they allow me to start 1 week later! Therefore I can still get my full January salary with no penalty yippeedoodle!!!

I don't get any break between the 2 jobs (the only "break" is the CNY weekend) but hmm ok la considering the circumstances, I can deal with it. Next break is in March which isn't that far off anyway!

Going to feast on crabs later! Still eating happily like a cow even though the festive season is over. Think I should go sign up with some gym or yoga/pilates studio. Any recommendations?

Oh look who's here!

Happy New Year and happy 2014 y'all!

 

From the 45th floor of MBS haha

MBS is super crowded on NYE, but we found a good spot to catch the fireworks!

Still trying to recover from the aftermath of the wedding yesterday. Had about 1 hour of sleep the night before the wedding and considering that the 姐妹s only got to know each other because of the wedding and the dynamics of the group (read: Bridesmaidzilla!!!), I think we did pretty ok.

 

 Me in my lok kok t-shirt and shorts and the radiant bride in her red gown! Haha

Too bad I didn't have any photos of me emceeing! LOL was a little nervous and I probably sounded very stiff like I was doing a Chinese passage recital. LOL. And I think it's time to retire my killer heels, twisted my ankle on Christmas Eve and made the mistake of wearing killer nude heels which made me walk like a duck and probably placed unnecessary strain on the recovering ankle. Luckily I had the help of Paul who vroomed to help me get another pair of shoes from home! :D

So that's how Day 1 of 2014 was! May the rest of the year be smooth sailing!