Fluffy the lonely dog

Looking at Fluffy staring at herself in the wardrobe mirror, I can’t help feel a sense of loneliness and sadness in her. She brings to me her toy, the red mini heart-shaped stuffed toy, but I am lazy to play fetch with her. Her mummy is away and Fluffy doesn’t get to have her walk of the day. Whenever WW is around, Fluffy will be played with in WW’s somewhat mischievous yet sadist ways. For example, Fluffy standing with fore legs and hind legs on separate pieces of furniture, with a gap in the middle, leaving her immovable.

She is like the little neglected one, without a similar being to play or communicate with. What I can provide her are only the baobaos, the play-toy and occasional walk walks. And the walk walks are mostly when her fur is trimmed and short; don’t like washing her feet with long fur.

Wonder how Fluffy feels inside. Boo, what a dog’s life.

Decisions.. decisions!

It's the time of the year again for... making decisions for the new year ahead!

First up on the list - to enrol in a German course? The fees could go up to $3500+ and the extensive course could take up to 2 years to complete if I want some level of proficiency. The new class starts in the second week of 2007 and I can't procrastinate any longer.

To fulfil my dream... perhaps I should take the lunge forward, sacrifice 1 evening a week and put in some efforts to study. Gotta start working towards my dream!

The Festivities

23 December 2006
Pre-Christmas dinner with WW and his friends - Junie, Gay Yong & Christina

At Ichiban Boshi Great World City with Nana and Junie, WW's JC classmates
Same kind of necklaces! I want also!
Me with Nana and Junie, and the little X'mas gifts WW and I gave them.
WW looking fashionable
WW & YZ
Junie and Gay Yong - couples since many years ago! Gay Yong is WW's buddy.

Steadfast friends of WW since JC times. They meet up every now and then, and are pretty much posted on each other's lives. Old friends stay with you for your whole life!

24 December 2006

Christmas Eve was spent with loved ones - steamboat lunch at WW's place with his family; dinner at home with family where we threw a feast of usual hawker food we like. The whole family, WW & Henry included, ate chicken rice tabao from Margaret Drive, while I satisfied my craving with crab mayonnaise sandwich from Delifrance. We got a few desserts - fruit tarts, chocolate eclairs, durian sponge cake - for after-meal indulgences.

The night ended with dai ti card games with WW, Tian & Henry. I like playing dai ti coz I always get good cards! Wahaha, and the loser was supposed to eat... Fluffy's shit! That would be WW's nightmare as he liked so much to torture poor little Fluffy.

25 December 2006

Had an adrenalin rush, a much-needed jog in the morning. Nua at home for the early part of the day till WW came over to fetch me, and off to Upper Thomson we were. (Heng there was no flood!) Had a simple dinner of fish soup and 小笼包, followed by apple strudel at Ritz. A pity Ritz didn't do dinner last night; we wanted to dine there instead. WW gave me a present for Christmas - Goldheart diamond earrings. Yippie, simple yet elegant and sparkling bright. Tks 男人！

Wahaha, for the rest of 2006 I'll be away from work, having fun and doing what I like with family, friends and dear WW. Yay!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas :)

Wishing all a bountiful 2007 and a year full of accomplishments.

冬至

Yesterday was 冬至，a day where some local Chinese spend by eating 汤圆 with the family. Since a few years ago when WW told me the significance of this day, I've made it a point to eat 汤圆 in hope of a good year ahead. However, I was rather disappointed to find there was none at home when I came home last night. Thought Mama could have called to inform me, at least I could still get the frozen packaged ones at the supermarket downstairs. But never mind! It doesn't matter whether there was rice ball dumplings on this day of the year, as long as one is happy & optimistic, everything goes!

So, what's the great deal about this festive day?

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冬至，是我国农历中一个非常重要的节气，也是一个传统节日， 至今仍有不少地方有过冬至节的习俗。冬至俗称“冬节”、“长至节”、“亚岁”等。早在二千五百多年前的春秋时代，我国已经用土圭观测太阳测定出冬至来了， 它是二十四节气中最早制订出的一个。时间在每年的阳历12月22日或者23日之间。

人们认为：过了冬至，白昼一天比一天长，阳气回升，是一个节气循环的开始，也是一个吉日，应该庆贺。

九九歌
一九二九不出手；三九四九冰上走；
五九六九沿河看柳；七九河开八九雁来；
九九加一九，耕牛遍地走。

与冬至有着密切关系的是在北京流传了几百年的《九九歌》。从冬至那天算起，以九天作一单元，连数九个九天，到九九共八十一天，冬天就过去了。

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Woohoo, winter is going to be over in 9 days. Does that mean the heavy downpouring will stop soon? =P

Weehee! Gifts galore!

Pressies gotten from colleagues and friends at work. Woohoo~ what a strong sharing and giving culture!

Presents gotten on the last work day before Christmas, 2006
Before: Wrapped and mysterious
After: Revealed! Some were really surprises! (Try doing an item-to-item match)
WOo hoo, exactly what I've been wanting to change this season/festive season! How does she know?

It was the last working day before Christmas yesterday, thus a lot of staff were busy not with work but with exchanging gifts with fellow colleagues and friends. For me, it started in the morning with JY, YN and Joyce at OUB Plaza Burger King. We were having our breakfast there with our big barangs of Santa Claus pressies.

In the evenings, colleagues from my Group gathered at NUSS Guild House for more fun. It's our TEC Group X'mas party, an event almost always expected given there are two siao-on ladies in the Group to drive and organise the event, otherwise no one else would have bothered. We engaged an events company (the one we work closely with for our other Management of Change events) to run the program for us.

The games we played involved negotiating and trading unique items given to each group (all were divided into five groups) and the trader rep in the group was supposed to make the best out of his items to trade or buy other unique items of other groups. These items were used to build up a fanciful human Christmas tree, to be used further for another round of competition. I represented my group and went up to the trading table with the other groups' reps, but I didn't quite expect the pushing and shoving, and the snatching of my items! Haha, I see it that all the 5 reps at the table were ladies; that explained the wild behaviours. But it was fun after all!

The next round of games involved getting a judge from each group to go around judging the human Christmas tree and songs sang by each group. From the labeling we got at the registration booth, the "Daddy"s tagged had to go in as the judge. So I was there again, going around with paper money in my hands to award the groups. Then at this group with a big robber, I was grabbed at the waist and money snatched from my hands! It was quite drama; the money flew up in the air in a bundle and it was like one of the scenes in a gambling table. Haha. I think they all see my small size easy for bullying! But at the end my group was the winning team coz we learnt it the hard way through the Robbers - I resorted to snatching from a weaker member in the Robber Group! Wahaha.

We could see each other's 丑态, but everything was in the name of fun. =)

Be Happy!

Yippie I’m on leave again today! Away from the grips of cold office and endless meetings!

My new motto in life is “Be happy!”. The rest really doesn’t matter. =)

Yesterday nan ren accompanied me to Borders Orchard, to get some vouchers. Then we headed down to Food Republic at Wisma Atria for the thick toast at ToastBox. Didn’t know the queue there would be so long, and the best part was WW queuing up for the food so that I could satisfy my craving for strawberry thick toast. And that, despite his impatience with snaking queues. The man deserves million hugs, hoho.

Of Cow's Skin & Sharks' Fin

Last night sis and I met up with our old-time friend, Bok, to celebrate his birthday. It was a simply fare – dinner at Sukara Parkway and cake-cutting at Bok’s place. Come to think of it, we have known one another for 10 years since Secondary one. And indeed it must have been heartwarming with old friends remembering and celebrating your birthday together. And we thought only teenagers or youths care about birthdays.

Bok told us there was negative chi to place leather furniture in the bedroom, as leather was actually cow’s skin. It seems kinda chilling to think that you are actually sitting on a cow’s skin on a leather sofa or recliner. Imagine the skin contact with a dead cow’s skin, and what it could have been if the cow were alive.

The same feeling of revulsion goes for eating shark’s fin. Without giving it a second thought, shark’s fin is just like any other non-vegetarian dishes. However, if you know of how sharks are treated cruelly, their fins cut off and the sharks themselves left to die in the big seas, you won’t ever want to have shark’s fin again. Ha, I would rather have birds’ nest.

Where Oh Where

:( :( :(

Where is happiness and health?

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Things of concern aside, today marked my first visit to the place I was born in - KK Hospital. We were visiting a colleague and her wife and baby. The little baby girl was so tiny! But still, I wonder how come such a "small" thing can stay in a woman's womb. And to imagine giving birth to such a seemingly "small" thing! Relativity, huh.

Perhaps as the lighting at the hospital was good and the room seemed open (there were many windows in the baby room), add the bright sunshine outside, the overall mood of the place with the newborns seemed so pleasant. All in all having a newborn in a family was such a jubilant event. It somehow evokes the maternity emotions in a woman/lady(?). But if only there were no other things to worry about, such as who to take care of the baby and raise him/her up when there is still work to go back to.

This is like having a moment of happiness, of which follows the routine mundaneness of life (once you go back to the office).

Where? Where is the long-lasting happiness?

The cough syrup’s effects are setting in… as I type my words on the keyboard, my eyes threaten to shut, tight.

Had to forgo my beloved weight-controlling companion for two weeks (so far) to let this monster-ous cough recover. Oh why do I feel lumpy and soft?

Spending quality time with family members is important, yet some do not value this precious luxury. Is the House on the silver disc better than the House on the solid green grass?

Today I’ve gotten a taste of liberation at work. Wonder when this kind of freedom will come by again?

No more break, till end of Dec!

In a wink of an eye, my week-long break is over!

Feeling recharged to go back to work, but I wonder how long it will be before this renewed energy gets sapped up.

I hope at least it’ll last me through the Bluey Monday tomorrow!

You are The Lovers

Motive, power, and action, arising from Inspiration and Impulse.

The Lovers represents intuition and inspiration. Very often a choice needs to be made.

Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And that's actually more apt than "Lovers." Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity. And, coming after the Emperor, who is about control, it is a radical change in perspective. LOVE is a force that makes you choose and decide for reasons you often can't understand; it makes you surrender control to a higher power. And that is what this card is all about. Finding something or someone who is so much a part of yourself, so perfectly attuned to you and you to them, that you cannot, dare not resist. This card indicates that the you have or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that you will fall in love with. You will know instinctively that you must have this, even if it means diverging from your chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it you will never be complete.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Tools to Liberation

Freedom of time, trustworthy bicycle and a free-spirited heart.

Off I went in the morning, with me and my wilder side, to explore the Bedok South area!

Eastwood Park Playground along Bedok Road. I had a crazy time on the swing; been a long while since the last swing! Found it hard to slow down and get down the swing tho.
Quiet playground for the private houses around the area. This is near the Hyflux water treatment plant and is an area my reliable "schoolbus" passes by every morning.
Still chirpy at 930am
The houses around Jalan Kathi, Bedok Road. So many balconies, I like!
Terraced houses along Bedok Garden. I'm a sucker for balconies.
New park connector beside Bedok Camp
Hmm where shall I go?
The Guards House opposite the park connector. Previously never knew what was inside. Now I know =P
To walk or to cycle?
Quite a long distance to ECP! The golf course was beside.
Breakfast on the breakwater - teh from East Coast Park hawker centre and bo-ping sesame bread from home. And of course, my reliable bike.
Quiet time by the sea. Shiok to be out during the weekday. But unlike that guy, I don't have the patience for fishing.
More tired after two hours of cycling
On the way back, passed by Bedok South Ave 2. Flats in Bedok can be very beautiful too!
Winding cycling/walking path beside Blk 34
Blk 10E, Bedok South Ave 2
Uniformity. And Lego-yellow colour.
Wahaha, the PIE's under my feet again. This time I was along Simei Ave. The bridge was shaking quite violently, honestly.
Weehee! Going home!
The lunch I bought back on my bike for my family. Yummy YTF! =)~

Enjoyed the bike exploration trip very much! I want another one soon!

Christmas Shopping!

Before I start wrapping up the X'mas gifts, I've taken photos of them, posted on my photoblog. Gifts for around ten of my good friends in under two hours of shopping, not bad huh. But I've yet to find those for my closest ones, coz theirs will be more difficult to find.

Such is the joy of giving! I recalled last year Takashimaya had dark blue paper wrappers; this year they have violet ones, in the same print. So lovely. May they have burgundy ones next year. =)

No work = lotsa happiness

It’s the start of my week-long break, which I know will pass by fast enough. But today is the first day – Monday, and I’m happy, although I’m bogged down with a terrible and fast-developing cough and a fever with headache. Was supposed to go shopping for Christmas gifts, but I had to stay at home to recuperate in case this illness aggravates and the whole of my Freedom Week gets wasted.

Last Thursday, together with family, we chiong-ed IKEA at its first-day opening (we spent a whopping 8 hours there!), where sis and I got for ourselves a new wardrobe, a recliner leather chair and wall cabinets. Time to jazz up our room a little with new furniture, especially since we gave our room (and house) a new coat of painting a few weeks back.

Mirror doors for our wardrobe

I was spending most of the afternoon in my newly-done up room, relaxing and dozing on the recliner chair and feeling the sun rays beat on my face. Wah, it was quite hot and a little too bright for comfort in the early afternoons, but now at evening time the sun was just right. Quite a nourishment to the soul.

人生应该包括多多享受！

HSBC versus DBS

This comparison depicts the underlying principle of delivering on promise. But before that comes around, I want to contrast the services of these two banks, with regards to their credit operations.

This September I applied for DBS Women’s Card, and waited a long two months plus for the card’s arrival. The process was tedious – I had to get an application form at its bank branch, attach copies of my CPF statement as well as my IC, and send it through snail mail. The acknowledgment letter did not come within two weeks; I had to call to enquire about the application status. Lousy.

Last week I applied for HSBC’s Gold Card through online application. Off-hand information was required, but this ain’t information that proves hard to remember. After navigating through four pages of the application form and less than five minutes’ time, I clicked the Submit button and printed out the confirmation page with ease. Together with this copy, I attach a copy of IC and sent it via snail mail to HSBC. I didn’t even have to print out my CDF statement; I simply provided HSBC the permission to access my CPF online statement for a grace period of five working days. Smooth-sailing.

Yesterday, I opened my letterbox to find the cards themselves delivered, right to my doorstep. All and all in within a calendar week. Amazing, isn’t it? While for DBS, I had to wait more than two months to get the card, while in the midst of waiting, I had to call relentlessly like I was chasing for some debt owed to me. So what if they are the biggest bank locally? I’m going to terminate that card and give the business to some other banks.

There were other occasions when I couldn’t get DBS customer officers, and had to wait super long for a simple task performed (yet still in the end, that wasn’t done!). A simple request to link my credit card to my savings account for withdrawal proved so difficult for them. No relevant application forms online, staff couldn’t perform the task, delays and drags in the middle and staff ignorance (stupidity?) like sending a form which required another form (which they didn’t provide me) – all these point to the overall inefficiency of DBS.

Well, if they have a blog unit that sieves out customer feedback via blogs, they had better act on customers’ complaints like mine. And meanwhile, kudos to HSBC!

The Joyous Season is Coming!

I’m listening to Christmas Carols, getting into the mood of fun, joy, sharing (and more relaxed work!). Gift-sharing is a joy; you won’t know what you’ll be getting. That’s why I don’t like telling people exactly what I would want, but at most drop a hint or two.

This year round everyone in office is lazy. Nobody bothers to put up the Christmas tree and to hang the ornaments on their workstations. I realise we still have our Chinese New Year ornaments hanging on our lights overhead. There is a huge Christmas tree set up at the entrance of DBS Tower, elegantly dressed in burgundy and gold. That indeed is the spirit of Christmas! Maybe my company should place one beside the bull and bear, a tree splattered with greens and purples. Heh.

Cycling (yes, in the rain, again)

Photos from the McCafe tea this morning:

McCafe, Parkway Parade

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I made it! Out of the house without the rain coming down yet, that is. I had to pump my bicycle tyres thus cycled to the nearby bicycle shop. This short route slowed me down say 3 minutes and gave the rain the chance to catch me and Fluffy. But, not for very long. The rain reduced to a light shower where we could proceed without becoming a wet duck.

Went onto my usual route till the new condo Baywater, then side-tracked into Bedok Park and went all the way ahead till the entrance of PIE. Looped a little back to the big traffic junction at Bedok Reservoir and Eunos Link, then cycled along the park connector beside Blk 600+. That stretch can be a little dangerous, yet it was superb and exciting; full of up slopes and winding down slopes. Some evil soul placed a big rock in the middle of the path somemore, good thing I was on high alert mode.

Spent a little while to get to Telok Kurau Park along Siglap Park connector. Happy to be back though coz the Sunday before last WW and I were there together for a stroll. This time round it was Fluffy with me, and that little wild dog just liked going near canals thinking there would always be cats in there. Didn’t stay long before heading home as it was nearing dinner time and the rain was starting again. Poor Fluffy was drenched, all cold and not like me, who had to cycle hard and therefore didn’t feel cold at all. Heh, she was shivering at one point, but I thought doggies should be strong, if not, then should be trained up to be. I still gave her a hot shower at the end of the day to make up for her chilling ride!

On the overhead bridge crossing over to Kembangan area. In front was the Starville condo.

Dark clouds looming!

Wahaha, PIE's under my feet.

Fluffy with wet hair. Wahaha.

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Photos from last week's dinner with family, to celebrate Shou Bi's birthday.

Zi Cha dinner at coffeeshop downstairs. Papa Mama.
Me and Wong Tian, color-coordinated.
The birthday boy!

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Photos taken from Pine Court Chinese Restaurant, 35th storey of Meritus Mandarin.

Leave Days are Sweet

Yay, leave days are always so good as they mean freedom!

So morning set off to SingPost building CoffeeBean for an appetitising meal of muesli parfait. Very yummy, but sadly few CoffeeBean branches offer it. So I was there for more than an hour, concentrating and typing away on my reliable lappie. Ah, what else but work again.

Happy Christmas time is coming soon. See the tree at the left side?
Me with laptop and breakfast (and work, brr).
CoffeeBean merchandise

I headed on to Parkway Parade, this time to McCafe (favourite café!) for tea and more work. Managed to finish up some documents before the battery ran flat on me. There was this small group of young Japanese kids sitting at two tables in a corner of the al fresca area of McCafe, eating their packed lunches. They have the same lunch boxes, the same food – macaroni with white bread. It’s interesting to see how independent they are, and how sensible they are to find themselves a small corner so as to be more discreet (after all they are not having MacDonald food). I suppose they live in hostels, away from their families and closed ones. No choice but to learn to be independent.

Now I’m back in my comfy newly-painted room. Wanting to bring Fluffy out for a cycle together, but I can see the very dark clouds in the North seeming to drift here. No rain no rain!