Blasting Events
30th Dec 2007

I had a great birthday... :)
Alright, here goes! The long-dued entries!

Silent Night - 24th
It was a quiet Xmas this year.
Stupid boyfriend's company is not having a half day on Xmas eve, so he ended up coming over to my house only in the evening.

Already planned to cook a Xmas dinner over at my house, so we quickly glanced through the shopping list, and off we go for groceries shopping at Clementi NTUC.

one. Main course - Lasagne with loads of cheeeese
two. soup with chunks of chicken & vege. Yum!
three. Baked threadfin with Salsa sauce + nacho chips topped with cheeese
four. CP Wanton, Vic's craving.
five: Yummy fruit juice to go along with the dinner.
six: Merry Christmas two oh oh seven!
seven: Love, love! ♥

And that was my Christmas eve. Oh and of course we ate the fruit cake too but couldn't finish it hehe. Victor then stayed for the night and the next day, he was back to work again... and I... forgot what I did LOL.

Post Xmas Meet Up - 26th
Evan & I have arranged for a meet up quite some time ago and finally we get to see each other after so long! (about a month? lol)

And because she knew my birthday is coming, she decided to treat me to a meal.
I also took the opportunity to give her Xmas present, something small for her kitchen. :)

 
one & two. Waraku @ Starhub Centre. Beautiful interior!
three. macha float. macha ice cream + sprite. Weird taste.
four. evan darling's new psp slim! totally cool and nice. I want one too!
five. her pot of goodness. the beef is omg.
six: our appetizer, salmon with cheese. yum.
seven: her tempura. She gave me some too :D
eight. my beef bowl. lots of seaweed, I like!
nine. cheeseeeeee with potato.
ten: after some shopping, we walked over to PS for cheeesecake. my cuppa drink.
eleven. her banana chocolate cake @ secret recipe.
twelve. my award winning marble cheesecake.

Because we enjoyed our meet ups so much, we decided to meet again after CNY as we will be busy baking our pineapple tarts :p
Thank you darling for the treats, and your friendship. :)

Even Better Than Mama! - 28th
On Friday, Shuyi (Vic's sis) and Tammy came over to my place for a baking session.
We had already decided on the recipe quite long ago and Tammy printed them.
Met them at Clementi central to get the ingredients before coming to my house, I had so much fun!
I hope the gals love the baking session too.

one to eleven. Cornflake cookies, Cinnamon roll, Oatmeal & Raisin cookies
twelve. Shuyi & Tammy playing Cooking Mama on DSlite. haha.
thirteen & fourteen. Dinner @ Sumo House.

Shuyi also gave me a late Xmas/early bday present, this doraemon puzzle!
Isn't it cute? Isn't she sweet? :D

My birthday had been a great one, thanks to the boyfriend.
And my sisters.
But you'll have to wait for another entry.
Tomorrow, I promised! :D

Or if you've lucky, you may view the photos first here tomorrow.
The boyfriend bought me a pro account there as part of my present!

P.S. After the entry on my luckiest dad a couppa weeks ago, he is still striking 4D every now and then but today's the best, he striked 4 sets of numbers in 4D, one of it is the top prize! Hahaha! Bad news is, almost all of them are ibet :p. Good news is, he gonna sponsor 500 for me to buy a cpu HAHAHAHAHA!!

My Big Day
29th Dec 2007

I've got tons of pics to blog about but that'll have to wait, because....

Its my hatch day 24 years ago.

Happy birthday to myself!
A few friends asked me what's my birthday wish(es).

Honestly, I've not thought about it.
But I feel that I'm already very, very blessed.

To have my love ones around me, be it mentally or physically.
To see laughter and kindness around me.
To be able to care for my parents, and love my family.
To give and receive love from everyone who cares.

What more can I ask?

But if I'm allowed to make a tiny small wish,
I wish for a good sleep every night.

Yes, that simple.
Not that I'm having trouble sleeping, but its always a blessing to be able to survive yet another day.

No I'm not cynical nor pessimistic,
I'm just grateful to everything I've gone through for the past 24 years.

I don't wish for money, I don't wish for wealth.
I don't wish for beauty, and I don't fancy having loads of friends.

Everything happens for a reason,
Sometimes the simplest thing meant everything.

:)

P.S. Happy birthday to my sister, Rong ma! Like what you've said, its really sweet to be able to share that special day with a sister, like you. Love you too!

Pre-Xmas Meet Up Part III - JustBlog
23rd Dec 2007

If you've noticed, I'm back dating the entries, because I can't fit everything into 1 entry - that'll be too much! hee...

Thanks to Tammy, she managed to gather some of the Justblog gang for a KTV outing, something we haven't done since 46535283 months ago.

While they had fun singing...

I had fun taking pics!

With my bestest mei

Some of the Justbloggers!
From left: Me, Boon, Tammy, Winston, Yvonne

Then Vince arrived.
He gonna kill me for posting this pic.

Boon says after being a teacher, he became as crazy as the students.
I can see why!

A last pic before going for dinner @ Fish & Co.

They're mad!

The 2 teachers are mad too!

Yvonne can't wait to dig in!

Yummy Calamari!

Tammy & Yvonne's Seafood Platter for 2

Boon & me had the same dish - Some fillet with cheese thingy

Boon & Tammy gave me this book (which was in my wishlist)
as my birthday present! :D

And Yvonne mei gave me this gorgeous Chomel purple bracelet which fits PERFECTLY.

Thank you people so much for remembering my birthday. :)

The biggest present is having my friends around me, for that is where I know I'm at the safest place.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Today was a blast I tell ya.

Some 3 weeks ago, Ying enquired about borrowing my place to do some baking for her boyfriend, who was also our poly classmate (as well as my laugong but that's another story). After several email conversations on what to bake, recipe discussions and what ingredients to buy, we decided on the meet up on 19th to get the ingredients, which was also how Rong & me planned to bake the cake for her (and you've read the story already).

Today early morning @ 9am, the gals came to my house for the actual baking.

Our 1st batch of spongecake.
Notice the batter was not well blended hence the swirls. :(

We were determined to get the 2nd batch right!

And we got it right... :)

We spent so much time for him so he'd better appreciate it!

We were so stunned by the damn-good fragrance & taste of the cupcake,
we can't be bothered with how we eat it!

3 ladies baking for 1 guy. He had to be the luckiest on Earth.

End Product - Layers of Coffee Spongecake,
Soaked in a Delightful mix of Expresso and Brandy and Finished with Lindt Excellence Chocolate (70%) Glazing

The photos really, really don't give justice to the actual taste, man. We were so impressed by the expensive Expresso Ying bought & when mixed with Brandy/Rum, the smell + taste is totally irresistible. We keep wowing & wooting whenever we take a bite. Haha, it was so fun baking with them that we promise to do it again!

After shooing them off to their respective appointments (they're running late), it was time for my own baking. Was discussing with Victor on what Xmas bake we can do together and enjoy on Xmas eve... Then we suddenly thought of baking a Fruit Cake that's bursting with fruity flavors and of course, alcohol! But fruit cakes need to be left for weeks or months before they mature, and we're running outta time, so I dragged his lazy self to bake! And there was some rum and brandy left from this morning's baking session, so we used it to make the fruit cake. hee..

Throwing in chunks of mixed fruits that's totally drenched in brandy & VSOP :D

Anxiously waiting for the end product

Its fun baking with your love ones, especially when it came out good.

But it didn't.

It came out GREAT!!

Maybe it was the recipe, or perhaps the efforts put into it (Vic cracked the eggs, sieved the flour and grated the zest - and he's totally proud of it). This fruit cake is really full of flavor but there is one complain from him - There isn't enough mixed fruits. hehe..

The cake is now wrapped tightly by me and sitting happily in the fridge waiting to be eaten on 24th :D

[ Baker Rant ] I was looking around for recipes and realised that fruit cakes generally take more than 3 hrs to bake under a lower temperature. Also, the mixed peels/fruits had to be soaked in alcohol for weeks or months before using them for the alcohol to be soaked more thoroughly? Also, what is nutmeg LOL! [ End of Baker Rant ]

I reckon its pure luck that both recipes succeed just by 1 try, but I'll like to think that it's because my love ones are here baking with me.

:)

Pre-Xmas Meet Up Part I - Hanz
21st Dec 2007

Every year around Xmas, I will be busy meeting up with friends, counting my blessings for the year and giving out presents to spread the joy, as well as thanking them for being a friend.

Today, I met up with my bestest bud, Hanz.
Someone who've been there for me regardless of joy, laughter, or sadness.
Someone who loves me as who I am, unassuming & unpretentious.

Anyone know where this bigggg m&m is?
He looks damn unhappy here coz I force him to take this photo LOL

No prizes for the correct guess. hee!

Orchard is so colorful that I wish sometimes it's just black & white.

And we nearly died at this junction just now.

I bought Xmas presents for the boyfriend & my cousins!

Then boyfriend came to join us @ NYDC after his work.

Why do they look like they're selling ice cream to me?!

These ice creams are cheap and totally delish!
We swear never to eat those expensive ice creams again!

And Hanz is really sweet to give me a birthday cum Xmas present! As the tradition goes, I get a bar of chocolate and a sweet card this year too. Thank you bro, its really lovely!

When I get home, my parents were busy playing with DSlite together.
Its such a sweet sight. :)

Yesterday night, Rong and Victor specially came over to my house to bake this,

Presenting our Carrot & Apple cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!

Okay I know it looks sucky, but hey its our effort!

Baking process - Rong cracking eggs.

Baking process - We made some Sponge drops too!
And had a good laugh making videos also hee..

Baking Result - Crispy and full of coffee goody!

And so today we met up with Ying, hoping to go SP... but ended up at Raffles City as it's raining...

My besties since 7 years ago.

They're so fun to be with!

I swear I'll never stand beside Rong again when we are taking pics
because my face always look so much BIGGER!

Was a very lovely afternoon with the sisters @ my place cutting cake, and singing birthday song. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my dear sister so happy with the present. She loves the sponge drops as well! She says it suits her taste totally, and that brings music to my ears. :) Then it was a late lunch at Cafe Cartel over fries and lasagne before we parted ways.

It isn't easy to find friends who can connect with you in many ways. (Even our taste in handphone pouches are the same!) So I really treasure the friendship I have with them. Once again, Happy birthday Ying dear!

And then I met up with the boyfriend for our 3 yrs + 3 months celebration. We caught this...

National Treasure 2!

The movie will actually be released tomorrow but lucky friend of the boyfriend & me gave us 2 tix for the preview! So sweet of him!

I'll give it a 3.7 outta 5. =)
If you like the first movie, you should adore the second too!

After the movie, its time for dinner and so Xing Wang HK Cafe was our choice.

And I got my anniversary present! He knows I love art so he got me the great impressionist Monet's paintings Wall Calendar!

I, is blessed.

Special Day
19th Dec 2007

Today is a special day.
Not only is it Victor and Me 3 Years + 3 Months anniversary,
it's also my dearest sister's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YING!!!

Life In a Box
16th Dec 2007

I think its interesting how indecisive I was when buying a digicam and the next thing I know, I'm totally in love with my Canon Ixus.

I think everything in life can be captured in that little snap. A picture so simple, yet speak so much.

Places you've gone to, friends and family that you love, the little things in life are all captured in a tiny little chip called memory card.

It's a peaceful feeling, to see the photos you took and think about that moment's emotions. Especially taking visual shots of people or things that you might never see again.

I love looking into the viewfinder, to narrow my view into just one object. Because it reminds me that the world outside is so big, and I'm just as small as the object in front of me.

Life's a collection of wonders, and they're all in this tiny box of mine.

Luck
14th Dec 2007

Recently there has been a whirlpool of weird things happening around me, but I'm not complaining. In fact, I WELCOME it with both hands high up in the sky!

Last week, lucky papa striked 4D, then Toto, then on Wednesday, he strike yet another 4D, and its 1 of it is the 1st prize!!!

How to believe that kind of luck you tell me?

But of course, all the amount won are small small only. Also, there's nothing to haolian about. But its nice, because it covers the amount that we paid for our new furniture. XD

However, as the saying goes, we can't be lucky our whole life. And therefore, yesterday, I woke up with a dead CPU. There goes my computer. Sob.

P.S. Am blogging with my sis pc at the moment.

[edit on 16 dec]My papa striked 4D again! OMG @_@[/edit]

Bad Neighbours
13th Dec 2007

Was wondering why some people simply cannot let the others off.

They are such nice folks who just want peace at home, but there are others who are out to make things difficult for them.

Have you ever had bad neighbours? Neighbours who start all the loud drilling noises as early as 7 or 8am in the morning, neighbours who take any opportunity to scold, insult or even fight with you.

When you go out to water the plants, the bad neighbour will come out and scold your whole family EVERYDAY.
When you go out in the morning to work, the bad neighbour will insult you EVERYDAY.
Before you wake up in the morning, the bad neighbour will start drilling things, tune up the radio volume to the max and face to your door, etc.
And much more.

Don't tell me about the Joo Chiat family lah, they different cause they are rich and seriously, its not good to wash dirty linen in the public yeah. Especially when all the kaypo uncles aunties go there just to watch the show. Irritating shit.

So here goes, ALL the things the bad neighbours did, COULD NOT be sued. Because they know the civil law loopholes, they irritate you through other methods.

One fine day, they shall burn in hell.

A dinner @ NYDC...

With my bestest buds during Poly (3 were absent though)

Not forgetting her as she was the photographer.. haha

We chat over Potato Salad,

Pizzas,

Pastas (with lotsa cheeeese!),

And desserts!

A female-only gathering.

A hell load of fun & Laughter we had!

How I wish time stops at that moment...

7 years of friendship, and going strong.

Golden Compass
10th Dec 2007

And the boyfriend is back. Went to fetch him yesterday morning, brought his barang to his house and all the food he bought for my family to my house, then off we went to catch The Golden Compass @ Cathay.

I don't really like the plot as its a little boring, but the graphics are nice. Abit disappointed with the ending though, because there isn't any ending since its a trilogy lol.

I think I'll like the heartbreak kid more. :D

Also went to the temple early in the morning with my family + breakfast. Been a long time since we had a meal together as a family.

I, is happy.

P.S. Just read someone's blog about relationships. She mentioned that when you're happy and comfortable with your other half, you don't really have to blog about it because words doesn't quite describe the feeling.

I just couldn't agree more. :)

Perfect World
9th Dec 2007

There are a lot of rude people around but once I stepped back and looked at myself, I realized all I hoped for is something unattainable...

I wished for Utopia.

Days Without the Boyfriend II
8th Dec 2007

Went T3 with Tammy yesterday and Hanz also joined us after our dinner. We had fun laughing @ a kid saying "Mummy, I want to PANGSAI!" and phototaking. hee!

Tammy as my model for the day hehe

The curious Tammy

Love this shot!

Christmas trees remind me of Bangkok last yr :S

And my favourite shot for the day is...

Tammy's Á¨¦Ò¨¬Ê¼þ. Where's her face?!

I think she looks like the above doll. =x =x =x

Anyways, we had Sakae sushi buffet! This Salmon Mango sushi is fabulous! We ate less than 10 plates each, and I think we've aged, we used to eat so much the last time we were there (which was like 2 yrs ago)!

Today, dad  qit zar buay zar woke me up to eat breakfast and off we go to The Furniture Warehouse opposite IMM. Had intended to get a new sofa set for the house, but ended up buying not only a leather sofa set, but also a coffee table + TV console.

Then we shopped for clothes @ IMM. Its been a long time since I went out with my parents together.

Total Happiness! :D

Days Without the Boyfriend
7th Dec 2007

I think like many girls out there, I can't live without my boyfriend...

NOT.

I am not your typical girl, therefore I am not those whiny-no-boyfriend-will-die type. I believe in living for myself, and not oh-my-darling-where-are-you *BIG SOB* person. Sorry to disappoint my boyfriend but I'm living happily too without him for the week. :p No doubt I miss him, but I'm having fun at the same time too.

Long entry ahead!

Saturday was spent having porridge bought by Victor for my family. After which, the two of us set off to collect my Canon free gifts from purchasing my cam. I got an extra 2gb sd card, extra original battery, mini tripod, cleaning kit, a blower and a bag. Not bad for the deal, huh?

There are some time before the our dinner date, so we decided to stroll to esplanade for some photo taking. All photos are taken by Ixus 70 unless otherwise stated.

 
Yeah, boring place. The hotel with the nicest ladies I've ever seen.

Surrealism engulfed me as I take this photo. Hence the sepia effect.

Playing around with effects.

Guess where?

Spotted this kingfisher (?). Overexposed shot!!

While I was there, around 20 DSLR holders are already snapping this lion.
Totally disgusting, I would say.

Has got to be my favourite photo for the day, love the bird formation.

And that Vic with his Canon EOS 400D.

Trying out my cam's bokeh.

Interesting to find an artist at boat quay.
She was drawing the guy in front without him noticing.

Vic took this pic of me trying to get close to the birds.

And this is what I took at that instant.

And then it was time for our dinner date with Tammy and Shuyi (Vic's sis) @ Awon Korean Restaurant.

That place is authentic I tell ya, nice food + great accompany. We also bought presents for his sis. Since I do not have a younger sister, I've always hope to treat Vic's sis like my own. Hope she likes the present we chose for her.

After the wonderful cheap dinner, we maneuvered to TCC before rushing home to sleep. Tired but fulfilling!

Sunday - Vic had this 10 km standard chartered run so I managed to sleep till late afternoon before we meet up with his parents + sis for our 2nd round of celebration.

Upon reaching Tiong Bahru Plaza, I realised I forgot to bring my camera! So no pics, you guys can look at the cheesecakes here instead. Place was at Say Cheezecake @ Great World City. Food was good, dessert was okay to me, but good to Vic & family (They're a family afterall, boohoo.), and ambience was okay. Price was a little steep, but I think I might go back for their food one day. :)

Then his family & I went for some shopping & Victor spend $50+ on a polo tee. -_- Impulse buying perhaps, but he ϲ»¶¾ÍºÃ. *F3*

Wednesday was my meet up with my darling, Evan. And man, we are back @ Awon restaurant!

Kimchi kimchi! I love these. :D

She also baked mince pies for me :D Really sweet of her. Out of 3 meetups, she came with food for 2 of them. hee hee hee. I'm a lucky gal. After the sumptuous meal generously sponsored by darling, we decided to go to New Asia Bar @ 70th floor of Swissotel. Nice place for heart to heart chats, really!

We had lychee martini as our first drink.

Look at the scenery!
Okay there isn't much due to the rain but its the 70th floor nonetheless...

Then she ordered Bailey's Butter Shots.

This is really yummy!

I think both of us can hold liquor well. :p After a good 4 hrs chat, we went a little shopping @ Mark's & Spencer, queued for less than 20 mins for Donut Factory donuts (we were lucky) and by then she was having a headache.

To be honest, I felt that the donuts are nice & fluffy but I WILL NOT queue 2 hrs for them like what many OLs do. I am a patient person when it comes to food (lol) but I think its a bit stupid & silly to queue 2~3 hrs for it. :p I think its all but a fab. I'm not your typical girl, remember? :p Coffee + almond is great! Oh, but if you do happen to queue for it, buy for me please? LOL.

Anyways, we went for our dinner @ Cafe Cartel and then it was byebye for us. I really enjoyed the meetup with her, thanks darling. :)

Tomorrow, I will be going T3 with Tammy! Yippee! Vic lets me hold on to his 400D while he's overseas. hohoho. Then it'll be a whole load of events for the coming weeks. Meeting up with my sisters, gatherings, and my hatchday! Love, Love!

Do not forget to get me something from my wishlist ya? Especially the first 3 items! HAHAHA!

I Miss You...
5th Dec 2007

The weekend has been a blast of events. 2 yummy dinners with 2 great groups for the same gal were held @ 2 fabulous places. And I've also got a whole log of photos to upload.

But tonight will be a little different.

Surreal
4th Dec 2007

I'm starting to love my cam!

Goodbye
1st Dec 2007

Goodbye, DS!

:D

Life should be this way, isn't it?
To move on, and never look back.

:D

So, Hello, Canon Ixus 70!

:D