Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Rainbow after the Rain


Actually it's still drizzling a lil. Caught it while hubby's driving on CTE, towards home. I could see the whole semi-circle spread across the whole sky... too wide for my phonecam to capture.
Simply beautiful.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Long Lost Friend

Early last week, I had a new friend request on my facebook and was pleasantly surprised to see that he's my sec schoolmate/classmate. We lost contact when he joined NS.

Sec 1, we're in the same class. I sat in front of him. I could feel that he liked me as he would do almost anything for me. For Egs:
- When he knew I liked his self-made plasticine, somewhat used as blue-tac, he made a real big one for me (but I threw it back at him whenever I was unhappy:P).
- He would deliver video tapes to my house (which was about 10mins by bus then another 10mins walk), just to the doorsteps, not allowed to go in & meet my conservative & fierce mum.
- Same for the Atari games which I wanted to play. He lent me his full set infinitely and delivered to my doorsteps.

I always wonder why as I had the weirdest hairstyle then. Because of that, I had been the laughing stock among the gals especially Mel. Hubby will always burst out laughing whenever he sees photos of the younger me but those were already considered better ones comparatively. If he were to see any pic of me in that goofy hairstyle, think he’ll definitely flip! Haha... Well, think about a (girl) studdent with short, layered & back-combed hair (short as in real short, just a lil longer than the boys’) with a centre part... but a bit of the short, naturally-curled fringe was deliberately “pasted” on the forehead for don’t-know-what reason. And yes, that’s me...

Ok let’s come back... Sec 2 onwards he went to the first class & I was in the 2nd last. Only when we’re in Sec4 that we resumed regular contacts. Even went to his place, I mean with the gals during CNY & I was being teased almost endlessly. But the gals warned me to not accept him as he seemed to be a very sheltered person as he's always well taken care of by his elder sisters. Nothing happened though & we went on our separate ways after ‘O’ levels... till about 3 years later I can’t remember how we got in touch again. The same old him... still delivered stuff to my doorsteps.. be it medicine or dinner.. we went out quite a few times & then he got into NS. In a way, I was glad that he didn’t ask to bring our 'friendship' to the next level. I think I liked the attention showered but couldn't imagine myself being together with him. I didn't dislike him though... just didn't like him enough to want to be with him, to get emotional when he vanished. And also, I didn't need to choose between religion & him.. maybe that's one of the reasons too.

All thanks to FB, I get to catch up with this childhood (or teenagerhood friend haha). He asked me out for lunch 2 or 3 days after re-meeting on FB. He's supposed to pick me up below my office at 12. He said he'd call when he’s nearing. But 12.15.. 12.25.. no call from him. So I text him...

Me: “Hi, is our lunch still on?”
MS (replied almost immediately): “I’m here. Still waiting at the drop-off point.”
Me: “Still??”

So he explained that he actually reached my office around 11.35 but this blur friend saved my hp number wrongly the previous day & text the wrong person. When I didn’t show up or respond, he called the number to know that it’s switched off. He thought that he’s being stood up but still waited downstairs. Only till I messaged him around 12.30pm that he realized he’d saved the wrong number... Careless careless...

We’ve so far met twice for lunch & both in Central asit's just a short drive from my office but away from the crowd. And his treats;)

He's doing well now, driving a new B-class Merc & the boss of an ID firm of 10 years. So the gals were very wrong. Hmmm...

Was interesting meeting an old friend & we took turns to try update each other on the important events during those lost years. So much to catch up on & also clarified some issues happened back then - at that time, someone told him I already had a boyfriend which was why he chose to let go. Glad that now we can at least talk about things very openly.

MS said if he could turn back the time, he'd have persisted... but now that I'm happily married, everything's irreversible.

Then 6 years ago... back in 2003, we could have met. He’s a regular at Newsroom & mine was right next. Had bumped into quite a few old friends who happened to pass by but not him. He said if he met me then… he'd "go all out" to win me over & hubby wouldn't have a chance.. haha! Yep... I’m quite sure things would not be the same if I were to re-meet him before Mr Soh. But was it for the better? Certainly not. As I feel so happy with us that I can't imagine how life could be better without hubby. Yet both hubby & I agree that he would have been the best choice then. At that time, I was so lost. I needed a pair of strong hands to pull me out of the troubled situation & steady shoulder to lean on. Finances wise, he definitely fitted the bill. And from how he treated me when we’re much younger and even now, I think I would be well taken care of. If MS came into the picture first, I wouldn’t have given hubby & myself a chance to know each other. Or rather, we wouldn't even meet then?

However, it's my heart that I have doubts in. If back then I didn't feel, not even a lil, sad when he decided to go away, I’m pretty clear about my feelings. So I would be accepting him for the wrong reasons and get myself into more distress if I happened to meet someone whom I found myself emotionally attracted to. After all these years, I know myself... Nothing beats LOVE. Of course, money is important as well. And God is so good... He placed hubby in my life. Not MS, & others were just passers-by. I know that my friends were really supportive but many did silently doubt my decision... Vince could not give me financial stability then... choosing him would mean I've to start from scratch again. Why did I not go for TM? Eric? Or others who could provide me sufficiently? At that time, I wasn't that sure... just followed my heart. Besides being the No.1 doting & attentive (then) boyfriend, I saw his potential in proving himself at work. Hubby’s also the only one among the rest who shares the same faith as me and unbelievably, with very similar background & problems, which I've now come to realise how important that is for a couple. It's definitely drawn us closer. Sometimes, even till now, I do admire my own courage & take pride in having such accurate foresight:P But frankly, all I can say... it's His arrangement.

Had also filled MS in on what hubby & I been through especially during the initial 3years+. He felt happy for me that I was able to find such a good husband and he gave us his blessings. He also said... now besides hubby, I have another man to trust.

I'm really happy to have re-found this long lost friend and hope that he'll be a good friend for another 20 years... or even 30, 40 years... not only with me, but also with hubby:)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

It's a LOVE-ly Saturday

We had a small celebration yesterday.

Had buffet lunch at Royal Plaza on Scotts' Carousel. Don't think we would be there again. Not too bad on the spread but didn't manage to whet our appetite.

The hotel looks nice after the facelift

When we're done with lunch, had just enough time for me to remove my gel nails in FEP before catching a 4.15pm movie (Look For A Star) at Lido; we used the vouchers given by one of hubby's aunts so it's free!
It's a dreamy show but we love Andy Lau ;)

After the movie and a big tub of popcorns, we shopped around... Thought of getting a pair of flats but couldn't find anything suitable.

Left Orchard before 9pm, only then that we decided to make a short visit to sis & niece who're in Sentosa and sis had been persistant in inviting us over.

We packed KFC from Orchard as dinner

Took some pix from the balcony


We left Sentosa around 11pm... the island was sure crowded with couples as well as families!

As for presents... hubby bought me a set of Korean beauty products. Used them for a few days & have since fallen in love with this new brand especially the BB cream & rose powder which is so fine, so light & set my makeup so well! :) Its skincare range is good too... so far my oily & sensitive skin is adapting pretty well to these new products.

My new range of makeup base/powder from Lotree:
From right - Rosa Davurica Loose Powder, BB cream (my 5th or 6th BB cream?), the additional travel-size compact case for my loose powder.
The skincare products from Kelly Water:
From left bottom (clockwise) - Anti-Winkle Eye Tox Repair Cream, Soothing Moisture Drop, Lip & Eye Remover, pH Control Water, Water Balance Essenserum.

All thanks to Ruth's recommendation! Now, will see when I can get my open pores fixed so as to bring the best out of my new makeup set. Am also contemplating getting the Essence Concealer for my eyes... hmmm....

As from me to hubby.... a boxer for his low-rise jeans :P

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Our CNY preparations

It's a busy period for us few weeks before the Lunar New Year. As usual, we've done up a checklist & were glad that all errands were ticked off according to schedule.

Overall this year's chores were lighter than last year's. At least we didn't have to clear our big store room & paint the planter's boxes. But the last week before CNY was filled with errands. Mum made kueh lapis for my MIL, so we had to find a night to deliver (decree from mum to have it delivered 'fresh from the oven'.. what to do??). And another night, helped buy a few cartons of drinks for parents inlaw. One night (Thurs) was entirely spent on my nails. I reached FEP as early as I could at 6pm but I was only done around 9.30pm.

Another night, we went to Chinatown just to get a cat for me. I saw this very adorable 'zhao cai mao' during a lunch-time trip to Chinatown's bazaar with colleagues. I didn't buy it then but regretted...
Gong Xi Fa Cai! Miao...

The weekend before CNY, Saturday, we spent the whole afternoon around Bugis... collected our altered clothes and bought the goodies, both from Rochor, some shopping as well as getting a cake for FIL's birthday. In the evening, we went for the reunion + birthday dinner at Choon Seng Punggol Restaurant. Was a happy 9-course reunion dinner with a total of 5 tables... CNY mood was already in the air then:)

Just to Queensway Shopping Centre alone, we'd made quite a few trips, almost once every 2 days. Besides going to our regular seamstress in Rochor for alteration, we're trying out one located in Queensway Shopping Centre. And hubby found a boutique that sells nice pieces for guys. Not cheap though and the lady boss claimed that quite a few Mediacorp artistes were their regular customers. But more importantly for us, the shirts & pants suit hubby very well. With no prior intention, hubby bought a suit together and a shirt. The suit, uniquely in grey with a tinge of silver, was quite a good deal. More for the shirt... we saw a similar piece in Seoul last year & it's priced at slightly more than a hundred, after conversion. And the one that hubby bought was just about 60% of it. So the collection of his altered pieces & re-alteration from the boutique contributed to 2 of the trips to Queensway.

Every year, there're lots of washing/cleaning up, numerous errands to run & seemingly endless items to buy which could get a lil overwhelming at times.. just for a week of celebration, or 2. But it's all worth it as we simply like CNY:P

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Our CNY celebrations

Reunion lunch with my family was on the eve. This year we had the 'Fortune Pot' (Poon Choy in cantonese). Ordered from this new Chinese restaurant in Sembawang Shopping Centre - Prosperous Kitchen. It's good & we all enjoyed all the choice sea products stewed in a clay pot.

What's in the pot:
Abalone, Shark's Fin, Fish Maw, Dried Scallop, Prawns, Mushroom, Chicken Drumstick, Cuttlefish Ball, Broccoli, Lotus Root, Cabbage, Beancurd Skin.

We had more than our own portion as what we ordered was meant for more persons. Yummy... :)

Reunion dinner with inlaws & family was steamboat, as usual. Guess I've grown to enjoy it together with everyone in the family. Left AMK slightly past 10pm & we brought our car for a wash. Back home, got the ang paos ready & prepared the goodies.... what we always do on CNY Eve.

CNY Day 1:

Reached AMK at noon. We're getting later & later every year... tsk tsk... Idled around & also had some small chats here & there. And of course the annual photo taking session! ;)



Hubby played a few sessions of card games with the siblings & uncle.
See, fat uncle's showing off his cards!


Can't do without the family pic every year

About 4pm, we left AMK & visited daddy, then had an early dinner in Northpoint's Xing Wang Hong Kong Cafe... the only restaurant that was opened on 初一 and served a very decent meal. Thereafter we returned home, had just enough time to take a shower & redo my makeup. We're meeting again at 8.30pm for a movie at J8. Hubby & I would rate the movie 1.5/5. We didn't think highly of it even before watching but it's all for the family get-together.

CNY Day 2:

We stayed at home for the whole day. Sis & bro came back for lunch (as Cantonese, we've this tradition of having '开年饭' on the 2nd day). Aunts & their family came in the afternoon so we stayed around to catch up with the cousins. In the evening, hubby & I played mahjong with sis & mum.

CNY Day 3:

Went to 5th aunt's (mum's 5th younger sis) in Toa Payoh for lunch.

Took some shots after lunch & while waiting for aunt no.6

6th aunt & hubby finally arrived after being late for nearly an hour. We went on to another aunt's (mum's late brother's) in Kim Tian together. Hubby & I left 3-ish & went to Vivo for a movie. Right after, we rushed to attend my ex-secondary classmates reunion at one of the guys' place in Pasir Panjang. Was interesting to see quite a few familiar faces after a long long time.

CNY Day 4:

We took pleasure in lazing at home, with a few short trips to the neighbourhood for meals. Nice :)

CNY Day 5:

Left home before noon to catch a movie at Tampines Mall. Last week was the week that I watched the most movies in a week. That's because hubby was offered a GV VIP Pass which means we're getting a pair of complimentary tickets per movie for a year. So we'll see ourselves watching many movies this year ;)

Headed back home after the show. After a short rest, we went out for dinner with mum before going to bro's.

CNY Day 6:

It was a busy day packed with consecutive visits. The first was June's at noon in Sengkang.

"Back to the Basic" pose with June's very oriental vase.. haha

Then to one of Vince's colleague's in Punggol for a late lunch. Had a very interesting chat with the wife of hubby's boss... exchanged beauty tips;) Stayed there for 2 hours & we left for the third destination - Gina's (da jie) in Bukit Batok. Supposed to be a poolside affair but the other girls arrived too late so we just stayed indoor, at her place.

Been such a long time since we last took a picture together...

The gals stayed for dinner but we had to go. Meeting hubby's family for dinner. We'd booked a table at Swa Garden in MacPherson only to realise they only served limited variety during CNY period. This very old restaurant is hubby's & my most fav teochew restaurant, thanks to the good recommendation of one of hubby's colleagues. You've to make a reservation especially on weekends otherwise chance of getting a table as walk-in is very slim. Anyway we planned to revisit when the normal ala carte menu's back. Ended up having "zhi cha" at a coffee shop nearby. The food was not too bad.

The night didn't just end there. After sending MIL & BIL back, hubby & I went for a beer at this chill-out place near our home, called Flamingg Mango in Sembawang. A pint of Hoegaarden costs only $10! And they're so generous to always give much above the 50cl mark.

It's a lovely night. We chatted about those days before, when & after we knew each other... our past relationships... how things started between us... It never fails to tingle my heart & set a blissful smile on my face whenever we talk about how he first noticed me & tried to gain my attention. We left home after about 1.5hr, feeling so loved & contented. We're very glad that the night ended on a lovey-dovey note.

CNY Day 6:

After fetching mum from church, had lunch with sis at Suntec's Crystal Jade. Sis' treat! Hee. We'd yu sheng too. After lunch, we visited daddy. It's so fast, it's been 3 years.

For the entire afternoon, we stayed around... feeling a lil depressed that our holiday was ending very soon.

The first 2 days of work were really tough, getting the mood tuned back & catching up with work.

Our company's CNY Lo Hei on my first day of work.
Next to me was the Deputy Chairman.

And yesterday, my colleagues visited our place after work. Hubby came & fetched us.

Lo Hei!
My 4th this year and the 6th for hubby!

Singing time

Jazz felt bad that we'd taken care of everything, from travelling, drinks, dinner to the ktv session & volunteered to treat us the next time round. To us, the most important was that everyone enjoyed the night:)