Friday night Date

Watching The Proposal tomorrow night, @ Plaza Singapura.

Hubby's got the tix this afternoon ;)

Looking forward to our date!

The Longest we ever had, so far

We’d had a very nice break of 12.5days for Christmas/New Year. Getting into the details, we’ve spent 294 hours together, if inclusive of 6-7 hrs of sleep every day… the missing 6 hrs (12.5 days = 300 hours) would have to be our toilet trips & shower time for those days.

Didn’t go out of Singapore but the fact that we didn’t need to work was delightful enough:) Every morning when we woke up, the first thing we thought about was: "where to have breakfast?".

It's an interesting holiday. Had an assortment of activities during these 12.5days:

- Christmas Eve > gathering with Vince’s family & relatives
- Christmas Day > gathering with my family
- Boxing Day > my “body wellness day” >> facial treatment, acupuncture session then shopping in FEP (shopping = wellness? Sure! :P)
- Several nights > gaming session. Some memory game using poker cards. And hubby also taught me to play "dai di"... as in the past I didn't have the interest to learn though someone's willing to teach. Only both of us, poker cards, beer, chips. Had so much fun that we wouldn’t sleep before 1am during those nights (when we played cards).
- The few days before New Year (29 -31 Dec) > we’re out almost the whole day but just stayed within the neighbourhood. We seemed to have endless things to buy (mainly for the household). In & out of the newly renovated Northpoint & newly opened Sembawang Shopping Centre.
- New Year’s Eve > dinner with mum in Northpoint. Her treat!
- New Year’s Day > had dinner & drinks with L.
- Aside the above, we also started our spring cleaning - packed the smaller store room & removed the curtain for dry cleaning, watched TVB series, sent some of our new clothes to our regular seamstress in Rochor for alteration & gave our car's interior a thorough steam cleaning .....

While our colleagues felt it'd bore them out to have such a long break if weren't travelling, hubby & I found it addictive and wanted more! Maybe we're plain lazy! Hehe.

The next we're looking forward to will be the 9-day CNY break :)

In the brand new year to come...

Bless our marriage so we will always be as loving or even more;
Teach us to be good keepers of the money You provide us;
Lead us and we both shall walk hand in hand through all turbulence;
Remind us to count Your Blessings every single day;

Amen.

Movie Date

It's a very nice & cosy movie date on Sun night. A '3-course dinner' throughout the 150-min movie with some additional scenes (that we didn't get to watch in cinema).

Last morning, sent mum to church and then to meet her sisters as they're going for a 3D2N stay at another sister's place in Pontian, Johor.

So we blasted our SATC movie in the living room. Too lazy to be out for dinner so utilised our stock:

1st course - Farmland nuggets (our favourite among all other brands)

2nd course - 生面皇干捞面 (that is, Instant Noodle King's dried noodle)

3rd course - Ikea Blueberry Cake

Haha.

And we had Ikea's Kopparberg Pear Cider (4.5%) as beverage for the evening.

By the way, the Blueberry Cake was good.

Ikea's Blueberry Cake.
My no.1 selection is still the Apple Cake... very yummy with vanilla sauce/ice cream and especially delicious with crushed walnuts or almond flakes as topping. They don't taste at all like those typical ready-made pastries/cakes. And the best part's they're not expensive;)

Finally, the long wait's over!

Sex And The City movie! Yeah!

Been on a lookout for the release of DVD ever since the movie first shown in end May. Months had passed & nothing displayed. One day (about 2 months ago), we finally asked a staff from Gramophone & he told us that the DVD of SATC movie was banned in Singapore. We're like "huh?... but we already watched in cinema.. why banned then?" And we're disappointed.

Then last Sun, hubby spotted it when we passed by TS Causeway Point! Hee! This'll complete our collection ;)

We've already scheduled it to be our Sunday night entertainment. A great way to spend our PH eve. And yes, will be watching it for the 3rd time!

With some popcorns perhaps, honey? :P

The Power of LOVE

Hubby killed a lizard last night.

When we reached home, I went straight to our bathroom to get ready for a shower. Was taking off my accessories when the corner of my eyes sensed a moving shadow. I immediately turned to take a look & saw a dark, fat lizard was staring at me on my vanity counter. I freaked out & bolted from the bathroom to our MBR while screaming. In that split second, I think it sensed danger & swiftly moved to hide in the gap between the wall & my vanity cabinet.

Hubby, who was in the room, got alerted by the commotion. He then went in attempting to chase that creepy lil crawly away. But it wasn't co-operative.... it first crawled into the bath tub & went anti-direction again. I was a lil hysterical after the scare & worried that it would continue to ambush me & worse still, get too friendly with my cosmetics! I offered insecticide but hubby rejected.

When it refused to go away, hubby grabbed the plastic ladle placed at the bath tub & hit it while it tried to wriggle its way to the vanity counter again. From chasing, attacking to clearing the mess in the tub, I didn't dare step in to look.

Hubby later confessed that he's afraid of lizards (than of cockroaches)... more of its detached tail actually. But the moment he knew he needed to protect me, he got the courage to face it. This wasn't the first time... had similar encounters with bugs & cockroaches before. But a good deal of power must be summoned in order to brave the fear factor.

You are really my Hero, hubby!

Purchases

Of the bigger items.

This 3-seater sofa with 2 recliner - a great replacement of our L-shape sofa as of end June.
We've waited more than 2 months & this wasn't the set we initially chose. Only after a month that they told us the first model we ordered was out of stock due to some parts (the recliner) & that's only when we called them to enquire about delivery date. At first we're really unhappy with their service but managed to leave the place with a smile as we got a better deal. This set costs $200 more than the original one but they absorbed the difference as a compensation. They weren't supposed to carry this model as manufacturer sells exclusively at their own showroom at Kaki Bukit. But we went & eventually chose this; the boss had to negotiate with his manufacturer to make an exemption) I would say it's a blessing in disguise as we prefer this

This is the best thing we could have for our weekend DVD session. And it really helps my problematic back a lot.

New dining benches as well.

We like the new look with our white furniture

Finally bought a pot of monstera deliciosa... only less than a hundred as it's a much smaller version. But I'm happy enough.

My Sony Ericsson C902 that hubby bought for me on the first Sat of July, when his contract was up for 21-month upgrade;)

Long Weekends...... & Reminiscence

I needed to clear my leave by end Jun, not that there're many days as I'm only into my 3rd month. Hubby was sweet enough to apply leave as well on last mon & tue (16th & 17th) & we had a good prolonged weekend.

Sat morning hubby had a work discussion with his boss & the creative agency at Spore Post Centre's Coffee Bean. So I went to McDonald's in the same premise with my lappy to wait for hubby... free flow tea up to 11am is a big attraction :P

Just when I, in shorts & with a big green bag, was dragging my slippers & carrying my tray of tea & hashbrowns to the corner seat I eyed on, I took a quick glance at the person sitting at the other end of the corner. A chap & he's shooting a swift stare at me too. We both then took another look at the same time before realising that we actually knew each other. So there we were, seated at 2 ends with another 4-seater table in the middle, chatting casually. CW was previously from the SQ crew for a few years, then went over to BA & he's still there. He used to be a good-looking dude who worked out diligently, which was why I was a lil taken aback to see him with bit of receding hairline & a slightly flabby bod instead.

After some small talks, I moved to the front where there's a powerpoint for my notebook. He left shortly after too.

And here it is, story-telling time again.....
I took notice of CW when in my first year college because of his appearance & style - he's 1 of those who wore black boots to school & could carry it well. We're from different class and he didn't even know me. So I only admired him from a distance.

Second year, we happened to be in the same class & became friends. By the way, in his first year (when he's in another class) he went with a girl, W, for a few months but she later became a lesbian. I knew W too & thus gave us more topics to talk about. I used to make fun of him about what he had done to W who eventually preferred to be a man & have girlfriends instead.

The way the story went is what every girl hopes it should be - befriending someone you admire for a long time. However the more I knew him, the more I confirmed that nothing would come out of our friendship. And I am pretty sure till now he didn't know that I once had a 'little' crush on him :)

After graduation, we still kept in touch. Long phone chats & went for movies/drinks once in a while. I was the only one from the class he kept in touch. But by then, I'd already got over any special feeling towards him. I'd always thought that we're of different categories - he's always the avant-garde... stylish & daring. He's always ahead of fashion. Me? A complete plain jane.

Over the years, we went out lesser & lesser especially when he started flying.

But I will always remember one nice thing he'd done as a supportive friend & that's during 'The Bar' days. At the Opening, many friends came down to support & CW was one of them amidst his busy flying schedule. He surprised me by showing up with a group of about 8 & settling a spending of nearly S$500 for the night's drinks. I know how it feels that's why I tried to give support when MG opened his.. but of course I couldn't spend as much as what CW did!

About 2 years ago we lost contact till I chanced upon him at McDonald's. What's interesting is, I no longer feel he's any different from me... Likewise, he's in a pair of bermudas, polo tee & a big bag.... as ordinary as I am.

Is it because of his appearance? Maybe. Or age? Maybe too. Guys, after a certain age, can't do bold dressing. What's bold? Let's take CW for eg., he had the guts to wear a jumpers & still looked great (you don't see many guys out there wearing jumpers in the past & present, ya?). In this case, I think ladies are in a more favourable situation as long as her figure doesn't go too out of shape. Cosmetics, hairdo, variety of clothes & accessories, if done tastefully, can make a woman at any age.

Ok I'm getting too far. Back to our long weekend. Hubby finished with his boss before 11am & we went to Kaki Bukit to settle some errands for the household. Also shopped in Orchard & brought home 4 pairs of pants! All mine! Hee. Got some other items for our new interest too. That's the advantage of starting the day early (& waking up is the most difficult part). Had Father's Day dinner at Ka Soh, Alumni Medical Centre. After dinner, hubby had to get some work done & we pulled my BIL, Ben, along instead of sending him back first :P. After that, we went supper together & counselled the depressed Ben (as he just made a shocking discovery... afterall it's been nearly 3 years but that's part & parcel of growing up).

Sunday was mostly spent at home, busied ourselves with the new hobby.

Monday morning, we're back at Raffles Place... nope! not for work, but for my facial appointment. Then some finger food for lunch before going for a matinée movie - Sex And The City. Yep, we re-watched it using the free movie tix! :)

Tues was a laidback day for us in the neighbourhood... also resting & DVDs. Did I say we're into some TVB series lately?

This weekend will be another extended one, but only tomorrow. Clearing my last day of leave for this FY & hubby took too to spend some time with me. We should be receiving a long-awaited item tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

My New Gadget

During the long weekend (Vesak Day), we'd a mission... to source for the best deal of a notebook, that is.

The thought was harboured after hubby took up the new role (in his job). While he's getting busier with meetings & events, my new job doesn't require me to stay late. Except for the first 2 weeks of adapting & managing new tasks, I can usually leave on the dot, ie. 5.30pm. Instead of wasting my time hanging around & shopping every evening, I think I would be happier to be connected to the e-world. Especially now that I can't log on in office, I mean for personal surfing. Hubby can also concentrate in his work without having to worry about me. He doesn't stay too late.. the most an hour more for now.. so it doesn't make sense for me to go home first. Anyway we need to catch dinner before heading home.

So hubby fully supports the idea and we went looking for a good buy.

Initially it's MacBook we had eyed on. Mac Air is so cool but it's too ex.

By renewing our Singnet contract, we would be getting a MacBook at about $1,100 & tripling the speed that our current contract provides. It's definitely an attractive offer & I didn't mind at all playing with a Mac.

But the last day of offer was actually 2 days later whereas we could only renew our contract exactly a month later :(

So that Sat, we went around town, searching for the right one (in terms of price & weight). We realised that weight was an important factor as I would be carrying it around.. that's why we even entertained the thought of getting a Mac Air.

After a day of window shopping & research, just when we were about to give up hope in finding a compact notebook with our budget, we're being introduced to HP Mini. It wasn't available in most stores (except Courts which somehow has the privilege to bring in limited sets & that's where we first got to know it)... no display set to show but orders already flooding in. The first batch of stock would arrive mid June the earliest, even in July for some retailers.

But we managed to "grab" the last set from Courts @ S$1,199 (comes with Windows Vista Business):D Apparently it was so popular that within a day, the few sets they put up for sale were gone within a day in their stores nationwide. If they hadn't kept it for us (we called the customer service to enquire & they were helpful!), it'd have been gone too.

My gorgeous HP Mini 2133

So now I'm having my 1.2kg lappy with me everyday & log on wherever I am after work.. like now, I'm waiting for hubby just opposite my office.. @ Subway, Far East Square & writing..... :)

Some thoughts

Caught up with a friend over lunch last Fri. A very nice lady in her mid 40s but unlucky in love. The husband has a mistress since 5 years ago & has already shifted out (to stay with the mistress) for 2 years. She didn't divorce the husband & has still been supportive of his career & activities. To their mutual friends, they're still a loving couple. She hopes that one day, he'd be moved by her love & come back. I was like "huh?".. how can this be possible? I mean, how can this woman be so magnanimous?? Any, or most, woman would have left saved the last bit of pride that's leftby leaving the heartless man.

In case you're thinking she's a needy housewife who heavily relies on her hubby financially... not at all. She's from a very wealthy family & has a good career herself. She has a group of close friends whom she hangs out with & she's almost a god daughter to the late President Dr Wee Kim Wee.

I'm the only outlet for her to pour her woes with no holding back, as she said it. Perhaps it's due to the fact that I don't know her husband & friends bah.

We talked about Chinese New Year and understandably, she's not looking forward to it.

In fact, we're so surrounded by couples with bad marriage & I'm pretty sure they are not looking forward to CNY too.

The number is a lil too overwhelming, particularly this year. Just how many am I talking about? I use both hands to count.

Most of them are in separation, including our neighbour whom we didn't expect as we heard no fights & always saw them together & looked loving. Another one, my ex-colleague, who's known to be a wife-doting husband. Just before Christmas, he called me at night wanting to meet. But I was already on my way home with hubby. I didn't sense anything amiss. Then about 2 weeks later, he rang me up at 5am+. Yep 5am+! He's so drunk that he's slurring... asked what I was doing then (!??) & wanted to meet me for another round of drinks. I asked him to go home instead. When I woke up, I called his buddy who didn't know his problems. Sensing he's issues related to his marriage, it'd be more appropriate for his buddy to help & he agreed to keep me in the loop. And I was right, his wife left him. I asked (myself) lotsa whys...

Others are keeping the family intact superficially for the children's sake. Which is why nowadays, when I see seemingly happy families out there, I tend to ask myself... is this merely a beautiful front? Are they actually living separate lives? Is the guy keeping a girlfriend outside? Or maybe the wife? I admit I've grayed things too much. Hubby thinks I have as well but he understands... Afterall, with so many around us heading towards this direction plus if you know what I've been through in the past, you'll understand too.

Oh well, it's CNY Eve. I shoudn't be talking about such unhappy things. You see, Vince & I are looking forward to the CNY celebrations. In comparison, those who're close to us are experiencing marriage breakdowns & we don't feel good about it.

Vince & I just feel grateful that we're able to enjoy the bliss & overflowing love for each other. What's happening just serve as a constant reminder to not take things for granted.

Let's cherish each other & be a blessing to those around. :)

Revealed, for the first time

I like kids. To be precise, I like playing with kids. I can't imagine dedicating most of our time & money to take care of a child. I simply enjoy our couple-time too much. However I always get nagged at after voicing out this part of my thinking... "it's like this but once you have one, you'll naturally put your baby in the first place... you're no longer young, still don't want to give birth??... how can a family be complete without kids?? ...".

But I really don't feel the maternal call.

However it's true that I'm running out of time, my biological clock I mean. It's a crude fact. It's also my responsibility as a wife. Observing how Vince takes care of the kids around & is being well-liked by them, I don't doubt that hubby will be a good daddy. A playful one too ;)

Much as I wasn't for the idea of conceiving (I've acknowledged that the word 'not ready' is more appropriate for those who're younger as I've been rebutted too many times "huh? how old are you already? still not ready??" that I decide to take these 2 words off my mouth), I couldn't bring myself to explain to hubby. I wasn't even able to have a valid answer for myself about the unreadiness especially given my age, how was I going to convince him?

While trying to tell myself it's part & parcel of being married, I couldn't help but let out a big sigh of relief silently over a few times of false alarm.

Then some time mid of last year, hubby wanted to talk to me & asked me to keep an open mind about what he's going to say. He told me he's very contented with our present life-style. He'd be happy if we were to have a little one of our own but without, we've another type of joy. He didn't believe that a family could only be complete & blissful by expanding it. He'd been wanting to tell me when I started to talk about conceiving but was worried he couldn't put it right lest I misunderstood. Afterall it's a sensitive issue.

I couldn't believe it. His thoughts were like a duplicate set of mine! When I recalled, I think he did try to drop hints like "even next time with kids, they'll never take your place in my heart... next time if without kids, we would be able to save more & tour around the world together...".

Though I always claim we've telepathy, never did I expect it would be to this extent. It's gonna be very tough if we couldn't see eye to eye. So we thank God for us.

Nearly 90% of my friends are married with kids. Those of hubby are starting to go this direction too. And we've nieces & nephew. In a way we're well surrounded by young families. Though everyone's sharing how much joy children have brought to them & how their lives been changed, we do not yearn to be parents.

And I'm surprised that in our modern world, there're still people telling me to have a baby to 'spice' up otherwise monotonous life (did I ever say our married life is monotonous??). Kids will keep a marriage intact (err... no... I don't believe in this too after being through & seeing so much). We're extremely happy like this, cannot meh?

Both of us also don't believe in 养儿防老, perhaps it's due to what we see around us. The closest example is actually found in my own family, sadly. I can't explain how we think exactly & why, it's just amazing that we've the same conviction. That's the most important.

Having said the above, we're taking it naturally. We'll be thankful if down the road we've Vincent &/or Kelly junior as children are very precious gift from God. Without, we're happy to enjoy our love life. So carefree. We never run out of things to do... even a walk downstairs is so relishable.

We both agree what's more important is our health. Especially this year, I wish I will be healthier.

This is supposed to be our secret as we've decided to stop explaining ourselves to others. It's really an earful to be getting the same old & long 'advice'. They don't understand us. Thank God our families from both sides have been really cool about it. No question asked so far. Those who nag are surprisingly friends & colleagues (mine).

So if you read this, the next time you meet us you know what to say & what not right? :)

One day we might have a different take on our priorities in life. If this really happens, I pray that God will change the both of us at the same time, just like how He's done to us about half a year ago.

Productivity

A week ago, we drafted a work schedule for the following 4 weekends. There're just so many things to do!

And last weekend, we're at both ends of the scale.

Sat morning we woke up pretty early & as planned, hubby took down all the curtains that will be collected this afternoon for dry cleaning. The chore took only half an hour, much lesser time needed than what we expected. Glad we're well in schedule. But I was happy too soon. The paint & rack (both for our planter areas) that were in Sat/Sun's list were not purchased. Mainly due to some last minute matters...

On Sat, I had an 80-min phone conversation with Constance. I just had a shower & was getting ready to go out with hubby & had to drop everything to talk with her. She's having some problems. Then hubby was stuck in a long Q at a nearby clinic (he's diagnosed by doc as having ligament inflammation). On Sun, hubby had to work on his reports which he brought home to do.

What was productive for us then? Shopping! :þ

Were shopping in Orchard Road 3 - 9.30pm and had gotten enough clothes for CNY. Hee. Bumped into the sister of hubby's ex, Michelle. Few weeks ago, it's her brother. Perhaps we're 'destined' to meet every now & then (a couple of times with each of them already). Haha. Whereas we haven't met any other friends at all nor more than once over a period.

On Sunday, after hubby finished his work, we went to Thomson Plaza to buy me another pair of shoes instead of getting the rack for our plants. I bought 3 pairs there the Sunday before & one of them is especially comfy. So before the size runs out, we went to grab another pair in different color. :)

Dress-Ups

Since the commencement of our bathroom renovation, we've been shopping for toilet & related stuff. Following the completion of our bathroom, was the expansion of our territory.

Perhaps it's nearing Lunar New Year, the latest interest is... our bedroom.

The Sunday in mid Dec, we're getting Christmas presents at Robinsons Raffles City when stumbled upon their member's sale which was very attractive. The minimum was 20%(existing to the public)+20%(for members) discounts storewide. Atop, another 5% rebate as per statement. As Robinsons is known for premium bedlinen, we wouldn't want to miss the chance in bagging any good find. Spent more than 2 hours in that department, couldn't decide which brand to get. Eventually left with 2 full quilt cover sets & some Elle towels. Both sets went down by 50%+20%. Great deal. Especially the one from Jean Perry, would have been about S$400 originally but we paid less than S$160. And S$130 for the other set (U.P. S$320).

On New Year's Eve, we're again shopping for our bed at Taka which coincidentally is having a promotion on household items "HomeTalk" till 13Jan. This time round, we got 2 new pillows, quilt, more towels & another set of quilt cover. Also got 1 set for mum. While most of the people in Orchard were getting to their NYE dinner/celebration, we're struggling with oversized carriers (and you know how bulky can pillows & quilt be?) in the crowd as we parked our car at Shaw House (Lido). Had so much to carry that we gotta make 2 trips. And the throngs of people didn't make our job easier. Nevertheless, we're happy.

It's scary that even this can become an addiction. Hee.

All in all, think we've bought nearly S$1,000 of bedding items. Glad we had some Taka vouchers to buffer the damages ;)

I was just thinking... have we advanced to the next level? To think that we're grabbing household products everywhere, especially during those moments when in the past we would be getting ready to party. But hubby was happy about the evolvement. Hmm.

But of course, I still shop pretty extensively for clothes & cosmetics. :P

So our bed now has 3 new sets of exquisite & cher clothes! Only problem will be which to choose for the coming new year.

New look

We've a new bathroom for Christmas. Well it's actually half new only ;)

Happy with the changes

Concept is to keep the place simple.
We insisted on not having any built-in cabinet below the vanity top.

Prefer storage with rollers for mobility when washing bathroom.

A different picture as well. Fondly reminded of those sweet memories (the métro train in Paris) when doing business. Hee.

Besides the tiles at the lower portion, changed the whole shower screen too.

Our bedroom of 2 weeks. More like a foreign workers' quarter though...
But were thankful enough to have somewhere to sleep in during those 2 weeks.

Our toilet was ready the week before Christmas. Lots of cleaning up but all was done by my poor hubby on a Tues night after work. From washing the toilet to cleaning our bedroom (because of the dust), etc, as his wife wasn't feeling well.

Happy New Year !

It's been a long silence. Nope, we didn't get outta Singapore. Though during the Christmas/New Year week, worked only 1.5 day as we took leave on 26 & 27 Dec.

What have we done then? Lots of shopping & time on DVDs amid the festivities ....

Christmas @ home.

Hazelnut-Almond Ice Cream Log Cake from Swensen's

My present from hubby & you know what's inside ;)
It's so nicely wrapped by him that not a trace of the adhesive tape was shown. Yet he said it's tough especially the ribbon which was his very first attempt on a present. Lovely.
Afterall I don't think it's that difficult for someone who can sew considerably well (especially as a guy).. hee.

His present from me. A bangle. Glad he loves it!

Our 2nd present for each other (wrapped in one).

Nice rings!

We woke up late on Boxing Day. Attended the funeral wake of a good friend's mum. We used to be like sisters. In fact, know her younger brother very well too. We're all friends of 18 years. It's a sad reality that at our age, parents begin to leave us. So cherish them while you can.
Went for hi-tea after the wake.

Shooting up to 226 metres above sea level in just a minute.

@ Equinox.

Everything always appears to be fast moving during holidays & weekends.
Saturday was spent on miscellaneous stuff like getting my hair products from Parkway, pedicure & shopping in Orchard.
At least on Sunday, we accomplished some thing 'big'. Cleared an item which had been collecting dust for the longest time in the bomb shelter. It's Tubby-boy's cage. Would have headache whenever we tried to think how we could get rid of it. FYI, the dimension is 94x58x140cm & it's squeezed into the bomb shelter. We spent nearly 3 hours dismantling it & wrapping the pieces up carefully so they would not dirty our car. Brought the wrapped pieces to the nearest rubbish collection centre. In total, took about 5 hours to get it done. We could have paid the cleaners $30 to dispose for us but we thought we could do it ourselves. Not an easy job but finally... well it's a good kickoff of the spring cleaning that's going to happen this month.

Worked half day on New Year's Eve & went shopping again in Orchard till late evening. As for dinner, hubby brought me to an authentic Teochew restaurant, Swa Garden, somewhere in Macpherson & we enjoyed every bit of the food. He said the first time he went with colleagues weeks ago, he'd wanted so much to bring me there :)

Went straight home after dinner.

When we got home, we spent some time by the pool. Counting our blessings while enjoying a peach soda. Also talked about what we needed to improve on... sort of some new year resolutions for us. Meaningful.

Were relaxing. It's good.. not too far from laughters & music of the merry-making crowds (there're event in the multi-purpose hall & people BBQing) yet enjoying our own time together.

1 last picture for year 2007 :)

Opened the bottle of Rosé wine we bought during our honeymoon in France.

Cheers to 2008!

House of Love

I'm fond of taking pictures of our home. No major change in these 2 years though... just trying to refresh the look (especially our living hall) with some fresh flowers / decorative add-ons / replacements here & there. And the 3 sets of sofa cases do contribute substantially in varying the look. I enjoy seeing the difference after each attempt.

So pictures serve as a good reference too.

Regarding our home, we've some bigger projects for the near future, or at least we hope to...

That is, (1) some minor works to our master bathroom. (2) new sofa set. I'm so into white couches lately. But they ain't cheap. (3) Wallpapers in part of the living & bed rooms. (4) a lil custom-made bar corner. A glassy one please. That would be very nice... to have a more proper place to store our alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages, & all the nice glasses we've bought. But this is the least in the priority.

If everything goes well, project no.1 should be carried out next week. As for the rest, definitely not going to happen this year.. nor H1 of next.. taking $$ factor into the main consideration.

For now, pix have been compiled as:
- when we first got our place
- & after some renovation
- in year 2006
- this year

Our date last friday

Hubby tried his best to leave office on time & fetched me. Took a quick dinner at a coffeeshop near home before rushing back. We're going to have our K session, 8-11pm.


Well it's the first time that we - 1)booked it just for ourselves & 2)donned in home clothes for ktv (we'd showered beforehand & were ready to turn in right after). Felt great. Not only because we're able to reach home in a min after the enjoyment, but also the amount we spent. While it could easily be over $50 for such a 3-hr session on a Fri night, we paid only a fifth of it. And enjoyed thoroughly.

This KTV thingy has always been of substantial sentimental value to us. We used to sing quite a bit especially before we got together. That's what we did on our first date as well. Hubby, an NS guy then, didn't have much $$ to spend on dates & his buddy who was working part-time in 1 of the KTV joints gave him very special rates to sing there. So, he brought me there :) Subsequently, he worked hard on those songs that're my favourites so he could sing for me (& impressed me I reckon, hehe). This had become a regular kinda activity for us & an easy reason to ask me out, when I wasn't at The Bar.

We've definitely moved on to the better after these few years. But till now we still enjoy singing together. Hubby still sings for me my favourite songs & we still indulge in the sweet loving memories of those days. I guess, it's one of our ways to keep our love as "fresh" as it has first budded.

Plan to do it again soon. But before that, we've just blocked online another session next fri with Mr&Mrs LL. Looking forward to that!

We ...

.. waited 50mins for a bowl of Ba Chor Mee.

Last Sun evening, hubby finally succeeded in bringing me to Bedok 85's Ba Chor Mee. He'd suggested a few times in the past months but always got turned down by me.

We reached there just few mins before 7 & were glad to find an outdoor table effortlessly in a sea of preoccupied tables & chairs. So we're told that the waiting time would be 30-45 mins for the BCM.

Got some BBQ chicken wings as a starter & were done in minutes. Delicious. Then we waited, & waited, & waited...... Another 30 over mins passed. Curbed the temptation to order some thing else to fill our stomach & to pass time lest we might have had too much to appreciate the long-awaited BCM (soup). Finally, our order arrived & I was surprised by the portion served. Only then hubby remembered he'd ordered a $2 bowl (earlier on he still asked me how much could it be & I went "eh hello? you went to order one & I never eat here before..."). Once in a while my honey will give me surprises like this.. but I certainly still adore him so! Hee.

Since the serving was smaller than a normal one, we went ahead to get something else (五香虾饼). When hubby came back & said "wait 20mins", I nearly fainted. We finished the bowl of noodles in 5 mins & played the waiting game again. By then, our butts started to numb, so were our legs. We're in the midst of the clustered tables & chairs.. without much space to push back our chairs & relax. When our food was served at least 15mins later, there wasn't much of an appetite left.

After our "3-course" hawker meal (literally course by course, each with a minimum 20-min interval), we're caught in a traffic congestion for another 15 or 20 mins. Our only consolation was that we didn't need to work the following day.

Next time shall be smarter. Options are: not go on a weekend, or reach there @6, or/& place all orders at one go.

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.. had a self-created long weekend. Mere coincidence that it's right after Hari Raya. :)

To beat the blues of at least 1 monday, we've long planned to take leave on the 1st work day of the week.

Had a swim in the late morning, then a 2-hour buffet lunch at Holiday Inn Park View. Food wasn't fantastic but we enjoyed the luxury of couple time which we seldom had on a weekday. Apparently, many seemed to be off work too.

Next stop was Holland Village. Too full for even a drink. So just fed our eyes with the adorable pets in various pet shops.

Then we spent the entire evening watching some rented VCDs & dinner was takeaway dim sum from Northpoint.

By the way, hubby brought me back to Pet's Station at Frankel on the previous day. There's this particular kitty that reminded us of our Tubby-boy. For a while, I was overwhelmed with memories of Tubby who's extremely lovable & good-natured.. it's a pity he's an ailing boy.

Hubby has been suggesting to get me a bunny instead & lop-eared rabbits are so cute. But nope. I can't cope with the growing emotional attachment & responsibilities. Plus the financial & time commitment especially if it is, like Tubby, prone to ill health. At least not now. Also, hubby & I love to move around freely & my mum doesn't help out at all as she's horrified of pets of whichever kind. I wonder why... not that we hadn't kept any before. Thus occasional visits to those in the pet shops should be the best solution for now.

二人世界

Mum left for a 4D3N church camp in Port Dickson last morning.

So I prepared dinner for hubby. Simple but all his faves - my signature fried rice, sweet & sour pork. Dessert - beancurd almond longan. Didn't get to have a taste of the black beauty (tis really its name) water melon we bought... too full! And hubby did all the washing.

Seeing him thoroughly enjoyed the food was the best reward for all the perspiration I'd had. Though I won't cook often as both of us prefer to spend more time together (eat out) than prepping, cooking & then washing. Another valid reason is.. we seldom get to have the kitchen all by ourselves.

Christmas present from hubby

On 1 evening, about 2 1 weeks before Christmas, as usual hubby came & fetch me. He surprised me with an advance Christmas gift. When I knew it's a diamond ring, I nearly fainted. I don't want him to spend too much though he assured me it's not too ex.

I love the pretty ring! The stone is not big but the design is very unique.

And he refused to receive any Christmas present from me as he said he'd sacrificed his own share so that I could get a more special ring. However I insisted & eventually bought him a nice (but cheap) shirt.

Hmm.. hubby dearest is always up with those funny theories but I know his ultimate intention is to let me have the best of everything. Thank you honey!!