4 years of marriage & we're still honeymooning stage :)
We'll have a small celebration this evening. Looking forward to it!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
It's our 4th Anniversary!
4 years of marriage & we're still honeymooning stage :)
We'll have a small celebration this evening. Looking forward to it!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
After The Move. I.
So we moved out of our 1st home end of Aug. The handover of keys was on 3 Sept, took place @ the lawyer's office.
Shifted in to Aunt GS' on the same day we moved out.
Then exactly 2 weeks after we stayed @ Aunt GS', we're on the move gain. I wasn't very comfortable there mainly due to the location. It's sure near town, in Upper Thomson, but there's a shelterless walk of about 10mins from their house to the bus-stop. And the room was a lil small for the both of us & our belongings.
Which means before we could get settled down, next move was in the plan. And it's no joke to have to carry 10 boxes of belongings amongst others (yes, TEN boxes along with a big luggage & many other loose items. We've underestimated ourselves as initially I thought we could do with just 5-6 boxes during these 4-5 months) up the long flight of stairs & then down within 2 weeks especially we didn't wanna cause any damage to their wood flooring.
But we did gain something during those 2 weeks. We got to know Aunt GS better as there're nights we chatted till past midnight. Wouldn't have the chance if we weren't staying with them.
Where we're staying now is an interesting place. It houses Uncle CH's China girlfriend, Con who's moved out of her place & us, who're homeless for a few months. Ivan onced joked "Welcome to the 避风港!". Haha.
But it wasn't that easy for us to move in. It's a flat passed down by Vincent's late grandparents which is now under the care of their children (Vince's uncles & aunts). For the last couple of years, the flat was like a dumping ground, keeping all kinds of big & small items by everyone. Which was why we didn't take it into consideration when we're looking for a temporary place to stay. Then recently, Uncle CH spent some money to renovate & refurnish the place for his girlfriend, who's just moved to Spore, to stay. Con took the 2nd room. The 3rd room naturally became a 2nd storage including an old divan set previously used by Vince's grandpa, 2 drawer chests, a wardrobe & many miscellaneous stuff. So firstly, with the agreement of all uncles & aunties, we made arrangement to donate the mattress to a halfway home & the town council to dispose the divan. Then we cleared the store room so we could shift as many items from the room to the store as possible. But obviously the 5-door wardrobe & the 2 chests couldn't be accomodated & they're all stuffed with things & also, they're in very old condition. Thankfully, the walls were painted, windows were changed & there's air-con. So we just gotta think of some DIY ways to try to make it more livable yet being able to keep our loads of stuff with a smaller area due to the old furniture.
And we retrieved our mattress & TV from the warehouse
Situation like this, we'll go to Ikea for some fast & cheap solutions.
Spent a few hundreds & just 3 days in getting the room ready:
- curtains from Ikea $57
- fabrics from Spotlight (to conceal the old furniture) $80
- clothes hangers (with rollers) $70
- drawer chest from Ikea $90
- table lamp from Ikea $20
- toyogo boxes $50
- retrieval & delivery of mattress & tv $50
We really thank God that we got helping hands along the way.. most primarily, we're thankful that the place was revamped just in time. Then Con volunteered to help us with the move from Aunt GS. And when hubby's overwhelmed by all the assembling of racks & cabinet, Ben came to our rescue & he's really good at it.
So now, we're like staying in a hostel with a few housemates & it's the very first time for me. Besides some getting used to, it's certainly a better place to stay for the next few months.
What an experience..
Shifted in to Aunt GS' on the same day we moved out.
Then exactly 2 weeks after we stayed @ Aunt GS', we're on the move gain. I wasn't very comfortable there mainly due to the location. It's sure near town, in Upper Thomson, but there's a shelterless walk of about 10mins from their house to the bus-stop. And the room was a lil small for the both of us & our belongings.
Which means before we could get settled down, next move was in the plan. And it's no joke to have to carry 10 boxes of belongings amongst others (yes, TEN boxes along with a big luggage & many other loose items. We've underestimated ourselves as initially I thought we could do with just 5-6 boxes during these 4-5 months) up the long flight of stairs & then down within 2 weeks especially we didn't wanna cause any damage to their wood flooring.
But we did gain something during those 2 weeks. We got to know Aunt GS better as there're nights we chatted till past midnight. Wouldn't have the chance if we weren't staying with them.
Where we're staying now is an interesting place. It houses Uncle CH's China girlfriend, Con who's moved out of her place & us, who're homeless for a few months. Ivan onced joked "Welcome to the 避风港!". Haha.
But it wasn't that easy for us to move in. It's a flat passed down by Vincent's late grandparents which is now under the care of their children (Vince's uncles & aunts). For the last couple of years, the flat was like a dumping ground, keeping all kinds of big & small items by everyone. Which was why we didn't take it into consideration when we're looking for a temporary place to stay. Then recently, Uncle CH spent some money to renovate & refurnish the place for his girlfriend, who's just moved to Spore, to stay. Con took the 2nd room. The 3rd room naturally became a 2nd storage including an old divan set previously used by Vince's grandpa, 2 drawer chests, a wardrobe & many miscellaneous stuff. So firstly, with the agreement of all uncles & aunties, we made arrangement to donate the mattress to a halfway home & the town council to dispose the divan. Then we cleared the store room so we could shift as many items from the room to the store as possible. But obviously the 5-door wardrobe & the 2 chests couldn't be accomodated & they're all stuffed with things & also, they're in very old condition. Thankfully, the walls were painted, windows were changed & there's air-con. So we just gotta think of some DIY ways to try to make it more livable yet being able to keep our loads of stuff with a smaller area due to the old furniture.
After clearing the room except these 3 'antiques'
The new look after a small scale makeover.
The white 3-drawer chest was quite a catch from Ikea @ only $89 for short term storage.
Tis our cozy lil room for 4-5 months.
The favourite item in this room is this piece of cloth I bought from Spotlight. It conceals a small wooden & cloth drawers we took with us from our old home. Wanted to dispose it after transporting our stuff but glad that we didn't. It serves a good purpose now to store the miscellaneous items that we use regularly.
But I'm so over the yellow wood kind of furniture, this cloth was hence bought.
The new look after a small scale makeover.The white 3-drawer chest was quite a catch from Ikea @ only $89 for short term storage.
Tis our cozy lil room for 4-5 months.
The favourite item in this room is this piece of cloth I bought from Spotlight. It conceals a small wooden & cloth drawers we took with us from our old home. Wanted to dispose it after transporting our stuff but glad that we didn't. It serves a good purpose now to store the miscellaneous items that we use regularly.But I'm so over the yellow wood kind of furniture, this cloth was hence bought.
And we retrieved our mattress & TV from the warehouse
Situation like this, we'll go to Ikea for some fast & cheap solutions.
Spent a few hundreds & just 3 days in getting the room ready:
- curtains from Ikea $57
- fabrics from Spotlight (to conceal the old furniture) $80
- clothes hangers (with rollers) $70
- drawer chest from Ikea $90
- table lamp from Ikea $20
- toyogo boxes $50
- retrieval & delivery of mattress & tv $50
We really thank God that we got helping hands along the way.. most primarily, we're thankful that the place was revamped just in time. Then Con volunteered to help us with the move from Aunt GS. And when hubby's overwhelmed by all the assembling of racks & cabinet, Ben came to our rescue & he's really good at it.
So now, we're like staying in a hostel with a few housemates & it's the very first time for me. Besides some getting used to, it's certainly a better place to stay for the next few months.
What an experience..
Mum's 七十大寿 Celebration
End Aug, mum celebrated her 70th Birthday amidst the busy packing which got a lil overwhelming as it's getting nearer & nearer to the move. I'd say it's quite a good break from those packing chores.
Dinner was @ a Chinese restaurant in The Chevrons. A bit far but food was generally ok. And had the chance to catch up with the cousins & got some juicy news.. hehe ;)
Crab coated with salted egg. Nice! The crab claws were big & stuffed with fresh crab meat:)
Crab coated with salted egg. Nice! The crab claws were big & stuffed with fresh crab meat:)Saturday, October 10, 2009
Movie
We've been going for movies every weekend. Sometimes 1 show, sometimes 2.
This afternoon, we watched 500 Days of Summer at GV Grand. I was chewing pop corns for more than half of the movie. Shortly after I finished the pop corns, I dozed off ! And I've never slept in cinema before....
Then I woke up, just in time to catch the last bit of the show. I must have looked funny, if the gal next to me did notice, there I was busy eating pop corns half the time, the next minute when I wasn't eating, I fell asleep... hmmm.
Glad that the movie was free.
This afternoon, we watched 500 Days of Summer at GV Grand. I was chewing pop corns for more than half of the movie. Shortly after I finished the pop corns, I dozed off ! And I've never slept in cinema before....
Then I woke up, just in time to catch the last bit of the show. I must have looked funny, if the gal next to me did notice, there I was busy eating pop corns half the time, the next minute when I wasn't eating, I fell asleep... hmmm.
Glad that the movie was free.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Last Sat's wedding dinner @ Hyatt
Was a nice one... a rare get-together for us all @ the youngest counsin's wedding dinner.
Hubby was actually on standby for recall that day but thank God that it's not activated. So glad that hubby could attend the first wedding dinner with me (my side of relatives). 1 Nov will be another first with my maternal relatives :)
A pic with the cousins & sis :)
Group pic. This crowd is only less than one-third of the complete family.
Group pic. This crowd is only less than one-third of the complete family.Hubby was actually on standby for recall that day but thank God that it's not activated. So glad that hubby could attend the first wedding dinner with me (my side of relatives). 1 Nov will be another first with my maternal relatives :)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Stock Take
For this trip, my shopping was controlled... but I still bought more than I originally planned to (exchange rate - S$1 = RM2.45):
As for hubby, he bought very few items as he'd prefer to keep the money for my shopping (my hubby's really great!). His:
Besides the above, we bought 5 pairs of slippers from Times Square, each pair @ S$4 only! The 4 of us had a spree at the stall as all of them looked so nice & cute... hee..
I could have bought a few if we weren't on budget especially after the extra S$350+ spent on air tix. Hmmmmm....
And I realise that this is a good way to keep track of when I've bought what... always referred to my past entries when I needed info ;)
- Redken Vivagen Treatment: approx S$28 vs S$38 in Spore
- Levi's Patricia Ultra Skinny Jeans: S$93 vs S$150 in Spore (lowest @S$100 during last month's promotion of 2 pairs for S$199)
- Vichy Total Pore Resurfacing Essence @ S$35 vs S$49 in Spore
- 1 pair of FOS skinny jeans @ S$18
- 1 pair of flip-flop @ S$10
- 1 pair of sandals @ S$15
- 2 tops @ S$10 each
As for hubby, he bought very few items as he'd prefer to keep the money for my shopping (my hubby's really great!). His:
- 1 GAP tee @ S$10 (I love that it's in a gorgeous pink, with nice graphics)
- 1 Seed office shirt @ S$12
Besides the above, we bought 5 pairs of slippers from Times Square, each pair @ S$4 only! The 4 of us had a spree at the stall as all of them looked so nice & cute... hee..
The water melon is hubby's, the cat belongs to me... & we're wearing at home now... so comfy:)
The pair of cherry slippers is mine & hubby chose the one with 2 lil tortoises.
Bought the same cat slippers for sis.
I like the 2 tops I purchased. The grey 1 goes very well with all my skinny pants (& jeans too) & the white tiered top is flattering on the figure :)
The pair of cherry slippers is mine & hubby chose the one with 2 lil tortoises.
Bought the same cat slippers for sis.
I like the 2 tops I purchased. The grey 1 goes very well with all my skinny pants (& jeans too) & the white tiered top is flattering on the figure :)I could have bought a few if we weren't on budget especially after the extra S$350+ spent on air tix. Hmmmmm....
And I realise that this is a good way to keep track of when I've bought what... always referred to my past entries when I needed info ;)
Our Trip
We've been back from our short trip for more than a week but I was too busy with some other stuff to update.
The idea of going to KL together came up out of the blue... guess all of us needed a break. Very quickly, we reached a confirmation & booked our tix with Tiger Air, that's a month before our trip. Morning (0720h) flight for us as we like to start the day early while Con & Ivan chose to leave on a noon flight.
On the day of departure, we reached the Budget Terminal @6. But the lady at the check-in counter referred us to the Customer Service section after taking quite a while on our booking. Then this was what happened at the CS counter:
TA staff: "Sir, are you sure you've booked this morning's flight?"
Us (worriedly as with this question asked, we knew something's very very wrong....): "Yes ..."
TA: "I've got bad news for you (looking at both of us)... you're not on this morning's flight."
Us: "Are you sure!?"
TA: "Yes. And the worst is... you've missed your flight, that is, yesterday morning 17 Sept..."
That's the nightmare for any traveler!! Upon hearing the bad news, I wanted to faint...! We'd doubts in the said mistake as when booking online, we're talking to Con/Ivan to confirm on the dates. And 2 pairs of eyes (mine & hubby's) checked the booking details. But the staff said it's in their record & our fault was that we didn't print a copy of the booking. Our printer at home was spoilt & we saved a soft copy in our PC (& our PC is now in the warehouse). Hubby thought of printing a copy from his office's printer but lately he got so busy at home & at work that he'd missed it out. I was wrong for not reminding him too :(
The staff was quite helpful though. He told us that it'd be costly to get on that same flight by then (S$400+ for 2) & that the cheapest walk-in fare would be by Air Asia. We thought of giving up the whole holiday plan, just forfeit a night's accomodation but eventually decided to try Air Asia since we're already all prepped for the trip. Then we paid S$7+ for a cab, just to move from BT to T1 where Air Asia is. Sigh! Air Asia quoted S$360 for both of us including all taxes & an additional 15kg for checkin luggage. We took it. The only consolation was the departure time wasn't too far apart from Tiger's.. @ 0750h, meaning we'd still arrive early morning. We also had to call our driver in KL to change our ETA timing :( So we paid a total of S$525 to fly Spore-KL & return. We just got to think "Ah Q-ly" that it's still cheaper than taking SQ, ya? Such a dramatic morning..... I've never met such screwup in my life of traveling so far.... :(
By the time we arrived in KL, we've kind of got over the unpleasantness.
We spent the afternoon in Sungei Wang... got the items in my shopping list :)
As it's raining since late afternoon, we'd dinner at a noodle house in Sungei Wang followed by shopping.
We shopped till almost all the shops were closed. Then returned to the hotel to freshen up before meeting up again for drinks.
Nearly 2am... all of us were already quite intoxicated by then. Wanted to check out the popular Autumn Club... but we're not willing to pay for cover charge (patrons from the other 3 'seasons'
weren't exempted) as told by the waitress. For some fun (under the influence of alcohol I guess), we wanted to try again at the entrance with receipts we chalked up from the drinks. Con & I talked to the 2 ladies at the door.... & yep, the 4 of us managed to get in for free! We're so proud of it;) Who says girl could only charm man to get her ways, huh? Haha.
It's really crowded inside.. so we left in less than half an hour & after some dances to try to work the inebriating effect off.
A pretty fruitful shopping trip @ Times Square. Were looking forward to the 大排档 dinner. We're greedy, especially when we didn't get to eat the previous night due to rain, & planned 2 stops in a night... opposite Ritz Carlton (our usual treats of the delicious 鸳鸯, yong tau foo & 蜜糖金吉 drink...) & Jalan Alor. But very disappointingly, it rained heavily again. So we proceeded to Pavilion instead to have an early & light dinner, then street side hawker supper later.
In the end, we didn't have supper. There went my 鸳鸯.... Sobs~ Hubby hit the bed straight after returning as he'd been having headache for the whole day & got worse at dinner. I stayed up till 2am as I was too engrossed in battling with my mobile phone game :P Only the next morning I got to know I was actually the last 'surviving' party as Con & Ivan couldn't beat the exhaustion & slept @ 10.30pm, all 3 of them went to bed without showering. Hmm... Quite a hangover they having.. Hee..
Holiday is always nice. But I'm not very contented with this trip... we paid S$300+ more but unable to enjoy the usual indulgences (if not more) whenever we're in KL.. the big one gotta be sans 大排档.
The idea of going to KL together came up out of the blue... guess all of us needed a break. Very quickly, we reached a confirmation & booked our tix with Tiger Air, that's a month before our trip. Morning (0720h) flight for us as we like to start the day early while Con & Ivan chose to leave on a noon flight.
On the day of departure, we reached the Budget Terminal @6. But the lady at the check-in counter referred us to the Customer Service section after taking quite a while on our booking. Then this was what happened at the CS counter:
TA staff: "Sir, are you sure you've booked this morning's flight?"
Us (worriedly as with this question asked, we knew something's very very wrong....): "Yes ..."
TA: "I've got bad news for you (looking at both of us)... you're not on this morning's flight."
Us: "Are you sure!?"
TA: "Yes. And the worst is... you've missed your flight, that is, yesterday morning 17 Sept..."
That's the nightmare for any traveler!! Upon hearing the bad news, I wanted to faint...! We'd doubts in the said mistake as when booking online, we're talking to Con/Ivan to confirm on the dates. And 2 pairs of eyes (mine & hubby's) checked the booking details. But the staff said it's in their record & our fault was that we didn't print a copy of the booking. Our printer at home was spoilt & we saved a soft copy in our PC (& our PC is now in the warehouse). Hubby thought of printing a copy from his office's printer but lately he got so busy at home & at work that he'd missed it out. I was wrong for not reminding him too :(
The staff was quite helpful though. He told us that it'd be costly to get on that same flight by then (S$400+ for 2) & that the cheapest walk-in fare would be by Air Asia. We thought of giving up the whole holiday plan, just forfeit a night's accomodation but eventually decided to try Air Asia since we're already all prepped for the trip. Then we paid S$7+ for a cab, just to move from BT to T1 where Air Asia is. Sigh! Air Asia quoted S$360 for both of us including all taxes & an additional 15kg for checkin luggage. We took it. The only consolation was the departure time wasn't too far apart from Tiger's.. @ 0750h, meaning we'd still arrive early morning. We also had to call our driver in KL to change our ETA timing :( So we paid a total of S$525 to fly Spore-KL & return. We just got to think "Ah Q-ly" that it's still cheaper than taking SQ, ya? Such a dramatic morning..... I've never met such screwup in my life of traveling so far.... :(
By the time we arrived in KL, we've kind of got over the unpleasantness.
Checked in to the Orchid Club room @ Parkroyal.
All thanks to the Prestige card we have, we paid only S$107nett/night while Con & Ivan paid S$94 for a deluxe room. But frankly the deluxe room was nice enough, newly renovated with an open concept... unlike the one we got during our previous trip.
Ready to shop! Before that, have a dose of hubby's fav Green Tea Latte :)
All thanks to the Prestige card we have, we paid only S$107nett/night while Con & Ivan paid S$94 for a deluxe room. But frankly the deluxe room was nice enough, newly renovated with an open concept... unlike the one we got during our previous trip.
Ready to shop! Before that, have a dose of hubby's fav Green Tea Latte :)We spent the afternoon in Sungei Wang... got the items in my shopping list :)
Back in the hotel... redeemed our tea & cake for 2 (1 of the vouchers we'd from the membership package) while waiting for the arrival of Con & Ivan. Their flight was delayed for 2 hours & adding on to it, it started to rain since late afternoon which led to heavy traffic.
By the time they finally arrived, which was 3 hours later than original plan, they're already quite lethargic.
When Con called & informed us from Singapore, we told them their situation wasn't the worst :\
By the time they finally arrived, which was 3 hours later than original plan, they're already quite lethargic.
When Con called & informed us from Singapore, we told them their situation wasn't the worst :\
As it's raining since late afternoon, we'd dinner at a noodle house in Sungei Wang followed by shopping.
We shopped till almost all the shops were closed. Then returned to the hotel to freshen up before meeting up again for drinks.
Club Quattro @ Avenue K is the latest club in town, which is located just across the Twin Towers. A cool place to chill out. It carries the name of 4 seasons - Spring (Lounge), Summer (Restaurant), Autumn (Club) & Winter (Bar). Interesting.
Having drinks in Spring :)
Happy happy after a few drinks ;)
Having drinks in Spring :)
Happy happy after a few drinks ;)Nearly 2am... all of us were already quite intoxicated by then. Wanted to check out the popular Autumn Club... but we're not willing to pay for cover charge (patrons from the other 3 'seasons'
weren't exempted) as told by the waitress. For some fun (under the influence of alcohol I guess), we wanted to try again at the entrance with receipts we chalked up from the drinks. Con & I talked to the 2 ladies at the door.... & yep, the 4 of us managed to get in for free! We're so proud of it;) Who says girl could only charm man to get her ways, huh? Haha.
It's really crowded inside.. so we left in less than half an hour & after some dances to try to work the inebriating effect off.
3am. Having supper nearby...
It's been a long time I haven't drank like this... not a lot (2 mugs of beer, 1 vodka+cranberry & 1 Kilkenny) but already got praises from hubby.. hee... as nowadays I'd usually doze off after a bot of beer at home, in front of the tv. So he'd try to not let me drink when we're watching something interesting. Haha.
Looking fresh again the next morning!
Brought Con & Ivan to our much craved Char Siew. And this was our 2nd visit for this trip. They liked it too! ;)
While Con's doing mani in Sungei Wang, we went for foot massage just a level down, the 1 I went during our last trip. Hubby doesn't enjoy massage, so he waited for us. Quite cheap... @ RM35 for 40mins.
Krispy Kreme!
It's been a long time I haven't drank like this... not a lot (2 mugs of beer, 1 vodka+cranberry & 1 Kilkenny) but already got praises from hubby.. hee... as nowadays I'd usually doze off after a bot of beer at home, in front of the tv. So he'd try to not let me drink when we're watching something interesting. Haha.
Looking fresh again the next morning!
Brought Con & Ivan to our much craved Char Siew. And this was our 2nd visit for this trip. They liked it too! ;) While Con's doing mani in Sungei Wang, we went for foot massage just a level down, the 1 I went during our last trip. Hubby doesn't enjoy massage, so he waited for us. Quite cheap... @ RM35 for 40mins.
Krispy Kreme!A pretty fruitful shopping trip @ Times Square. Were looking forward to the 大排档 dinner. We're greedy, especially when we didn't get to eat the previous night due to rain, & planned 2 stops in a night... opposite Ritz Carlton (our usual treats of the delicious 鸳鸯, yong tau foo & 蜜糖金吉 drink...) & Jalan Alor. But very disappointingly, it rained heavily again. So we proceeded to Pavilion instead to have an early & light dinner, then street side hawker supper later.
Dragon-i Restaurant, Pavilion.
Very nice Shanghainese & Szechuan food yet cheap (for restaurant standard)... eg. a big bowl of ramen was only @ RM12. We ordered so much that it wasn't a light dinner anymore....
Clockwise from top left:
- The only dish I didn't really appreciate.. beacon wrapped veg?
- 四川担担面. Looks spicy but actually not. Nice... like the peanut soup.
- This dish seems intimidating with the number of dried chilli outnumbering the meat. Con thought it's too spicy for me but nope.. I don't find it so at all. Hmm... My (chilli intake) level has improved huh :) Anyway, the deep fried chicken was crispy & tasty.
- This hubby's & my fav! Deep fried prawns coated with salted egg paste. Very special & yummy!
- Very good 小笼包 @ only RM8
- The french beans with minced meat was as delicious
Very nice Shanghainese & Szechuan food yet cheap (for restaurant standard)... eg. a big bowl of ramen was only @ RM12. We ordered so much that it wasn't a light dinner anymore....
Clockwise from top left:- The only dish I didn't really appreciate.. beacon wrapped veg?
- 四川担担面. Looks spicy but actually not. Nice... like the peanut soup.
- This dish seems intimidating with the number of dried chilli outnumbering the meat. Con thought it's too spicy for me but nope.. I don't find it so at all. Hmm... My (chilli intake) level has improved huh :) Anyway, the deep fried chicken was crispy & tasty.
- This hubby's & my fav! Deep fried prawns coated with salted egg paste. Very special & yummy!
- Very good 小笼包 @ only RM8
- The french beans with minced meat was as delicious
In the end, we didn't have supper. There went my 鸳鸯.... Sobs~ Hubby hit the bed straight after returning as he'd been having headache for the whole day & got worse at dinner. I stayed up till 2am as I was too engrossed in battling with my mobile phone game :P Only the next morning I got to know I was actually the last 'surviving' party as Con & Ivan couldn't beat the exhaustion & slept @ 10.30pm, all 3 of them went to bed without showering. Hmm... Quite a hangover they having.. Hee..
Breakfast on the last day. We missed the previous day's due to the boozing.
Can you see the heavy-weight couple in the background? They're really good... I first noticed the girl when she's busy digging in a mountain size of rice & meat. Just then, she got up leaving their table, totally full of food including a plate that contained 5 pieces of danishes/crossaints, to get some more food! The guy had similar capacity as he busied himself with the food on their table as well as the spread out there. From their conversations, they're most likely Singaporeans. Hmm.
Can you see the heavy-weight couple in the background? They're really good... I first noticed the girl when she's busy digging in a mountain size of rice & meat. Just then, she got up leaving their table, totally full of food including a plate that contained 5 pieces of danishes/crossaints, to get some more food! The guy had similar capacity as he busied himself with the food on their table as well as the spread out there. From their conversations, they're most likely Singaporeans. Hmm.
Holiday is always nice. But I'm not very contented with this trip... we paid S$300+ more but unable to enjoy the usual indulgences (if not more) whenever we're in KL.. the big one gotta be sans 大排档.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
What the ................??
Last Sat hubby & I shopped @ Tampines' Ikea, Courts & Giant. It's a fruitful & pleasant trip but some people nearly spoilt our night.
Our last stop was Giant. Hubby & I were pushing the trolley together & walking towards the travelator. Then there's this Ah Lian (she's about 30?) carrying a kid, knocked onto hubby from behind. Hubby turned around & she just stared at him. Not bothered by her, we carried on our conversation. Almost immediately, she knocked onto him again. This time, hubby was a lil agitated & shot her a glare (by then she's already next to hubby). Instead of apologising, she turned & said something to the man (her husband? or boyfriend?) who's walking slightly behind her. Hubby couldn't believe that's the response he got & complained to me how rude this woman was. While he's doing that, I saw that man staring at hubby from head to toe.. as if hubby was the one who bumped into that Lian.
Just then they slowed down & we went ahead of them which gave me a chance to throw a dirty look @ that woman. Later hubby told me he heard her saying: "... see what? see %#$ ar...". According to hubby, the %#$ she said was referring to part of the male's sex organ, in Hokkien. I was more shock than angry. Thank God that He had my ears covered... otherwise most likely I might have reacted by saying out loud "it's a shame that a mother is teaching her child all these words!" (she's carrying a kid ok!). But after a few seconds, I wanted to laugh instead. Was this woman ignorant or plain foolish? She's referring to her own face as... the male's ...... ?? Did she know what she's talking? Really thank God that I didn't hear what she said otherwise it could have escalated into a heated argument though the fault was clearly theirs. But do you think this type of people would admit?
Shortly after this saga, still on our way to the travelator, there's another group of people comprised of a fat auntie, her maid, 2 kids & think there's another adult standing right in middle & somewhat forming a circle. As they're blocking us, we said "excuse us" & waited for them to move away. The kids were oblivious, the maid was stoning there looking blankly at us. Then when this fat auntie, who seemed to be busy with something but her kids, saw that we're gesturing (with our trolley) that we needed them to give way, she said loudly "say excuse lah!" while pulling her kids away. Pleaseeeee! Did we not say it?!? It's just that her deaf ears couldn't hear us!
What's happening to these individuals??!?! Did they decide to come out together & irritate people on a Sat night?!
Hubby & I talked about it in the car & we both feel that there is this group of parents who think that they, when out with their kids, are "大晒"... as if the world owes them & their children. But hello? We don't owe them anything! Their mentality - 'It's public responsibility to take care of MY kids' while they don't realise that it's actually their very own & prior responsibility to look after their kids in the public. If they fail to do so, is it right to blame others for not doing it?? Similarly, the reminder "Give up these seats to those who need them more" on public transport should be respected mutually. We giving up our seats is to make the society a more gracious one. Not to be taken for granted.
Our last stop was Giant. Hubby & I were pushing the trolley together & walking towards the travelator. Then there's this Ah Lian (she's about 30?) carrying a kid, knocked onto hubby from behind. Hubby turned around & she just stared at him. Not bothered by her, we carried on our conversation. Almost immediately, she knocked onto him again. This time, hubby was a lil agitated & shot her a glare (by then she's already next to hubby). Instead of apologising, she turned & said something to the man (her husband? or boyfriend?) who's walking slightly behind her. Hubby couldn't believe that's the response he got & complained to me how rude this woman was. While he's doing that, I saw that man staring at hubby from head to toe.. as if hubby was the one who bumped into that Lian.
Just then they slowed down & we went ahead of them which gave me a chance to throw a dirty look @ that woman. Later hubby told me he heard her saying: "... see what? see %#$ ar...". According to hubby, the %#$ she said was referring to part of the male's sex organ, in Hokkien. I was more shock than angry. Thank God that He had my ears covered... otherwise most likely I might have reacted by saying out loud "it's a shame that a mother is teaching her child all these words!" (she's carrying a kid ok!). But after a few seconds, I wanted to laugh instead. Was this woman ignorant or plain foolish? She's referring to her own face as... the male's ...... ?? Did she know what she's talking? Really thank God that I didn't hear what she said otherwise it could have escalated into a heated argument though the fault was clearly theirs. But do you think this type of people would admit?
Shortly after this saga, still on our way to the travelator, there's another group of people comprised of a fat auntie, her maid, 2 kids & think there's another adult standing right in middle & somewhat forming a circle. As they're blocking us, we said "excuse us" & waited for them to move away. The kids were oblivious, the maid was stoning there looking blankly at us. Then when this fat auntie, who seemed to be busy with something but her kids, saw that we're gesturing (with our trolley) that we needed them to give way, she said loudly "say excuse lah!" while pulling her kids away. Pleaseeeee! Did we not say it?!? It's just that her deaf ears couldn't hear us!
What's happening to these individuals??!?! Did they decide to come out together & irritate people on a Sat night?!
Hubby & I talked about it in the car & we both feel that there is this group of parents who think that they, when out with their kids, are "大晒"... as if the world owes them & their children. But hello? We don't owe them anything! Their mentality - 'It's public responsibility to take care of MY kids' while they don't realise that it's actually their very own & prior responsibility to look after their kids in the public. If they fail to do so, is it right to blame others for not doing it?? Similarly, the reminder "Give up these seats to those who need them more" on public transport should be respected mutually. We giving up our seats is to make the society a more gracious one. Not to be taken for granted.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
KL, here we come !!
We're having a 3D2N trip to KL next weekend.. hee!
There'll be the 4 of us... Constance, Ivan, hubby & me :)
Really looking forward to the short break as it's been pretty stressful for us recently because of the move......
There'll be the 4 of us... Constance, Ivan, hubby & me :)
Really looking forward to the short break as it's been pretty stressful for us recently because of the move......
Short-lived
I was out of touch for nearly 2 weeks. Firstly, due to the moving... then I was busy running errands relating to the house & also some that're not. Just when I was ready to get back on the net, my HP Mini died an unknown death! Unbelievable... it's only 1 year old! That's the problem of buying a newly launched product which belonged to 1 of the earliest batches.
As I desperately needed a laptop & my HP gotta be hospitalised for around 2 weeks, hubby bought me another 1, the cheapest we could find yet decent enough. I chose a pretty Pinky... the first pink thing I own for the last... 20 years?? :)
As I desperately needed a laptop & my HP gotta be hospitalised for around 2 weeks, hubby bought me another 1, the cheapest we could find yet decent enough. I chose a pretty Pinky... the first pink thing I own for the last... 20 years?? :)
LG E310 @ S$899
Friday, August 28, 2009
The Handover & The Preludes. Part IV.
A whole list of to-dos came along with our sale & purchase.
For starters, a few days were spent on liaising with movers & viewing arrangements to get quotes for moving & storage.
As we decided to give up most of the bulky furniture except our dining table + benches, sofa & side tables, we planned to sell a few pieces on ebay & donate the rest to The Salvation Army. So I was busy monitoring our sale on ebay. I must say business was good & we've got quite a lot of enquiries:) Guess it's because our items were nice & priced very reasonably.
Started to pack since early July but it's a slow progress. Most of the time I was in front of the TV... breakfast, lunch & tea time.... Nice!:P Intensive packing began about a month ago.. started early so I'd have ample time to take intermittent breaks. On average, I packed only about 3 hours a day as any longer than that, my back couldn't take it.
For starters, a few days were spent on liaising with movers & viewing arrangements to get quotes for moving & storage.
As we decided to give up most of the bulky furniture except our dining table + benches, sofa & side tables, we planned to sell a few pieces on ebay & donate the rest to The Salvation Army. So I was busy monitoring our sale on ebay. I must say business was good & we've got quite a lot of enquiries:) Guess it's because our items were nice & priced very reasonably.
Started to pack since early July but it's a slow progress. Most of the time I was in front of the TV... breakfast, lunch & tea time.... Nice!:P Intensive packing began about a month ago.. started early so I'd have ample time to take intermittent breaks. On average, I packed only about 3 hours a day as any longer than that, my back couldn't take it.
This time round, packing is much tougher as almost every item we came across, we've to consider if we need them during that 4months+, especially for our clothes.
We moved out on the last Sunday of August & it's a very smooth 1. Punctual, fast & professional. Thank God. We'd such bad experiences with movers that having a responsible mover was really something worth giving thanks. The worst experience was when the mover arrived more than 6 hours later than scheduled time! We (us in the new place & a few family members @ the old place) waited for them since morning till about 4pm! We called them many times & each time they said they'd be there soon! Then we got to know they're at another assignment in the morning when they'd promised us to be at ours around 9am! But what to do? You can't afford to change mover at the last minute. So they know it too & pulled the unethical stunt.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Proposal
Love this movie... it's so funny :) Totally worth the long wait since we first saw the trailer in cinema about 2 months ago.
We should be getting the DVD when it's out. Hee.
We should be getting the DVD when it's out. Hee.
The Handover & The Preludes. Part III.
After some serious thoughts, we decided to go for a HDB flat. It's a shame to say that for the 4 years here, we've not enjoyed the facilities much. Some we haven't used it before.. the rest can be counted with 2 hands. We've also never participated in any of the events (flea market/fun fair/family day/AGM/etc) organised by the management/committee. So we thought it would be wiser to get a HDB flat, which is of no difference to our current lifestyle, & pay the rightful price. What we miss will be the close proximity & convenience of the basement car park though.
Started our home hunting immediately after buyer signed the OTP. Viewed a few units & both of us set eyes on the 1st one. But we didn't dare to commit as our buyer hadn't exercised the option then (still within the 2 weeks for buyer to settle their bank loan). We're a lil anxious that the unit we liked would be taken up by the time we're ready but we kept reminding ourselves that God was in control. 2 weeks later, the OTP was exercised by the buyer & we also got the place that we want!
Thank God for the perfect timing:) We sold high, when the property market was picking up, & bought low, before reaching its high when almost all home owners started to ask for cash above valuation especially for those units near MRT station. And ours was near Sembawang MRT & zero cash. 1 or 2 weeks after we bought our place, our agents told us prices went up & cash required by all sellers.....
Started our home hunting immediately after buyer signed the OTP. Viewed a few units & both of us set eyes on the 1st one. But we didn't dare to commit as our buyer hadn't exercised the option then (still within the 2 weeks for buyer to settle their bank loan). We're a lil anxious that the unit we liked would be taken up by the time we're ready but we kept reminding ourselves that God was in control. 2 weeks later, the OTP was exercised by the buyer & we also got the place that we want!
Thank God for the perfect timing:) We sold high, when the property market was picking up, & bought low, before reaching its high when almost all home owners started to ask for cash above valuation especially for those units near MRT station. And ours was near Sembawang MRT & zero cash. 1 or 2 weeks after we bought our place, our agents told us prices went up & cash required by all sellers.....
The next was to settle the temporary housing issue. As the sale can be completed in 10 weeks & we might only get the keys to our new place, earliest, in mid Nov (1st appointment with HDB is ridiculously scheduled as far as in Oct!) & then renovate.... there's a lapse of 4 months+. We explored a few possible options & chose 1 that would (hopefully) cause the least inconvenience to everyone including ourselves. Mum will stay with sis & we'll be putting up @ Aunty GS' for these months.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Weekend enjoyment
Last Fri, I've planned a last minute half day program for the afternoon - to return my ex-boss a book he lent me but as the book was in our car, I'd to meet hubby at his workplace first. Then have tea with MS after returning the book.
Think I've read too much of my diaries, so decided to doll up.. get out of the house & temporarily shed the 宅女 role.. haha.
It's a rush but I managed to catch the last shuttle out. I was daydreaming throughout the journey to the station & only before I alighted that I realised I didn't bring my wallet!! My mind was a blank & I alighted. Then decided to ask the driver if he's going back to our place, knowing that's the last trip out for the afternoon. I hoped he would be kind enough to drive me back. When he said "no".. I intentionally frowned while wanting to walk away (sly huh!:P).. then he asked the reason, then he offered to lend me some $$. Obviously he wouldn't drive me back so I borrowed $2.. enough for me to take a train to hubby. He's a lil doubtful that $2 would be enough but I was firm.
Was relieved that my problem's solved. Then at the ticket vending machine, the amount appeared on the screen was $2.60 to go to Novena! Oh no..!!!!! For a few seconds, I stood there, bursting into cold sweat.... I was silly to forget about the refundable $1 deposit! :(( The next reflex was to call hubby....
K: Honey....! I'm at Yishun MRT station.. I forgotten to bring my wallet.
V: Oh no... then how baobei?
K: The shuttle driver lent me some money...
V: Wow... that's good.
K: But hor... I only borrowed $2 from him.. & the fare to Novena is $2.60! How, honey????
V: Huh?! Okok... which is the furthest station that your $2 can bring you to? I'll go there & save you.
K (walked to the fare chart): Eh... Khatib only.
V: Huh... furthest is Khatib??
We've no idea how expensive is the train fare nowadays....
Then hubby came up with a brilliant idea - I took a cab to Novena & he'd wait for me there:) I'm so forgetful! Was so happy to see hubby waiting for me at the taxi stand... Thanks honey!:* Due to the hassles, I was behind my schedule. By the time I got the book from hubby, it's already 3.10pm & I was supposed to meet MS @3.30pm. So I went ahead to meet MS first before returning the book. As it's raining & I forgotten to bring umbrella, MS picked me up @ OUB Centre then we'd tea in Far East Square since it's near to my next destination. I was quite a trouble that day... hmm.
Then at my old office, I'd the chance to catch up with old colleagues. It's a short stay & my next destination was Ngee Ann City, to my hairstylist, Justina, before seeing hubby again. Planned to get my hair done next month so wanted to consult her first... also wished to catch up with her.
Slightly past 6, back in Novena to meet hubby & then, off we went to Great World City. Had dinner at Crystal Jade, then the movie 'Management'. Was quite a lame show...
Saturday we spent more than half a day in Orchard.. went to Ion & Central. Bought a top at Uniqlo:)
Sunday... busy packing in the afternoon.
It's a good weekend!
Think I've read too much of my diaries, so decided to doll up.. get out of the house & temporarily shed the 宅女 role.. haha.
It's a rush but I managed to catch the last shuttle out. I was daydreaming throughout the journey to the station & only before I alighted that I realised I didn't bring my wallet!! My mind was a blank & I alighted. Then decided to ask the driver if he's going back to our place, knowing that's the last trip out for the afternoon. I hoped he would be kind enough to drive me back. When he said "no".. I intentionally frowned while wanting to walk away (sly huh!:P).. then he asked the reason, then he offered to lend me some $$. Obviously he wouldn't drive me back so I borrowed $2.. enough for me to take a train to hubby. He's a lil doubtful that $2 would be enough but I was firm.
Was relieved that my problem's solved. Then at the ticket vending machine, the amount appeared on the screen was $2.60 to go to Novena! Oh no..!!!!! For a few seconds, I stood there, bursting into cold sweat.... I was silly to forget about the refundable $1 deposit! :(( The next reflex was to call hubby....
K: Honey....! I'm at Yishun MRT station.. I forgotten to bring my wallet.
V: Oh no... then how baobei?
K: The shuttle driver lent me some money...
V: Wow... that's good.
K: But hor... I only borrowed $2 from him.. & the fare to Novena is $2.60! How, honey????
V: Huh?! Okok... which is the furthest station that your $2 can bring you to? I'll go there & save you.
K (walked to the fare chart): Eh... Khatib only.
V: Huh... furthest is Khatib??
We've no idea how expensive is the train fare nowadays....
Then hubby came up with a brilliant idea - I took a cab to Novena & he'd wait for me there:) I'm so forgetful! Was so happy to see hubby waiting for me at the taxi stand... Thanks honey!:* Due to the hassles, I was behind my schedule. By the time I got the book from hubby, it's already 3.10pm & I was supposed to meet MS @3.30pm. So I went ahead to meet MS first before returning the book. As it's raining & I forgotten to bring umbrella, MS picked me up @ OUB Centre then we'd tea in Far East Square since it's near to my next destination. I was quite a trouble that day... hmm.
Then at my old office, I'd the chance to catch up with old colleagues. It's a short stay & my next destination was Ngee Ann City, to my hairstylist, Justina, before seeing hubby again. Planned to get my hair done next month so wanted to consult her first... also wished to catch up with her.
Slightly past 6, back in Novena to meet hubby & then, off we went to Great World City. Had dinner at Crystal Jade, then the movie 'Management'. Was quite a lame show...
Saturday we spent more than half a day in Orchard.. went to Ion & Central. Bought a top at Uniqlo:)
Sunday... busy packing in the afternoon.
It's a good weekend!
The Handover & The Preludes. Part II.
After the ecstasy of the sale soon came my worries. I'd just started new job that needed lots of time in training & adapting. Then hubby would be starting his new job in a couple of weeks' time too. We know it's not advisable for both to change job at the same time but things happened in a way that we each got a new job almost simultaneously. So we encouraged ourselves to be optimistic... & let's focus on our new jobs for the moment. But I truly didn't expect that our place would be sold that soon. I asked God... why everything happened at the same time.... when I thought it's his plan for me to change job...... why? I dreaded the mere thought of having to juggle between a totally new job & moving, & home searching.. hubby would be busy in his new job too... & all the packing... my back......
After praying for a few nights & with hubby's backing, I decided to resign... honestly.. it's a relief after I made that decision. Then back in the office the next day, I told EH. He's very disappointed... so were the bosses. They said they had big plans for me but I didn't give myself a chance. They counter offered to let me stop work for a month to settle my housing issues. But I was determined to go as I'd lots of things to check out, to settle..
After praying for a few nights & with hubby's backing, I decided to resign... honestly.. it's a relief after I made that decision. Then back in the office the next day, I told EH. He's very disappointed... so were the bosses. They said they had big plans for me but I didn't give myself a chance. They counter offered to let me stop work for a month to settle my housing issues. But I was determined to go as I'd lots of things to check out, to settle..
Yet there's this immense guilt in me as the bosses were very nice.. they granted immediate release (when it's supposed to be 2 weeks' notice during probation) but still paid me for that 2 weeks. And they told me to join them again if I'd settled all that I should have & was still interested in the job. Yes, they're just being too nice..... But I've really upset EH who fought a lot of benefits for me....
A girlfriend told me.. moving house wasn't the main reason.. but me not liking the job enough, was. And I hate to admit it. I did have "culture shock" on my 1st day of work. I couldn't find the toilet & was shock to learn that it's located at the other end of the compound, about a 2-minute shelterless walk from the single storey office building. I usually drink a lot of water, so naturally will go to washroom more often. My 1st thought was "if it rains, every time I go toilet I've to take an umbrella?" Also no shelter to the pantry. And the pantry was infested with big black ants. Alright, I could be too fussy:( I've been working in town/CBD since my 1st job so this is very new to me. But I asked quite a few of my friends & they, too, felt that it's strange to not having the toilet within the same premise. Am I defensive? So this is Doubt no. 1.
Doubt no. 2: I'd made known to EH prior joining that I'd not work on Saturdays. He acceded my request except for the 1st 3 months & I could accept that. But after I joined, I got to know that the monthly meeting was on every 3rd Sat. Then EH said it'd be best if I could join for just that 3 hours every month... so that'd mean working 1 Sat every month (as working hours are 8.30am-12.30pm on Saturdays) which I wasn't that willing to compromise.
Doubt no. 3: Afterall, I still couldn't bring myself to like this trade. Previously I'd chances to get into this business but I declined. I thought I'd have changed after these years. Guess it should be the crux of all doubts?
Till now I don't know what are God's plans for me in the future. I don't know why things turned out this way. Maybe one day, I'll know. Though I'm very happy with the break I'm having now, I do feel bad for ruining my own CV for the past 1 year. I'm truly upset with myself for the mess I continually get myself into. Without hubby's support, I might have slipped into a self-blaming & depressing state. Hubby has always managed to give new perspective of things.
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