my mom jus went out of the room to cook an early dinner for me n herself tonite. we are both going to IMM giant to do some grocery shopping later cos she saw that the toilet paper is cheaper there. grinz.. but what provoke me to blog again is her remark of cooking a very filling meal (even if it's onli instant noodle) so that i will b fed n fat.. *groan.. all the more reason now for me to run more... and this spurs me to blog what i resolved to write some time ago when i was reflecting on what i like to do.
i like to run. this is one thing that i can do without feeling guilty or any sense of negation. i like to read, but at times there's nothing nice to read, or nothing that can catch my attention, n other times, words are jus too heavy for me. running is different. it can take a load off me (not jus the physical fats, but also the emotions n intellectual stress). n tho stimes i may b tired at the end of it. there's satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment. so i'm looking forward to run more, n also to run in the marathon, hoping to make it to the full marathon by the end of this year. :)
Sunday, February 20, 2005
i hv 2 success stories to share:
one, my teeth are glaring white! *grinz.. hehe.. that is what my neighbouring postgrad told me one day. she remarked that my teeth are quite white lah, she din use the word 'glaring'.. hehee.. ;p n my visit to the dentist last Fri was a good one too. less plague, thanks to daily flossing n brushing my teeth after eating my breakfast. it was a hard habit to cultivate, esp having to swallow down my bfast early in the morning when i'm barely awake. usu i'm more awake after brushing my teeth n washing my face. but it all pays off.. better looking teeth.. *grinz.. hehe..
but got ulcers at my gum now. my dentist was quite shocked by it. think i brushed too hard. then the lady dentist doctor there took a look n said it might b host-immune defense thinggy.. which sounds scary, but i guess it's jus out of heatiness.. i hadnt drunk much herbal or cooling stuff lately. so now, i cannot brush those two affected areas, n hv to apply some anti-bacterial gel on them to protect any germs from collecting at the site of injury. but i'm still eating chocolate, cookies n crunchy stuff.. hehehee.. cant seem to keep off them.. :P
second success story: my lil housewarming at my new place. well, before u all start to complain how come u all are not invited, it was a small gathering only. n it had another agenda of bidding farewell to another fren, who i will not get to see for the next 6 mths or so.. (phew... opps.. i mean, *sobs.. haha..).. n i dun like big crowd, not my taste of having a meaningful party. n not all my groups of frens like know one another n kinda awkward to bring everyone tgether. then i will get so distracted n tried in getting ppl to make sure they're at ease n enjoying themselves.. hee.. agreeably, i'm still quite off the mark from the standard of Mrs Dalloway. this character ran thru my head as i was thinking of the number of housewarming parties i might need to plan if i intend to get all my frens to see my new place.. *grinz..
but i will wait a while before i plan another housewarming.. wanna rest n settle in first. hvnt really felt settled in this new place yet, hvnt been able to locate everything in the kitchen cos momie did all the unpacking in that area. but i like this place.. still need a lot of stuff here n there.. but oredi this is starting to feel like home. :)
momie is flying home this Fri...
one, my teeth are glaring white! *grinz.. hehe.. that is what my neighbouring postgrad told me one day. she remarked that my teeth are quite white lah, she din use the word 'glaring'.. hehee.. ;p n my visit to the dentist last Fri was a good one too. less plague, thanks to daily flossing n brushing my teeth after eating my breakfast. it was a hard habit to cultivate, esp having to swallow down my bfast early in the morning when i'm barely awake. usu i'm more awake after brushing my teeth n washing my face. but it all pays off.. better looking teeth.. *grinz.. hehe..
but got ulcers at my gum now. my dentist was quite shocked by it. think i brushed too hard. then the lady dentist doctor there took a look n said it might b host-immune defense thinggy.. which sounds scary, but i guess it's jus out of heatiness.. i hadnt drunk much herbal or cooling stuff lately. so now, i cannot brush those two affected areas, n hv to apply some anti-bacterial gel on them to protect any germs from collecting at the site of injury. but i'm still eating chocolate, cookies n crunchy stuff.. hehehee.. cant seem to keep off them.. :P
second success story: my lil housewarming at my new place. well, before u all start to complain how come u all are not invited, it was a small gathering only. n it had another agenda of bidding farewell to another fren, who i will not get to see for the next 6 mths or so.. (phew... opps.. i mean, *sobs.. haha..).. n i dun like big crowd, not my taste of having a meaningful party. n not all my groups of frens like know one another n kinda awkward to bring everyone tgether. then i will get so distracted n tried in getting ppl to make sure they're at ease n enjoying themselves.. hee.. agreeably, i'm still quite off the mark from the standard of Mrs Dalloway. this character ran thru my head as i was thinking of the number of housewarming parties i might need to plan if i intend to get all my frens to see my new place.. *grinz..
but i will wait a while before i plan another housewarming.. wanna rest n settle in first. hvnt really felt settled in this new place yet, hvnt been able to locate everything in the kitchen cos momie did all the unpacking in that area. but i like this place.. still need a lot of stuff here n there.. but oredi this is starting to feel like home. :)
momie is flying home this Fri...
Sunday, February 13, 2005
okies, done with fish tank for today. found out that when the fishies died, the pH went up to as high as 8.76, which is not very good for the neon tetras since they prefer an acidic environment. so i had to add ard 10ml 6M HCl, which is quite a lot, but this only lowers down the pH to 6.47, which is good enough. haiz.. n this process repeats every day. double haiz..
ever since we bought the fish aquarium n plants, i hv been put into sole responsibility over them. to feed, wash n clean them.. these roles seem to be incorporated into my job portfolio, n somehow i feel uneasy or somewhat guilty if anything happens to them. not my fault, i understand that cos none of us are expert at keeping fish n plants here, but somehow i feel that my boss seem to want me to take great care that none shd perish... sadly, that's not the case. the little fishies are still adamant about death.. that's nature's course, what m i to do bout it? prolong their lives? sure, give me the money then i will go get the water supplements that they may need. haiz..
talking bout work, my postgrad is not here yet. he's sposed to teach me FPLC this morning since i hav 6 hours to burn while waiting for my bact to express the protein. i cant blame anyone that i'm in this fix. i had to go church yest n so when my bact din grow to the expected population density to express the protein, i couldnt stay back to wait for them to grow n multiply in numbers. i had to go to church. n i had to go home to watch Infernal Affairs 3. i know this is stupid, but it's not often that they show it on TV, n if i do come back to work after church, then what.. i would still hv to lower the temp to slow down the growth process of the bact so that it will not get overpopulated, starved then died.. n i will still hv to wait.. so my postgrad had this brilliant idea.. lower the temp to a greater extent, come back the next morning, n induce the bact for protein expression for 6 hrs. n i asked him, what m i sposed to do during the 6 hrs??? n he said that a lot of things could be done. like??? then he said he could teach me FPLC since he would be coming back this morning...
but here i m typing all this here, while waiting.. n my physically tired mind refuses to absorb any words, n it refuses to shut down either... sheesh..
n thinking about work, should i still continue working here? my contract ends this August. granted that i m learning a lot of techniques that i hv not done before. granted also that all these are impt n useful in my career. granted also that i'm anticipating to hav a paper published which my postgrad said would b inevitable because the protein we're working on are new n no one else hav much data on their structures. n granted also that my boss is nice n he has not scolded me, not yet... but still, all these i can get from elsewhere too. i'm looking at my dream place, biopolis, which i would love to be. where i hv more frens. n there being research institutes, surely their output of published journal is higher. n mb, jus mb, i dun hav to come back on weekends.
now, why getting a paper published is so impt to me.. well, for one, it has been a parcel of my dream to see my name in print in a journal. last time, before i truly came to know God, i once thot that for the world to remember me, this would be the way. so that years later, someone would pick up n read my journal. of cos, there are other ways of leaving a legacy for ppl to remember u. some might even think it unnecessary. what for? anyway, that's one reason.. n secondly, it will help a lot when i apply to study in Japan, not only to get me into their uni, but also hopefully some form of sponsorship or scholarship.
my dialoging with my insurance frens hav shown me facts n figures that it is gonna b financially tough for me to pursue my studies in Japan because I will need to save a lot, n it being such a short term thinggy, would be hard for me to invest or buy any form of insurance that would help me to increase my savings. i might still go into investment, but looking at the risks, at times it scares me. well, it's a hard slap on the face that if i dun spend wisely now, i might as well forget bout this whole thing. however, there's a reassuring faith too, that says God will provide. somehow, not sure how, i dun hv to be too troubled, too worried bout this whole financial issue. somehow, God will provide. this does not mean i can slack n not save. no, this simply means that i dun hv to be too worried. :)
my postgrad is still not here.. what time is he coming? haiz... i might as well do some jap then. or go blog surfing.. grinz.. it's rather interesting to read blogs at times, tho i mus b careful not to laugh too loudly or the nextdoor Thai postgrad might think i've gone nuts.. :P
ever since we bought the fish aquarium n plants, i hv been put into sole responsibility over them. to feed, wash n clean them.. these roles seem to be incorporated into my job portfolio, n somehow i feel uneasy or somewhat guilty if anything happens to them. not my fault, i understand that cos none of us are expert at keeping fish n plants here, but somehow i feel that my boss seem to want me to take great care that none shd perish... sadly, that's not the case. the little fishies are still adamant about death.. that's nature's course, what m i to do bout it? prolong their lives? sure, give me the money then i will go get the water supplements that they may need. haiz..
talking bout work, my postgrad is not here yet. he's sposed to teach me FPLC this morning since i hav 6 hours to burn while waiting for my bact to express the protein. i cant blame anyone that i'm in this fix. i had to go church yest n so when my bact din grow to the expected population density to express the protein, i couldnt stay back to wait for them to grow n multiply in numbers. i had to go to church. n i had to go home to watch Infernal Affairs 3. i know this is stupid, but it's not often that they show it on TV, n if i do come back to work after church, then what.. i would still hv to lower the temp to slow down the growth process of the bact so that it will not get overpopulated, starved then died.. n i will still hv to wait.. so my postgrad had this brilliant idea.. lower the temp to a greater extent, come back the next morning, n induce the bact for protein expression for 6 hrs. n i asked him, what m i sposed to do during the 6 hrs??? n he said that a lot of things could be done. like??? then he said he could teach me FPLC since he would be coming back this morning...
but here i m typing all this here, while waiting.. n my physically tired mind refuses to absorb any words, n it refuses to shut down either... sheesh..
n thinking about work, should i still continue working here? my contract ends this August. granted that i m learning a lot of techniques that i hv not done before. granted also that all these are impt n useful in my career. granted also that i'm anticipating to hav a paper published which my postgrad said would b inevitable because the protein we're working on are new n no one else hav much data on their structures. n granted also that my boss is nice n he has not scolded me, not yet... but still, all these i can get from elsewhere too. i'm looking at my dream place, biopolis, which i would love to be. where i hv more frens. n there being research institutes, surely their output of published journal is higher. n mb, jus mb, i dun hav to come back on weekends.
now, why getting a paper published is so impt to me.. well, for one, it has been a parcel of my dream to see my name in print in a journal. last time, before i truly came to know God, i once thot that for the world to remember me, this would be the way. so that years later, someone would pick up n read my journal. of cos, there are other ways of leaving a legacy for ppl to remember u. some might even think it unnecessary. what for? anyway, that's one reason.. n secondly, it will help a lot when i apply to study in Japan, not only to get me into their uni, but also hopefully some form of sponsorship or scholarship.
my dialoging with my insurance frens hav shown me facts n figures that it is gonna b financially tough for me to pursue my studies in Japan because I will need to save a lot, n it being such a short term thinggy, would be hard for me to invest or buy any form of insurance that would help me to increase my savings. i might still go into investment, but looking at the risks, at times it scares me. well, it's a hard slap on the face that if i dun spend wisely now, i might as well forget bout this whole thing. however, there's a reassuring faith too, that says God will provide. somehow, not sure how, i dun hv to be too troubled, too worried bout this whole financial issue. somehow, God will provide. this does not mean i can slack n not save. no, this simply means that i dun hv to be too worried. :)
my postgrad is still not here.. what time is he coming? haiz... i might as well do some jap then. or go blog surfing.. grinz.. it's rather interesting to read blogs at times, tho i mus b careful not to laugh too loudly or the nextdoor Thai postgrad might think i've gone nuts.. :P
i'm here again. now i m making it a habit to blog at work, esp when no one else is here. it's Sunday!!! n here i m... *sobz...
muscle aches.. mus b cos i din stretch after i ran last Fri.. two small fish died over the night.. now i'm the the process of changing the fish tank water, n oso lowering the pH to ard 6-7.. the cute doggie has gone home last nite... yesh, i'm in a whiney mood this morning.. haiz...
nvm, shall return to reading about Derrida... who is he? i hv jus about the same qstn myself. :)
muscle aches.. mus b cos i din stretch after i ran last Fri.. two small fish died over the night.. now i'm the the process of changing the fish tank water, n oso lowering the pH to ard 6-7.. the cute doggie has gone home last nite... yesh, i'm in a whiney mood this morning.. haiz...
nvm, shall return to reading about Derrida... who is he? i hv jus about the same qstn myself. :)
Friday, February 11, 2005
today's running was a real flop. wanted to cap the run at 30mins cos that was the timing last time, n wanted to make it up the killer slope without stopping. n since i started the run at SBS, it would end at the top too. so i was running, racing against all odds to make it to the finishing peak in time. alas, my bad sense of direction made a fool of me again, or mb i shd say the thought of being in the wrong direction. i thot i was lost, went on the wrong track, when i was correct all the while.. haizz... so b4 i hit the slope, i was oredi walking, sulking that i got my route all messed up. then sulking even more when i realised that i was right all the while. dang..
anyway, shall attempt that again next week. hee..
this evening watched a very touching chinese show on TV. the one acted by Sammi Cheng entitled 'My left eye saw ghost'. i caught it first time at JB, in canto version. i was so excited back then, cos i love her show, n it was really funny. but what's the winning point for this movie is the twist at the end, n it is mightily touching. i teared the first time round, n watching it today again has the same effect. i'm amazed. either i'm a super sensitive crybaby, or the show is really touching.. i'd rather believe in the latter.. *smile..
anyway, shall attempt that again next week. hee..
this evening watched a very touching chinese show on TV. the one acted by Sammi Cheng entitled 'My left eye saw ghost'. i caught it first time at JB, in canto version. i was so excited back then, cos i love her show, n it was really funny. but what's the winning point for this movie is the twist at the end, n it is mightily touching. i teared the first time round, n watching it today again has the same effect. i'm amazed. either i'm a super sensitive crybaby, or the show is really touching.. i'd rather believe in the latter.. *smile..
*bored... in labbie today with nothing much ado. haiz.. why m i back at work leh? esp when my boss is not ard. but at times, it is precisely cos my boss is not ard, then i shd do work, n not do work onli when he's ard. it's what we do in secret that gets the most in terms of reward or appreciation, n this need not come from the person intended or anyone at all. :)
oh, i din mention that my new home has become a five-star pet hotel. *grinz.. my bro's fren left his doggie (yesh, it's the cute shi tsu ZaiZai) over for a week, n FK left her hammies Basil n Sage (oh, they send u their love n they're very happy, well fed n clean with new shavings placed in yesterday).. plus my sis-in-law's two terapins.. but those are permanent tenants.. hee.. so yea, a pet hotel indeed. so here's the announcement to all who would wanna pop their pets at my house, u guys are very much welcomed to, with a high price tag no less.. 5-star hotel wor.. ;p
going to run later; brought my shorts here liaoz.. gonna feel kinda funny if my postgrad sees me in shorts.. o well.. i need the run, n i dun feel like running at CCK.. n well, there's nth much ado here at work anyway.. might run at 5pm, n call it a day when i get back.. hehe.. yesh, going to conquer NTU.. muahaha.. my first attempt was not very good cos i was flat when running uphill towards SBS (thanks Sin for the introductory run @ NTU, n u need to be more convincing that the slope is really a killer.. *Lol..). yesh, now i shall not undermine the slope.. i need to run all the way up.. up, up n away.. yesh, i'm mad.. mad n all awry with words at the moment.. haiz... siennn!!!
okie okie.. shall stop sighing, complaining n what-not.. happy day everyone!
oh, i din mention that my new home has become a five-star pet hotel. *grinz.. my bro's fren left his doggie (yesh, it's the cute shi tsu ZaiZai) over for a week, n FK left her hammies Basil n Sage (oh, they send u their love n they're very happy, well fed n clean with new shavings placed in yesterday).. plus my sis-in-law's two terapins.. but those are permanent tenants.. hee.. so yea, a pet hotel indeed. so here's the announcement to all who would wanna pop their pets at my house, u guys are very much welcomed to, with a high price tag no less.. 5-star hotel wor.. ;p
going to run later; brought my shorts here liaoz.. gonna feel kinda funny if my postgrad sees me in shorts.. o well.. i need the run, n i dun feel like running at CCK.. n well, there's nth much ado here at work anyway.. might run at 5pm, n call it a day when i get back.. hehe.. yesh, going to conquer NTU.. muahaha.. my first attempt was not very good cos i was flat when running uphill towards SBS (thanks Sin for the introductory run @ NTU, n u need to be more convincing that the slope is really a killer.. *Lol..). yesh, now i shall not undermine the slope.. i need to run all the way up.. up, up n away.. yesh, i'm mad.. mad n all awry with words at the moment.. haiz... siennn!!!
okie okie.. shall stop sighing, complaining n what-not.. happy day everyone!
Thursday, February 10, 2005
just watched finish the 'Whisper of the Heart' for the 3rd or 4th time. i cldnt recall buying it last time, which i did at the Bugis Village. one good thing bout shifting is that u may jus dig out hidden treasures. hehh..
once again i applaud the animation for its purity n simplicity. it tugs at my heart so. leaves me with a sigh everytime i watch it. n this time round it was in canto too. i cant explain why, but cantonese is more native to my ears. i can watch a canto drama series by jus listening to it, but i cant do that when it is dubbed in mandarin. true, the animation may hv lost its native tone in jap, but hearing it in canto is sheer joy to me too. so *sigh*... love this animation by Ghibli Studio; they hv other reputable works too: the all too famous 'Totoro', n 'the graves of the fireflies'... oso 'Princess Mononoke'... if not mistaken, 'Spirited Away' is from the same studio cos the characters look quite akin.
this animation reminded me of how much i m still lacking. i envy ppl who hv extensive knowledge in what they like, in their interest. take the guy for example, he likes to play violin, he excels in it, n not onli that he takes to making them n wants to be good in making them. even the old uncle who's keen on antiques has quite remarkable knowledge in them, even in the stones.
okie, shifting to real life, my visit to the Centre of the Arts at HV (thanks to Sin for the tip off n direction on where it is) demonstrated what good use extensive knowledge plus passion is all about. the uncle there, who i presume to be Mr Teo Eng Seng, knows so much, not only about his own artwork, but others as well. it was both entertaining n enriching to have him to show me n Fongky ard the art exhibition. i enjoyed it very much, n i see why it is so impt to hv someone to tell u bout the art pieces, esp someone as ignorant as me. i was a little embarrassed that i din know a lot of things, esp of the more famous artists. hehh.. i guess i need to read more n get more exposure to art..
let's see, my first indulgence in art came from my uncle n aunt. both being very artistic ppl: they draw, make ceramic or pottery, take photos, play organ or keyboard, n now they possess a first class hons in dancing. *grinz.. they're such exciting ppl with a great many interesting hobbies. my aunt was an art teacher, n the last i rmbr she challenged herself to do chinese calligraphy. i'm not sure if she still do them now cos they're both in Australia (where else do u think they could get a cert recognition for dancing?!).
sadly, i dun think this artistic talent runs in the family. i cant play the organ tho my uncle tried to teach me n my brothers when we were young. my guitar is going nowhere, still strumming lousily. n drawing wise.. i wish i can sketch or shade well. i like black n white, keeps things simple. even then in between the two extremes, there are so many shades of gray. things are not as simple as they seem.
sigh.. mb taking an afternoon nap is not such a good idea.. cant sleep well at night in my new place oredi, this is jus making matters even worse..
once again i applaud the animation for its purity n simplicity. it tugs at my heart so. leaves me with a sigh everytime i watch it. n this time round it was in canto too. i cant explain why, but cantonese is more native to my ears. i can watch a canto drama series by jus listening to it, but i cant do that when it is dubbed in mandarin. true, the animation may hv lost its native tone in jap, but hearing it in canto is sheer joy to me too. so *sigh*... love this animation by Ghibli Studio; they hv other reputable works too: the all too famous 'Totoro', n 'the graves of the fireflies'... oso 'Princess Mononoke'... if not mistaken, 'Spirited Away' is from the same studio cos the characters look quite akin.
this animation reminded me of how much i m still lacking. i envy ppl who hv extensive knowledge in what they like, in their interest. take the guy for example, he likes to play violin, he excels in it, n not onli that he takes to making them n wants to be good in making them. even the old uncle who's keen on antiques has quite remarkable knowledge in them, even in the stones.
okie, shifting to real life, my visit to the Centre of the Arts at HV (thanks to Sin for the tip off n direction on where it is) demonstrated what good use extensive knowledge plus passion is all about. the uncle there, who i presume to be Mr Teo Eng Seng, knows so much, not only about his own artwork, but others as well. it was both entertaining n enriching to have him to show me n Fongky ard the art exhibition. i enjoyed it very much, n i see why it is so impt to hv someone to tell u bout the art pieces, esp someone as ignorant as me. i was a little embarrassed that i din know a lot of things, esp of the more famous artists. hehh.. i guess i need to read more n get more exposure to art..
let's see, my first indulgence in art came from my uncle n aunt. both being very artistic ppl: they draw, make ceramic or pottery, take photos, play organ or keyboard, n now they possess a first class hons in dancing. *grinz.. they're such exciting ppl with a great many interesting hobbies. my aunt was an art teacher, n the last i rmbr she challenged herself to do chinese calligraphy. i'm not sure if she still do them now cos they're both in Australia (where else do u think they could get a cert recognition for dancing?!).
sadly, i dun think this artistic talent runs in the family. i cant play the organ tho my uncle tried to teach me n my brothers when we were young. my guitar is going nowhere, still strumming lousily. n drawing wise.. i wish i can sketch or shade well. i like black n white, keeps things simple. even then in between the two extremes, there are so many shades of gray. things are not as simple as they seem.
sigh.. mb taking an afternoon nap is not such a good idea.. cant sleep well at night in my new place oredi, this is jus making matters even worse..
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
today is a lazy day.
yesh, it finally rubbed off me that it's time to start blogging again. hvnt done so for a while, was telling myself to go on a blog holiday, jus like the term they use in insurance when u go on premium holiday. well, nth of much festivity for CNY tis year. usu my family does it quietly, n being in Spore, we dun go ard to other ppl's house, not that there are many to go to. usu my frens here are foreigners, so nobody's house to do some visiting. but usu i enjoy the reunion dinner on CNY eve. last time my mom would make a great fuss bout the meal, n it would b complete with steamed fish, a chicken dish.. veg.. etc.. but this year, she was tired from shifting n a lot of unpacking that still needs to b done, so what did we hv for dinner? well, it was MacD cos dining out was a no-no, since the restaurant was fully booked n we din like the idea of queueing up. sighz.. MacD... :(
tonite is not gonna b much diff. Mom did cook, some fried rice, n now my brother n his wife hv gone out to tapao hot n spicy soup from the thai restaurant (tt we wanted to dine in last nite). but i snacked a lot today. then i'm gonna get a bad case of sore-throat unless i balance it up with some cooling herbal drinks. napped in the afternoon too.. haiz.. lazy lazy day.. shall do some blog reading n catching up tonite.. hehh.. when i dun blog, i dun read everyone's blog too.. hehh..
well, hope all of u hv a happy happy chinese new year! do rmbr to collect angpows on my behalf yea.. n Seanie, i rmbr what u said over msn regarding angpows! *grinz.. this is jus a gentle reminder.. hehee.. ;)
oh yea.. this is my first blog from my new home.. hehh.. finally shifted over to this place last Sunday.. :)
yesh, it finally rubbed off me that it's time to start blogging again. hvnt done so for a while, was telling myself to go on a blog holiday, jus like the term they use in insurance when u go on premium holiday. well, nth of much festivity for CNY tis year. usu my family does it quietly, n being in Spore, we dun go ard to other ppl's house, not that there are many to go to. usu my frens here are foreigners, so nobody's house to do some visiting. but usu i enjoy the reunion dinner on CNY eve. last time my mom would make a great fuss bout the meal, n it would b complete with steamed fish, a chicken dish.. veg.. etc.. but this year, she was tired from shifting n a lot of unpacking that still needs to b done, so what did we hv for dinner? well, it was MacD cos dining out was a no-no, since the restaurant was fully booked n we din like the idea of queueing up. sighz.. MacD... :(
tonite is not gonna b much diff. Mom did cook, some fried rice, n now my brother n his wife hv gone out to tapao hot n spicy soup from the thai restaurant (tt we wanted to dine in last nite). but i snacked a lot today. then i'm gonna get a bad case of sore-throat unless i balance it up with some cooling herbal drinks. napped in the afternoon too.. haiz.. lazy lazy day.. shall do some blog reading n catching up tonite.. hehh.. when i dun blog, i dun read everyone's blog too.. hehh..
well, hope all of u hv a happy happy chinese new year! do rmbr to collect angpows on my behalf yea.. n Seanie, i rmbr what u said over msn regarding angpows! *grinz.. this is jus a gentle reminder.. hehee.. ;)
oh yea.. this is my first blog from my new home.. hehh.. finally shifted over to this place last Sunday.. :)
Saturday, January 15, 2005
it's whining time!!!
hehe.. as said by Morrie himself, it's alright to whine a little, to feel sorry for urself, a lil self-pity.. but onli a lil.. then u hav to get off from it, n get on with life.. hehh.. so here goes..
<.whine>
i'm in my labbie now
i wun b taking off on wed
i wun b taking off on thurs
< /whine>
haiz... before this, my boss told me b4 tt he would very much like it if i can get the protein crystalized for him so that he can bring it over to Japan to do the screening during Chinese New Year.. and after leaving early from work yest, i had to let him know cos he was in his office, n again he emphasized on this point.. so that means extra stress for me in my work.. that means, i wun b able to take a long week off as planned next week.. that means, i wun b able to spend one full day packing, shifting n what not.. cos i wld onli b able to claim my off day after CNY, n by then, i shd hv shifted to my new place.. haiz..
okies... whining over... time to look at how to grow African violets.. heee.. the lady at the plants shop was very nice. she allowed me to take one leaf home yest. i learnt before from my aunt when i was young how to grow these plants from leaves, so i hope i hv not lost touch with my skills.. hee.. my little project in my lab.. :)
oya.. a fren of mine asked me if i'm interested in vertical marathon (http://www.nvm05.cjb.net/).. any of u all interested???
hehe.. as said by Morrie himself, it's alright to whine a little, to feel sorry for urself, a lil self-pity.. but onli a lil.. then u hav to get off from it, n get on with life.. hehh.. so here goes..
i'm in my labbie now
i wun b taking off on wed
i wun b taking off on thurs
haiz... before this, my boss told me b4 tt he would very much like it if i can get the protein crystalized for him so that he can bring it over to Japan to do the screening during Chinese New Year.. and after leaving early from work yest, i had to let him know cos he was in his office, n again he emphasized on this point.. so that means extra stress for me in my work.. that means, i wun b able to take a long week off as planned next week.. that means, i wun b able to spend one full day packing, shifting n what not.. cos i wld onli b able to claim my off day after CNY, n by then, i shd hv shifted to my new place.. haiz..
okies... whining over... time to look at how to grow African violets.. heee.. the lady at the plants shop was very nice. she allowed me to take one leaf home yest. i learnt before from my aunt when i was young how to grow these plants from leaves, so i hope i hv not lost touch with my skills.. hee.. my little project in my lab.. :)
oya.. a fren of mine asked me if i'm interested in vertical marathon (http://www.nvm05.cjb.net/).. any of u all interested???
Friday, January 14, 2005
okie, i decided i shall blog tonite, tho i want to sleep soon. hv to wake up early tmr morning.. *groan.. shall leave the whining to tmr.. now, to focus on today.. it was quite another eventful day..
the farmart experience
when my boss said he wanted to get plants n an aquarium in the ancilliary office (which is the office space for the students n staff, right outside his own personal office), he wasnt kidding. yesterday he got me panicked to chk n make sure that this place Farmart, which i recommended since i see it every morning aboard bus 172, sells both plants n fish. i onli rmbr my fren Gracieee telling me bout her going there with her bf for some fishing activity.. so i called that place up, n i gave my fren a call too.. hehe.. jus to be doubly sure that the place is safe to bring my boss over to shop for plants n fish. yea, i can get stressed n panicky over such small issue, esp when my reliability is at stake.. hehe..
well, we (me n 2 undergrads working in my lab) went today during lunch hour. n that was what we had there too - lunch, and it was my boss' treat!!.. hehe.. so good.. well, of cos we din eat expensive stuff; we wun feel good ordering those stuff anyway. then we spent 2hours plus deciding on what fish, what fish tank, gravel, plants.. the complete set!.. n it amted up to $200, which my bro told me later is still relatively cheap, but to me, it was like spending a lot of money! then we went on with the plant selection. the girls happily dismissed the notion that they would not only b late for their tutorial, which was at 230pm, but that they would be missing the entire class. they din mind. haiz.. given the "reason" of missing class, i guess i wun mind either.. *grinz..
Farmart din put upon me such a great impression as the website described it. (yesh, i went thru all the trouble of tracking down the online information to chk whether there were plants n fish on sale there.. *haiz.. ) it's a little run-down, if u ask me. but it had all the things that we need.. so phew.. i was relieved. n we were all glad at the end of the day, except for my boss tho cos i think he minded the amt of money he spent, but i guess that will wear off.. we really hav to take good care of the plants n fish.. the plants are in the office now, but the fish n the whole lot will onli come on Tues.. i cant wait for that day to come.. hehe.. things will be livelier in the office!
the blood test
once back in the office by 330pm.. i rang up NUH to chk on their price tag for a blood test, which i needed for my PR application. n it was $22!! so much cheeper than the price quoted to me at the NTU clinic. so yea... i was so silly to go back to that place to settle my medical chkup when once upon a time, i was 'cheated' off my medical prescription before. haiz.. thanks to my colleague for the wake-up call to chk up the prices elsewhere.
but no thanks to myself for the last min arrangement. haiz.. i finally decided that i would want to make my PR on Mon, so when i called NUH i asked whether i could get the report by Mon if i go down tmr for the blood test, n she said the result might onli b out in the aft, which would be a 'no-no' because then i dun think i can make it in time to Lavendar to process my PR. n oso why Mon is bcos i hav my next dental appointment then, so i wun hav to travel to NUH so many times.. hee.. talk about hitting two birds with one stone, i m more like injuring myself.. haa..
back to the story, so there i was, having to leave early from work today cos if they get my blood sample by today they would be able to give me my result by Mon morning, but they close at 5pm. n the time then was 350pm. i still had things to settle in lab. n if u know NTU, it takes u ages to go anywhere.. by 410pm, i was done, but i oso knew i wld b late. i rushed, caught 179 to interchange, then decided on a cab cos combine the $22 with the cab fare, i would still be on the winning end. plus, i think i can claim 85% of my medical chkup from my medisave. hee.. me being calculative... :P
phew, managed to reach NUH at 440pm. then the big boo-boo came at the enquiry table when i asked where the lab was to take my blood sample. the man then told me that i hv to go SATA, the nearest being in Jurong, but they would hv closed by the time i get there. n i rushed all the way from NTU! i was aghast, broken, felt like sulking the rest of the day.. all the rush, for nothing?... then the leaflet that the man passed to me with the four different SATA addresses on them caught my eye.. wait a minute, it says there that their operational hours is till 430pm, n the lady over the phone jus now said 5pm. sth was not right, sth was amiss.. so i went back to the enquiry counter to ask.
i explained that i called NUH, n the operator directed me to another number, so it mus b within NUH. it cant b outside.. i was putting my bet on that one, cos i wasnt too sure. i was hoping beyond all hope that the operator had not been too nice to connect me to an outside place, which doubt said it might b possible, n that the other lady from the lab could have made the mistake about the working hours. so the man called the operator so that i could get connected to the sposedly lab in NUH.. turns out that it's NUH Referral Lab, n it is in NUH!! Glory, Hallelujah... my effort, my rush was not wasted..
anyway, by that time when i put down the call, the lady who was sposed to be at the enquiry booth came back, n she was much clearer than the guy. apparently if there was no need for x-ray then i could go to that NUH Referral Lab.. so happily i ran down the corridors, to the blood donation centre, got re-directed to the little office next to the blood donation centre.. n got the whole blood thing settled. thank God!..
so i was this jubiliant, happy girl at the end of the day, who got to eat her waffle hotdog at clementi, n met up with dear fren Fongky even if it means a U-turn from Jurong East MRT back to Clementi.. haha.. well, i get to meet one out of three people i intended to meet when i was down in NUS, so of cos i would go n meet la. funny thing was this, as i was at clementi, i was trying to piece these phrases: "losing proximity, losing intimacy" n seeing how true they were when put side by side.. then i bumped into an old JC fren, who i hav lost touch with.. we exchanged numbers, n i guess soon i will try to organise a JC reunion thinggy.. suddenly felt that i din wanna lose touch with so many ppl i hv come to know in my life..
a really long blog.. i think i'm at it again.. u know, the blog addict bug.. sleep... yesh.. i ought to sleep.. fyi, i spent 43 mins typing tis out.. nities frens, mates, sisters, loves.. :)
the farmart experience
when my boss said he wanted to get plants n an aquarium in the ancilliary office (which is the office space for the students n staff, right outside his own personal office), he wasnt kidding. yesterday he got me panicked to chk n make sure that this place Farmart, which i recommended since i see it every morning aboard bus 172, sells both plants n fish. i onli rmbr my fren Gracieee telling me bout her going there with her bf for some fishing activity.. so i called that place up, n i gave my fren a call too.. hehe.. jus to be doubly sure that the place is safe to bring my boss over to shop for plants n fish. yea, i can get stressed n panicky over such small issue, esp when my reliability is at stake.. hehe..
well, we (me n 2 undergrads working in my lab) went today during lunch hour. n that was what we had there too - lunch, and it was my boss' treat!!.. hehe.. so good.. well, of cos we din eat expensive stuff; we wun feel good ordering those stuff anyway. then we spent 2hours plus deciding on what fish, what fish tank, gravel, plants.. the complete set!.. n it amted up to $200, which my bro told me later is still relatively cheap, but to me, it was like spending a lot of money! then we went on with the plant selection. the girls happily dismissed the notion that they would not only b late for their tutorial, which was at 230pm, but that they would be missing the entire class. they din mind. haiz.. given the "reason" of missing class, i guess i wun mind either.. *grinz..
Farmart din put upon me such a great impression as the website described it. (yesh, i went thru all the trouble of tracking down the online information to chk whether there were plants n fish on sale there.. *haiz.. ) it's a little run-down, if u ask me. but it had all the things that we need.. so phew.. i was relieved. n we were all glad at the end of the day, except for my boss tho cos i think he minded the amt of money he spent, but i guess that will wear off.. we really hav to take good care of the plants n fish.. the plants are in the office now, but the fish n the whole lot will onli come on Tues.. i cant wait for that day to come.. hehe.. things will be livelier in the office!
the blood test
once back in the office by 330pm.. i rang up NUH to chk on their price tag for a blood test, which i needed for my PR application. n it was $22!! so much cheeper than the price quoted to me at the NTU clinic. so yea... i was so silly to go back to that place to settle my medical chkup when once upon a time, i was 'cheated' off my medical prescription before. haiz.. thanks to my colleague for the wake-up call to chk up the prices elsewhere.
but no thanks to myself for the last min arrangement. haiz.. i finally decided that i would want to make my PR on Mon, so when i called NUH i asked whether i could get the report by Mon if i go down tmr for the blood test, n she said the result might onli b out in the aft, which would be a 'no-no' because then i dun think i can make it in time to Lavendar to process my PR. n oso why Mon is bcos i hav my next dental appointment then, so i wun hav to travel to NUH so many times.. hee.. talk about hitting two birds with one stone, i m more like injuring myself.. haa..
back to the story, so there i was, having to leave early from work today cos if they get my blood sample by today they would be able to give me my result by Mon morning, but they close at 5pm. n the time then was 350pm. i still had things to settle in lab. n if u know NTU, it takes u ages to go anywhere.. by 410pm, i was done, but i oso knew i wld b late. i rushed, caught 179 to interchange, then decided on a cab cos combine the $22 with the cab fare, i would still be on the winning end. plus, i think i can claim 85% of my medical chkup from my medisave. hee.. me being calculative... :P
phew, managed to reach NUH at 440pm. then the big boo-boo came at the enquiry table when i asked where the lab was to take my blood sample. the man then told me that i hv to go SATA, the nearest being in Jurong, but they would hv closed by the time i get there. n i rushed all the way from NTU! i was aghast, broken, felt like sulking the rest of the day.. all the rush, for nothing?... then the leaflet that the man passed to me with the four different SATA addresses on them caught my eye.. wait a minute, it says there that their operational hours is till 430pm, n the lady over the phone jus now said 5pm. sth was not right, sth was amiss.. so i went back to the enquiry counter to ask.
i explained that i called NUH, n the operator directed me to another number, so it mus b within NUH. it cant b outside.. i was putting my bet on that one, cos i wasnt too sure. i was hoping beyond all hope that the operator had not been too nice to connect me to an outside place, which doubt said it might b possible, n that the other lady from the lab could have made the mistake about the working hours. so the man called the operator so that i could get connected to the sposedly lab in NUH.. turns out that it's NUH Referral Lab, n it is in NUH!! Glory, Hallelujah... my effort, my rush was not wasted..
anyway, by that time when i put down the call, the lady who was sposed to be at the enquiry booth came back, n she was much clearer than the guy. apparently if there was no need for x-ray then i could go to that NUH Referral Lab.. so happily i ran down the corridors, to the blood donation centre, got re-directed to the little office next to the blood donation centre.. n got the whole blood thing settled. thank God!..
so i was this jubiliant, happy girl at the end of the day, who got to eat her waffle hotdog at clementi, n met up with dear fren Fongky even if it means a U-turn from Jurong East MRT back to Clementi.. haha.. well, i get to meet one out of three people i intended to meet when i was down in NUS, so of cos i would go n meet la. funny thing was this, as i was at clementi, i was trying to piece these phrases: "losing proximity, losing intimacy" n seeing how true they were when put side by side.. then i bumped into an old JC fren, who i hav lost touch with.. we exchanged numbers, n i guess soon i will try to organise a JC reunion thinggy.. suddenly felt that i din wanna lose touch with so many ppl i hv come to know in my life..
a really long blog.. i think i'm at it again.. u know, the blog addict bug.. sleep... yesh.. i ought to sleep.. fyi, i spent 43 mins typing tis out.. nities frens, mates, sisters, loves.. :)
the quiltmaking talk
my Dean is quite an arty person. if anyone knows what "The Broadway Boogie Woogie", my Dean said the foyer was designed based on that piece of art. (well, i jus did a google chk to get my spelling right, n out of curiosity, went to hv a look at how the art looks like, n blimmey, i dun think the sch foyer has any resemblance to that artpiece, unless i hv mistaken what my Dean took as the foyer...)
well, thanks to my Dean, we had a quiltmaking lecture given by the visiting professor's wife. this is not, at any means, to please the invited guest, but the wife is really qualified n well known in her field. imagine her to hav won many national n international prizes for her quilting! i'm amazed. one of the prize i rmbred amounted to US$12000!!! not a small sum either! n she started quilting on her own, learnt it all by herself. n her quilting is quite a style of her own. i quite enjoyed her easy-going conversive lecture (why cant they give bio lecture like this dear elderly lady?!), n quite inspired by her as well, mb to invest some time to do some artwork of my own. hee..
n thanks to Sin, too, for a wonderful mini art exhibition last nite. me n Steff went over to visit a good fren, who i assumed to be still sick, but thankfully he has recovered (yayy.. jogging next week with me at NTU!!), so i brought a lot of healthy stuff. *chuckles.. but Sin, u got to admit the veggie drink tasted good after all.. hehee.. n yea, ur art.. keep it up!!.. from nothing, it can become something.. jus like the quiltmaking lesson i learn today.. :)
the insurance talk
after the compulsory seminar given by the invited professor this evening, which wasnt all too bad. got me more aware about the therapeutic stage for AIDS currently, why it is still failing to act as a cure.. i guess the most alarming n oblivious fact to me was the number of people who hv died from AIDS.. totalled to 40million ppl... tt's a lot.. well, after this talk, i met up with my fren to talk bout insurance. we had dinner first tgther with her bf (thx vvayz!!! :))
insurance.. i wld say it's not more of a protective measure for me. but what she said, there's some pt too. tt while i m still healthy i shd buy insurance coverage for myself, so tt the insurance policy will not b limited or certain benefits will not be excluded due to my state of health when i buy later in life. i never thot of tt before, cos it is more of investment or savings for me at the moment. but insurance is very subjective, very personalised, so it depends on individuals what they need. haha.. i sound like i can start selling insurance.. hmm.. hee.. :P
anyway, we left it at a point of "to be continue" cos she needed to draft out some plans n see what wld suit me. but for the benefit of confidentiality, i shall not put out a detailed conclusion when it has been decided... hehh... jus wanna share out my thots n views onli ma.. n what i hav been up to today ma.. :)
my Dean is quite an arty person. if anyone knows what "The Broadway Boogie Woogie", my Dean said the foyer was designed based on that piece of art. (well, i jus did a google chk to get my spelling right, n out of curiosity, went to hv a look at how the art looks like, n blimmey, i dun think the sch foyer has any resemblance to that artpiece, unless i hv mistaken what my Dean took as the foyer...)
well, thanks to my Dean, we had a quiltmaking lecture given by the visiting professor's wife. this is not, at any means, to please the invited guest, but the wife is really qualified n well known in her field. imagine her to hav won many national n international prizes for her quilting! i'm amazed. one of the prize i rmbred amounted to US$12000!!! not a small sum either! n she started quilting on her own, learnt it all by herself. n her quilting is quite a style of her own. i quite enjoyed her easy-going conversive lecture (why cant they give bio lecture like this dear elderly lady?!), n quite inspired by her as well, mb to invest some time to do some artwork of my own. hee..
n thanks to Sin, too, for a wonderful mini art exhibition last nite. me n Steff went over to visit a good fren, who i assumed to be still sick, but thankfully he has recovered (yayy.. jogging next week with me at NTU!!), so i brought a lot of healthy stuff. *chuckles.. but Sin, u got to admit the veggie drink tasted good after all.. hehee.. n yea, ur art.. keep it up!!.. from nothing, it can become something.. jus like the quiltmaking lesson i learn today.. :)
the insurance talk
after the compulsory seminar given by the invited professor this evening, which wasnt all too bad. got me more aware about the therapeutic stage for AIDS currently, why it is still failing to act as a cure.. i guess the most alarming n oblivious fact to me was the number of people who hv died from AIDS.. totalled to 40million ppl... tt's a lot.. well, after this talk, i met up with my fren to talk bout insurance. we had dinner first tgther with her bf (thx vvayz!!! :))
insurance.. i wld say it's not more of a protective measure for me. but what she said, there's some pt too. tt while i m still healthy i shd buy insurance coverage for myself, so tt the insurance policy will not b limited or certain benefits will not be excluded due to my state of health when i buy later in life. i never thot of tt before, cos it is more of investment or savings for me at the moment. but insurance is very subjective, very personalised, so it depends on individuals what they need. haha.. i sound like i can start selling insurance.. hmm.. hee.. :P
anyway, we left it at a point of "to be continue" cos she needed to draft out some plans n see what wld suit me. but for the benefit of confidentiality, i shall not put out a detailed conclusion when it has been decided... hehh... jus wanna share out my thots n views onli ma.. n what i hav been up to today ma.. :)
Monday, January 10, 2005
soooo... what does one do to cheer up one's day? look at baby photos!!! hehee.. jus updated my photo album with my uncle's granddaughter Isabella, ie. my cousin Jenny's daughter. she's simply so adorable.. n i sinfully found out about this "Scan and Save to my Yahoo! Photos" button next to the attachments today... so hehehe... well, i updated a few grad photos my frens sent to me too, some from coop days... photos are good. they speak better than i do. :P
went for my qualifying test today to enter intermediate class in JCS. that was what set off the doldrums for today... i din half expect it to be that hard. n i focused on the wrong context too, went too much into kanji and vocab, when i shd hv revised on my grammar. haiz.. n the saddest part being that i could hv answered everything becos i hv learnt them b4. o well.. i can always take another qualifying test n enrol for their intensive intermediate class later this year in May... which may b a better option since i would b around the take the qualifying tests with others, n that would entitle me to choose better time-slots than what they can offer me now..
went for a short shopping spree in Bugis, but somehow the mood wasn't set in for shopping, and the Christmas effect has rubbed off on me even though more things are on sale now, esp U2. I jus managed to buy a pair of pants (which i was wearing today) when i went out with my frens for dinner last week. today, nothing seemed to appeal to me, which is good, cos i shdnt b spending. haa.. even my language sounds languid, n in need of much lifting up. soon, soon, bear with me a little while longer..
it's funny how things seem to look so differently when u're in a different mood. how the food doesn't appeal as much, how my stomach doesn't seem to be hungry (even though before the test, I was thinking of snacking in this Jap restaurant which is having 50% discount on ala-carte dishes..), how the mrt seems much more crowded... it's funny too, that this is not altogether that funny, and yet I use the phrase "It's funny..." to describe those things... and ya da ya da ya da...
Okie.. i promise to cheer up. today started off fairly well actually. even my postgrad student treated me filet-o-fish meal for lunch. i thot he would jus buy the burger, but he went ahead and bought a meal set for me. how touching. n all the while, he was asking me to treat him.. aiks.. next time, there will come a time when i will indeed treat him and his wife (he's married, mind u, readers, in case any funny thoughts come into your mind bout him treating me..)..
and the house... well, it's almost done with painting. :)
haiz.. honestly speaking, i need to take up ownership of the house. somehow, it never gets into my head that it would be my own house, my home. cos the house is under my brothers' names, n oso i always hav this thing about going to Japan n staying there for dunno how many odd years... so when it comes to deciding on things for the house, well, i jus dun think i shd b the one making the decisions. so mostly i leave it to my mom. i guess this is not right.. but i m so indecisive at times over such matters. n i find it so much easier to jus adapt, or make slight changes.. o well...
a lot more things to be done.. choosing the furniture.. packing.. then unpacking.. ... ...
went for a short shopping spree in Bugis, but somehow the mood wasn't set in for shopping, and the Christmas effect has rubbed off on me even though more things are on sale now, esp U2. I jus managed to buy a pair of pants (which i was wearing today) when i went out with my frens for dinner last week. today, nothing seemed to appeal to me, which is good, cos i shdnt b spending. haa.. even my language sounds languid, n in need of much lifting up. soon, soon, bear with me a little while longer..
it's funny how things seem to look so differently when u're in a different mood. how the food doesn't appeal as much, how my stomach doesn't seem to be hungry (even though before the test, I was thinking of snacking in this Jap restaurant which is having 50% discount on ala-carte dishes..), how the mrt seems much more crowded... it's funny too, that this is not altogether that funny, and yet I use the phrase "It's funny..." to describe those things... and ya da ya da ya da...
Okie.. i promise to cheer up. today started off fairly well actually. even my postgrad student treated me filet-o-fish meal for lunch. i thot he would jus buy the burger, but he went ahead and bought a meal set for me. how touching. n all the while, he was asking me to treat him.. aiks.. next time, there will come a time when i will indeed treat him and his wife (he's married, mind u, readers, in case any funny thoughts come into your mind bout him treating me..)..
and the house... well, it's almost done with painting. :)
haiz.. honestly speaking, i need to take up ownership of the house. somehow, it never gets into my head that it would be my own house, my home. cos the house is under my brothers' names, n oso i always hav this thing about going to Japan n staying there for dunno how many odd years... so when it comes to deciding on things for the house, well, i jus dun think i shd b the one making the decisions. so mostly i leave it to my mom. i guess this is not right.. but i m so indecisive at times over such matters. n i find it so much easier to jus adapt, or make slight changes.. o well...
a lot more things to be done.. choosing the furniture.. packing.. then unpacking.. ... ...
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
my dental experience.
yeps. i went down to the dentist today, to have my teeth inspected and see whether they were fit for wearing braces. heee.. it was those things that i did out of vanity, n i had always wanted to put braces on since back in my teenage years. heh hehh.. well, my undergrad students hav braces in their mouth, n one of them had a dental postgrad do it for her at a flat rate of $2000! so that was really cheeeep!!.. hehehee.. yea, szeyung the cheepskate.. :P
anyway, i asked my dental undergrad fren if she needs any patients to put braces on, so she recommended her fren for me. in a way, i was helping her, n she was also helping me to cut cost. today's x-ray onli cost me $12.. hehee.. so cheeeep!!! akakaa... but there were a lot of things i hav to comply with. she needs to do a facial profiling of me.. sounds chim eh? well, it's jus looking at my face contours.. in crude terms, she simply stared at me, n she was politely telling me to bear with it.. hehee.. it was kinda fun.. but i guess it was more of work for her.. poor gal.. she has a quota (ie. number of patients) to meet, n once she meets that quota, well, that jus means she gets to sit for her final exams.. hehh.. some kinda reward, that is!
oh, n she oso did a teeth cast for me. she used some seaweed extract n mint powder, mixed it in water to form some plaster-like material, put on a metal casing then chuck that into my mouth. hee... i thot it would take a long time to dry up, but it onli took less than a minute!.. so cool!!!... *grinz..
next time she might do scaling n some cleaning up for me. i think that would be necessary cos i hav not been to the dentist for the past 2 years.. *blush*.. not a very good habit. hehh.. but that would onli cost me $4!! cool.. so cheeep!.. hehee.. ^^
yeps. i went down to the dentist today, to have my teeth inspected and see whether they were fit for wearing braces. heee.. it was those things that i did out of vanity, n i had always wanted to put braces on since back in my teenage years. heh hehh.. well, my undergrad students hav braces in their mouth, n one of them had a dental postgrad do it for her at a flat rate of $2000! so that was really cheeeep!!.. hehehee.. yea, szeyung the cheepskate.. :P
anyway, i asked my dental undergrad fren if she needs any patients to put braces on, so she recommended her fren for me. in a way, i was helping her, n she was also helping me to cut cost. today's x-ray onli cost me $12.. hehee.. so cheeeep!!! akakaa... but there were a lot of things i hav to comply with. she needs to do a facial profiling of me.. sounds chim eh? well, it's jus looking at my face contours.. in crude terms, she simply stared at me, n she was politely telling me to bear with it.. hehee.. it was kinda fun.. but i guess it was more of work for her.. poor gal.. she has a quota (ie. number of patients) to meet, n once she meets that quota, well, that jus means she gets to sit for her final exams.. hehh.. some kinda reward, that is!
oh, n she oso did a teeth cast for me. she used some seaweed extract n mint powder, mixed it in water to form some plaster-like material, put on a metal casing then chuck that into my mouth. hee... i thot it would take a long time to dry up, but it onli took less than a minute!.. so cool!!!... *grinz..
next time she might do scaling n some cleaning up for me. i think that would be necessary cos i hav not been to the dentist for the past 2 years.. *blush*.. not a very good habit. hehh.. but that would onli cost me $4!! cool.. so cheeep!.. hehee.. ^^
Sunday, January 02, 2005
2004 came. 2004 went. and I would be shifting house this month. i went to have a look at the place already, n it looked so different from that time when it was well furnished. now it looks stark naked, and not very much like home. needs cleaning, painting, and a whole lot of work. thank God that NTU is giving us 2 days unofficial leave to make up for the two public holidays that fall on Saturdays. so i will b making full use of them to help out with the shifting.
i had a family celebration for the new year countdown albeit the loss of much festivity. we did pop the champagne, n photos were taken. yet there wasnt anything much after that. yesterday night i went for my church network chalet. i din know that most (the girls) would go home by Sat night, so i missed catching up with them. haiz...
feel like putting this Charles Dickens quote cos it really speaks of how i feel right now:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us.
and what i make of that? well, i can simply say, i look forward to year 2005...
i had a family celebration for the new year countdown albeit the loss of much festivity. we did pop the champagne, n photos were taken. yet there wasnt anything much after that. yesterday night i went for my church network chalet. i din know that most (the girls) would go home by Sat night, so i missed catching up with them. haiz...
feel like putting this Charles Dickens quote cos it really speaks of how i feel right now:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us.
and what i make of that? well, i can simply say, i look forward to year 2005...
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Christmas came. Christmas went. And my momie is now here to stay, well, mb for a few months before she goes Brunei again. i cant label that as 'home' anymore, now that our house was sold, n according to her, the present owner has renovated the whole place. so it'll look rather different when i get to go back next year. sad thing is that i never get to say goodbye to it. mb it's better that way. i can get rather sentimental with places n things at times, n certain times such emotions were unnecessary n not very long-lasting cos i tend to forget them soon. human nature, or perhaps it's jus my nature.
anyway, i was refering to Christmas at the start of this blog. well, my church threw a bash party at Fort Canning on Christmas day, n it was lotsa fun. i enjoyed the company a lot, especially Irene's invited guests. they are really sweet n friendly. i kinda feel sad having to leave early n without much proper goodbyes. but well, i had to rush over to catch the Kung Fu Hustle with my brothers n sis-in-law at 1130pm. oh, that was a hilarious movie, i tell u. i laughed until i cried. Stephen Chow knows how to kick in at the right time with the right blows. he directed n wrote the scripts. this man deserves kudos.. hehe.. okies, mb some ppl dun really appreciate his movies, but i'm all out for the laughs. Meet the Fockers wld b next on my list! n i'd love to watch Phantom of the Opera, but no one to watch with me. mb i will save money n wait for my bro to come out with the DVD version for me to watch. i wun settle for VCD version with bad sound quality.
oh, i forgot to mention the day before Christmas. i spent one whole day at Bugis Junction! amazing, isnt it? i was sposed to meet sister BL there for hairstyling, but she din come till much later. *ahem.. hahaa.. anyway, i din mind as this gave me sufficient time to do my christmas shopping for my family. i bought pressies for my bros n sis-in-law. not cheap stuff as i m working now, n i figure i shd buy them better things, that they can use.
then later tgether with BL, we went to Reds to get our hair styled, n by that, i meant curled. hehee.. it's jus a temp thing, jus to see how we wld look like with curls. well, it was good. i love the curls, so did BL. but it was sad too, cos even before we went home, our hair had straightened considerably. BL's din even seem to hav any more curls at all! thank God we took neoprints when we still had our curls. lovely neoprints they were too. will scan n put them in yahoo photos when i hav time. (which is like many years later.. :P)
we had dinner at this Jap restaurant. the food there is really cheap. i mean, reasonable la, esp when the serving portion is big n filling. one thing i like bout Jap food is the effort they put into food presentation. when something looks good, they usu taste good as well (unless i'm the one who prepares them.. :P). so we enjoyed our meal a lot. i love trying out new places, not to mention Jap food!! me n BL lingered longer in Bugis n finally ended up outside St Andrew's Cathedral to do the countdown, n sang "O come o ye faithful". it was so meaningful then, cos the clock had past 12 n it was christmas day - a day to remember Jesus when He was born in Bethelhem.
then i prepared brunch for my bros n sis-in-law on christmas day too. my 2nd bro bought campagne n yeps, we had a pop-the-campagne session to inaugurate our little home celebration. (remind me to upload pictures when i get them developed!) the log cake tasted really good. it was a simple meal together, but i treasure this kind of occasion a lot. :)
that's christmas for me, and new year is around the corner. here's giving everyone a warm n loving spark to start the year 2005.. *hUGgies* n niTes!!!
anyway, i was refering to Christmas at the start of this blog. well, my church threw a bash party at Fort Canning on Christmas day, n it was lotsa fun. i enjoyed the company a lot, especially Irene's invited guests. they are really sweet n friendly. i kinda feel sad having to leave early n without much proper goodbyes. but well, i had to rush over to catch the Kung Fu Hustle with my brothers n sis-in-law at 1130pm. oh, that was a hilarious movie, i tell u. i laughed until i cried. Stephen Chow knows how to kick in at the right time with the right blows. he directed n wrote the scripts. this man deserves kudos.. hehe.. okies, mb some ppl dun really appreciate his movies, but i'm all out for the laughs. Meet the Fockers wld b next on my list! n i'd love to watch Phantom of the Opera, but no one to watch with me. mb i will save money n wait for my bro to come out with the DVD version for me to watch. i wun settle for VCD version with bad sound quality.
oh, i forgot to mention the day before Christmas. i spent one whole day at Bugis Junction! amazing, isnt it? i was sposed to meet sister BL there for hairstyling, but she din come till much later. *ahem.. hahaa.. anyway, i din mind as this gave me sufficient time to do my christmas shopping for my family. i bought pressies for my bros n sis-in-law. not cheap stuff as i m working now, n i figure i shd buy them better things, that they can use.
then later tgether with BL, we went to Reds to get our hair styled, n by that, i meant curled. hehee.. it's jus a temp thing, jus to see how we wld look like with curls. well, it was good. i love the curls, so did BL. but it was sad too, cos even before we went home, our hair had straightened considerably. BL's din even seem to hav any more curls at all! thank God we took neoprints when we still had our curls. lovely neoprints they were too. will scan n put them in yahoo photos when i hav time. (which is like many years later.. :P)
we had dinner at this Jap restaurant. the food there is really cheap. i mean, reasonable la, esp when the serving portion is big n filling. one thing i like bout Jap food is the effort they put into food presentation. when something looks good, they usu taste good as well (unless i'm the one who prepares them.. :P). so we enjoyed our meal a lot. i love trying out new places, not to mention Jap food!! me n BL lingered longer in Bugis n finally ended up outside St Andrew's Cathedral to do the countdown, n sang "O come o ye faithful". it was so meaningful then, cos the clock had past 12 n it was christmas day - a day to remember Jesus when He was born in Bethelhem.
then i prepared brunch for my bros n sis-in-law on christmas day too. my 2nd bro bought campagne n yeps, we had a pop-the-campagne session to inaugurate our little home celebration. (remind me to upload pictures when i get them developed!) the log cake tasted really good. it was a simple meal together, but i treasure this kind of occasion a lot. :)
that's christmas for me, and new year is around the corner. here's giving everyone a warm n loving spark to start the year 2005.. *hUGgies* n niTes!!!
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
ho ho ho.. merry christmas in advance, jus in case i never get to blog again until the great day has gone past... as u can see, my sposedly updates 'later tonite' was, erm, many nights after.. *chuckles.. sorry, maties.. i got busy.. :P
well... yea... Mission Trip brought a different sense of satisfaction. (for those who dun know, i went for a Mission Trip with the main objective of feeding the Orang Asli in the state of Pahang.)i was given a taste of a different lifestyle, n come think of it, i think i have received more from them than they from me. sure, i may have blessed them with food, but they have given me food for thought. n how much would u price such good food? well, besides that, the scenery and air is magnificient up there.. not forgetting the walk. well, the villages are a few clicks from the main road, and it being the rainy season now, well, the tracks are not exactly fit for cars, not even most 4-wheelers. anyway, we had to make some journey on foot, at night some more, n skidded on the path many times.. felt like surfing on the mud at times.. n coupla ppl fell a few times *chuckles.. i almost did, but thank God for supportive frens thru'out the trekking.. ^^
one word to sum it all up: simplicity. this is what i felt. they hav a simple life, simple faith. i guess life is not as complex, or rather need not be thus. life can be, n perhaps actually is, simple. i dare not make the statement that life is simple for fear that there will be third world war in the minds of those who refuse to accept such statement. perhaps, this is true for myself. i always remember this one question i posed to my cell leader. i asked her, "why is life so difficult?" n she said 'why do people make life so difficult?'.. she has a point there. no arguments. yet to actually believe n live that out. well, that would b what i would now term as The Orang Asli Way of Life. *chuckles..
well... yea... Mission Trip brought a different sense of satisfaction. (for those who dun know, i went for a Mission Trip with the main objective of feeding the Orang Asli in the state of Pahang.)i was given a taste of a different lifestyle, n come think of it, i think i have received more from them than they from me. sure, i may have blessed them with food, but they have given me food for thought. n how much would u price such good food? well, besides that, the scenery and air is magnificient up there.. not forgetting the walk. well, the villages are a few clicks from the main road, and it being the rainy season now, well, the tracks are not exactly fit for cars, not even most 4-wheelers. anyway, we had to make some journey on foot, at night some more, n skidded on the path many times.. felt like surfing on the mud at times.. n coupla ppl fell a few times *chuckles.. i almost did, but thank God for supportive frens thru'out the trekking.. ^^
one word to sum it all up: simplicity. this is what i felt. they hav a simple life, simple faith. i guess life is not as complex, or rather need not be thus. life can be, n perhaps actually is, simple. i dare not make the statement that life is simple for fear that there will be third world war in the minds of those who refuse to accept such statement. perhaps, this is true for myself. i always remember this one question i posed to my cell leader. i asked her, "why is life so difficult?" n she said 'why do people make life so difficult?'.. she has a point there. no arguments. yet to actually believe n live that out. well, that would b what i would now term as The Orang Asli Way of Life. *chuckles..
Thursday, December 16, 2004
sinkin' my teeth now into the delicious chicken wing rice. o yea.. never mentioned to many ppl before, but the kopitiam in the small sunshine shopping place near my hdb block has very good chicken wing rice! *two thumbs up*.. after the good food in Ipoh, i jus cant imagine myself eating any lesser food here, losing appetite for the common food.. *omigosh.. hahahaa.. :P
yea.. Ipoh was a great place for R&R.. u do nothing there, but eat n rest.. n watch astro.. a laid back life, yeps..well, for first timers like me, i really crave for outdoors, to see what there is in Ipoh.. so when i saw my frens settled n satisfied with watching astro... well, it sorta got onto me for a while.. guess i wasnt that used to the relaxed pace of life there.. after a when i got a hang of it, i was driven back to Spore.. *sobz*... i miss Ipoh......
now to finish my food.. more updates later tonite.. ;)
yea.. Ipoh was a great place for R&R.. u do nothing there, but eat n rest.. n watch astro.. a laid back life, yeps..well, for first timers like me, i really crave for outdoors, to see what there is in Ipoh.. so when i saw my frens settled n satisfied with watching astro... well, it sorta got onto me for a while.. guess i wasnt that used to the relaxed pace of life there.. after a when i got a hang of it, i was driven back to Spore.. *sobz*... i miss Ipoh......
now to finish my food.. more updates later tonite.. ;)
Friday, November 26, 2004
watched two movie since the last time i blogged. first one being Incredibles. really a 5 out of 5 movie, way out of this world.. hahaha.. i would recommend all my frens to watch, esp with ur family cos i think this is really a good family movie, or with a bunch of frens.. a good laugh out n stress releaser.. hehehe.. for the sake of those who still hvnt watched yet, i shall not say more except this: "Go watch lah!"... *chuckles*
then the other one, jus yest night, was the Thai scary movie Shutter. the blur me din know it was Thai until the story reached the middle end when the main characters went from Bangkok to the small town, then i realised, yea, this is a Thai movie... *piangz... hahahaha.. yea, i was that blur lor.. cos i was expecting to watch a Korean scary movie.. hahaa..
well, it is a totally different genre from the first movie.. stimes i dun know why i still wanna go watch scary movie cos i get scared most of the time when i get out of the cinema. my fren was fine cos she said she forgets n does not take the movie home with her. well, i do. perhaps it is also cos i believed in evil spirits n thus am more afraid of such things... haizz... mus really think twice before i watch another horror show... :(
then the other one, jus yest night, was the Thai scary movie Shutter. the blur me din know it was Thai until the story reached the middle end when the main characters went from Bangkok to the small town, then i realised, yea, this is a Thai movie... *piangz... hahahaha.. yea, i was that blur lor.. cos i was expecting to watch a Korean scary movie.. hahaa..
well, it is a totally different genre from the first movie.. stimes i dun know why i still wanna go watch scary movie cos i get scared most of the time when i get out of the cinema. my fren was fine cos she said she forgets n does not take the movie home with her. well, i do. perhaps it is also cos i believed in evil spirits n thus am more afraid of such things... haizz... mus really think twice before i watch another horror show... :(
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