Reminiscence...

Met up with Elmo and TC for dinner yesterday evening at Sakae Sushi @ Westmall. We didn't eat much... mainly ordered small sushi items... partly didn't eat a lot cos Elmo and I wanted to eat off the conveyor belt but we were all seated in the inner area where items served on the conveyor belt would have been removed by many other patrons seated before they could reach us. Chewed on lots of edamame though... haha, guess no one else really liked them that much so they could all reach us! =.= Anyway, the focus of the evening definitely wasn't food... we were much more interested in just talking. :)

How time flies. It did so last night as the three of us chatted on, and it did for the past many many years. As we updated one another with regards to what's going on in our lives and our near-future plans etc, I couldn't help but sigh about time passing by in a flash. The three of us have known one another for more than half our lives -- almost 16 years, in fact! -- and gone through so much together throughout our years in secondary school, and then in jc.

TC also showed us recent pics of some of our other secondary school classmates/ schoolmates on his phone as he accessed their facebook profiles. Viewing the pics resulted in lots of memories flooding back and I started to miss the faces of these people I was looking at. Some of them I used to be on quite close terms with, while others were just acquaintances, but whatever it is, there was the unmistakable feeling of a bonding, simply due to the fact that we were all products of the same school. :)

Although some of them clearly put on or lost weight, many still look the same, so during that short period of time, I felt as if I was transported back to the days when we were still schooling together. Among these people whose pics we were poring over, some we still contact on an occasional basis, while others belong to a different clique. But I wonder... if one day, we were to all gather once again, would our previous chemistry/ sense of bonding surface once again? Would we still have lots to talk about, given our vastly different experiences in the paths we have chosen to take since we separated?

Even if I never knew the answer to the above questions, there's one thing I can be sure of -- all these guys and gals will not be forgotten entirely as long as my memory still functions fine. To them all, thank you for having been once a part of my life. :) And to those whom I still keep in touch with, thank you for still being there in my life. :)

CNY 09 Food Post! Mmmm... ;P

I'm oh-so-very-tired... went back to work today after the CNY break. Students 'stoned', I also 'stoned'. During the first few minutes of curriculum time, we sort of just ended up staring at each other while waiting for our brains to start functioning. :p

Never mind, never mind. At least there's the thought of yummy food I had for the past few days for me to relish... hee.

Pre-CNY meal: SCORE!!!

The day before CNY eve, I cooked lunch for Hubby and myself. I was so pleased while eating the lunch cos, for the very first time since I started cooking for us, Hubby awarded me up to 8 marks outta 10 for the dishes I prepared! *grin grin grin*

Tada! Here's my first masterpiece...broccoli with stir fried prawns and capsicum (Ooohh... love the fat fat prawns. They're more expensive than the usual type I buy, but I think it's worth it...The first time I cooked them was with pasta, but they didn't taste fantastic. This time, I improved!)

Actually, there's a second dish that I got a high score for, but it's minced prawns and meat roll prepared by Mummy, and which I simply cooked with some onions, golden mushrooms and seafood chilli sauce, so I don't think I can gain full credit for that. :p

CNY 09 Reunion Feasts

The next day was CNY eve...Hubby and I had 2 meals that left us really bloated. :p We had reunion lunch at AMK with my in-laws first. Cool... loved all the dishes cos, like I told my MIL, each dish was a representative of my favourite for each food type.

See... prawns (fav seafood), mushrooms (my all-time fav), chicken (fav meat), leek and broccoli (fav veggies) and there's soup (yep, I'm a soupie). Yum... and MIL mixed chilli padi and garlic with light soya sauce, which went really well with everything, especially the steamed prawns. Thoroughly enjoyed the lunch (though I unknowingly consumed a piece of pig's stomach, which I thought was some kinda mushroom... eeewwww...wish Hubby hadn't told me later on).

In the evening, we went back to BT for steamboat, the usual form of reunion meal that Mummy prepares annually. Love the soup... so sweet cos of the yellow beans and scallops that were added, and also loved many of the 'balls' that were on the table.

Fish maw, button mushrooms, prawns, tau kwa, seafood tofu sandwich, cocktail sausages, balls with mushroom filling, shitake mushroom balls, sliced fish, salmon 'balls', fa cai, abalone, cai xin, shrimp wanton, large fishballs with cheese filling (which I really really loved!)... wah, initially thought the meal was manageable, cos there didn't seem a large quantity for each item, but boy, was I wrong! Just a bit of everything = a lot of food! In the end, we couldn't even finish all the stuff. :p Luckily I went for a walk after dinner with Hubby, Beebee and Qiyan, who popped over as usual after her reunion dinner. That really helped to ease the bloated feeling.

CNY Day #2

Day #1 saw Hubby and I chilling out at home, with me spending some time preparing work which, I was later told, was not a good way to start the new year. Oh dear, guess I have to be ready to slog like an ox this year. Haiz. But still enjoyed most parts of the day with Hubby. :)

Then came Day #2. Hubby and I went temple visiting with Papa, Mummy and Beebee as usual. We made it for mee sua at the famous temple at Bishan (alamak, famous yet I forgot the name :p). And cos we didn't have that many temples to visit as last year, we ended the temple visiting by mid-afternoon and were able to jalan jalan at Jurong Point.

Wow, discovered that the NTUC Xtra there is open 24 hours a day. Cool... but hmmm, would there be shoppers in the wee hours of the morning? Anyway, we also came across this kawaii place where people could purchase and design their own cakes! This would be a really sweet gift for someone. What a delicious idea... :D

Later in the early evening, we settled down for dinner at Fig & Olive. It was the first time any one of us tried the food there. Overall not bad lah, but Hubby didn't quite enjoy his meal cos instead of the medium steak that he ordered, he got a well-cooked steak instead, and had to chew glumly on the tough meat. *sayang sayang* But the rest of us pretty much enjoyed our meal.

We also visited my aunt and uncle, who helped to take care of me when I was a kid. It's been so long since I saw them. Felt a little sad upon seeing them cos they've really aged a lot, and visiting their apartment brought on a sense of nostalgia. Sigh, those days when I was younger were really so much more carefree too, compared to the hectic and stressful working life that I lead as an adult now. But at least, I have Hubby now. :)

Okie, I'd better get back to work now while I watch the animal documentary on Okto. :p Looking forward to meeting up with Elmo and TC come Friday evening. :)

PS. The fortune cookies I bought were so 'zhun' lor! Had so much fun distributing to colleagues and family too. Some were so accurate that they were hilarious! Must buy again next year... hahaha.. ;D

What the... ???

Hubby returned home an hour ago, and immediately proceeded to show off his purchases today. Yes, he spent the whole afternoon outside, shopping about on his own. Will blog about some of his purchases which I thought were really nice. Tonight, though, I'll just focus on this one that *ahem* will make one stare... er... in wonder? In fascination? In puzzlement? In confusion? And the list could go on... but in my case, I simply stared BLANKLY.

Yes, this is it. The THING that my watch fanatic of a husband bought at Fossil. He came across this in the papers and went off eagerly in pursuit of it.

This THING is a watch, but with no hands, and which you can wear only where there's sunlight. That's cos it's a *ahem* sun dial watch.

Before Hubby opened the box to unveil it before my eyes, he warned me not to go 'huh'. The next instant, when I saw it, I went 'HUH????!!!!' And now, he says it's his favourite watch. =.=

Oh well, as long as he likes it and remembers not to put it on if he goes out at night. :p

Red red goodies! ;D

Yeah! Talk about being in a New Year celebratory mood already... haha... went to the supermarket after work to shop for little annual treats during this festive period to prepare for my wonderful form class. Though they're in Sec 4 now, I think they'll still be pretty excited over the goodies... heh, even I got pretty thrilled at what I found while shopping about.

TADA! Here's Yoshi guarding all the bags of goodies that I packed for the kids... and check out what each bag contains:

So red hor? Heh. This is the first time I purposely picked out all those treats with red packaging to suit the occasion. Can't believe I didn't think of that before. What I'm most thrilled about is this large box of individually packed fortune cookies I found. Didn't plan on eating any, but since there were some extras, and I was really curious as to whether there'd be a note in each cookie, I just consumed one... and really found a note!

Hee, so fun... my note says "Your kindness is surely to be repaid". Whoa, if this was anything to go by, I guess I'd have a rather good year ahead. ;) Can't wait for the kids to eat the cookie and discover their note! :D This year, I also included an ang bao in each bag. Will enclose a note to each kid, asking them to slip some donations into the ang bao and return it to me next week for the hong bao donation drive to help the less privileged students in the school. Hopefully we can raise a substantial amount.

Happy New Year, kids! :)

New Year Mood...

Happy Lunar New Year (in advance)! Wah, dunno why... I'm just suddenly in the mood to celebrate Chinese New Year. Been feeling like this the whole day today. Maybe it's cos I need that break from work!

But then again, it doesn't seem like it's simply about getting a much-needed breather. I'm actually relishing the thought of shopping for bak gua to give to parents and in-laws later this week, and also looking forward to 2 great feasts on CNY eve! Will be having reunion lunch at in-laws' and reunion dinner at my parents place this year. Yum yum! ;D

Btw, was hunting for some articles online for work when I came across a website that describes the general outlook for the Year of the Ox. Well, I sort of got interested cos this year began with quite a bit of turbulence, especially with regards to the economy, so I just read on to find out more. Not that I'm superstitious and believe fully in such prediction -- it just never hurts to know stuff like that. :)

And here's what I found out:

"The year of the Ox is associated with domestic trouble that seems to have no solution. The grounded, rational, earth influence of the Ox may bring good fortune to troubled economic times but only with a sustained, well planned effort. The Ox influence brings an aversion to risky credit and quick answers that are not well conceived. The Ox year brings success only through discipline and through hard work. The steady ox is quick to anger when confronted by what seems to be irrational opposition, but the use of reason works well and avoids a charge by the angry bull. There is much danger of war and unrest if diplomacy does not prevail.

The last time the earth Ox was seen as the ruling influence was January 29, 1949 - February 15, 1950. The world suffered a recession in late 1948 and early 1949. The world economy recovered during the year of the ox due to rational decisions and careful planning. By 1951, the recession was over. Many will be searching for a quick solution to the current economic crisis, but the ox favors a well planned, consistent path that will take more time but lay a foundation for long lasting results. The strong earth influence of this year favors a strengthening of the housing market, but risk takers will not find this year favorable. Those who look for long term benefits, have a well thought out plan and are willing to work to see results will find great success.

Baby boomers who were born the last time the brown earth Ox ruled the zodiac celebrate their 60th birthday this year. Those who are influenced by the Ox will have experienced many years of good fortune if the planning, hard work and discipline of the sign were heeded. Those who failed to plan are given a new opportunity this year. If the lessons of the past are integrated, the future brings harmony and good fortune at home and in business."

Hmmm... sure hope the economy recovers soon and that peace will prevail everywhere...

Hog's Breath Cafe

Hubby and I met up with HZ and Jess for lunch at Vivocity yesterday and passed Jess her birthday pressie. Glad she seemed to like the watchbox from Hallmark. :) We had lunch at Hog's Breath Cafe at level 3. We'd never eaten there before. When Jess first mentioned it, Hubby's first reaction was "What do they serve? Pig ah? All pork stuff ah?". Hee, so cute. Anyway, it's basically a place specialising in Western food, not pork lah. :p The place reeks of American style in terms of decor and food. I even had crab cakes for the first time (see pic in centre!), which I'd heard of before in the sitcom 'Friends' and used to be curious about. Haha. Here're all the items paid for...

And what we got for FREE! A mudcake with a generous scoop of vanilla icecream... Jess told the waitress her birthday was just 2 days ago so the waitress promised her this yummy dessert on the house. Wah, not bad, not bad. Even supposed to have live band playing during certain time slots. Next time see who else celebrating birthday, can go again... heh.

Okie, Hubby's home already. M sleepy now... will sleep soon and hopefully dream of icecream and mud cake and cheesecake and crab cake and...ZZzzzz...

Cheesecake mission complete! But...

As agreed, Beebee came over for the cheesecake adventure last Saturday evening. I got ready all the ingredients and Beebee got to work soon after dinner. I was observing her most of the time, but took orders from the master chef to hammer the cookies to bits and fold them in with the cheesecake filling from time to time. Think she's lazy and just wanted to make use of my muscles. :p

And here's the oreo cheesecake after refrigeration...

Sprinkled little colouful stars on it for a bit of decoration, then cut it into slices, 2 of which Hubby and I shared as breakfast the next morning.

The verdict? I thought it was passable but Hubby failed it! ;( He said it was worth at most a 4 out of 10 cos he didn't quite enjoy the taste of the cheesecake filling, and also said the butter tasted weird. Sigh. Too bad I can't eat much of such sweet desserts, else I would've eaten more cos I'm ok with the taste. Oh well, at least I more or less know how to make cheesecake now. :p

Cheesecake Prep!

Met Beebee yesterday after work, mainly to go shop for ingredients to make cheesecake with! Heehee. Mummy finally agreed to make use of the new toaster oven she'd been given some time ago, so Beebee re-discovered her love for baking and creating desserts recently. Later this evening, she'd be coming over to make cheesecake at our place, so we decided to get the ingredients in town first.

Beebee took me to this place called Sun Lik Trading Pte Ltd at 33 Seah Street. It's a pretty traditional-looking shop specialising in baking-related items. But I had fun looking around cos it's got lots of useful items that one might need for baking, be it fun sprinkles, essences of all kinds, recipe books or simply utensils/ equipment. See, I even found a baking tray in the form of my favourite comics character, Spidey himself! ;P

Besides us, there was a steady stream of customers going in and out of the place. Guess this place must be well-known among those who love to bake... :) And the uncle there's pretty nice... patient and polite to customers. Anyway, after visiting that shop, I realised how goon-doo I was when it comes to baking. Kept asking silly questions and grabbing tools that I thought were what Beebee needed (but were actually meant for a totally different purpose) and ended up having her shake her head at me in resignation. Haiz.

Also dropped by Marketplace supermarket at Raffles City later on to buy more ingredients. Yaay... really looking forward to the cheesecake adventure when Beebee comes later. We'll have dinner first then she'll start work on it. Hope I learn how to make it too cos then, I can do that on my own in future... hee.

Speaking of dinner, yesterday we also tried this new stall at the newly renovated foodcourt at Raffles City, renamed The Food Place. It operates like a yong tau foo stall, except that instead of the normal fishballs etc, you get to pick veggies/ seafood etc. for the people there to fry into tempura. Then you can order either udon soup or rice to go along with your meal.

For a Japanese meal, I guess it's cheaper than what one'd pay at Japanese restaurants, but it's definitely a few bucks more than what normal yong tau foo would cost at foodcourts. Beebee spent about $8 on her meal, while I paid $10 or so, cos I picked 2 prawns on top of the veggies/ mushrooms I had, and each prawn cost $1.80. In fact, most small seafood items cost $1.80. Larger pieces of fish would be more expensive.

The meal tasted pretty good, but dunno why after that, as we were walking about, both our tummies felt a bit weird. Beebee even went twice to the loo, so she sulked, saying that she wasn't ever gonna patronise that stall again. :p Luckily I was ok after a while.

Okie, now's my turn to prepare dinner for all of us. Tata! ;)

First purchase @ Fancl...

Yeah... finally managed to get my eyebrows done this afternoon. Zoomed off after work to Fancl at Jurong Point to meet Stephanie, the wonderful gal in charge of dealing with my bushy brows. :p Wah, luckily she gave me directions to the new Fancl outlet there... since the mall was revamped, they've relocated to another area. It's bigger and definitely more comfy doing my brows there now.

Stephanie also offered me a 5 minute basic skin test using some cool technology whereby she used some scanner thingy, pressed it against different parts of my face, and showed me immediately on a screen what my pores looked like up close. Then she explained how certain parts of my face needed more moisture, and how some parts were a bit more oily etc. But it's good to know that generally, my skin condition's pretty ok. Anyway, it's pretty fun doing the skin test. Next time maybe I'll try the more detailed one that lasts about 15 minutes. Hee.

Sigh, after the wonderful service, and considering the fact that she's been plucking my brows for over a year without me ever purchasing anything from the store, I decided to buy something from there after the skin test.

There! That's the sebum care pack that I bought today -- my first item ever purchased from the store. There are 8 satchets in all in that box, which costs $27.50. Supposed to work well especially on the T-zone to reduce pore size, oil and blackheads. It's like a mask that you rub on the affected areas and leave on for just 3 minutes, then rinse off. Pretty cool. Just have to use like perhaps twice a week, so this'll last a month.

Hmm... after a month, I'll go do the skin test again, see if got improvement. ;)

Survey!

I love doing surveys most of the time... especially if I'm in a relaxing mood or if I've the time to complete them properly... :) But never ask me to stop to answer people who carry survey forms on the streets and just plaster a fake smile and ask you to answer some questions. Had bad encounters before plus don't like doing surveys in that sort of hurried manner under the hot sun. :p

Anyway, noticed that Beebee put up and answered some survey questions on her blog recently... hmm, actually it's not some, but 50! Well, the questions are simple enough to answer and they allow me to tune in to myself once again cos the last time I did such a survey was probably when I was still a teen. Heh. Plus, whoever reads my responses would also get to know basic info about the latest ME! ^_^ So... take a deep breath, and here goes!

1. What time did you get up this morning?

I got up at about 10.30am this morning...on weekdays, I wake up between 5.15am and 6.00am depending on how much stuff I've to settle before my first lesson starts. *groan* Yeah, that's what I go through for about 40 weeks each year. That's why weekends I tend to sleep in a bit more. Must catch up on my 'beauty' sleep mah! =@=

2. Diamonds or pearls?

I don't much care if I never get either, but if I really have to choose, I'd say diamonds now cos of their sparkle. But ask me twenty years down the road and I might say pearl! I think pearls are very classic-looking and embodies purity. ;)

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?

Guess what? It's been years since I watched a film at the cinema! The last time we did that was before the price of movie tickets increased! Now, Hubby and I usually buy DVDs instead, especially if they're good shows and come at a discounted price. I've grown used to it, and find it more comfortable watching films in our own TV lounge with the air-con on and curtains drawn (if it's daytime). Plus, we get to eat whatever we fancy and sit or lie however we like as we watch the show! Hehe.

4. What is your favorite TV show?
I used to be quite the TV addict when I was younger, and that was my nickname as well! As a young kid, I'd follow whatever Chinese drama was on TV and be so absorbed that I won't respond even when people call out to me. :p Now, I've got my karma. Ever since I started working full-time, I haven't been able to follow drama serials as before. But I did watch the full 10 seasons of "Friends" on DVD, and I love this sitcom so much that I still watch the episodes over again if I've time! So I guess it'll have to be that! ;D

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?

On weekends, cereal and milk, unless I decide to whip up something special. On weekdays, it could be sandwiches or biscuits, or I might have rice/ noodles during the mid-morning as brunch.

6. What is your middle name?

Me not caucasian, so no middle name. No English name even. But when I was in primary/ secondary school, some friends called me "Christina" on and off. Haha, even wrote that in my autograph books. But it was never official. When I got older, I toyed several ideas for an English name, and almost settled on "Vernette". But it never manifested into action, so now, I'm still known by my original Chinese name lor. :p

7. What food do you dislike?

I don't like to think of myself as a fussy-eater, but I guess I can be labelled that cos there are so many types of food I don't eat, either cos I've a phobia or I just don't like the taste. I don't eat beef, oysters, clams/ mussels, frogs' legs, animals' organs, raw fish/ meat... and these are just what I can come up with offhand. Whatever it is, I'm not the adventurous type when it comes to food, so never ask me to sample some exotic cuisine cos I don't have the stomach for it. =.=!!!

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?

No favourites; I listen to whatever I'm in the mood for.

9. What kind of car do you drive?

Whatever vehicle I like in Nintendo Mariokart. Wheeeee!!! ^_^

10. Favorite sandwich?
Chicken/egg/seafood (crabstick/prawn) mayo... But it's still best to create my own sandwich cos can include whatever I like and maybe even come up with a new taste!

11. What characteristic do you despise?

Actually, there are two I dislike most: 1) lack of compassion towards humans and animals alike; 2) pure arrogance

12. Favorite item of clothing?

Hmm... no favourites either. But my favourite way of dressing is smart casual attire.

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, you´d go to?
Anywhere that's safe and where I can enjoy winter! :)

14. Are you an organized person?
That depends on when this question is posed to me. I'm not so anal about being neat all the time, but there'll come a time when I can't stand my own messiness and I'll just spend some time tidying up stuff. But this year, I'm trying really hard to be more organised and neat so I have less to worry about!

15. Where would you retire to?
Wah, haven't thought of this before... A nice, peaceful countryside with cool climate and farm animals? Hehe, I dunno... but guess it'll still be good ol' Singapore, as long as I retire with my loved ones still with me.

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
Hmm... there's no 'most memorable'... as long as I'm happy, every birthday's memorable. :)

17. What are you going to do when you finish this?
Maybe blog a bit more or watch tv...

18. Furthest place you are sending this?
I'm posting this on my blog, so the world's the limit!

19. Person you expect to send it back first?
Heh, not everyone as bo liao as me (and Beebee :p) to bother doing this...

20. When is your birthday?
30 May 1980

21. What is your shoe size?
My size must be a very common size among women... always run into problems buying shoes I like cos they often run out of my shoe size or, if I'm lucky, I manage to buy the display pair. =.= Anyway, that's a size 7 I'm talking about.

22. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
Beebee... she was 'scolding' me for booking eyebrow trimming session without her. Not my fault! When I free, she's not. When she's free, I'm not. What to do? Plus my eyebrows really like weeds like that so out of control liao... if don't trim, I'll have to wear bushy brows through CNY!!!

23. How many Pets?
No pets... :( I want... but cannot... no one to take care of them properly at home. Must be a responsible pet owner... cannot buy on impulse ya?

24. Any new and exciting news?
Nah...Can't think of any...

25. What did you want to be when you were little?
A doctor when I was in kindergarten, cos wanna be noble and save lives. But scared of bloody operations, so changed ambition to teacher when I was in primary school cos wanna make a difference. Stuck to my ambition all the way. :)

26. How are you today?
Not very good. A little sad, discouraged, upset cos of work-related issues. Sigh.

27. Favorite flower?
None actually...

28. What are you listening to right now?
Hooked on swing still!

29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
The start of the next school vacation!

30. What was the last thing you ate?
Mushrooms, chicken, egg, noodles (mainly the meal that Mummy packed last night)

31. Do you wish on stars?
I used to, when I was younger. But now, no time to look up at the sky, let alone spot stars!

32. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
That depends on my mood. Now, I'd say blue, cos feeling a little melancholic. When I feel bright and cheery, I'm a yellow! Get me mad and I turn black... serious! People have felt my angry vibes before just by looking at my face when it's black... haha.

33. Favorite soft drink?

Until recently, it was coke zero cos no calories/ sugar etc, can drink without much guilt yet taste delicious coke. But guess what? I found out through youtube videos that Coca Cola sponsors cruel rodeo shows, in which animals have been fatally injured or treated badly. So, uh-uh! No coca cola for me anymore!

34. Favorite restaurant?

That'd have to be any Japanese restaurant with a conveyor belt! Love looking at food moving towards me and choosing what to eat just like that. ;) Plus, sushi's got a healthy taste.

35. Hair color?

Warm brown

36. What was your favorite toy as a child?

The first one was a 'two-faced' rag doll. It can look happy on one side but turn to the opposite side and it shows a sad teary face. When I was happy, I hugged the happy face. When I felt sad, I hugged the sad one. Haha. When young, there were basically only these 2 emotions most of the time. After that, my favourite toy was a plush gorilla named "lilla boy" whom I'd talk to every night before I slept! I still have it... it's in the storeroom now... smuggled it back home from my old bedroom when Mummy mentioned throwing it away... NOOOOoooo!!!

37. Summer or Winter?
Winter, of course! I'm all for cold weather... hate getting sticky and sweaty unless it's for a good reason.

38. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Vanilla!

39. Coffee or tea?
Or me? Hehe. Used to be coffee but find it rather dehydrating as I get older. So now, it's tea for me.

40. Do you want your friends answer?
If they have the time and energy to do this, why not? :)

41. When was the last time you cried?
Just, when talking to Hubby. Was recounting some incidents related to work and sort of got all teary-eyed. Sigh. But then again, I cry over every little thing, even movies! So my eyeballs get washed pretty often. :p

42. What is under your bed?
The floor, cos the base lies full flat on it!

43. What did you do last night?
Went back to my parents' place for dinner, followed by a 1 hour 45 min game of monopoly with Beebee and Hubby! (Guess who lost eventually? Sigh. Who else but me lor. Always like that one.)

44. What are you afraid of?
Losing my loved ones, my freedom and my memory.

45. Salty or sweet?
I don't have a sweet tooth, unless it's cakes and ice-cream we're talking about...so probably salty.

46. How many keys on your key ring?
I've got 3 separate key rings -- 2 at work and 1 for home. The one I carry to and fro has got 3 keys on it.

47. How many years at your current job?
Going on 6 years.

48. Favorite day of the week?
Friday, or any day when I don't have to get up so early and go to work the next day!

49. Do you make friends easily?
I'm not the super warm and talkative type. It takes time for me to warm up to people. But it also depends on whether I share the same 'frequency' with whoever I talk to. If the chemistry is right, I can warm up pretty easily. :)

50. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends?
I think I do!

Finally done with the survey! Spread over 2 days to complete... haha. So now's Monday already... :p

Tired and grumpy...

Yeah, that's what I'd look like now -- if I were a cat.

I'm sooooooooo soooooooo tired....and kinda grumpy...

This week has been such madness, and I still have to go back to work tomorrow from 7am+ to afternoon (goodness knows what time exactly I can be off)... there goes half my Saturday... ;(

Am swamped with work too, so except for the first couple of days this week, I haven't been able to relax every evening after work like I resolved to. First week of school and I've broken one of my resolutions to help treat myself kindly! Boo hoo... Also, initially thought could meet Hubby and go out gai gai once I'm done for the day tomorrow, but was given some urgent work to clear by Monday, so we probably won't be going out to jalan at all this weekend. More boo hoo...

And this whole week, I've been continuously irritated -- and this is coming from someone who was once voted the most patient and agreeable friend/ colleague before ok -- by somebody whom I have no choice but to see every day. Poor Hubby and Sophia -- they had to lend me their listening ears a lot this week as I poured out my 'anguish' to them... Haiz... long long story. And I would have to tolerate that person for the rest of the year at least... omg... I really dunno how I can take it.

This weekend will feel so short and busy and before it, Monday will be here again... *groan* *moan* *mutter* *cry* *scream*!

Just trying to relax...

Guess what? Am watching "The Mummy Returns" on Channel 5 now while blogging. It's a show I wanted to catch since I watched "The Mummy" and simply loved it. This one's pretty exciting and fun to watch too.

More importantly, this move is part of my new routine this in an attempt to ensure that I have a better work-leisure balance. For the past few years, I'd always been sort of a workaholic, working continuously for almost all my waking hours during weekdays, even during the evenings when I returned home. This year, I've decided to build in more structure and try not to work after I return home in the evening. Hopefully this will help me sleep better too since I get to relax a few hours before bedtime instead of working all the way till I need to sleep. Guess this falls under the "kind deed for self" resolution. :)

Hope I manage to keep this up!

Weekend part II: Salmon first in 2009!

Yeah! Not bad not bad... managed to cook something for the first time during the first weekend of 2009... hehe.

Yep, this is it -- pan-fried salmon. :D MIL brought this over when she came to visit us a few weeks back. Since we stayed home yesterday cos I had to work, I decided to end my evening with cooking this as my new venture. So I defrosted the salmon fillet, did some research online as usual to see how I can cook this, and...voila! Mission successful!

Hubby gave me a 7 to 7.5 for the dish. Hee. Good enough! And I made the special lemon mayonnaise to go with the fish... by mixing lemon juice with mayo (of course! Hee). Think I can try cooking salmon fillet more often in future. :)

Weekend part I: Babies!

Had a wonderful weekend with BABIES! Twin baby girls, to be precise. Hee.

Dropped by HZ and Jess's place last Saturday afternoon and had the chance to play with their twin nieces, Elsie and Chloe. These babies are every bit as cute as the bunny babies on the left, I tell you. ^_^ Even had one of them to myself for half an hour or so, with me trying to entertain her and keep her from getting annoyed or crying cos she was waiting for her meal. Hehe. But gosh, sure had a little taste of the hard work it takes to care for a baby. :p

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed myself! :)

Fresh start...

2009's here! Dunno to be happy (cos the new year offers new opportunities in life) or not (cos I'll be another year older...Ugh...) but I guess as a slightly more optimistic person, I'd like to opt for the former -- to be happy!

Enjoyed blogging so much last year that I prepared this brand new blog last week to allow myself another year of blogging ahead on a fresh new slate. And check out my new pet kitty on the left... haha. Discovered it online and just thought it'd be fun 'playing' with it using the cursor. It purrs and meows too! Hee.

This year, I've also decided that instead of listing new year resolutions (which I give some thought to each year but might not even remember by the end of the year :p), I'll just adopt a simple way of living each day. Some time ago, I read an inspirational book of letters written by a grandfather who is paralysed to his autistic grandson, sharing with him his personal life experiences and imparting the lessons learnt from each of them. In his letters, he more than once emphasized that life isn't about money, career, material goods etc. Many have fulfilled their ambitions in this area but still end up with an empty void in their hearts. What true, meaningful living encompasses is love -- love to oneself, love towards others. Only then can one realise the essence of living.

I totally agree. And to help myself lead a more fulfilling life each day, I will follow faithfully the following:

Each day, do...

1 kind deed for the environment,

1 kind deed for others &

1 kind deed for self.

It might not be a lot, and it might not seem very impactful to some, but it does offer me the flexibility of accomplishing a wide variety of good deeds in the year ahead, as long as they benefit the earth, others and myself, and don't result in any negative outcome. After all, the world can't hurt with more of nice deeds, can it? :)