Chapter Forty Two

When mushrooms bloom

2010-07-13T13:49:00.003+08:00

I will dance in the rain.

Now I don't remember when was the last time I blogged.

I only recall reading other people's blogs.

I think I have been kind of a depressive maniac the past few days.

Been down with flu, bad bouts of cough and a scratchy throat.

It made everything seem lousy.

It made me feel pathetic.

I badly needed someone to tuck me under the covers with a mug of tea.

Steaming hot and comforting.

Like that time when I was sick with stomach flu in Austria and the bf was around.

As the days go by,

I kinda realised that the distance is getting to me.

It's really hard to only see each other for 2 months a year.

So what should I do with the other 10 months?

He goes for festivals and to the lake while I hang out with my friends.
He plays in matches that I never got to watch.
He watches F1 without me.
I really long to be able to be involved in all that and vice versa.

I have been thinking so much these days.
About who is gonna move and so on.
I decided I should and got down to planning for it.
But he thought it wasn't such a good idea afterall.
Then he said it would be easier for him to relocate to Singapore.
But I shot it down.
So, what's next?

Let's both move together.

Scallops & Potatoes

2010-05-20T16:03:00.000+08:00

Randomities.

Oooooooh.
Just realised that I have been on a hiatus for close to about a month.
Don't remember if I have been busy or lazy.
Ah well.
I believe must be more of the latter.

Everyone has gone away on a holiday.
Some has even gone and returned.
So it's my turn tomorrow.
Supa.

Life has been pretty much smooth sailing the past month.
Nothing much to complain and nothing much to rave about either.
The only bad thing so far is that I am down with flu two days prior to my trip.
This is the second time I succumbed to the evil illness right before a trip.
But I have been faithfully taking my meds and drowning in water.
Feeling like a bird now.

My motto this week is "Take it easy".
Been trying to take everything easy so that Friday will come.
But time seems to crawl.
Can't remember how many times I have actually checked in online.
The system would probably auto-shut me out if they knew.
Hahahah.
But you know the silly things people do when they have too much time on hand.

Choosing Between

2010-04-27T15:46:00.000+08:00

Black & White.

Getting listless these days.
Work seems kind of unpredictable.
Sometimes I feel motivated,
While sometimes I just don't get the drive and energy to do anything.
Especially when I think of what's ahead.

I wish things were easier.
I wish things would simply float past on a cloud
And I can grab them as they past.
Ya ya.
That's wishful thinking exactly.

No doubt I am looking forward to the trip in May.
Yet I cannot seem to get past the thought that 10 days will be over in forty winks.
And when I come to the part of four empty months,
I can't help but hang my head in exasperation.

One year is almost up.
Fast but... mhhhh not so fast afterall.
I wonder if I have the energy to get through another year of this.
So what comes after next year
Another year?
But then again,
It's not that I have another choice anyway.

The more I think about moving,
The more dispair I get.
Answer-less questions keep swimming around in my head.
What should I do there?
What can I work as?
What happens to my responsibilities here?
What happens to the company?
Will I be happier?
Where does my money come from?
Will I fit in?
Can I adapt?
3 months seem easy enough.
But it's a total different story when it comes to staying for good.

Somehow I wish I were more talented.
Somehow I wish I had more money.

Creating

2010-04-25T18:51:00.001+08:00

Shockwaves.

What do you do when someone tells you he loves you more than his life?
I cried.

Cakes

2010-04-19T11:01:00.002+08:00

With the best friend.

Met up with Xin for a short supper on Friday night.
I couldn't quite recall who told me that the cakes at Caramel were good.
But this piece of info lingered at the back of my mind for the past 2 weeks.
And I decided to go check this place out.

Caramel is located next to The Cathay.
It was a small shop but nevertheless, nice.
The one info that I truly remembered was that the strawberry shortcake there was really goood
And so i had to try it.

Xin ordered a marvelous looking marble-chocolate coated cake with marshmallow and peanut butter filling in between layers of sponge cake.
A tad too pretty to eat I would say.
It took alot of persuasion to dig our forks into the cake.
Each slice of cake cost us about 8 bucks but the portion was pretty worth the money.

Taking a short break after a long week feels incredibly good.

Tell Me

2010-04-12T12:52:00.000+08:00

What Matters.

The past week was kind of hellish.
Failed tests, stressed over work, sad over goodbyes, little unhapiness and the list goes on.
The fact that Dani was here helped
But it has also made me realised that work affects the both of us to a large extent.

Then the thought came to me:
Is it wise for us to work together?
Will the problems at work destroy our relationship eventually?
Perhaps it's something that we have to learn to deal with.
Hard but definitely manageable.
That's where our temper and control comes into play.

We had little arguements along the way.
The fiery emotions fired up by the issues at work.
No doubt we worked it out in the end but it left me feeling dissatisfied at the end of the day.
I think I had this idealistic picture of our relationship.
I pictured ours to be a perfect one.
We didn't have any unhapiness until now.
So I was disappointed that the relationship was perfect no more.
And I was afraid that the little bits of unhappy memories would eat into the relationship bit by bit.

But we spoke about it yesterday.
And everything worked out fine.
Through this, I learnt that maintaining a level of openness and honesty in a relationship is important.
Communication should be the rule of thumb.
The reason why many relationships break down boils down to poor communication.
I guess i have been through that too.

I remember how i used to always keep quiet and say nothing when I am unhappy.
I stubbornly refuse to talk even when the ex-bf asked.
But now I make it a point to voice out and to share the unhapiness so that we can talk about it and work something out.
It is always so easy to simply say:" Nothing"
Yet a simple nothing often leads to more unhapiness.

Perhaps the good thing about Dani is that he believes in talking as much as I do.
And he makes the effort to work it out with me.
A trait that I greatly appreciate.

As we move along in life,
We learn to love, to let go, to understand, to embrace.
I have also learnt that when someone good comes along,
Hold on and don't let him/her slip by.

Friends around me are getting hitched.
It's always heartening to see your friends finding their soulmates and life partners.
I can't say for sure that I have found mine
But I feel that there's a possibility that he's mine.

Easter Sunday

2010-04-12T11:31:00.003+08:00

Let's Go Hunting!

A backlogged entry.

Had my first taste of Easter this year.
Good Friday was spent indoors lazing around.
So we celebrated Easter Sunday instead.

I was greatly excited about the prospect of egg hunting amongst the grass in the garden
And painting the eggs thereafter.
So the bf prepared an Easter present for me.
He hid it out in the garden and sent me on my Easter hunt.

After all the hype,
It was time to make the Easter eggs.

I found out the trick to get a clean egg was to blow the contents out and rinse it with water.

It was hellishly fun to paint the eggs.

Had a spread of glitter glue, markers, fabric paints etc.

And this is what we both came up with after 2 hours.
I was damn proud of my final two creations.
The christmas egg as Dani calls it and the Easter egg with the hand drawn rabbit.

The first three eggs that we came up with.
Mine was Humpty Dumty while Dani's made no sense.
Was some form of abstract art.

The Choco-bunnies i got as presents in my Easter basket.

Immensely satisfied with my very first Easter Sunday.

Thursday's

2010-03-25T11:57:00.003+08:00

Restlessnessicity.

It’s 945am and I’m sitting at my desk about to blog about my restlessness today.
Though the bf shoos me off to sleep by 12am every night,
I haven’t had a fitful bout of sleep since the start of the week.
And bad dreams don’t make it any better.

Have been anxious about the arrival of today.
Now that Thursday is finally here,
I’m getting all fidgety and restless from the waiting.
6 more hours to go.

Didn’t managed to climb this week.
Only went for yoga on Monday with Mich, Jared and 2 of Mich’s colleagues.
We did Sivananda yoga this time with Asokan.
Less tiring than Hatha and still as enjoyable.
I think Jared has decided to join in our weekly routine of yoga
Which I am truly happy about.
Cause yoga has not been something that young guys are highly enthusiastic about
It has always been deemed as a more womanly sport isn’t it.
Nevertheless,
It’s always great to have more company.

Have been attending yoga lessons with MIch for close to 5 months now
And I see us progressing steadily week-by-week
But what really makes me smile is the fact that I have such a nice yoga buddy.
We share the same views and interest in the type of yoga to practise,
We share the same enthusiasm for yoga,
We go for delightful dinners thereafter,
We talk about anything under the stars,
All in all,
I treasure the kind of bond and understanding that we have.
As we move on in life,
People come and go.
The rest may have drifted,
But I hope ours is here to stay.

Signing off.

Saturday Brunch

2010-03-22T11:54:00.003+08:00

At Spruce.

Ok.
Healing my stomach at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon.
I wouldn't say i had brunch though that was what it was supposed to be.
It was lunch.
Was my first time there and i adore the place already.
The first thing I did when I sat down was to whip out my bb and start snapping pictures.
Then i sent it via bbm to the bf and told him i'm gonna bring him here.
Hahah.
And my next thought was to bring my mom here the next Saturday morning.
After which,
I wondered if it would've been too far fetched for me to own something like this.

I sat waiting for xin to arrive while drinking in the surroundings.
Reminds me of the breakfast one Sunday morning i had in Melbourne.
The feeling, the deco, the food and the people.
Links my thoughts immediately to the breakfast place by the train station.
The food was surprisingly identical.
Though i still preferred the one i had in melb.
That aside,
I saw a few familiar faces.
Yap & Shumei.
I was watching them through the glass from insde.
I bet they didn't know haha.
Jessica.
I was pretty sure it was her.
Some life-science girl whom i knew by face but not by name.
The whole world was there
Then how come i never knew of such a nice place?!

I think i ought to stop gorging on yong tau foo on Saturdays.

Time to get out of Lucky Plaza and see the world!

The food was pretty good.

Foccacia bread, german sausage, scrambled eggs, sauteed mushrooms and roasted potatoes.

The portion looked small but nevertheless filling.

Topped it off with a cup of cuppacino and that sums up my Saturday brunch-lunch.

The big brekkie we both ordered

Xin

Interior of Spruce

Strech Fit

2010-03-19T15:16:00.001+08:00

Excuse me, are these my arms

Finally got down to hard exercises this week.
Climbing on Monday,
Yoga on Wednesday,
And blading on Saturday.
Climbing was good.
Cause climbing was with Sandra, Claud & Dan.
The routes were harder than those that I've been doing recently,
Tough but exciting.
But I know I'm far from san's and claud's current standard.
Need to buck up.
Nevertheless, I'm not gonna stop climbing.
Along the way,
I realised that I really enjoy/love/enjoy/love climbing with san.
She's like my motivation to climb (do hard routes).

Yoga was absolute fun.
And absolute pain (literally).
I never knew hatha yoga could be so intense.
Only 20 minutes of it left me with jelly legs
And I made a fool of myself in class.
With thighs already aching from last week's yoga session,
This week's yoga really killed my legs.
Despite that, I still enjoy every single session of it.
Cause I really see the improvement after each class.

Then i'm left with blading tomorrow at ECP.
I hope it'll be another full sweat-out session.
Once tomorrow comes,
The weekend will go by in a flash.
Anticipating the arrival of Thursday.
Just 6 more days to my hug.

This World

2010-03-17T09:43:00.002+08:00

The Freedom To Feel. In Words.

The conversation with JJ yesterday got me writing this today.

I recall reading Jansen Ko's post on his fb 2 weeks back.
His bold revelations sparked off a flurry of comments.
Some questioned.
Some criticized.
Some defended.
Some supported.
While many others simply liked what he wrote.
On a personal note, I was impressed.
Impressed by his boldness, his incredibly long write-up, his concrete examples.
The first question I had in mind was:
"Exactly how long did he take to compose this"
I didn't have the patience to read till the end
Nevertheless I could guess what he was going on about.
No doubt that post wasn't music to everyone's ears
But I thought it was a truthful account on his part.

I got to read his most recent blog post and another one before.
All I felt, were written with true emotions.
I'm not saying that most people do not write with emotions.
But I just think that many write selectively.
Myself included as well.
Many times, we do not write about the way we feel.
Is it the fear of being judged?
Or is it that revealing our inner thoughts reflects the weak and vulnerable sides of us.
Is that why guys tend to put up a strong front?
Is that why guys can never admit that they are hurt and that they cry too?

I have always respected people and especially guys who dare to show their true feelings.
There exist a stigma where guys who cry are seen as fragile and unmanly
I call that nonsense.
Perhaps I am a crybaby myself
But who doesn't cry?
Who doesn't feel hurt?
Who doesn't have feelings?
In fact, people who wear their emotions on their sleevs are more endearing.
At least you don't constantly have to guess their moods.

One other blog that I enjoy reading is xiaxue's.
No doubt she blabbers at times,
Write about superficial stuff,
Complains inccesantly,
And even though she may not write in fluent english,
Her comments and opinions reflect upon her true feelings.
The way she writes reflects her personality.
Something not many can afford to do.

Writing this post also makes me reflect upon myself.
Would I start writing the exact words of my thoughts?
Or would I write with caution?
I guess I'm gonna try to let the feelings flow.
At least I think my previous posts have been a true reflection of my thoughts and feelings.

On a Monday Morning

2010-03-15T08:44:00.002+08:00

The past & I

It was a Sunday that i didn't felt like talking much.
I had alot to say and had stuff to tell but I couldn't find any compelling reason to talk.
I was supposed to tell my parents that I am going away again in May.
Was supposed to tell them about my trip to Bintan next weekend.
But I figured I didn't need the nagging yesterday and so i clammed up.

It was also a Sunday that I thought about love, friends, people, my life and the past.
I thought about the people whom I loved and still love as well as the people who loved/loves me.
I am thankful for the friends who stood by me through the hard times.
Perhaps one of the darkest period of my life was the breakup.
But through that, I found people whom I could always count on
And at the same time, saw through some people for who they really were.

I always thought that it was wrong to take sides when mutual friends break up.
How does one judge based on stories alone?
My belief stands at the notion that both parties have a part to play
So I was bothered by someone's behaviour recently.

That aside, I thought about my love life - the past, present and future.
The past:
I didn't regret the relationship.
He ever asked me if I would hate him for wasting my time if our relationship broke down one day
My immediate answer was no.
And even up till today, my answer still holds.
It served as a good turning point and learning platform for me.
Though it didn't work out in the end,
It was nevertheless unforgettable in a way.
But it also struck me that we never did talk about marriage or our future together.
I remember times when I would ask myself if I would marry him one day
And I left it unanswered for the longest time
I guess I just wasn't sure if he's the one I wanted to be with for life.
Ironically, I am curious to know what he thought.

The present:
Work has not the most wonderful experience
Yet it is through work that I found what I have been searching for.
You know how people always say that the sunshine will appear after the rain?
I have been through the rain
And now I get to the sunshine part.
It rained hard on me.
During that downpour,
I let myself believed the lies and the empty promises.
I blamed him for being such a bastard
But I know I should blame myself for being so stupid.
Like how this saying goes:
"If he hurts you once, shame on him. If he hurts you twice, shame on you"
This can never be more app.
I was never angry at him moving on.
I was angry at him for lying.

The current relationship brought a new meaning to my life.
I think we share alot more in common than we know
And I think we pretty much have a understanding between us.
The most important aspect of this relationship is that we love the other for who he or she is.
Even for the character flaws.
One thing i know for sure is that I feel satisfied in this relationship.
Basically, there is nothing lacking between us.
Perhaps only the distance.

The future:
I was never someone who really put much thought into planning for the future.
Living by the days seemed good enough for me.
But now I know that I got to think ahead and plan ahead.
I have honestly thought about moving.
Felt that I needed to be away from home for awhile.
Having tasted being alone and away from home in a foreign land,
The thought of it lures me like a drug.
Tempting me time and again to move away.
Of course, being able to close the gap between me and dani is like icing on the top of the cake
But there is more to consider than just simply moving.
We talked about our future together.
And we both know that we do want a future together despite all the obstacles along the way.
There are people who don't think we will make it work
There are distances that we have to cross
There are issues that we have to face
And life-changing choices that we have to make.
Yet I am still confident that our time will come.

Leaving the long term plans aside, I would very much like to focus on the days ahead.
We talked about me visting in May.
We planned for a bike expedition in the woods,
A midnight escapade out on the lake with the sail boat,
And camping trip over the weekend.
Time will be a tad too tight to squeeze all of the above into 10 days.
But I'm sure we can pull off the first two at least.

Somewhere along the way as I was writing this,
The present and future doesn't seem as bleak anymore.
Yes, there are marks that have marred the records
But these marks are there for a reason.

Embarking On

2010-02-24T10:44:00.003+08:00

My Buy-A-Farm-Fund

I decided i should start saving for my farm now.
The thought prompted me to start my Buy-A-Farm-Fund!
I'm really trying to stick to the habit of dumping in money daily
And hopefully my piggybank overflows soon enough
Hahah.

We calculated.
One square meter of farmland is gonna cost us approximately $15.
So i said we should buy one sqaure meter of land every year
But i realised we won't even have enough land to build a farmhouse by the end of 50 at that rate.
So, 100 square meters of land per year looks more promising.
That would put us back to about $1500 per year.
Then I thought of building a dog house, buy a dog and make him watch over that 100 sq meters of farm.
Sounds perfect!
Except when dani asked who is gonna feed the dog.
Can't we put an automatic food dispenser?

I have decided.
I want one of every farm animal, 1 dog and 2 cats.

That time again

2010-02-21T23:53:00.002+08:00

Time to say goodbye.

I counted.
This is the fifth time i said goodbye.
It has been almost 8 months and time flies indeed.
I wonder how many more goodbyes will there be.
Cause saying goodbye is so draining.

We sat at Popeyes waiting for 2235 to come.
And plans for the next few trips began to materialised.
Then he said to me:
We make our decision at the end of the year.

Mondays

2010-02-08T16:19:00.002+08:00

Chasing the midnight train.

Overslept this morning! My usually dependable alarm didn't go off this morning though my phone wasn't on silent. So i got an extra hour of sleep. Not that i mind though. Hahah.

Everyone's supposed to feel refreshed for the start of a new week after having the weekend to rest but i'm feeling quite the opposite. Still aching from Friday's climb and the full day of shopping on Sunday didn't do my aching limbs any good. Thinking back, I think I haven't had the opportunity to sleep for more than 6 hours during weekdays since I came back last June. That's almost 8 months of sleep deprivation!
Okay. I am not supposed to complain. People always try to convince me that sleep is a waste of time anyway though I disagree.
I need sleep. Lots of sleep. I really enjoy the days spent indoors watching tv and sleeping with the bf. The routine consists of sleep, wake up, tv, food, tv, nap, wake up, tv, food, tv, tv, lots of tv and finally sleep again. I love days like that!

On a grey note,
My day was off to a great start until now.
I think when 2 persons cannot get along, they simply just don't no matter what.
Period.

You got me saying

2010-02-03T08:30:00.002+08:00

Ayo, I'm tired of using technology..

The best thing about being is school is that there are no politics.
No doubt exams are such a bother but at least that's all we have to worry about right

Have been so stressed up these couple of weeks.
And i don't know how to deal with all the impending issues.
All i know is that i feel like a beef patty.
Stuck in between everything else.

I always believed that when it comes to work,
Personal feelings should be put aside.
It is like an unspoke rule.
I know for sure that this is no easy feat.
Because feelings always dictate the way we behave.
But even if someone like me (who is highly drmatic and emotional) can do it,
Then i don't understand why people who have worked for a dozen years or more cannot do the same.
I find it absurb that I have to be the one teaching my seniors that.

No one really comprehends the position i am currently in.
And it's incredibly difficult to make either parties understand.
Neither side is making things any easier for me
Yet i am just trying to be fair to both.
If only work was less complicated.
If only people were more forgiving.
If only adults behave like adults.

If only.

Festivities

2010-01-28T14:39:00.002+08:00

Jealous Old Cow.

I decided this morning that I should just pretty much blog about random stuff and thoughts.

Cause it motivates me to write more often.

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So everything’s been set.

I just got to wait for 2 more weeks.

Now that CNY is round the corner,

Everyone’s in the mood for playing.

And I already have major plans for fun in mind.

Have to draw up a ‘To do’ list in case anything slips my mind.

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Now that CNY coincides with Valentine’s day,

It seems that the latter is more or less neglected.

I don’t see people getting all excited about V day

I don’t see shops actively displaying V day gifts and products

I don’t see many restaurants and hotels coming up with any V day promotions.

Not that i mind though,

Cause everyone will have to celebrate V day together this year (hahah).

How nice.

No lonely souls,

No odd ones out,

Everyone just have got to love each other this Vday.

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This CNY and V day will be different in every way for me anyway.

Alot happier and alot more exciting.

Pretty lucky this year cause bf is spending Vday and CNY with me.

But how many more lucky years can I have.

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Just went to view the rooms at Raffles Town Club.

Booked the Studio Room for 6 nights and the Lavender Spa Suite for the remaining 4 nights.

The spa suite is definitely something to die for!

Steam room + Jacuzzi right in the room.

Can have my own personalised spa (haha).

But then I was thinking of a Jacuzzi party.

HAHAH

Studio room

Lavender Spa Suite

The pictures don’t do the rooms justice

Here goes

2010-01-25T11:00:00.004+08:00

What’d you say

Ok.

Here goes.

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Have a busy day ahead of me

But I thought I’d like to take a little time to blog this morning

Because I have this whole chunk of stuff on my mind.

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Was listening in to Class 95 this morning

And some stuff dawned on me.

It wasn’t long that Glenn Ong and Jamie Yeo split up

And it also didn’t take long before he got together with Jean Danker.

So I wondered,

Why is it that there are people out there who can go into another relationship so quickly after one has failed.

And how come there are people who can find a new partner so easily.

Even when they seemed so in love even until the end.

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In this context, i define ‘quickly’ as 3 months or less.

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It was a struggle for me to get out of my previous relationship

And it took me at least 10 months to get into another one.

It was hard.

Really hard.

I couldn’t quite convince myself to start dating other people within that 10 months.

It was only when i resolved to get out of that rut that i opened up.

And coincidentally, Dani came along.

So things just took off from there.

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Posing the above question to different people yielded differing answers.

My colleague said:

“ Some people just can’t do without love and they can’t stand loneliness. So when someone comes along, they simply grab and go. There is no consideration about the future and very often, the relationship doesn’t last.”

My cousin said (and i quote her directly):

“ Love hits you when you least expects it”

My friend said:

“ Cos maybe the reason for the break up was caused by the new person”

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I thought all their opinions made sense.

It just depends on which scenario one falls into.

Some already have someone else in mind, hence they give up one for the other.

Some just have an abundance of potential partners around them, so it isn’t hard to pick from the pot.

Some simply cannot stomach the thought of being alone.

Perhaps I can never fully understand because I don’t belong to this group of people.

I guess as long as one is happy,

Nothing else really matters.

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For me,

Time was probably the essence.

While my stubborness was probably the obstacle.

It wasn’t until one day that i decided i should pull myself out of this mess that i managed to move on

And i know i will never live to regret this decision

Because it was from that day that I convinced myself to open up to others.

From then on, i never looked back again.

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And just last night,

Dani told me he met his ex gf with her new bf at a friend’s party.

They were kissing in front of him.

So I was curious to know how he felt.

He told me he didn’t feel bad or anything.

He just thought that it was interesting to see her in a different view.

Maybe I would find it as amusing to see my ex in such a way (haha).

Updates

2010-01-11T17:03:00.002+08:00

Day Two in Kitzbuehel

20th December 2009.

The first day of snowboarding was really tough.

We went down to the ski rental shop early in the morning to rent a snowboard for me.

And dani was already teaching me to snowboard while on our way back to the apartment to retrieve our belongings.

It was fun and we kidded around on the snow covered grounds.

But that was before my butt-numbing experience started.

We took the cable car up to the first peak and started off from there.

Dani told me i’d learn faster from falling.

As if (haha).

But i believed him anyway cause boyfriends are not supposed to lie right.

I already knew how to mount the snowboard on and had a rough idea of how to balance.

So dani decided we should learn how to break next.

The ‘back breaking’ was not so bad

I got the hang of it after awhile.

I fell a couple of hundred times that day.

On my knees and my butt,

And sometimes i cannot even regain my composure after falling.

Having dani hold on to me made me feel safe.

I could do almost everything with him around.

But once he let go, I was free like a bowling ball.

Free falling and tumbling and taking dani with me along the way.

It got so hard after awhile.

I was tired and frustrated and upset with myself, with my legs and the snowboard.

I felt like i couldn’t feel my legs anymore.

I felt so clumsy.

I felt so stupid.

I felt like i couldn’t even get something simple done.

I could feel the exasperation in dani’s voice too.

At times, he would look helplessly at me while i sat sulking in the snow.

He said to me that maybe we should stop.

Maybe we should switch to skiing cause it would be much easier.

But i stubbornly refused time and again.

I just needed to do it

And i so badly wanted to learn snowboarding.

I hung on till the end of the day

Then i broke down.

I was hurting so much,

From the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

My butt and knees were badly bruised.

I know i was being such a crybaby but i couldn’t help it.

But having dani made everything alright.

He sat beside me and just held me close.

He dried my tears and hushed me.

He told me we should go home because it was such a long and tough day.

And he said we would go down the rest of the way together.

I felt a million times better after that.

We made it down.

Drove home.

Had a hot and comforting shower.

And he nursed my bruises for me.

I never felt so loved and cherished.

Then i thought: “ It was all worth it”

Updates

2010-01-11T12:20:00.002+08:00

Day One in KitzBuehel

19th December 2009.

Packing and getting ready for the trip that morning while dani snaps away on his new Canon 500D.

I became his object of fascination for practising his photography.

He’s like the paparazzi.

So i cannot help singing Lady Gaga’s paparazzi to him whenever it’s on the radio.

Cause he snaps me doing every single thing.

He captures all my ugliest faces.

He catches me at my most umglam moments.

But i guess this is the real me. (haha)

We drove for almost 3 hours to get to Tirol/Kitzbuehel.

It is said that many famous and rich people come here from all over the world for skiing.

But i never did meet anyone rich or famous or anywhere close to that during my week long holiday.

We stayed at the Hartmann Apartment.

I like the setting of the bed in particular.

A private chamber specially for sleep.

But i wasn’t too satisfied with the pillows.

Cause they were too soft and made my head disappear all the time.

Did alot of unpacking and rearranging after grocery shopping at Spar (supermarket).

And we put Steward (our Christmas tree) out onto the balcony.

Dani whipped up a simple dinner of Spaghetti Bolognese for the both of us that night.

I couldn’t complain since i did nothing

But there wasn’t anything to complain either (haha).

Cause sometimes i think my boyfriend is a better cook than i am

And definitely a better cutter than me!

We went to bed early that night.

Had to get up early for our first day of snowboarding.

Updates

2010-01-11T11:38:00.002+08:00

Christmas Dinner.

Time for updates since I am back.

Have been ignoring my mails, facebook, msn and skype over the weekend.

The 3 weeks away from home felt so good and refreshing.

Just spending quality time with dani while doing nothing was really great.

I realised that i tend to lose track of time when we are together.

I couldn’t differentiate the days, the dates and more importantly, the time.'

Frankly, 3 weeks went by too quickly.

Time simply flew by.

Anyway, back to updates.

18th December 2009.

Spent my first Christmas away from home.

Had a simple Christmas dinner with dani’s family the day before we left for our trip.

Dinner was only bread with cold meat and side dishes, served with champagne.

Totally different from what we have at home during christmas.

Nevertheless, it was a really quiet and private yet intimate dinner.

I received a pair of snowboarding socks and a set of adidas socks from dani’s parents.

While i gave them a chinese tea pot set for christmas.

Dani got an adidas scarf which was put into good use during our trip.

We went last-minute shopping for his parents’ present on that day itself.

Got his mom a Calvin Klein perfume which he picked out himself and his dad a set of Parker pens.

I wanted to get Jan a lego play set cause he had a gift for me but i didn’t managed to find anything suitable in the end.

But Jan got a Monopoly set from Dani & Fabian anyway.

Everyone loved their gifts received and it was such a good feeling to know that your thoughts and well wishes are appreciated.

I didn’t bring out my gift for dani that night because we decided that we should do our gift exchange on Christmas eve itself.

Our plan was to take a walk at the Christmas markets after dinner

Cause i really want to see what a Christmas market is about.

So we drove into Linz.

But to our dismay, everything was closed.

The night was freezing at –15 deg.

My face was frozen still and i couldn’t feel my features.

I remembered asking dani to check if my ears were still on stuck on my head,

Something which almost got him rolling in the snow laughing.

Cold and miserable,

We only wanted a shelter and a cup of hot punsch.

But there no Christmas markets and no bars for us to pop in for a hot drink either.

Something which we attributed to our bad luck.

But somehow, i think i’m the bad luck girl who brings us bad luck.

We went home cold, frozen and empty handed.

Day 1 in Austria was good anyway.

I was tucked into bed, with a kiss and plenty of warmth.

And i drifted off to sleep in no time.

2009-12-15T14:17:00.002+08:00

Sunshine & Rainbows.

I asked:" What would the future be?"
He answered:" You, a house and a dog"

But what about my horse?

December

2009-12-14T10:35:00.005+08:00

Rainchecked.

Counting down once again.

3 more days till my long awaited holiday.

One more item checked off my list.

Accommodation in KitzBuehel.

We booked an apartment next to the mountains for the entire week.

That means:

1. I can have my christmas tree right in the middle of the room

2. We can cook for ourselves

3. I can decorate the apartment as absurdly as i want to

4. We can spend christmas right in the mountains

5. And i can have my white christmas

Perhaps the only thing lacking is a real fireplace.

Like those days we had in my apartment.

Now that I have gotten my rubber duckie snow boots,

(I stalked DHL every other hour to check the status of my boots).

H&M Mittens and leggings,

Mammut Beanie,

Snowboard jacket and pants,

Northface fleece sweater,

I'm lacking only the snowboard gloves and some outerwear.

But essentially speaking, i'm pretty much broke now.

I'm really excited about this trip.

Okay, maybe i'm excited about every trip.

But this is my very first christmas away from home

And my very first white christmas.

Can't sit still and wait.

Have been pretty busy with work

And have been lazy to blog

Which explains the hiatus.

Guess I will be more tempted to blog now that I have windows writer.

Makes it much easier especially with the pictures.

And once again, I have to thank JJ for this.

Pictures of the Hartmann Apartment

Poster bed!

A kitchen for me to destroy.

Gotta get back to work for now.

My feet are still hurting from the spatters.

Really need a pair of safety shoes.

2009-12-01T08:27:00.004+08:00

A song i heard

Just heard this song on the radio the other day.

memories backlogged

2009-11-30T11:19:00.002+08:00

Let them flow

It's officially 30 november.
The end of another calender month.
Have tried an abundance of new stuff this fateful november.
Albeit all the hustle and bustle.

Got my hands on some wool and needles to start knitting;
I know how grannyish knitting sounds but it is hard work i tell you.
Have been living with sore fingers for the past 2 weeks.
Started going for yoga with mich too.
Really enriching for the mind and body.
Tried kryoga, power yoga and hot yoga so far
And i have absolutely no complains!
My preference lies towards power and hot yoga because it is more intense.
No doubt the body aches like shit after that,
But it is so satisfying.

Ok.
I have about 17 days left to make my xmas gifts.
Need to speed up to express mode.

That inner voice

2009-11-24T17:18:00.003+08:00

Thoughts Aloud

Stealing the last 10 minutes to blog while i wait for my colleague to knock off.

My head is much clearer now that life's back to normal.
No more drama, no more heartbreaks, no more crying spells.
Looking back, I think that i have been crying alot over the past year.
Mostly for the heartbreaks but recently, for the happy moments.

Every failed realtionship is a good learning point.
This cannot be any truer.
I thought that i wasn't going to pull through but i did.
And i have grown emotionally along the way.

There are times that i ask myself if the last relationship was not meant to be.
I figured that perhaps we just weren't suitable for each other.
We were vastly different in characters, had very different expectations and were too stubborn.
Sometimes i feel that we just went through a routine.
We met, we fell in love, and just settled for what we had.
Character flaws that we could not accept;
Different view points and interests that we couldn't tolerate;
Inadequancies that we could not make up for;
Were all that broke us.
No, it may not have been a bad thing if everything had worked out.
But it didn't.
I used to think that i could simply settle for what i had.
Yet now i realised that was the longstanding issue.

One should not simply settle for anything.
Because it leads to voids within the relationship.
No doubt i was happy but it wasn't satisfying.
Sparks were lacking between us.
And we bring out the worst in each other.
Undeniably, we often drive each other up the wall.
I guess both of us just fell into a routine of being together.
I am sure that i am inadequate in certain ways to him.
And perhaps he realised it sooner than me.
Hence the decision.

Having been through the shit stuff,
It makes the road in front look promising.
At least for now, i am happy.
What came unexpected turned out to be something good.

I didn't forsee myself dating someone else so soon.
Especially not someone of a different nationality.
Yet right now, this is the best thing that has happened to me over the past year.
No doubt it is a matter of distance,
But up till now, there has been no major issues.
The absence gets bad at times but it blows over very quickly.
We may feel distant physically but definitely not emotionally.
The relationship may be a few months old,
But it's definitely intense.

In a short span of 5 months,
We did everything from working to travelling to living together (for awhile).
I never really had the opportunity to live in with anyone until now
But i have to say that i enjoy the alone time together.
From grocery shopping to cooking and washing to watching tv and extreme couching,
It's just the everyday stuff.
Yet, they are more significant than anything else.
Because we share a part of each other's daily life.

Lessons drawn from the previous relationship made me more determined to not repeat the same mistakes.
My character flaws are aplenty.
And i have to admit that i am not the perfect gf.
I wouldn't say dani's perfect either
But he makes me feel that i matter.
So i guess i really have to count my blessings.

Of course,
Both relationships cannot be compared.
Each to its own.
Different relationships just have to be handled differently.
But all that matter is the present.
And my life is fulfilling because i have a bf who actually thinks of me when he goes shopping (haha).

Emotions Raging

2009-11-20T16:44:00.002+08:00

I love friday

Just suddenly.
I'm feeling a rush of emotions.
I miss dani.
I miss bran.
I miss my sister.
It feels like ages since i last saw any of them.

1st dec is 11 days away.
17th dec is 27 days away.
20th jan is 61 days away.
I hate counting down.

Nov is coming to an end.
Can't wait.
Dec should be full of fun and love.
Dec should be white.
Should be cold.
Should be snowing.
Should be christmas.

I can already come up with a million things to do during dec.

uno, dos, tres, cuatro

2009-10-28T16:39:00.003+08:00

I know you want me.

Claudia's homemade romanian dinner:

Was delicious
Was awesome
Was mouthwateringly good

I adore her current residence much more than the condo at Dover.
The present apartment reminds me of many of my friends' apartment in Austria.
It's old yet spacious.
The layout, the walls, the concept, the toilet, the rooms.
Brings back a sense of familiarity.
Reminds me of how enjoyable house parties and get-togethers were.
Drinks and food were usually prepared by the occupants of the house while the rest simply contributed more beer and liquors.
The merry-making never stops until we see the daylight
And that's when everyone leaves for home and straight into bed.
I was often guilty of that too.
But it was really an unhealthy indulgence.

Coming back here put a stop to those late nights and drinking.
Life may be less wild and more disciplined
But it feels good anyway.
Moreover, skyping every night has kept me pretty occupied.
And I am contented as it is.

So,
Made tarts (together with Liying and NF) for Claudia's house dinner.
And here are the pictures to boast:

The first tray upon completion

Ningfeng's halloween creation

Love the peach heart!
(again, with compliments from nf)

We were told to post with our tarts

Perfect!
Getting ready to leave for Claud's place.

A food post

2009-10-26T16:57:00.003+08:00

Visual pleasures.

6th October '09

Celebrated dad's birthday.

Went for a simple dinner at The Mussels Guys at Vivo.

I was never a fan of seafood and mussels but gave one a try that night.

Unfortunatley, it's still not my cup of tea.

Hahah.

But for those who adore mussels, it is worth a try perhaps.

The chilli ones are not that fantastic but the cheese baked ones are quite good.

We ordered two different types of mussels because they were having a promotion:

Free 20g with every 50g ordered.

14th October '09

Greek food!

Went for dinner with dani at the greek restaurant just behind the train station, 5 mins away from the office.

Ordered a 2-person platter, pita, rice and salad.

Had a variety of meat: Lamb, chicken, lots of pork and overflowing with onions.

Didn't managed to finish the food because the portion was humongous.

But I have to admit that the food was delicious.

Although the meal cost us a hefty S$90.

Sometimes I really wish food was was cheap and superb as they are in Singapore.

SMU

2009-10-26T16:12:00.008+08:00

Vegas Night.

Have a myraid of pictures to post.

Backdating from 2nd october 2009.

Evidence of my laziness in blogging.

Ya. I have to admit that there has been no consistency in my blogging these days.

Mainly because I have been travelling a fair bit and I feel damn unmotivated to blog about anything.

But as I clear out pictures from my bb,

I decided that perhaps I should just do a few quick posts and put up the pictures.

Then I ought to start from the earliest:

Vegas Night organised by SMU.

Attended it for the sake of my best friend.

But then, I have to say that it was quite an event.

Pretty successful.

So,

I played a few rounds of mahjong and won.

Bet in a muay thai match and won again.

Accumulated quite a number of chips to exchange for prizes.

Managed to get a X-mini speaker which is really quite good.

Ok, but I have to admit that I got the speakers based on the fact that my best friend was the organiser (because I didn't have enough chips to OFFICIALLY redeem for the speakers)

Then took a bunch of silly photos:

And that sums up this post.

I could swallow half the moon

2009-10-23T12:23:00.002+08:00

Just to prove my love to you

Finally found my ideal snow boots!

Was pretty upset when I didn't get to buy the pair of Esprit boots but I guess I'm much happier with my current find.

Have been searching so long for a pair of functional yet trendy snow boots.

Considered Uggs, Adidas, NorthFace, Columbia... but I eventually settled for this pair of Snowjoggers from Rubber Duck brand.

Although Vincent says it's ugly but I really like it anyway.

Everyone's raving about it and i think it is:

1. Trendy enough

2. Sporty looking

3. Versatile

4. Practical & functional

Just ordered it online (thank you JJ).. waiting for it to be ship to me.

Ah, I'm getting all excited about it.

Secret desires

2009-10-07T15:24:00.002+08:00

Ablazed.

I dreamt that I was really evil just 2 nights ago.

I met this girl.
Hated her.
So I walked up to her.
Slapper her.
Punched her.
Scolded her.
And pulled out a bunch of her hair.

I woke up feeling damn evil.
But found it incredibly amusing.

Poor girl.
If only you know who is she.

Transcending space

2009-10-02T01:42:00.002+08:00

From one to one

Hearing him talk about his cat,
I heard the sadness in his voice.
I see the pain in his face.
And I actually felt it all within me.
I could feel his pain in me.
Hmmm

If a song could get me you

2009-10-01T00:27:00.002+08:00

I'd do it rock and roll

Don't know if I should go.
I could think up of a million reasons why I should
But I don't know if it really makes any sense.
I don't want to go without any objectives.
Don't want to end up wasting my time over there.
Don't want to come back learning nothing.
Cause I know I tend to get distracted.
Yet at the same time,
I know this is a chance for me to test myself.
To gain more exposure and experience.
A chance for me to learn more about Automation systems.
And also another chance for me to spend time with dani.
But I don't want to screw up and I'm afraid I will.
Cause it'll mean incurring additional unnecessary expenses
Something totally uncalled for.
So.
I'm still contemplating.
It's so damn tempting.

My Mid Summer Night's Dream

2009-09-29T12:02:00.004+08:00

Plays Into Autumn.

Touched down last evening.

With another 2 weeks flying by again.

Have been too busy/lazy to document the past weeks' happenings.

Perhaps I ought to jot down the important ones only.

My first major exhibiton:

Schweissen & Schneiden Exhibition in Messe Essen, Germany.

Was really an eye opener.

The quality of the show was awesome.

Lots of new products.

Lots of cool technologies.

Lots of intersting ideas.

And not forgetting,

Lots of beer and snacks.

The days were spent at the exhibitions while the nights were spent feasting.

What was memorable was the International Night by Fronius.

People turned up in their traditional costumes, ready to rock the night.

That's it for now.

Walking down the street

2009-09-14T00:29:00.004+08:00

I see the petals falling.

Just some random pictures from the weekend.

Was watching dani fix up his new bed over skype.
And i really enjoyed it..
It felt like i was sitting right in the room.
Just that i was invisible in a way.

Have been doing it quite often these days.
Just sitting in front of my webcam watching dani do stuff.
Keeps me involved in his life even though i'm not physically there.
So i can't do without skype now!

People have been asking if we had alot to talk about.
And I would say no.
We didn't have to converse all the time.
I guess we simply enjoy the company and the presence.

I think i am alot more independent with dani.

Starting with the bed frame.

Putting the finishing touches to the bed frame.
He finished fixing it within 10 mins as promised.
And Yan came along to help.

The new bed.
Right under the window.

Trying out the new bed while Yan fans.

Hahah.

Dani's glass of ice water from Yan.

The brothers.

Yan.

Love him.

Hey sunshine

2009-09-01T17:33:00.004+08:00

The art of seduction.

That's why dinners are never a chore.

Truth is true

2009-08-31T15:38:00.002+08:00

I am Aries, My Lover is Leo.

This is a sensational meeting of kindred souls, a sunny relationship filled with light, power, energy and strength. Snap up this lover who was made to satisfy an Aries. There will be no shortage of bright ideas, spicy conversations, and adventurous things to do. Your Leo's Sun falls in your 5th house of love, so this match has many qualities that will make you happy. You'll adore Leo's big heart and his or her way of being able to make you smile no matter how tough a day you've had. You both are fire signs, so you want to push the boundaries of life to the limit and discover the world around you. Fire signs are highly creative, so ideas will flow easily between you. The key to your success is that your expectations are big -- and on the same vibration. Because you want so many of the same things, you can make them come more easily.

Your lover adores romance and will surprise you in many different ways. Dining out is one of Leo's favorite things to do, so it's a sure thing you'll get to see some of the swanky places in town. Leo also is a snappy dresser -- male and female Leos always look put together, even if in the most offhanded way. They expect you to make an effort, too. Tired, tattered jeans and sweats day after day isn't going to get their heart thumping any faster. Your lover is very visual and needs to be attracted to what he or she sees on you as well as what is in you. Leo is a master of seduction, yet Aries likes to lead, so you may have to hand your lover the controls now and then. Don't worry -- this is one "war" in which you'll gladly surrender to your captor!

In bed is where you see how this tryst will lead to commitment. Love is hot, sweet, tender, and all-around terrific! You both have an awesome sense of passion, and sizzle up enough energy to blast a rocket to the moon. The Lion or Lioness is a proud cat, so never, never stray, dear Ram, or there will be hell to pay. Like you, Leo wants to win and be your one-and-only; being chosen second best would never be enough.

Are either of you practical? No, but you're highly productive, so hopefully you'll both generate enough cash to keep the wolf from the door. This is a partnership of two bosses, for both of you like to take charge. This is why you generate such strong electrical currents! There will always be dynamic tension present between you. Leo is a fixed sign, so you may bemoan their stubbornness at times. As the slightly more flexible of the two, you may have to bend to achieve closure. You know this is never easy for you. When the Lion and the Ram fight, they have screaming matches, with the Lion's roar intended to intimidate the Ram into submission. Better not to allow things to get out of hand. Suggest instead, in the sexiest, most erotic way, that you make up. Once hurt, the Lion's pride is hard to nurse back to health, so always let your lover save face if you want this union to survive.

You are made for one another and understand each other's needs, so don't let this sensual feline get away!

Credits from Astrologyzone.

Let me hold you for the last time

2009-08-27T15:00:00.003+08:00

It's the last chance to feel again.

Getting a little excited as September nears.

It's when summer changes to autumn.
It's when the days get shorter and the nights, longer.
It's when the temperature drops a little more.
As we take a peek into pre-winter days.

And then i know.
It's time to start saving up.
It's time to start day dreaming.
It's time to start counting down.
Till we feel the snow in betwen our toes.

Good ol' times

2009-08-19T17:22:00.003+08:00

I see laughter in her eyes.

Dinner/supper after climbing has always been a luxury.
And so, we all indulged in it.

> Evidence of ultimate enjoyment.

> Cornetto McFlurry from Doris.

> Have to make do with cornetto when there's no caramel.

> Ya. I see my fat face.

> No one took up my offer to share except for Cherlyn.

And then, we headed home.

I do

2009-08-12T12:17:00.003+08:00

But you don't.

Why am i the one making the effort to keep in touch?
So lover is more important than 6 years of friendship or whatever-ship.

Forget it.
Not going to take the initiative anymore.

Standing up

2009-08-02T02:39:00.003+08:00

Proving them wrong

Haven't been the most hardworking girl when it comes to updating my blog.
Have been really busy since i got back.
Meeting up with friends,
Settling into work,
Catching up with life,
I'm already kind of worn out.
Late nights,
Early mornings,
That's me back in Singapore.

I really want to go back.

Back is where i work 4.5 days.
Back was where i had the most unforgettable week.
Back is where i had all the freedom in the world.
Back is where i could lie in bed all weekend.
Back was where i was happy all day.
Back is where work is all about play and business.

Back is swimming in the lake.
Back is lying in bed and skipping meals.
Back is having Macdonalds for the entire week.
Back is surviving on pasta and pizza.
Back is getting caught in the rain storm in the middle of nowhere.
Back is making milkshake in the middle of the night.
Back is waking up feeling on top of the world.
Back is going on a road trip.
Back is getting Mcflurry every other day.
Back is handwashing dirty socks.
Back is listening to the pirated version of Ayo Technology.
Back is enjoying coffee breaks with colleagues.
Back is what i yearn for.

For back means you.

Let it

2009-07-03T00:15:00.004+08:00

Burn.

Dinner on my balcony.

Preparations in progress.

The recipe book relied upon.

My most special dinner.

Starter: French Onion Soup.

Main Course: Seafood Spaghetti

Dessert: Turkish Rice Pudding.

The view from my windows.

The sun shines

2009-07-01T01:37:00.002+08:00

The time flies

Have had the most wonderful day so far.
Woke up late into the morning and went straight for lunch.
Drove to Wels shopping centre for roast chicken because i craved for it.
Did a little shopping and then bought groceries for dinner.

I am the lucky girl today.
Sitting right here blogging away while waiting for dinner to be served.
What's on the menu today:
1. French Onion Soup
2. Seafood Spaghetti
3. Turkish Rice Pudding

Maybe i should mention that the above receipes are taken off the nintendo cooking game.

Once

2009-06-30T02:29:00.003+08:00

And for all. Period.

Seriously..

So many people have been asking me this question that i've had enough.

And to those who are still wondering:

No.
I did not tag on Judith's tagboard.

Baseline being: I am not so dumb and i have got better things to do.

My Super Sunday

2009-06-28T10:41:00.002+08:00

With you.

It finally rained again after the 2 day drought.
I hope it rains through sunday right into monday.
11 hours more.
Have got so much to do before 4pm.

Now it's time to go to bed.

Pink Floyd

2009-06-26T16:58:00.002+08:00

Wish you were here.

I have officially come to an end for my training.
It should be time to go back home.
But not yet.
There is so much more that i have and need to do.

Have yet to decide on the date to return home.
I guess i'm abit reluctant to do that.
Lazy as well.
Let's just see how things go.

So many things seem to be happening at once.
Be it to me or to others.
I simply cannot keep up.
I don't know if the dust will ever settle.

Life is full of surprises.
Some good, some bad.
But most catches you off guard.
The thing is i don't know if mine is good or bad.

I feel like i don't know how to deal with this.
And i don't know how not to get misunderstooded.

Rain boots

2009-06-24T17:25:00.005+08:00

For rainy days.

Time for a backlog entry.

Went for dinner with the other representatives from the Asia Pacific region for dinner last wednesday night.

Location: Kremsmunster
Guides: Active Dave & Dani
Time: 6pm till late

This was my second trip there.

Mike Eberhard brought me there once for dinner.

But i didn't take any pictures then.

So this is to make up for it.

The Monastry

Austrian Dinner

Fears

2009-06-23T18:37:00.010+08:00

Aside.

Don't know where to start because i have so much to write.

Haven't had access to the internet for almost 3 weeks.

Accumulated a whole lot of stuff.

Now that i have the chance to clear them, i am lost.

Let me start with the most recent then.

ISSM & Product Launch.

It was such a grand event.

And i walked away with a new bunch of knowledge.

I was truly impressed.

Never had i been in a seminar with so many knowlegeable people.

Never did i have the chance to meet people from all over the world.

Yet, i was intimidated by the confidence and knowledge these people had.

*Table No. 10

* During the presentation

*Group participation. The preson with the tiniest handwriting gets the marker

*Those who made up Table No. 10

The ISSM lasted till 6pm.

And the product launch party started at 730pm.

It was fun.

Large white tents set up to house hundreds of people.

Each of us was served half a roast chicken with chips and potato salad for dinner.

Topped off with beer.

Music, people, laughter, fun.

It couldn't get any better.

* Team Funisi representing the Asia Pacific region.

*Everyone was anxious to have dinner

*The course of dinner

*Pre-event mingling: Jihro, Big Mike, Me, Dani.

* Active Dave (haha!)

Until the welding competition that night.

We were split into teams according to our regions.

With only a TransSteel & TransCut machine as well as scrap metal materials,

We came up some awesome stuff:

*Funisi means Fronius in Chinese.

* Trans Steel - the star of the night.

* The start of our team car.

* Scraps were all we had.

* In the process of welding the wheels.

* Incorrect demostration of welding.

* Craving our team name using TransCut.

* Our team car taking shape.

*Now we add the driver.

*How amusing. Hahah.

* Jihro fooling around.

* They decided the car was small enough to fit me.

* Other team's sculpture

* Other team's sculpture no.2

* Other team's sculpture no.3

* Other team's sculpture no.4

*I adore this sculpture from the american team.

*Team Funisi's F1 car.

* Our prize: Awarded 2nd.

* With Micheala.

* With Dani.

Friday was Product Launch Day.

* Attending the presentations.

* With Mr Kammerhuber

*He has got robot hands i swear. Perfect seam almost all the time.

* Dani said to me: " I can recognise that it's me because my face is so close to the arc"

It's no wonder his cover lens was deformed.

Queueing

2009-06-23T16:57:00.004+08:00

At the Assembly Lines

Have been blogging so much about the fun and enjoyment.
Now it's time to blog about work.
But then again, work is about fun and enjoyment too!

Was attached to the main assembly plant in Sattledt the previous week.
Started off the the repair centre learning how to repair power sources.
Then learnt about customer order processing in which i processed a real shipment back for Wilhelm.
Went on to assemble my very own welding power source (TPS 4000) from scratch.
It was like building legos.
Started with an empty cart and ended up with a complete power source.
Imagine installing my own PC boards, fitting my own wires, attaching all the different components and fixing up the entire welding machine.
I can only say it was really exciting.
After which, i got to test my power source to see if it worked.
Yes it did.
Hahah.
And we transported it to the next department for mounting.

Photos:

Attempting to repair a super old power source TP450

My new shoe accessory: ASD

Putting together my power source

Had to cable tie every single wire. Was great fun though

My tutor: Marion

Testing my power source

Tried & tested.

My baby.

FMP: Mounting the power source with the rest of the accessories and carriage.

Welding Test.

With you

2009-06-19T20:27:00.003+08:00

Till 3. Then 7.

You asked if i could make time stop.
I wish i could.
And i never thought dreams would come true.
But they did.

Only between

2009-06-09T22:01:00.004+08:00

You & Me.

Pictures from Hallstatt.

Thursdays

2009-06-08T21:40:00.006+08:00

Are perfect for picking strawberries

Went to Gmunden for the secong time.
I had Sider Joe & Big Mike for company this time.
Our plan: Pick strawberries and trek around Traunsee.

Sider Joe. Me.

Big Mike. Sider Joe. We are all young at heart.

Fighting over strawberries.

Wild strawberries from the forest.

Up to the usual stuff again.

Traunsee. Crystal clear drinking water.

We tried to catch them for dinner.

Wild roses.

This is why i love Gmunden.

People jump off this rock for a swim in the lake during summer.

Big Mike posing for me.

The beauty of nature.

Had troubles getting back down afterwards.

The rocks were so clean i could sleep on them.

A climbing area.

The reason i laugh everyday.

Sunset at 9pm.

One of the most beautiful sights i have seen.

They never give up, even during dinner.

Treated like a queen

2009-06-08T21:11:00.004+08:00

They complained.

Next update.

Shifted to the Fronius apartment just last Monday.

I live right next to Wels Bahnhof (main train station) now.

Which means:

I walk 3 minutes to work everyday.

I take the lift down to go to the supermarket.

I walk 2 minutes to the train station.

I live 5 minutes away from all my friends.

Ok.

I have to admit i am damn spoilt.

Hahah.

Not exactly.

Because having my own apartment means:

I have to wash my own laundry.

I have to iron my own clothes.

I have to fix my own meals.

I have to clean my own apartment.

But i have no complains really.

I have come to enjoy living alone despite all that.

I feel so much more independent.

Somehow, somewhere along the way

I feel like i don't want to depend on anyone anymore.

Maybe i really am capable of caring for myself alone.

I guess i could really feel a tweeny bit proud of myself.

I have fed myself well.

My clothes don't stink of odours.

My apartment doesn't look like a pig sty.

I was never quite the tidy and hardworking girl back home.

But staying alone here gave me the chance to prove myself wrong.

Everyone keeps asking me if i miss home.

Hmmm.

I do miss the people back home but i am not home sick.
I just really like it here.

And i wish i could stay on a little longer.

Dated back

2009-06-08T20:40:00.005+08:00

Graz.

Yes yes.

I have been so laggy in my updates that i have tons of backlogs.

Took a short weekend trip to Graz two weeks ago since Friday was a holiday.

Yes, Austria has tons of holidays.

Another long weekend coming my way this week.

Graz was a 3 hr train ride away from Wels.

Bigger and nicer.

And full of students.

I was there to save myself from a mundane weekend in Wels.

We took the evening train and arrived in Graz about 2100 hrs.

The hostel we stayed in was in fact an adventure centre with an indoor and outdoor climbing gym.

But i had no shoes!

It's really a pity cause the gym was so so awesome.

The indoor climbing wall.

We spent Saturday exploring the city of Graz.

It is similar to Linz i heard.

But i have yet to see the city centre of Linz.

Went shopping for a coat cause i was freezing.

The weather has been erratic recently.

10 deg during summer.

And i stupidly packed shorts and dresses.

Me shopping for a coat ending up with us shopping for shoes and what nots.

We each bought a pair of shoe and i bought a Petzl harness!

Yay. (Ok, i think i mentioned it already)

Sunday morning was spent seeing Schlossberg.

Which we used 45 minutes to get up by taking the tram plus walking.

And only 15 minutes to get back down where we ended up right in Hauptbahnhof.

Which I found it incredibly amusing.

Before we left on the 1748 hrs train.

We headed for Hooters as requested by Alan.

I was asked: "What do you go to Hooters for?"

Which i answered:" For the girls in hot shorts"

Apparently, that was wrong.

People go to Hooters for the buffalo wings.

I tried them and have to admit that they are indeed good.

And to sum up the weekend in Graz:

Hauptbahnhof (City Center).

We had to take this picture with my new RED coat just to spite Alan.

Ivan Peon De La Parra ( I hope i got the name right)

From the top of Schlossberg.

Come On

2009-06-03T22:18:00.003+08:00

Come Out

I gave my all but it was never enough for you.

Moments of folly

2009-06-01T05:05:00.004+08:00

Chanced upon

Just got back from Graz.
And i'm running out of energy.
Graz was such a last minute decision.
But i enjoyed the company nevertheless.

Didn't take much pictures this time round.
Was feeling abit lazy.
Graz was just like Linz.
But Graz has fabulous baked potatoes.
Something i cannot get over.
It was so awfully delicious that we had to eat them for lunch and dinner twice over.

Will take time to upload my pictures tomorrow.
I only have enough energy to last me through a bath.
And i still have to wake up early to pack.
Cause it's time to shift to the apartment at Bahnhof.
Alot more personal space but alot more lonely.
Oh.
The climbing gym will open on 1st June.
Looking forward to a climbing session with Ivan and the rest.
And i just bought a harness in Graz!

Have been learning so many different words in so many different languages.
I can hardly keep them in mind.
But i love the culture and language differences amongst us.
Spanish is a fascinating language.
I have got to learn it somehow.

It has been a rather fulfilling week.
I enjoyed everyday of the week.
So i hope there will be more to come.

Some random pictures taken over the past week

Dinner with Michael Eberhard.

I watched your back

2009-05-28T20:29:00.005+08:00

As you walked through that door

For every little thing you hold on to, you've got to let something else go.

I never did love thunderstorms

2009-05-27T03:41:00.003+08:00

Now i do.

The most amazing thing happened to me today.

Time really stopped and flights did halt.

Burger King for dinner:

Make time stop

2009-05-26T23:16:00.001+08:00

Make flights halt.

I'm sitting here in the office hoping 6.30pm will never come.

The train halted

2009-05-26T03:35:00.002+08:00

The glass shattered

I'm picking up the pieces in my life ever so slowly.
Perhaps i would never be able to pick up every single piece completely but i will manage.
Very often, the person you love the most hurts you the most.
So why do people still put their heart and soul into loving one person.
That is something i can't understand.
Would you put your hand into the fire knowing that it'll hurt when it burns?
Sometimes i do know.
But i stubbornly dive head first into the fire anyway.

Having been away from home for exactly a month opened up my world.
Having met new people along the way infused so much variety into my life.
There are things that i came to realised along the way.
Like how the world is never fair.
Like how some people can treat you like shit and don't give a damn.
Likewise, some people can make you feel cherished in this big world when you feel insignificant.
The ways of life can be so complicating that i fail to comprehend.

But in this part of the world i saw for myself so clearly.
How he is everything i don't want in a guy.
How feelings can change so unpredictably.
How he impressed me with traits of him that i never did noticed before.
And how foolishly silly i have been.

I don't know if you do read my blog still.
But this is to you:
For ferrying me around on your bicycle without complaints though i know your legs hurt,
For lending me your pockets to hide my hands in when my digits were freezing,
For the many delicious lunches and dinners that you made for me with the simplest ingedients,
For the long boring rides that you took with me to and fro,
For showing me the most interesting places i have never been to,
For the shows you watched with me even though you have watched them before,
For the constant nagging on my train schedule and stuff that early morning,
For going through the train schedule boards with me to ensure that i don't get lost on the wrong train,
For the messages to check if i am safe,
And for being such a bully all the time,
Thank you.

Taking in

2009-05-25T14:29:00.007+08:00

Sights & Sounds Altogether

A collection of the sights:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A collection of the fun:

Three days

2009-05-25T04:15:00.004+08:00

In Netherlands

Drank in the tranquility of Delft
Loved the late night cycle around town
Breathed in the coolness of the breeze
Absorbed the coldness of the night

Charmed by the old town of Amsterdam
Fascinated by the sights and sounds of the city centre
Absorbed in the modernity of Rotterdam
Delighted by the shops along the streets

Enjoyed the long walks through town and alleys
Fancied the lengthy train rides late into the night
Savoured the moments of fun
Cherished the precious memories

And deeply touched by your actions

The intensity

2009-05-15T03:02:00.011+08:00

Of you

*Dinner*

Made dinner for myself today:
Chicken porridge
Have been eating so much rich food that i crave for something simple.
It wasn't too bad for a first time..
Though it doesn't taste as good as my mom's.

Made a little too much for one person.
But i'll keep the other bowl for dinner tmr.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Trainings*

I used to think welding was boring and that welding was a dying trade.
True.
It is a dying trade because no one is interested in learning about it.
Even schools just touch and go on this subject.
Now that i have the opportunity to learn about welding,
I realised that it really interests me.
It is nothing like what i thought it was:
Boring job, tough job, dirty job
No doubt it is tough and i get my hands dirtied all the time
But the technology in welding is more advanced than one can imagine.
I was so ignorant about welding then but now i know:
Who would have thought it would be possible to weld on 0.3mm aluminium sheets with minimal distortion and withough burning through?
And even weld the world map onto the aluminium sheet?
I think seeing it for myself changed my perspective totally.
What's more, machines are not just machines.
There is so much to learn about them and there even more that we can do with them.
I am truly mesmerized by it all.

Finally managed to take some pictures of me during trainings.

And i am enjoying it so far..

Lots of fun, lots of information, lots of laughter and lots of crap.

Joe (full name being Josef-Oliver Sider) is such a funny teacher.

While i am such a bad student.

Hahah.

According to Daniel, i only absorb 5% of every 10% i have been taught.

The other 5% goes to tequila shots.

So, I have been learning new words from the Austrian dialect everyday.

But it's hard to speak like the way they do here.

Trying to weld aluminium sheets using CMT (Cold Metal Transfer).
I love this machine!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Randoms*

Like i said, lessons are more than just theory and practicals.
I ought to showcase the stuff we do during trainings haha.
So:
1) We play tic-tac-toe (Daniel drew the silly faces)
2) We do art & craft out of scrap wires ( I made the nicer heart)
3) I made my sister's name out of AlSi wire ( Made her name by mistake haha)

Sometimes i think Fronius treats me really good.
Cause they send a driver in an Audi A3 to pick me up every morning.

Ok.
Time to shower.
Tschus!

My hands

2009-05-13T04:31:00.003+08:00

In the fire

I have no photos for today.
Just got back from climbing and i feel so tired.
Don't know if it's physically or mentally.
I don't wish to think about tmr nor the next few days.
Cause i know it'll be hard to get through the rest of the week at work.

Only another 3 days next week before the amsterdam and shanghai/dubai/grand canaria trip.
It'll be one long month before ISSM.
That's when it'll all come together again.
After which, it's only during the Essen show.
And it'll be joe who will come to Nippon Steel.
I detest this dreadful feeling.

I'm a little confused right now.
Not sure if i'm happy or not.
I know things shouldn't be happening.
But things seem to be happening.
And perhaps we both feel it too.

Is it destined to be like that?
So i am destined to keep falling into bottomless pits.
I have yet to crawl my way out of one.
Yet sometimes, i think i have already hit the bottom with that one.

Raining Chocolates

2009-05-12T02:33:00.008+08:00

On a monday

I'm so full!

Just came back from dinner not too long ago..

Yes.. once again, i'm blogging about dinner.

Had a really fufilling day (literally).

At 930 tea break:

I had green tea, chocolates and biscuits.

At 1130 lunch:

I had soup, main course (grilled pork with buttered veg and potato patties), chocolate marble cake and water.

At 1230 post lunch:

I had coffee.

At 1600 knock off:

I had chocolate marble cake. again.

At 1800 dinner:

I had 9 piece nuggets meal upsized with fries and sprite.

At 1900 post dinner:

I had banana split.

I know i already repeated this twice to two people.

But i had to write this down still.

So now i am determined to work off the excess flabs that have accumulated over the past 2 weeks.

My jeans are getting really tight.

Good reason to get new ones!

Hahah.

Went climbing in Linz yesterday.

The climbing gym is awesome!

Huge and so deliciously climable.

Planning to go again tomorrow.

Managed to do a few routes on the high wall.

I was thinking: maybe it's time to get a harness.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner @ Macs

Dessert @ Stadtplatz

Kletterhalle @ Linz

Talking to my toes

2009-05-10T19:19:00.002+08:00

Here in my room

Here's the picture of that little one.

Rescued him at 430am in the morning off the road.

You'd know

2009-05-10T17:25:00.004+08:00

I thought.

I did a terrible job cooking rice last night.

Too much rice within one pot.

But practice makes perfect right.

Dinner was with the usual group of people.

Spent about 2 hrs cooking before we had our dinner at 12am.

I reckon that should already be supper.

We made Kana's special recipe.

Chicken, onions, potatoes with curry paste and yoghurt.

Was good with rice and tortillas.

Had dinner and washed up before we watched LOTR 3.

I didn't intend to watch but since joined them since i was waiting for my laundry.

But fell asleep halfway through the movie.

It was about 240am when i collected my laundry and went to bed.

Woke up early this morning to deliver my mother's day wishes.

And i'm waiting for a call now.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final lesson:

2009-05-07T03:26:00.007+08:00

Bring it on

I know i have been blogging so much about dinner.. but that's what i have been up to all the while: Good food.. good company.. good beer. It's hard to resist food when it's placed too temptingly in front of you.

Joined Daniel and the rest of the chinese class for the last lesson at a chinese restaurant..

And according to Daniel, this is horse pee beer.

Which I downed 2 glasses of. Nice.

Chase the dark clouds away

2009-05-06T02:29:00.006+08:00

So i'll have my perfect day

Typical austrian food with an austrian guy.

Dessert looked really plain so i topped it off with my dinner partner.

Burnt fingers

2009-05-05T00:22:00.007+08:00

On a monday afternoon

The sky's a little overcast.

Have been raining since morning.

And i am contented to stay indoors.

Have been here for a week exactly.

I'm loving it so far.

I don't mind getting fat and freezing up.

Sunday's lunch was at Hannes' place.

5 hours of outdoor dining.

The sun was warm.

The air was cool and crisp.

We had:

Hainanese chicken rice.

Sweet sparkling wine.

Big juicy strawberries.
And i found out strawberries should be eaten this way:

Monday.

Today.

Had my last lesson with Daniel.

And burnt my fingers out of stupidity.

Did TIG and MIG/MAG welding.

Did CMT and pipe.

Horsed around a little.

Slacked a little.

Looked at photographs.

Laughed at each other.

It was fun.

4 o'clock came quickly.

Packed up.

Cleaned up.

Took some pictures.

And Daniel sent me back.

Yet another day has gone by.

Daniel Breznikar.

The darkness outside

2009-05-04T03:11:00.002+08:00

Complements the chilly night

Wanted to blog about Salzburg and Dachstein but i need to get down to some studying.
Will do it tomorrow perhaps.
And i am going shopping tmr for a new jacket!
My topshop leather jacket got stolen.
Such a lousy day.
What happened to my promise to myself?

Sorry.

To Oesterreich

2009-05-03T23:59:00.008+08:00

25th April 2009.

On board SQ 26 & OS7214

Kolpinghaus on KolpingStrasse

Along kolpingstrasse

At Bahnhof Station

Around the city centre

Loving it here.

A whole new world

2009-04-29T22:53:00.004+08:00

Where i am

Have been wanting to blog but never did get down to it.

It has been 4 days since i got here and everything has been amazing so far.

The people, the food, the training, the place.. it's just the entire experience.

I have been treated to many sumptuos dinner over the past few nights:

Sunday was chicken fried rice at the asian restaurant: It was a simple dinner with only my manager. The fried rice was super tasty thought a little oily but i think it tastes better than some fried rice in singapore.

Monday was grilled pork with pepper bacon sauce served with gratin potatoes and veg; accompanied by a glass of beer: Sieggy brought us up.It was a restaurant is called Schloessl Braeu, a old building up in the mountains that was converted into a restaurant. The food superbly delicious with the perfect night view to complement.

Tuesday was greek food at Delphi with Roland: Nice and unique i would say. Had some fish platter full of seafood and baklava for dessert (a little too sweet for my taste).

Dinner tonight was thai food: Hannes brought us out to dinner but i felt the food wasn't really that good. I ordered pad thai and tom yum soup but the dishes didn't taste very authentically thai at all so it's a little disappointing.

Weather here has been kind of unpredictable. It gets warm when there's sun and cools down considerably when the sun sets. It makes it hard for me to decide what to wear. I was told i should dress in such a way that i could peel clothes off easily and put themback on just as quickly. But it was exceptionally cold today. The rain brought in the chills. I was freezing while walking back to my place after training and i thought my digits were on the verge of dropping off. I felt really silly cause i wore a tank top on the coldest day.

Everything has been good so far.

I am enjoying trainings, especially the practicals. I guess it's partly because i have a fun tutor.

The amazing thing perhaps is that he's almost half a meter taller than me and we look really funny together.

I used to think that it's really hard to be around westerners but somehow, i don't think so right now. The people i have met thus far are the most welcoming and warm hearted. Having alot of 1-to-1 time with daniel during trainings makes me feel very comfortable and i think i am starting to blend in.

There's so much more that i want to write but don't have the energy to do so right now.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday @ Asian Restaurant

Monday in Linz

Excuse me

2009-04-01T11:35:00.002+08:00

Who are you

I seem to have lost myself along the way.
I don't know who i am anymore.
But i don't want to be this person i have morphed into.
It is not me.

Sorry for being such an ass.

Seal the promise

2009-03-26T16:25:00.001+08:00

With our pinkies

I intend to keep my promise.

I will honour my words.

The days to come

2009-03-25T09:05:00.002+08:00

In black and white

I guess there are lots of look forward to in the coming weeks.
And the days will simply fly by.
Not that i'm complaining though.
Have been staying up late on so many nights that i am feeling burnt out.
Movies, late nights, events, coffee etc.
Even three nights of intensive sleep doesn't seem quite enough.

I have been panicking alot.
And i have got to learn how to deal with it.
I don't want to do anything anymore.
I will just let it be.
Anyhow, i don't have the time.

Lying is a necessary evil.

The broken frame

2009-03-23T09:13:00.004+08:00

That torn picture.

I stepped out of the picture.

Realised that i could see things more clearly.

I could see the picture from a different angle.

I learnt how to appreciate the picture in a different way.

I discovered the picture was worth more than it looked.

Last Night

2009-03-14T09:15:00.003+08:00

We ate, we drank, we watched

I have gotten excessively busy these days. All of a sudden, i've got tons of quotations to do. Before i am even done with the one on hand, i've got the next one thrown at me. When will it end. Been up to my neck with work yesterday but i suppose it makes time pass a little faster. Went to cut my hair after work and i feel like murdering my hairdresser. Got home a little past 730pm and had to rush through my dinner. I had till 8pm to finish eating and get changed before meeting desmond.

Des came by to pick me up at 830pm and we headed towards Central @ Clarke Quay. We decided to settle dinner (yes, that was my second dinner!) at Sun Moon Japanese Restaurant. The ambience was nice. We sat outside, somewhat near the riverside where we could sort of enjoy the night view. Awesome place to be at. And i tasted foie gras for the very first time. It tasted cheesy, not really my cup of tea. Ordered Chardonnay to go with our food, which i thought went well together with the wine. So we dined and whined till 11plus before we decided to get going.

Clarke Quay really is crowded on a Friday night. Lots of foreigners, lots of people dressed to the nines and all ready to party. I never knew Clarke Quay contained that much energy. I guess the array of new clubs brought in the crowd. We sourced around for a place to sit and drink -somewhere noisy enough for us to shout into each other's faces. There were such a selection of clubs and bars that we didn't know where to stop. There was Fashion Bar: some all white, diamante walkway high fashion bar. Looks really glitzy and i would have made it my selection. There was Lunar: some red hot smokin' artsy kind of club where you had to queue to get in. We settled for Yellow Jello: some bar with a cute name that plays mambo music on a friday night. Yx's gonna love it. We had two rounds of drinks while listening to the band play, watching people dance and just fooling around on our own. It was real entertaining to see the older people dance. The ang moh guy who kept doing the boogie and the indian man who danced like he was in a Bollywood movie. Des and i couldn't stop laughing. I guess we were pretty much contented to just sit in our corner drinking and gossipping.

The crowd only started filing in at 2am and i thought working people didn't have a life. It wasn't until 3am that we decided to head home. I was beat by then. 2 glasses of margaritas and 1 glass of wine was good enough to put me to sleep. I'm hoping to survive on 3 hours of sleep today.

She haunts me

2009-03-07T08:56:00.003+08:00

As far as i know

I have never been able to get her out of my mind and my life.

She haunts me.

Especially when she's near.

I try to push her aside.

But she creeps back in.

Stealthily.

Steadily.

She's always there to mock me.

Her presence reminds me of my failure.

I don't want to have to face her.

Especially not in a sea of familiarity.

I try to replace her face with his.

His infectious smile.

His intense look of concentration.

Yet his face fades from my mind sometimes.

Safe

2009-03-06T00:48:00.003+08:00

From the pouring rain

It's still pouring out there.
Got a little drenched earlier on while trying to get indoors.
Bathed and changed,
I feel warm and safe under my covers now.
Would be better if i had a cup of hot tea.
I'm aching badly all over and need a good rest really.
But my hair's still wet.
I'm still deciding if i should pop by VDL tomorrow.

Painting

2009-03-05T09:40:00.005+08:00

A picture of you

Was able to spare a long lunch yesterday before my meeting at VDL.
So i had lunch with vincent in NUS.
And it felt good to be back in school again.
The environment didn't change but the food did.
I tried to order crispy chicken steak at the western food store and was told that they don't sell it anymore.
The auntie told me to look at the price list: The item is not available if there isn't a price stated.
True enough, there wasn't any price for it.
Damn.
I felt so dumb.
I bet the girls behind were giggling at my silliness.
So i settled for chicken cutlet all fries.
And i told the aunty i wanted to add mash potato.
Only to be told again that they don't sell mash potato anymore.
Double embarrassment.

I acquired a new name yesterday: Cutlet all fries.
Vincent makes me want to murder him sometimes.
He asked me while i was planting ketchup onto our plates: "你叫什么？"
Which i took it to be: What did you order.
So i replied: "Cutlet all fries."
And he stuck his hand out for a handshake, saying: "我叫Vincent"
From then, i had numerous people messaging me saying: "Hello, cutlet all fries"
Haha.
Brilliant.
But lunch was still good anyway.

Trooped down to VDL for my meeting at 2pm.
Stayed on till 530pm and went straight to school for training.
I can't wait for the robot training.
5 full days. ABB. Wilhelm.
Something to look forward to.

Training was good yesterday.
I love having san around.
Feel alot more motivated when she's climbing with me.
It's just that effect she has on me.
Hahah.
Did boulder circuits and then free climb.
I think i climbed hard though.

Didn't managed to sleep well last night.
I hope i'll get a fitful sleep tonight.

And i like the way things are between us now because i can pour my heart out to you.

Rainbows & babies

2009-03-03T16:33:00.007+08:00

Melts the day.

Rainbows have been appearing frequently these days.

Yesterday was the third time i saw a rainbow this year so far.

And i couldn't resist taking picstures of it,

Even though i was driving.

Yesterday's was the best by far.

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Went to visit Kelly at Mount A last evening.

She gave birth to a baby girl.

Melody.

And i was so tempted to steal her home.

Love

2009-03-02T09:32:00.002+08:00

Even just for a day

I love Sundays because:
You'll get to sleep in later
Get woken up to have breakfast with family
Go on fun family outings
Catch up on the lastest family happenings
Indulge in senseless talk
Go to Ikea right after lunch and order 15 meatballs, 6 chicken wings, fries and cake
Share the loot with your greedy sister and cousin
And not feel guilty for stuffing yourself
Do some intense shopping with the girls
Go on a driving adventure with your cousin at the wheel
Meet two equally crazy friends for dinner
Burn out mouths with super spicy noodles
Splurge on coffee and cakes at Starbucks
And chill with funny conversations till it's time to go home.

Get it

2009-02-28T12:00:00.002+08:00

He's just not that into you

Caught this movie last night.
It wasn't all that funny like some people described it to be yet it was a nice film.
The scenarios really do portray real life situations that people can relate to.
I guess it applies to me in a way or another.
I haven't quite figured which character reflects the most about me right now.
The ending was not all that happy but i liked it.
Cause i have come to realized that not every story ends with a happily ever after.
That is just the way life is.
We just have to get on no matter what.
There is no luxury to indulge in fantasies and fairy tale endings.

On a happier note,
I have been feeling pretty upbeat the past few days.
Work has been exciting.
Days have been fulfilling.
Made new friends,
Met new people,
Went to new places,
Did new things.
And i wish the days will go on like this.

Makes the difference

2009-02-27T09:16:00.006+08:00

When you're around

Have been too lazy to blog so i will let the photos do the talking.

At Club Sabai with Don, Jon and Cheryl.

The sunshine that

2009-02-25T08:54:00.006+08:00

Warms the day, you are that.

Simple words

2009-02-23T16:10:00.002+08:00

They mean the most...

desmond says:
u know
desmond says:
since we were young
desmond says:
i think u were e most bubbly girl tt i ever know
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desmond says:
just like u
desmond says:
u're the bubbliest girl
desmond says:
second to champagne
desmond says:
u understand?

The days

2009-02-23T08:57:00.005+08:00

In retrospective

Friday night @ Gardens KTV

Don, Kaysiang, Nic

Xiang Ting, Si Kuan, Leroy

Charl, Don

Nic, Charl

Nic, Charl, Xiang Ting, Leroy

Kaysiang got this out of the Martell bottle for me.

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Sunday @ Michelle's place

Spikey.

Readily posing for the camera.

Back then

2009-02-19T14:35:00.005+08:00

When i was still a school girl (Part 1)

I was just thinking back upon my schooling days. It's amazingly how fast one grows up. From Kindergarten to primary school and on to secondary then to JC and finally University. Did i really spent 22 years of my life studying? Ok, perhaps not 22 years, but it would at least have been 18 years. Despite numerous complaints about homeworks and exams and stress during those years, studying was definitely the best times of my life thus far.

I vaguely remember those days back in nursery and Kindergarten. My parents enrolled me in PAP back then. Those cute blue uniforms with the mega lightning badge above the left breast pocket. Ugly but forced to wear. Yes, i think i was already vain at the age of 5. I stayed with my paternal grandparents during the weekdays so that i could go to school. The reason being that i used to live in Jurong while my school was in Hougang. Perhaps i was a lonely girl then, no sisters to pick fights with, no sisters to bully and no sisters to scream at, which left me with lots of time alone to doll up and be vain. I recall rummaging through my aunt's drawers to find her prettiest clips adorned with crystals to wear them to school even though i had little hair to speak of at that age. I would spend lots of time in front of the mirror each day trying to pin or tie my hair into the prettiest ponytail or bun before school. Not that there were any cute little boys in my class i wanted to impress, but girls are vain by nature aren't they. They just want to look pretty all the time. Even now, my mom and grandma never fail to remind me that i was a difficult kid when young. Crazy, wilful and stubborn. My grandma probably told everyone how i used to bite her when she refused to buy me sweets each time she picked me up after school. And up till now, her friends still ask her which was the grandkid that used to leave bite marks all over her arms back in those days. They really make me out to be such a terror.

K2 or in my case, pre-primary was spent in RGPS. I think the '86 and '85 batches were the only ones who had this programme introduced. I thought it was pretty cool but have no idea why the government abolished it anyway. I have to admit the hours were long and tiring but i found it more fun than staying home and playing make believe games with a younger sister who cries all the time. Pre-primary was like a prelude to primary 1: long hours in school, fierce teachers, endless homework, intimidating seniors and what nots. Yet, it was exciting at the same time: I could take the school bus with my sister and sit with the rest of the older people; i could put on my cute little blue and white striped sleeveless uniform with matching bloomers underneath; i could stay in class and wait for food to be delivered to us while the others queued for food in the canteen; I could take afternoon naps after lunch while the others were studying and the best thing was the fact that i could go to school with my elder sister. I have always enjoyed the long bus rides to school (I shifted to Hougang at the end of K1) though i remembered always getting bullied by this primary 5 Henry Park boy called Matthew Koh. We called him Mopiko and he absolutely hated it. He would try to taunt me all the time and there was this one incident when i tried to kick him because he was being such an irritant, but he grabbed my leg and snatched my shoe away. Feeling indignant, i confronted him for my shoe and we started arguing which resulted in me scratching him and him getting a scolding from the bus uncle. Hahah. Otherwise, my K2 life was pretty much uneventful.

Moving on to primary school is perhaps an important phase in every child's life because this is when a child officially starts schooling. To me, it was both exhilarating and terrifying on the first day. Having studied in the school for the past one year, my mom probably thought i would be fine on my own. I though i would be too but as i wandered around on my own and saw crying kids with mothers comforting them, i began to feel alone and i cried. I remember standing in the middle of the walkway, feeling lost and trying hard to be brave. I was upset that i didn't had my mother to comfort me and I couldn't find my sister which terrified me even more. It was many years later that my mom told me she actually went to school to see me, only that she did it stealthily. Being in a so called elite school, there was the pressure to work hard. Everyone did exceptionally well in tests and exams and there were still the absurdly smart GEP girls. I was very much the good girl who had to score band 1s for every exam and cried when she couldn't. The very first test that i failed was a models math test. I scored 7/20 for it and went home crying. To make matters worse, i got a huge scolding for failing. And i thought my parents would be more sympathetic since i was already visibly upset. I wasn't a talented kid from young. I didn't have ballet and piano lessons to boast about; only chinese speech and drama lessons which i adored and it's probably the reason why i love chinese language so much. I attended chinese calligraphy, art lessons and took up gymnastics as well but i didn't have the flair for any. I probably led a boring life during my primary school days. It was school and then home after school to study and do homework, i never went out. Sometimes i wonder if that's the cause for my rebellious ways in secondary school.

I open my eyes

2009-02-17T17:05:00.003+08:00

And everyone drops dead

I wish i could just close my eyes,
Fall into a deep sleep.
And life will go on as usual,
The world will still spin.
Even without me.
Cause i don't matter.

Secret

2009-02-17T11:45:00.001+08:00

Of that faceless girl

I'm in love with this boy.

And i need to know

2009-02-15T01:33:00.002+08:00

Cause her heart's all over the world tonight

Another day has come to an end.
If only time would pass faster...
If only everyday could just breeze by..
Sometimes i wonder if anything has changed at all.
Or are we still standing at the same spot.
Perhaps we went one circle and came back to the starting point.
I'm so tired.
Really tired.
I think that should be enough for now.

For the pleasant surprise today,
Thank you.
Yes, it did cheer my day.
And thanks for keeping to your promise of msging everyday too.
It helps a little.
It really does.

2 AM

2009-02-14T10:12:00.002+08:00

And the rain is falling

Finally got to sit in my dad's car for the first time this morning.
Feels better than the previous one.
Higher and more comfortable for snoozing.
But i still prefer the old jag.
It's more classic and more unique.

Surprsingly, i'm feeling less tired than yesterday.
I know i have been sleeping kind of late these days.
And it's taking a toll on me.
Have been dozing off while driving lately.
It scares me but i can't help it.
Worse still, i beat the red light unknowingly yesterday while deep in thoughts.
I ought to be taken off the road.

Went to Hk cafe for coffee last night with the usual people.
Yixiang, edwin and vincent.
Matthew was too tired to come out and michelle had a surprised planned for her boyfriend.
We sat around for awhile.
Snapping pictures and doing silly things like trying to fly paper aeroplanes into each other's mouths.
Everyone is fascinated with yx's camera these days.
And i don't deny that we do have pretty pictures almost everytime.
I guess pictures are still the best ways to keep memories.

Got home about 1 plus but i couldn't get to sleep.
It was quite awhile before i finally closed my eyes.
I suspect i have forgotten how to laugh.

I stood under the street lamp

2009-02-11T22:24:00.002+08:00

And waited for the rain to fall

Today wasn't that bad a day.

Though i am tired and my back is aching like mad,

I still lasted through the day.

Perhaps tomorrow will be easier.

Time slips me by everyday.

I feel like i hardly have enough time for sleep.

It's almost the middle of february.

Very soon it will be the end.

I know it's forever

2009-02-10T15:46:00.010+08:00

When i look into your eyes

Last weekend had been pretty pleasant.
We went out to celebrate Matthew's birthday.
It was a steamboat dinner at Bugis followed by KTV at Chinatown and then to Mt Faber to just hang out.
I really enjoyed the night.
I hope the rest did too.

We had Liping join us for steamboat that night.
And seeing her brought me back to rocmoc days.
The carefree feeling, my JC life, my most precious memories.
Dinner wasn't that bad.
The food was acceptable though the variety wasn't that great.
I think as i age, i prefer more private affairs.
Save the noise, the hassle and the energy.
And i think i have an idea for my birthday.

We finished dinner at 930 sharp so that we could rush off for our KTV session.
We sang our way through the 3 hour session with only a short break to cut the cake.
Matthew had his favourite kaya cake from Bengawan Solo.
Cause this boy doesn't fancy chocolate cakes.
If 21st was the first birthday we all celebrated together,
Then this will be 4th one.
But there will be many more to come.

Vincent drove us all up to Mt Faber where we walked the Henderson Waves.
Awesome place.
Ken took me there once.
And this was only my second time there.
We walked till the end of the bridge and simply hung around to take pictures.
I think that part of the night was what i enjoyed most.
Vincent was the fake-professional-photographer,
Michelle was the fashion director,
I was the fashion assistant,
And the 3 guys were the models.
I really think a calendar would be cool.

The birds flew by

2009-02-07T10:20:00.002+08:00

Across the clear blue skies

It's already saturday.
The sun seems to be shining today.
But will it last?
Cause the weather has been so erratic recently.
I hope the warmth of the sun lasts long enough.

I have been mulling over this question for the past few days:
Am i afraid to be alone?
I guess so.
I will be scared.
I will be lonely.
But i figured it would be better than being miserable.
And some say being alone trains independence.
That, i believe.

Life experiences determines who we are.
It shapes the the person we become.
Some change for the better;
Some for the worse.
And i hope i am the former.
Growing up ain't easy.
There are more issues to deal with;
More pain to go through;
More hardships to endure;
And less room for mistakes.
As much as i wish growing up was easier,
I have learnt alot along the way.

Perhaps it's time to step out of my comfort zone and sheltered life.
And i hope i'll be a better girl.

Hello bangs

2009-02-04T12:10:00.011+08:00

It was as if we knew..

Have i ever mentioned how much i love my babex?
Finally a meet up where all were present.

Finally a day that i genuinely laughed.

Met jo and jane for dinner in town last evening.

And i almost fainted when i saw jane.

I thought i was looking in the mirror.

Ok, i am exaggerating.

I know we don't look exactly alike but it was the Bangs!

Cause AGAIN! we're sporting the same hairdo?

This must be the 28th time we have similar or close to identical hairdos.

And i swear i haven't been stalking you on facebook.

Dinner at TCC was good.

Who goes to TCC and order the same food?

That can only be joanna, jane and charlene.

Seafood Aglio Olio & 3 glasses of ice water.

My favourite.

Which i finished the prawns and scallops.

And jo readily believed xin was engaged.

Were we such good liars?

I believe jane was.

Dinner was followed by window shopping.

We browsed through clothes, shoes, accessories, wallets, bags.

And i got myself something to cheer up.

Not that those two haven't cheered me up enough.

Just that i felt like splurging a little.

And when you put 3 camwhores together,

You get loads of poses and pics.

We picked xin up from SGH.

Imagine the horror when we saw her.

Bangs!

Welcome to Bangs Club honey.

It was really that much of a conincidence.

So it leaves joanna with no bangs.

Thus i'm bringing my scissors over to Poh Huat Rd this evening.

Had supper at HK cafe at Siglap just to satisfy jo's craving for iced milk tea.

Which we had jane desperately searching for lychee freeze.

Supper was not exactly supper.

It was a full blown camwhore session.

If two women make a market, then four would be a riot.

So not getting thrown out for our loudness and crazy antics is a cause for celebration.

I cannot keep track of the number of pictures we took.

Neither can i recall the many unlgam poses we did.

If there's anyone who can camwhore for two hours non stop,

It was us.

People leave the cafe to go home.

But we left only to take more pictures.

I still recall our monthly albums back in JC.

One album full of photos per month.

And yesterday was to make up for the missing albums the past years i suppose.

We danced, we squatted and we posed.

Everything in sight was our prop.

Bags, paper, roller shutter, potted plant, electricity box, roads, car roofs.

All were part of our arrrty farrty shots.

We never fail to amuse, don't we.

Yet at the same time, we never fail to amaze.

And i wonder who will buy the girls 4 sale.

Pull the wool over my eyes

2009-02-02T15:05:00.004+08:00

As the dark clouds roll by

I will hold my tongue.
And hide under my covers.

I will grant your wish.

And hope you are happy.

I will turn my face.

And look away from the ugliness.

I will do my part.

And start a new beginning.

I will stand for what i believe.

And pray that i am right.

I will let the birds soar.

And roam the skies freely.

I will sit quietly.

And enjoy the tranquility.

I will stare out into the blue.

And drown within its vastness.

I will lie upon the sand.

And bask in the glorious sun.

I will roam the chilly streets.

And warm myself with coffee.

I will wake up in a foreign land.

And know that i am far away.

I will learn independence.

And pat myself for it.

I will forget.

Cause i respect your wishes.

I met her

2009-01-30T08:52:00.003+08:00

But who is that girl

I met this girl.

I caught her hiding in a corner.

Just who is she.

She stood quietly by the side watching everyone else.

She stood by that boy watching over him.

She made sure that he was happy.

She made sure that he got everything he wanted.

She listened as that boy talked.

She talked when that boy kept quiet.

She hung around when that boy was troubled.

And left when she had troubles.

She cried when that boy cried.

She laughed when that boy laughed.

She knew that boy didn't need her.

But she would be right there when he does.

I watched her as a bystander.

And i watched as she left with a broken heart.