my last entry for 2008

Not that there were many entries to begin with..

Nevertheless, it's time for some reflection on 2008...

1. I am officially a graduate as of July 2008! slight pity that i missed convocation but i wouldn't miss no. 2 for the world =)

2. Work and Travel USA in Grand Canyon. That has got to be the best thing that ever happened to me this year. Or in my life so to speak. So many wonderful experiences and memories there that it has been making me want to go back again and again! Making new and lifelong friends and being able to interact with people from various countries and cultures was the most gainful thing out of it all. Not forgetting those unforgettable hikes that I think about almost everyday now that I'm back. Grand Canyon National Park, here I come!
And thank you Alice, for bearing with me throughout the 4 months there. July 09? *grin

3. FYP. I will never forget those nights where we stayed up to do our report (ok, kt and alice stayed up while i dozed off way before them haha). We would never have gotten that grade without you, so, thank you girls =) Miss those bak chor mee and teh bing bingeing!

4. Becoming more open-minded.

5. Learning to be more forgiving.

6. Learning to slow things down and enjoy life's precious moments - the present.

7. Realising that as time strives to heal all wounds, memories of events (good and bad) start to become a blur, and the stm me would probably not stop them from fading into the distance...

8. Finally having a goal in life: To visit all the national parks in the US! (Did I mention I am so totally in love with the States? especially nature in its beauty)

now, let me do my usual thing at the beginning of every year: RESOLUTIONS
whether i've accomplished those resolutions that i have made at the beginning of the 2008 is another question altogether. allow me to ponder...

a. I resolve to obtain my advanced dive license. Yes yes I've been putting it off for an entire year! Will do so once March arrives. Tentatively 13-15 March, ok marg? And also to go for more than 1 leisure dive trip (either to Redang or Similans)

b. Speaking of licenses, it's time to put my rusty driving license to good use! So I resolve to practise driving (in preparation for something greater!)

c. I resolve to gym at least twice a week (hopefully D2 and D3 will do the same!) and go for the weekly after-work jog.

d. I resolve/want to climb Mount Kinabalu, preferably in Feb 09.

e. I resolve/am desperate to return to US, preferably in May or July 09. Where we can fully maximise our leave hehe!

f. I resolve not to grind my teeth. Been doing a lot of that lately. I wonder why.

g. I resolve to keep my hair long and to stop snipping it off every now and then.

h. I resolve to do better in my time management.

i. I resolve not to sleep so much.

j. I resolve to get my US photo album up before I embark on my next trip there.

k. I resolve to start learning how to cook and bake. Looking forward to making my first cheesecake!

.
.
.

and the list just goes on...

well, I do hope some resolutions are kept and may 2009 be a year filled with pleasant surprises for me and for everyone else! Happy new year in advance! =)

random thoughts in the middle of the night

i will definitely not cross the boundary.

i will not be a hindrance nor pose a threat.

i have to lift my spirits and not let these matters bog me down.

there will be nothing more than meets the eye.

things will remain as they are.

grand canyon part 1

a recap of our ongoings in the UNITED STATES!







1. in changi airport waiting area before boarding our first flight to taipei.
2. taking a picture at taipei airport before rushing off for the 11-hour flight to los angeles!
3. finally arrived in los angeles airport (LAX)! but kinda disappointing though..not as vibrant as we expected.
4. our very first meal in US! 2 HUGE pizza slices (don't be fooled by the picture)
5. spending our first night in phoenix sky harbour international airport (there's cold stone creamery and borders near us, but obviously at that time it was not opened yet)

part 2 coming up in a jiffy!

finally in US! =)

supposed to feel excited that i'm actually typing in Phoenix airport using its free wireless...am quite excited when i got onto the window seat and saw the islands look smaller and the huge ocean miles below me.. yet when the fact dawned on me that what i expected really materialised, i was shocked even though i already expected it and was not supposed to. sorry sounding really incoherent now at 250am in the morning in a foreign land and also feeling rather horrible.

yes i'm touched that my family came to see me off and my dad even rented car to drive me to the airport, but seeing friends of my travel mates standing in a circle talking to them and presenting them with gifts while i head off to an eatery with my family really hit me real bad. i've told myself to be less pessimistic but this nagging feeling just refuses to go away, despite me trying not to think about it and focus on the true purpose of enjoying the trip itself. i am indeed appreciative of friends who did make the effort to meet up with me before my trip itself, but not seeing anyone there to send me off kinda sucks (no offence to marg, kt and april - u guys had your reasons =)) particularly disappointed in one group whom i thought i was rather close with..

anyway, didn't even get to have a second glance at taipei cos of the super short transit time! our flight was delayed therefore we couldn't get to grab any brochures or flyers whatsoever.. disapppointed in LAX (short for LA Intl Airport - don't ask me why there's an 'X' there) cos it looks even more rundown than changi airport and here in phoenix airport which is tons better! did NOT see any shops or restaurants, it was just terminals and more terminals..weather was rather chilly despite the sun.

current status: trying to while away our time in phoenix airport...may be suffering from jet lag cos it's already 3am here but it's 6pm singapore time..

ok till the next entry! (which will be when we safely reach grand canyon *prays REALLY hard*)

here's our combined travel blog...please take a look! =)

going off le!

http://wanderinginusa.blogspot.com/

reality sets in...america here we come!

oh my...only 12 hours left in singapore before we leave this home and travel halfway across the world to USA! despite being a lazy blogger, just felt that i had to post my last entry here in sg.

how do i feel? excited yet overcome by fear all at the same time..it's really a test of being independent over there. Understood the true meaning of what last minute arrangement is like and it's indeed nervewrecking! but all this will translate into greater rewards - working and travelling in US for a full 3 months. i've never left home for that long a period ever. simply can't wait to step onto US soil!

before i go off, wanna thank my grandma and atin for preparing the spicy sambal belachan and ikan bilis for me (in case i get really homesick and sick of western food), my mum for helping me with all the horrendous packing, my dad for renting car to drive me to the airport tmr, my bro for his constant chasing me away rantings, my relatives for their angbaos (godma, ee ee linda, gu gu sally, gu gu molly and dua ee), debbie for that wonderful treat at mof at bugis, sarah and family for the exotic japanese ala carte buffet (i love their chawamushi!), and friends for squeezing time out to meet up with me before i depart for the states..appreciate all these loads! =)

this marks an important point in life - the transition period from being a student to a full-time working adult. i'll treasure this precious period and enjoy myself in the process, while sitting back amongst the rocks in grand canyon and reflecting on my life...

till then, take care folks! you can contact me via skype, leave me offline msn messages, or email me! i'm gonna miss my hamsters...

pictures pictures pictures

mama's birthday celebration on 30th april 08..coincidentally, her actual birthdate falls on the same date as margaret! it was an enjoyable occasion, with us cousins taking silly pictures and having loads of fun! we MUST go on our genting trip one day k! to the theme park! =)






our gifts for prof tan! we got him a cookie container with a cute picture of a street on it filled with famous amos cookies! i can almost smell it..still miss the specialist centre's wonderful famous amos..that's what i call authentic!
a photo frame with us in it! nicely done up by alice using clay to form our words of thanks to him! he said it was sweet of alice...aww....
had a nice time chatting with him while waiting for alice and found out that...we didn't do that badly for macro after all! congrats to us! =)







the above shows shots of margaret's birthday that kh and i planned...not much of a surprise except the relighting candles part! was cracking my brain as to where to get the candles..when i realised that i could get it right at my doorstep in anchorpoint haha.. looks like the candles are on a cake? well it's actually on a toast in hk xin wang cafe! hehe.. who says birthday celebrations must come with a cake? =) must remember to get the rest of the pictures from kh heh..




at kuishinbo...we never tire of the delicious sushi, sashimi and those mouth-watering desserts such as eclaire, mini fruit tarts and tiny donuts! not forgetting the ice cream which we always fail to savour it at our own pace due to the TIME LIMIT!! lesson learnt: never rush during a buffet and be too greedy at the expense of not enjoying food spread out before us.









ok these pictures of my recent tioman dive trip are WAY WAY overdue..well better late than never right? :P
anyway, we stayed in the dolphin room! i'm hoping i can get to see dolphins someday! and don't ask me why they have komodo dragons there..they even have those feeding area where you purchase food to feed them! what a way to make business...
yeah no underwater pictures as of yet but that will soon become a reality once i get my hands on a camera and its casing! (sponsor me anyone? lol...)

5 guys you should never date

Just read an article titled "5 guys you should never date", and i realised that the guy that i've dated before actually partially fits the characteristics of the below 2 categories. no wonder i've had it hard!! time to learn from my mistakes...

3. Broken Heart
He's the guy who seems so sensitive and caring when you first met and tells you the heart-wrenching story of his past broken relationship. And soon you’ll find out that he's still nursing a broken heart from the relationship he had with someone ten years ago. "Basically, you’re transitional woman in a nurse's uniform," says Helmanis.

Face it, if he lives in a haze of self-indulgent gloom and loves the drama of his own misery, you’ll never get through no matter how much time you spend trying to mend his broken heart. So give up and get going.

5. The Drain
You'll recognize a Drain because this guy constantly saps you – emotionally, financially and/or physically. He hates his life, can't stop complaining about his job, blames everyone else for his own laziness, and essentially relies on you to bolster his poor self-image.

"Other Drains include men who always seem to be borrowing money because they have maxed out their credit cards, who lose their temper over nothing and use you as an emotional punchbag," says Helmanis. Guys like that are really nothing more than selfish, spoiled whiners who don’t understand the concept of responsibility or self-respect. Get them out of your life and lock the doors.

tioman!

yes! finally managed to dive since the previous trip to dayang last july. the usual fear is still present in me, especially the descending part, yet when we finally reach the corals or near the seabed does excitement replace that initial fear. i'm still a relatively lousy diver cos my buoyancy's still quite unstable. spent half the time underwater attempting to control my breathing and stop myself from flailing my arms too much, at the expense of fully enjoying the marine life. (which reminds me, planet earth: ocean deep will be showing on central tonight - a must watch!) I may have missed some rarer creatures that my friends saw, but i managed to see turtles!!! 1 was crippled with only 3 flippers left, and the other was gracefully swimming up towards the surface. simply could not get my eyes off that turtle. next marine creature on the 'must-see' list is of course the shark! till now,i still haven't seen a pufferfish..but that day will come!

this trip was a tad different from the previous 2 cos we were brought to a new dive site - the lodges' wreck! it was a wonderful sight - a big big school of yellow-tail snappers, and barracuda swimming on our right..beautiful. dived throught the snappers and looked down into a wreck..wonder if the wreck was done on purpose so as to meet the increasing demands of divers or whether that ship truly sank. but unfortunately for that particular last dive, i involuntarily ascended without doing my safety stop. That explains the throbbing headache i suffered right after. i just could not descend despite exhaling as much as i could, oh well it's an excuse for me to go on more dive trips to practise my breathing. after all, practise makes perfect! we also went to the tiger reef, where i came across a new form of descend - the rope descend, due to the rather strong current near the surface. it was rather nerve-wrecking, especially when visibility was not too good either. but we were rewarded with a wonderful wonderful sight of very colourful corals. 2 baby eels greeted us as we watched a nudi branch do its 'dance' in the water.

this trip really reminded me of how much i love diving.. once underwater, the stress and pressures of the real world disappear, allowing me to truly enjoy the underwater scenery. some may say that we can see the same creatures in underwater world in sentosa or other huge aquariums, but diving is another thing altogether. you'll have to experience it to find out for yourself. being able to come into such close contact with nature is indeed exhilarating, and the challenge of diving is to spot those creatures in their natural environment, rather than seeing many many sharks and huge fishes swimming past you and separated from you by a glass panel. don't like seeing them in man-made environments. i support natural law such that everything is functioning on its own.

i wonder when my next trip with the ushers will be... they are a fun bunch to hang out with! =) 2 jap girls were on the same trip with us. they travelled all the way from japan to leisure dive in tioman. got my chance of practising jap! it's surprising that i still remember quite a number of jap phrases, considering i'm currently learning korean.

tentatively, i have the advanced diving course with marg and her friends awaiting me in august. i do hope i get my navigation right *prays hard* there's night dive to look forward to as well! we missed it this time round becos not only were kaili and i not qualified, even if we were, we didn't have torchlights =(

next dive destinations besides the usual tioman and dayang will be redang, bali, krabi, phuket, phi phi island, sipadan, great barrier reef? shall research on possible dive sites in the US..if have, i'm gonna bring my mask and snorkel over hehe.. oh! a reminder to myself to get wetsuit that fits me PERFECTLY, rather than trying to force myself into one that's way too tight.

waiting to uncover the beauty and mystery of the sea during the next dive trip! =)

the leap years

This movie is PERFECT, only if 715 was removed. Or more like get another person to replace him. It was nice to hear people in local films speak proper english, some with the american or british accents, which i fancy. But that was destroyed when 715 appeared. Really..he should just stick to ch8 dramas, he really acts better in there. Though he portrayed his character in leap years rather well i must say, still..the essence of it is partially lost when he doesn't speak well in English. Or am i too picky? I even found him extra in 881, though he didn't utter a single word. I think i need to watch other films of his, such as Home Sung Stories, to see if i feel he's really cut out for movies or not.

On the whole, it's actually very romantic, though the 2 main leads met like at most...4 times? cos 3 leap years zoomed by...which adds up to 12 years! gosh... yea it may seem too unrealistic that they only met once every 4 years, but that's what makes it all so surreal and romantic! it's quite a touching story too...especially the letter read out at her wedding..and li lin's so pretty! allan wu's a lucky guy.. (he's shuai shuai shuai!) I'm also quite amazed that they still managed to capture scenes of singapore in 1996, 2000, 2004 and of cos, this year..it's a nice progression. From the older version of the SBS bus (147 to be exact) to the esplanade in the background. The only that supposedly stayed constant was the so-called windows cafe? I only know of Windows at Paragon, where the food costs a bomb! I think that windows cafe is somewhere near chinasquare, shall check it out if i'm in the cbd area for my all-time fav crispy chicken ramen.

anyway, just got back from my jog with april. we had ice-cream right after jogging! super sinful yet wonderfully yummy at the same time haha! and we kept going on and on about food..ikea and tanglin halt, here we come! =)

tomorrow i'll be gorging myself silly with marg at suki sushi! can't wait! haven't had buffets in quite a while..shall stuff myself with asian food before i set off for the US..

the next time i'll blog will be after i'm back from the dive trip..so till then!

post-fyp

Ok I admit I'm a rather lazy blogger..took REALLY long to update my blog. You guys must have been bored to tears seeing my "away with bimbo phone" entry repeatedly. lol.

What have i been up to? What else but fyp! Almost every single day since the day we stayed over at kt's place.. never lost sleep over a project before so i must congratulate myself for being able to do so! especially on the eve of the fyp deadline..kt praised me that i was able to stay awake at 4am! But still..i dozed off at 6am i think..my eyes just refused to stay open. I'm 1 person who sleeps ALOT so staying up really is a big sacrifice for me..

Well enough of all this talk about sleep, or the lack of it. Despite the "sacrifice" made, i actually enjoyed doing fyp with my beloved fyp mates - kt and alice! I don't dread gg over to their places to do fyp, even if it meant tonning and staring at the computer non-stop, cos there's food to look forward to! bak chor mee, teh bing (the coffeeshop along the 179 route and bugis) and GRAPES (courtesy of kt :P), and all sorts of other junk food that we'll snack on during those arghhh periods lol. with these lovely fyp mates, there'll always be food so no fears about going hungry! i've always thought that groupmates will fall out cos of fyp, but guess i've been proven wrong =)



Here's an update on my not-very-exciting life:



Watched spiderwick chronicles the movie! haha i won free tickets after taking part in a contest held my Nanyang chronicle. I guess i won cos not many people took part? Have always wanted to read this set of books, but alas, did not have the chance to despite borrowing all 5 books from jurong west library. The movie has sparked my interest in this spiderwick chronicles! Shall read it when i'm done with everything else. It's a magical story, very fantasy style, with a tinge of mystery and suspense. Recommended for those who like narnia and the like =) The ending was unexpected, but not the woah kind of unexpected, but more like "huh it ended like this?" kind of unexpected. You'll have to watch and find out for yourself.



I've been accepted for the Work and Travel USA Program 2008! Yeah I'm probably the only one excited way too early, but I can't help it when my aunt talks of the great Grand Canyon, the huge yellow moon to be seen in Las Vegas (and the clinking jackpots of cos!) and those funny tales of transits! Not forgetting dying to catch Broadway musicals, tasting Chenli's fantabulous French cuisine (she's in new york btw) and hiking in Grand Canyon! I thought I'd visit Korea and Japan before the US but never in my life was I given such a wonderful opportunity to experience life in the US(nevermind the hard work there)!



My diving trip this coming Friday! Which happens to be Good Friday.. We were supposed to go to Redang, but unfortunately there weren't coach tickets available. Nonetheless, thanks to lj for organising this supposed trip for us! Appreciate the effort =) Hope we'll have an enjoyable trip like the one at dayang! Can't wait to use my dive equipment!

To end off, I'm looking forward to this movie...



Will my belief in true love be revived? I wonder...

away with the bimbo phone!

AT LAST. a hp with infrared! a hp with bluetooth! a hp with mp3 player! a hp with radio! a hp with camera (cybershot 3.2 megapixel to be exact)! sounds like what a normal hp these days should have? not for my previous bimbo samsung phone with lasted me a year without all these other speical functions. yes it may not be the latest phone in store, nor an iphone, but any phone beats my old one. seriously. and i'm happy with the many themes sent to me by alice, yl and shiting! they brightened up my day. thanks girls! =)

need to get this off my chest

it's not that i don't want to do it or be slack, it's not that i don't want to contribute, it's not that i don't care about it, it's just that i'm really a slow learner and it takes me more time than the average person to grasp certain instructions or concepts. sometimes i wonder how i was able to make it to the uni, with my inability to lead, to do things efficiently, to be productive. maybe i wasn't meant to be in the uni, then i wouldn't be under so much pressure to meet others' expectations. i really try my best, but somehow trying my best is never good enough for others.

welcome home mama!

mama suffered a minor heart attack on monday morning, and i missed macro tut cos I had to stay in the hospital to check on mama's condition. it's indeed a waiting game over there. finally the cardio doctor told me she had to be admitted into the ccu - coronary care unit. turned out her major arteries are blocked at various parts of the arteries, which caused her lungs to be filled with fluid which led to chest pain and breathlessness. my heart ached (metaphorically and literally) when i saw that mama was unable to down her food and that she kept feeling nauseous from too much blood samples taken from her to test for diabetes. and i can tell u - hospital food is so unappetitising that i also wouldn't be able to down THAT kind of food.

this week has really been a blur..rushing about from the hospital, to school and back home. suddenly everything has been turned upside down. i actually lost track of time, thinking that the next day was wednesday instead of thurday. the useless me who never did much housework had to start washing clothes, hanging them, sweeping the floor etc. this is the result of the complacent me who has been relying too much on mama. now it's time to learn how to do all the housework and cooking, on top of taking care of mama. sleeping at the hospital beside mama was no comfort at all, especially if it meant sleeping on chairs and waking up every now and then to check on mama. but of course i did it willingly. food doesn't excite me any more, just lack of appetite to eat and forcing food down so that I've enough energy to take care of mama.

i'm glad she's back home recuperating. after cny she has an appointment with the surgeon who is holding a family conference to decide when to have the bypass surgery. i hope it'll be asap so that the risk of another heart attack will be lower. and i sincerely pray that the operation will be successful. i want her to be back to her happy healthy self, and back at cruise where she always camps at the casino.

all these had to happen near cny. first ah kong passed away on the 2nd day of last cny, and now mama's going through this. i seriously DO NOT like cny any longer... no mood to celebrate at all. forget the angbaos, forget the new year goodies, forget the visiting.

sushi go round

Sushi Go Round Serve all the customers in the Sushi Restaurant

Play this free game now!!

this is a super addictive game! see whether u can finish serving in all 7 days!

gone...

I'm very upset...the 2 black babies died. i'm traumatised. previously i did not see the remains of those who died..but now, it's like their flesh is being eaten up halfway, and one even has only its head left. i'm so so sad..now there are only 3 white ones left and they look quite weak as well. is it cos mummy hamster gave birth to too many that it's left to the stronger ones to survive? then in that case i would prefer to have fewer so that all can survive. i just hope i don't have to undergo this trauma again.

the arrival of the babies!

Let's welcome the new addition to the hamster family! 5 babies! initially there were 6 but unfortunately 1 died..well it's really survival of the fittest.
May be giving 2 to my cousins. Hope they'll take good care of them! unlike my other cousins, who actually pulled their whiskers! naughty!

And this was the first batch of babies..of which 2 survived and are now happily...mating. need to separate them asap, if not i'll be needing more cages, food (which includes hamster biscuits that mama eats), bathing powder etc.

cha-cha-cha x 2!

Normally i only get to watch musicals or plays twice or more if i happen to be working at the espla on those rare times that i actually get to work there. (which reminds me: i have yet to start fulfilling the compulsory 36 hours each year at the risk of losing my part-time job there! *gasp*) This time round, the second time there was worth it. Not only did i get to satisfy my craving of listening to Dwayne Tan sing "Ivy" again, which is my current favourite by the way, I bought the Beauty World soundtrack! Yes the price may be a little steep, in my opinion, at 25 bucks, but it's really really worth it. :) I actually smile to myself whenever I listen to that Ivy song. Simply obsessed with it! So here's the cover:



and the back:



And the bonus part is...there was a post show autograph session! woohoo! quickly lined up and got all their signatures, as shown below:



A pity that my digicam was not with me. If not I could have taken with them. Dwayne!!! Still, I'm happy that I managed to see them upclose and even talked to some of them. Denise Tan's really friendly! Told her that I enjoyed her performance in Crazy Christmas (another Wild Rice production) and she thanked me for supporting the arts. You're most welcome! =) Elena was all prim and proper, both on and off stage, but I like her accent...very...proper. heh. Darren looked really exhausted, think he's not used to performing in musicals yet since this should be his first one, if i'm not mistaken. I'm sure he will after a few more, if he's given more chances.

Anyway sidetrack a little, ys gave me this! Though it's a merry belated xmas gift, it's REALLY the thought that counts. How sweet of her! Thanks once again gal! That really made my day...

signs of a pregnant hamster

signs of a pregnant hamster:

- gathering wood shavings to a designated position
- drinking LOTS of water
- running around in a frenzy
- getting fatter

and that's what my xiao xiao bai is doing. gosh think she's pregnant for the second time! more babies on the way! this time i'm gonna make sure none of them die..

did my fyp today and there's still lots more to go..really wanna get it over and done with! properly of course..
hmmm..the sid person has not called me yet to reschedule the interview. but it's a blessing in disguise cos i'm totally unprepared. need to have more time for mental preparation.

i'll be watching beauty world for the 2nd time with mama. hope this time i get a better view of the cast and setting. i still prefer the television version 10 years ago though. miss evelyn tan's acting and singing! if she releases another album i will definitely buy. it's a pity her talent is not uncovered to the max and that she has only 2 albums to her name - mo qi and together.

going redang from 20th to 23rd march. simply can't wait for that day to arrive! another diving trip awaits me! and i miss redang alot since i last went there in 2006. the beach is just perfect coupled with the sky blue sea. felt like i were in paradise. i shall relive that feeling in approximately 2 months' time! and the best thing is that it's after the fyp deadline. redang here i come!