black boots

got myself a pair of black boots! yay! it's a mix of leather and suede and it didn't burn a hole in the pocket. so it's not branded, but it's comfy and will do nicely when we get to the construction site. i'm happy, i love wearing boots! :)

oh and did i mention my dear is drunk tonite? lolx. she's so cute!

28 jan 2010

back on blogger! wordpress was supposed to work on blackberry but it didn't and here i am, back on blogger!
2 exciting start offs...

1. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ENHUI! best wishes and much love to my best girls of all times. i am so blessed to have you in my life! *HUGS* it's a pity i can't be there with you to celebrate your birthday though :( on the bright side, i can get you your milk tea that you like so much! here's wishing you everything good, and may this year be a big blast for us!

2. i am in kuwait! never thought i'd think of middle east with such fondness and happiness, but i love it here! will update my adventures here. while most people complain about it, i'm actually digging it! hee hee. i think i just enjoy travelling?

will update soon! hope my internet connection gets fixed so i can stay online more constantly and consistently too.

sailor's disease

i think i've got scurvy.
ew...

*gulps vit c*

total eclipse of the heart

Turnaround, every now and then I get a
little bit lonely and you're never coming around
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart

Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit restless and I dream of something wild
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit terrified but then I see the look in your eyes
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart

And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you'll only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
Cause we'll never be wrong together
We can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight

Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart

Turnaround bright eyes
Turnaround bright eyes
Turnaround, every now and then I know
you'll never be the boy you always you wanted to be
Turnaround, every now and then I know
you'll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am
Turnaround, every now and then I know
there's no one in the universe as magical and wonderous as you
Turnaround, every now and then I know
there's nothing any better and there's nothing I just wouldn't do
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart

And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you'll only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
Cause we'll never be wrong together
We can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight

Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart

presents from SH

recently mom and aunties and grandma went to shanghai for a weekend holiday. well, it's more a full fledged shopping spree madness. thank you all for the lovely presents! =)

drink milk

my paternal grandma was sitting on a chair and slipped from the chair to the floor. turns out it broke her hip from the side till femur. moral of the story? please start encouraging everyone around you to have a healthy intake of calcium and guard against osteoperosis.

sunday nite supper

dear and i are having a bowl of yummy instant noodles together... way past midnight, at supper hour. mmm... yes yes, we've both cooked a sumptuous bowl each, and sat down in front of our computers, in our respective homes, and are now both eating while i type this. and yes, all this time, on msn with each other =) that's what dears are for! *yummy*

please help!

http://www.nextstop.com/challenge/JLBDxxhSsWs/my-favorite-places-in-singapore-city/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=contest-JLBDxxhSsWs&utm_medium=display

this is so great! please help everyone!

2min rant

i have no time to talk to my friends.
i have no time to go shopping.
i have no time to call my mom.
i have no time to visit grandma.
i have no time to eat.
i have no time to pee.
i have no time even to have a good cry, which i desperately need.
i have no time to waste.
i have no time for others to waste with their stupid games.
i have no time to sleep.
i have no time to put up with nonsense.
i have no time to get myself something nice.
i have no time to do something relaxing.
i have no time to reply to all 100s of mails i get.
i have no time to finish all this work.
i have no time to make a cuppa instant coffee.
i have no time to consider my own feelings.
i have no time for me.

i only blogged here cuz i'm at the verge of going crazy.
*sigh*
yes it's been 2 min.
i gtg.

just another one of those days...

a typical april day:

0800 - alarm clock rings
0805 - alarm clock snoozes
0810 - 2nd alarm clock rings
0815 - 2nd alarm clock snoozes
0820 - more ringing
0830 - both clocks reach snooze limit

0930 - awake in shock. OMFG. i'm late. AGAIN!
0945 - out from shower. yes. shampoo. condition. soap. scrub. eye wash.
1000 - pack bag
1030 - finish make up and dressing
1040 - dash out of house, grab a cab, beg taxi uncle to drive as fast as he possibly can
1045 - check email in cab. start downloading. and replying. to all 100 of them.

1100 - reach office. feels guilty for being late. yet again.
1115 - switch on office computer. plug in laptop.
1130 - steaming tea/coffee on table - all set for work

work work work...

1430 - operations team start checking in
1500 - meetings begin

meetings meetings meetings...

1900 - settled everyone. back to desk
1915 - operations team is hungry. guys go out to dinner.
2000 - everyone back from dinner, packed food back for me.
2015 - eat at desk while continuing never ending work

work work work

0430 - *hungry* looks up and OMFG! so late liao!
0445 - supper
0530 - head home
0545 - change. shower. wash off make up.
0600 - stumbles in bed, zonk off to sleep.

a story

once upon a time, 2 people started a partnership together. stupid takes higher profit percentage but bears all costs of operating, cheat being less experienced takes lesser percentage but without any responsibilities of upkeep.

stupid taught cheat everything he knew and the business thrived. there started to be differences and disagreements occurred. but stupid thot cheat would never betray him because profit-sharing principle motivates both partners for a common purpose. stupid entrusts all things to cheat, especially in terms of company finances.

cheat convinces stupid to do many things, all business related he says, for the betterment of the company. stupid consents. overheads become higher. the company grows bigger. they seem to be doing well. stupid is content.

cheat makes away with lots of money, undetected, and leaves the trusting stupid high, dry and stranded. stupid cannot believe himself. he blames cheat for being the cause of the distress. cheat asks for more money and full ownership. stupid refuses. cheat runs off.

life's little lessons...

amidst these recent happenings, i've really discovered many things, good and bad, and i think i've grown wiser but more jaded. life's, always a balance huh? this is just another one of my midnight psycho-babble i guess.


caffeine kick starts my days. without it, i stone in front of the computer and am much less productive. coffee and teh tarik both work fine! during emergencies ( like a recent 8 hour meeting i attended) red bull did the trick. i was truly surprised. first i was falling asleep in the board room, after a couple of sips, i became fresh. after a can, i was sharp and alert and quick to respond. thoughts popped up instantaneously and i delivered my points across eloquently and effectively. i'm impressed. it's $2.45 well spent.

my phone spoilt. my tiny little samsung's LCD finally gave out. sigh.

LEDs, Intel and Mood lights are different. but they all light up spaces.

loss of innocence. i was teaching this as a theme in my student's literature text from "lord of the flies". even then, the lesson didn't sink in as much as it did now, when shit has indeed hit the fence. i've learnt in a shocking manner, that humans are capable of evil, cruelty, dishonesty and deceit, just like in stories and movies. really. to that extent. and i didn't hear of it, i had to witness it. and i stand to tell the truth.
humans are truly capable of a dark side, and much as i'd still love to hold on to my personal belief that all humans are born good and are inately geared towards our better half, most give in to the dark side eventually. conscience? some people have it, i know i do. but i can no longer deny the fact that some people throw theirs away. like nights without stars, these people are vile and would feel no remorse causing distress or heartache to others.
i can no longer trust as i used to, no longer see people the same way i did. "innocent till proven guilty'"? used to be true. not anymore.

some men are MCPs. they are threatened by women who are successful and intelligent. they enjoy behaving like gorillas when in presence of other men, beating their chests and yelling loudly.

men generally have ADS. they cannot focus or concentrate beyond 10-15 min. until you put a pretty girl dressed skimply in front of their faces. they then become temporarily cured.

some awful jealous person has been bad mouthing me. i was called STUPID and SLOW and put in an unfavorable position and expect to make beef stew out of chicken. well, you're damn right it's personal. my chicks will moo. just watch me.

i didn't know about swine flu. not until yesterday. how serious is it?

there are some people who do not know how to budget. for example - company dinner for 200 persons for $10000. i pity the staff.

supper does not make one fat. it is however the most comforting meal of the day.

nuggets kept too long in the freezer will dry up. so will frozen corn.

i have a stationery fetish.

some (unattractive) people take nude pictures of themselves in the office. during office hours. how sick is that? or is that some kinda compensation mechanism?

sleep deprivation causes pimples to pop. and weight loss too.

it is possible to sleep through 45minutes of ringing alarm clocks and handphone alerts.

cut and paste does not a proposal make.

i have friends who actually read through my crazy ramblings. i love you all.
*hugs*

comfort in a bowl

in this month where everything is centered around a severe lack of time and energy, i've perfected a recipe which i recommend to anyone who wants to cook fast and in the simplest possible manner, with the least complicated ingredients, method of cooking and least amount of washing up afterwards, and yet wish to enjoy a piping hot dinner at the end of a very long day which would bring as much happiness as an entire packet of chips, but without the guilt of eating junk food and calories of sinful binging.

perfect for the tired and lazy, here's introducing my very own:
CHEESY CHICKEN SOUP
and no, this does NOT come out of a sachet if you're thinking it's instant soup.
it does not cook in a minute and does not revolve around pouring hot water onto some dried up preserved powder.
very simple every-day-ingredients are used, but you're free to add in everything and anything you like. it's a little bit of a steam boat concept. throw in all your faves and leave all the rest of the stuff out. yes it's all about you.

total preparation time is under 10minutes from beginning to end, and this is what you'd definitely need:
1. chicken stock (cube or liquid)
2. milk (powder or liquid)
3. cheese
4. a pot
5. a spoon (chopsticks/fork if you add in extra ingredients)
6. a bowl - unless you eat out of your pot, which is fine also


these are optional condiments you can do with or without. i use dried versions of everything cuz there's no way i can have fresh produce in my house. given my ridiculous schedule, they'd just end up rotting in the fridge. but for those of you who do have fresh stocks, please go ahead and chop everything up finely and add them in. how much to put depends on how you like your food. i don't like spices so i use only a little of everything.
1. pepper
2. chives
3. garlic
4. onions
5. parsley
6. chilli

the great thing about this recipe is that you get to control everything you throw in and it'd never really go wrong. so throw in whatever ingredients you feel like having in your soup that day, or whatever's in your fridge. this is what i'd suggest that's really quick and easy:
1. chicken balls
2. hot dogs
3. pasta
4. noodles
5. vegetables


so here's how it goes. get your pot out and fill it with water. dump that on the stove and get the fire going. you don't need to wait for it to boil, you can start cooking as soon as the pot is sitting snug on your stove and the fire has started. add in chicken soup appropriate for the amount of water you add, throw in condiments and optional meat items. stir. then as it starts to get hot, throw in veg and pasta/noodles (not both! they don't go well together).

as soon as it boils, turn fire down to a simmer. stir. from this point on, fire remains at a simmer. dunk in milk powder, sprinkling it in gently (it should instantly dissolve by itself). if you're using liquid milk then just use a little less water at start and pour it in stirring slowly.
after stirring, throw in as much cheese as you like and turn off the fire but keep the pot on stove just to let the heat melt the cheese without it being too hot and start curdling the milk.

and ta-da! a quick simple yet tasty dinner is ready to be served.
play around with the proportions till you get the one you like best. i recommend lotsa cheese but be careful, cheese does cause your soup to thicken.

as a side note, the milk replaces the cream used in traditional recipes. it's much healthier and more easily available and found in every house. this came from the recent trend of people using yoghurt/fresh milk to replace coconut in curries/laksas.
i recommend using chicken stock as the base cuz i think other meat bases would taste kinda wierd (imagine fish or pork with milk and cheese... nah... guess not) what i also think might possibly work is vegetable stock, but it's really up to you guys to try it out.

this same lot of ingredients can be done for a much lesser amount of water which would then thicken into a creamy pasta sauce. and yes, i'm tucking into my huge bowl as i type =)
bon appetito folks!

april showers of blessings

during this crazy month, i've had less than 5min to talk to my mother cuz i've been so crazy busy. not to mention i'm constantly working long hours, forced to wake up early everyday (after the luxury of being able to sleep in late for the past 4 years) and battling dead lines. in all of this, i've had no time to rest or do laundry or eat. sometimes i have no time to stay at home other than to shower and change and pick up stuff and head back to work. my life is all about Px & Qs - no, not please and thank yous, but proposals and quotations.
haha~ that's a good one right?

great to know i still have a sense of humour in all of this. but here's the strange thing. about a year or so ago, i've had the worry that i am a person with no sense of humour. i even blogged about it. so in this warped theory, i guess i've had quite some good news despite the constant bombing of crisis in my disaster-stricken days.

in all of it, i'm most thankful for internet chatting applications. as i'm practically glued to my lappy everywhere, and computer at work, i'm always connected. and msn and gmail facilitate my bare-minimum-communications with the rest of the world. i get to speak to friends, find out how they are, wail at them and receive instant gratifying comfort. i now have talked more with my little cousins about random things, but constantly am in touch with what's happening in their lives and this has really drawn us closer together. facebook allows me to inform the world i'm still alive and is a portal for us to share some common activities, like fish wrangling and pet society. so all in all, i've actually established more human contact.

this and the fact that i'm up 20 hours a day. so i get to catch EVERYONE. in the past, my dear especially had the least amounts of time with me. cuz she'd be up office hours and i'd be in bed till she gets back from lunch. after which i go to work and arrive home and online just before her bedtime. now i get to talk to her every morning and all thru the workday, as well as all my office-bound friends. in the evenings, i'm online when the children reach home, then my friends reach home and i chat with them till i send them off to bed with a cheerie good nite. call me crazy, but i'm really happy about that. the long hours also allow me to chat with EH in the office then later at home, cuz she's a night bird. and yes, i get to do ALL of that. perks of never sleeping.

and as toppings, although i'm sure i've aged a lot (physically, mentally and emotionally), i've grown wiser and more discriminating. i've learnt to do many things that people take much longer time and much more training to accomplish. i've become more confident of myself and hence trust myself a lot more with my ability of analysis and perception. i've gained courage to face up to many things and despite my (rather frequent) breakdowns, i've learnt to dig deeper than ever, within myself, to draw strength like never before.

i've become aware that 'impossible' stamps boundaries we draw for ourselves. in this month alone, i've proven to myself countless times that what i never thought was possible could all be achieved. and yes, you can do whatever you set your mind to. it really is true. it's hard, i won't deny that. and many a times, it seems truly hopeless and bleak. yet when one is determined enough, doubts are replaced with faith and fear with hope. and somehow, trudging on indefinitely doesn't seem as bad when you only focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and stop worrying about everything else in between.

and the final, littlest but happiest bit of this all? i lost weight and can wear everything in my wardrobe again. yay! =)

most important day

the most important day in the month of april is the first.
not because it was the day the month started.
but because it was my dear's birthday!

so here's publishing my well wishes for my dear dear and wishing her a really wonderful year ahead, with good health, much happiness and great success.
i'm sorry we haven't had the chance to meet up yet, but we shall i promise! it's not because i don't prioritize you, but it's really a bad patch now and somethings are just simply impossible.
*big hugs*
thank you for understanding!

april update

April has flown by before i even knew it, and we've stepped into May without me realising how quickly and how much has happened in this 30day month. today, a friend commented that i haven't been blogging, and it's true. it's not that nothing much has happened, hence nothing to blog about. rather, too much has happened, and i've not had much time nor energy to blog. and due to the fact that i've been busy 20hours a day, being sleep and food deprived, and having to do a million things all at once, upkeeping my blog seemed nowhere on my super long to-do-list, in my non-existant life-of-my-own.

only my closest friends have the slightest idea as to what is happening with me right now. and it is at moments like this that i thank god that msn was invented. if not, i'd have no friends at all. but having said that, time with them is still really limited and i've ended up with no outlet at all. and the people around me who are aware, cuz basically we're in the same shit, are unable to do what i do, hence are either incapable or not bothering to understand my predicament and i'm left frustrated and emotionally-starved of affection.

sometimes i feel that the old saying that misfortunes come in packs is so true. i'm amazed at the amount of bad news we've received in this month alone. and the scale of crisis situations needed to solve. and the amount of shit we're expected to clear. and yet, drained as i am, i'm in a twisted way proud to say "i'm still alive!" i've done things i never thought i could do. i've superceded all expectations and continue to surprise myself daily. well yes it's disheartening to be in such a mess, but it's also kinda a confidence builder to be able to climb out of this shit hole.

i've learnt a lot about myself and those around me. in "the little princess", there was a moment when she was most down and so trodden, and she confessed to a friend that "adversity tries people" - yes it's awful to see the really ugly side of human nature, and it shocks me how vile humans can really be. but yet in times of such disaster, i learnt to be thankful and aware of those around that steadfast, loyal and true. perhaps we need to really appreciate them a lot more. even little candles put together can form a pretty strong ray of hope and shoot forth a beam of light enough to brighten the darkest hours.

so tonite, i shall put together a series of random blogs, all inspired by this wonderfully tragic month of april. happy reading folks!~

nanny

guy meets girl, they like each other, they make a baby.
initially the baby is cute and they enjoy the company.
after a while, the dread sets in and things get more troublesome.
girl becomes frumpy mom doing everything, grumpy, grudging.
guy loses interest in girl and baby, and runs off shirking responsibility.

the solution?
find a nanny.
nanny comes, works hard to take care of the baby.
girl hands over to nanny.
guy is relieved he found the nanny.
they both take off, leaving the nanny to clear up their shit.

guy is a f******
girl is b****
nanny is plain stupid.

thank you

just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who remembered my birthday. thank you all for the presents, well wishes, and parties. i know i haven't had time for many of you at this moment, but things are really crazy. but your love keeps me strong and sane, and i would never have had a happier birthday without all of you! *hugs*

i heart you all! =)

insane ramblings

things have been nothing short of ridiculous these days...

i have hardly any energy left anymore.
i eat 1 meal a day.
i sleep 4 hours a day.
i work the remaining 20 hours.
i have no time to do laundry or clean my house.
i have no time to catch up with my frens.
i have no time to chill out.
i'm peeved with people who are dumb or drama.
i hate people who are insincere cheats.
i resent being drawn into the games people play.
i feel injustice to be an innocent victim of others' mistakes.
i do not want to clean up other people's shit.
i do not want to ruin my own life.
i am sick and tired of having people in my life.
i miss having parents.
i miss being on the receiving end of love.
i am a good person.
i want to be happy.
i deserve to be happy.

yes it's all about me.

awful doctor

i had to make a some inquires yesterday, and chanced upon a Dr. Elizabeth Koh. (not sure name of clinic but i will check it out and post it once i get it). she is a pediatrician i think.

she just returned my call. and she was rude and self assuming, arrogant and egoistic. i can't imagine that such an awful person could possibly be a good doctor? what's the use of knowledge and education if it doesn't make you a better person, working for the goodwill of others and the world?
i wouldn't want to be her patient, ever.

sighz. what is the world coming to?

tired tired

it's been a really tiring 2 weeks after getting back to sgp. ever since i got back, it's been one event after another, and i'm swamped with tasks, and there's just so much to do and there's never enuf time. sighz. i hope to survive this week and the next one coming, after all it's exam week. but that said, every other thing pops up during this time and as they say, things always occur altogether... especially the not-so-good news. oh well, times are hard now, not just for me, but for everyone, and i need to remember that. and we just all have to "grin and bear it" and hang in there. god help us everyone!

facebook-ed

ok i succumbed finally! i'm on facebook using my hotmail account. please add me! =)

macau day 12 - goodbye

so i'm sitting at changi airport now, at the caffe ritazza having a ice mint tea with a choc chip muffin (which isn't very good by the way) and chilling out for a bit. i think i like being in the airport too much and perhaps sitting here for a while more would postpone the inevitable of returning home and hence spelling the end of my holiday and marking the return to the real world. well, what can i say? i think people take trips for many reasons, and for me, this trip was to run away from many things that i wasn't ready to face. and i thought that going away might help me clear my head a little, but i guess i was kidding myself. somehow, all i did was to avoid the things i didn't want to face up to and distract myself for the past 10+ days and now that i'm back in sg, i realise that although time has passed and kept moving, everything i left behind is still here and some might even perhaps be worse than before i left? i dunnoe. i think there is a lesson to be learnt in all of this. one thing i hate to admit is that i'm an escapist, always choosing to run away from problems instead of confronting them. i wonder if i'd ever grow up and one day stop being such an idealist and when things seem to fail me, stop running away and actually being more proactive and at least attempting to put things right (whether or not i succeed is besides the point, at least i have to try rite?)...

okokie, this is turning quite contemplative (can you blame me? i'm quietly sitting alone at a cafe with nice cuppa, i guess this is inevitable! haha~) but it shouldn't be so. i'm supposed to finish what i started and document the rest of my trip. on that note, i must say i'm totally addicted to travelling with my lappy. it's so so good to have it around to chat on msn or upload photos, source for information for travelling, blog etc. it makes things so much more convenient. as you can all see, this trip is so well recorded. i mean it might be boring for all you guys to read it, but at least i can always read this days down the road and remember my trip more vividly. and i must say, being able to chat with my frens online all the time is really a super plus point. haha!

all right, back to the trip, today we got back from MGM in the morning at abt 7+ cuz we were up playing jackpot all night. haha. no there were no major winnings, but it was really fun just playing for the thrill of it, and besides i didn't spend much. a little $ lasted me a couple of hours. haha~ so i woke up at 1pm, seriously stoned and tired and showered and started packing. i also went down to the supermarket to get my aunty the spicy bake chicken mix that she requested for, and stocked up on foodstuffs to bring back to SG for everyone. after all i have extra MOP left and i really hate to come back empty handed. even though this was a budget trip, i would still like to have a little something for the people i care about back here.

after all the packing, i made G + S a last cuppa coffee each (this is turning into a signature drink i think, i shall forever be remembered as "the coffee girl") cuz they were both so so tired. i think they seriously over stretched themselves the first week of our visit with all the nights of crazy activities. S was sick the entire time they were in HK, i think we were all glad we didn't stay over with them, cuz she would have then felt obligated to go out with us and then she would really be more sick than she is now. she said she slept all 3 days and G went off by himself at times but she didn't leave the room at all. anyways, i also got her herbal tea on the way up, let's hope she gets better soon!

after all the packing, i also cleaned up the entire room and kitchen cuz i didn't want to leave the room in an awful state, after they were so kind and generous to let us have the house and stay there for free. it was like the least i could do. so i cleared as much as i could, and wiped everything - floor, surfaces etc. after the massive clean up efforts, we were finally ready to leave. i think they were sad to see us go. actually i felt strange leaving. i mean after so many days, we were practically used to having each other around the house and seeing each other all day long, at all sorts of wierd hours in the day i might add. haha~ and S said that the house would be so quiet without us after we left, and i thot that was sweet. i was kinda afriad we were making too much of a ruckus but i guess in someways, perhaps they'd be glad to have some peace and quiet restored in their lives. the good news is that they'd be in SG somewhen the end of the month. hopefully they'd be here for my bday since we caught G's bday, we might just have another excuse to party again! =)

so we packed fish fillet burgers from macs to smuggle on board and got to the airport at 715pm to catch the 830pm flight, and it's goodbye macau. it's been a good 12 days, and i did enjoy the insane amount of partying and casino-ing. it was an interesting experience and i did learn and see new things. i will miss the free water from the casinos that i made a point to "collect" and the free shuttle buses everywhere from the casinos that are provided to everyone. i will also remember fondly the beautiful scene of the sea (from the house and the travelling we made daily from taipa to macau island across the bridge), the relaxed pace of life and the lack of speeding cars and traffic jams. yes, macau is a sleepy town, but i think not having the hectic rushing of sg really makes me happy. it's really a rare luxury.

on the plane back, i fell into deep sleep for about 2 hours, completely knocked out. i awoke at 1130, surprised that i slept all the way through despite not being very comfy on the cramped seats of jetstar. as we were descending in the last about 20min, i looked out of the window and i saw the dark sea with so many ships on it. the ships were all lit, and for a moment, it was like looking at the milky way - all dark with millions of stars scattered all over. it was truly a beautiful sight. pity i didn't manage to get a pic of it, but i think it was a moment where i was once again reminded of how beautiful the world is, and how wonderous it could be, if only one remembered to take the efforts to see and appreciate it.

macao day 11 - sightseeing day

today, i got a proper day of sightseeing =) after sleeping rather well last nite (yeps, finally i got a >6hours sleep), we were out around the city centro today and tried to walk around as much as we could since it's our last day here. so we started off at the senado square, went up to st pauls and walked all the old streets, admiring the olden architecture of portugal influences.

there were lotsa winter clothings, but there was really no point getting those back to SG so in the end, the only thing that paid off from my walking EVERY back alley was that i achieved what EH attempted but didn't manage to find... i found very nice ... magnets! yay! (i promised RH when we met up during the CNY gathering at EH's place and i'm so happy to have achieved it! EH was saying she didn't manage to find any at macau and i was worried that i might return empty handed. but i'm really happy to have gotten the magnets i found!) and yes, it took an incredible amount of bargaining but i think i did good. the other thing i bought was a pack of poker cards with pictures of different scenes of macau printed on it. my aunty collects packs of cards (and never uses them) so i thought she would really like this =)

so anyways, here are some pictures of the sights and sounds captured today.
senado square - Portuguese styled architecture from the days macau was under them. it's really pretty but i thought it was wierd to see the buildings paired with very chinese-y decorations.


oh this was really cool. we saw this uncle selling this stuff and boy! was there a queue! he's selling "salted egg biscuits" made of egg, flour, sugar, butter. so he rolls the dough into little balls and uses the heating pan thingy to flatten them to little thin pieces of biscuits. it's so fresh i couldn't resist, so i queued and got me a small bag and munched all the way walking up to st. pauls. yummy yummy yummy!


so this is me along the steps up to the ruins of st. pauls, one of the most famous architecture landmarks and relics of macau, a little piece of history that survived the brutal storms of time.


a piece of wall left of the building of the st. pauls and pictures tracing the changes that these ruins have been thru from the 1800s till today. i didn't take any photos inside the crypt out of respect for the dead. there was the tomb of the father who founded the college and matyrs who died. yes there were bones in the glass display cases and i thought it quite spooky.


one of the churches in the area. i thought they tried to conserve the historical buildings, but i took this picture cuz i thought the colours are awful. it makes the building look almost comical. hee hee~


gathering area with a big stone cross and a fountain. these remind me of all the natural fountains in switzerland where one could just drink from. naturally, i didn't drink from these. haha.



flowers by the road side, next to the green lamp post. so pretty rite? you can also see the pavements of the little stone pieces from this picture. the entire square is paved this way, and i liked it =)


oh i saw this building stashed away (the one on the right) and i thought it was so sweet with the flowers on the balconies (just like europe). it's so picturesque looking at these after all the days of casino, casino, casinos!


oh while i was wandering around, trying to look for something quaint, i saw this really huge poodlesque darling. i have no idea what kinda dog it is, but it looked so cute. you can see that it's huge from comparing with the height of her owner's leg (left in the picture for that purpose). so i ran towards it, but dared not approach cuz i didn't want to offend either the owner or the dog, so i zoomed in with my trusty camera, and amazingly, the pretty dog turned around and it almost seemed like she was posing for me. woot!


roadsign we saw across the road, under a bridge leading up to the expressways. it's kinda wierd popping out of no where, but seeing "THE IDIOT" right there was kinda hilarious.


on macao island, i was looking across the sea and this is the view of taipa (where i stayed and where the venetian is). guess after a good 11 days here, i am going to miss macau when i leave after all.

macau day 10 - mainland china visit

took a day trip across the china border to this place called zhuhai. it was supposed to be a shopping day and after changing free shuttle bus and walking across the immigrations, we arrived at this basement shopping centre place that was so big, it took several hours to completely walk through everything. i thought i'd buy a lot but there were mainly fake goods there and none of the stuff looked appealing after a while. many of the things were also expensive, cuz i think they marked up the prices due to the huge tourist crowd. i ended up getting a bag for 180RMB and that was it. everything else was either not very nice, or too expensive. there was an unbelievable amount of haggling and i just got very tired from all of that. on the whole, the day wasn't too interesting and i think everyone was rather disagreeable. all in all an awful day. sorry folks, nothing much unless anyone's interested in fake LVs and Guccis?

macao day 8 + 9

5 feb - HK day
today we all woke up super early at daybreak to get ready to go to HK. after some frantic packing and rushing, we made it to the ferry terminal to take a 45min ride to HK. upon reaching HK, the mood was drastically changed from macau as the city buzzed with noise and people. well, it's a busy and hectic place compared to sleepy town macau.

anyways, to cut the long story short, we walked around but didn't buy much cuz most of the things were the same price as SG. we went to jordan area cuz S + G got a hotel room there. then we went to tsim sha tsui area to hunt down some lunch and found this come cooked indian food thing that was amazingly nice - we had butter chicken, some curry lamb something and some grilled lamb something else. after which, we went to starbucks for coffee then went to take a slow walk around HK to take a look. after much walking, G+S went back to the room to sleep while the rest of us continued our walking around. we didn't buy anything, but i got myself a hp battery for my phone which seriously died and couldn't be revived no matter how much i charged it. the new batt cost me HKD68. we ended up at macs to rest and grab a drink and then went back to meet up with G+S for dinner. but they were so tired and S was still in bed. so in the end, the rest of us decided to go back to macao since there was no actual plans and i think everyone was really exhausted.

we made our way back, relieved in a way, and i think it was also good that G+S didn't feel obligated to come out with us while they're so out of it. upon getting back to macao, we got home, showered and changed and met AM and D and something other people at MGM for drinks and supper and we chatted till almost 6 before we went home. AM would have to wait for 7am to get back home (border gates open then).

during this trip, we went to macs for a couple of meals and the prices are pretty much comparable to sgp pricing. i wonder how the locals afford it considering i think they make less than singaporeans on the whole. i think macs is really getting expensive, but popular. they have a great marketing strategy! anyways, they have more on the menu here for both macs and macafe, and many outlets are also running 24hours. KFC seems to have more on the menu too, but i didn't have a chance to try when i went to HK, and i didn't see any in Macao. anyways, i took a pic for momento. on the left is a medium sized macs coke cup. see the little cup on the right? it's strawberry milkshake for HKD5/MOP5 (S$1). isn't it cute? i wish they had this in sgp. little doses of happiness =)





6 feb - a day of rest (finally!!!)
cuz we got back late last nite, i slept at 10am and only woke up at 5pm. it feels so good to finally get some proper sleep. G + S are not around, so i got the opportunity to stay home today and get some much needed rest and peace. phew! i cooked dinner and stayed in all day long, only popping out to the supermarket for milk and bread. spend all day online chatting with EH, surfing, watching TV and eating. this is what i call enjoyment. i had a wonderful day but strangely, time flew and it's now 2am. i shall keep this post short and attempt to get to bed asap, cuz i need to wake up early tmr. nite nitez folks! =)

macao day 7 - venetian

3 feb
i woke up at 130pm today after falling asleep at 7am. by afternoon, G+ S came back and we had a long chat and i made them coffee to try to wake everyone up, but i guess we were all pretty out of it. then we went to venetian resort hotel macao in the evening while G + S went out to meet some people to help with G's visa. here are some pictures of the beautiful venetian that EH had praised so much. i think if i were rich one day, i'd go there to book a suite and stay in there 3-4 days without leaving the resort. haha~


so this is the outside of the resort. i'm perched on the bridge over the canal and there are some nice european styled buildings behind me.



this is the interior of the lobby. look at the roman pillars and paintings all over the walls and ceilings. it's beautiful but i felt that the ceilings were too low, as such, it felt kinda 2D and there wasn't the lush effects as european renaissance architecture but i guess kudos to them for coming close.


this is the shops/restaurants area inside the venetian. there is a fake sky (blue with fluffy white clouds) and a canal running through with the buildings on both side. it's really nice =)


canal with gondola. in venice style, gondolas come with a handsome (angmoh, not chinese) boatman in the black and white striped suit rowing you through the long water ways. however, i doubt they sing. it costs 108MOP per person (SG$21). that's kinda ex rite? but i guess it's the experience of it.


ok so we were at the venetian and had to visit our friend Gwen's shop - three monkeys. she has a shop in SG and this is the franchise in macao. here are the 3 monkeys - hear/speak/see no evil!


this is our dinner spread - nasi goreng and buritos. the food came in such huge portions, we couldn't finish it in the end. but thanks chef Ronnie, for a great dinner. the food was expensive though, costing more than it would in SG, probably cuz many of the ingredients are imported. notice the cute little black gorilla sitting on the chair opposite me =)


there was a birthday party and out popped the mascot with a cake! afterwards, the monkey mascot walked around to say hi to the patrons and we took a photo! all in all, it was a fun day =) venetian is just about 5min cab ride / 15min walk from my place, but i don't think i would have time to go back again.

i need to end the post now - it's packing time. we're leaving for HK tomorrow morning, so till then, ta-ta! =)