so i got into an accident and kissed the back of a parked car
coz i stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake.

not a big smackaroo, but it's no tender peck on the cheek either.
not very romantic.

i am dumb.

and also very shaken.

but everything on my side got settled in a jiffy.
now just waiting for the other party to ring up.

so.
*deep breath*

fact:
folding 200 a4-sized sheets of paper into 200 3-fold pamphlets will numb your hands
especially when one of your thumbs can't be used.

it's very sobering to enter the office, knowing that one of us won't be coming in anymore. i walked past her empty desk with a heavy heart - there's now one less person for me to say good morning to.

yesterday's parting was rather easy. no tears shed, just hugs, a cheery photo-session, and that weighted feeling. we were going to have a good meal together, but a wonky laptop, an inconsiderate IT guy, and our boss deciding to come in, made lunch impossible.

she's coming over to have that lunch with us today though =)

no final goodbyes - coz with a lady so sweet, you don't ever want her out of your life - and we are eagerly awaiting the birth of the milk baby! but we will miss her sorely. milk just isn't the same without her.

moooooo...... =(

more photos coz today's a crap day and photos add a bit of color to all the crap.

went crazy shopping (for, like, the 3rd time in 2 weeks *bimbo flutter of hands*) and blew lots of money on er, more necessary items like skincare and eyeliner (as opposed to shoes, clothes, lingerie and er, shoes). i love shopping with my girlies - they make spending money less painful and we're unbeatable terrorists when we combine powers (we terrorize the salesgirls).

not to mention the fact that we're all *cough*suckers*cough* (ok, maybe me more so than the rest) heh.

and woohoo ah hock cotu san took time off his terribly busy schedule to join us for a late dinner at pepper lunch!

gracie takes loverly peektures *muah* i love my batula and how she flaps and smiles for every photo *grin*

if you look really closely at the top left pics of gracie, hock and me, you'll notice just how humsup hock looks. in his own words, "humsup is just another way of saying 'i love you'".

i learn something new everyday.

we were in such a christmassy mood, that we got the security guard to take photos of us with the taka christmas tree:

he's obviously not a very good photographer. but kudos to him for helping us out =D

we got out of taka for some fresh air, and hock looked kind of lost walking around without us by his side (tuas must be very ulu):

he's so sweet - he insisted on carrying all our shopping for us. heh

while waiting for the green man to come on, i discovered that the red thing above my head played cheery christmas tunes! they called me suaku for taking photos of it...

feng and i danced to the tunes while hock (and the weirded-out people in the cars) looked at us like we'd gone mad.

as we walked on, we found more exciting christmas things that they've put up along orchard road - photo frames!

we're so patriotic - uniquely singapore indeed! and here are 2 shots that are uniquely us:

ahhh cheery pics make a less eeby me =)

thank you gracie *muah*

am feeling terribly weighted down and the bah mood continues...but i shall not vent, for now. *oh snap out of it already!* instead, let's have a look at what i got up to yesterday:

i went overseas!

well, sort of. dad, mum and i headed across the causeway, for a day's getaway at our club in jb.

being good citizens, we topped up on gas before heading off.

and i brought my box of cheezels holes along to munch on. they're so cute, and a huge hit with the folks.

it was a long car ride...with jams and peanut butters on the causeway and in malaysia.

but we finally reached the club:

security has been upped and every vehicle gets an entry&exit pass to prevent theft. i love the long driveway to the clubhouse - serene and lined with gorgeous trees.

daddy borrowed a beat-up buggy to get us to the driving range which was a fair walk from the carpark.

i practiced and practiced and practiced (and tried to look like a pro). golf is a very individual sport that requires loads of concentration and is much tougher than it looks. mind-power is vital and my swings go haywire whenever my brain decides to take a hike.

i even tried putting, and thoroughly enjoyed it coz it's such fun. the contours of the green makes it challenging, and there's actually a hole for me to hit the ball in!

i ended the day with a hugeass blister on my left thumb though. golfing a couple of weeks back had given me with a blister on my right thumb coz i wasn't gripping right. this time round, dad said that it might be coz his set of clubs are too heavy for me causing me to grip on too tight (so that the club wouldn't fly off!) and i need to get ladies' ones. i need to get new gloves too (and on both sides, not just for the left hand!) coz the one i wore did little to cushion my delicate fingers and my palms are still smarting right now (so clever!).

the next michelle wie i most definitely am not.

tortured my blister with a swim after that, and the mangled mess of skin straightened out enough for me to cover the raw parts up a bit. yuck. zambuk to the rescue!

we survived the horrid traffic and got to jusco for a bit of shopping. i bought cute christmas hats for my kids before we headed to perling for a late dinner. yummy stingray, yong tau foo soup, tofu, char kuay tiao, giant sugarcane drink...*smack lips*

took us more than 2 hours to get back into singapore coz there was a massive jam on the 2nd link (with silly cars zipping in and out of lanes just so they can be one vehicle ahead). i was so exhausted (it's a scorcher of a day at the range!) that i fell asleep in the backseat =S

it's kinda nice being the only child (since sis' not in town). heh.

the extended family got together again yesterday for one of my cousin's 21st. it's always so good to spend time with the people who are closest to you and who have seen you from when you were a tiny bean swathed in cloth.

we don't meet up as a big group all that often now, what with everyone being caught up with work and the hassle of planning some thing for so many people to attend, but when we do meet up, it's always comfortable and filled with heaps of laughter, updating and reminiscing.

it's weird how everyone has grown up. yes i do know that that's the course of nature, but hasn't it ever struck you how amazing it is that the chubby baby who used to crawl around the house tugging at your skirt is now a strapping 8-year-old who watches fear factor and talks back to you; the little tod who looked up at you so adoringly is now a young lady doing well in the sports school; the quiet girl is now a svelte young woman who speaks german and laughs with you when you're both cutting the cake for the guests; the cheeky boy who made everyone laugh with his ridiculous card tricks is now a fine young man (still cheeky) in uni.

and the most heart-warming thing? they still look up/down to me and call me "jie". perhaps that's the way my two older cousins feel when i look up to them and call them "gor".

traditions remain etched in our hearts, and through growing up together, we've formed strong bonds that will, hopefully, carry on to the next generations.

there was a time when we spent hours together in our grandparents' house - the bus'd drop me off after school and i'd spend happy afternoons playing with my cousins. the ones who're much younger - like my sis - didn't get much of this experience, coz we sold that house off and my mum stopped working so she could stay home and we didn't have to be babysat by grandma anymore. and i think they missed out on some really fantastic times even though they are no less closer to each other.

it's sweet how we all keep in touch in our own little ways.

it's a pity that fawn's in france, vanessa's at the sea games, and kane & kelly couldn't join us yesterday, so we weren't out in full force. but there's always christmas to look forward to =)

a night spent with family, always good for keeping the blues at bay.

rather be hurt by the truths,
than tortured by lies said simply to offer empty assurance.

sometimes, it's really difficult to tell the two apart.

innocence
naïvety
doubts
fear

trust
misplaced?
to be earned?
or given until proven unworthy?

i want no part in any web of deceit.

dodge the bullet or carry the gun.

today, one of us got hit.
killed off. without any preamble.
a phone call, a short meet-up,
the end.

"i was asked to leave.
today's my last day."

a part of her feels relieved, she said.
a decision taken off her hands.
contemplation changed to choicelessness.
"now i can go swimming in the afternoon", she teased.

i couldn't overlook the other part of her
that was peeping from behind this brave front.

we tried to make sense of it.
i sat there in shock, disgusted.
all i could do was give her a hug,
wondering if the baby in her tummy's feeling my loss.

i wrote, a parting gift,
trying to put fond memories to words.
gratitude, encouragement, hope.
i ended up with scrawled lines of jumbled abcs.

i'd thought that i'd be the first to go.
now with one down in this war,
should i escape?
or lie here waiting to be murdered?

contentment.

greg (haha) just told me that i'm "such a contented soul" (and that's priceless, according to him heh).

am i contented? hmmm...

easily contented, perhaps. i don't need lavish dinners, to be showered with gifts, constant attention or even someone to carry my bags for me.

i just need the simple little things - a text to show that you're thinking of me, a call, a sweet gesture, effort made.

it's the simple things that matter more to me. or perhaps they're not simple at all, just things that can't be pegged at a price.

i don't deny that i can be quite difficult. i can be bull-headed and utterly unreasonable when i think that i am right and i want my way to be *the* way. i can think too much and make a mountain out of a molehill, and wallow in sorrow in a hole all dug out by myself. i can take people's seemingly normal words, to mean more than they were meant to be.

*shrug* so i'm psycho.

my wise friend said, "the key to happiness is contentment. everyone wants to be happy, but no one likes to feel contented. coz then it will stop there."

true? i think so. so many people just keep wanting more and they don't stop to appreciate what they already have. "only more is enough". how sad is that? it may be a push towards a better life, but oh, what uncontented ones they will lead.

perhaps it is very silly of me to be over the moon over the littlest of things. it is scary sometimes, to be all smiley about some thing, coz you don't know whether you're just being a complete fool and taken for a ride. it's ridiculous to get all joyful, when the other person probably doesn't think anything of it at all.

but ah well, so what if i'm silly. at least i get to be happy. even if it may just be for that one short moment. *silly grin*

a sweet start to the day,
sunlight peeping in from behind the curtains,
my baby, a new white skirt,
a silly grin on my face,
and a heart filled with warmth.

a nice hot cup of green tea,
hup seng butter crackers,
with chunky peanut butter,
today's urban,
and msn...

doing the bimbotic secretary and painting my nails at work,
waiting for loon wei to holler for lunch,
catching up with friends from around the globe,
looking forward to an evening with my darlings,
all while still doing my job (really!!!).

the simple life.

today is a happy day =)

saw this on an envelope:
"via hand"
what's up with the "via"?
it's like trying to make "by hand" sound atas.

hmmm maybe the letter came to me via the hand of a ferrari driver!
(well, it was from a car company! heh)
*sniffs for a whiff of eau de lamborghini*

the koenigsegg ccr can run fly at a top speed of 395+ km/h
imagine how efficient that postal service will be!
*dreams do not take into consideration roads/pedestrians/buildings conditions*

if the weather continues to be like today's (and yesterday's and the day before's),
can we please have an uggs/boots day out?

mr purpleuggs is screaming to be let out of his box!
(why is my uggs male? is he gay, since he's purple with flowers?)

*edited*
have a hugeass meeting coming up later.
been number crunching for it the past couple of days.
i just hope i don't screw up.

before i get back to my report,
here's a pic from last night,
after tian taught us the secret behind the moustache:

welcome home hon =)
-----

ahhh so the meeting went fine. *huge sigh of relief* no big discussions about my figures, and there shouldn't be coz i spent heaps of time working out reconciling the whole pile of messy numbers from when my predecessor handed over stuffs to me, and i've been diligently updating my database!

it's a breeze working with my treasurer - i showed him my report, he understood everything in a jiffy, good-naturedly asked a couple of good questions to get the more important figures highlighted, then presented the report to the rest of the board in under 5 minutes.

chop chop straight to the point. no time wasted on nonsense. and cheery too. i like!

the rest of it took a long while, and it being a lunch meeting, my stomach growled and panted for some of the board members' super nice-smelling porridge. it was raining, it was chilly, and some steamy porridge would have been perfect. pity i didn't get any, coz even though they told us to order something, it's rather weird eating when your bosses are there, especially when it's at a meeting. and consuming ridiculously-priced food at the boss' expense always makes me feel uncomfortable, even though it's nothing to him.

i'm so knackered after all that - feels like a huge rock just got lifted off me and i need some time to catch my breath. too braindead to do any work. am just going to busy myself with the newpaper (everyone knows it's a great source of knowledge haha) and catch up on the world online.

maybe i'll go for a mani and a pedi - the opi store on robinson road's finally opened and i wana try it out! *frivolous bimbo thoughts*

yay it's midweek and just 2 days to the weekend! (turtle) =)

pain. mind-numbing, body-scrunching, soul-wrenching pain.

it's at times like these that i curse myself for not exercising as much as i used to - coz it never was so excruciatingly horrid. i do firmly believe that there's a correlation between the amount of exercise i do, and the level of menstrual pain i experience.

it doesn't help that it's so freaking cold today that all my insides have shrivelled up in the attempt to keep warm.

i just want to curl up under a fluffy duvet, and hug a hot waterbottle to sleep.

perhaps that will chase this pain away.

bert went for a makeover and sent me this:

new and improved (and just as gay). wonder what ernie thinks. =D

today felt like a chilly autumn's evening. walking down the streets with the wind messing with my hair and blowing up my skirt (tsk humsup wind!), i had to hug myself to try to keep warm.

i wish i had my uggs on.

i'm a sucker for good service.

i know that pm lee's "gst" and how the service industry in singapore needs to buck up is old talk, but i can't help but go back to it after my inpromptu retail therapy session on friday.

gracie and i were walking about in raffles city, and we went into a cheery new store named "patterns". some of the stuffs there're absolutely gorgeous and i think they're all imported from the states or something.

the smartly-suited-up salesguy (maybe he's the boss, i don't know) came up to us immediately and he kept a respectful, non-pushy distance as we walked round the shop. he gave us info on some of the things we were interested in, and helpfully suggested other similarly-styled items that we might enjoy.

when i spotted a pair of heels that i liked, he found me the right size, went down on his knees and held each side steady while i slipped them on. he didn't flinch at my havaianas.

i saw a pretty cream skirt - he took it and laid it out nicely in the spacious dressing room, then suggested another style when it turned out to be too big for me, at the same time telling me that he will give me a call if a smaller size ever comes in.

i loved the heels, but they're pricey so i had my doubts about buying them. i would still be contemplating if it wasn't for his patience and attentiveness.

he personalized the experience - he called us by our names once he found them out, carried my purchase to the front of the store (instead of the usual hand-over at the counter), and picked up all our other shopping and my million-kilos laptop and handed them to us etc.

he bowed us out of the shop. a full 90-degree bow.

everybody likes to be treated like a princess/valued customer once in a while, and i think it's the service that makes or breaks a place. for me at least, good service makes the whole shopping experience so much more fulfilling and enjoyable and that usually means that i will be more willing to part with my money.

hmmm good service might not be such a good idea, now that the money issue's out. haha

i love my new pair of heels, by the way. wore them yesterday for a 2nd cousin's wedding, and oh, it's quite ridiculous how a pair of shoes can lift my spirits so!

i'm a sucker for good service. and pretty shoes. =)

kids.

i come in contact with many children over the course of coaching, and it never fails to amaze me how very different each and every one of them can be.

the excited ones who tear around the pool like little monkeys, the sulky ones who look like they're having the worst time of their lives, the phobic ones who think the water's gona eat them up, the really gorgeous angels who chatter and twirl, the sullen ones who pick fights, the quiet ones who just do as they are told, and the lovely worldly ones who show-and-tell and make you see normal things with extraordinary eyes.

family backgrounds really do make a difference.

i met a most amazing little cherub today - this blond haired, blue eyed three-year-old mermaid who can dive right to the bottom (around 1.2metres deep) to pick up a toy.

i have 10-year-olds who cower at the mere thought of swimming in the big pool.

i know that everyone develops at their own pace, but oh, it's just such a breeze teaching and having a fun swim session with an innocent, confident child who can hold a cute little conversation and banish the early morning blues.

before i left, she even showed me a tiny certificate that she got from her first haircut (complete with a lock of soft blond hair laminated in).

today, a little angel touched my heart =)

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

*stretches hand out for that air ticket*
(haven't done this in a while)
arhahaha

because netty tagged... =)

when you look at yourself in the mirror, what is the first thing you look at?
*runs to the mirror* my eyes - coz one (whether human or part thereof) always looks at one's self first

how much cash do you have on you today?
none yet. coz my bag's on the floor and i haven't sticky taped my money on my body.

what's a word that rhymes with "test"?
jest? and you need to know this because......?

favourite plant?
the whomping willow

who is the fourth person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
ah hock cotu san

what is the main ringtone on your cell phone?
nokia's "slowdown"

what shirt are you wearing?
my arena polo - i just got home from a morning swim session

do you label yourself?
yes. i like the ones that say "fragile" best coz the fire-engine red goes with many of my clothes and they can be seen when i stick them on my forehead. i label others too - like how i plastered a million "fragile" stickers all over feng and her bags before she left melbourne once.

brand of shoes you're currently wearing.
i don't know anyone who wears shoes in bed

bright or dark room?
all depends on what i'm doing, right?

what were you doing at midnight last night?
would have been wiser if i was sleeping, but i was sitting on the floor, in front of my lappie, sharing rants on msn (not that i didn't enjoy it haha)

what was the last text message you received on your cell phone?
ian's wake up note =)

do you ever click on "pop ups" or banners?
no. unless by accident. yuck. reformat!!!!!!

what's a saying that you say a lot?
er...dunno *shrug*

who last told you they love you?
ian

last furry thing you touched?
my kid's blonde head counted?

how many drugs have you done in the past three days?
none, unless being high on air counts

how many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
er...i've gone digital...though i won't mind re-developing some old photos...hmmm

favourite age you have been so far?
s-age (sage)

your worst enemy?
myself

what is your current desktop picture?
munkao's majestic tiger
what was the last thing you said to someone?
"coz i like"

if you have to choose between a million bucks or to be able to change a major regret?
there's a choice?! i don't think i have any million-dollar-regrets, and i won't be me if i change anything in my past.

do you like someone?
i happen to like a lot of people, just to different levels.

the last song you listened to?
frou frou's "it's good to be in love"

people i hope to do this quiz?
anyone who will pay me to do the quiz (went shopping yesterday, so i need the cash heh)

now i wait for you

till you wake me from my sleep
and i'll wait for you
let my voice be yours to keep

had a super long lunch (two and a half hours! eek! i'll make up for it by ending work late!) at sketches in bugis with mark today and catch phrase of the day was "go in, come out, fast fast!"

it was a good thing we designed our pasta before we glanced at the cover of the magazine i'd picked up on the way there - it had a really bad shot of a socialite's...er...nether regions (hair and cellulite = very disturbing).

someone said to the waitress: "i'm still doing my pasta". what he's doing in the picture above, you do not want to know =S

sat at coffee bean after that to wash down the heavy lunch with a cuppa and loads of chitchat...before he headed off to j's and i back to work. the sweetie even got me a rose when he's getting one for j (and made us look like we're on a blind date arhaha):

"i'll be the one with the red rose ok?"
"yes, i'll be holding one tooooo"

heaps of nonsense, but also much sensible talk...and i know that i can count on you for serious advice and sweet daydreams (our new jobs k? haha). thanks mucky! =)

so yes, i watched harry potter. maybe it's the book that didn't enable me to suspend my disbelief all that freely, or maybe it's the fact that i had very high expectations, but it wasn't quite as good as i needed it to be.

for one, it cut out loads of possibly-wonderful scenes like the entire quidditch world cup match in the fantabulous stadium (including the veelas!!! i wanted to see the veelas!), and it put in ridiculous things like a smitten hermione, a very humsup moaning myrtle, a beefy unsullen krum, and a very stupid harry-chases-dragon-all-over-hogwarts scene.

they didn't even cringe at the word "voldemort". hrmph.

must say that the effects are magnificent though, and there're good, funny bits and i loved the twitching dark mark and fleur's dress (however much i could see of it)...oh well, nothing beats the book i guess haha

anyway, some pictures from lunch yesterday with feng, ian, lam and jon at the book cafe:

the twins ian-&-jon all decked out in starcom's new uniform. heh

gracie, deb and i checked out the balcony before we went for harry potter:

those chairs rock! literally! heh the ambience's nice, quite chill-out, quite a nice place to just sit back and relax. the food wasn't too bad either - my lamb kebab's so-so, but their cod's really good! they need to do something about the staff though - not-very-competent service can be the downfall of a place, no matter how nicely done up it is.

sometimes, the powers-that-be don't understand the difficulties of hanging in the middle, powerless.

yes i know that i'm in the wrong at times, and errors cannot be excused even though i never had the training and am just attempting not to make too many mistakes as i learn. i try to work out a smoother flow, keep improving on the processes, think things through yet in the end it always seems like i still don't think enough.

how am i supposed to know something and pre-empt something, if i'm not even given the basic facts?!

sometimes, i feel really incompetent and careless, discouraged and wronged.

i feel like a fish out of water, and it's getting really hard to breathe.

just read sash's latest post and it articulated some of my thoughts so well that i had to take a deep breath and sigh after reading it.

crazy in love, what a beautiful thing. to be head-rushingly, heart-thumpingly overwhelmed by all the warm and fuzzy feelings that make every day bright and sunny. to be laughing and intimate when you're with him, and to have thoughts of him bring big smiles when you're not. when you have to pinch yourself to know that it's not just a dream, and fairytales and reality merge to form a perfect technicolored whirl.

it has never failed to amaze me that there are singporeans who just find "someone to settle down and apply for a hdb flat with...", without experiencing all the wonders of love. perhaps they got jaded after one/several failed incident/s; or they found that warped ad very er...sweet (you know the ad? where the guy shyly asks the girl if they want to get a flat? as a way of proposing?).

maybe i will become that way someday (though i sure hope i won't), but right now, for me, love is still that very important essence that a person must have to be truly alive.

fireworks and syrupy sweetness
fierce fights and golden silences
witty conversations and cheery laughter
serious decisions and spontaneous actions
knowing glances, strong arms, a shoulder to lean on
warmth

tender strokes and hungry kisses
comforting tv-watching and squabbly outings
domestic wholesomeness and naughty wildness
romantic dinners and noisy gatherings
trust, loyalty, respect, support
love

unconditionally committing "all (my) eggs to one basket"? well, that's just part of the craze. heh

*shrug* perhaps i'm just a silly billy =)

the day has finally arrived - we are going potty tonight!!!!!!

woohoo!!!

i hope it's good! an individual's imagination can run wild when reading a fantastic tale, and i've always felt that movies can never do great books justice, but oooooo i can't wait to watch this film!

*pants in anticipation*

so exciting!!!!!! *bimbotic witch alert* =D

i shall just stick to the one that i know is right heh

*edited*

ah well, you should know what i mean, since you're such a smarty pants =P

the early bird catches the worm?
more like the early bird catches the storm!

got drenched walking to the office today
coz i didn't dare ask the aunties with their tiny brollies to share,
lest they get wetter.

the ones with the big brollies just breezed past me
opening their plastic shelters with a flourish
and splashing water on everyone around them.

thank god for my colleague
who braved the floods and brought a brolly to me
for that last stretch of road when the rain fell with a vengeance.

i think i'm falling sick *ah chooooo!*

photatoes from friday as promised. thanks to feng and her wonderful k750i! *muackz*

i look a bit crazed pointing to feng's el cheapo (her own words) birthday present to me. crazed looks can be pardoned when they appear before one gobbles up her present. =p

i've never been to labrador park so late at night and didn't expect there to be so many people around! not just couples making out either, mind you, but friends having (noisy) chats. there's even a group of around 12 guys with torchlights (there for either a very hurried gay orgy or ghost-hunting)!

we mild-mannered ones just sat in the pavilion and talked and took photos haha


something about the southern sea breeze made us do an ah lian:
wahaha feng's extra pair of slippers made me mega ah lian (and saved my precious heels)! gracie is a sexy dao ah lian and feng's the sexy pai kia ah lian. haha
-----

my true ah lian/beng encounter from the weekend (heard this when i was having dinner at chomp chomp):

ah lian: it's "most likely" not "most slightly", l-i-k-e-l-y
ah beng: huh? corright lah, most slightly
ah lian: nono, likely! l-i-k-e-l-y
ah beng: *string of hokkien words complaining about english being such a complicated language*

i first saw it on sir alex ferguson's lapel, and it made me say to me dad: "what in the world is that ugly thing on his chest?"

then i saw it on a picture of prince william (can't find the image now, but here's a different one, with the same pin on his jacket):

i only JUST thought to connect it with remembrance day, and lo and behold, my "remembrance day" google told me exactly what that pin's all about.

it's the remembrance day poppy!!!

errr...the what?! well, remembrance day is a day dedicated to war heroes who were killed in conflict. it is observed on november 11 to recall the end of world war I on that date in 1918.

in the united kingdom, remembrance sunday (the sunday closest to november 11) is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials, with the principal ceremony held at the cenotaph in whitehall, london, where the queen, prime minister and other political leaders will lay wreaths of poppies.

a 2-minute silence is observed at 11am (time that world war I officially ended in 1918), with a single bugler playing the last post.

why the poppy? the poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of flanders in world war I. their red color's an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

- John McCrae

remembrance day info found off wikipedia and bbc news.

had an enjoyable friday catching up with some friends from way back in secondary school. we're from different schools but had maths tuition together, and it's sweet how we've remained in contact after all these years even though we don't meet up all that often anymore.

we used to go for night tuition at mrs ng's, where we'd do a whole lot more secretive note-passing (only way of conversing under the fierce glare of mrs ng's) than actually number-crunching. definitely made maths heaps more enjoyable!

serena and ying ying came down to join me for lunch, and we ate yum ramen at beppu. too bad xiaoting's in the states and wasn't with us.

note to self: beppu staff take lousy photos.

went down to city hall after work and met feng and gracie for some shopping. bought nice nice bras from la senza! yay!

milan joined us after, and we headed to candy empire where us girlies fell victim to red rock deli chips and proved that marketing gimmicks work - gracie and i bought cheezels minis...and cheezels holes...the latter coz they're so cute!

what are cheezels holes? the middle of cheezels rings!!! "cheezels heartiez - the centre of everyone's attention". don't know if these cheezels heartiez will fit the holes of my cheezels minis haha will try when i open the pack. aussie cheezels are the best!

we had dinner at outback after, but my camera died so i couldn't take photos of the cheese fries, my favorite shrooms, funny-tasting fish&chips, and terriyaki beef skewers.

did manage to take pics of us with our zouk out tickets though!!! thank you gracie for helping us get them!

milan's holding gc's ticket haha and my cam managed to wake up a mo', for a shot of us on the mini carousel outside. =p

went to labrador park after that and it was serene and perfect for a long, late-night chat by the waters, under the hazy moon and scatter of stars. more photos when feng sends them to me! hiak!

missed digweed last night, coz i was feeling a tad under the weather (literally - over exposure to the blazing sun in the afternoon when i was coaching. i felt so terribly ill.). gota get my lazyass off the bed now to get ready for work.

work?! on a sunday?! yes =( gota go co-ordinate my winning band's song production/recording at the studio. i hope they don't take too long. and that the producer will show up - he's not picking up my calls, nor has he been replying to my messages. argh. *help*

blogo-vomit.

there has been a whole whirl of activity going on this week, what with people playing detective and digging out truths/lies behind better-known names in the blogosphere.

it amuses me to no end, how people actually bother to waste spend time on piecing together "evidence" and making such a big hoo-haa out of rather superficial things. it's human nature perhaps, to see the so-called downfall of the so-called pretty and famous, to give the lowdown, to unearth the not-so-glamorous past.

it's all very interesting, yes, and definitely fodder for conversation. be it true or not, i kinda like seeing a beautiful face more than a not-so-aesthetically-pleasing one. and who's not always trying to make themselves look better anyway?

everyone's got a "before" that we're not too proud of - embarrassing childhood photos, horrifying fashion faux pas, maybe even dirty little secrets that have been buried under mounds of edited memories.

we live, we learn.

that said, i did have loads of fun bitching about a certain princess who's so completely bubbled up in her little bleedin' lalaland. harsh though it may sound, i just find it totally disgusting how she so blatantly shows off her supposed riches and brains, looks and *gasp* can i even call it, love?

a green-eyed monster speaking? i don't think so. i may not have everything, but i think i can consider myself rather contented with what i've got right now.

it all boils down to respect, i guess. how much respect you've got for the people around you, the people you love and used to love, and especially, for yourself.

i may be biased, of course. and it might be coz i kinda know some of the parties involved in the whole tale that this drama queen has been spinning.

some may say the usual "why go read if it so disgusts you?". i guess i'm the curious cat who's contentedly licking the cream off my whiskers each time she manages to top herself.

and yes i know that it's her blog and she can do whatever she so wishes to. but she's blogging for a vast audience, unlike little ole me who's just blogging for friends and for keeps coz i've got the memory of a fish.

ah well, my name is zenn and i am a noseypoker. *hangs head in shame*

everything on the internet's to be taken with a pinch of salt i guess. and maybe that's the way it should be with life in general, for one side of the truth may jolly well turn out to be the shaded face that masks what's real.

or perhaps, it's all in the eye of the beholder.

christmas arrived early and the angels came out to play:

santarinas too, it seems.
browsing through these victoria's secrets photos brought the realization of the fact that, even though these are supermodels and the images have probably all been photoshopped, they aren't perfect. saw some bumpy thighs, big tummies, thick waists...all those stuffs supermodels aren't supposed to have (in photos at least...haha). but that might just be me nit-picking.

oh no, am i dashing the fantasies of some guys here? haha

i love me some girls =)

i find that contentment/happiness comes swiftly
when it's the right person doing the right things.

naive? maybe.
but right now, i'm smiling.

stolen time, makeshift note, sweet comfort.
you're not useless at all. =)

the shit has hit the ceiling.

you know those documents that i lost when i reformatted my comp? i've been working hard on re-entering all the financial data that had disappeared, and it's driving me nuts.

now 10 minutes ago, i got told that a company wants a copy of that powerpoint slide that i'd come up with for the dinner. so that they can show it at their fund-raiser tomorrow.

it was a last-minute job that time, coz i was only told to do it in the afternoon of the event, when i was in the ballroom, smack in the middle of the whirly pre-event mess. but the slides perfectly matched every second of my boss' speech.

now i have to attempt to piece it together again.

i'm already not feeling too good, but i foresee a late night today. *grimace*

2 sides of a me


i let a rainbow form in my life
a beam that lit up gray skies
i feel like twirling 'mongst the clouds
dancing and skipping on stars up high

a girl can dream.

i let the cotton shroud the light
a black drape that kept me shut
i feel like sinking into the darkness
where fears and sorrows stab at my heart

the nightmare ensues.

i shall reply to the posts on my chatterbox here ok? =)

minmin: birthday suits sound fat...i think i've been eating way too much...*grimace*
mark: thank you dear...and for calling...and the blogpost =)
helly: haha you're not a bad friend! thank you babe...that low-carb card's a gem heh oompa loompa!
hock: thought that was the squirrel
umber: thank you big bird
cakes: hahaha nice one cakes...
anon: thank you
dennis: aww you'll be back in no time, then you can go eat them all! heh
dan: yah i guessed it's not you haha weird that anon knows my age =S
erin: thank you =)
deb: thanks dear...harry potter yah!
tiny: thank you...it was sweet

so...yesterday went by just like any other day, 'cept that maybe i had more messages and calls than usual heh

the milkmaids surprised me with a yummy chocolate cake that was just the thing for a lazy afternoon:

that's one of my colleagues. the other one's busy when i whipped the camera out...and yet another one's on holiday (lucky girl!)

the family choped me for dinner, so we headed to the airport for a nice, homely meal at soup restaurant where the samsui ginger chicken and watercress pork rib soup were finger-licking good!

it's home after that for my cake-cutting!!! mum got me the fantastic tiramisu cake from da paolo!!!!!!

mmmmmm...dad very excitedly told me the tale behind an ex- smudge on the envelope of my birthday card - turns out he'd spotted a hugeass lizard earlier in the evening and had used the card to swipe at it. errr ewwwww!!!!!!

fawn made me a gorgeous lampshade-y kinda thing with dozens of beautiful butterflies that she'd printed off getty images and painstakingly cut out (sans feelers coz scissors aren't friendly with feelers haha).

sooo pretty! and of course, i had to take photos with the genius and her row of 23 little post-itlets:

=)

just about 30minutes to go, before the close of yet another birthday - this thing that comes around once every year, bringing along with it excitement, hope, joy, princess treatments, and well, disappointments too. sometimes.

but still...smiles all around, and a really grateful me. sometimes you don't know who you matter to, till your special day swings by and you get all these lovely surprises.

thank you.

happy birthday to me =)

ambigrams are so hot right now so i tried drawing one for myself (since i haven't got a doting boyfriend to draw one for me muahaha). how does this look?
er yah, that's supposed to be an ambigram of "zenn" muahaha. i'll love anyone who can come up with a more artistic design (put in a few butterflies and i may even put it up as my blog's banner! =p)

after a scrumptious bah chor mee lunch with my colleague, the blogging continues!!! wahaha i'm on a roll!

do allow me to introduce my new shoes. bought a few weeks ago from pedder red, this black beauty is the latest addition to my collection:

ah pretty pretty bows...*gives an i'm-a-bimbo look* =)