After craving for chicken briyani since that big dinner on my birthday, CY and I finally met up tonight for chicken briyani!!!
But I wasn't too hungry, and knowing her, she couldn't finish a plate :p So we shared a plate of rice and bought two fried chicken legs, AND had an egg prata each.. Oh, we had milk tea to go with the food too :) We really ate quite a bit.. But not as much as at her birthday dinner at Sushi Tei - we ate $70+ worth of food while Kel, YX and I were full at $60... It wasn't just her; it was me too :p
We are 损友 ma :)
So I gave her my Forever Friends bear. It was from my students back in 1999 when I did relief teacher for Further Maths in NJC so it was meaningful to me. I treasured it a lot but it was a very poor little thing cos it never received much love and doting from me. Since CY didn't mind the re-gift and since it was a meaningful gift to a dear friend, I gave it to her - I believe she will give Momo (named by CY) more love than I ever could!
The other day, DC was telling me how she still had her many many soft toys with her, and how her son was like her, doting on little bears and stuff. I had a lot of my soft toys with me too but I had also given a lot away. It is tough being my toys. Only Meh and Eeyore are with me now; Meh sleeps with me and Eeyore sits with me. Since Sunday, my only human-shaped doll also sits behind Eeyore, but it's not something I would hug. Oh, and Mr Bean from Sito gets some human touch once in a while when I need to put a CD in my iMac. I still had a box of toys stowed away at the top of my wardrobe. Even my toys in my office get more attention - at least I would touch Frog Prince and wonder when I would kiss him, if ever, and at least the multi-colour sheep from CY last year gets a little pat from me every so often. My box of toys must be very sad - I should give them all away soon...
To carry on the food story, I had Boon Tong Kee for lunch. I saw a bit of water on the seat and since LH and I didn't have tissue, I just sat down anyway though she told me to go get some from the stall - I didn't cos I was lazy and it was just water.. But no, five hours later, I found two dots of dark spots on my pink skirt, right in the middle of the back of my skirt - soy sauce!!! So I had been walking around looking like I had period stains =( I had to shift my skirt 90 degrees anti-clockwise to move the stain to the side. Then I went into LH's room and pouted :p
Thou shalt not be lazy!
But I usually am not lazy. Yesterday I spent the whole day - sans a few hours when I went dancing - cleaning up my room. I took down my curtains for washing, cleaned my desk, dusted my stuff and changed my bedsheets. When I came home from dancing, I put up the curtains again, tidied my desk, cleaned out (part of) my wardrobe, dusted my drawers under my bed and ironed my clothes, all the time sneezing and sniffing my nose due to the dust. Oh, btw, I received a letter informing me that I was in the control group for the immunotherapy clinical trial, i.e. I had nothing but placebo for a year! Sighs, how unlucky.. So my allergy rhinitis remains.. Had to take Panadol flu to check the symptoms but I still didn't feel too good most of today..
CNY is on the way now. Was in Chinatown with Sito on Saturday and it was so crowded! We walked a bit and guess what we bought? Turkish kebab - in Chinatown! *.* But not bad, was yummy :p I'm quite afraid I would overeat this CNY cos I don't want to get fat!! Then again, I haven't been feeling hungry easily these days - hope I could keep it up and keep the fats away this CNY. Drink more tea! :)
Still feeling quite full from dinner even though CY and I walked it off a bit on the way home - guess not enough walking :p But it was a good walk, sprinkled with anecdotes from the past and a whole lot of stuff that would probably make some people cringe so I shall stop here and go to bed - I'm getting rather excited about going to work cos I think it's going to be a perfect day to start work on my next big thing tomorrow!
Monday, 28 January 2008
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
New voice
Some days ago, Sito pointed out the new voice on the North South Line. Then one day, I heard a rather long announcement in that new voice informing everyone about the tunnel TV between Newton and Orchard. It was so bad that I almost wrote in to complain feedback!
The voice itself was pleasant, but the intonation was a torture on my ears. There was no discernable accent but I wondered if it was perhaps not the Singapore version of accented English, as opposed to Singlish (an amalgamation of available - really! - languages)? As in, what (some) people would consider to be good English?
God bless the day all our kids talk like that.. Time to pack my bags for the Midlands.
Anyway, on English, just want to record my distaste for people who pop by some English-speaking country as part of a whirlwind tour and come back with an (often odd) accent.. Or some kid who studies overseas for a few years and returns speaking like QEII.. Unless of course, the kid has been there since really young - and I really do mean young.. Colleague who studied in NZ since he was 13 didn't come back sounding like an ang moh. There.
Oh, but who am I to criticise these people when poor old mf couldn't even pronounce "probably" and "oligopolistic" without knotting my tongue? And just how do you say "haute couture"?! :p
But I can do "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" =)
For other words, well, there is Sito! :p
The voice itself was pleasant, but the intonation was a torture on my ears. There was no discernable accent but I wondered if it was perhaps not the Singapore version of accented English, as opposed to Singlish (an amalgamation of available - really! - languages)? As in, what (some) people would consider to be good English?
God bless the day all our kids talk like that.. Time to pack my bags for the Midlands.
Anyway, on English, just want to record my distaste for people who pop by some English-speaking country as part of a whirlwind tour and come back with an (often odd) accent.. Or some kid who studies overseas for a few years and returns speaking like QEII.. Unless of course, the kid has been there since really young - and I really do mean young.. Colleague who studied in NZ since he was 13 didn't come back sounding like an ang moh. There.
Oh, but who am I to criticise these people when poor old mf couldn't even pronounce "probably" and "oligopolistic" without knotting my tongue? And just how do you say "haute couture"?! :p
But I can do "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" =)
For other words, well, there is Sito! :p
Sunday, 13 January 2008
About turning 28
I guess that qualifies me to be in the late 20s...
Happened to look down at my hands yesterday. I have slender wrists - I like. Having nothing better to do on the train, I started to inspect my hands. And I saw things I didn't like as much.
In a nutshell,I am my physical shell is ageing *.*
My hands are dry and wrinkly. I'm getting fat the past few months - a sign of my metabolic rate slowing down?! My bum also seems to be sagging o_O And my signature good complexion is no longer perfect.. My eyes are lined too, age and too many years of knitting the centre of my face together when I laugh - oh but laughter is a good thing so keep that coming =) (and darn the wrinkles?)
I used to think it odd that when we were young, we couldn't wait to grow up and when we did, we couldn't help but try to stop the growing-up because I quite look forward to turning 30 - I'm excited about where I will be, what I will be doing. But I forget that though the heart is willing, the body is but a frail thing that just cannot be as enthusiastic. Now I understand more why some of my friends 怕老.
A bit sad, I guess. Maybe that's why I have been splurging a bit on my face in the past year. I graduated (a little) from $3 facial foam to, well, alternating $3 facial foam with cleansing milk from Amore. I also have a good detoxifying mask and a good scrub.. From Hazeline Snow moisturiser, I switched to Biotherm Aquasource. The worst was when I realised I needed a foundation to even out my skin tone some time in August.. Sighs..
与其唉声叹气（并增添皱纹！浪费青春！），不如勇敢正视年华开始老去，看开一点，把握现在吧！嘻，靠科技，我还可以虚荣地以数码把年轻化为永恒！
That was taken on the Sky Ride in Sentosa yesterday. Sito and I had to watch our feet to make sure we didn't drop our slippers! :p
We started at the Underwater World - touched a starfish, let innocent fish swim by our stationery hand, one silly fish even nibbled at my finger! I liked bright yellow fish. The sea dragons were pretty too.. There was one fish with Angelina Jolie's lips - plus botox! Some crabs were cute; some scary.. And the jelly fish just went bloop-bloop.. But the sea creatures were mostly grey and ugly.. And I told them exactly that as we went by: You're ugly *.*
The tickets allowed entry to the Dolphin Lagoon but we were too early for the show so we went to the Luge - can you see the Luge stamp on Sito's hand in above picture? Luge was really fun!! =)
Made it back in time for the dolphin show - the dolphins were pink and made cute little sounds. While the show was enjoyable, I couldn't help but wonder if the dolphins were happy performing.. Especially the oldest of the four dolphin - it was quite fat! Think it must be tough for it to spin in the air *.*
I had a surprise dinner - Sito had arranged for dinner in a cable car :) So we left Sentosa on cable car to Mt Faber where the dinner started with a soup and salad. We were sent to Sentosa and back for the main course, and again sent to Sentosa and back for the dessert and my lovely birthday cake before another trip to Sentosa.. Effectively we went to Sentosa four times yesterday! We were so full at the end of it, yummy! Thank you, Dear - it was great fun =)
Had a couple more celebrations earlier in the week. Met Na on Tuesday, when I took a day off. We had chocolate fondue - very nice and sinful, oooh... Then we went shopping. She bought a flat (:p) pillow and I, a tiny black skirt - I love tiny black skirts :p Na helped me get a discount - thanks! :)
Then it was dinner with CY - a lot of Jap food.. And then it was supper with CY.. While queueing for a drink, we thought toast with eggs would go well with tea. As we waited, our order changed to toast and roti prata with tea instead - every step getting more sinful!! But well, it was good :p Thanks for the bracelet watch, 损友 - I'm wearing it tomorrow! :) And remember, we have to have nasi briyani next time!!
We had a little office celebration on Friday too for the four January babies. Had quite a bit of cake before going for the D&D. Wonder why they call it D&D when the second D obviously doesn't exist... It was not exactly something I would go to had I a choice - never mind that it was compulsory yet not subsidised, there was no liquor - not even beer! We were made to sit through table games and a weird show, which were really better endured intoxicated *.* And it was the same host as last year, who repeated his jokes and games.. The only redeeming factor was sitting next to Shobi and commenting on people's boobs :p And it was fun at the KTV after that. though I ditched them for supper with Sito after a few songs, oops...
Guess that's about it, the celebration of my ageing (D&D aside; just a casual mention :p) - but if this year goes the same as last year, I'll be 29 in no time!!! Yeah!!! :)
Update 20 Jan 2008:
Went out for dinner and drinks with Kel, YX and Moh on Friday, they and WX got me a bottle of SKII miracle water.
"We want to see if it really creates a miracle!"
Grrr! But ok, I am thankful :)
Happened to look down at my hands yesterday. I have slender wrists - I like. Having nothing better to do on the train, I started to inspect my hands. And I saw things I didn't like as much.
In a nutshell,
My hands are dry and wrinkly. I'm getting fat the past few months - a sign of my metabolic rate slowing down?! My bum also seems to be sagging o_O And my signature good complexion is no longer perfect.. My eyes are lined too, age and too many years of knitting the centre of my face together when I laugh - oh but laughter is a good thing so keep that coming =) (and darn the wrinkles?)
I used to think it odd that when we were young, we couldn't wait to grow up and when we did, we couldn't help but try to stop the growing-up because I quite look forward to turning 30 - I'm excited about where I will be, what I will be doing. But I forget that though the heart is willing, the body is but a frail thing that just cannot be as enthusiastic. Now I understand more why some of my friends 怕老.
A bit sad, I guess. Maybe that's why I have been splurging a bit on my face in the past year. I graduated (a little) from $3 facial foam to, well, alternating $3 facial foam with cleansing milk from Amore. I also have a good detoxifying mask and a good scrub.. From Hazeline Snow moisturiser, I switched to Biotherm Aquasource. The worst was when I realised I needed a foundation to even out my skin tone some time in August.. Sighs..
与其唉声叹气（并增添皱纹！浪费青春！），不如勇敢正视年华开始老去，看开一点，把握现在吧！嘻，靠科技，我还可以虚荣地以数码把年轻化为永恒！
That was taken on the Sky Ride in Sentosa yesterday. Sito and I had to watch our feet to make sure we didn't drop our slippers! :p
We started at the Underwater World - touched a starfish, let innocent fish swim by our stationery hand, one silly fish even nibbled at my finger! I liked bright yellow fish. The sea dragons were pretty too.. There was one fish with Angelina Jolie's lips - plus botox! Some crabs were cute; some scary.. And the jelly fish just went bloop-bloop.. But the sea creatures were mostly grey and ugly.. And I told them exactly that as we went by: You're ugly *.*
The tickets allowed entry to the Dolphin Lagoon but we were too early for the show so we went to the Luge - can you see the Luge stamp on Sito's hand in above picture? Luge was really fun!! =)
Made it back in time for the dolphin show - the dolphins were pink and made cute little sounds. While the show was enjoyable, I couldn't help but wonder if the dolphins were happy performing.. Especially the oldest of the four dolphin - it was quite fat! Think it must be tough for it to spin in the air *.*
I had a surprise dinner - Sito had arranged for dinner in a cable car :) So we left Sentosa on cable car to Mt Faber where the dinner started with a soup and salad. We were sent to Sentosa and back for the main course, and again sent to Sentosa and back for the dessert and my lovely birthday cake before another trip to Sentosa.. Effectively we went to Sentosa four times yesterday! We were so full at the end of it, yummy! Thank you, Dear - it was great fun =)
Had a couple more celebrations earlier in the week. Met Na on Tuesday, when I took a day off. We had chocolate fondue - very nice and sinful, oooh... Then we went shopping. She bought a flat (:p) pillow and I, a tiny black skirt - I love tiny black skirts :p Na helped me get a discount - thanks! :)
Then it was dinner with CY - a lot of Jap food.. And then it was supper with CY.. While queueing for a drink, we thought toast with eggs would go well with tea. As we waited, our order changed to toast and roti prata with tea instead - every step getting more sinful!! But well, it was good :p Thanks for the bracelet watch, 损友 - I'm wearing it tomorrow! :) And remember, we have to have nasi briyani next time!!
We had a little office celebration on Friday too for the four January babies. Had quite a bit of cake before going for the D&D. Wonder why they call it D&D when the second D obviously doesn't exist... It was not exactly something I would go to had I a choice - never mind that it was compulsory yet not subsidised, there was no liquor - not even beer! We were made to sit through table games and a weird show, which were really better endured intoxicated *.* And it was the same host as last year, who repeated his jokes and games.. The only redeeming factor was sitting next to Shobi and commenting on people's boobs :p And it was fun at the KTV after that. though I ditched them for supper with Sito after a few songs, oops...
Guess that's about it, the celebration of my ageing (D&D aside; just a casual mention :p) - but if this year goes the same as last year, I'll be 29 in no time!!! Yeah!!! :)
Update 20 Jan 2008:
Went out for dinner and drinks with Kel, YX and Moh on Friday, they and WX got me a bottle of SKII miracle water.
"We want to see if it really creates a miracle!"
Grrr! But ok, I am thankful :)
Thursday, 10 January 2008
mf on webcam
Was watching Spider Lilies which featured Rainie Yang as a webcam girl. She posed and chattered in front of the camera for everyone until someone paid extra for private sessions.
Then I looked at my Skype window with Sito - it was like our private session! :p
Sito: So, do I pay?
mf: For you only, free! *wink*
Haha! :p
Then I looked at my Skype window with Sito - it was like our private session! :p
Sito: So, do I pay?
mf: For you only, free! *wink*
Haha! :p
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
The whole thing about green shopping bags
First of all, happy birthday to mf :)
*yes, I'm super thick-skinned :p*
Not too long ago, there was an article on My Paper on recycling bags, about how so many retailers were giving away recycling bags to encourage people to start using them instead of plastic bags. It commented that it might not be very environmentally friendly given the large number of recycling bags being given away. I couldn't agree more!
Think we tend to overdo things. It is a good thing to encourage people not to use so many plastic bags. But if in place of plastic bags, retailers start to give away recycling bags indiscriminately, it becomes pointless.. I wonder how many people actually bring a recycling bag with them when they go shopping - they are more likely to collect yet another recycling bag from the next retailer! So consumers end up with 10s of recycling bags..
Shouldn't the first step be trying not to use any shopping bag at all? Just stuff small items into our own bags and reserve shopping bags for bulk items. And if you know you are going to do serious grocery shopping, BYOB - I miss my days of going to Sainsbury's and Tesco with my ugly crap-blue (oh yes, the colour exists) backpack holding just my wallet and filling it with meatballs and broccoli and orange juice and milk, before walking home looking like a turtle about to land on its shell any time :p Oh, and it is easier to carry the same amount of things in a backpack on your pack than in four plastic bags in two hands!
I am not totally against using plastic bags cos sometimes they are really necessary. But we can exercise discretion, e.g. tell the cashier to pack everything into one bag, and do you really need a bag for that bottle of water you're going to drink immediately? Or a small bag to hold the even smaller bag of earrings?
And on discretion, I think retailers should also educate its staff on packing shopping bags. The other day, I was queueing at Fairprice and saw how the auntie packed the groceries for the customer in front. She packed all the food nicely into one plastic bag - good, cos I have seen some people packing things very loosely hence using more bags. But she proceeded to put the single non-food item - a packet of sanitary pads - into a smaller plastic bag before packing it with the big bag, and - worse - she put the big bag into another bag!
I was disgusted. Would sanitary pads contaminate the food? Would the plastic bag really fall apart holding nothing more than vegetables and instant noodles?? It was so frustrating!!!!
So, giving out recycling bags is not a solution. Encouraging people - consumers and retailers - to exercise discretion in using plastic bags can be. And it's the little things that help too..
A summary of small things we all can do:
1) Hand carry things like mineral water, packet rice - without a bag; small items can go into own bag
2) BYOB for shopping
3) Recycle plastic bags - save them and (ask your mother to) give them to the aunties in the wet market, line dustbins
4) Recycle paper bags too - they can make nice carriers for presents
5) Tell cashier that you don't mind having sanitary pads next to instant noodles
*yes, I'm super thick-skinned :p*
Not too long ago, there was an article on My Paper on recycling bags, about how so many retailers were giving away recycling bags to encourage people to start using them instead of plastic bags. It commented that it might not be very environmentally friendly given the large number of recycling bags being given away. I couldn't agree more!
Think we tend to overdo things. It is a good thing to encourage people not to use so many plastic bags. But if in place of plastic bags, retailers start to give away recycling bags indiscriminately, it becomes pointless.. I wonder how many people actually bring a recycling bag with them when they go shopping - they are more likely to collect yet another recycling bag from the next retailer! So consumers end up with 10s of recycling bags..
Shouldn't the first step be trying not to use any shopping bag at all? Just stuff small items into our own bags and reserve shopping bags for bulk items. And if you know you are going to do serious grocery shopping, BYOB - I miss my days of going to Sainsbury's and Tesco with my ugly crap-blue (oh yes, the colour exists) backpack holding just my wallet and filling it with meatballs and broccoli and orange juice and milk, before walking home looking like a turtle about to land on its shell any time :p Oh, and it is easier to carry the same amount of things in a backpack on your pack than in four plastic bags in two hands!
I am not totally against using plastic bags cos sometimes they are really necessary. But we can exercise discretion, e.g. tell the cashier to pack everything into one bag, and do you really need a bag for that bottle of water you're going to drink immediately? Or a small bag to hold the even smaller bag of earrings?
And on discretion, I think retailers should also educate its staff on packing shopping bags. The other day, I was queueing at Fairprice and saw how the auntie packed the groceries for the customer in front. She packed all the food nicely into one plastic bag - good, cos I have seen some people packing things very loosely hence using more bags. But she proceeded to put the single non-food item - a packet of sanitary pads - into a smaller plastic bag before packing it with the big bag, and - worse - she put the big bag into another bag!
I was disgusted. Would sanitary pads contaminate the food? Would the plastic bag really fall apart holding nothing more than vegetables and instant noodles?? It was so frustrating!!!!
So, giving out recycling bags is not a solution. Encouraging people - consumers and retailers - to exercise discretion in using plastic bags can be. And it's the little things that help too..
A summary of small things we all can do:
1) Hand carry things like mineral water, packet rice - without a bag; small items can go into own bag
2) BYOB for shopping
3) Recycle plastic bags - save them and (ask your mother to) give them to the aunties in the wet market, line dustbins
4) Recycle paper bags too - they can make nice carriers for presents
5) Tell cashier that you don't mind having sanitary pads next to instant noodles
Change of festive seasons
The Christmas decor is giving way to CNY decor everywhere now.. It's actually a waste of resources, to put things up only to dismantle it a month later.. Perhaps the shopping malls could learn to recycle Christmas decor for CNY..
Say, we have a Santa Claus..
Source: Google image search
After Christmas is over, we can remove the white furry bits, and paint golden patterns onto the red suit.
Head gear.. Hmm, let's change it totally!
Now, dye the beard and eyebrows black.. And rebond everything :)
Presenting... 财神爷!!
Source: Google image search
:p
Say, we have a Santa Claus..
Source: Google image search
After Christmas is over, we can remove the white furry bits, and paint golden patterns onto the red suit.
Head gear.. Hmm, let's change it totally!
Now, dye the beard and eyebrows black.. And rebond everything :)
Presenting... 财神爷!!
Source: Google image search
:p
Tuesday, 1 January 2008
Happy new year!
And time to make (new) resolutions! :p
But first, a review of my 2007 resolutions:
1) Do a 10km jog within two hours by end of 2007
2) Not get wasted and puke..
3) Lose 3kg. Better still, lose a few more inches..
4) Pass my driving test
5) Read more, especially the books I bought in 2006
6) Make myself heard
7) Be really happy
Not bad, I managed to fulfil five of seven resolutions in 2007 :) But a bit sad that instead of managing a 10km jog, I didn't jog for most of the second half of the year, and instead of losing weight and inches, I piled on 3kg and a couple of inches! =(
Hence, for 2008, I have the following:
1) Lose weight
2) Lose inches - separating this from above cos they may not go hand in hand...
3) Do that 10km!
4) Not buy any bag (unless I dump one existing one :p)
5) Spend wisely
6) Improve my Japanese
7) Try to think a bit more - need to exercise my brain, work smarter yet better, and think about what I want out of my life, my career..
There! :)
First day of work of the year starts tomorrow - let's have a good one! :)
But first, a review of my 2007 resolutions:
1) Do a 10km jog within two hours by end of 2007
3) Lose 3kg. Better still, lose a few more inches..
Not bad, I managed to fulfil five of seven resolutions in 2007 :) But a bit sad that instead of managing a 10km jog, I didn't jog for most of the second half of the year, and instead of losing weight and inches, I piled on 3kg and a couple of inches! =(
Hence, for 2008, I have the following:
1) Lose weight
2) Lose inches - separating this from above cos they may not go hand in hand...
3) Do that 10km!
4) Not buy any bag (unless I dump one existing one :p)
5) Spend wisely
6) Improve my Japanese
7) Try to think a bit more - need to exercise my brain, work smarter yet better, and think about what I want out of my life, my career..
There! :)
First day of work of the year starts tomorrow - let's have a good one! :)
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