dears, thanks for your caring comments. After the horrible experience, I went straight home and slept from 2pm to 12midnight. Sleep, wake up, forget everything loh!

So fast one week already. This Christmas week has been very relaxing and fun. I got so much to tell you but I've been a bit lazy. Will post all the highlights soon. I got no plans for New Year yet. Since past years' celebrations have been really quiet, I am hoping to hit a club here and party like mad. I got to watch the alcohol tho'. Contrary to expectations, alcohol is not cheap here but the bartenders are generous. I KO after 3 drinks. What are your plans for New Year?

Me is so happy I got to celebrate Christmas in Singapore before leaving. The Verigy gals met up at Outback Steakhouse to exchange happenings, gossip and happy news. No pics there. The next day, I met up with another group of Verigy peeps at Brewerkz and we can always count on Simon for pictures!

Time for gift exchange! Here's us holding up the gifts we bought.

I got Simon coal. Not the big black kind for barbeque. This one is called Ecoal, sold at Takashimaya. You can put in cars, cabinets, wardrobe, shoe racks ... to remove bad odours. Somemore they come in cute packaging like dinosaurs, stars and simple colourful sachets. I got the Christmas packaging that spells 'Peace', 'Joy' and 'Love'!

Simon said that air purifiers in cars spray perfume to mask bad smells and doesn't remove them. But the coal does so he's been meaning to get them for a long time. Yay, Simon likes his gift!

That is for me right?


Happy faces all round.


There was a mix-up and I ended up with 2 gifts! Taan tio!
Pat gave me a necklace with four leaf clover necklace for good luck. Yes, four leaf clovers do exist! Lea got me a nice silver chain with pink details. I like I like. :) Thank you!

I have arrived!

Though my spirits weren't that high hours ago. The waiting time at customs is always horrendously long. I touched down at 10.10am. One hour later, I am still in line. Just as I was 10 persons down to my turn, they moved a bunch of us to the next line which was longer. But the officers seemed more efficient so line did move a bit faster. When it was my turn, the officer asked the usual questions.

Officer (O): What is the purpose of your visit?
Me (M): On holiday.
O: How long?
M: Till 24 Feb.
O: Who is staying at the address you stated? Friend, family, co-worker?
M: Co-worker.
O: What do you do in Singapore?
M: I am in Marketing.
O: They give you that much vacation time? When was your last visit?
M: March this year.
O: You were working then?
M: I had left my company.
O: Which company is that?
M: xxx company based in US.
O: Hmmm.. please turn to the left.

Officer signals to a female officer to follow me. I didn't sleep before boarding plus I had a serious bout of cold so I was feeling really tired and all I wanted was to lie down on a bed. Yet for some reason, I had to go through 'Secondary Inspection' . I took a seat while the female officer ran checks on my passport and itinerary. There was one other guy in the room. But soon, another guy and lady joined us.

They called the first guy and we all heard them asking a bunch of questions about what he was doing here, what his fiancee's name was, what she does here, were they planning to get married ... eventually they allowed him to leave. Then they called the other guy, asked him a couple questions and he left.

Finally it was my turn. They shot me a bunch of questions while searching my wallet.
When was the last time you were here?
What was that for?
You were here in 2006?
Where did you work?
Are you working now?
How do you intend to support yourself when you are here?
Is this your boyfriend?
How did you meet him?
What is he working as?
When was the last time he went to Singapore?
He was also there in 2007?
Do you intend to get married?
When do you intend to come back?

I was asked to accompany another officer to have my bag searched. Even the photos in my camera were looked through. I was a bit worried cos I took some aerial shots while the plane was touching down. They found nothing of note and I got my bag back. Phew! By this time, I was the only one in the room. The room looked out to the main customs area and nobody was there either. So I am the only one who is not an officer in the whole place!

The lady officer was conversing with the guy next to her and kept saying 'It's mismatched.' I was thinking to myself "WHAT can be mismatched??' Then I was called for round no.3 of questions.
You are here for 2 weeks and you only have $200?
How can you draw money?
You have a bank account here?
You have a driver's licence here?
How long are you staying?

After waiting for a while, the male officer called me and gave me leave. It's been more than 2 hours now. I walked down the long empty aisle past a group of officers. There was no one at baggage claim and again, I was the only person at the bag check line. This time, I got through fast. The only thing on my mind was to get out quickly. I didn't want them to call me back.

Kelly was waiting for me outside with a bunch of flowers and camera. He saw my face and asked what happened. All I could say was "Let's get out of here first." After we got to the car, I poured out the whole incident to Kelly. At that point, I was just frustrated, upset, relieved, tired.. a whole bunch of emotions that a holiday shouldn't start with.

The officers were not rude or harsh thankfully or I might just have burst into tears. Right now, I have second thoughts about coming back again. The course of love never did run smooth. Sigh.

the skies opened up when we met. I had asked alice to accompany me in checking out some restaurants and her dear bf offered to drive us around. It was so sweet of him. especially when it poured the entire afternoon.

Stop 1: Da Paolo at Rochester Park

Da Paolo, according to my ex-boss, serves the best Italian food in Singapore. So I was really eager to check this place out. the staff were on their lunch break when we got there so the restaurant wasn't properly setup. still, there is a minimalist beauty about the place.

The dining room upstairs was washed in white. A mirror on the far end expands the visual space while a timber curtain provides contrast. i can imagine my girl friends and I having a cosy chit chat here. courtyard looked like it belonged to someone's garden party with its simple setup. a water feature on the side adds a nice touch. this setup is perfect for wine on a breezy night.

A place to visit for casual dinners and intimate conversations.

Stop 2: Graze at Rochester Park

We were introduced to Kevin when his staff saw us wandering in. Graze specialises in Australian barbeque. after knowing that i was looking at his place for a party, he immediately told us it wasn't cheap. while the warning was nice, it was a little too soon in the conversation.

This courtyard definitely looked more comfortable than Da Paolo's. I had very bad experience with outdoor wooden furniture and red ants so the furniture at Graze wasa more comforting to me. (though i never saw any red ants at Da Paolo's when i was there.)

Interior featured long canteen tables with steel-backed seats but the glass chandeliers and christmas table decorations gave it a semi-formal feel. Tis a nice place to meet up with friends and fellow meat lovers. (Contrary to what Kevin had said, their proposed menu were very reasonably-priced.)

Stop 3: Min Jiang at Rochester Park

Min Jiang at Rochester is the offshoot of Goodwood Park Hotel's Min Jiang. Alice says the dim sum there is yummy. At Rochester, the decor was classy though nothing very special. Reading about the camphor wood and tea smoked duck made me drool.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071215/ap_on_fe_st/odd_cartoon_socks_lawsuit;_ylt=AjcOj2QkE.KVtPJE9vDWGCMuQE4F


1. Kid attends first day of school with Tigger socks.
2. Tigger socks are against school rules so kid is disciplined.
3. Parents sue school and get $95,000.

I am not sure how heavily the kid was punished. I do think the kid should just have been let off with a reminder letter to the parents. after all it's day one in school.

but the parents shouldn't have sued the school. isn't that what school rules are for? their actions totally undermine the authority of the school. how can schools be guardians and moral teachers if they can't be trusted to implement and enforce rules?

I suppose it is a good thing when I still can't imagine the same thing happening in Singapore.

help! i need some solid career advice. anyone?

twice in one month.
it was awkward and i was nervous.
the alarm bells still ring in my mind after all this time.
i am older and more confident but i still falter in front of you.

i didn't phrase my sentences nicely.
the moment i said it, i saw you frown.
the air was tense with memories.
it's a good thing we are no more.

purses, purses and more purses. chanel, miu miu, botkier, mulberry... *sighs softly in longing*

last week was eventful. it all started on wed when i got news of my grandma's hospitalisation on my way to my friend's solemnisation rehearsal. update, grandma's not coherent and not eating. until she starts eating which includes taking her medicine, she can't be discharged. though her life is in no grave danger.

Then on fri, I attended VivoCity's 1st anniversary celebration. It was one grand party with overseas angmoh singers, acrobatic performances and fireworks! From afar, I thought the acrobat on top look like Harry Potter and my colleague agrees with me!

That same night, boss and I drank rounds of sake. 1st time I tried so many different sakes. Boss even brought out his secret Ginjyo stash. Yummy.. i am starting to develop a liking for sakes! Miraculously, I made my way home and pass out on my bed.


On sat, i visited grandma before meeting up with the 姐妹 to prepare the stuff for tekan-ing the groom and brothers. We had lemon juice, bittergourd juice, ribena and chilli padi seeds which lynn pounded and soaked in vinegar overnight. Gals take note, feedback from the brothers said the last one is damn potent!

Poor Lynn had to endure the stinging pain the chilli padi seeds gave her for a whole night. preparing the ingredients is harder than the actual tekan-ing. 6 hours of work all down the throat in 6mins.