:)

I'm back:)

Cos I just gotten my new laptop Sony vaio:)

Been eyeing it for a long long time and I cnt believe I have bought it!:) *jumps with joy!*

My previous laptop has served me well, through my 4 years of uni, through all those projects, assignments, forum, discussions, dissertation, fb-ing and all:) And I really love the nicely done Gmask (probably the only reason why I'm still sticking to it till now), courtesy of CHAOS, so nope I'm not going to trade it away/throw it away, since it's still workable, it shall be my bro's laptop since he doesn't have one and our home desktop one is lagging.

One of the main reasons I got this new laptop is the built in numeric key pad which I really need for doing work in excel:) So whee to keypad and a larger screen:)

While this means I have got to save up for the next 2 months at least, it doesn't help that it's also the Xmas season and the end-of-year-going-to-a-brand-new-year festive season! Haha.. So savings and all shall take a mini break for now, I guess I can with a little treat and self pampering:)

So I'm a happy girl:)

And here's my 1st capture using the laptop's camera hehehe~

Hope my new laptop will get me typing more blog posts and start uploading those overdue photos:)

Frenzy hazy wkends!

On MC today due to throat infection that starts since last Fri, probably due to the events that have been zooming passed during the last wkends.

***

Fri

Post work CHAOS meetup cum Wan Xin's super early bday surprise cum Deon's happy sharing session:)

We spent the entire Fri night together at Xin Wang from 7pm to 2am! We just kept chatting, always amazed at how we cld nv ran out of topics:)

Heard Deon's sharing about her new love:) And we are all really happy for her! Stay happily attached yea!:)

And Wan Xin's bday surprise was a perfect success, great improvement frm previous CHAOS surprises with minor minor hiccups. So proud that we are improving! Hehehe~ From our 13th bday to this yr's 23rd bday, we still managed to surprise each other for the 10th yr! *claps!!!* But surprise or not, I'm really glad we have been celebrating each other's bday since our teenage-hood hehehe~ And definitely looking forward to our adult-hood and golden years celebration!:D

***

Sat

Then it was Mitju 1st warehse sales with Joyce!:) Though sleep deprived, still glad that I pulled myself out of the bed for this! It's my 1st shoes warehse sale too, and it's really worth the time we spent queuing up and for me, sacrificing my breakfast (and lunch) for!:)

Both of us spent $70 with bagfuls of shoes and we estimated that we saved over $100 plus!:):):)

We were so satisfied and also drained from Mitju sales that we decided to skip the Charles & Keith warehse sales which was also on last wkends.

Now that we know how warehse sales works, we are so going to be better prepared for this the next time!:) Going to gather more Mitju shoes lovers for the next one!:)

Then it was Hui Mun's 21st bday party at NSRCC:) Did some final touches to her guestbook before heading over for my 1st meal of the day! Was so famished that I ate more than LokeX2!

LokeX2's relatives from KL specially came down for this event and I finally had the time to spend time with the young ones ever since I met them in KL:)

The chalet at NSRCC is really one of the most atas chalet and it's really well-maintained:) Food was good, desserts was good and the cake was good too!:)

Hope Hui Mun had a memorable 21st!:) And have a speedy recovery!:)

Then stayover at LokeX2's place for Sun's Nike 10km run! We only got to sleep for abt 4 or 5 hrs before we head over to meet the rest of the Nike run peeps!

And yesssss I'm amazed that I managed to complete the run! In abt 1 hr 15 /20min I guess:) And I ran non-stop for 7km. Partly due to the fact that I was looking forward to the water point after 5km and there wasn't any until aft 7km!

Then walked for abt 1km with Hazel and continued until aft 9km before we were stopped by Ernest and Joel to finish the race tog!:) We didnt manage to catch Ryan and LokeX2, so the 6 of us (Ernest, Joel, Xu Wen, Dawn, Hazel and I) ran past the finishing point together! Hahaha..

Yeahhhh! Conquered the 10km race! 1 more item down on my 1-yr goal chart:) Shape Run 2011 nxt year:)

After that we got back, brought Loke's relatives to lunch and shop around the entire afternn! Though really exhausted frm the shopping aches, running aches and also impeding throat infection, I'm glad the kids were happy with their buys! Hehehe~ And Happy Birthday Wai Ling!:)

Finally took a short nap and then dinner before heading home after a 2-day action packed wkends!:)

***

Mon

Then throat infection hits me this morning and decided to take MC before it worsens. Feeling much better after rest and medication:) I'm ready to look forward to the new week:)

Take care everyone!:)

Sunny Sunday, Spontaneous Sunday:)

Ysd me and LokeX2 roller-bladed at Pasir Ris Park in the evening:) Despite the fact that we didn’t blade for very long, partly cos LokeX2’s relatively new, partly cos we are hungry, it was still therapeutically fun:)

After that we went to grab a bite beside the sea:) Nice relaxing slow Sunday:) I like!:) No TV, no laptop, no wifi, no Mousehunt, no shopping – just simplistic forms of relaxation. :)

Fate also seems to have it that we should seek simple forms of entertainment when LokeX2 forgotten to bring his house keys and the rest of his family was at JB. So we have to stay away from the comfort of our material belongings (we only have got our hp, his wallet and a car!) and find different ways to spend the time till they returned.

And so we did, strolled along the park leisurely, enjoying quiet times away from the crowded shopping malls at Tampines, explored around aimlessly or adventurously as said by LokeX2:) We have practically nothing (not that we are penniless but just didn’t feel like spending much) but lots of time on hand. So we got to enjoy rare moments of solitude ysd:) And time actually passed faster than we expected.:)

It feels really good to pull ourselves away from the things that demand our attention – regardless of media, goals, sms, fb notifications, work etc. I didn’t even bother to take any pics, just enjoy the moments:) It does feel liberating:)

Therapeutic, simplistic, fun, healthy, quality time with LokeX2 and not to mention cheap and good! What more can I ask!:)

Looking forward to more liberating sessions like this:) But no more lock-outs pls:P

Have a great week ahead!:D

Things that make me HAPPY!:)

Yeahhhhh I finally gave my family my 1st pay dinner treat ysd at Crystal Jade:) Not that it’s extravagant, but it’s that we seldom eat together as a family due to our weirdly individualized habits haha..

It was also part of celebrating my daddy’s bday:) Post dinner we “brought” our daddy to walk around J8 which I reckon he really rarely sets foot on. The main purpose is also to lead him to OSIM to try out the USqueeze that we decided to give him as bday present:)

And so trial and tested before we finally decided to get it!

And as NTUC Income gave me some vouchers including a freebie when I spend at OSIM, double joy!

Then the sales guy added on another bday month freebie, even though my bday was last month, triple joy!:D

Sooooo now we are all waiting eagerly for the massager to arrive next week hehehe~ Apparently the whole family is going to enjoy our daddy’s present:)

Then we went grocery shopping at NTUC, something which we haven’t done together for quite some time already:) And among all the groceries, daddy bought 3 tubs of ice creams for us! Whee~

Ysd was also the day I managed to squeeze out some time to shop for the things I wanted to get since a long time ago.

Got my PFM presents too – spent the vouchers at Watsons and Charles & Keith:D

And to top these up, I found my pink casio calculator while my sister is shopping at Best Denki! Hohohohoho~

Happiness all around:D

What a wonderful way to welcome mid week Wed!:D

PFM dinner later on at Orchard! It always feels like we haven’t met for a long time even though we meet up quite regularly (like just 2 weeks ago), apparently it’s never enough when it comes to meeting up with my PFMs:) (oh, just recalled that I missed the RE meets PFM gathering, no wonder I feel it’s been so long):)

Weather seems gloomy, but that is not going to spoil my happiness mode for today:D

Post long wkends and Mon Flu:)

8th week of work alrd! Almost 2 months! If I were doing internship, it should be ending soon, why does it seem longer during then?

Thankfully, I don’t have the time creeping slowly kind of feeling. Rather, time has been zooming passed faster than expected:) Something which I truly appreciate:)

***

The past long weekends have been real good:) Rested and rejuvenated:) Photoshoot with POXML was great fun!:) Though it’s a smaller group, the dynamics and energy were very strong as reflected in our photos! Love all the photos which Marcus took! I think he seriously has a gift for photography, even the candid shots are nice shots! I like I like!:D And I realize all 3 ladies have single eye lids (right?)! Hehehe~

I guess this is probably the last diy graduation photoshoot already:) 3 times – more than enough to cover the cost of the gown hehehe:) Now left our family studio photoshoot!:)

***

Ever since I have started work, I have been spending (much) lesser time surfing/fb/twitter than before. It’s like a need to detox after staring at the desktop for about 10hours at work. And there is actually nothing much to surf (like what an enlightenment)?

So my detox regime is moving me towards spending time out of the virtual world and getting in touch with the real solid world:) Like reading, indulging in some tv, jogging, thinking, spending time with people, housekeeping and maybe purely doing nothing.

Though I find it weird that I actually feel that I have more time and am actually leading a healthier lifestyle ever since I started work, I’m actually loving it:)

Perhaps, work has made my life more organized in some ways and also makes me appreciate personal time better:)

So far so good:) *keeping my fingers crossed*:)

***

Random notes:-

• Joined the Nike City 10km Race with Ryan, Dawn, Xu Wen, Ernest, Hazel, Joel and LokeX2! And I can’t believe that the race is just 6 weeks later!
• I’m still searching for my pink casio calculator. It’s always out of stock!
• I’m looking forward to shop with the vouchers that PFMs gave me! Shoppppingggg~
• LokeX2 and I have planned a simple day out at the beach – picnic and roller blading! Whee~
• I have been having Monday Flu for the past 2 weeks, they seems to blast the aircon every Mon.

***

Oh longer post than I expected:) Have a great Tue! *stretched and signed off~*

11th bday with CHAOS!

My 23rd bday and counting back it's my 11th with CHAOS since sec 1!:D

I had a wonderful bday surpise prepared by my beloved CHAOS:) After 10over years we finally did pedi/mani together!:) It’s my 1st time too! And I have been staring at my toes and fingernails since last Sat hehe:)

And the pizza delivery man card surprise was really sweet and unexpected:) I will always remember the blur look on the delivery man haha:)

And they gave me a 4-in-1 compilation of yoga cds! To inject some zen into my life:) Just what I have always wanted and needed much:)

All in all, I love the cozy get-together that you all have planned for me:) It’s just very CHAOS to chill @ Dawn’s place and just chit chat:) I’m always amazed by how much we can keep on chatting, we have been chatting for 10 over years if we think about it! :)

To the girls ladies who have been part of my growing up years and still many years to come, thanks and love you much!:D More ladies day/night out!:)

It is!:)

It is a Friiiiiiiidayyyyyyy!:)

It's warm.

It's black and white strips for my outfit.

It's dinner with the 6Cians!

It's a short(er) work day! (knocking off 30min is alot!)

It's the weekends tomorrow!

It is a short post:)

It's a happy day!:):):)

1 Home and 3 Hearts:)

Jogging is my transitional buffer between work and home:) It helps me take my mind off work and return home with a fresher mind and pumped up body:)

I once read that our body is our home:) Home for us to live. Without this home, our life is nothing. So we have got to take good care of our home and treat it well for it will bring us to where we want to go in life:)

I like it that I get to do some random thinking and contemplating during a jog, it's during this period that I also work out my brain too:) Ysd's jog got me to think about my life motto. How would I describe my way of life in as little words as possible?

Then the word "Heart" came to my mind:)

3 hearts:)

"Do everything with all my heart"
"Treat people with sincerity that comes from the bottom of my heart"
"Love and protect my heart"

I have to admit that I'm amazed by how my brain works differently during a jog:) Lots of room for thinking and reflecting - I like!:)

***

I have colleagues telling me I'm always smiley whenever they see me in the office:) I thought it was normal until I realize not everyone has a smiley face when they are working.

Why not? Personally, I believe smiling is a way of loving myself. It's free, it's simple and most importantly it's therapeutic:) Whatever that happens to us is something we can't control, so why not smile and make things better us, esp when things are not going too well:)

So whatever that may happen, good or bad, need not stop us from smiling and taking it on positively:) I always like to say this to my student - at this moment, something might seems difficult or bad, but imagine 5 or 10 years down the road, you may find yourself looking back and laughing at yourself.

***

Have a smiley Thurs!:) One more day to TGIF - more reason to smile!:)

*blogging has become my brain food:) feels good capturing my thoughts which I don't think I can rmb if I don't make myself think of a blog post:)*

Happy Teacher's Day!:)

Today is a school holiday for students! No wonder my bro is sleeping so soundly.

It's been quite some time since I returned to PHS or NY, but each time when I am there, I can't help but always feel grateful for what my schools have taught me and have moulded me (to a great extent actually) into who I am today:)

Some of my most influential teachers are Mrs Susan Tan, Mr Tan CW and Ms Choong:) They are the ones I remembered till now the faith they have in me and how they see potential in me and make sure I also see that potential:)

I would say Mrs Tan is the 1st teacher that made a great impact in my life during my sec school years. Our form teacher in sec 1, a very enthusiatic (or rather the most enthusiatic teacher I have ever met) teacher who always have confidence in 1 Endurance:) We thrive and shine brightly under her encouragements and faith:)

By some chance, I was appointed to be the class treasurer (from what I rmb is because nobody else actually wanted to accept that post haha). That marked the beginning of my metamorphosis (ahhh this word describes it very well):)

During pri sch, I have always been a quiet and passive student, fulfilling the minimum requirements would suffice:) No outstanding ECA (at that time) or prefectorial board etc.

Then, in sec sch, I would say because of Mrs Tan's faith, I stepped out of my comfort zone and became a much more active student, being greatly involved in CCAs, camps, class committee and CHAOS (dance!)!:)

That was the time I learnt the most about myself and have the greatest time of life:) That period of growth, to me, sets the foundation for who I am today:)

***

Mr Tan is another unique form teacher we have in 4 Faith:) Not the stern, boring type. Can't find a suitable way to describe him, but I would say he has his own unique (hair) style:)

He always believe in us and believe that we would live up to the expectations of being the 1st triple sci class:) He never really stressed us (not that I can rmb):) And the best part is he made maths seems so simple.

He is another teacher who recognize my potential (leadership potential) which I don't really think I have it, but since he believes there is, it gives me the strength and faith when I need to rise to the occassion:)

***

And JC was the time I think I was trained to challenge myself and pushed myself out of the comfort zone to rise to the occassion. 27th Student Council was the place I learnt the most and grew the most:) There were many council teachers and they have been greatly influential to all councillors. To me, Ms Choong is the one who made the most impact:) She taught us to "grow up" and to "move on" which it was only until later in life I understand how true and how important they are:)

She was the one who gave a pat on my back and said great job/well done (some super encouraging words) when I completed my thank-you speech for Teachers' Day ad hoc:D I will never forget that small sign of encouragement:)

***

There's so much more I have to say and so much more I have to thank them for:) But what I want to say it's really THANK YOU!:D

I'm thankful for having them in my life for I wouldn't be who I am today without them:)

Happy Teacher's Day to all teachers!:) All the hard work for teachers is worth it as the impacts they made will last beyond the students' school life:)

And my student wished me Happy Teacher's Day too! Hehehe~

And Happy mid week!:)

Just click just blog:)

Yesterday as I was at work, in a meeting with the project team, I suddenly have this weird thinking. I'm kind of amazed by how individuals come together from different places and gather together to work towards a common goal. Each of the individuals comes from different family and have their own roles to play at home.

What makes all of us gather together from 9-to-5pm, playing our work roles?

Isn't it amazing how each individual from (almost) the entire nation and the world assumes a specific role to play at work?

Then when we knock off, we assume another role or perhaps return to our true identity.

Am I the only one feeling this way? Weird isn't it? :)

***

Anyway, it's Tue:) And it's been the 2nd week I have attempted minimalist makeup to work on those days I need to jog or when there isn't any gathering after work:) Partly cos recently I have an outbreak on my forehead and I reckon it may be due to the fact that I went jogging straight after work, with my makeup on.

And I think it is also wise to heed Deon's advice to not become too reliance on makeup and to not wear it to work everyday:)

It turns out to be good:) So now it's just sun screen and only eye makeup:) This actually gives me more to prepare in the morning, allows my skin to breathe better and faster cleansing:) Oh! And $$ saved! :)

Love myself better too!:) My complexion not as cui as I thought hehe:) It's actually my eyes that are showing signs of tiredness and dullness, hence the makeup:)

For now, I hope those stubborn pimples right smack in the middle of my forehead can vacate asap!

***

It's work time! Time to play my work role!:) And looking forward to meeting LokeX2 later:)

Happy Tue! Counting down to mid week:)