It's a time to make merry ......before starting work on Monday! Our dear Alien Ying is back from UK for a short 3 weeks visit. We met up with 203 and her little darling HH at Jurong Point for dinner. No prizes for guessing whether we had Western or Chinese cuisine that evening.

HH to Ah Ying and me : "Hey! Make up your minds, you want me to address you as Auntie or Jie Jie ???" "I think I will stick to "auntie" for all . What say you ladies ??????"

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  Least you should wonder How this blog was set up overnight The HTML for the orignal site went bonkers. The navigation bar went from the left side to the bottom of the page. I gave up trying to rectify this after 3 hours and decided to simply move my entries over to a new blog address and give it a facelift with a classier blogskin from Caz.
I couldn't move the comments for the entries. So if any of you smarties know the way to copy them, please kindly email me with clear instructions on that.  ¶ 1:50 AM 0 Comments

  Those Moments frozen in time (at orphanage at Batam......)

These are some of the best shots I have taken during my stay at Batam. I guessed people always looked their best when they showed the most natural side of themselves. No posing or lighting required....Au naturel? My French is getting more rusty by the months, have to start practicing with Ivy via SMS.
We went to the orphanage and hopefully that both groups of adults and teenage participants have learnt something invaluable from that day's activities. For me, this was one of the best part of the 3 days at Batam, despite the heat and dust in the area.  ¶ 12:53 AM 0 Comments

  Annual Dinner @ Royal Plaza Scotts: An eventful evening My dress from Zann and Denn. Kenny did such a great job with this toga and sash with brooch number that I felt like a greek princess the entire night. Msg Jerrie the night before to check with him that my dress was not OTT for a formal dinner event.

My previous proms and dinner and dance experiences were quite disastrous. My first prom was held in the school hall, I wore a horrible checked dress to go along with the theme of retro. (dun ask me why it's checked, that was the closest I can find to fit what I thought was Retro at that time.)

The 2nd time saw me with my fringe up in two weird looking arches. The hairdresser was happily spraying on some goo to make it even stiffer. (I never go back again to her, in fact I walked off sworing under my breath coz there was not enough time for me to pull it all down and redo it.)

I almost got into a squabble with another hairdresser for the third round of DnD when she made my hair into a crazy mess and told me it's meant to look that way.

Some people will think it's crazy to make a big fuss over something such as hair, but hey!!!! It completes my entire look and no way am I going to have it spoil my mood for the entire night ever again.

I have to rush to do my hair and make-up that evening. But I think it's the first time ever, that my hair looks this good after I came out of the salon.
It was such an eventful night. We met with a car accident on our way there. Angie, Xiao Yun and I were really shocked by the impact when our cab crashed into the car in front which braked suddenly. (I thought I was really going to leave this world in my nice dress and hairdo coz I mistook the raindrops splattering on the windows for the glass shattering.) We suffered bruises at the knees and neck sprain for me and Angie.
Thankfully, our injuries were not serious to warrant an admittance to the hospital. My lucky charm broke off from its strap though. It could well be the magic of the four leaf clover ..........

We arrived late, cold and hungry at the ballroom. Went for some starters at the buffet table and soon we were ready for the evening's activities. I put on HG Ang's Harry Potter Coat for good luck and warmth halfway through dinner and that .....REALLY GAVE ME LUCK!!!!
I won the grand prize of the night for lucky draw. When Shaun announced the colour of the slip of paper that was picked, I held my breath and screamed with the rest of the good-looking people at my table when my name was read.
Heehee!!!!! Another camera to add to my collection.
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  Fireworks display from France!!!! I was really looking forward to this. Saw the advert on the displays and was actually keen to go down last last Sat for the first set of displays. Too bad fatigue and a slight gastric discomfort overtook me after my morning jog.
So, on the last day of the displays onthe 12th Aug, we took a train down to Marina Sq to satisfy our growling stomachs with Mock HK style food at one of the cafes before walking to our destination. At 7.30pm, there were already loads of excited (and bored-looking) people, mostly families and groups of teenagers sitting on mats at the area near the railings and the sea. We surveyed the area for a while and finally decided to tread our way to the front where we could get a better view. So I took a deep breath and make my way in, stepping on someone's hand by mistake on my first step. If you can recall your days sitting on the floor in the school hall during assembly, it's exactly the same situation except that your classmates at that time were probably brighter with better listening skills to catch the "Excuse me, I need to walk past this area, could you just shift a little?" We got glassy eyed stares from some, while others simply ignored us, one stared at me opened-mouth..... I smiled, muttering some insanities and continued .
We stood for an hour waiting for the fireworks to be officially displayed. I toyed around with 2 -days old Baby (name of my new slim digicam) trying to figure out the correct settings for shooting fireworks pics.
Screaming at Jerrie occasionally, not because I'm annoyed but because the band playing next door drowned out my voice with their performance.
I realised the anti-shake function on Baby didn't work as well as I anticipated. I miss my bulky Canon with it's familiar feel. Here's the best pic:

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  A peek at the stuff that goes on in my mind when I'm angry have a really bad week despite the 2 days National Day Holiday break. It's one of those days where everything seems to be going wrong for no good reason. I was in a murderous mood on Friday and longing to push some whiney idiots into the recycling bins outside the office. Felt better after I have mentally devised methods to torture these fools who stepped on my toes that day....on the long bus ride to Clementi. One of these included having the offender locked up in a room filled with super concentrated gases emitted from the human body.Least I should be mistaken for a patient on a mental breakdown, I shall not reveal my other more extreme fantasies.
Felt so much better at tutorial class where I got to mingle with new classmates. I guess work and studies have taken a bigger and earlier toll on me than I realised. The dreaded symtopms and feelings of fatigue disappeared magically when I sat down to an interesting lesson of paintings and philosophy that evening. It was the exact opposite of what I have expected for the evening's class, as I was not exactly in the mood to discuss tonal range and brushstrokes. But the discussion woke me up from my stupor and we went through about 6 paintings in detail before moving on to philosophy.

And oh yeah! I realised I really do look younger than my actual age, judging by my classmate's reaction when we were chatting about our respective ages, blah blah.  ¶ 11:34 PM 0 Comments

  A picture to cheer myself up















A few more minutes and I will be on my way to school in Clementi.
There's this sinking feeling as every minute passed by.
This pic was recently taken at the sec 4 farewell party. It's the first time this year, a group photo where everyone had a gret time posing for photos. (Last year's group pic was so glum and solemn and serious that it reminded me of a funeral procession pic)
Thankfully, there were no teary scenes this time round.
I can't handle tears well.  ¶ 11:32 PM 0 Comments

  Petronas Tower at KLCC

I caught an even more splendid view while in the cab, with the twin towers clearly in view.
No time to get camera ready as the cab driver went the wrong way and we have to direct him back to the hotel. I comforted myself with the thought that, the most beautiful images will always be in the heart;msn message in French says: On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. ( What can be felt with the heart, may be invisible to the eyes) Ok, that's about all I can translate with my elementary French knowledge.  ¶ 11:31 PM 0 Comments

  Reminiscing Hong Kong December 2005 Vacation I took a ride in this with Niang and was scared out of my wits. The Ang Mohs behind us had a good laugh: " Your heads were buried!" They yelled. " You missed the best part of the ride."
" I'm just glad to come out of this alive!!!" I whined in response, scrambling out of the seats with wobbly legs.
Indeed, when we finally viewed our photos on the screen, we were the only pair with our heads down.......Jerrie was amused and dragged us off to the Viking where he had to coax me into trying a proper breathing technique so that I will not burst his ear drums with my screams on the ride. It worked. I silently thanked him on a deed well-done. I had gotten over my fear of the Viking ride. Thanks buddy!


I love the night view of the Peak. It's amazing that I can take a clear photo like this without a tripod. Must be the cool weather and sumptous dinner that did the trick .........  ¶ 11:30 PM 0 Comments

  Finally, I decided to give my hairstyle a makeover Doing Treatment after the perm. My curly locks ended up with dried ends, so I dragged myself down to the salon to get a proper treatment and hair check done. I pounced on my hairstylist to whine about my frustration in getting my locks lustrous and curling in the proper way.
In the 3rd stage of the perming, putting the "marinated" locks into curlers to create lustrous big curls. I thought the white stuff makes my hair looks like chee cheong fan.
Ta da...presenting The whole new Fat Earthling!!!! I was pleased with the results...but I ended up twisting my hair all the way back home on the train.  ¶ 11:29 PM 0 Comments

  Chinatown shot - Chinese New Year Season This was taken from an overhead bridge. Chinatown always looks its best during the new year season, with its many decorations and lights everywhere. I always feel sad when the deco has to be taken down after the season. Didn't feel that strongly about Orchard's Christmas deco as the place is always brightly lit even at 2am.  ¶ 11:28 PM 0 Comments

  I would love to try this someday..............   ¶ 11:26 PM 0 Comments

  Outlying islands of Hong Kong: Chang Zhou I felt like I have suddenly stepped into another world from bustling Hong Kong.

There were no vehicles on the road and the people here cycle around the island. The islanders were friendlier and more patient and we found some hostels to put travellers up for the night. Might be coming back to stay for a night on my next visit.
Wall painting done by kids from the kindergarten. There is a good appreciation of the children's work as the walls were all painted by the kids. Sunning shrimps that are to be made into sauce later.
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  Another view of Macau near the Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre at Sunset My newly acquired jacket from Macau. Stunning sunset


The 338 Metres tall Tower offers paranomic views of the city. Took me quite a while to get this shot as the sun was in my face. Above is the Sai Van bridge which is placed strategically to link to Gunagzhou in the future.  ¶ 11:19 PM 0 Comments

  View From the Ruins of St Paul's Church View at the top of the ruins.

View from the top of the stairs leading to the ruins.  ¶ 11:19 PM 0 Comments

  Macau: Senado Square, nostalgic and beautiful.







There were strong draughts of wind that day. So cold that I have to buy another jacket at U2 Macau to wear over my existing one. I was coughing real badly and the cold made it worse every minute. My discomfort was eased when we finally arrived at our long awaited destination: Senado Square where the Ruins of St Paul's church was located.  ¶ 11:10 PM 0 Comments

  n the last morning of my stay, I dilligently dragged myself out of bed. The sunrise is beautiful but I find more charm in the night skies of Bintan.
The first night at the resort, I got the girls out to watch the night sky, just as they were falling asleep. They sleepily rubbed their eyes and sat up, I guess they must be wondering what has gone into this nutcase of an adult to wake them up like a lunatic in the middle of the night. " Hey! Gals! You will not want to miss this!!" Wake up! Wake up! " They sat up obediently and looked up at where I was pointing. Gasps of surprise went through the first batch and they went off to wake the others. Minutes later, they were all lying on the planks, eagerly waitng to catch the sight of a shooting star to make their wishes.
The entire night sky was covered with stars.
I will never have taken a look at the sky in my tired state of mind that night, if not for what one friend have described to me years ago, that the night sky in Bintan is a sight to behold. Thank you! Ris, for sharing this with me. The whole group of us would have missed this.......what a real pity if would be! I could not take a picture of that moment due to lack of proper equipment for the purpose, but I'm pretty sure those same kids who were there with me that night will have those beautiful memories to keep and relish over their stressful years of growing up. I went to bed, feeling fulfilled and happy that night.  ¶ 11:08 PM 0 Comments

  A Familiar Feeling
It reminded me of the feelings of loneliness even when I'm with a big group of people. As I grew older and (hopefully wiser) over the years, these feelings slowly fade away, leaving only faint footprints somewhere. Perhaps I have learnt to trust and accept the goodness and faults of people around me. Perhaps I have learnt to love the one and only me...............  ¶ 11:06 PM 0 Comments

  My little documentary snapshots I think this looks like a scene out of a documentary, like the one on The Antartica series, where there's nothing on the land except never ending miles of snow and ice-filled areas. I half expect to see a penguin pop out from somewhere.
This is an amazing shade of blue sky and land and brown rocks . Something I have never seen at the seaside back home in SG.


There are times when I feel like this solitary structure. Out there in the sea, but not sinking.
Holding on, to what I believe I can accomplished within my means, waiting for the next tide to crash in.  ¶ 11:02 PM 0 Comments

  Lovely sunset at Bintan




It's a perfect setting for a dinner at the beach or walk with that someone special.  ¶ 10:59 PM 0 Comments

  Somewhere over the rainbows, there are earthlings everywhere who marvel at this gift from Mother Nature.
Rainbows captured at Bintan resort, November

Twenty over years ago, I saw my first rainbow. I could still remember staying at the windows for a long long time til the rainbows finally disappear and the excitement bubbling inside me as I stared hard, trying to retain the images I had that moment.
Takjng care of a whole group of active teenagers and tired adults at the Bintan resort was a stressful task, in fact my first experience ever. At that moment, as we, (adults and kids, gawk at the rainbows with oohs and ahhs ). I sincerely give thanks to Mother Nature for reducing my stress level significantly with this wonderful sight in the early morning.  ¶ 10:56 PM 0 Comments

  The only thing that makes me sit still for hours on a plane.



I'm glad to have a window seat for the afternoon flight. Even if it means crawling over my friend to go to the bathroom.  ¶ 10:54 PM 0 Comments

  testing My Previous blog went bonkers. I spent hours trying to rectify the positions of the navigation bars.  ¶ 10:13 PM 0 Comments