Unsatisfying Drinks

We had the most unsatisfying drinks at Starbucks today.

The Mango Passion Fruit Frappuccino that DC ordered was too sour for our liking. I couldn't stand the drink and went on to order our usual Irish Cream Latte. The drink came out to be equally disappointing. It was so bland and tasteless that we suspect it to be the work of a newbie staff.

Sigh! We seem to forget about that mango smoothie experience we had at Suntec City and the horrible mango cake we bought on Mothers' Day... I'm sure DC will think doubly hard the next time he wants to order a mango flavored drink! Ha!

Looks like I have to take back what I've written about Mangoes! Mango drinks are definitely not too satisfying, Hee.. :P

Sick!

Is the weather up against me or what?

• I have just recovered from one scary flu that made me all weak and tired last week.


• Yesterday my stomach had given me enough problems (gastric pain + diarrhoea) to last throughout the night.


• Today, my throat started to feel uncomfy and sore! It's like I'm going to fall prey to the same sickness by the name of "Influenza" that I've recovered from all over again!

Arghhhhh...!!!

Unlike DC, I'm the type of person who hates to eat medicine but this year, I feel I've eaten more medicine than I've ever taken in my life to date!

Looks like I really have to do something to my health, to get it back to it's pinkest again. Hmmm...maybe father-in-law is right. He has repeatedly instructed both DC and I to consume health supplements every day to boost our body immunity and urges us to exercise more. He seldom falls ill and attributes his good mighty health to early morning exercise and healthy lifestyle.

He is a master of Yoga and Qigong and I suspect many more...In fact he had taught us some basic Qigong strokes to practise at home. It's just that both of us are too busy and tired to try it out... hehehe. He also unselfishly passed me his 珍藏, a book on Indian Yoga but I've yet to take a look at it. *Guilty* Like what I always tell everyone I know, I'm very interested in Yoga, I will learn it one day... Just let me recover first!

Bro Hospitalised

My dear brother was hospitalised!

His left leg from knee downwards was suspiciously swollen for no known reasons and he had difficulty walking because of the pain. Sis and I went to visit him in the hospital today. The sore subsided but the knee still looked red and seriously inflamed.

While there, we caught a young nurse feeding liquid antibotics into his body. I must say he is super suay as according to him, since he was admitted, all attempts by doctors and nurses to inject him succeed only after numerous failed tries. I witnessed the nurse struggling with the syringe and felt pity for him. Ouch!

Pain aside, what was worst is that he had to spend his birthday in hospital! Ha, This birthday must be an unforgettable one for him! Happy Birthday, Bro! I think I know what your birthday wish was! ;P

[Afternote: After about a week in hospital, Bro decided to discharge himself from the hospital despite doctor's advise against it. He is now sound and well, thank God! ]

Who's the lucky winner?

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform that you are the lucky winner of the GSS "The Great Giveaway Lucky Draw" Promotion!

Received a letter today that says I'm a winner of a lucky draw. After reading only the first paragraph, I was already very excited as I've not won anything for ages! DC was beside me then. I immediately turned to him and exclaimed in joy with a cheeky wink. The expression on my face had read: "The present is mine, Mine, MINE!" :P

BUT, as I read on, I began to realise from the next sentence that...

You have won a set of Premium Cufflinks & Ties worth $83!

...my prize is actually a set of cufflinks. I was disappointed. Why isn't it a shopping voucher or gem set like what my colleague has won recently? :(

DC had the last laugh...in fact, he had laughed his head off. Needless to say, the prize will definitely go to DC. Hmm..One more set of accessories to dress up his shirts, this is definitely good news to him! Come to think of it, all his cufflinks were FOC to him! He received a set on his birthday last year, three sets on our ROM anniversary this year, one set that comes with the french-cuff shirt he just bought recently and this time, from the lucky draw that I won! God is really good to him!

Room to be yourself

In an aim to know one another in the company better, every one of us is requested to bring along to the Town Hall meeting on Friday a "special prop" that illustrates what we love to do outside of work .

This was a special activity planned by the Communications department. Seated in a round table of 8, we were told to take turns to share to the rest in the same table about what we are passionate about.

I actually pondered for quite a while on what I could bring for the Show-and-Tell session. I had to pester DC to give me an idea for an appropriate prop. Everyone who knows DC would have known what his passion is. It is obviously Photography for he carries his camera and lens everywhere he goes and spends his free time every day surfing the Internet looking at the photography forums for tips to brush up his skills.

Unlike DC, it would be difficult to point out where my passion really lies. There are a lot of things that I would do on my free time but to call them my passion? hobby?, I don't think so! I came out with a list and started to eliminate them one by one:
1. Sketching. I used to draw portraits when I was younger but I haven't been touching it since years ago.
2. Card making. I used to hand-make cards for friends and DC on their birthdays.
3. Novel reading. Used to read one book every few months. Counted?
4. Shopping. But, isn't this what every woman likes?
5. Photo-taking. DC suggested to bring a camera as I love to take pictures of myself. He is always the cameraman and I am the model.
6. Listening to music. I do that almost everyday alright.
7. TV watching. Ya, that's what I do every day when I get back home.
8. Blogging. I figured this is my favorite pastime but what prop could I bring?

Shall I bring price tags, camera, mp3 player or...? In the end, I settled for a TV remote controller because it is easy to show and tell. Now that I've declared to everyone that I'm a couch potato, I'm beginning to regret it.. I must find myself a more meaningful hobby!

It was quite a fun session actually. Other hobbies on the table include: Gardening, Fish rearing, Movie watching, Shopping, Tennis and Book Reading.

Oh yah, almost towards the end of the meeting, responding to a request, the acting CEO declared Friday as "Jeans Day". This would be part of the company's effort to allow employee "Room to be yourself". This is definitely good news.

An Amazing Teleportation! How did he do it?

We were at the Straits Times A Part of my life event today at above Raffles Place MRT Station.

It was raining but the place was crowded with people, all waiting for the grand car draw. There were games and performances from JuzB... then, there was this magic show just before the draw where JC Sum (Who on earth is he?) did the Impossible Teleportation from the street to the roof of OUB Centre.


That's JC Sum. He first wrote some numbers on his hands...


Then, he got in...


All lids were closed...


Proof! Where did he go?


There he was... teleported from street level to the top of the OUB Centre, 50 storeys above all in just 5 seconds! The same numbers were on his hands...

Wow! and this was the largest 'live' illusion staged in Southeast Asia! How did he do it? I couldn't believe my eyes but it did happen right in front of both DC and my eyes!!! It was an incredible performance.

We had enjoyed our day even though we didn't win anything... after this, we rushed off to the Safra resort which DC's aunt booked.

Fireworks Celebration

Again, there's the fireworks celebrations for National Day this year. I am fortunate to secure 4 tickets to the viewing gallery at the Marina Promenade. The fireworks are spectacular. With 5 min of lasers show, followed by 15 min of fireworks. It was the most massive display I have ever seen, three clouds of fire, I can't even fit everything onto my lens.

Today's display is by Spain, followed by China tomorrow.

Nikon 60mm F2.8 Micro

Tried out another Nikkor again. This time is one of the famed Nikon Micro lenses. Nikon is known for the exceptional qualities of its micro lenses.



Macro shots are quite difficult. You got to get upclose to your subjects and patience helps. Every minute movement is magnified and a tripod is essential. Just a slight breeze will throw the flower out of focus. Went down to Macritchie Reservoir today at 6:30 a.m. Didn't catch any sunrise, too cloudy and only managed this passable pic ...

Wedding Favours

Let's go on a trip:


Bring me with you always:


Tea Cuppa:


Sweetest:


All pictures taken with Nikon 60mm F2.8 Micro.

Singapore's Birthday

On the Nation's 42nd birthday today, we choose to stay at home unlike last year. My in-laws came to our house, we ordered pizzas for dinner and watched NDP together on TV.

This year's NDP is very special as it is held at the Marina Bay on the world's largest floating stage. I enjoyed the performance very much esp. the visual effects on water screen and the fireworks display.

Rug Care

We bought a circular rug for our little walk-in area in the master bedroom some months back. After using it for quite a while, last weekend DC decided that it was high time to wash and clean the rug, to free it from dust and dirt accumulation...

And so, he set off to work, put the rug in a tub of detergent water and left it there to soak, only to remember it today. There, the rug was still lying in the tub of dirty murky water and there was an unbearable smell akin to rubbish dump. DC tried to salvage it by washing it all over again with extra washing powder and detergent but such powderful combi did little to cover the bad smell. Sensing that it is in an irrevisible state, we had no choice but to give it up. We put it in it's original plastic bag and threw it down the chute.

DC seems a little displeased and hesitant to throw the rug away at first. When probed further, I realised that he thought the rug had cost us $109! Hoho..that explained why he was so anxious to save it from destruction. I didn't know where he got idea that it was expensive. When I tried telling him it was only $19, NOT $109, he wouldn't believe! So, we went on to find evidence to prove our own claim. He tried searching for past receipts but he had already thrown them away. Nope, he couldn't produce any valid proof. :P Me, on the other hand, surfed the Net, and tata.. look what I found! :)


Well, although the rug was gone, I did some research on the Net and found the following tips on Rug Care and Maintenance. Hopefully, it would not be as disastrous when we decide to clean our next rug in the future.

• Vacuum regularly and frequently.


• Flip rug and pat it down to shake loose dirt particles that have worked their way into the carpet's loops.


• Never use laundry detergent, automatic dishwasher detergent or any strong household cleaning products intended for use on woodwork, linoleum, laminate or tile.


• You should not dry clean your rugs, with the exception of silk rugs, and you should not use bleach.


• Natural fibers: May require additional consideration before cleaning. Do not use oxygen cleaners on wool or silk.
  Wool: Excessive agitation and heat should be avoided, but generally wool fibers may be cleaned with most cleaning methods. Wool should be cleaned with neutral detergents and dried quickly. Use special care around household cleaning products, as bleaches and other alkaline products such as bathroom cleaners easily damage wool.
  Cotton/Rayon: Cotton and rayon are cellulose fibers and may be cleaned using all cleaning methods. To avoid shrinking and possible browning, avoid excessive drying and agitation. As with wool, take care with alkaline products.
  Silk: Silk should be cleaned using a dry cleaning process. These fibers may be damaged by natural and synthetic acids (e.g. lemon juice), and sunlight. Consult a rug cleaning specialist for additional information about cleaning silk.
  Sisal and Other Plant Fibers: Plant fibers such as sisal, jute, coconut (coir), ramie and hemp have characteristics similar to cotton. It is generally safe to clean these fibers with all cleaning methods. As with any fiber, dry the area rug as quickly as possible.
  

谢谢！

A friend of mine sent me this message today. It was a long message... I dunno whether he typed it out himself like he sometimes did when he come across interesting jokes or riddles. I find it rather meaningful. Here goes...

1. 遇到你真的爱的人时，要努力争取和他相处下去，因为当他离去时，一切都来不及了...
2. 遇到可相信的朋友时，要好好和他相处，因为在人的一生中，可遇到知己真的不易。
3. 遇到人生中的贵人时，要记得好好感激，因为他是你人生的转折点。
4. 遇到曾经爱过的人，记得微笑向他感激，因为他是让你更懂爱的人。
5. 遇到曾经恨过的人，要微笑向他打招呼，因为他让你更加坚强。
6.
遇到曾经背叛你的人时，跟他好好聊一聊，因为若不是他今天你不会懂这世界。
7.
遇到曾经偷偷喜欢的人时，要祝他幸福唷！因为你喜欢他时，不是希望她幸福快乐吗？
8. 遇到匆匆离开你人生的人时，要谢谢他走过你的人生，因为他是你精彩回忆的一部分。
9. 遇到曾经和你有误会的人时，要趁现在解清误会，因为你可能只有这一次机会解释清楚。
10. 遇到现在和相伴一生的人要百分白感谢，因为你们现在都得到幸福和真爱。

所有在看这文字的朋友们，不论你们是属于任何以上所描述的类别，谢谢你们！:)


P/S: You can treat this as an early Thanksgiving day message... Hehe.. :P

Seoul Nice, Sole Cute

This poster caught my eye when I passed by this Korean shop last month. The shop sells shoes and interesting shoe accessories. These accessories are what you could mix-and-match and wear on your shoes! There are now over 30 designs to choose from although it says on the poster that there are 22 designs. Wow! With these cuties, I don't think anyone could ever be bored with just 1 pair of shoes! Hehe..



It's such an innovation idea! I'm definitely going to get some of these one day! :D In fact, I just bought a pair of white patent leather shoes that I find a little too plain, hmm.. seems like a fun idea to dress up the shoe with ribbons.

In comes the ...

New office chair and new office phone! :)

My company is recruiting in such an increasing speed that the 2 floors that we are currently occupying will soon not be enough to house all of us. Hence, the company got another unit 2 floors below. Renovation had completed. There was now a lot of movement upstairs. People upstairs was shifting their stuffs department by department making spaces for new staffs...

It was most fortunate that no one on my floor need to shift anywhere unlike colleagues upstairs or downstairs. Our department was not affected during this period except for some minor changes... In the name of renovation, company did some housekeeping and had our office chair and telephone replaced. Good riddance! I like the new chair and phone! :)

From To

From To