My newest addiction...

I first started playing 明星志愿1 in 1995. (Well, my bro bought it out of curiosity.) Can you imagine how long ago that was?! The game actually came in the format of floppy disks - the flappy kind. I was instantaneously hooked. It was definitely a "chick-game". [Quick summary of the game: You play as a talent scout/agent who goes around finding potential stars off the street and nurture them into budding stars. While you nurture them, you are also required to move around TV stations and Music Companies finding jobs for them.]
I was soooo addicted to the game and was devastated when the computer crashed and the new computer we bought didn't have a drive for flappy floppy disk! I was so desperate that I actually paid quite a sum (well, I was a really poor secondary school student then!) to get the game converted into floppy disks (the hard ones) so that I could continue playing on the new computer. Unfortunately, despite my effort, it still didn't work. =(

This game continued to linger in my mind, and despite trying a handful of other games, I kept comparing it to 明星志愿1. The answer to my prayers finally came in 2000, or so I thought.
Well, I've no idea what the creators were thinking, to finally remake the game after 5 years. Nonetheless, I was elated for 明星志愿2! What luck man! I was unable to find the original version in Singapore and simply settled for the pirated version. Sadly, it was a nightmare and my luck went downhill. Somehow or another, my computer system just couldn't seemed to be able to install the game (Despite several attempts and using various pirated versions). I continued trying for the loongest of time and even with my bro's help, it didn't work out. WTF. I was still unable to play the game. LL.

Then God answered my prayer, AGAIN! After another 6 years, the creators came out with 明星志愿3!!!!!
This was a godsend. Firstly, the original version was available in Singapore and secondly, Windows XP was compatible. At last, I was finally able to indulge in my craving. And boy, was it good! I recalled the countless nights I stayed up playing the game again and again. Best of all, my frequent trips to HK paid off tremendously! I was able to buy the expansions for the game and even a guidebook that was AMAZING! All in all, I probably completed the game over 10 times and despite doing so, I'm still gian to play it all over again.
(This game was also the reason why we chose a PC system with Windows XP, instead of Vista. I was worried that Vista wouldn't support the game!!!)

During my Aug 08 trip to HK, I bought yet another expansion of the game - 甜蜜樂章. Knowing the possible severity of my addictions, I procrastinated and decided against playing the game.. until now! Now that my taitai-hood has begun, I've plenty of time to do rubbish, so why not?! All I can say is, I am officially hooked!

I cannot believe how addictive the game is. (Well, a good indication was I played till 4 am last night!)

And, we are so shipping our desktop to NYC so that I can continue playing the game!!!!!

I heart heart heart heart heart 明星志愿3!!!!!!!!

Zim & KeY - 10.01.09

This is the exact soft copy of the wedding album (Actual Day)~






















I love looking through these pictures..

Blissful~

Typically KeY

I was just looking through the wedding pics (Well, I promised Jim to upload it by erm, 9/12/09. Okay, Jim, dinner on me the next time we meet!) and found this...
Heels and KeY, just don't quite go together!

LOL..

The last lecture...

Raye lent me this book to kill time when I was hospitalized. I glanced through it pretty quickly, stopped a couple of times for some self-reflections and finally managed to finish the book last night. Randy Pausch is seriously one cool guy and is really amazing. (I know he had since passed on, but to use 'was' seemed so... cruel.)

The book consisted of short anecdotes of his life and somehow, they all managed to be linked to wonderful philosophies that are often so obvious, yet, not followed. Bitter sweet stories that leave you with a smile, and possibly a heartache. Of course, there were a couple of stories that just slapped me on my face. Out of which, the one story that left me with the biggest impression was "Don't Complain, just work harder" (Chpt 32). I must learn to stop complaining, and just make do, or rather, make the best of everything. Reading this make me ashamed of all the whining I had about my ex-jobs, people and things in general. Life is pretty short, so why waste time bitching about things that make you feel lousy. Move on and things might just get better!

Well, being a cry baby, I could not help but teared when I read the last section of the book. He celebrated his wife's birthday for her in front of the whole audience during his very famous last lecture at Carnegie Mellon. When they hugged, she whispered "Please don't die" to him. That was a complete tearjerker... T_T It's not difficult to imagine how heartbreaking that was. Sigh, life is a cruel reality, isn't it?

In a nutshell, I love his outlook in life, his ideals and his personality. Great book that would leave you lotsa room for self-reflection!

A definite good read!

Interlude....

Well, a group of us pulled a prank on a friend and made a video to ease his 'piss-ness'. So, while we were busy filming, Ah Ping got bored and decided to participate as well..

Isn't he such a darling.... LOL...

Home sweet home...

Nothing beats the comfort of your own home...

I'm really glad to be home again.

Projection of KeY's life in NYC...

Fren: "maybe when u get to the US
wad if u are damn bored there?
what job will you be looking for? or will u just buy more wii and ps3 games hahah
maybe u can go watch the chippendales there hahaha"

KeY : "lol..ya i'll just sit at central park and people watch everyday.. sounds exciting huh?"

Fren: "lol...you know what they do at the parks in the US right?
day 1 : Key gets harassed by Hobos coz she was sitting at their spot
day 2: Key witness explosive threesome of gay men who are not very discreet
day3: Key have to get bailed out by zim coz she sat too close to drug dealers
what an adventure for you lol"

I've great friends... don't I..

LOL...

And the Taitai-Hood begins...

Well, I still officially employed actually. I'm just in the midst of clearing leave and today is my first day. Since I have also formally handed over all my duties and tasks to my 'post-decessor', I am free of work calls and disturbance. And the only word that describe this feeling is... SHIOK!

Okay, honestly, it's not that shiok...

The best part of my day was being able to wake up late. Period. After which, it went downhill. Sadly, I began to indulge in my 'taitai-hood' (aka being a housewife) by doing household chores. I painstakingly spent about 2 hours wiping the floor, vacuuming it, mopping the floor with detergent, then rinsing it again with water. Once done, I went to packet my own lunch, popped by NTUC in tee-shirt and shorts buying toilet paper (-_-"), yakult and milk. Sigh... is this going to be my life for the next 3 years?!

Oh well, at least there was some job satisfaction. I could almost see my own reflection in the tiles. CRAP! What a loser... I can't help but feel that the taitai-hood that I'm experiencing is more of an Auntie-hood. Siao Liao..

LOL.. oh well, maybe i should start doing my scrapbooking and baking, at least that would make me more taitai-ish...

All the best to my taitai-hood!

Macaroons...

I loooooove macaroons...

Heard alot of great things about the macaroons from Canele and finally decided to give it a try. Well, minus the fact that it was relatively costly (12 macaroons cost me $35.10), it was gooooooooood. I LOVE IT. (Guess it's really worth the money aftterall!)

Well, I finally came up with my very first new year resolution (tho it might a wee bit early).... to bake macaroons!!!!!

I shall spend my tai-tai days working on it! All the Best KEY!

Another lizard scare....

I hate lizards! Why the hell did God ever create lizards!? The only function they seemed to have is to eat mosquitoes. (Oh, does scaring people count as another function?) If this is so, I would rather be bitten to death by a zillion mosquitoes than to be in the same room with ONE lizard~

Sigh. Got a lizard scare again today. (Si Ey Suay~ It seems to happen periodically, once a month maybe? Is this a curse?) We came home after a good session of basketball and I was just chatting with Zim while opening the gate. Suddenly, a brown little thing on the door caught my eye. (CRAP~ what else could it be...) Almost immediately, I shouted "SHIT!" and jumped back. (I'm pretty sure Zim got a scare from the shouting cos I thought I saw him jumped and he went "WHAT?!" rather loudly too.) After calming down a bit, I told him that there was a lizard and being the scarly-kat KeY, I insisted that he get it off the door and out of my way before he would be allowed to open the door or enter the house.

Zim fidgeted with the door and gate but was unable to find the lizard. As my bladder was bursting, I had no choice but to eventually allow him to open the door to further investigate. (Well, opening the door risked the chances of letting the lizard into the house...grrrrrrr..) After a fruitless 5 minutes, (I swear my bladder almost gave way..) I reluctantly allowed Zim to open the door and gate widely to check if the lizard did go in. All cleared, thankfully! (Oh well, at least this was what he said. And it better be real!) So, finally, I took a deep breath and dashed into the house like there was no tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the lizard is still missing. It almost felt like the lizard disappeared in thin air as I was quite sure I did not see it run away. Of course, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the lizard did not come into the house.

Sigh, I HATE HATE HATE HATE lizards. =(

At least there won't be any in NYC. Not in winter at least. (Here's another reason to move there...)

Die lizards die... BUT not in my house or better not let me see...

Too bad i'm married...

Conversation on msn...

KeY: we shld go for a meal tgether soon!hee...

Guy Friend: lolx
before you fly off
hmm
seldom got girls ask me out for meals
too bad you are married

LOL.....

Life is like a boat...

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

Rain rain go away...

I like rainy days but not on Fridays and not when I have limited time left. (No, I'm not dying.)

I've about 10 more fridays to go. There's about all the basketball I'm going to get for quite a while. But if the stupid rain continues, that is really going to suck..

Sigh... wish the rain would just stop... at least on fridays...

DJ Pigs

Our new toy - DJ HERO!

Well, I'm not a 101% gamer but this is one hell of a tough game! It's truly a test of your hand-eye co-ordination! I can excel in Medium mode of Guitar Hero quite effortlessly. But for this game, I can't even get pass the easy mode! OMG... Nonetheless, this game is definitely a blast and I really take my hat off to any DJs out there!

The pigs are definitely better gamers than me! Afterall, two brains or rather, four hands are better than two!


Well, since I am going to be jobless pretty soon, seems like I've found myself some stuff to keep me and the two little pigs entertained!

Happy~

Moving on...

well... the white envelope has been submitted.

Just 19 more working days to go..

Introducing our fridge

Zim went for a housewarming recently and came back commenting that the contents of the fridge there looked pretty much like ours. Well, it just goes to show that this is a natural phenomenon for young couples who don't cook at home...

So here's a peek into how the 'natural phenomenon' looks like..

Booze = Corona & Hoegarden!
Wine = Red, white, dessert, champagne...
(Doesn't quite help that I am turning alcoholic..)
Yakult = Aids in KeY's digestion!
Drinks = For friends that pop by...
ANd yes, no fresh food at all.. or rather, all spoilt liaoz....

Well, that's our life!

Conversation in the toilet...

KeY: (Rushed into toilet at her office to answer nature's call and met this Auntie she hasn't seen for donkey years from work)

Auntie: "wah...好久不见！你瘦了！“

KeY: "(Blushes and Um-chioing) 有吗？(ho ho ho) 谢谢！"

Auntie: "一定是因为有男朋友了！刚开始拍拖是吗？"

KeY: (Stunned) "erm...其实我结婚了..."

Awkard silence~

.....

Fresh From NYC...

Zim finally came home after a looong 19 days. I decided to give him a small surprise by picking him up at the airport. It was quite a thrilling experience! Lucky me (but not so lucky him), his flight got delayed and instead of arriving at 7am (which means i probably had to wake up at 5am 0_O), his arrival time was changed to 9am! Thus, I was able to wake up as per my usual working day.

When his flight finally landed, I stood around anxiously, trying to hide myself at a distance away, behind the pillar (so that he will not see me!), while making sure that I did not miss him. Silly Zim sent me a couple of misleading smses saying things like "Just landed" 20 minutes after the flight actually landed and "Just geting my luggage" when there was not a single soul at the baggage claim! It got me confused and panicky. I was so worried that I might be at the wrong place. After a long 40 minutes wait (from the time the plane touched down), out came Zim! phew~ at least it means that I did not miss him!!!!

hee, anyway, I'm really thankful that he is finally back at my side. Now I can resume back to the lazy KeY and rely on Zim to run my errands!

Anyway, lovely Zim bought me and my two little pigs some stuff..

First stop... a little gift for the two little pigs!

A little cup for each of the little pig!

Second stop... a surprise from Zim.
Zim chose this because he knew that Green is my new black! It's really nice! (Though I've to admit that it doesn't look that good in photo!) Love it though!!

Last but not least... a special request from me (well, ah ping conveyed it for me in facebook!) Kinda hinted to Zim that I wanted something from the T&C shop at 5th Avenue and the silly boy got me this really sweet pendant.

Hee... KeY and the two little pigs really love what they got from NYC!

Zim is da best~

KeY's Life

Life is a contradiction isn't it...

It's funny how hard you try to work towards something you wanted so badly, but when you finally get it... you start to doubt if it's actually the right decision. I finally got something that I've wanted real badly for the past year. But now that it's almost in my hands, I am getting cold feet. I am wondering if it's really what I want and if I am ready for the sacrifices that will come along with the decision.

I'm not sure. But I also know that I should not look back. Now that it's almost in my hands, I'm going forward with it and I am going to make the best out of it! I know that it's going to come with a price, but I believe that it's going to be worth it.

And I believe it will be the best time of my life....

He's coming back..

Just 3 more days and he will be back with me once again.

I admit that I am not suitable for Long Distance Relationships. It's like, he's only gone for 3 weeks, but it is beginning to feel as if he has never existed in my life. Images of us having dinner, going on dates or just hanging out together at home seemed so faded that it felt as if the relationship has never happened. Scary~

But still, there is a really strong feeling that there is a part of me missing. And that's when I realise, it's him.

While I feel extremely handicapped without him (sigh, just had a failed boardgame session where 3 idiots sucked at reading instructions and he isn't around to enlighten us. No surprise, We gave up after twenty minutes), I am actually proud that I've survived two really hard days on my own. Well, I might not be that strong, but at least, I can stand on my feet when I need to.

Still, I can't wait for him to return and hopefully, this will be the last time we will be apart for so long....

We are almost there...

A great start to his day...

KeY: "about to leave home to work over to office?"
Sista: "no la, eating bkfast, den hafta pack bag, put on tie n coat"
KeY: "LOL, I also put on tie at work."
Sista: "Wah lau, veri troublesome hor?"
KeY: "Ya man, but my knot is fixed. I wear the tie for 5 mths, haven't unknot yet."
Sista: "wah lau, lousy, do u even know how to put on a tie?!"
KeY: "erm, I used too, after all I was a prefect. But forgot liaoz, this one is zim tie one, lol."
Sista: "Wah lau, shld b the wife tie for husband to go for work, den kiss him goodbye mah."
KeY: "..... erm he normally wakes up before me, so that's not going to work. LOL"
Sista: "wah lau, what kind of wife are u.. haha.."
KeY: "A really slack one? I try to cook for him k, it's a good start, the rest he do himself. LOL"
Sista: "wah lau, slacker!"
KeY: "I like, he loves, we are matchmake in heaven! LOL"
Sista: "WAH LAU, don't make me puke milk in the morning, k?"
KeY: "I thought u like...muahahahahahha"
Sista: "wah lau, NO, what are u thinking of? hahah.."

well.. great conversation to start his day.. I'm sure he will have a good day! ^_^

Super Loser...

Never felt more like a loser than today... LOL..

The day started off pretty well... I effectively worked only from 9 to 5pm and was really pleased to be able to get home early. While we were driving back, Mom causally mentioned that she wanted to go to the gym and that kinda inspired me to finally check out the basketball court at my mom's condo and of course, burn some calories. So, once I reached home, I hopped into my bball gear, got the ball and strolled over to the court.

Turned out that there were a bunch of sec sch kids playing street soccer in the court. TMD. Since I was ultra gian to shoot some hoops, I approached the security guard at the side gate and asked for the next nearest court. He directed me out into the neighbourhood and said that there is one just around the corner. So I headed out and started exploring. After searching for a while and seeing that I was about to hit the main road, I came across another sec sch kid who was holding a ball. (YEAh, that's a good sign) I approached him (he looked at me wide eye, bet he must be thinking who is the crazy girl) and was told that the nearest court is actually one LRT station away. WTF.

Disappointed, I walked back to the condo and spoke to the security guard. He mentioned that I could try my luck at booking the court since each unit is entitled to 1 hour. (Hee, that's a good way to get rid of the stupid kids!) So I walked over to the security booth and saw that the security guard is on patrol and will only be back in 10 mins. -_- Oh well, and when he finally returned, he mentioned that the court was fully booked till 10pm tonight. WTH!!!!!!!!! I was soooo sianz and was ultra tempted to just hop into the car and drive to NUS!

As I strolled back home, I walked past the gym and since I was totally in the mood to sweat, I popped in and ran for half hour and nearly KO. (How pathetic!) When I'm finally done, I decided to pop over to the court to see who were the idiots who robbed me of my chance of shooting hoops! Well, it turned out that there was actually no one! Gosh, the security guard cheated me! Should i have known, I wouldn't have ran the shit out of me! Ultra pissed. But still gian! Thus I popped in and started shooting. I was so tired that my shots were crap..and I couldn't do a decent lay up (Well, the main purpose was to practise lay ups but I was simply too tired to do it properly!) Ahahahahhahahahahaha....

I persevered and continued shooting. At the corner of my eye, I kinda saw something move each time my ball whacked the board. As I took a closer look, I suddenly saw a lizard on the board! OMFG, I could immediately feel the chills down my spine and I froze. Next thing I know, I took my ball and belongings and ran to the other side of the court. (well, as u can see I am a determined person.) First thing first, I checked if it was lizard free - CLEARED.

So I continued practising my stupid stunts and boy do I suck. The floor was really really dirty (I could feel it from the texture of my ball) and there were holes here and there. The hoop is almost decomposing and obviously, there wasn't any net! STILL, I persevered! As I was practising, I observed that the fence behind the pole was broken and that if my ball fell through, it would roll down the slope into the drain. (Breathes in, I couldn't be that unlucky, could I?)

There were a couple of near misfortune (well, it nearly fell through the fence, but made it back) and I got quite complacent. I finally gave up after doing stupid stunts and laughing at myself (what a loser~) for about 20 minutes and decided for one last shot. Sigh, yap, anyone also will know what happened next. My stupid ball went through the hole in the fence!!!!!!!! And I saw my ball bounced off the slope and rolled down into the drain. I was stunned. The slope wasn't that steep but it was really dark and there were many trees! What if a lizard or frog jump on me?!

I did a quick mental calculation - losing a ball vs possibly getting attacked by a lizard/frog and chose the latter eventually. So I picked up my belongings, took a deep breath and attempted to jump through the hole. After realizing that I had totally over-estimating myself, I decided I was better off taking the longer way. I ran out of the court and turned left and the first thing I saw was a lizard on the wall. Fuck. Guess I would have to take a detour and headed into the dark.

As I was walking, I scared the shit out of myself when I stepped on branches and dipped slightly into a hole. Kill me ba. Sigh, how unlucky could I get?! I was seriously freaking out!!!! (Sigh, as I always emphasize, I'm not as strong/brave as I appear.) Finally managed to get to the drain and went down to pick up the ball. As I was doing it, I was praying like I never did before, praying that there is no lizards or frogs. Once I got the ball, I ran like I never ran before and was soooo relieved when I finally hit the carpark.

Sigh... As I was walking back, I seriously could not believe how unlucky I was and what a loser.. Best of all, I couldn't stop laughing at how pathetic my life is...LOL..

oh well, it was an interesting experience and hell no am I ever going to return to the court ever again!

Those were the days...

Suddenly felt like listening to 世界末日.

This song brought back so much memories. Brought back the days when I was just 18 years old and a really silly hardcore Jay fan. I bought his albums, went crazy over his posters and could memorize all his song lyrics! I even spent 6 hours queuing up for his concert tickets in 2002 (yap, it was close to my A levels prelims) with chunie. After which, I was really really disappointed when he did not sing this song at the concert.

But he did one year later. This time, I did not spend 6 hours queuing up. I could not even recognise half of the songs in his new album. (well, the truth is, i didn't even remove the CD from the CD case). I went for the concert just because I felt that I needed to, tho the Jay fever was clearly dying off in me. And I did not regret at all. He sang this song. And when he sang it, I cried.

Well, this very song ended my fanatic Jay days. I never went gar-gar over him anymore. I stopped buying his albums and attending his concerts. I packed up all the items related to him and was ready to sell them all (haven't gotten around to doing it tho)...

I doubt I would go for any of his concerts in future... Buying his future albums, just maybe. Still, those were the days...

Silly, but memorable.

想笑 來偽裝掉下的眼淚 點點頭 承認自己會怕黑
我只求 能借一點的時間來陪 你卻連同情都不給
想哭 來試探自己痲痺了沒 全世界 好像只有我疲憊
無所謂 反正難過就敷衍 走一回 但願絕望和無奈遠走高飛...

What do I want..

Zim's been asking me about what I want from USA. Honestly, nothing. I mean, if our plans go thru, I will be there soon. Thus, why would I want anything when I can get it there myself!

All I want is for Zim to come back safely!

Twelve more days to go....

It's Youtubing time!

Despite the wide channel selection here, nothing seems to interest me. Guess it's back to.. YOUTUBING!

First stop: 陶喆 -暗戀

Honestly, I think this is one of his better songs recently. While, I completely adore his first two albums (Many of the songs are still on my constant playback list in my ipod!), it kinda felt as if he got a little lost after that and I wasn't that impressed with his recent albums. But when I first heard this song, I was drawn to it. Kudos to David Tao for the wonderful rendition of the song. Love it!

I really really like the last paragraph of the song:

故事就说到这里 就算你们再好奇

我想说的都已说完了 其余是秘密

在那某一个街头 会流传某个旋律

那是我在轻轻唱着歌 我多爱你...

Second Stop: 方大同 - Sing Along Song

He's a singer that caught my attention just recently. I really adore his distinct style and soothing voice. Besides this song, he has quite a handful of really nice songs! Though I must admit that after a while, the songs do sound similar, but they are still brilliant nonetheless! This song is currently number 1 on my playlist as it's just so genuine and sincere. (Zim.. sing this to me, please?)

Third Stop: Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter

Well, I only knew about this song after Anthony from <星光5> sang it. I personally really like 倪安东's version. (Well, Zim thinks it's overhyped. Can't blame him I guess, he's a guy after all. Girls will naturally dig Anthony's version!) BUT, I do admit that Damien Rice's version is better ! This song is supposedly written for his music teacher's daughter. Geesh, if anyone would just sing like this to me, I will just MELT~ (Zim's practising this song.. i like! =D) Besides watching the MV version of the song, I also watched a few of his 'live' performance. The beauty of this song is that the imperfect singing (well, his voice came close to breaking a couple of times) actually made the song even better. It gives a sense that he was overwhelmed by his emotions. So beautiful~

I can't take my mind off you

I can't take my mind...

My mind...my mind...

'Til I find somebody new

Last stop: 張智成 -换日线

This song is my ALL time favourite. I don't know why but I REALLY like this song! The cantonese version is even better. Actually, the melody of the song is what really attracted me to the song. Hee, I still recall the very flight where I flew back from Geneva (After visiting Zim who was posted there for 2 months.) I couldn't stop tearing when I heard the chinese version. (yes, remb, I'm very weak one.) The lyrics were so close to my heart. Well, he was after all half way round the globe and I was taking the plane ride back! Oh well, those were the days...

你的心飛過傷心換日線

今後我們的世界地球各一遍

如果季風能把感覺聯機

要傳達給你說不完的思念

That's it for now! Sigh, zim needs to come back soon, else I'm going to have quite alot of such boliao entries! LOL, but still.. it's pretty fun doing this! =D

'Home' sweet 'home'..

Zim flew off this morning. Had to fight back my tears while waving him goodbye. (Sigh, I'm so weak.) Time flew by quite quickly and it has almost been 1 day since he left. (OMFG)

Anyway, I'm happily and comfortably settled in Mom's new place. Geesh, I do miss the days where I had a wonderful selection of SCV channels. I can watch almost any channel I like! (Well, budget reasons, our sty only had the basic channels...) Mom does the housework, the laundry, cut fruits for me, serve me drinks. I feel like a queen! Best of all, meals are inclusive. Ho ho ho... Ah Ping's totally enjoying himself... running around and climbing up and down the two flight of stairs. (There's about the most he can manage for his size without rolling down..) Ah pong's happily watching the crime documentaries and HBO movies with me! Life is sweet, ain't it...

Of course, I would trade all these to have Zim with me.. but since the latter is not an option, let me indulge in the luxury for the next two weeks!

And, no rush in finding programmes for me when Zim's gone... cos I'm going to be a couch potato! So, good luck in getting me out of the house! ^_^

Out of touch..

After being on course for 4 days (excluding the weekend), I'm feeling a bit lost. Sigh, think I momentarily lost my momentum. Oh well, time to buck up and put in some effort to get my mind back to work and start clearing the mountain of unread emails!

On a side note, Zim's double hatting is finally coming to an end! So, that means that he won't be burning as much mid night oil..(and so I hope..) Well, unfortunately, that also means that he is going for his 2.5 weeks long US trip. Really wished I could tag along. Pity I've officially ran out of leave. This trip would had been much more exciting than the April one since he would be popping by SF as well. Oh well, time to do some online window shopping and give Zim my shopping list.

btw, this time round, I won't be trying hard to stay alone. Mom has moved and the new house is gorgeous, so of course I'm packing up and moving over to enjoy the nice condo facilities.

ho ho ho...

Zim's presents to me!

Well, as mentioned earlier, it wasn't all that bad spending my bdae without Zim. The best part of it all, was that I was able to extort tons of presents from Zim. Hee, we agreed (or rather, he reluctantly agreed) that he was supposed to buy me one present per day that he spent away from me. So, since he was going to be away for 7 days, he has to get me 7 presents! (well, sorta..) Wahahahah...

Extortion 1 - Longchamp bag!

It's funny how fickled-minded women are. I recall being scornful and sacrastic about others who would pay so much for just a polyester bag. Here I am, a new owner of one. =P Ironic isn't it? For present number 1, I got Zim to get this bag for me from Orchard Ion (prob one of the few things that we can still afford to buy!) and it ranks as my 2nd most expensive bag! (After ping pong crumpler!)

Extortion 2 - Crumpler Passport holder!

This flew in from Germany and was one of my special request. Well, though it isn't the exact colour I wanted, it is still gorgeous! One more to my crumpler collection! YEAH~

Extortion 3 - Yet another crumpler wallet

This wasn't on my wish list as it was too expensive, but Zim liked it and got it anyway! Hee... another additional! This is really cool! The exterior is leather (thus, the high cost!) and the rims are orange in colour! So pretty!







Extortion 4 - Flowers.


This was the tough one. I told Zim I wanted flowers explicitly. Very Thick skinned indeed. (Some hiccups along the way, but still the surprise got delivered!)Hee, I guess I forgot to mention that I don't really like roses. But still, it's a really sweet present! Zim is the best! Pity the flowers went into the bin shortly after. Now I remembered why I used to think that flowers are a complete waste of money. While I still agree, I have to admit that receiving it once in a while is still quite heart warming. =P






Extortion 5 - Birthday Card?

This came from Germany too! 2 years ago when we visit Zurich, I bought a card from this particular creator and really loved it. Thus, Zim got this card from the same creator, just for me! =D Hee, it's a really mushy card and the best part of it was that the words are in Deutsch. Though my german is really rusty now, I figured a couple out. (well, zim translated the rest) Hee.. so go figure out.

Extortion 6,7 - Shopping Sprees!

Hee.. well, kinda ran out ideas of what else I wanted and since i managed to extort the camera from my parents instead (Lucky Zim..), I decided that Zim was to sponsor me for a shopping trip as my last 2 presents. Thus,  I bought myself 2 Origins products and 2 tops from Dorothy Perkins!

All in all, everyone's happy! Including Zim (well, somewhat la) and my two little pigs. Ah Ping got a huge ang bao from us as his pressie and a week without being scolded by Zim! (He seems really happy!) And of course a new additional to the family - Poodle!

Happy family~

Ugly singaporean...

First she tried to cut my queue by forcefully pushing her pram in front of me... nevermind.

Then her kid dropped her tidbit packet and I helped her pick it up. Not a single word of thanks. *Breathes in* Nevermind.

Then she pushed her pram so front that it caught my birkes and I nearly tripped. Not a single word of apology.

WHAT THE FUCK!

New Posting interface for Blogger

Hm, decided to try out the new blogger interface for blogging...

Geesh, it's tougher to use than I thought. I spent almost 3 hours trying to post my latest entry. OMFG. Maybe it's not really compatible with Safari on Mac. Oh well, shall give it a few more tries before deciding if I should return to the old editor.

Well, I've to admit tho that the new interface is pretty cool...

Birthday Pressies 2009...

Hee, time for some showing off again! Birthday without Zim wasn't too bad at all. Why? Well, it's the power of presents! Hee, managed to extort GOOD presents from my parents and Zim and of course, received some really nice presents from some of my friends too!

 To begin,

Pressie from Mom and Dad!

Hee, a Brand new camera - Canon Ixus 110 IS! It's a really awesome camera, especially with it's wide lens. The pictures taken are sooooooo pretty. I'm sooo pleased with it! Hee.. Thanks mummy and daddy!

Pressie from me to me

Yappie, it's another Crumpler pouch again. Hee, got this for myself to put the really chio camera my parents got me. Chose blue simply because my chio camera is blue too! =D

Pressie from Bro
I was planning to extort a pair of Kobe Bryant from Bro. (It would cost about $209!) But I doubt that I would wear them to play basketball. (Shoes that expensive are meant to be hung over the neck to show off and not worn onto the court to be stepped on.) So, settled for this gorgeous pair of Nike Shox instead! Hee, keeping my fingers crossed that the shox would help me jump higher! (Thanks bro!)

Pressie from my great friends/ colleagues!

Short, Ryan, Chai Hong, PC and CH gave this wonderful pressie! Hee, the shirts are supposed to fit Ah ping &amp; Ah pong. (Fits quite well, except that it's abit long..) Each shirt signifies something in my life. Hee, from not being able to differentiate left from right, to the joys of my life. I really adore the present and was pleasantly surprised by it! Well, it came with a really cool jigsaw puzzle card (Signed off by all of them as well as my lovely colleagues at HQ) and two bags of macaroons. Yummilious~ =D

Last but not least, my Pressie from SCC

My colleagues at SCC gave me my only birthday cake this year! (hee, well, Zim's family did too, but it's a 'shared' one. So this is my first solo cake!) Really sweet of them! I love them all!!!

One last present that did not come in a physical form was GREAT company from Nik, Ray and Qian. (Thanks Qiwei for calling me too!) My present from them was a whole day of fun, laughter, singing and bitching. Oh, of course, delicious ba chor mee from bedok (hee, poor them, got dragged to the east side of the world just to satisfy my ba chor mee craving!)

Zim's family did give me some great gifts as well.. a lovely swatch watch (hee, zim hinted to them that I wanted a one! =P), two nice wallets, a cute ikea chair and a shawl.

Love u all!

Scrapbooking again...

After spending last weekend decorating a box for CH's birthday (Using the miserable scrapbooking skills I've picked up over a period of 5 years), it suddenly struck me that I've actually neglected one hobby of mine for the past year! I always had a keen interest in scrapbooking (JC2 and counting) but has always been restricted by either the high cost of the hobby (Scrapbooking materials really don't come cheap!) or the time required to sit down and design a scrapbooking item. After I started work, the money came (One problem solved!). However, my leisure time was greatly reduced. Sigh, no thanks to work and other distractions in life..

So, when I was working on CH's present, I re-experienced the joy of scrapbooking and the satisfaction I had after I accomplished what I wanted was.. priceless~ It's funny how I've conveniently chucked away one of the few hobbies I have! I came to realise how much I actually missed scrapbooking.

Now that my wallet is finally fuller and that most parts of my life have been more or less stable (Well, wedding - done, housing - done, kids - none.), I guess it's time for me to re-ignite my passion for Scrapbooking again! Hee, well, of course, actions speak better than words! I've since signed myself up for a "Scrapbook Design & U – Basic (New Revised Format!)" class (or rather, a series of 4 classes) with Laine's Papeterie! (I can't quite pronounce the name..) Doesn't come cheap I admit, but still, it's worth it and I'm really excited that there is finally something that I would like to pursue! Class is starting on thursday! YEAH~

Guess I found something that I might just be able to do full-time if I did become a taitai, eventually! Scrapbooking! LOL..

*Eureka~*

Last week of august...

Well, Zim's back! (For another 1.5 months, before his next trip that will last about 16 days...=((( ) Feels weird to have him back after a week's absence. Not in a bad way for sure. It's like a great feeling to have him walk the streets with me, have dinner with me and of course, put me to sleep at night. (no more scary lonely nights!) So I guess absence really does make the heart grows fonder and definitely makes me treasure him more now that he's back! YEAH~

Thanks to my wonderful family, friends and colleagues, I had a great birthday week! (hee, yes, it felt as if my birthday lasted for a week!) Everyone was really sweet and I was pampered with great presents! (LOL, of course, most of it came from Zim.. )

It's funny how much people look forward to their birthdays. Although having birthdays meant that you are growing older, it also makes you feel special! That's why we all love birthdays! Well, now that mine's over, I guess I have to wait another year! Hee, and if nothing goes wrong, I might just be able to spend my next birthday half way around the globe in a place called..... (hee.. well, you'll know next year!)

Anyway, Happy 25th Birthday to me..and yes, I am finally in my mid-twenties! =D

Key isn't as strong as she thinks...

Day 1.5...

Time crawls when Zim isn't around.. And, no surprises, I didn't sleep well at all. It's funny how much at ease I am when Zim is in the room with me. Without him, my senses are so heightened that a single sound would keep me wide awake, even when I am awfully tired. Sigh. Guess I'm just not used to it when he's not around. But I'm not going to give up and I'm giving it a second try. I'm confident that it's going to get better!

Even though Zim's away, I still feel really blessed. Blessed with wonderful friends that would go an extra mile to keep me company knowing that I'm alone now since Zim's away. Blessed with sista who made an effort to call him once he knew that zim has flew off. Blessed with friends who booked me for my birthday week when zim isn't around to celebrate with me. It's a really heartwarming feeling that would make me smile to myself when I think of all the little things they have done. Guess I must have done something right to deserve such wonderful friends!

Thanks guys... you really made my day!

Home Alone..

Zim's off for a work trip in Germany for a week. =( The first official trip without me since our wedding. Well, I definitely would have gone along if I have sufficient leave. Sigh, I wanna be a taitai! *Grumbles*

Anyway, I initially played with the thoughts of staying alone at home, but gave that idea up shortly after a lizard invaded our sty (Hm, that was two weeks ago..Zim insisted that he chased it.). After the lizard scare, I concluded that maybe it would be better for me to just move back with my mom for the week. Settled, and so I thought.

I changed my mind last week yet again after considering how troublesome it will be for me to bring all my toiletries and clothes back. Being the pampered key, I insisted that my mom move in with me instead. Settled again? I don't think so...

Still, I changed my mind once again and decided that I did not want my mom to move in with me either and decided to give being home alone one more attempt since the lizard scare has since died off!(well, women have the privilege to be fickle minded!)

Of course, mom wasn't too keen to hear that and blew her top at me. Thank god I managed to get Zim before he flew off to convince her a bit and with my stubborn self, there wasn't any room for any negotiation.

I don't deny that I'm somewhat scared of staying alone. But I believe that I need to start somewhere. I can't possibly rely on my mom or Zim forever and having the courage to stay alone is a good start. I need to be more independent and brave.

I can do it! So I guess it's home alone for Key and her two little pigs.

Wish me luck!

Curse of a degree holder?

Sometimes I can't help but wonder if my life will be happier if I didn't have a degree. There are definitely more expectations from others just because you have a university degree. Of course, with expectations, comes more responsibilities. And I don't like it, not at all.

Maybe it's just the nature of the job. Maybe it's because I'm not doing what I really like (but again, what do I like?). I look at my colleagues (those w/o a degree) at work and I'm actually envious of them. Envious that they have less responsibilities, less stress and do seem alot happier and more carefree than I am. I'm not ambitious at work. I don't aim to climb the corporate ladder. I just want to live my life in a simple manner - happy and stress free.

With the deadlines and stress at work, I can't help but wonder what the hell I'm doing. What exactly am I suffering for? Why do I have to endure being scolded for this and that?

I know I won't be earning as much as I am earning now if I have anything less than a degree. But again, money isn't everything. Let me choose again, I would rather earn less and be happier.

Sigh~ It's okay. I just have 4 more months. After that, I will take some time and search for what I want exactly.

Reminder...

Well, decided to leave this reminder here so that I will remember to do it, eventually!

Pay Sangee 7 pounds!
(Pathetic me has to leave this note here so that I will constantly remember when I read my past entries...) --> I'll strike this out once it's accomplished!

Sangee's flying back to UK this Thursday and I'm not sure when I'll see her again. She normally returns during Christmas season (Year end). However, she did mention that she will be heading over to the states to meet her sister and parents. Maybe next year? But again, I'm not sure if I'm going to be around then... Geesh, I'm going to miss her!

So, till then.. I'll see her when I see her. (Quote Sissy!)

Maybe this will give me a good excuse to pop by UK to return her the $$!

Back Pain... (Part 4)

After my mom's endless nagging (And of course, her offer to pay for the consultation fees), I decided to seek a second opinion from a doctor in private practice. Mom's friend recommended Singapore Pain Care Centre @ Paragon and I quickly fixed up an appointment.

Headed there after my physiotherapy at NUH (Was pretty good and the pain went away for say, an hour?). The wait was pretty quick (duh...) and the doctor, Dr Lee, was really nice and patient. Well, a piece of good news at last. Turns out that the Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) was actually an accidental discovery. Which means, the pain I've been experiencing was not actually caused by the changes in my spinal disc. It was in fact due to another condition, Myofascial Pain Syndrome, (MPS). Apparently, the consultant at NUH has conveniently attributed the pain to DDD since it was reflected in the MRI. In actual fact, the pain had nothing to do with DDD and it's simply an inflammed muscle/ soft tissues possibly from an accident (I'm thinking of the leg spraining incident in April and it all adds up! Especially since I've been experiencing pain from then!). Nice~

Another encouraging fact: instead of just telling me to take care of my body posture, blah blah, there was actually a treatment option to this condition! (Hooray~) So Dr Lee proceeded to use Localized injectionS to numb the pain and treat the inflammed soft tissues (well, it's my lower right hip to be exact). Hm, interesting fact to note: the injections consist of BOTOX, local anaesthetic and steriods! (Hee.. cool, botox to my ass.. does that make it firmer???)Best of all, he injected so many times that I lost count. (He said seven in total. T_T) Geesh, it was really really painful... =(

Well, the prognosis is really positive. If nothing goes wrong, I should be completely healed within a month, after the injections and a series of physiotherapy sessions. Dr Lee did offer me the option of either doing it at NUH (NO WAY~) or at the clinic. Of course, after all the bad experiences at NUH, I'm definitely not going back! So, he lined up a series of 5 sessions over the next 3 weeks! Can't wait to be pain free!!!

Of course, while I am really glad to finally have answers and most importantly, solutions, my pocket surely isn't. The consultation today comes up to about $450 and the 5 physio sessions will add up to almost $1k. Seriously, thank god for insurance!!!

On a separate note, I find myself losing confidence in doctors. I don't really know who to believe anymore. On one hand, I'm choosing to believe what Dr Lee has told me. Maybe it's because, he offered me a solution, not just a diagnosis. On the other hand, the consultant at NUH only offered me a diagnosis and left me helpless after that. Thus, I do not want to believe him. (Geesh, it's called self-deception ba...)

It's scary how doctors have such varying diagnosis and I really don't know who to believe. I honestly don't know who is right or wrong but for now, I'm definitely placing my hopes on a complete recovery!

Wish me luck!

Back Pain... (Part 3)

Backpain aside, this is going to be a complaint entry. (You will get what I mean.)

So, I went for my 2nd appointment with a Senior Consultant at NUH. And no surprise, it took us (Mom insisted on coming) about ½ hour to get into the carpark. But again, what’s new. The annoying part was that there were still plenty of empty lots for us to choose from!!! Damn the lousy parking system. Why did it say “FULL” when there were plenty of lots left? What a waste of my time~

Anyway, despite the long wait at the carpark, I was early for my appointment. After the mere 10 minutes wait for my first visit, I was somewhat expecting a short waiting time this time too. Boy was I wrong. I waited for one whole hour before it was finally my turn. Even after I was called into the consultation room, I simply sat inside the empty room, waiting (AGAIN) for the doctor to return for god-knows-where. Wtf~

He finally came (maybe, after 10 minutes?) and when he opened my file, he stood up and approached his nurse and said “I thought you said this is a follow-up case.. I’ve not seen her before.. It’s a new case… why did you say that it’s a follow-up case.” He clearly seemed annoyed about the fact that they screwed up. (Oh, was I invisible?) Well, I’m sure glad they screwed up. I’m pretty sure I will end up waiting longer if they realized I was a new case. Stupid NUH. So, anyway, he went on to discuss the diagnosis. Nothing new, just things I could read off the net – It’s a common condition, no cure, just prevention it from deteriorating , nothing serious, just live with it. Take care of your back, can consider Pilates and one session of physiotherapy for you. Open date for next appointment, if required. Oh ya, lastly, some pain killers and cream for my use too. Period.

As I walked out of the clinic, I requested two items from the doctor – A doctor’s letter (For insurance purposes) and an excuse sheet. The wait at the cashier was pretty quick as I had signed up for a Zoom function in NUH that would credit my bill to my credit card. (So, I get to skip the cashier line and wait for the bill to be mailed to me.) The cashier handed me my doctor’s letter and prescription and informed me that I could get my medication at the pharmacy. I sent my mom to the pharmacy while I enquired about the physio. The nurse was like “ Erm, the doc mentioned about physio? Let me check.” Fine. She came back with a slip of paper and informed me that the physio department will be contacting me about my appointment. I took it and headed over to the pharmacy.

My mom saw me and informed me that the pharmacy’s computer system is down (What?!) and it would require about 30 minutes to get the medication. I had absolutely enough of waiting and decided to forgo the medication, it’s just pain killers anyway. So we approached the pharmacist and requested to retrieve our prescription. The ultra rude pharmacist was like, “We have packed your medication, we cannot retrieve your prescription now.” Duh~ Since you had packed it, couldn’t you pass it to me then? Apparently not. So, I got really annoyed and was about to flare up when my mom interfered. I don’t quite recall what happened after that except that my prescription appeared from thin air and I got it back. Piece of shit~

Since I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of the place, we headed to the carpark. As my mom was driving out, she suddenly reminded me if I had taken an excuse sheet. SHIT. I did mention but they did not pass it to me and I had forgotten about it too! (Well, it’s 50% fault on each side on this, since I should have reminded them.)

So my mom dropped me off at the pickup point and continued to circle the area while waiting for me. I went back to the clinic and requested for my excuse sheet. It took them almost 15 minutes to get me a sheet of paper. When it came, the nurse handed me an MC. (That does it.) I glared at her and mentioned that I did not want an MC, I wanted an excuse sheet! She looked at me and answered that “There’s no excuse sheet, only MC.” I told her fiercely that I wanted an EXCUSE sheet, not MC. She stepped back towards her colleagues and started whispering some shit and the only words I heard her asking them was “what is her queue number.” The 3 of them started fiddling with forms in front of them as if they were trying to find my queue number. (Am I invisitble???) I got really pissed and snapped. “You want my queue number right? It’s 1550!”. That particular nurse acknowledged and quickly slipped away.

My blood was seriously boiling. My mom was calling my mobile anxiously as she had been chased several times by the security guard at the drop off point. After another wait, the nurse came back with the excuse sheet. She tucked it her colleague who was walking by and signaled for her to pass it to me. (Once again, am I invisitble???) Geesh… she could have passed it to me herself! How rude.

The whole ordeal took more than half hour and I would have gotten my medication should I have known how long I had to wait for my excuse sheet. I guess my first visit was a total deception. I was actually fooled into believing that hospitals are more efficient now. Lousy service and looooooooong wait for this time. To think I actually paid private rate and that costs me a BOMB!

Irritated! I'm done with NUH. After the physiotherapy, I'm not going back there again!

Back Pain... (Part 2)

I was tempted to skip the consultation today. Well, after all, most of the pain went away over the weekend. (at least I was able to bend to wear my socks.) After thinking about how much more naggng I am going get from Mr Lim and my mom, I decided to go ahead with it.

Headed over to NUH and waited almost 1/2 hour for a parking space. -_-" (It's time for NUH to expand their carpark.) Best of all, I chose the wrong carpark and ended up having to walk a good 10 mins to get to the correct clinic and of course, I was already late for my appointment. Since I was afterall referred from GP, I ended up paying private rate and didn't have to wait more than 10 mins before my turn. (Sigh, $$ does help, doesn't it..)

The consultant was pretty cute and really nice. Did some routine checks and then, dropped the bomb on me. He suspected that it might be a slipped disc. (0_0).. and recommended for me to go for an MRI. He went on to explain about the condition and added that I should avoid strenuous physical exercise (My heart sank~ no bball?!) and that he will be referring me to his colleague who is the spine specialist (My heart sank again.. no more cute doctor?!)..

Sigh... what a day.. While I was waiting for the nurse to fix up an appointment for me to do my MRI, I wasn't very worried about my condition, more concerned if it means that I need to retire from Bball. Nooooooooooo...

Anyway, NUH's next slot for MRI was in August and Paragon's was tmr morning (Can't afford so much time off from work la.. ), so I settled for MRI at Raffles Hospital (Again..). The nurse briefly explained the procedure and highlighted the cost. A MRI cost $750 w/o GST. (My heart sank for the 3rd time.. wtf~~). Thank god for insurance...

MRI was a pretty unique experience. It probably most resembled lying in a white lit coffin that was buried in a construction site. Really noisy and cramp, and of course, my size didn't help. LOL. While, I'm sure glad I ain't that claustrophobic and even managed to fall asleep amidst the loud banging and bright light. Anyway, the report was out within an hour (Really cool, came in the format of a CD and three X-ray films with 16 scans on each film. I'll definitely keep it for keepsake. =P) and while I did not quite understand the terms used (Do doctors speak english?), it appeared that I might not have had a slipped disc afterall (phew~), more of a Degenerative Disc Disease.

Of course, I went back to google again and found that the symptoms was amazingly accurate. Things like severe pain that comes and goes and pain that goes away when I'm doing sports (does it mean I can continue to play ball?) were exactly what I have been experiencing.

Sigh, nonetheless, guess I will just have to wait till the next appointment with the consultant before I can get any conclusion.

=/

Bball this friday?

Back Pain.. (Part 1)

So, I have had a nagging back pain (primarily on my right hip) for the past couple of months.. Didn't take it to heart much since the pain lasted no longer than a couple of hours and wasn't really disruptive. I simply made a mental note to see a doctor someday. Since the pain came and went, I didn't think much of it and didn't get around seeing the doc. Sigh, the pain did become worst eventually and I finally decided to take some timeout from work to visit the clinic nearby...

Well, no surprises, the GP wasn't able to come up with any conclusion and sent me for an X-ray at Raffles Hospital. Took two hours time off and got Mr Lim to send me to the hospital.(I was barely able to walk, not to mention that bending down and wearing my socks nearly killed me. I was actually tempted to walk out barefooted.) Waited almost 2 hours for my X-ray and result and of course, no fracture was detected on my hip.

Crawled to work the next day with the X-ray result and saw a different GP from the same clinic. Well, his conclusion was that my hip is fine and it's most likely just muscle ache. Honestly, I wasn't quite convinced. I mean, I have experienced muscle aches all my life, but the pain this time round is different. Well, the GP then recommended me to visit a orthopedic specialist for a more detailed diagnosis. Sigh, why not.. so, I fixed up for an appointment with a consultant in NUH on tues.

The two visits to the clinic and the x-ray cost me a whooping $80 bucks. The funny thing was, there was a 10% discount for OCBC cards for the medical fees. (wth..) oh well, at least I get a discount..

Meanwhile, I went back to google about Hip injuries and the common symptoms. Sigh, seems like the majority of people suffering from the symptoms are aged 55 and above. Diaoz~

Oh well, shall see what the doc says...