For You BB

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My New Camera

My new Ixus 850 IS, thanks to my 2 lovely darlings.



Test shots.





Wide-screen.



Colour accent.



Colour swap.



The zoom function is damn solid with 3.8x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom. When combined, the results impressed me!



Not impressive enough? How about this?



Still not good enough? Check this out. Totally blew me away.



I thought of selling away my old Ixus 40 but it's my first camera and I kinda felt quite emotional about it. But if I keep it, it'll be a spare and who the hell needs a spare camera? So, I have no idea what to do with it.

On a side note, I just realised today that TITOUDAO (of the local-produced play TITOUDAO) means shaving knife in Mandarin. I thought it was a French word or something.

Yes Minn, go ahead and laugh at me.

Creative Advertising Around the World

Got these in my mails. Damn cool!

WhizzCar

Our new business line?

The Gambling Den - Part II

It seems like CNY and gambling have become synonymous with each other cause we were at it again, this time at Alan's abode.



Lou Hei, to more money!



The sumptuous steamboat spread prepared by the very gracious hosts.



His doggies, Yukie and Ernie, were at IT the whole time we were there.



There, see what I mean.

The Gambling Den - Part I

I broke my nail this morning. Ouch!



Dinner at Wan Chai Hong Kong Tea Room.



Boss invited us to his new place. Instead of mandarin oranges, I brought these.



His place became a gambling den.



The dai dee table at the balcony.



The blackjack table at the dinning area and the mahjong table. Tsk Tsk.



We were all gambling away.

The Fake Life

Every working day is a brand new struggle - for getting the job done and of course for the figures. I suppose part of the deal is also the struggle to maintain a fake-as-hell persona towards some people in the company that you wish you never have to speak to ever. At least that's the case for me. For some, it could be an easy-breezy affair. *Shrug* You never know.

And don't tell me you have never been in the position whereby you have to hide your true feelings and fake a little smile so that things will happen more smoothly for you. It could be a subtle 1-minute effort of what Zoe Tay does for a living and suddenly it becomes easier to achieve certain things.

The point is sometimes, more often than we are willing to admit, we live in a life so fake we lose track of the truth.

Melacca AGAIN

We packed our bags, hopped into our little blue car and went on a roadtrip to Melacca AGAIN! This time, there were only Jack and me spending some quality time together.

This trip almost did not happen because the hotel made a mistake and accepted our reservation when it had actually been fully booked. Luckily, they managed to get us a room and even offered us a small discount for the mistake. Woohoo!

Our hotel - Everly Resort.



The room comes with a bedroom, a living room and a small bar-cum-kitchen area.



The view from our balcony.



A family bringing more than enough to spend their holiday.



After we settled in, we packed our suntan kit and went to the pool.



The beach.



For dinner, it was back to Dragon Inn.



On our way back to the hotel, we happened to witness a M classic - 2 vehicles coming head-on on a one-way road.



The car on the left (pink arrow) was going in the right direction. The MPV on the right (yellow arrow) was going against the flow. To make things worst, both vehicles had other cars following closely behind them.

After some hand signals were exchange between the 2 drivers (not the vulgar kind but more of determining who should be giving way), the MPV who was in the wrong direction gave way. Woohoo! For once big vehicle didn't win!



The next morning, while queuing for complimentary breakfast, we witnessed yet another classic, though this scenerio is not limited to M only. Some people can be so stingy you won't believe it unless you see it for yourself.



There was this family of dad (the loser in question), mum, 2 kids and 2 maids who were in front of us in the breakfast queue. Apparently, they only had 4 complimentary breakfast coupons and the restaurant manager refused to let all 6 of them in unless they were willing to pay for 2 more pax.

So the dad told the manager that the 2 maids were not going to eat anything but just tend to the kids. This is like.. what?! You brought your maids out but you don't let them eat?

The manager again refused and said that once the 2 maids step into the restaurant, they gotta pay regardless of whether they eat or not. At this point, it was quite a scene as the queue started to get long. The dad simply refused to pay and insisted all 6 of them to go in. Both parties were not willing to give way.

Then, there was this very kind lady behind us in the queue who offered the family her 2 complimentaty coupons so that all 6 of them can get in. Under normal circumstances, you would think that the problem was solved and the whole family, maids included, could happily enjoy their free breakfast. But!! The dad said that he would keep 1 of the extra coupon for tomorrow and only allow 1 maid to eat! He did not even thank the kind lady, for goodness sake! He was so damn stingy it hurts!

After leaving the hotel, we started on our journey home. We passed by the Yellow Mansion.



Instead of taking the highway, we took the smaller roads with kampongs on the sides.



GIC Cafe.



We also saw a mirage.

Alone at Home

For the first time in 13 years, I am at home alone. As in truely alone.

For the 2 weeks after my Little One was gone, I cannot talk about it. Not even to my closet girlfriends. Because if I do, the tears will start to flow. It's just too painful.

The day after we sent of my Baby on her last journey, I went back to work and saw BB. I can tell she wanted very much to give me a hug and tell me it's okay to cry. I know she will even let me lean on her shoulders at the risk of getting her entire blouse wet. But at my request, she pretended nothing had happened.

3 weeks had gone by now and my nagging suspicion that I will never get over my Baby has more or less been confirmed. I guess I will never truely recover.

CNY Day 01

It's not that I dislike CNY. I do enjoy catching up with my aunties/uncles/cousins but I think CNY visiting should stop at immediate relatives.

If you have to visit your Dad's aunties/uncles/cousins, it becomes pointless to the extend of being a chore. Because year after year and without fail, these distant relatives will ask you the same few questions - how old are you this year/where are you working at now/where did you study before/when are you getting married. Perhaps their memories get worst over the years and there is simply no room in their little minds to register the answer you give.

The worst one of them all.

And every year, like a running program that don't get patched, they will make the same few comments - you are getting prettier by the year/your sister looks more and more like you/your dress is very nice/your hair suits you perfectly. Even their CNY wishes for you are the same every year - hope you get a promotion soon/hope you get married soon.

At the end of the day, although I am 20 red-packets richer, I wonder what is the significance of going through such a superficial and insincere process. Afterall, I don't aspire to be an actress.

I suppose in such a scenerio, only the CNY goodies are sincere.



Even the visiting yellow bird has an end in mind - the nectar from the flowers.



My own uncle and auntie are so bored that they rather watch the fishes.



Lucky for me, I have Minn for company. One of the best thing about CNY is having a chance to spend time with my lovely sister.



Of course, it helps that she always carry time-killing gadgets with her.

CNY Eve

Not-So-Secret Mission

Minn and I went on a not-so-secret mission today.



On the way, we passed by our friendly neighbourhood friends.



Playground duckie.



Beautiful Morning Glory.



Our mission - to buy drinks for the reunion dinner later.




Reunion Dinner

Thanks to my mummy for preparing all the food!




Lou-Hei

To a very wonderful year ahead.

WhizzMazing Race 3 & CNY Dinner 2007

For months now the RC had been planning the annual WhizzMazing Race. This year, it was a combination of Shi Zhi Lu Kou and Snake-and-Ladder.

Some finalisation of the teams and we are ready to go.

Briefing in the conference room.

The race kit.

As always, we snapped away.



BB spot a new hair style!



The CNY dinner was held at Bliss Garden at the Expo. Every attendee will walk away with a lucky draw prize, good or bad.



First, it was prize presentation to the winners of the WhizzMazing Race earlier on.



Then, in Project Super Star style, the attendees picked their lucky draw prizes.



The directors proceed to give a speech to close the year.



Lou-Hei. Our table was the most messy because of one single person - our CEO.



The dinner starts.



More lucky draw prizes were given out.

Top prize winners

Sore losers.

I Hate Beansprouts

When you are free, go read this entry by Xiaxue. I think what she said is absolutely true! Just becaue I do certain things and other people don't, these other people think I am deviating from the norm.

In the first place, what makes them think they represent the standards? What makes them think that people who don't do as they do or eat as they eat are weird? The fact is, we all have our personal preferences and no 2 persons, no matter how close they are, can be exactly the same. If I don't like certain things that you like, it doesn't mean I am less of a person compared to you and there is really no need to make a big hoo-haa outta it.

So the next I eat lots of spicy food but spit out my beansprouts and oysters, please accept it and move on already!

The golden pigs will not judge me.

Valentine's 2007

The Melacca trip was kinda like a pre-Valentine's celebration for us. So our Valentine's was actually a simple fuss-free affair. Which is just as well since every major eating place was double the price and fully booked.

My favourite Teppanyaki, this time at Anchor Point.

Melacca

This Melacca trip came about on New Year's day while we were cycling at East Coast Park. That day we were really enjoying ourselves and thought we should do it again out of SG. After a few rounds of discussions, the date was fixed.


Saturday

We crossed the jam-less Second Link slightly before noon - all 8 of us in 2 cars.



The passengers of 438.



When we reached Melacca, it was about 3pm.



We headed to the famous Farmosa Chicken Rice Ball for a late lunch.



Many of them prefer the good ol' rice to the rice balls.



Oyster Source Tow Fu anyone?



Exquisite deco.



Us after lunch.



Around Melacca.



I wonder where this passage way lead to.



Too cool.



Remember this? Seems like after some serious business, this clan association needed some rest.



After leaving the city area of Melacca, we went to Tesco HyperMart to shop for our dinner.



Jack bought a dolly. Heehee.



Our resort was about 30 minutes away from the city at the secluded A Farmosa.



The 4-bedroom single-storey bungalow was very spacious. It even came with a private pool. The only thing that was not as cosy were the two 3-seater sofas that couldn't hold the 8 of us.

Me lazing on the sofa with Bian Bian

All the junk food we brought. Tsk Tsk. There was a junk food thief happily eating away a bit of everything.



At night, we took out the steamboat we bought from Mustafa and feast ourselves silly.




Sunday

Armed with our complementary breakfast coupons, we went for free food.



Instead of the usual, familiar continental buffet spread, we got these.



It was so-so only. I gave away my jiggly egg-yolk to one of the greatest appreciator of jiggly egg-yolk.



After breakfast, we went to the Sea World where we almost literally scream our heads off at the wave pool and water slides. There were no pics because all our cams were kept in the locker. These were taken while we digest our breakfast before the rides.



After that, we went for rough terrain mountain buggy ride.



By the time we went back to our bungalow, we were shagged out. We chilled by our private pool.



And had a game of Star Wars Monopoly.



This is what we called I have nothing but money!



Chef Chew prepared udon soup for dinner.



Mahjong time. It was quite a challenge playing on a long table.




Monday

A game of morning Blackjack before heading to the city.



Anthony was craving for meat since last night and KFC seemed to be the most favourable choice. As it turn out, it wasn't just Anthony who enjoyed the chicken.



Cool graffiti.



We dragged the unwilling guys to go shopping with us.



On our way back to A Farmosa, we saw fireworks.



Dinner was bought back from here.



It was another sumptuous spread.



After Mahjong, it was bedtime for all except Jason, Anthony, Jack and me. We managed to finish Timeline which was showing on Cinemax. Heehee.




Tuesday

We checked out of A Farmosa and headed home. On our way back, we passed by the Restoran Jejantas - or Bridge Restaurant.



It is literally restaurants on an overhead bridge above the highway.



We went for A&W. Woohoo!



We took lots of pic because A&W had extincted in SG.



We went JB to do our nails.



Seafood dinner before going home.



It was a great trip!

This Friday

The Twelve Zodiac at HarbourFront

Was at HarbourFront visiting a customer and came across these.




Anniversary Dinner

Jack surprised me with roses today!



Went to my fave Hilltop Japanese Restaurant for teppanyaki.



We were the first dinner patrons. The chef talked to us for a bit since he wasn't busy.



By my standards, their teppanyaki is the best among all those I tried in SG. The beef is cooked to absolute perfection.




Leaving on a Little Blue Car

Tomorrow morning we'll be driving up to Melacca. Seeya soon!

Visiting Mdm Yeo

Visited Mdm Yeo and Kieran today. Tiny Kieran looked different already.



We checked out Mdm Yeo's CNY goodies. Very Yummy!



Mdm Yeo's XiaoBais, smaller version. If this looks familar, that's because I have the bigger version on my office desk.

The Past Week

Some photos from the happenings of the past week.


Boss's Wedding

Alvin tasked me and Jenny to be the receptionists for his big day. So we roped Cass in and went to do our hair and makeup.



On our way.



The dinner was held at The Regent Singapore.



At the recep area.

With Brother.

As usual, a WW wedding was a fun event with lots of camera-whoring going on.

Sales & Marketing.

With Karen and Jess.

With my dearest ShiFu.

With the CCEs.

With my lovely BB.

With my dear.

The 3 WW couples.



The WWRC taking the opportunity to get a group shot.



The only photo I had of the groom and bride was one that Bernard took of me, candid style.




KFC

After wanting to eat KFC for the longest time, Jack finally got what he wanted on Saturday!




Shopping at Mustafa

We needed to get some stuff for our big trip this weekend and the location of choice was the 24 hours Mustafa.



A little pink Mini among the black.




While waiting for the rest.



Indian gold?



Jack fell asleep while we shopped for what we came for.



Guess who.




Jigsaw Fun

As part of couple-hood building, we got a 1000-pieces jigsaw puzzle complete with frame.



Let's see how long we'll take to finish it.


Naughty Bian Bian

Jack's friend came to stay over for the weekend and to accomodate him (he's bigger than Jack!), we kept all the toys in the cupboard while Bian Bian followed me home. The morning after his friend left, Bian Bian dug out all his friends from the cupboard and went in himself! Tsk Tsk.




New Fat Cat

My new addition to my office desk.

On Hindsight

She had been gone for a week now.

It still feels very surreal to say it out that she's gone.

The day after my Baby died, the sky looked different. That morning was extremely cold. When I was changing for work, I still found her fur on my pants. But she, she was gone and never coming back.

Sometimes when I close my eyes and imagine, I can still see her big round eyes the very first time I saw her. I can still smell her freshly showered fur - it was nice.

And when I run my fingers through her beautiful soft coat and hug her close to me, I can still feel her head resting against mine. That was one of the most wonderful thing ever.

I guess every journey has a lesson to be learnt. This one that we had with our Little One taught us how to let go of the most beautiful things in life, which often do not last.