Monday, April 23, 2007

Stepping Away


Why is it so hard sometimes, to just let go of the familiar... even when you know that it's doing nothing but hold you back.

Anne of Green Gables


Any hopeless romantic worth their salt would've watched Anne of Green Gables - the beautiful beautiful story of a 12 year-old red-haired orphan who was taken in by the Cuthberts and eventually, falls in love - and marries - her childhood friend... the yummilicious Gilbert Blythe!! Arrrghhhh!!! I must have the box set!! I only recently found out
that there's a Part 3!! About their life after marriage. Oh what I would give to have that box set!!! V. actually found the entire 2 parts on YouTube - in 10min segments, which is what I'm watching now hahahahahaha. Sigh, I will always remember the conversation Anne and Gilbert had as they stood on the bridge over the Lake of Shining Waters.

Gilbert: It'll be 3 years before I finish medical school, and even then there won't be any sunbrusts or marble halls.

Anne: I don't want sunbursts or marble halls, I just want... you...

SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON


Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T10

I WANT IT!!!!


Impulse Buys!


As a self-professed non-shopper, I have a horrible habit of buying things on impulse. I wouldn't call it retail therapy (I prefer spring-cleaning), yet it IS rather fulfilling to walk out of a store with a pretty good bargain.

So due to the awful awful wet and windy weather yesterday, my good SQ pilot buddy and his Captain (and I) decided to while away their stop-over day at the newly relocated Xiangyang fake goods market behind Times Square in Pudong - a shopping mecca for the brand-conscious who don't want to spend on the real thing. (I just like it coz I can get tastefully designed stuff for a decent price). The excuse was that he needed to get handbags for his wife. Of course as the only female in the group my presence was key to the whole shopping experience for my 'opinions mattered', especially when it came to purchasing the girly stuff. Needless to say, the first out of the lot to actually make a purchse was yours truly... A lovely pair of Diesel sneakers! Now my BIGGEST problem when it comes to stores like these, is that I CAN'T BARGAIN TO SAVE MY LIFE!!! I'm hopeless! I see something I like and I'd just pay. (after half-heartedly bargaining of course - just so I can tell myself that I DID TRY!) So who should come to my rescue? The 2 guys. I must say they're really good... well better than me at least. I eventually walked out of the store with my new 100RMB sneakers in hand (down from 260RMB. Though I'm guessing I still paid more than it was worth...)

Moving along, next round of purchases... a gorgeous deep-orange tote! (I later found out it was a Tod's copy but didn't really mean much to me as I'd never even heard of Tod's before :p) The most important part of it was that it felt very durable and looked very classy... Woohoo! (110RMB down from 260RMB)

After deciding that the tote would be the last of my impulse purchases, I happened to walk past a little store selling sunglasses. My first thought was, "I need a pair for when I go to Dubai. It WILL be rather sunny... No harm in buying a cheap one". And so walked out with an LV rip-off and a complimentary 'Tiffany' bracelet, because as the store keeper put it "..we're friends..." Whatever. I knew I'd paid too much for the shades. (100RMB down from 280RMB - I had no help this time! Very proud of myself!)

Panicked that I was buying too many unnecessary things, I ran off to locate the boys with, I swear, the intention of dragging them out of the building, when there in front of me was this GORGEOUS black cashmere throw, with rabbit fur running along one edge! (both fake of course) Asking price 380RMB. I couldn't be trusted to work on my own then. I liked it too much. So in comes the captain and after a string of back-and-forths, we agreed on 200RMB. Again, probably paid too much but I just wanted the damn thing, and I guess 50% off the asking price wasn't ALL that bad :p

I am now on a self-imposed Ban on Unnecessary Spending.



Saturday, April 21, 2007

Handyman


It's nice having a guy in the house... I have the excuse to cook for more, we can get him to change burned out bulbs, and send him down to the store in the mornings for milk and fruit AND there's an extra pair of hands to do the washing up after every meal, though our current squatter doesn't seem too keen on that bit. He appears to enjoy the eating, and then cracking open a can of beer while he roles a joint at the end :p The good thing is the minute he bitches and moans about doing simple chores around the house I merely have to threaten to not let him back in again and stop cooking... hehehehehe... Such power...

Friday, April 20, 2007

Hablo un poco de Espanyol!


Just got home from Spanish class... Must say it was quite an informative session which led to the realisation of why my pronunciation was so crap and why my spanish friends have trouble keeping a straight face everytime I read a passage out loud. The hour simply FLEW by! I wanted to do more but since I'd only asked for a 1 hour class I couldn't really complain, besides I only brought enough money to pay him for that hour :p Definitely looking forward to my next class!!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Espanyol!


Whooppeeee!! Tomorrow I start my first one-to-one Spanish classes!!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Dust-Freeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!


Now that summer is rolling in, it's great to open our windows to let in the cool breeze and kinda circulate the air a little :p All was great until a couple of days later when I noticed this thin film of dust that had settled on ever piece of furniture, covering every square inch of our wooden floors. My first thought was, "We'd just cleaned this place two days ago!! WTF!" So thanks to dusty Shanghai, we thought we were doomed to live with our doors and windows shut throughout summer and sweat it out (summer here apparenlt can get VERY VERY hot... up to 40C ). We simply didn't have the time to clean the apartment every 2 days! We barely manage with once a week!! And then my boss decided to move and asked us the most important question of all... "Do you girls want to hire my helper?" It was as though this ray of light came shining down on me, kinda like the one in Mr. Bean. It was the most beautiful question someone had EVER asked. Do we want someone to help us clean?? Well, yea-ha! So last night I came home to a squeaky clean apartment, with not a speck of dust in sight and all my laundry hanging out to dry. *siiiiiiiiiiiigh* This is gonna make me lazy that's for sure but what the hell... I might as well enjoy it while I can. :)

Monday, April 16, 2007

The BITCH that is Fate...


Fate is playing a dirty game and I'm freakin not happy about it. After a blissful relaxing day, daydreaming of my trip in 13 days, I get an SMS from J saying that his leave hadn't been approved. Yes, it stung but I was slightly comforted by the fact that I'd prepared myself for him to be working when I got there, but hey, there was still the weekend, right? WRONG!!! Apparently he's expected to work throughout the weekend as well! Fucking bastards not only NOT grant him his leave but take away his weekend. Dammit! It was all I could do to stop myself from ranting and raving and hurling obscenities at his superiors. I mean I'd only be aggravating the situation. He was pissed off as it was and the last thing he needed was a female going off the deep-end and making him feel worse. I couldn't keep the disappointment from my voice though, that's for sure. I could almost feel the knife twist in my gut when he broke the news; almost feel the emptiness in the pit of my stomach as it sank all the way to the bottom of my toes and beyond. I was really really really looking forward to seeing him again for so many reasons, including one very important one. But if he's gonna get off work at 2200hrs everyday, tired and hungry, and not in the best of moods, (not that I blame him... I'd be moody too) I don't really see the point anymore. So essentially, I paid all that money to hang out in Dubai by myself. Oh what joy! FUCK! He's asking them to reconsider so all I can do is wait. In the meantime, his superiors are fucked up, heartless, pieces of shit that deserve to be tied to a stake and burned alive. And that goes for you too, Fate! You BITCH!

R&R or Blood-pumping Action?!


Depending on one's personality and definition of a holiday, a get-away can range from chill and relaxing to action and adventure packed. I usually take full advantage of any holiday in a foreign country to sight-see and experience as much of the culture as I possibly can. This time round I'm kinda torn between having a relaxing week in Dubai and going on an adventure tour! With temperatures averaging at 34C (and the possibility of reaching a high of 40C), and a maximum humidity of 80%, being outdoors sounds like it can be quite a challenge, unless you're barely clad in a bikini and lounging by a pool or catching the rays at the beach. Still, Dubai is rife with activities from the low-key chilling to the blood-pumping, stomach churning. Been doing a bit of research and come up with a list of things that really appeal to me and, weather permitting, would love to do. So apart from checking out the fabulous architecture, I would also like to...

go on a Desert Safari
catch a few waves at a water park (apparently there are 3 - Wild Wadi is one)
play minigolf (don't ask me why I wanna go all the way to Dubai to do it)
go bargain hunting at the souks
go CAVING! (that would a new thing for me - I can say that I've gone spelunking!)
maybe go skydiving and paragliding!!
cross the creek in an abra (traditional water mode of transport) or take a water tour on a dhow.

Now I just have to hope that I have enough time and money to do all this :p

Peace and Quiet


Work these past 2 months or so have been hectic and crazy and wild to say the least. Seeing how the company is still small and new, we tend to handle most of what we never used to do back in Singapore. We've become teacher, operations person, assistant, performer, receptionist all in an environment of screaming, laughing and crying children, and their worried, demanding, fussy parents. It's noise, and talk and people in your face for an entire week, so much so that by the time Friday rolls by, I'm ready to crawl into my bed and stay there (and I work Tuesdays to Saturdays), away from the constant chatter and small-talk, away from people. My room has seriously become my sanctuary. A place where I can have my alone time to do whatver I want, when I want, and that includes having afternoon naps to make up for the fact that I'm generally awake by 6.30 despite it being my off day. I spent part of my Monday last week in a nearby park, soaking in what bit of sun the day had to offer while taking turns people-watching and studying my Spanish. That was a lovely day... just me myself, and peach and quiet... Unfortunately today doesn't hold any of the promise of last week. It appears to be rather windy outside and there's barely any sun. Darn...


*The mum's are all generally lovely... I'm just being a grouch :p*

RSS Feeds


OK I dunno why I didn't think of it sooner but thanks to RSS Feeds, I can now read everyone's blogs - hassle / frustration-free. So, Yen, I'm catching up on your life!!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Hadhafang

My sis has been bidding on e-bay for Lord knows how long and it'd mostly involved hard cover collectible books and stuff on World History. Last night, I received a very excited Skype message from her saying that she'd won the bid for Hadhafang. Lord of the Rings movie buffs will recognise it as the sword that Arwen used when fighting off the Ringwraiths.... well I think so anyway, I'm not an LOTR buff. She spent A$96 on the 100cm long, exact replica of Hadhafang ('Throng-Cleaver') and is thrilled to bits to be the proud owner of it. I have to admit that it IS a rather unique thing to have. Seeing pictures of it made me suddenly want to get my hands on a Hattori Hanzo sword but checked myself knowing that the novelty would pass and I'd be stuck with a 42" stainless steel weapon and nowhere to put it. I don't think I would even be able to bring it into Malaysia without going through the hassle of declaring it and stuff... But it's still a really cool sword.





Mamam Mia, Here I Go Again!


Mama Mia will be heeeeeeeeeeeeeere in July!!! I missed that musical when I was in London several years back but now they'll be in Shanghai! Seeing how a bunch of colleagues and I love musicals and dressing up, we've decided to go all out and attend the performance clad in wigs and ABBA outfits. And after being ABBA-ed out, we plan to then proceed to a bar somewhere for the heck of it. WOohoo!! Can't wait!

Friday, April 13, 2007

To Yen...


OK since I can't view my blog and reply to any comments (I can still read them though coz a copy is sent to my e-mail) I shall reply with a post... :) WHO IS HE??!??! When did you guys meet? He a doc as well? I"m so happy for you!!! OK about a trip to Melb. I MIGHT be able to squeeze one in this August. Prob is I'll be doing a course that only ends of the 17th of August and work at school resumes on the 4th of August. Yes I know it sounds like alot of time in between but I will definitely have to go back for training and to do up the centre for the new term, etc... I just don't know when yet. Will chcek and see. You WILL be around between the 18th of August and the 1st of Sept won't you? I should e-mail you shouldn't I :p

Monday, April 09, 2007

Brownie cupcakes!!


Just made a batch of brownie cupcakes today!! Why cupcakes? Coz I don't have a baking tin. So I bought little foil baking cups and used those instead. And since I didn't have any frosting, I made some caramel to drizzle over :D The left overs are cooling in the fridge right this minute in preparation to be cut up into little chunks and sucked on when the urge for sugar strikes hehehehehehe Whoopee!


Access to Blogger websites have become erratic. There are times when I can only get as far as my Blogger Dashboard and not my blog, and sometimes everything works fine. It's so weird. One thing's for sure though, I can't get into Live Journal. So I'll have no clue what Yen is doing anymore :(

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Oh for the Love of Gas!


Yeah, so C and I have been, unknowingly, NOT paying our gas bills. It never really struck us that we'd not been receiving anything in the mail, I mean we've got more than enough bills to handle and we're still not used to the idea of having to pay for gas. It'd always been electricity, water, phone and internet. Anyway, thanks to our boss, we realised that here, the guy comes to read the meter (which is in the house) in the day. Well we've obviously not been home so no one's ever been in to read our meter, save the time when we first moved in! Now, what each resident is expected to do, is to stick a little note / post it outside your door giving the reading so that the guy can take note of it. We didn't know that. So now we can look forward to 5 months worth of gas bills in the mail. :p I'm dreading it.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Splish Splash!!


Woohoo!!! Just found out that there's a water park in Dubai!! I think the last time I was actually at a water park was... wow 10 years ago at Sunway Lagoon, KL... yup, I think it was before I attended Pre-U at Taylor's. MAN! I am SO gonna make the most of it at Wild Wadi!! AND they have a surf pool so I'm gonna try my hand at Boogie boarding. OOOOH!!! FUN FUN FUN!!! An entire day there and I'll be back to my tanned ol' self! Can't wait!!!


Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Adobe InDesign Blues


I'm currently trying to teach myself how to use the Adobe InDesign CS2 and so far, it's been pretty good. I mean once you're used to the million and one functions, you're pretty much set. (I know about 10% of it). I really need to know how to do just the basic stuff, like how to insert ('place') a picture, how after assigning a frame for your content you need to click on the 'select' icon before you can actually see the damn frame and so forth. What is REALLY driving me nuts right now is the fact that I am unable to embed my graphics without losing it's quality!!! Everytime I close the file and reopen it, all my graphics gets fuzzy!! And I have to start ALL OVER AGAIN!!! IT'S BLOODY FRUSTRATING AND A BLOODY WASTE OF TIME!!!!! Would REALLY appreciate some help!! (NGEOW??)

Tuesday, April 03, 2007


BANANA-ORANGE SMOOTHIE!!!

Stupid Weather


Damn weather here is as bad as it gets in Melbourn... From the sudden balmy 28 deg C that had all of us ready to put away all our winter stuff last week, it's gonna be a low of 9 deg C tomorrow!! BLEH!!! It's even rumoured to drop down to 5 deg C next week.... *SNIFF* As if we'd not had enough of the 3 cold miserable gloomy months. Where oh where is spring?? You're WAY OVER DUE!!! I exaggerate but WHO CARES!

Monday, April 02, 2007

My Very Own Blender!


It's funny how the oddest things make me happy. While C went out yesterday to bargain hunt at Qipu Lu (quite successfully I gather from all the clothes she came home with), I was browsing the supermarket aisles (yet again). Well it was for the dinner last night. Anyway, I came across this BLENDER that comes with 3 accessories you can use interchangably to suit your needs. There's a little container that goes straight over the blades to make a drink or shake enough for 1, another one enough for 2 and a reglar sized blender jug that also comes with a removable strainer!! So you can have just juice or juice with pulp. It also means you can grind up veggies and stuff if you're too lazy to chop (like me!) hahahha. Must remember not to grind garlic in there though :s Anyway, that was the highlight of my shopping yesterday. Now I'm sipping on my first Mandarin / Sunkist orange milk juice whatever with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream... YUMMY!!!

Countdown to Camel Rides


The countdown has begun... 28 days and 2 hours!

Here's to the First and Many More to Come!


Well, C and I hosted our first dinner guests here in Shanghai, and I must say it was a success! (i.e no burnt food, or funky tasting dishes, very nice mood lighting :p) It was just a simple dinner of 3 dishes but one that I enjoyed thoroughly preparing for... It allowed me the luxury to experiment and the excuse to spend that amount of time in the kitchen :D The main dish was a chicken casserol (which I'd initially intended to be eaten with bread, but half the guests went for the rice I'd boiled just in case) which was served with a side of sitr-fried celery, sweet peppers and prawns, baked aubergines wrapped in strips of bacon. Then for dessert, slices of oranges and strawberries in caramel sauce (i was rather nervous with the caramel in case it burned while boiling the sugar :s) C. was in charge decor and ambience. I'm glad we had so many candles and holders lying around :D Little parties are so fun to do if only I didn't have to clean up. The dishes are still in the sink... :p