Another year has passed.

2007 will come to an end in another three days' time. A lot had happened in the past one year. It had been a scary roller coaster ride for me.

God must had been playing a trick on me. He brought me to Heaven in a high speed elevator but pressed the wrong button when he tried to send me back to Earth in the same elevator and I ended up in Hell instead. As if that was not bad enough, he did that a few times before he finally sent me back to Earth.

2007 hasn't been a good year. I really hope 2008 will be a better one.

Christmas 2007 gathering at Daniel's house.

Wei Qi, Ee Hui, Daniel, Jason, Xian Wang and I gathered at Daniel's house last night to celebrate Christmas.

Had dinner with Wei Qi, Daniel and Xian Wang at the tze char stall near Daniel's flat before we went up to his place. The four of us shared a hotplate tofu, a plate of 咕噜肉, a plate of 宫保鸡丁, a plate of cereal prawns and a piece of BBQ stingray. The 宫保鸡丁 was the best out of all the dishes. The others were just so-so. The total bill came up to $48 and we thought that was quite reasonable.

Jason joined us while we were still having dinner and Ee Hui came later when we were in the middle of an UNO stacko game. We sabotaged Ee Hui by asking her to join the game when the UNO stacko tower was about to tumble. HaHa~! We had lots of fun playing UNO stacko and UNO cards into the wee hours.

After playing for a few hours, we decided to watch a movie instead. We watched 881. It was my second time watching that movie but I still enjoyed it because I was watching it with my friends. =)

We exchanged gifts after the movie and I got Ee Hui's gift. It is a white bear in a Christmas hat. Love it! Wei Qi got my gift, which is a novel titled "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon.

Daniel, Ee Hui, Jason and Xian Wang played mahjong after the gift exchange, while Wei Qi and I watched TV. Ee Hui was the big winner when they ended the session the next morning. Poor Jason only won the last game and lost all the other games.

Dishevelled Irene and Wei Qi.

We went for breakfast at MacDonald's before we leave for home. Everyone was tired but we still managed to have a good chat over breakfast. Though we enjoyed ourselves at the gathering but we still have to say goodbye. Can only see all these good friends at the next gathering, which may be twelve months later. Till then!

National Treasure: The Book Of Secrets

Watched National Treasure: The Book Of Secrets with Hui Jun at GV Marina last night. Tickets were courtesy of Eng Hwa. It was free seating so we were glad that we went into the theatre early and got ourselves good seats. The latecomers who couldn't find seats they wanted actually resorted to standing. I had one standing beside me and she was munching popcorns the whole time she was there! I kept looking at her but she didn't get my hint. Fortunately, the movie was interesting enough to draw my attention away from her.

Irene and Hui Jun.

The movie lasted for about two hours and ten minutes. It is slightly longer than most movies but it was awesome! It was both hilarious and exciting at the same time. I was actually skeptical about the movie when Hui Jun asked me to watch it with her but I am glad I went, else I would have missed a great movie.

Special thanks to Eng Hwa for the complimentary tickets and to Hui Jun for inviting me to watch it with you. Love you both lots!

Spouse: Unknown

Do you know that citizens of Taiwan have to indicate the name of their spouse on their identity card when they are married? It means that your spouse is now part of your life. That is so cool! It is just like carrying your marriage certificate with you wherever you go! I want to have my name printed on my spouse's identity card and his on mine in future. I wonder if that can be done in Singapore. Hmmm...

Noise Singapore 2007 Extreme Artworks Exhibition Opening

I was invited by Wei Qi, an apprentice in the Art and Design category of Noise Singapore 2007 to attend the Noise Singapore 2007 Extreme Artworks Exhibition Opening @ The Heeren Shops on 7 December 2007, Friday. All the participating apprentices are very outstanding and I saw many interesting artworks.

Wei Zi, Wei Qi and Irene @ The Heeren Shops.

Hmmm... the toilet paper doesn't look clean. On closer look, it is actually...

... name "cards"!

Very cute window display showcasing Teddy bears.

Plastic bags?!

"NO," said the bag, "I am not a plastic bag!" These are actually bags sewn out of old NDP banners to promote recycling of materials. If you like them, you can purchase them at the exhibition.

Black and white photography.

Very cute, right? This is Wei Qi's team's artwork! Don't believe? I have proof!

See? A write-up on my best friend, Wei Qi and her scrapbook. =)

Those who wanna visit the exhibition may do so between 8 December 2007 and 20 December 2007 from 11AM to 8PM @ The Heeren Shops level 5. Admission is free.

Mercedes-Benz Design Workshop Singapore 2007 - Design with a Heritage

Went to "Mercedes-Benz Design Workshop Singapore 2007 - Design with a Heritage" at NAFA with Wei Qi yesterday. It is the first Asia design workshop held by Mercedes-Benz. Though not a fanatic of cars but I was still not able to resist the temptation of climbing into one of the displays and imagine myself driving it. The feeling of sitting in the driver's seat of a Benz is simply fantastic. Holding the steering wheel of one makes me feel that I am in charge. The feeling of possessing power is great! Had been a passenger on a Benz several times but have yet to be a driver of one. I'd love to try that someday. HeE~!

Here are some pictures I took at the design workshop:

One of the few mini Mercedes-Benz design models on display.

Some parts of the Mercedes-Benz.

My dream car. =)

Left the workshop when it ended at 3PM. Wei Qi wanted to eat Rochor beancurd so we made our way back to Short Street. While we were walking, the aroma of roti prata attracted us. The aroma led us to an Indian coffeeshop opposite Fortune Centre where we fed ourselves with delicious prata. As we were both too full after the meal, we decided to give Rochor beancurd a miss.

From there, we walked down the row of shophouses and discovered a Korean supermarket. Found many Korean products and tidbits there. Bought two packets of fried rice cake crackers, two packets of spicy rice crackers and a packet of orange chocolate. Of these, I really like the fried rice cake crackers. It tastes sweet and spicy. Mashee-eessoyo!

Yummy fried rice cake crackers.

After paying the cashier, we moved on to OG@Albert Street. Finally found and bought the pair of aviator shades I wanted. Continued to walk around the departmental store but found nothing else I fancy.

Went back to Parco Bugis Junction after leaving OG. Wanted to buy a schedule book for the year 2008 from Kinokuniya but it seems that their branch at Parco Bugis Junction does not carry any. Went over to A'NBC instead and found many cute schedule books from Disney, Sanrio and San-X. After browsing the collection for a while, I decided to get a very girly Hello Kitty schedule book. All the pages in the book are in pastel colours and the cover is in baby pink. Suits my princess image perfectly! HeE~!

The princess diary.

Unable to resist the cute designs, Wei Qi bought a small Mame Goma schedule book too. Both of us are happy with our purchases. =)

As my feet hurt from all that walking in wedges, we had to end our shopping trip there and go home.

Geez! I had been shopping for three consecutive days! Total damage for the three days is about $1K! I better stop visiting shopping malls for a while before I spend another $1K. Friends, if you love me, stop me. If you cannot stop me, please pay for my purchases. HaHa~! Just kidding!

Born to be a tai-tai.

Woke up early today. Tried to cook something for the family but it turned out disastrous. No choice, I am destined to be a tai-tai. These kinda chores are not for me. =P

After cleaning up the kitchen, I took a bath and headed to town with mom and sis. Went to Singpost@Ngee Ann City first to pay the road tax for dad's car. After that, we proceeded to Takashimaya and started the shopping.

There was a lingerie fair at Talking Hall and the three of us just walked in automatically. HeE~! I bought some very sexy lace undergarments and sis bought some kawaii ones.

Saw some very cute Sesame Street organisers at Takashimaya too. Wanted to buy one but mom came and saw me holding it. Decided to give up the idea before she starts nagging at me for spending money carelessly. =/

Left Takashimaya after that and we moved on to OG. There were many beautiful dresses but I didn't buy any 'coz there is no occasion for me to wear them. Already have a few brand new ones hanging in my closet and I haven't got the chance to wear them. SiGh~!

Mom wanted to buy a pair of heels to match her evening gown for dad's company annual dinner and dance. She tried a pair which is gold in colour. It fitted her perfectly but the last pair in that size was defective. Ended up buying none 'coz the rest were either too ugly, else they didn't match her gown.

Wanted to buy a pair of aviator shades but there were no new pieces available. Sad. =( Shall seek them out at the other OG branch in Bugis.

The train back home was packed like a sardine can. Even the last cabin was full. It was a torture. Hope I can pass my driving test this time. At least I won't have to take public transport whenever the family car is available.

I declare that I will not teach students from China ever again.

I had enough! Need to rant! Else I think I won't be able to sleep tonight.

Started to teach a boy who just came to Singapore from China some three weeks ago. I was engaged by his agent who brought him here to prepare for his entry examination into secondary three next year. As an experienced tutor, I just took the assignment as per usual. However, things are not that simple. First, the boy is very nua. He doesn't wear a top at home. Not even when I am there to give tuition. Secondly, he is very lazy. He is always finding shortcuts so that he can write less. Lastly, and most importantly, the agent is a bad pay master. He never pays me on time. NEVER! Not even once! The worst is, even after constant reminder, he will still delay payment! Yesterday was the last lesson but he did not pay me because he is not at home. So, I told the boy to remind the agent to leave money with one of the tenants of the flat and I will collect the money from him the next day. The boy said, "OK." I specially made a trip to the boy's house this afternoon but he did not leave any money behind. The lady in the house doesn't know a thing at all. As both the agent and the student were not at home, I was told to wait inside. I waited for half an hour and still no one came back. I decided to leave and told the lady to let them know that I will revisit tomorrow to collect the payment.

I declare that I will not teach students from China ever again. Not saying that all China nationals are like that, but one bad experience is enough. Once bitten, twice shy!

21

Celebrated my 21st birthday on 21st October 2007, Sunday (actual day is 22nd October 2007) at Hometeam NS Pasir Ris chalet.

Here are some of the photos:

Ordered a 10 course buffet menu from Meng Hiang Catering.

My 4th aunt from Muar happened to be in Singapore so I invited her too.

2 KG blackforest birthday cake from Han's. Yummy!

Sis is 6 years and 5 days younger than me. We always celebrate our birthdays together.

Family.

Friends.

Making a wish. Wanna know what I wished for? I am not going to tell you. Hee~!

The cake cutting "ceremony".

Look at who is really cutting the cake! Both sis and I don't know how to cut the cake, so Eng Hwa and Hui Jun had to help us with it.

I am officially 21. Nothing out of the ordinary happened after I become 21, but I am still excited about being a 21 year old. I have yet to do anything which requires me to be 21 years old and above, but just the thought of not being restricted by age makes me feel like an adult, no longer just a kid. It makes me feel that I am finally part of the society. =)

Essay Showcase I: What are my personal goals and how will a higher education help me attain those goals?

While I was organizing the files in my laptop, I found an essay which I wrote a year ago. The question was, "What are my personal goals and how will a higher education help me attain those goals?"

This was what I wrote:

In the past twenty years of my life, I have seen many people struggle to make ends meet each day, while some others take the basic things they possess for granted. The poor are becoming poorer, while the rich are becoming richer. Poverty is a problem in many countries, more often in developing countries. It is a problem that will exist no matter how hard governments try to eliminate it. It is amazing, yet scary, what money can do to people. It is also astounding to know what people do with money. Money, being an important part of our lives, should therefore be studied in detail and knowledge in the subject should be used to help the needy.

Mr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and also the receiver of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, once said in an interview, "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but only by teaching him how to fish do you feed him for life." I find his words very meaningful. By giving the poor money, it will only solve their problem superficially. Only by teaching the poor how to make money will the problem of poverty be entirely solved. The poor can stand on their own two feet. There is no need for the privileged lot to sympathize with them. Mr. Yunus had helped the poor by making loans readily available to them without the need to put up any collateral, which was previously impossible. Inspired by Mr. Yunus, I hope to do something for the poor as well. I want to help the poor by teaching them how to help themselves.

I always believe in making my money work hard for me instead of me working hard for money. I also believe that money makes the world go round. Though money cannot buy everything in this world, it is irrefutable that most things on Earth are powered primarily by money. Without money, there is much that cannot be done. I dislike the idea of money being a stumbling block in life and so I long for financial freedom.

I am currently studying for a degree in banking and finance. With the knowledge I have and will acquire from the course, I will be able to attain my goals more easily. In the course of my study, I will learn how financial institutions manage risk, how financial markets trade risk and how new instruments to control risks are developed for the benefit of the economy as a whole. Such knowledge will enable me to manage money more efficiently. I will also be able to more effectively educate the poor on how to manage their own money.

The essay was limited to two pages of an A4 size paper, thus the short essay. Though short, it won the praise of a director of a MNC. I am so proud of myself. =P

Where are all my friends?

I was creating a list of the people I want to invite to my birthday party and I realised that I don't have that many names like I had expected. I have left out some people who do not attend parties, some who I don't wish to see and some who I think will not turn up even if I have invited him/her. After leaving out these people, I am left with only about 20 names. That is a far cry from the number of contacts I have on MSN. It was only then that I realised that I haven't been keeping in touch with a lot of people. I think it is time to catch up with old friends.

New height.

The examination result was released on Tuesday. Surprisingly, I did well for Corporate Finance and as expected, did badly for Macroeconomics. Academic year 2007/2008 will commence on 10th September 2007, Monday. It will be my final year. Since I did well for Corporate Finance, I have decided to study harder this year and aim to graduate with at least a second upper class honours degree. Wish me luck.

Happy 42nd National Day!

I fell sick on Wednesday and had to take a day off work to see the doctor. Went to see Dr Frank Lee at Admiralty Family Clinic, which is near where I live. Thought he was quite good and the price he charged was reasonable, so I decided to see him again. When I went into the consultation room, it was a different doctor on duty. What surprised me was, the MC was signed by Dr Frank Lee! The two doctors have the same name! That was not all. I was charged $46 for a 5 minutes consultation! That is twice what I was charged on the previous visit! I had the same symptoms, but I was given different medicine. I took the medicine and felt slightly better, so paying $46 was not so bad after all.

Went to SP to meet Mark for tea in the afternoon. It was very warm so I suggested that we go to an air-conditioned cafe. Mark told me there isn't an air-conditioned cafe in SP and suggested that we go to NUS. I was surprised and did not believe him, but decided to follow him since he knows the place better than I do. We went to Olive Cove at NUS administrative building and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting there.

After the chit-chat session, I went back to Woodlands for tuition. Bought a cup of honey green tea and a box of takoyaki from Bubblemix at Causeway Point B1 for dinner. They were having a promotion when I was there. A cup of bubble tea was selling at only $1 and a box of takoyaki was selling at only $2. The honey green tea was not too sweet and the green tea was not too strong. The takoyaki was a bit too hard, but it was still alright for me. For that price, I have no complaints. =)

I just threw away my only contact lens case together with my old pair of contact lens and I need to get a new contact lens case for the new pair of contact lens I was wearing. It was already 1015PM when I was back at Admiralty Place and all the optical shops were already closed for the day. I told Daniel about it and he offerred to help me get a contact lens case. He came at 1AM just to pass me the contact lens case. Wanted to treat him to a drink at Macs to thank him but I forgot to bring my wallet and he ended up giving me a treat instead. HaHa~! We stayed at Macs to talk till about 2AM before he sent me home.

Went to Marina Square to watch the fireworks with Weiqi on National Day. We thought the fireworks would start at 745PM so we started waiting under the stars at 730PM. We waited and waited, till it was about 815PM before we hear the first blast, which came from, not the stage, but the top of UOB tower! The whole fireworks show lasted about 15 minutes.

After fireworks show ended, we quickly made our way to Zara to hide away from the huge crowd out there. Finally managed to catch some breath in Zara, which was kinda empty. Found nothing we like in Zara, so we went up to Cavana where Wei Qi had a plate of sichuan chicken rice for dinner. I didn't wanna eat chicken rice, so we went to Killiney cafe where I had ice cream waffle and iced coffee.

Met up with Daniel again to pass him the very pretty contact lens case from Freshkon I bought in the day. We sat under my flat to chat till about 1AM. He showed me many funny photos he took while he was at JTC and I shared with him the photos I took of the beautiful fireworks I had seen earlier.

Woke up on Friday morning with 5 unread messsages on my mobile phone. Had overslept and forgot to inform Sarah that I will be on MC for the day. Rang Wei Qi up and asked her to go to the polyclinic with me. While I was waiting at the polyclinic, I received a SMS from Fabian asking me to go to the club with him as promised. I had no choice but to say yes. Asked Wei Qi to go with us and she agreed.

We went back to my place after spending more than 2 hours at the polyclinic. Washed up and had dinner before going out again.

Shopped at The Central at Clarke Quay before meeting Fabian. It was the first time I went to The Central after its opening.

Had a little snack at the Hong Kong style cafe at the B1. I love the iced milk tea they serve! There is still room for improvement for the french toast. I still prefer the french toast served at Xin Wang.

After the satisfying snack, we went up to the shops. Bought two dresses, two tops and a cropped cardigan from Celeste. Yes, clothes again. HeE~!

By the time we were done with the shopping, it was already 1030PM. We were tired from all that walking so we just found a place in the shopping mall and sat down to wait for Fabian. While waiting for him, we got bored and decided to take some photos. Only one was presentable, so I am only going to post that photo.

The first time Wei Qi goes clubbing.

We waited till 12AM before the boy came. Gave him a good scolding before we made our way to DblO. HaHa~! When we reached DblO, we were stopped from entering because Wei Qi was in slippers. No luck trying to sneak in. Went back to Crazy Elephant for a drink instead. Drank till I was a bit tipsy before we left.

Took NR2 home and was surprised it only took me about half an hour to reach home. Reached home at about 4AM. I was so tired that I went to bed without removing make-up! Woke up at 8AM to remove make-up and went back to sleep again.

The next time I woke up it was already 1PM. Took a bath and dressed up. No special occassion. I just felt like dressing up. By the time I was done, it was time for dinner. Went to Yishun 923 for dinner with my family. While we were savouring the famous chicken rice, the lights suddenly went off! There was a black out. Power supply was only restored 10 minutes later, but business was as usual. I could still hear the chicken rice seller chopping chicken! I wonder how he managed to chop the chicken in the dark without chopping his own fingers too.

It had been a fun week for me. Gotta go back to work again tomorrow. Wonder when can I have another break like this again. =(

Happy Chinese New Year!

We had a network reunion dinner at ZhenFa in Marina South last night. Original plan proposed by Liqin and I was a small network reunion dinner for Carpe Diem members, but because we invited Mr Yuanjie, Mr DongXu, Mr Guan Xiang and Mr Alvin, we had a bigger network reunion dinner with members from other divisions as well. =)

Carpe Diem occupied two tables and we had lots of fun playing and eating together. When we were all too full to finish the leftovers on our table, Mr Travis suggested that we play Zhong Ji Mi Ma; Whoever got the number had to eat one item from the table. All of us got it at least once except for PeiShan. It was super duper fun! HaHa~!

After dinner, Yong Chuan suggested that we go to the Hongbao River for a walk. Carpe Diem decided to go on foot while the rest went in Mr Yuanjie's car. From there, the adventure begins.

The route we took:

Marina South -> Marina City Park -> Nicoll Highway -> Marina Square -> Suntec City -> Esplanade Drive -> Hongbao River

We took 1.5 hours to reach our destination. Most of the group left when we reached Marina Square, but Qing Yong, Liqin, Wei Qi and I made it to the end. =) However, by the time we reached Hongbao River, most of the shops had already closed. We left after visiting the 12 zodiac animal display.

Though it was a tiring day, it was fun hanging out with so many people who think alike. Hope that we can have such gatherings more often in the future.

Happy 2007!

Went to our company's new year countdown party yesterday. It was a new experience for me. Never been to a countdown party that is so happening! All those simple but meaningful activities and all those friendly and fun-loving colleagues. Some of the colleagues who have been my good friends since school days, some of them I only knew some two weeks ago at our office and some whom I only met at the party itself. It was my first new year chalet with them and I am sure that will not be my last. It was the first time I really enjoyed the new year. Hope that my decision to join the company will be a turning point in my life.

Happy 2007!