Grinning Cynic

Mid-nite Blue ...

2007-04-08T03:14:00.000+08:00

Didn't write for slightly more than half a yr ... cos' no inspiration to write.

Went to Taipei end of Oct'06, then zoomed off to Guizhou, China, in end Nov/early Dec'06 ... and finally my annual sisters' trip to Bangkok closer to Christmas'06. And off course, I had a big hole in my pocket ... & still trying to seal this hole.

Knew that I should not shop too much in Taipei ... exercised a lot of self-control though bought a lot of skincare which cost me a bomb ... thought that was it ... no big spending after that. Until the last 2nd day, finally could not resist, I bought 3 pairs of boots at a go ... well, and I burst my budget by xxx% ... err. And till date, I lost i pair of boots (juz can't remember where i stuff them to) and I have not worn the other 2 pairs yet ... sad.

Guizhou ... nice scenary ... & spent within budget cos' there's basically nothing much to buy. But flight got delay for more than 18 hours ... was cold & hungry in the airport ... as we stuffed most of our winter wear in the luggage and did not prepare snacks at all. Lucky us to meet such nice tour mates who passed around some food. Then we were sent to this hotel that was far from airport/town, slept for about 2-3 hours, woke up & travel back to airport ... and we waited and waited again. Finally back to S'pore ... and told myself not to travel in budget airplane nor chartered flights ever again.

Dec'06 trip to Bangkok was my 3rd trip to Bangkok in 2006 ... I did my usual stock up of lingerie and some body care items like shower gel etc. I think by now you will not be surprised to hear that I over spent again in Bangkok.

It was really good to travel every month for leisure in the last 3 months of 2006 ... but I'm back to reality long ago ... and now itchy for another tour. Need to do some creative accounting to find $$$ to go for my 1st trip in 2007 ...

Having some kind of mid-nite blue ... you can feel from the tone injected here ... better pack & go to bed ... dream my blue away.

Travel! Travel! Travel!

2006-09-24T02:05:00.000+08:00

Can't resist temptation ... though tight budget, I still go ahead to book my air ticket to Taipei ... reasons (1) I really want to travel during my b'day ... my b'day treat, (2) SQ is having an offer, (3) JL has oredi done up a itinerary for her family tour to Taiwan in Nov & I can juz tap on her "hard work" & (4) i found a travel companion Lei ... YEAH!

I'm flying end Oct for a 6 days tour to Taipei ... & flying off again in end Nov for a 8 days to Guizhou, China ... Juz need to book my lodging in Taipei ... what else do I need to do? Hmm, explore JL's itinerary further ... monitor the political scene in taiwan ... monitor the weather condition ... & also to read up about Guizhou. so many things to do :-)

Hmm ... must control my spending now & as well as in Taipei, particularly i'm such a lousy financial controller over my own budget ... how hah? Plus planning to go Hong Kong in Jan to attend Mak's wedding .... argh ... I wish I can strike lottery ...

Can't acccess this blogger site in office now ... well, less writing then ... & hopefully I won't forget about this blog of mine ...

Greedy PIG

2006-09-18T00:22:00.000+08:00

though already decided not to travel during my b'day cos' had signed up for a tour to Guizhou, China, in Nov, still I yearn to get out of S'pore during my b'day. How? Tight budget is my biggest obstacle ... companion is another obstacle.

Still have slightly more than a month to plan ... or to get over this travel thought (but I dread to do so ...) ...

1st Trip to China ... Going

2006-09-04T08:28:00.000+08:00

Well, finally decided to step into China ... for a short trip. The decision was rather impulse ... & quite thoughtless. Was actually planning a year-end trip, but din know where to go. KK suggested Xi'an, China ... but I was yearning to go Kyoto, Japan. Then YC & I were talking abt going Russia next yr, which put a tight budget to my year-end trip. Was feeling quite miserable for a few days of not knowing where to go ...

My eldest brother was planning a family trip to China. With a family of four & only one income, his budget was tight too. Was talking to him the other day & found out that he got a destination in mind & total package was abt $1k ... I juz blurted out that I want to go as well. So I ended up signing up a trip to Guizhou, China with his family. Felt relief for making a decision finally ... as well as feeling a bit silly of choosing Guizhou for my 1st trip to China ...

Got a few friends relocated to Shanghai ... SHL, GS, LH ... & always thought Shanghai will be my entry to China ... but somehow or rather, a trip to Shanghai never happens ...
2 yrs back, was planning a trip to Shanghai with Huey, but we ended up in Hong Kong. This yr, was discussing with KL abt hopoping to Shanghai to visit our common friends ... KL found a new job, so travelling is out for her in the next few months.

Well, will have to read up a bit more abt Guizhou ... must oso prepare myself for the "toilet culture" in China ... & yes, must get myself a bit more excited ....

Girl .... Woman (The Art of Aging)

2006-08-22T13:55:00.000+08:00

Notice the change in me ... physically. Used to buy clothes from the teens dept ... cheap, nice & creativity ... then, noticed that most clothes do not rest as fitting as before on me ... Ya, did put on a bit of weight ... but then, there is oso big sizes in teens dept ... but my curves are getting more defined ... & more womanly. No matter how I keep myself (very) young at heart ... my curves have review my transformation from a girl to a woman ... THE ART OF AGING

Went shopping with KK & YC last Sat., we still browsed through the teens dept ... KK asked me where I normally buy my clothes now ... have I "upgraded" to more expensive brands? ... my answer "the price tag grows as I expand" ... guess that's why I have to work ... to pay for the growing price tag

Does exercise help me to redefine my curves? Does going on diet result in weight loss ... & getting my girly curves? Will try out & tell you the answer .... someday

Should I be posting this?

2006-05-14T22:35:00.000+08:00

Wasn't quite sure whether should I post this ... have left in draft for many months ... decided will post this after some editing.

Was invited to attend AA's wedding thanksgiving months back. Heavy rainpour on that day, so I was really late ... abt 45min or so ... felt so guilty when I was on my way there, afraid that the entire ceremony had ended. However, I was glad that I was late at the end ... as there was
so much preaching ... too much to my discomfort. There was one moment that I tot the entire thanksgivings will never end ... argh ...

My mind started to spin off to other worlds ... but was often interrupted by the overly helpful people there ... thrusting bibles/song books to me ... or taking a lot of initiatives to help me to turn to the right page ... then, phrases of preaching to non-Christian became louder ... felt like screaming "GET ME OUT OF HERE" ...

Sorry AA, knew tt there was absolutely no intention of yours to make me (& a group of us) felt so uncomfortable ... but the whole thing was a bit of hard selling ... really
(& hope u will never chance upon my blog)

The Price of Freedom (Independence)

2006-03-20T08:05:00.000+08:00

I count myself lucky for not being a Taiwanese ... simply b'cos Taiwanese now have to choose to support the voice of independence or the old agreement on returning to the arms of China. This is definitely a tough choice. Will China really attack Taiwan if Taiwan claim independency? Do Taiwanese want to lose its freedom just on the old agreement? And in which scenario, will Taiwan lose most? Is there really a win-win situation? Claiming independent needs great support from big brothers out there, so afterall, there is no real freedom yeah ... in this instance, big brothers have great influence on Taiwan future ... itz juz like reporting back to a HQ located out of the country ... that's definitely no independent/freedom. So, what's the price of freedom? Is there real freedom? Is it worth to sacrifice hundreds or thousands of lives to claim independency ... & yet there might be no real freedom afterall? Well, I'm not a Taiwanese ... I'm out of the picture ... phew, there's not something I would like to face at all.

Couch Potato

2006-02-21T08:57:00.000+08:00

Itz juz so comfortable to park myself infront of TV every nite & do nothing. Sometimes, I was so dead tired tt I froze infront of TV even before I went to bath ... & it took me a long while to drag the whole me to the bathroom. Don't ask me what were showing on TV, as quite often it doesn't register in my mind. Hence, I prefer to watch shows that do not require much brain juice like some silly entertainment shows ... than drama serials nor reality shows. Singapore Idols or Superstar or similar shows are out too, it takes too much energy to notice who is in & who is out. Well, life is this simple for me, right?

Festive mood ...

2006-01-23T08:08:00.000+08:00

The festive mood of CNY is in the air ... likely b'cos I'm feeling fine (not like last Dec when I was down with flu) ... however, atmospher in Orchard was still warmer last December. Somehow or rather, I always avoid to go Chinatown during this season ... I dislike the super-crowded type of environment. There was one year that I ventured to Chinatown during this period, boy ... I was pushed from the start point to the end point, not able to browse the stores ... & had to keep constant watch out of where my friends been swept to ... & to hold my bag tight. It wasn't pleasant at all. I think that was the last time I ever stepped into Chinatown during CNY season. This year, with the sudden downpour here & there, Chinatown is definitely a No-No though I really feel like eating ba-gua from this famous store in Chinatown.

Charity Stunts Vs Circus

2006-01-10T15:16:00.000+08:00

Was wondering loud how can stunts meant for charity with experts behind guiding each performer becomes circus related?

I do pity those artistes or entertainers who lack the physical requirements to carry out such stunts if assigned to, but I do believe that each & every individual has the right to reject any unreasonable requests. Hence, then I start to ponder ...

1. are these artisties taking the stunts as a challenge, wanting to see how far they can be stretched?
2. are these artisties doing all the stunts with charitable reasons, thus do not mind to try to the "impossibles"?
3. are these artisties afraid that their path towards stardom may be dimmed if they do not participate?
4. are these artisties view these charity shows as an avenue to increase their popularity?
5. ... etc

Sure, there is no right or wrong, neither is there black & white ...

I also remembered years ago, the explanation of engaging such stunts was that since the artisties are healthy individuals, they might not be feel the same pain and struggle as what the less healthy people going through. Hence, the closest way of experience such pain & struggle is to go through the challenges (as seen as stunts) put forth by the organisers, & they felt it was the best way to encourage the less healthy countrymen to continue the harsh battle with their illness. Commercially, these stunts happened to be one of the most effective way in raising funds years after years too. Hence, the chicken & egg thingy started to pop up ...

the explanations, then, behind the stunts was noble ... but with them being highly commercialized, the messages was long lost & forgotten ...

Then again, with limited talents, I wonder how can our local artisties raise funds more effectively without such stunts. I do agree it is good to try out what other countries had done in the past ... basically marathon singing/dancing for fund raising, & also hope that we can succeed in this ... so any risk takers for taking a change in charity drive?

2nd Work Day in 2006 ...

2006-01-04T08:22:00.000+08:00

Momentum of writing my blog has gone downhill pretty fast, much faster than I thought. Sze has put in half a day to help me to beautify my blog, to abandon my blog is simply doing injustice to Sze. Guess u will still hear from here & then.

E was juz mentioning how life for her will change if she marries a super rich man & becomes a tai-tai ... hmm ... think she will have to make tough decisions like who to meet, where to eat, where to shop, what else to buy, what other class to sign up beside gym ... & may be social work too.

Talking about social work, finally did my very first voluntary work last Dec. Have been tossing around the idea for quite a number of yrs, but never ever actively looking for one, nor trying to find out how to get involved. So when HL invited me to join this group of friends of her who was going to visit this home that houses children from broken families blah blah blah, teaching them how to make Christmas cards & bake cookies, I immediately agreed.

Err ... I could only say that sometime these children may not really need so many volunteers in their lives, & by doing such voluntary work may not necessary help them positively. One kid kept asking me whether we were from big corporates like Shell, & it seems that they are so used to having adults coming down to play with them, to give them gifts & help them. Is this right?

Throughout the entire session, I saw certain level of wasteage of papers & card making materials. So it this right b'cos they are kids? 1st of all, we were all at this canteen where papers will start flying off the table if let loose, but no kid really bother to pick them up. The 1st batch of kids who were doing the cards (the other batch was in the kitchen baking cookies) did not really spare a thought for the 2nd batch, they used up almost 2/3 of the materials (& some of these materials are not that cheap ... & some kids actually noticed the price) in doing up their cards, leaving only mostly papers for the 2nd batch. Again, is this right?

After that day, I start questionning the value of doing such voluntary work ... although I admire the selflessness of the volunteers. Err ... are we giving more problems to the care takers in guiding the kids for their development? Or are we really helping the kids by giving them the extras? I've no answer ... may be someone should start reviewing the entire voluntary work system ... the way things are being executed ... juz may be ...

Last Minute Christmas Shopping ...

2005-12-22T15:51:00.000+08:00

Not my usual self to leave ALL shopping till the very last minute (though I usually still buy extra gift at wee hours ...), but for this yr, I have not started shopping for christmas presents until like 3 hours ago. Yes ... did a super-duper quick lunch time shopping (oops ... sorry boss, hope u did not chance upon my blog). I grabbed all my purchases in a short 15 minutes span ... woah ... that was fast, rite? And I got about 17 small gifts in total ... cool. Wrapping ... no way, 1st ... I have no time, 2nd, i don wan to waste paper ... afterall, people will need to open their gifts & most will throw away the wrapper afterall, then why sud I kill more trees juz for the sake of making my little gifts look nice?

Why so last minute hah? Was sick for past 2 weeks (still having a bit of running nose), & was avoiding all crowded places ... then, off course, no shopping for me. Plus I thought of giving this yr Christmas a miss ... juz want to rest well & recover ... then, I started to receive Christmas gifts ... & my plan of foregoing Christmas got shelved indefinitely.

Not complaining ... at least I finally experience the festive mood ... as I rushed to town, join the crowd, pick & choose gifts ... AND PAY $$$ ... in the name of Christmas.

Sick Pig

2005-12-19T17:02:00.000+08:00

Was down on flu for PAST DAYS ... sore throat, cough, running nose, fever, body ache ... what's my doc termed as "FULL HOUSE". Still having sore throat & running nose, and head is spinning .....

Gaining weight & fats again

2005-12-08T09:02:00.000+08:00

It is already very hard to shake off some fats, worse still, was having satay, roti john, BBQ stingray, fried oyster as dinner at 10pm last nite. Think all my past nites hula hoop sessions had gone downstream ... SAD.

Not that I don know the damage of having late dinners or suppers, but ... but I was juz trying to play the image of a good host to my colleague, JR, from Taiwan. JR only reached SG like at 7pm ... & he is on budget. Instead of taking cab (which we all wished he did), he took MRT ... change train & change train (plus getting on the wrong train) ... & had to walk up hill for abt 15 min (he said so ... don think he counted the time he was a bit lost) to reach this nice cosy hotel near Mt Sohpia. ok lah, for his 1st trip in SG, I think he did a gd job in getting around already (clap ... clap) ...

BUT GBH & me were so hungry by the time he called (near 10pm) ... Almost "dieded".

Seriously, I don think the satay etc were that fantastic ... but they tasted VERY GOOD last nite. I ate more than my fair share ... & still feel bloated now. I have over eaten AGAIN. (oh nooooo...........)

1st time ....

2005-12-07T09:55:00.000+08:00

Hmm ... how to start my blog?
Should I 1st beautify the entire image? Or should I start writing ... & posting pictures?
Or WHAT???
oso, do i write in proper english ... or singlish??? Can i use chinese character too???

Me ... think too much =

Saw a lot of pp queuing outside Gucci last nite, is Gucci having sales? Not tt I've the $$ to spend on luxury gds, but i love to browse in these stores during sales time (cos' no sales assistance will eyeball u ard the store as the stores are normally packed).

Tot tt sales starts early this yr hah ... saw a lot of boutiques are having some pre-christmas sales ... storewide 20%, up to 50% etc etc etc ... I'm not someone with gd self control wif regards to shopping, the temptation to spend is juz so great. Have not gone crazy YET, but with such sales going on ... & christmas goodies in store, i tink i either lock myself at home like an ostrich (away from all shops) ... or i may start spending A LOT VERY VERY SOON (i can see my salary & bonus flying away from me ... flapping their wings b4 they zoom off ...)

May be i should start cutting my credit cards / ATMs cards into halves ... i must be out of my mind too if i do so ...