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July 31, 2008

Leave, Leaving, Left


feeling slightly uneasy.

i don't have to go to work this Sunday. how awkward is that?!

July 30, 2008

Final moments

ahhh, my final moments in Eqix.
time to bid farewell,
and i've just sent out my "adieu" mail to everyone.
plus i received kind gifts from Boss, Yuka, Neeraja, the NOC & SG1 teams just after lunch

since my boss announced my departure, i have been receiving well-wishes (face-to-face, call, e-mail, MSN... any mode imaginable) from colleagues from various departments, with the bulk coming from SG1 team and Ops teams in the different countries.

i've been here for almost 2 years now and time whizzed past mercilessly.
especially merciless when it comes to leaving its traces (and train tracks) on my face. dang.

the farewell dinner's held this evening after work at Holland V.
coincidentally (and ironically), it's held at the same place where Asha's farewell took place, organized by... urs truly.


oh well, time to get back to work for now.
gonna be tied up with exit clearance and medical checks these few days.
plus over the weekend, we'll be meeting up with Peter and family who will be visiting from Taiwan.

till then.

July 28, 2008

Back to Town

SATURDAY

we touched down just before midnight.
HH came by to fetch us (amidst his mahjong game) at the airport.
had a quick bite at Adam Road then headed home for a good rest.


overall the trip was good.
what more can we ask for?
shop, eat, massage, shop, eat, massage.

but because we were both tired out from work the days before the trip,
we ended up sleeping early and waking up late on most days.

LOL.


SUNDAY

i forgot to adjust my time back from Thailand(1 hour behind) to Singapore.
so we woke up an hour late.
ho hum.

hurry scurry.
packed some stuff and headed off to Woodlands for NeuNeu's colleague - Nazri's wedding.
met up with the rest of his partners-in-crime then the entire troop drove from the groom's house in Woodlands to the bride's place in Toa Payoh.

helped ourselves over the buffet counter then moved over to Alex's place for Baby Mathias' full-month gathering.

Mommy and Daddy both looked great, and Baby's doing very well too!

the guys had their usual chatter session.
u'd be surprised (if u haven't already been) how much guys actually gossip.
hmm yes, they prefer to term it information-exchange.


anyways, we left for home shortly after.
NeuNeu's having his exam this week so we stayed in so he could do his revision.
and he's out studying with his classmates now, while i am slogging away at work once again.

as Nick puts it:
"working in the boring little office in the boring little country".


out to lunch now.
byeeeee~

July 24, 2008

Out of Town


Out of Town
Part II

Away to Bangkok, Thailand
24 - 26 July '08

July 23, 2008

Sneak Preview

i still don't have enough time to edit and/or post everything from the dCam up.
but i did manage to sort some out and have them uploaded.

and so, here's a sneak peak at some of the photos from the Sony W170
(plus the exclusive few from Hoochie's D300)

Central Java Day I
Central Java Day II



the best are always kept to the last
好料沉底


just a gentle reminder:
as this is cluster of both Hoochie and my collection, would appreciate if u could seek permission
and credit accordingly, prior to the use of any images.

July 22, 2008

Freebies

was getting my daily updates thru the forum and read about this website that provides free samples for members to try.

the deal seems to be that u can "grab" the freebies u're keen on,
then try them out and do some survey/review on it later on.
and of course, u can get some really helpful reviews on products which u may be keen to purchase.

i just registered an account with them to try it out.
since there's nothing to lose, why not test it out too?
anyways, click on the image below to get referred to their page.
u can also find the link at the bottom right of my blog in case this post get archived in time to come.

don't forget to update me if u try encounter anything interesting or get ur 1st package!


.


disclaimer: this is not a paid advertorial, just sharing an interesting find on the internet.
also, the link provided does not lead to some ad-plagued advertising website...

July 20, 2008

Back from Yogyakarta

SATURDAY
touched down at 7:05PM
.

we were supposed to arrive at 6:30PM but there was a slight delay due to airport closure for the NDP rehearsal.
NeuNeu was already waiting for me at the T2 arrival hall.

gave him a big-big hug after almost a week's absence.


dropped my bags at home and washed up.
caught up with Angie, Zen, Vincent and Qingli.

dinner at Sushi Tei, Vivo.
finally got a taste my favorite comfort food - sashimi.

headed back to NeuNeu's place.
since it'll be nearer and easier for me to go to work the next morning.


finally had a good night's sleep.




after
5 days of non-stop walking, trekking, "suntanning", going shutter-happy,
and not forgetting,
numerous sleepless days/nights...
my body gave in.

i woke up with fever in the morning and had to call in sick instead.


going back to rest for now.
assortment of pix from the dCam will be up shortly.
most likely i'll develop my rolls of film and have them scanned and uploaded only after my Bangkok trip this Thursday.




till then.
g'nite folks.

July 14, 2008

Weekend Update

FRIDAY
Day OT.
need i say more?


SATURDAY
i've made reservations the day before for Red Cliff at GV, Tampines Mall,
so NeuNeu came by to pick us (Mommy, bro and me) after visiting Angie at SGH.

赤 壁之戰 has always been my favorite part since the days when Mediacorp (then TCS) aired the serials.
personally, i didn't think mr. leung and mr. takeshi are as suitable for the roles - they just don't appear scholarly enough.

anyways, we popped by the Hokkaido Fair at the atrium after the show, and i managed to get some konbu and wakame for my upcoming project b. (b = bento). sauntered around a little and had our late teppanyaki lunches. headed home after picking up a few breads and buns at BreadTalk.

NeuNeu and i took a short nap after arriving back home around 5:30pm.
he then left for work and Hoochie came by to pick me up to the Indoor Stadium for the Gary Chaw concert.
the concert ended around 11pm and we had to give the frog leg porridge a miss this time because i had to be up early to report at work. boo.


SUNDAY
NeuNeu fetched me after work and we had dinner at home.
took a stroll over to the market area to pay our bills at AXS, then headed home for some "dry-swimming".

the mahjong session, with Mommy and bro, ended no earlier than 1am.


MONDAY
woke up near noon, washed up and had brunch before heading to Waterloo Street for prayers. on thinking that we haven't sang for a long time, we dropped in at TopOne KTV opposite Bugis Junction. later on, we drove up to Golden Mile Complex to get my currencies then went home for dinner.

and now, NeuNeu's off to class.
i've done my online check-in for the flight plus some packing.
closing up this entry for now to finish up on the packing and catching some early rest.

my flight is at 7:55am tomorrow. yawn.
more posts when i return.


till then...

July 11, 2008

The New Phase in Life

was reading through some forums and websites then came across this topic.

many around my age are starting starting to form their own families and there's plenty of considerations to look at...
i thought gathering some advice from those who have started or are starting in the new phase in their life will be helpful to many who are planning their first steps.

for those who are married or getting married, how much did and/or are u planning save up in preparation of the new phase in ur life?

various phases namely: Wedding; New Home; Having Children
some examples of costs may include:

Wedding
- Pre-wedding bridal photoshoot
- ROM/solemnization (if it's held separately)
- Traditional Chinese "Guo Da Li" (過大禮) & Tea Ceremony
- Actual day photography/videography
- Wedding banquet
- Ang Baos for the helpers (i.e. Sisters/Brothers, driver(s)... ) and kids
- Honeymoon

New Home
- Downpayment, misc stamp fees etc
- Renovation for ur love nest

Kids
- Pre-natal checks
- Antenal classes
- Delivery and hospitalization costs
- Post-delivery checks etc
- Monthly expenses after delivery


please feel free to share and give advice.
information in any of the individual "sections" is appreciated!

July 09, 2008

小宇 - 想你的習慣

i've been hooked to the new Taiwanese series 蜂蜜幸運草
(adapted from the Anime series Honey & Clover)
the OST has many lovely tracks!

here's one of my favorites with a nice MV featuring some scenes from the show...




詞/宋念宇 曲/陳偉

就這樣簡單你走過來 而我終於明白了 自己為何要存在
慢慢的我已經離 不開 因為我已愛上你了 沒有任何原因的
如果我說愛你 能不能永遠相信

#這一天我想跟著你  跟你說你最愛的笑話
 我想以後都能在一起
 每天想著你已變成習慣 一直幻想你在我身邊
  牽著你的手 我和你 甜蜜的走

世界寬得有一些無奈 你和我只有一個 該怎麼不怕孤單
說好了 我們都要勇敢 就算不小心迷路了 也能夠聽見你的
如果我說愛你 能不能永遠相信

Repeat #

找到你的幸運多完美(多完美)
所有感覺多特別(多特別)<>想帶你走到世界邊緣(喔~)
未來 不變

Repeat #

我和你 甜蜜的走

unwell

i just vomited my dinner.

started the day off feeling weak,

become giddy after my meal at work,

worse when i tried to lie down and close my eyes.

and finally puked the entire contents of my dinner in the toilet.


my head's spinning.


NeuNeu should be asleep now,
i guess i'll call him in awhile and ask him to fetch me home.

July 07, 2008

Weekends are over. Boo.

and so the weekends are over. AGAIN.

in less than 4 weeks, i'll be one of the folks waiting in anticipation for the arrival of weekends and public holidays.
i can't imagine myself working office hours.

yea, most of my friends are having (or going to have) office-hour jobs and it'll be nice coz we can hang out together more often and i can enjoy family gatherings without having to rush off to work on Sundays.

plus the lift upgrade (right outside my room) that's gonna take place soon will be carried out in the daytime but i'm safe coz 'll be away at work anyway.
very much unlike the days i'm on shift and i HAVE to sleep in the daytime.


BUT
i'll miss hanging out with NeuNeu on crowd-less weekdays.

i'll miss the scenic and quiet drive back home from office after our night shifts.
the times we can happily drive in to JB without getting caught in the traffic jam for hours or have KTV sessions minus the hefty weekend/peak crowds and charges.

i sound too much like i'm starting to regret the decision already.
i'm not, ok =P


now, i'm looking forward to my holidayssss.
and Cao Ge's concert this Saturday, with compliments from Hoochie.

anyways, here's a short update on my my wonderful weekend...

FRIDAY
we were promised to bring Meloodi and KKD to crocodile-land but it seems the one that used to be at East Coast has moved out/closed down, so we decided to bring the car for servicing in JB instead.

after the servicing, we drove over to City Square where had Japanese food for lunch and i also grabbed two linen coordinates from Mango at the sale.
no shoes because Vincci was closed for renovation.
as usual, before we returned, we bought some groceries from Giant.

i took a bus home from Woodlands interchange coz NeuNeu had to go off to work.


SATURDAY
after work and sending HH home, NeuNeu came over.
he chattered non-stop and refused to go to sleep.
then we decided to send Bro to Marina Square and drop by Sim Lim since it's on the way.

he took a 30-minute "power nap" whilst Bro and i prepared.
managed to get a new HDD (the old one died while it was in Aussie with my bro).
i've actually got an older one (3.5") but it's not very portable and doesn't look like it'll last long either..

we went for our prayers before heading off to Vincent's house to meet Angie and Zen.
when they arrived at around 6pm, we were off to JB. again.
the most unfortunate part was that we were held up in the traffic jam for THREE HOURS!
total nightmare.
NeuNeu and i ended up playing games in the car. herhrr.

we arrived in M'sia slightly before them so while waiting, i took a nap and NeuNeu continued with his Euro 2008 tournament on PSP.
headed over to Taman Sentosa for seafood dinner when they arrived around 9pm.
i'm a sinner. it's my 2nd seafood meal for the week.
then it was Giant, then Jusco to check for movie (but there was no film that we have not watched), then finally over to Mac (near Carrefour) for a drink/snack.

headed back around 1am and plonked into bed around 3am.
and before we parted, we arranged to meet the next afternoon to look at pets.


SUNDAY
since we were supposed to meet at 1pm, i climbed out of bed around 11am to chalk my 2nd jog for the week (i'm lagging too far behind already).
NeuNeu was still happily rolled up in his bundle of blankets like a temaki.

i returned, washed up and read the papers over breakfast.
it really should be considered lunch since it was lunchtime.
anyway, meeting time was postponed to 2:30pm so i backed up some stuff into the new HDD. NeuNeu woke up by then, had his food and we we off to Pasir Farmway to meet the rest.

Benjamin, Vincent's brother, and Alex joined us.
everyone complained of how they were struggling to stay awake on the wheel in the previous night. hah.

anyway, we browsed several per farms and aquariums.
NeuNeu and i aren't avid dog-lovers really.
i love cats and he prefers fish.
now, that doesn't sound like the perfect combi, does it?

best part is he's totally cool with keeping cats... so nice of him!
he had to emphasize that he loves cats despite them being lazy creatures... just because i'm equally lazy.
he says we can lounge and chill on the couch at home with the kitty after a day's work.

well, we didn't spot any kitties that caught our fancies.
we can't keep any at the moment anyway.
so we'll probably just drop by Qian Hu one of these days to buy more fish for the tank.

everyone headed separate ways - Alex to Autobacs, Vincent/Benjamin to soccer, Angie/Zen to church, us... HOME!
caught a bit more rest before dinner and both of us were off to work.

NeuNeu just called, and i guess he should be taking a break by now.
i'll work on my Bento recipe book a little more and take a short nap too..


let's hope everyone has a great week ahead!

July 03, 2008

BBQ Pix






pictures for the BBQ are up!
as the editing is a tad too time-consuming, only a few were tweaked..





the entire album available at the following link:
http://xxcatherinexx.multiply.com/photos/album/133

for those with Facebook accounts,
u can drop ur comments at the album over here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27174&l=1ec79&id=692638982