Wednesday, December 28, 2005
cafe rouge for xmas lunch
it was really difficult to find anything on the 25th. London was deserted as a ghost town. even macdonalds and starbucks let us down when we were desperate for toilets. found this cosy rest called cafe rouge, it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and also to rest from having walked great distances (the tube was also closed...argh)
my food was so so so delicious, as u can see from the pic. :p
my food was so so so delicious, as u can see from the pic. :p
sorry for the messed up order heh..forgive me cos it is late and uploading takes such long time
Christmas Eve Drinks
White Cliffs of Dover
Bird in Hyde Park
Streets of London
Little (really teeny) Chinese girls studying at their mom's chinese store
Back from London
Hey dear friends,
me is back from grand ole London. The trip was Amazing! with a capital A and an exclamation mark. Firstly, the weather held up so nicely that I felt as if I was living an oxymoron; in fact, the biting cold here in my second home, Rotterdam makes me crave for London with which I have postulate what is known as The London Effect.
Symptom 1: You feel that it’s good to be home but yet crave to be caught up all over again in the bustling of the London city.
Symptom 2: Everything feels so darn cheap here now compared to the skyrocket ones over in England. Today we were raving about the chicken and rice set mean we got for euro 3 (sgd6), in London a simple kebab (pita bread, vege and meat) sets you back at least a good pound 4 (sgd 12)
Symptom 3: Dutch starts to look foreign all over again. just when you are used to seeing everything in English once again.
Symptom 4: must say though that life seems to be moving at a slower pace now, not necessary bad in fact enjoyable. At least people do not bump into you and then walk off in oblivion (such is the common behaviour of the jaded Londoner; or may be it is just me?)
okay I can't think of more symptoms, gonna leave you with loads of pictures from my trip, took about 380 give and take.
oh and how many can I say this, you girls look great in the photos, really put a smile to my face to see the pictures.
me is back from grand ole London. The trip was Amazing! with a capital A and an exclamation mark. Firstly, the weather held up so nicely that I felt as if I was living an oxymoron; in fact, the biting cold here in my second home, Rotterdam makes me crave for London with which I have postulate what is known as The London Effect.
Symptom 1: You feel that it’s good to be home but yet crave to be caught up all over again in the bustling of the London city.
Symptom 2: Everything feels so darn cheap here now compared to the skyrocket ones over in England. Today we were raving about the chicken and rice set mean we got for euro 3 (sgd6), in London a simple kebab (pita bread, vege and meat) sets you back at least a good pound 4 (sgd 12)
Symptom 3: Dutch starts to look foreign all over again. just when you are used to seeing everything in English once again.
Symptom 4: must say though that life seems to be moving at a slower pace now, not necessary bad in fact enjoyable. At least people do not bump into you and then walk off in oblivion (such is the common behaviour of the jaded Londoner; or may be it is just me?)
okay I can't think of more symptoms, gonna leave you with loads of pictures from my trip, took about 380 give and take.
oh and how many can I say this, you girls look great in the photos, really put a smile to my face to see the pictures.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Happy Boxing Day
Hi Gek, Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day! Hope your Christmas there has been an interesting one. Here's some photoes of the Christmas spent at Sentosa and the newly open Ministry of Sound at Clarke Quay.
Anyway, the photoes are so nice.. they really deserve a place in this month's final entries. Hence, here we are....
Check out Cheeky's masterpiece!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Renovations
Forgot to mention - the reno works on my new house is starting on Thurs (yea, all the hacking and drilling and mass destruction in general)
4 Home and Decor magazines, numerous meetings with the contractor and a visit to the tiles showroom later, Ed and I still haven't settled the tiles we want, the colour scheme to use for the house etc. I swear the next time we are going to get a designer...
At least we settled on the layout of our brand-new open concept kitchen and agreed to obliviate one toilet and the storeroom, and tear down all the kitchen cabinets and bathtubs (now you know why I call it 'mass destruction')and build a wooden platform where the dining area is.
Yeah,anw this is just a short update, so more details to follow... *yawn x2*
4 Home and Decor magazines, numerous meetings with the contractor and a visit to the tiles showroom later, Ed and I still haven't settled the tiles we want, the colour scheme to use for the house etc. I swear the next time we are going to get a designer...
At least we settled on the layout of our brand-new open concept kitchen and agreed to obliviate one toilet and the storeroom, and tear down all the kitchen cabinets and bathtubs (now you know why I call it 'mass destruction')and build a wooden platform where the dining area is.
Yeah,anw this is just a short update, so more details to follow... *yawn x2*
Nice Colleagues
Got home an hour ago, had a nice shower, slapped on some of fishy's Bath and Body Works Cherry Blossom moisturizer, and I'm all ready to hit the sack (but I think I shall watch a bit of my Jap drama first.... hee.. can't help it... these things belong to the "food for the soul" category of earthly pleasures. Errrm... I guess that means I have a shallow soul? ah well.)
Wouldn't be here blogging or even thinking about watching anything more interesting than the digital clock ticking away on the little bottom right-hand corner of my computer screen if not for a timely favour.
I would never have made it home the time i did (not that 11.30pm is early by any standards - but trust me, at one point of time I was worried if I could even finish the work by midnight, much less get home before that) if not for a really nice friend of mine, a fellow pupil at the firm.
It's amazing what a godsend these people are. He offered to help me with stuff, and ended up staying back after knock-off time as well. Took about a fifth of the work off my back. Thank goodness for that. Really.
It's little things like these that make work enjoyable, and the long hours bearable. I hope I will always find this wherever I go *cross fingers*
Missed Sunday gathering - Fishy says "there is so much you missed out on again on Sunday". Yep. Didn't manage to make it again, but it was miscommunication this time. Such things are always unfortunate I guess. Gets a little tiring sometimes, to often be one step behind everyone else, and when trying to find out what went on takes some prodding... but friendship takes effort no doubt, and that effort's gotta come from somewhere, I guess.
*yawn* maybe the Jap drama's gotta wait... the comfy bed beckons...
Wouldn't be here blogging or even thinking about watching anything more interesting than the digital clock ticking away on the little bottom right-hand corner of my computer screen if not for a timely favour.
I would never have made it home the time i did (not that 11.30pm is early by any standards - but trust me, at one point of time I was worried if I could even finish the work by midnight, much less get home before that) if not for a really nice friend of mine, a fellow pupil at the firm.
It's amazing what a godsend these people are. He offered to help me with stuff, and ended up staying back after knock-off time as well. Took about a fifth of the work off my back. Thank goodness for that. Really.
It's little things like these that make work enjoyable, and the long hours bearable. I hope I will always find this wherever I go *cross fingers*
Missed Sunday gathering - Fishy says "there is so much you missed out on again on Sunday". Yep. Didn't manage to make it again, but it was miscommunication this time. Such things are always unfortunate I guess. Gets a little tiring sometimes, to often be one step behind everyone else, and when trying to find out what went on takes some prodding... but friendship takes effort no doubt, and that effort's gotta come from somewhere, I guess.
*yawn* maybe the Jap drama's gotta wait... the comfy bed beckons...
Saturday, December 17, 2005
I'm Back!
WooHoo!!!!
I'm finally finished with the LAST exam that I will take.. EVER.. as a student.. WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
The joy simply cannot be expressed in words. 2 weeks of immense pain during the actual exams, together with 3 weeks prior to that, comprised of studying from morning to night, and from night through morning ... during which time coffee, chicken essense and red bull were the few things I could rely on (apart from the hours and hours of studying that I could rely on to happen, of course).. it's a sad existence. One which I would never wish to see a repeat performance of. Believe it or not, it was even worse than in law school.
I NEVER want to go through that again. EVER. And I say sorry to the many many trees I have killed in the process. My notes stack higher than the normal-sized living room TV sitting on my room floor - you can imagine the pain when i had to pay for those print-outs (at 4 cents a page - mind you, I print double-sided, and the stack still turned out humongous--spelling??)
KL was fun. Had lots to eat and bought new shoes. It was memorable for the fact that our bus back 'disappeared', if not for anything else. Tell you gals tomorrow.
Started work on Wed, but there were many moments when I found myself with absolutely nothing to do. Then work comes in late in the day, and I end up staying past knock-off time to work. How idiotic. But more of that when we meet..
Anw, just a sudden thought - I miss clubbing. sigh. But I feel too old and tired for it somehow.
Oh are we doing gift exchange or anything of the sort this Christmas? I haven't bought anything!!! argh!
I'm finally finished with the LAST exam that I will take.. EVER.. as a student.. WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
The joy simply cannot be expressed in words. 2 weeks of immense pain during the actual exams, together with 3 weeks prior to that, comprised of studying from morning to night, and from night through morning ... during which time coffee, chicken essense and red bull were the few things I could rely on (apart from the hours and hours of studying that I could rely on to happen, of course).. it's a sad existence. One which I would never wish to see a repeat performance of. Believe it or not, it was even worse than in law school.
I NEVER want to go through that again. EVER. And I say sorry to the many many trees I have killed in the process. My notes stack higher than the normal-sized living room TV sitting on my room floor - you can imagine the pain when i had to pay for those print-outs (at 4 cents a page - mind you, I print double-sided, and the stack still turned out humongous--spelling??)
KL was fun. Had lots to eat and bought new shoes. It was memorable for the fact that our bus back 'disappeared', if not for anything else. Tell you gals tomorrow.
Started work on Wed, but there were many moments when I found myself with absolutely nothing to do. Then work comes in late in the day, and I end up staying past knock-off time to work. How idiotic. But more of that when we meet..
Anw, just a sudden thought - I miss clubbing. sigh. But I feel too old and tired for it somehow.
Oh are we doing gift exchange or anything of the sort this Christmas? I haven't bought anything!!! argh!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
The accelerated aging process
After deciding not to go for zouk-out, my friends and I decided to go to the revamped Mount Faber - called the Jewel Box. As we drove up, the tree of lights reminded me of the Effiel tower, though a poorer sister of course. Alas, as we trudged through the many cars on the winding roads to finally reach the summit, the entire jewel box was booked for a function till 11pm. Hence, we decided to make it down to the Soundbar for some drinks.
Had good talks over too dilluted drinks with enjoyable finger food. Was contemplating fi we should go for the Hip Hop night which seemed rather good, judging from the snaking queues outside the club. And so we went.
Amongst the sea of 18 year old faces, I felt extremely old. While 23 might be the age of empowerment, it is also the age when you can no longer feel right at home with a crowd like this. But one thing comforting about this is that the the bar was not all that crowded as people of their age don't swipe their credit cards like there's no tomorrow, and most transactions were in cash or in coupons. One also feels protected from the leering old men you might come across in some clubs. Thus, in this setting, one can truly enjoy the splendid music and dance to the heart's content.
They often say, the accelerated aging process begins when you cross the big 30. I beg to differ, I think it begins when you start to identify a "us" versus "them" when the age gap is barely 5 years old.
By the way, thought Pride and Prejudice the movie did little justice to Jane Austen's book. At one point, I actually felt quite bored. Think I shall take this afternoon to recapture the wits and the charm that were lost in the movie. And Perhaps Love is quite a good show. My favourite lines in the show as follows:
'You made me love a person I despised, and made me despise myself. And as such, I will despise myself forever'
A splendidly tragic way of saying "I will be loving you forever" don't you think? Absolutely charming. A must-watch.
Had good talks over too dilluted drinks with enjoyable finger food. Was contemplating fi we should go for the Hip Hop night which seemed rather good, judging from the snaking queues outside the club. And so we went.
Amongst the sea of 18 year old faces, I felt extremely old. While 23 might be the age of empowerment, it is also the age when you can no longer feel right at home with a crowd like this. But one thing comforting about this is that the the bar was not all that crowded as people of their age don't swipe their credit cards like there's no tomorrow, and most transactions were in cash or in coupons. One also feels protected from the leering old men you might come across in some clubs. Thus, in this setting, one can truly enjoy the splendid music and dance to the heart's content.
They often say, the accelerated aging process begins when you cross the big 30. I beg to differ, I think it begins when you start to identify a "us" versus "them" when the age gap is barely 5 years old.
By the way, thought Pride and Prejudice the movie did little justice to Jane Austen's book. At one point, I actually felt quite bored. Think I shall take this afternoon to recapture the wits and the charm that were lost in the movie. And Perhaps Love is quite a good show. My favourite lines in the show as follows:
'You made me love a person I despised, and made me despise myself. And as such, I will despise myself forever'
A splendidly tragic way of saying "I will be loving you forever" don't you think? Absolutely charming. A must-watch.
today i felt very upset when I heard a story of my friend.
it was strange how the story moved me, but I did not show my feeling to her but it lingered in my mind for the whole of the afternoon. I just admired how incredibliy strong she is. Some people in my class are like rough diamonds, the more you get to know them on a deeper level, the more you find out about their life and experiences. Its like you are offered a glimspe beneath the smiles and good days that we say to each other when we meet.
it was strange how the story moved me, but I did not show my feeling to her but it lingered in my mind for the whole of the afternoon. I just admired how incredibliy strong she is. Some people in my class are like rough diamonds, the more you get to know them on a deeper level, the more you find out about their life and experiences. Its like you are offered a glimspe beneath the smiles and good days that we say to each other when we meet.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
hey there,
glad to see that there are more blog entries nowadays. Was wondering where everyone went. I am little embrassed by my previous rantings, guess that was done in a moment of foolishness and late at night when the stillness of air makes the mind goes into auto-pilot depression. Well it doesn't happen like that all the time; sometimes slience and quietness can be a nice treat but I guess it drove me nuts then.
But anyway, I am up and going again and feeling better.
glad to see that there are more blog entries nowadays. Was wondering where everyone went. I am little embrassed by my previous rantings, guess that was done in a moment of foolishness and late at night when the stillness of air makes the mind goes into auto-pilot depression. Well it doesn't happen like that all the time; sometimes slience and quietness can be a nice treat but I guess it drove me nuts then.
But anyway, I am up and going again and feeling better.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
6 pretty gals
Oh forgot to mention that I saved some photos which we took at FnC's house, showing all of us in our different images - well, my male colleages happened to look at them during my trip to ChiangMai and they just can't stop looking at it - they exclaim = woah lau! all 6 are very Sui Muai Muai !!(means pretty in Thai) haha!
Have a good weekend!
Have a good weekend!
Cheeky is back!
Hi Gals, it was great meeting up last night, feel so good to sit around and utter nonsense with Fishy and Shashimi, and having promised Fishy that I will log on, and here I'm :)
My dear FNC, it's good to know that you are doing quite well over there... dun ever worry about about things going exceptionally well for you my dear, it's a bit silly. What you should do is to thank God that he's giving all these to you! Make sure that you enjoy every moment of it, dun ever let there be a situation where you look back and realise that how silly is it of you to not immerse into it and waste time away by worrying about it. Look at it this way dear, you have been kind, like I always say about you, so angels in Rotterdam are giving you a small reward... and the expiry date of this is in a year's time so make sure you maximise every minute of it, understand? :)
Honestly, it somehow surprise me - you and Chern, how things turns out to be... but anyway, i feel glad for you, he's slowly winning my trust... and I hope that you will not be offended if I confess to you that I thought initially that he's just out here to have some temporary love and fun ...:p, sorry dear, but now, I'm just glad for you... enjoy all you can when he's there and write to us about it ya?!
As for myself... I just had this big oral exams on 15th Nov (gosh, it was like so long ago)... so, I was so stressed out the week befoe that ... coz the panel of judges for this exams are basically senior management flew in from Hong Kong... and it comprises of 2 parts; a) Product presentation and b) Client meeting - of course I spent the week before this preparing for it, and competitive and selfish people ard me doesn't help much .. sigh.. guess it's all on your own and no information sharing ... eee... but fortunately, my boss did help quite a bit. I'm pretty confident about the product presentation - it helps when one of the examiners actually comes up to you and say that you did a good job right ;p hee.. so, now it all depends on the results of the client meering, which was much more ticky, coz it's was a role play and the client turns out to be a very angry one - whose pissed of with the bank coz his investments are not performing and the bank sold off the fund house which he invested in and worst his previous Client Advisor passed away! hahah... he gave all of us some hell of a time! aniway, results coming out next week - 3 weeks after the exams coz they have to seek approval from Zurich and so, that will definitely call for some celebration for me and Puffy as well, once she's done with her papers! yeah! And oh, did I mention that I will get a pay raise if I pass?!?!?! hahah!
Basically, this has been an OFFSITE period, tha bank pays for all these leisure trips - have been to Chiang Mai and Hong Kong on 2 consecutive weekends thus, was telling Fishy that's why I'm totally out of the blogging scene...travelling was fun, and you wouldn't believe how much stuff I bought from HK especially! Guess it pretty much stand up tp it's name as a food and shopping paradise... eeee... I'm being so Bimbo here... gosh! Aniway, I have plans of visiting FNC in Rotterdam or going away to NY with Fishy next year in March once both of us gets our bonus... meanwhile, it's countdown to the day! cheers!
Take care all my pretty ladies ... and i love you all!
My dear FNC, it's good to know that you are doing quite well over there... dun ever worry about about things going exceptionally well for you my dear, it's a bit silly. What you should do is to thank God that he's giving all these to you! Make sure that you enjoy every moment of it, dun ever let there be a situation where you look back and realise that how silly is it of you to not immerse into it and waste time away by worrying about it. Look at it this way dear, you have been kind, like I always say about you, so angels in Rotterdam are giving you a small reward... and the expiry date of this is in a year's time so make sure you maximise every minute of it, understand? :)
Honestly, it somehow surprise me - you and Chern, how things turns out to be... but anyway, i feel glad for you, he's slowly winning my trust... and I hope that you will not be offended if I confess to you that I thought initially that he's just out here to have some temporary love and fun ...:p, sorry dear, but now, I'm just glad for you... enjoy all you can when he's there and write to us about it ya?!
As for myself... I just had this big oral exams on 15th Nov (gosh, it was like so long ago)... so, I was so stressed out the week befoe that ... coz the panel of judges for this exams are basically senior management flew in from Hong Kong... and it comprises of 2 parts; a) Product presentation and b) Client meeting - of course I spent the week before this preparing for it, and competitive and selfish people ard me doesn't help much .. sigh.. guess it's all on your own and no information sharing ... eee... but fortunately, my boss did help quite a bit. I'm pretty confident about the product presentation - it helps when one of the examiners actually comes up to you and say that you did a good job right ;p hee.. so, now it all depends on the results of the client meering, which was much more ticky, coz it's was a role play and the client turns out to be a very angry one - whose pissed of with the bank coz his investments are not performing and the bank sold off the fund house which he invested in and worst his previous Client Advisor passed away! hahah... he gave all of us some hell of a time! aniway, results coming out next week - 3 weeks after the exams coz they have to seek approval from Zurich and so, that will definitely call for some celebration for me and Puffy as well, once she's done with her papers! yeah! And oh, did I mention that I will get a pay raise if I pass?!?!?! hahah!
Basically, this has been an OFFSITE period, tha bank pays for all these leisure trips - have been to Chiang Mai and Hong Kong on 2 consecutive weekends thus, was telling Fishy that's why I'm totally out of the blogging scene...travelling was fun, and you wouldn't believe how much stuff I bought from HK especially! Guess it pretty much stand up tp it's name as a food and shopping paradise... eeee... I'm being so Bimbo here... gosh! Aniway, I have plans of visiting FNC in Rotterdam or going away to NY with Fishy next year in March once both of us gets our bonus... meanwhile, it's countdown to the day! cheers!
Take care all my pretty ladies ... and i love you all!
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