Saturday, December 29, 2007

Random Photos :)



Cell BBQ@ECP many years ago before we multiplied. Team effort in getting the fire going!



Woo hoo! Look at the tons of food & snack? Literally a mountain leh...



D & D 2006@York Hotel, Theme was "Bollywood"



D & D 2007@Furama Riverfront Hotel, Theme was "Pirates of Napiri"



Nort@PL District Thanksgiving Dinner 2007

Saturday, December 22, 2007

I AM HAPPY!!!

Red things make me happy. Elated in fact. Simply delirious with joy. I don't know why......but the colour red just makes me high. Mmmm....any scientific explanation for it?

So, could u imagine my joy & delight when I unwrapped a gift & found this?!?



Such wonderful RED single sized 100% cotton bedsheets with reindeers & yellow gold colour trimmings! WOW! I was squealing with excitement!

Finally, it went thru the wash & I am proudly sleeping on it! Just in time for the festive season!

Thank you SL & YP & family for this joyful bundle of joy!!

For a moment, I thought it was a huge thick book! After prodding & squeezing it before I opened it. Haha!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Hair Raising Issue!

Do I looke better.............



With my hair up?



With my hair down?



A pre-performance face mask to chase away the jitters churning in my stomach! (Gosh! Can't believe I actually posted this photo of me up! Argh!)

Dinner@Central with family

Family had dinner at Central last night & we went to "Da Pai Dang" situated at the basement level.




Food was quite nice. Also value-for-money as they had set meals promotions & 20% off ala carte orders. Was irritated by the poor service of the waiter who served us though.



Me & my mumps! :P

JC frens@Fern's & Yixiang's Place

Fern & Yixiang invited a few of us over to her place yesterday to display her culinary skills & the power of her RED kitchen! (Pity I din snap a pic of it)



Fron left to right: Lit, Pau & Yongkai




The happily married couple



Me & the expectant mother-to-be!



YUMMY pies from Ally's Bakehouse (http://allysbakehouse.blogspot.com/) Price: $15 for the small ones which could easily feed 4-6 people each! I ordered one of each flavour (Chicken with White Wine and Beef in Tangy Tomatoes)

It was simply too much for us to finish! Some of us "ta pau" some home & their spouse woffed it down! Says alot about how good it is eh? *grin*



Pasta boiled by Fern, sauce with mushrooms & spicy sausages prepared by me, baked chicken wings (spicy/non-spicy) by Yongkai, soon kueh & rice cakes from Pau. Hot nice fresh green tea prepared by Yixiang for me. Thanks fren!




The so-to-die for handmade cheesecake by Yongkai! Shall limit myself to 1 small piece a day!

Monday, December 17, 2007

God knows my heart & wallet!

As most of you have known, I bought my silver blouse for Christmas choir on Monday from Marks & Spencer for $79.90. I was pleased with it.

Till.......

I was told by my fellow friend in choir that she bought hers (exactly the same thing!) for a much-reduced price of $45 as they started the sale on Thursday. I almost fainted!

I got to know this info on late Sat evening when we were having practice in church. It was too late for me to do anything about it. (or so I thought!)

Frankly speaking, I didn't feel good about it. I wasn't angry, just upset & felt cheated. I got abit whiny (oh! U should ask Keng Teng what I did to her!? Haha!) & mopped slightly.

However, I was reminded that I am serving the King of Kings, Lord of Lords. What is a mere $35 "investment" into the Kingdom? Actually....lots......especially when you are kinda broke & waiting impatiently for THAT 2 months bonus to come in......which is like taking a super long time to do so!

I told God I didn't want to be too affected or bothered by it. Let Him decide what's best.

Later in the night, a cell member called & suggested that maybe I could try to bring the blouse back to MS for an exchange or refund. Coz being under the Robinsons Group, they are usually quite generous in their exchange/return policy.

I got anxious. I doubted. I feared. I might have even panicked! Coz I don't like to do such things.

C & E actually had to accompany me down to the Centrepoint branch immediately after 8.30 am svc for support. And to bail me out in case things went wrong. It was a mad mad rush!

To cut the long dramatic story short, after much hoo ha, pacing up & down, circling the clothes rack several rounds.....

I simply asked the saleslady serving me whether it is possible for me to return the blouse I bought for $79.90 & get it back again (the exact same one since it was the last piece left) at the sale price of $45?

Miraculously, she said "Yes, I'll refund the excess amount of $34.90 in cash to you since you paid using Nets".

At this point, I almost hyperventilated & lost consciousness coz I was bursting with joy!

I walked out of MS with extra cash in my pocket, feeling extremely grateful & thankful to God.

Coz normally, whenever I buy new clothes, I'd immediately cut off the tags & toss it into the wash basket. But with this blouse, I simply hanged it up for quite a few days for no particular reason.

Indeed, God is Sovereign. He knows my heart & the pathetic state of my wallet! *grin*

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Health Story, Part 1

Today, I took the initiative to improve my health & fitness level.

I brisked walked 3444 steps & climbed up 12 flights of stairs w/o fainting! Though still short of my daily target of 10,000 steps, I'd say it is a good 1st time attempt! 40 minutes of working the heart & core muscle groups.

End result, I felt much better & my thighs are aching now! *ouch*



Me all hot & sweaty & feeling so refreshed! Look at those flushed pink cheeks!

Friday, December 14, 2007

What An (Indian) Experience!

As usual, it was time to head down to our favourite haunts in Little India to get our usual fixes of this-and-that!



My pal brought me to this vegetarian indian restaurant for a delicious lunch treat. As you can see, we enjoyed the food very much! I specially like the "cauliflower chops"! Masala tea was thick & rich too, with less sugar.



At the handwashing area, I saw this paper towel dispenser which I think every class in school should have one. It is more hygienic & sterile. What we have now is just a slab of individual loose paper towels given to us.



Ooh! I saw this uncle making chappatis the traditional way & couldn't help resist the temptation to snap a shot of him! With his permission of course.



Ouch ouch! Traditional eye-brow threading, $5. Actually, it's not that painful. You get used to it. It's quick & clean as even the tiny hairs can be threaded away.



Me & my godson, AGAIN! :)

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Soothing Balm

What is more soothing than love dished out generously in unlimited quantities by a pal?



Icy cold frozen lemon soak & home-styled manicure by my pal dearest. All clean, pink & nice.



Glittery silver eyeliner (which i wanted but din buy) & large bling bling loop earrings.



Way to go boy! Besides retail therapy & spending quality time with good friends, food therapy helps too! Swenson's ice-cream never fails.....especially their "Nutty Mighty"!



A cool nice walk at Puggol Beach. Many people were fishing there. Romantic & quiet place.



But u can't do any funny or monkey business there, coz the police will be keeping an eye & watching u! Haha!

Shoe Story, Part 3

What better way to heal a broken heart than retail therapy? *grin*



Saw this gold pair of slip-ons at Metro Sengkang, $49.90 but at 50% off! Nope, I did not buy it.



This red slip-on had bling bling on it. $29.90 at 50% off. Nope, I did not buy it too. *pat pat* So proud of myself!



Nice not? Nice rite? I bot it! $19.90 wif 15% off coz of Helen card & OCBC promotion. Wanted one for a longest time. This was the cheapest I could afford. Heh heh.... :)

Angry & Hurt!

For the longest time, I thot everything was fine & ok.

But out of the blur, for no reason, you lashed out at me.

You attacked my faith.

You criticized & questioned why I had to have so many practices in church.

You said I was weird.

You told me not to tithe to church.

You said alot of things to me, much of it flew past me.

All I know was that I ended up feeling very hurt & angry.

It was so maddening!!! I have not felt such intense anger for a while.

When I was at the bus stop waiting for my bus to go to my pal's house, I started tearing.

Coz I felt so helpless, misunderstood & frustrated.

Oh dear God, please heal my heart & let the pain be less painful.....

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Food Treats & a much coveted silver blouse!

We had to get a silver or light grey blouse for Christmas choir. I din had anyone of those colours besides almost every colour of the rainbow ever since I joined CM.

Thus, started my "wild chase" & search after the much desired satin silver blouse from Marks & Spencer. Was told This Fashion has silver blouses too but chances are, they don't have it in my size despite the attractive price of below $30.

I started at VivoCity but the MS branch there din hve stock at all. One of their girls there can helpfully tell me the Raffles City branch also don't have stock as I just came from there. However, I asked whether they can help me call the other branches to check whether they have stock, she said they can't. And I'd have to go down personally to every branch myself to check it out!

What utter nonsense! Even Hang Ten & Popular are able to call fellow branches to check for stock, not to mention a store as "high class" as Marks & Spencer. I have shopped at MS before & this is the 1st time I've received such "weird" treatment.

Anyway, while on my way down to the MS branch@Plaza Sing, I SMSed a few gd frens who were still online at work to find out the contact numbers of all the MS branches in S'pore. And they did it easily in a few minutes!

Plaza Sing din have stock thus called the Centrepoint branch & the kind lady checked for me & confirmed they have it in my size & will reserve it for me.

Took the train down & after trying it on, VIOLA!



A silver blouse I can truly call my own & I am officially $79.90 poorer! *sob* Hopefully they will include "silver" as one of the colours for serving thus making the "investment" worth it!



Was getting abit hungry with all the running about. Dropped by Cold Storage & found these "yummy-licious" gourmet dips! Orange was Tandoori Chicken ($2.04), green was chunky spinach with garlic ($1.47) & dark pink one was beetroot with herbs ($1.91). You pay by weight, depending how much u want. I got 50 grams of beetroot & spinach & 100 grams of chicken.

It tasted so divine & delicious (did i tell u i was famished?) with a bagel, bread or crackers of any kind. You can also use it as a side dish to a main course or stuffing in a sandwich. There are lots more of other kinds which I will definitely go back to try! *drool*



A (rather pathetic) slice of Moist Chocolate Cake from Secret Recipe.



My next rave!! Cavalier extra dark Belgium Chocolate (No Sugar Added) 72% cocoa from Candy Empire, $4.80 per 85 gram. Get for me k? *grin*

Shoe Story, Part 2

I sure could go on & on about shoes! When we moved house in May, mom threw out alot of her old shoes. As a result, when u throw out, u have to buy new ones!



The 3 pairs of shoes in different colours but same design I bought for my mom for her Christmas present. ($19.90 per pair) from BHG aka former Seiyu.



The 3 pairs of Crocs at home: sis', mom's & mine.

Shoe Story, Part 1

Like most girls, I collect shoes. But I am practical. I make sure the shoe fits. Super soft & extremely comfortable. All the more so now after having half a toenail removed coz of an ingrown (not the shoes' fault thou)



Ooohh! Aren't they sweet? Bot from City Square, JB. Original price: RM79.90 but 50% off *faintz* Thus quite a gd buy@only S$17.50!!! (sorry, abit high here when talk abt gd buys & nice shoes)



Soft oh so comfy brown leather shoes from OG. Original price was $61 but got it got $49.90.



Red puma ballet pumps bot ages ago from Heeren at $20!



Orange leather Aerosole loafers (duno wat made me got tis bright color!)@$80 from Robinsons. Feels like you're walking on air!

There are heels & more feminine shoes in my shoe cupboard but I don't wear them often unless it's for a wedding dinner or formal event. The torture & pain you put your feet thru' is just not worth it. (for me at least!)

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Cards (of all sorts!) that I Have in my Wallet

(1) Popular Card (10% off)

(2) NTUC Link Points card (almost everywhere also can use)

(3) Trinity Christian Centre Membership Card (Besides spiritual covering & authority, 10% off at Funky B & Manna Book shop)

(4) Automobile Association of S'pore (AA) card (5% off @Polar Cakes & Puffs with min. $5 purchase (besides many other benefits) & a life-saver on the roads whenever the car breaks down!)

(5) Organ Donor Card (my body parts are of great use upon my demise)

(6) Golden Village Movie Card (looks like a mini popcorn!)

(7) PAssion card

(8) Mini Toons Be Black card (15% off storewide)

(9) The Face Shop card (5% off)

(10) TS Points Card

(11) Converse card (10% off)

(12) The Coffee Connoisseur (tcc) card (15% off food purchases)

(13) Toys R Us Star Card (collect Star points & special purchases)

(14) ez-link card (yes! i still take the bus ok!)

(15) Republic of S'pore Driving Licence (since 15 Jan 2000)

(16) 3UP Photo Shop member card (5% off & no min. number of photos needed to enjoy $0.20 per digitial print)

(17) HSA Blood Donor Medical Benefit card (my fav! coz i don't have to pay & get to jump Q when i go to polyclinics & public hospitals! there's a cap thou)

(18) Blood Donation Record Card (next plasma donation due on 21 Dec 2007)

(19) Shell Escape card (to collect points when fueling up)

(20) Jusco card (to be used in M'sia)

So......anyone of you out there who knows me are most welcome to borrow the above-mentioned cards from me to enjoy the discounts & benefits offered.

North@PL Thanksgiving 2007

Finally the day has arrived! We sure enjoyed ourselves as we give praise, thanks & glory to God for His faithfulness, goodness & mercy for the whole of 2007!



Isn't baby Stephen cute? Can I have some of the chocs that he's having please?



Got "siao" leader that's why got "siao" cell. But lovable & cute nevertheless!



Plaque, plastic sweets-filled eggs & little gifts & momentos we got from the event.



See what Jon did to the Table No. 1 offering envelope...tsk tsk! *shakes head*



Finally! Managed to wear a pair of narrow heels comfortably w/o my toe complaining! But wasn't used to high heeled shoes after wearing flats for so long. Poor sore feet.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Food in Class

In school, it seems like we are always having parties & birthday celebrations. This means food in abundance - brought either by the parents or from me.



What a feast! KFC sponsored by a kid's grandma. The rest are homecooked food prepared by the caregivers, which is delicious!



Quail's eggs & lots of them, which we had a fun time peeling the shells off them.




Healthy & nutritious soyabean milk bought by a kid's mother.



A treat of bee hoon, fried chicken wings & stir-fry veggies



Lau Yu Sheng (with tuna) Looks funny but tastes great!

Celebrations & parties in class give both kids & parents an opportunity to just let down their hair, relax, have some food over chit-chat with other parents & have some respite time off for themselves.

Caring for a child with special needs is not easy & can be very draining at times. Besides the makan, fun & all, these are times of refreshing for many of the parents. Of coz, the kids get to enjoy the food & play coz no need to do work!