Life of DnA

Last Post On This Blog

2007-03-20T22:45:00.000Z

This shall be the last post from us on this blog...
There is a good news cos we have got a new blog.......

See you later!

A Quick Blog Post

2007-03-19T13:33:00.000Z

I received a snail mail resume today.

He is 39 years old.

I was flattered. But I wasn't even hiring.

Click on the day: I will not send resume to anyone ever again in my life.

After A Long Hesistant Wait, We Finally Did It...

2007-03-10T13:24:00.000Z

It took us about 2 years to decided to get this thing, and finally we made the move to get it.

It's probably nothing major to you but this is one of our 1st step to the single entity, DnA. Yes!! We finally bought the license plate that we always wanted.. a plate that reads DnA and has a unique representation of us. So are you ready for the alphabets and number on it?

It reads "T-28-D-N-A". And below is how it will look on one of our dream car, well more of mine maybe (a Porsche). Well a bit more about why "T-28-D-N-A". As you all know Tan is the surname that both of us will be using for the rest of our life, Hence the "T", 28 has been a favorite number of ours, it means "easy rich fortune" in cantonese and in my life, i see this number appearing on my legal documents and stuff, and even my birthday is 2nd August which makes it even more appropriate. Hmmm... no prize for guessing the right answer for why we have DNA at the back. DnA, DNA, dna of cos it means Daisy aNd Allan.

So there you go, the story of a new beginning.. Single entity DnA. If you did notice, that our current blog and our new blog url has got dna28 inside, so does the wedding site. There are many more of dna28 to come. Soon we promise...

Are You Ready For This?

2007-03-09T19:17:00.000Z

Like the title of this post, let me ask you are you ready for this? Yesss... its the wedding site of DnA!!!

http://wedding.dna28.com/

Sorry for the delay, just been busy. Take a look and hope you like it as much as we do.

See ya!!

Had A Glimpse Of The Photo Shoot - Brilliant!!

2007-02-17T18:14:00.000Z

Here is one of the masterpiece created by KC, the photographer. This is unedited. Stay tuned for the enhanced version by Ian..... (click on image for enlarged version)

Wedding Photo Shoot

2007-02-15T22:58:00.000Z

We left our home at 11am and arrived back at approx 7:45pm.... We had a superb day and we wanna thank:

Ian - the director and Huppy's cousin

KC - photographer

Sham - makeup artist

Daniel - hair stylist

Here is a sneak preview of only one of the outfits and one of the hairstyles that was used in the photo shoot... Cant wait to see the finished article! (p.s. I was so lovin' the whole thing that I forgot about my ankle... now its starting to hurt!!!)

Nightmare of a valentine's day!!!

2007-02-14T19:34:00.000Z

Well, here goes the saga!

This morning after we arrived home from meeting Moses (about 12:30am) - we (DnA) were looking for a set of home keys. Basically, to cut the story short, we cant remember whether we had left the keys still attached to the outside door keyhole - when we arrived home earlier on and before we went out to meet Moses... After admitting defeat, and assuming that we had left the keys still in the keyhole and someone had taken the keys - we decided to make it difficult for the potential burglar this morning! We placed one of the wooden chairs just in front of the main door - so that if a burglar were to break in - the chair would make some noise or distract the burglar! This morning Huppy's dad was the first to wake up and obviously wondered why the kitchen chair was there!... We eventually had to have the locks changed - after searching high and low with the rest of the family.... Well, its Valentine's Day and we put the loss of keys behind us!

We went to town - to do some marriage VISA stuff... That went quite smoothly except that we may not be able to get our passports back in time for our cruise next week (which is already booked!). Reason is because the UK VISA dept will be shut during the chinese new year period and the process can take up to 7 working days to complete!!! Ok, nvm....

Then we decided to go clothes shopping and we went to Bugis.... When we arrived at Bugis and shopped, I didnt see a step and I sprained my ankle!!! It hurt at first, but then I thot it was ok... so we put a stop to our shopping and decided to collect our outfits for the photo shoot... So off we trekked to the place to collect these heavy outfits... (Usually, we would have the car - but Huppy's dad was using it today!) Whilst travelling there on MRT - the arm of my sunglasses broke! Typical - its boiling and sunny outside and my sunglasses break! Ok nvm!!!

The more i walked, the more it hurt and my ankle ballooned!!! So after reaching home and waiting for Allan's sister Maggie to return (because she didnt have the new set of keys) - I had to get my foot seen to....

Summary: My ankle is swollen and painful to walk on. It is heavily strapped with ointment underneath the dressing. It's valentine's day! DnA have their wedding photo shoot tomorrow all day (in the studio and outdoors) and I cant even walk properly! The new high heel shoes which I bought esp for the shoot cannot be worn! My skin is at its worse!!! Ummm... I just laughed.... Oh well - at least its a memorable day! Wish us luck for tomorrow...

As for now - I think its best that DnA stay put and dont do anything too exciting for the day!!!

Pre-photoshoot preparations

2007-02-12T23:03:00.000Z

Today it was the fitting of various wedding gowns and evening wear in preparation for the photo shoot on Thurs.... Thanks to Ian - today was possible...

The picture is just a taster for you guys - an example of the outfits... for the actual professional pics, you'll just have to wait!!!

P.s. excuse the hair and makeup etc... cos its just the clothes fitting!!!

Eating Trendy Vegetarian food...

2007-02-11T23:38:00.000Z

Today, DnA, Andy and Auntie were off to Chinatown to shop for mainly wedding stuff.... red pjs, mandarin collar shirts, shoes... A very hectic, hot and busy day... However, we managed to buy what we needed...

Then later we met up with Huppy's Godma Jessica to eat vegetarian food... Firstly, we had this traditional singapore CNY dish whereby there are a lot of ingredients which symbolise good things... the waitress would pour the relevant sauces over the dish whilst say good things like "may you have good health, a prosperous year..." Then, we would mix it in... very fun and tasty!

The other dishes were basically vegetarian food but tasted very similar to actual meat, fish dishes! And they looked really similar too! My fav was the vegie battered king prawn in egg-free mayonnaise!!

Needles and Bling Bling!

2007-02-10T11:59:00.000Z

For the past 2 days since my arrival - my skin has been "exploding" with my allergy rash and nothing seems to keep it at bay (Not even my western medicine!).... So this morning it was a family trip (Huppy, his parents and I) to see a chinese doctor... "You're body is heaty and damp... You must avoid all seafood, egg, milk, heaty fried foods, mushrooms, cold foods/drinks..." Ummm - so exactly what can I eat now?!?!?!? And its so typical - you're on hols and you cant eat anything!! Well, its not that awful - cos when my skin goes bad, my diet is restricted anyway... so I'm sort of used to it.. so looks like it's steamed food for awhile!

Then the doctor asks "I recommend acupuncture - would you be willing to try it?!" My mind went a bit blank and he had to repeat it again!!! Huppy reassured me that it didn't hurt (as he once had it done on his head!)... If you know how wimpish I am over needles - you will understand my worries!!! Well, it had to be done... my skin was bad and I needed to try anything!!... So I had to lay down on the examination bed and he stuck needles along my leg (ankle to knee), then more down my arm (elbow to wrist).. What was the feeling like? It wasn't pain as such... but there was this pressure each time he pierced the needle into the correct area.. You know when you hit a "funny bone" - it was like that... I lay there for over 30mins and certain areas go numb... So, has it helped? Well, the rash and the inflammatory response has gone down a bit... so we'll have to see over these next few weeks! Would I go again? Yeah.. cos it wasn't that bad!

Huppy and I then went shopping alone at another shopping centre, where we looked at some wedding rings....

Half way thru - we met up with Huppy's cousin Andy. The rings were nice! Bling bling! We went to a lot of shops but eventually went back to our favourite design... We had it engraved on the inner side of the ring... cant wait to wear it... not long!!! p.s. The rings below are not the ones we chose, but its sort of the same colour!!! You'll just have to wait!!

Our dinner appointment was in town with Andy, Kritsy and Wen hao... We ate at a Japanese restaurant and talked about random and "what if" stuff... I love these talks... cos its really interesting!!! Another late nighter, bedtime at 3am-ish.... hey, who cares - we're on holiday mode!!!

The Suit Is Bought!!!

2007-02-09T11:59:00.000Z

Today, we met up with Uncle Lloyd where he took us to buy the groom's suit... Huppy sifted thru some styles, tried them on... Not quite what he wanted... Until... The desired suit, sitting on the hanger begged to be tried on!

The black mandarin collar suit was tried and voila - it looked good! Just needs to be altered and will be ready for collection on Mon. Now, we just need to find a mandarin collar shirt (which the tailor did not stock!)...

After the suit searching - Uncle Lloyd, Huppy and I went to Suntec NUSS to eat (this place is not open to the public and was members only) - but we had a problem - there was a dress code! Men had to wear a collar shirt - but Huppy was wearing a t-shirt!!! So they had to lend him a Hawaiian shirt!!! Chilling out and eating on the terrace, we all had a very interesting conversation where I learnt about Singapore and its history... Its was an eye opener!

Then it was off home to meet for dinner (more food!!) at 6pm. We met up with Maggie, Daniel and parents and ate at an outdoor place at Bishan... Nice location...

Then it was off to meet Huppy's friends for bowling! Didn't score very well - but had a lot of fun! We walked around the stores which were heavily stocked with Chinese New Year goods... Quite late but still so so happening! Then it was more food (but I didn't eat!!!) - it's really weird - Here, they eat so much but yet are still so skinny!!! ummm.... Flower market selling CNY flowers... WOW!

Life in Singa

2007-02-08T19:45:00.000Z

The flight was smooth, and I slept practically all the way! I had 2 middle aged men sitting next to me (I was seated by the window) - and every time the air hostess offered drinks or food - they would wake me up! They looked after me well!! They even made sure I was getting my toilet breaks!!!

The weather here is quite hot and humid - currently 28 degrees Celsius at 6:47pm! So what have I done so far?

Yesterday, I landed at 4:45pm and my Hupps came to collect me from the airport... the weather was boiling in comparison to the cold and now snow in UK (according to mum)! We went home where I unpacked and realised I actually took over ALOT of sandals and shoes... But I forgot the most impt thing - shoes for the wedding photo shoot!!! Oops - looks as though I will need to add one more to my shoe collection when I buy it here!

Then, it was out for dinner with Huppy's family... I had something rather simple because my skin for the past few days has been really bad... I've come out in this rash and the weather here simply isn't helping at all. Annoying really - as I wanted to look my best for this photo shoot. Its always the same - its like going on some date or a party and you find this huge whopper of a spot!!!

After dinner it was out locally to see the new shopping mall and take a nice stroll and buy essentials.. then bed time....

This morning - Huppy, Auntie and I went walking in the local Bishan Park and then went for breakfast in the local Hawker centre. We did a bit of food shopping and then it was home time - to prepare for the arrival of Ian - Huppys' cousin.

Ian is helping with our wedding preparations for our Singapore wedding... We gathered all our photos and he's compiling a photo CD for our wedding day... also, we will be having a wedding photo shoot sometime next week - quite excited... so cant really wait...

The next few weeks will be rather hectic.. preparing for the wedding, meeting family, seeing friends, Chinese New Year, Cruise, photo shoots.... Tell you all about it closer to the time and when it happens... Now, we're off to catch a movie.... Babel....

Verdict: Random and there's some sections which I havent got answers for....

At Last - It's time!

2007-02-06T08:43:00.000Z

Morning of my flight to singa.... Been ages since I last saw Hupps.... Never thot I could last this long - but wow, I have and here I am!!! Yay!!!

Looking forward to seeing him and finalising wedding stuff and showing him all that has been done here in UK and vice versa.... We plan to have a wedding photo shoot, buy wedding rings, sort our invites, go on a cruise... Just thinking about it - quite a fair bit to do!!! But still cant wait...

I am packed already and plan to go out with mum for awhile... chill out and eat.

Everyone around me have been brill - esp when I was missing Hupps. Also, helping with the wedding preps - my family have been so enthusiastic - giving me more and more ideas!!! And the more ideas they give - the more I want to incorporate them into the big day!!! I was so into it that I was even started to deviate from the theme!!! Oh my goodness... hehehe... all fun really! But trying to stick to plans and budget so that things do not escalate out of control!

Well, talk to you all when I arrive in singa... mwah xxx

Andy's Graduation.

2007-02-03T14:36:00.000Z

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the last post about Andy's graduation has been removed temporarily, until further updates. However I believe the photos can still be seen. For photos, please visit here.

Great day...

2007-01-29T23:48:00.000Z

Today was a very hectic day, but a great day....

Firstly, it was giving tlc to my car... my car oil was on zero and my power steering fluid well below max... I went off to the local halfords and bought some engine oil and power steering fluid and proceeded to fill the car compartments with the relevant substances in the car park... Not sure, what was wrong - did I look incompetent? - as enough people seemed to be looking in my direction!!! I even had a worker ask if I could manage!!! Maybe, it was odd for them to see a girl lift her car bonnet up and get her hands dirty!!! Easy - no problem!!!

Then, it was off with my sis and mum to see the venue to decide on the colour scheme... I think cream and gold.... I like it... and the flower combinations being daisies and lilies... Nice!

Enjoying a McDs with Mum was the next thing. We chatted about her preparations for her wedding to Dad and it was great listening to the traditions and stories - (I had never heard it before...) It got me so excited about DnA's wedding... so as a result - we were off shopping....!

We managed to buy new bedding (burgundy - one of the chinese traditional colours for weddings), red nightwear (bought by my beloved sister Ansy)...

Then the best thing of the day was coming home to try my mum's "kwa" - a traditional chinese wedding outfit... Although very sequinny and not really my style - I am privaledged to wear it for my special day during the chinese tea ceremony.... I have enclosed a picture of a typical "kwa" - but the real one, you can hardly see the red material as its covered in sequins - can't picture it? Then you'll just have to wait for the actual day!!! :)

Dates have been confirmed!!

2007-01-26T13:33:00.000Z

The wedding dates have been set, the venues booked and most importantly - the white wedding dress bought!!!

Yip - we have finally set a date, so let's talk rough details...

a) UK, Sunday 1st July 2007, 4pm at the Village Hotel in Cardiff:
-Registrar booked for 4pm
-Civil Ceremony at the hotel
-Chinese tea ceremony
-Sit down meal
-Disco
-80 guests - no kids!

b) Singapore, Sunday 8th July 2007, 6:30pm, The Grassroot's Club in Ang Mo Kio:
-Dinner
-So far about 200+ people

We have been preparing now for about 2 weeks and most things are going to plan (touch wood!)... The singapore side being well ahead of schedule!

Firstly, I would like to thank all those (esp in Singa) who have given their time and help... I want you to know that it's so very much appreciated... Just wish you guys were here in UK with all your contacts and resources!!!

Our plans are now to get the invites sorted during our stay in Singa (Feb). Also - our wedding photoshoot... Cant wait! Bit scary actually - cos once Im married - looks as though I have to be responsible and grow up!! But cant wait to be married to Hupps....

Monkey Playing With Tigers!!

2007-01-17T15:56:00.000Z

Just thought everyone can have a laugh over this video. And yea, monkeys can be aggressive too!! Visit this website as this blog has got some complications with the video on.

As the day draws to an end...

2007-01-15T23:15:00.001Z

Today has been a fantastic day...

I couldnt have hoped for a better day... I woke up to lots of birthday greetings - whether that be on email or sms... I also had a piece of fantastic news from my Huppy...

Aswell as receiving beautiful gifts from my family, we went to Riverside chinese restaurant (one of my loves). We then went to do some retail therapy, watched a film at the cinema and ended the day with take-away.... When I look at my life - the greatest happinesses are family happinesses... Had a fab day xxx

Not a best pillow for bad back but a FaNtAsTiC gift!!!

2007-01-15T10:15:00.000Z

9:39am.... The door bell rings... I peer out of the window. Huh? Tesco home delivery!

*Umm - must have bought something from Tesco!*

The guy brings out tesco bags from his van... I couldnt see into the bags as they were tied up... I signed for the delivery... When I got into the house and opened the bags... Ahhhh - I loved it... I know exactly what Huppy meant by practical and useful!!! One of the best gifts in a weird and wonderful way!

One by one - I took everything out of the bag:

-Packet of white seedless grapes

-Packet of red seedless grapes

-Packet of smoked salmon slices

-2 Packs of sharon fruit

-6 Soya milk cartons

-Weetabix 24s

-Luxury 12 roll toilet tissue

I am very routine kinda person... I religiously buy most of these items to snack on... Believe it or not - I ran out of the grapes, salmon slices (my loves), sharon fruits and weetabix!!! hehehehe... and during these past few days I have been saying I need to shop for some essentials - however, been far too busy!!!

The only thing Ive got TONS of is toilet tissue!! Months before (8th Nov 06) - Huppy and I said that we would write the date on the toilet tissue outer packet because we seem to go thru a pack of 24s in about 1 month!!!! Well out of the 24s that we kept track of - there are still 10 rolls left! And its been over 2 months!!! So my conclusion is Hupps - looks like its you!!!!

Thanks Hupps for the gifts... My heart felt warm becos you know me well - Mwah

In addition - thanks everyone for the beautiful gifts and for the friendships you have given me... *Hugs and kisses*

Happy Bday 2Me!!!

2007-01-15T07:59:00.000Z

Slept for ages and totally rejuvenated this morning - except both my calf muscles are aching... nothing else - just those muscles!!!

Woke up to lots of sms msgs and emails... Thanks all... Today has just begun... Yay!!

To be continued...

First for Pri in a long time!

2007-01-14T22:14:00.000Z

After last night's massive indulgence... Pri decided to join me in doing some physical activity...

We decided to go to a class called shape and tone... I've not been to this class before but I heard it was hard....

Music was pumping so loud in the room that you could just about hear the teacher with her headphones... She was so funny cos she had such a squeaky voice! The class starts...

At one point I couldnt help but laugh becos we both couldnt follow the step routines!! She would look at me and I at her! Basically we both had no coordination!!! The class itself wasnt difficult in terms of cardiovascular.. just a bit crazy on the funky moves!!! So funky, my rhs calf aches!!!... Basically think of step aerobics...

Well, atleast we both feel rejuvenated... Happy hormones - endorphins!

Bday Meal With Sum Close Frens...

2007-01-13T23:59:00.000Z

Tonight, I had a great time... Shame that not all could come due to illness, work, being away... However, for those who were able to make it... Had a fab time - Hugs and kisses!
We all met up at a restaurant called The Italian Way. None of us had been there before so why not! It was rather cosy, I suppose - but bordering towards the cramp side of things! We all ordered our meals and I ordered white bait with head and eyes!!! - to the disgust of Pri!!

The meals were large portions but mine was rather tasteless... I was eating off Pri's plate instead! oops! Service was not that good cos Pri ordered a salmon pasta but one without salmon came. So we told the waitor who took the order... OH!!! He kept shaking his head....!!!! He took the pasta away and the same pasta returned with salmon on the top!!! But he was still shaking his head on return!! WHAT?!?!? Quite amusing! Well nothing can ever beat the time when we ordered our food at this restaurant, and the waitor was EXTREMELEY rude to us - so we cancelled the order and walked out!!!

We all chilled and chatted and had dessert... then we were subtly prompted to leave due to another sitting?! Clearing our drinks even though we havent finished, knocking into our chairs, handing our coats over to us... Umm, we get the point!!! And the cheaky thing was they put a 10% servie charge on the bill... well, we did pay it!

After leaving the restaurant, Pri, Aysh, Sad and I headed off to "Shot in the Dark" - a night time cafe place with lots of dim lighting! - but it was packed so off we went to another place. We ended up at a place where we used to go when we were in Uni... The place was more tarted up but it had the same owners... We had more dessert and coffees/ herbal teas.... I love chilling and chatting.. Beautiful ending to the day...

Could the answer be a Pillow?!?!

2007-01-10T22:08:00.000Z

Today whilst chatting to Huppy on web cam - he slipped up and told me that he got me surprise bday gift... He said there will be a delivery between 9am-11am!!!

Me being me, ofcourse - Im excited!! I love birthdays! So, from that moment, I was all charged up firing qns about this surprise gift... What did I mangage to find out?

-It's bought over the internet.
-It's not flowers (but it was one of the original ideas)!
-The three clues were: best, practical and useful!
-Being delivered by a "truck"!!! ------ whatever that means
-Being delivered between 9-11am ------------ so it cant really be a courier service as they have a bigger delivery time range like 8am-2pm or 9-6pm!!

I completely forgot about this surprise as today was rather a busy day... First it was off with Jayne to see Lucianne's new arrival - little Adam... So cute.... Then, it was helpping Dad to build some garden compartments... then it was off to the gym.... then it was off to "rescue" Jayne as she scolded herself.... On the way home at 8:35pm - my brain went "ping".... I know what it could be....

I always seem to have problems finding the 'right' pillow until I came across one in singa... so comfortable and it doesnt lose its shape... Here in Uk, its too exp.. and it's silly buying it in singa and carrying it over!!! So far, I must have gone thru about 10-15 pillows in my life so far - trying to find the 'best' pillow - (whatever that may be!)... I mean, to me a pillow is impt cos it helps me sleep and helps me relieve my bad back... I've mentioned pillows to huppy before!... umm

So my answer is a "Seahorse brand pillow"!!!

Well, let's see if my predictions are correct on 15th Jan 07 between the hours of 9-11am! The delivery guy better not be late!!!

ASDA Crew's Delayed C'mas Meal!

2007-01-07T23:59:00.000Z

Tonight it was the ASDA crew's C'mas meal!!!

I know, rather delayed! However, it's an excuse for us to meet up, chit chat and pig out... Not all could attend but for those who made it - we need to do this more often! And next time - we all must have dessert!

How can I be more creative?

2007-01-07T10:49:00.000Z

Today I read something really interesting and it triggered off numerous qns in my "hibernating" mind... People who know me have noticed that my mind is not as active as it once was! Whereas I used to glance at something or read it - I would have been able to memorise it or remember it. Now, I dont even remember what I did yesterday, let alone, what I did last week!!! Awful thing is that I dont even remember some of the events that happened during my uni days - when pri was talking about it!!! oops!!!

This article stated that the mind is made up of the id, the ego, and the superego. The id is concerned with satisfying our needs, the ego is aware of the self and the world, and the superego is concerned with morality.

It said that creative ideas originate in the unconscious id and must be filtered through the ego and superego before they can be expressed to the world. The ego may reject an idea because it is unrealistic or impractical and the superego may reject an idea because it is against our ethics. Let me give you a random example! Say I want to genetically engineer a purple cat - this might be rejected by the ego for being impossible. The idea to throw a cat into a bucket of purple paint would be rejected by the superego for being cruel! So do you understand?

Very few creative ideas will get past an overly restrictive ego and superego. At the same time, an excessively passive ego or superego will result in the expression of many impractical or immoral ideas. So what can I do to improve my creativity? It suggested that you do brain exercises as it can train the ego and superego to be more or less selective depending upon our needs...

My summary is if you exercise your brain daily it will help you to learn how to flex your mind, improve your creativity and boost your memory. Im sure you can guess what I'm gonna be doing then!?

Happy 1st Birthday Dear Zayna

2007-01-06T23:29:00.000Z

Today I attended Zayna's 1st birthday...

Thinking back - time has flown oh so quickly... I still remember when DnA, Pri, Aysh and Sad were in my house and Aysh and Sad showed us a pic of their baby scan on their mobile phone saved as "Our baby"...

Daze: What's that pic and why does it say 'our baby'?
Pri: Yeah - what's that?
Aysh: Hello... Our baby!
Pri: Are you sure?
Daze: Yeah, are you sure? YOUR baby?
Pri and Daze consecutively: Swear that its your baby, are you sure?
Aysh and Sad: Yes!!!!

**Hugs and congratulations!!!***

Those were the days!

Today, Zayna had her second bday party at her home!! It was lovely and I especially loved the decorations! Alot of people whom I had not seen were there - and it was like a catching up session - which was great...

Happy Birthday My Sweet Zayna - you were a gem today and you looked so adorable... xxx

And girl-frens - it was great to see us altogether again!

First Post Of The Year!

2007-01-01T09:26:00.000Z

Hi everyone, just want to take this opportunity to wish every one a Happy and Prosperous New Year, and at the same time update people whom has not seen me for the last few months ( online or offline ).

Basically, ever since I (Allan) came back to Singapore, a lot of things were happening. Quite a few issues to settle, talk with dad regarding his business, a few family get together, got into a few partnerships with friends, looking at more ideas for my business, friends gathering etc.. Almost every day i sleep only 6hrs, sometimes lesser, but the lesser sleep was worth it (hopefully).

So during this period, i have neglected many people, not spending enough time with family ( i feel guilty whenever my dad comes into my room and talk to me and i only nodded or say "yea", but i m just trying to work. ), friends and most importantly my dearest bingy. Here i apologise.

Hope people will forgive me if i say i need 3 days ( a week even ) in advance if they want to ask me out, it is not to show that i m important and high-class, it is purely busy, i do not know when i can finish something, so i need to plan ahead.

Sound as if i m a workaholic but i m not, i dun even intend to be one and that is why i m trying so hard to prepare ourselves for the future. One day i hope people will begin to see the rationale of all these, and eventually understand.

But for now, its back to work and best wishes to all who yearn for success and for those who are comfortable with their life, enjoy it.

Ps: Thanx Ansy for the stars and the calender. They look fantastic.

First 2007 Gift...

2006-12-31T23:04:00.000Z

Today my dearest sis Ansy made DnA some Lucky 2007 Stars... They are so cute...

Farewell 2006...

2006-12-31T20:49:00.000Z

"A new year is unfolding - like a flower with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within..."

As I wave good bye to 2006 and open my arms to the approaching 2007 - I cant help but reflect on the year just gone...

Firstly, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and I hope it brings you whatever you wish for... I know fully well all the phone lines, telecommunications will be jamed - so Ive decided to blog it! No cards, no ecards, no text messages from me this year - if you're lucky, you may hear it from me personally - but that all depends if Im next to you that day!!! So for those who are avid readers - they will receive my greeting. For those who dont, well - apologies if you think Im slack!!!

2006 has come and gone so so quick... Here are the highlights of that year...

- Bethy's Hen party and her marriage to Matt...
- Dinner parties, gatherings, theatre shows, professional photo shoots
- Mountain walks - Nice scenery.
- Sis's & Kobe's wedding - The beginning of Mr and Mrs Chan.
- Aunties & Uncles visiting from USA & HK - Recollection of times in HK
- Ling's stay at Cardiff - Castles, mountains, and "chips and curry"
- Birth of baby love birds and they were gone
- Porsche experience - Too fast not furious though. Overall : Nice!
- Singapore and cruise trips - Are cruise trips really that interesting?
- Hot air balloon festivals - A Bristol famous event annually
- Gordon Ramsey's snail recipe - Tasted no so nice..
- Chelsea Vs Liverpool football match - Rugged Liverpool football fans
- Visiting my God-ma in LA and travelling back in style via business class
- Prison - Just a job done in a day
- Meeting great new frens and spending time with old and existing frens

It was a great year with so many happy occaisions... but there was some little sad ones too... For all of my dear friends who experienced hardship - look ahead to a great start to this 2007... For me, I will look back and learn from the mistakes I made and cherish the great times I had... But I cant wait for 2007, where who knows what lies around the corner... One thing is for sure, I am glad that I have my huppy, family and frens next to me...

Wishing you all a great 2007

Love Paradise....

2006-12-30T00:31:00.000Z

This song by Kelly Chen sums everything I wanna say:

"You're always on my mind
All day, just all the time
You're everything to me
Brightest star to let me see
You touch me in my dreams
We kiss in every scene
I pray to be with you through rain and shiny days

I'll love you till I die
Deep as sea
Wide as sky
The beauty of our love paints rainbows
Everywhere we go
Need you all my life
You're my hope
You're my pride
In your arms I find my heaven
In your eyes my sea and sky
May life be our love paradise..."

Friends for life....

2006-12-28T00:05:00.000Z

During these past few years of my life, I have come to realise who my true friends are... One has just left my house :)

There are some friends that have I known since young, since school, since uni - very strong... There are some friends that I call "teacher" - which have guided me thru my training years... There are some friends whom I have got to know during work and have blossomed into something special since... There are some friends that I have met randomly thru my path in life... My family are also my friends... Thinking about it, I have a great bunch of friends - all different and impt in their own way.

Thinking back, some which I used to think were my friends, actually are not that important in my life anymore! Quite sad really, but being friends is a 2 way system and an understanding and experience that you've shared together...

To all my Dear Friends out there - you will know if you are impt to me...

I want to thank you for your patience, your guidance, your love and supporting me thru thick and thin... Although I may be rubbish at keeping contact and I forget your birthdays etc - I want you to know that you are impt in my life and forever will be...

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart..."

And lastly to my greatest friend and love - my Huppy:

"Love is not just about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship. It's not just about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build till the end..."

Love you Hupps to the power of infinity!!! hehehe

Mwah mwah mwah
xxx

Boxing Day = Presents Day!!

2006-12-26T03:24:00.000Z

In our household - boxing day means presents day... Since young our parents have noted to us the connection between "box" and "presents" - Hence, boxing day should be the day you open your gifts!!... Ummm - seems logical! So, when all the other children are opening their gifts on Christmas Day - Ours is somewhat a day behind!!!

But, it's ok, because we open it at about 12:15am boxing day - after enjoying huge amounts of food on Christmas Day!

The tradition of opening gifts in our household is to group all your gifts together - all sit around and one by one open a present. So for example, Mum would open one gift and when finished, Sis would open one, and so on... It's better because of the suspense and each person gets their moment of limelight!!! ehhehehe... Well, I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas...

Christmas Dinner...

2006-12-25T23:20:00.000Z

Preparations for our non-turkey, yes-lamb of leg Christmas dinner.... Sis & Maze prepare the food with Sis crying cos of the onions!... So much food but so much left over!

Ansy still managing to look chirpy even tho she's the one whose washing the dishes! Good work gal! Where's Dad? He hates pictures - so couldnt even get a sneaky picture of him....

Waking Up On Christmas Morning...

2006-12-25T09:50:00.000Z

Wow... Our first surprise of the day was fresh banana cake baked by mum (Dad's firm favourite!!!).

Breakfast was banana cake served with a HUGE selection of all types of fresh fruit!!! A bit crazy really... the whole kitchen tops were covered in fruit!! Hey, at least its healthy - so the more the merrier! Just hope that we all can finish it before it goes off!!

Thanks Mum, my favourite oriental pears... and huppy's favourite fiji apples - shame he's not here - cos they are hard to find! Also, to start the day rolling - Mum gave us all some charms. DnA's charms represent fortune and wellbeing... They are now nicely positioned on the front of my room door!

Christmas Greetings...

2006-12-25T00:01:00.000Z

Gosh, another Christmas has arrived... And this year will be the same greeting to you all!

Dearest Our Family & Friends,

We would like to wish you all a beautiful Christmas.

May all your lives and hearts be filled with joy, laughter and love...
May you be healthy, may you never give up in your path in life, may you appreciate what you have around you
and give back accordingly...

With All Our Love, DnA xxx

School Buddies...

2006-12-24T00:56:00.000Z

Today, a group of old school buddies met up... It was lovely to see them all again after a period of absence. Some were married, some engaged, some with new jobs, some living in new locations... However - they were the same... I realised at that moment when I talked to them, that I missed them - their deep and intelligent conversations... the randomness and range of topics... I had a great time in school (just before uni) and the memories will stay with me forever...

Not all could attend but Chris is gonna organise a reunion next summer with all our school year to celebrate 10 years of leaving school!!! Wow - its been that long!.... Time really flies... Guys - friends before, friends now, friends in the future... Remember to keep in contact...

A moment like this....

2006-12-22T23:21:00.000Z

Anyone saw X-factor? Dont you just love the song? I love it cos "I can't believe it's happening to me... Love ya Hupps. Kol"

To see the video and listen to the song - click here

"What if I told you
It was all meant to be
Would you believe me,
Would you agree
It's almost that feelin'
That we've met before
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy
When I tell you love has come here and now...

A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
Some people search forever,
For that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime,

For a moment like this
Everything changes
But beauty remains
Something so tender
I can't explain
Well I maybe dreamin'
But 'till I awake
Can we make this dream last forever
And I'll cherish all the love that we share

For a moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
Some people search forever,
For that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this

Could this be the greatest love of all
I wanna know that you will catch me when I fall
So let me tell you this...
Some people wait a lifetime

For a moment like this
Some people spent two lifetimes,
For a moment like this
Some people search forever,
For that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this

OHHHH, LIKE THIS

OHHHH, YEAH, 'cuz people search for every moment yeah.

Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this.

Ohhhhh, like this."

Singapore - Tuesday's heavy rainfall third highest in 75 years

2006-12-20T13:52:00.000Z

Yesterday was a record breaking day for Singapore. At 366 mm for a 24hrs rainfall level, 19/12/06 is the third heaviest rainfall day in the history of 75 yrs!

And guess what, the place that we went to hike last Saturday, was overflowing and flooded the low lying area around the reservoir. According to my mum, the flower garden became what the media called the "flower sea".

Read more about it here.

Well, the rain definitely cool Moses and myself while we work on our project... cos usually afternoon are hot and humid..

Hope the weather stays cool for the rest of the duration that i will be here.. Hot and sticky just isn't the way to go especially when u are doing something on ur laptop, or when your best friend lay on your bed, i did tell him no no... and even so, he laid on my duvet, so not too bad.

hmmmm... another day..

Forget "Frankie goes to Hollywood" - cos we're going to Bollywood!!

2006-12-18T18:29:00.001Z

Tonights the night!!! 3 of us booked to see a theatre show called "The Merchants of Bollywood" at our Wales Millenium Centre...

First, it was all down to my place to dress up and look nice!! Then it was off to Demiro's mediterranean restaurant in Cardiff Bay, where we snuggled up to some romantic girlie candlelit dinner and dessert!! Yumm!! Hey, I was good - I by-passed the dessert!!!
The meal was delicious and we were so full - our bellies were painful! But we were geared up, as the time approached for us to leave the restaurant and goto the show...

The show starts.... Fantastic live dance extravaganza like nothing you’ve ever seen before - well in real life, for me anyway! There were singers and dancers with lots of glitter, glamour, romance and allure... There's familiar indian songs that I've heard before which reminded me of Aysh/Sad's wedding and our mendhi dance!!
Memories!!! I loved the show because it was different and the dance routines were fab... All 3 even suggested that we goto each other's house on our days off and try some of the moves!!! Umm....!?!?!? The brief summary of the story is below:

The story begins in India, in the deserts of Rajasthan, in the temple of Shiva. The Merchant family dynasty holds the responsibility of upholding the ancient traditions of the Kathak dance, the dance of the Gods. Shantilal Merchant is the last in the line of gurus. This tradition is about to die out. Shantilal was formerly a choreographer in the golden era of India’s great film industry, Bollywood. India was recovering from Partition. Division in the country had ripped the heart and soul of the people apart and Shantilal believed that Cinema could heal the wounds.
Shantilal left when the industry grew commercial and lawless, influenced by western trends and dirty money. Shantilal began his own dance school in the desert, teaching traditional folk dance.
His granddaughter Ayesha left Rajasthan against his wishes to become the reigning queen of choreography of Bollywood films today. She has the Midas touch. They cal her “The Princess of Romance”.

Although they are family, their approach to film choreography could not be further apart.
Shantilal believed that films should change people’s lives. Ayesha believes film should help people escape. Reality or fantasy – there lies the conflict. Ayesha’s teenage rebellion against her classical training, in favor of modern western dance styles, was the seed of their fued. The damage seems irreparable. Ayesha resolves to visit Shantilal to make peace. Her journey takes her to the heart of India – the deserts of Rajasthan and into the arms of her childhood sweetheart Uday.

In the temple, the fires are burning low. Her grandfather is dying. There is no one left to continue the family tradition, performing the dance of the Gods. Ayesha decides to marry Uday, and stay in Rajasthan to run her fathers dance school and maintain the family traditions. But she will run the school her way, in a balance of old and new. The finale of the show is colourful, thrilling, high-energy fusion of folk, classical, modern, Western and Indian dance forms.
Tears are shed, old wounds are healed, age-old conflict is reconciled in a powerful journey to the sacred heart of dance.

If I were an animal - I would like to be....

2006-12-17T00:10:00.000Z

A Hyacinth Macaw....

Why?
-The colour of the feathers are a deep cobalt blue/indigo blue - very much like a clear deep blue sea and cloudless sky - Beautiful
-It is the largest flying parrot and can soar thru the sky with so much freedom
-They are very sociable birds
-They fly in small groups or couples - therefore, are never alone
-Couples are very faithful and they mate for life
-If one of the couple dies, it is usually accepted by another couple so that it is never alone - so hence, compassionate and loving

Overall, the qualities of this bird is a good animal to be... I wonder what animal you would be?

Macritchie Reservoir - EX Leisure Walk.

2006-12-16T23:53:00.000Z

Went on a Hike with my army mates and 2 sec school mates today, it was a rather fun experience, even though it was physically tiring..

It was meant to be a army recollection, of how we used to "like" the field and would do some much things in the field... i.e eating simple food and enjoying them as if they were some delicacies..

Those were the days when we didn't use to think about a lot of things, and we were carefree and enjoying our NS life.. well we always try our very best to enjoy and have fun..

Life in the CDO is really more fun rather than what other people would think of - very very siong, inhumane treatment. Come to think about, i have more adventurous stories to tell than many of my friends who were in other units..

I was telling my elder sister about my CDO stories a week ago, i was just sprouting all my "near-death" experiences in Indonesia and Raffles Lighthouse and the fun events i have been to, mingling with young NCC cadets, showing them how to strip a rifle.. ( The rifle was about the height of most of them.. ehaehaehahe... ) Went on numerous courses to add on to my military resume. ( well they can't really be used as part of your normal CV, unless you are applying to become a mercenary... if you know what i mean..)

These are just one of the many things that we ( this group of army mates ) has done. And whenever we meet, we will still bring out random recollection of yester-years' joke of the day or a prank we played on Fireblade, Sunny or Jan imitating our beloved CSM.

HEahehaeha... thinking about those days, always put a smile to my face.. However gone were those days... the eat-sleep-watch-tv-book out routine kind of life is no longer a thing that we can do together, hence i always look forward to the days and activities that we can once again do and share more laughters..

So... who's interested for kayaking??? hehaehahehaeh...

ps: the pictures can be found here.

In and Out of Prison...

2006-12-15T20:33:00.000Z

The day has finally arrived... It's time to goto prison and face what lies ahead of me!

When I reached the outskirts of the vicinity - it looked like a concentration camp... however, as I drove into the depths of the prison - the outsides of the buildings looked like Ikea but in white! I got out of my car and headed towards the reception area, where I was asked for ID and signed in. Myself and my bag were put through 2 different machines - one x-ray and one metal detector. I was then searched. Forbidden objects included chewing gum, metal objects, mobile phones, foil (not too sure why foil!), paper clips, lip salve/vaseline - these I had to put in a locker before I was allowed to enter into the main prison area.... There were guards standing and the morning rush was heaving with work people queuing as if they were going to catch a plane!!! Thank goodness I arrived early - the whole process took about 15-20 mins!!

I then had to wait for someone to collect me... once that happened we went thru numberous doors which had locks, bars and safety time systems in place... It was rather daunting as we went thru corriders, then doors, then more corriders until we arrived at the pharmacy. Think of hospital corridors, but all the doors are thick and shut... There are no windows in these corridors and you could be easily disorientated if you werent a regular.

Well, the pharmacy was small, but cosy. There was a hatch in a wall with metal bars - so that inmates can talk to you and collect their meds... I learnt that this prison was a male prison with all ages including young offenders... Their crimes varied from mild to serious (including sex offenders and murderers!!) - However, they are separated according to the severity of the crime in different wings...

My first job of the day... Supervised consumption of methadone and other abusable substances... I dispensed the meds and before I knew it - it was time for the first appointment... So my colleague and I gathered all the meds into another room (like a consultation room) after going thru more corridors and locked doors... At this point all the inmates with appointments were waiting in a locked room guarded with security guards. One by one we would call them and they would be escorted into our room where they would take their meds... Nothing scary - its like what we do in community. In some cases, I had to goto the inmates cell and give his meds there... Depending on which wing you were on, some cells were relatively large(!) with a toilet, shower cubicle, single bed and TV!!! But for inmates with less security needed, their cells were smaller, but they had access to communal areas and had more freedom - pool tables, TV, seating areas...

Then it was dispensing scripts amongst everything else... (The prison has its own doctor, dentist, optician, physiotherapist, nurses etc.... so, its well equipt.) Once dispensed we would call the inmate's name and they would show us their prison ID cards and we would hand over their meds through the hatch- no ID means no meds! It was like school - children waiting to be called up for their prize... "Thanks Miss" - That was what I was referred to... "Miss"... I really didnt know what to expect but all were courteous - maybe becos they knew they needed us?!?!?! We do supply the meds!!!

Time had gone so quick, before we knew it, it was lunch time. Lunch was served somewhere else and again we had to trek thru more corridors and locked doors... I must say - it was tedious... My colleague had a huge bunch of keys and each time - she had to unlock the door, then relock it... Lunch was great - christmas dinner for a whopping £1!!! cheap and tasty! Over lunch I learnt alot about the prison...

What do the inmates do? Generally, they wake up and work or goto school within the prison. For young offenders, they are educated (some learn to read and write, some get qualifications...). The older ones work e.g. in industry - they produce car/household machine parts; some work in laundry dept; some serve food; some are decorators and continually update the prison buildings... Those who are more trusted work as cleaners - as they are the only workers (who are inmates) that are not supervised...

After lunch, it was back to work... Dispensing and wing rounds... Making sure the medicines there were stocked up and replenished... During the week there are many clinics that the pharmacy dept holds - smoking cessation, phlebotomy, diagnostic testing (diabetes, cholesterol), medicines management - to be honest - alot more than what you would normally find!!!

During my stay there, I had a very eye-opening time, where I learnt alot more and fully appreciated what actually happens in prison... My heart does go out to SOME inmates becos here in the prison - they have a "good life". They have 3 main meals a day, they have a bed, TV, clothes, someone to talk to, they work (they get about £2 a week), then they have events like football tournaments and the prizes include £10 each for the winning team... Sometimes, in the real world, they have less than this... Although they do very well in prison and have gained an education there - in society - they said they find it hard to do well and then they revert back to doing wrong because they simply are not accepted and they then cant afford anything... They become institutionalised and its really sad...

Another event happening today included alarms of all nurses and doctors beeping, as someone had tried to harm themselves... He had managed to cut himself on the wrist and up his arm... It was rather horrific but for some reason, I wasnt scared when I saw the nurses and doctor try to refrain him and the blood was all over the floor... I suppose, you get into the mode where you have to do your job and dont let your emotions affect you...

Another surprise of the day included meeting a regular customer of mine where I used to work, as I was doing my wing rounds!! We chatted for awhile and it was a shame to see him here... He looked well though - much better than when he was out of prison... He had put on weight and hhis cheeks were rosy...

Overall, I enjoyed the day and would I go back? Yeah. Although today was daunting and at times, I did feel a little nervous and scared - the whole experience was life-changing and rewarding. The colleagues from the different depts all mucked in and helpped each other as a unity and I really liked that...

Summary & setting up the decor...

2006-12-13T23:32:00.000Z

Today has been one hectic day!

Last night I went to sleep about 2:30am and this morning I woke up at 8:30am! Not becos I was not tired - but becos my body clock automatically wakes me up!

So, trying not to waste time - I got up and did some household chores, then I went to the local bank and shops. After that, I went to the gym and managed to stay for 2 whole hours. I am proud to say that I can now run non-stop at a steady pace, without stopping for 30 mins!!! I have so unhealthy and I am glad that I am on track!!

After that, I came home and I helpped Dad to transfer garden stuff and build a new storage area - I must say that was tedious! Cold and windy and the instructions were rubbish... but we got there in the end. After that its clothes washing and cooking and then picking up my sis from uni... I felt like a maid!!!

However, the highlight of the day was yet to come... Putting up the Christmas decorations... I must say - I love it! I love the sparkly lights that twinkle in the night, the golds, the reds - so warm... Cant wait for our own home - where each year - I can decorate!

Happy Birthday Blondes - NOT!!!

2006-12-12T23:59:00.000Z

Today was totally spontaneous! A group of work colleagues were going out to an Indian restaurant "The Koh-I-Noor" for their Christmas meal. They asked if I wanted to attend... Yeah go-on! What a very impulsive decision - I like it!!!

They went on ahead first - whilst I had to finish my shift and meet them there...

When we arrived - we ordered some drinks and looked at the menu... It was said to the waitor that it was one of the blonde's birthday and could they secretly open a bottle of champers (which was taken to the restaurant) and organise a small cake or dessert and sing happy birthday! It wasnt actually anyone's birthday! It was a Christmas meal.. but it was nice to celebrate a birthday anyway!!!

So, our meal came - Delicious - highly reccommended! Then it was the secret wink to initiate the happy birthday surprise!!! ....
Well, the bottle of Champagne came and no birthday song...! Only 2 of us knew what was going on and we couldnt help laughing. The rest of the girls looked at us and just thot that the Champagne was on the house (as if!!!)... So after about 15 mins, no cake, no song - we had to tell them what was happening!

Well, about 30mins later - a little cake dessert came along with the singing of "happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..." to the imaginary birthday girl!!! Everyone was shocked on our table - but it was lovely and we toasted to Christmas, Birthdays, Mother's day and so on....

Had a fab time with Linda, Louise, Sarah, Jess and Maria.... Merry Christmas Girls xxx

What's Your Fascination?!?

2006-12-11T22:43:00.000Z

What's with my fascination with healthy cereals? The answer is I dunno myself!!!

Today, after work - I decided to do a bit of shopping for essentials such as fruit and veg... Cereals never came into my mind - becos I have plenty at home!

However, walking down the aisles in the supermarket I walked pass the cereal aisle and I automatically turned and headed towards the healthy cereals (such as bran, museli, oats...) What is the problem? Nothing really to the normal person - But if you know what I do - you may think I DO have a problem!

Well, on previous occaisions - when Hupps and I would go shopping - he would shop and I would be at the cereal aisle... and I would STILL be at the cereal aisle when Hupps finished shopping... I never used to notice until Hupps mentioned it! So what exactly do I do in the cereal aisle?!?!

I dunno really, I seem to be fascinated by the different ranges of healthy cereals! I would pick a box up, read all the print, look at the ingredients, the calories, the fat content, carbohydrate content and so on... then, I would pick up another and compare it with the first and so on... The truth is I think I love looking at new cereals (the healthy ones and especially if they have new nuts, berries, seeds or other ingredients in them)! But however much I look at them - I generally pick the same cereals over and over again... So the rationale of looking at other cereals is really beyond me!!!

My favs include: Kashi range, Weetabix range, Jordon's Superfoods range and the different flavours of Oatso simple porridge!
So sad eh, that I get excited over cereals! Atleast - my fascinations are healthy and not as expensive as clothes, cars etc...!!! What are your fascinations?!?!?

Surprise 60th Bday Party

2006-12-08T12:59:00.000Z

What to wear?!? Weather is freezing and rain is starting... Tonight is a surprise 60th bday party, organised by her husband...

Left the house with plenty of time to spare (Well, I thot anyway!). The location is a private pub 5 mins down the road, in a the local village... Approaching the village - there were absolutely tonnes of cars - already parked and those trying to find spaces... Oh no traffic jam and you couldnt even turn back! We were told to be there 30 mins before the couple were meant to arrive... 5 mins to go and after circling the area - I finally found a parking space!

Norman had told his wife that they were going to a Christmas meal with his pharmacy colleagues. But first, they would have a drink at their local pub whilst they wait for their taxi. Everything was well organised - a surprise party with music at the local pub, with all their children, relatives and close friends there (some of whom travelled far). After that he had booked a room at a posh hotel! But ofcos, Jackie knew nothing until she walked thru the door of their local pub...
Totally gob-smacked and totally surprised!! It was a great sight to see someone's face full of surprise and happiness... and she nearly wanted to cry! Throughout the night was eating, chatting and dancing... and she still didnt know she was gonna be pampered at this posh hotel! Ah, how lovely!

Was a great evening... and the evening made me think to myself - "I wonder what I'll be doing on my 60th?!"

60 Things I would like to do before I die...

2006-12-07T20:52:00.000Z

Inspired by a friend of mine - I too have decided to write 60 things I would like to do before I die (in no particular order)!

1. Marry someone who will make me laugh all the way to my grave - my huppy (we were engaged 17th Dec 2005)
2. Achieve DnA's goal of retiring young
3. Drive a top of the range mercedes AMG for that particular time
4. Have 2-3 beautiful children
5. Have our parents retire and live comfortably
6. Get onto the property ladder
7. Travel to the 7 Wonders of the World
8. Stay at the most expensive, high rated hotel at that particular time
9. Go camping UK style!!
10. Have regular holidays abroad with friends (so far had 2 with my best buds in Cyprus & Tunisia)
11. Swim with the fishes in the Great Barrier Reef
12. Go back-packing across Australia and New Zealand
13. Meet a Geisha
14. Travel to Japan esp. during the blossom season and soak in the natural springs
15. Learn mandarin
16. To achieve the following: passive income greater than expenses
17. To be a brilliant cook and bake lots of cakes!!!
18. Always be there for Huppy and our family
19. To catch a spider or creepy crawly without freaking out
20. To dance professionally with Huppy - e.g. Tango, Salsa...
21. To own large Koi fish in our garden pond
22. Set up a charity close to our hearts
23. Be a grandmother
24. Be a great grandmother
25. Hold regular dinner parties for close friends & family
26. Have a Christmas tree full of decorations and sparkly fairy lights with gifts underneath it every year
27. Go to Lapland with Huppy and our children
28. Hire a caravan or RV and travel somewhere random for a min 1 week
29. Have my own bridal shop
30. Interior design DnA's home
31. Fly in a hot air balloon
32. See the Northern lights
33. Visit Las Vegas
34. Have my own aquarium
35. Attend a World Cup Finals match
36. Experience zero gravity
37. Be in a live television audience
38. Witness the cure for cancer
39. Bury something special to me deep down in a hole and leave it there; someone else will find it someday, long after I'm gone, and treasure it as I did.
40. Visit each of the continents
41. To know the feeling of getting drunk
42. Try to never hurt people's feelings
43. Make the King happy with me and be treated like the Queen! hehehe
44. Never be overweight
45. To hold hands with Huppy wherever we may go
46. To kiss Huppy's lips once just before meal times
47. Exercise regularly
48. Lie on a blanket and admire the stars
49. Make something brilliant from scratch
50. Be a great mum and wife
51. Make a positive difference in someone's life
52. Never lose contact with my dearest friends
53. Change a car tyre on my own!
54. To be a trendy mum and grandmother
55. Have my Golden Wedding Anniversary with Huppy
56. Die before Huppy
57. Die in my sleep without pain
58. To do something naughty without worrying about the consequences!?!?!?
59. To overcome my fear of heights
60. To enjoy every single day

Tried & Tested Series: Colonic Irrigation

2006-12-03T10:08:00.000Z

A bit of a personal topic? You're all probably thinking! But not really, I feel. Why? because it's a part of maintaining a healthy body and one should always be comfortable with their own body...

For those whom are too shy to ask about it or discuss it - this "Tried & tested series" will help you to make up your own mind, but yet, know that someone has tried and tested it! It will also help you to dispel the myths of this procedure!

So what exactly is colonic irrigation? Its basically a safe and effective method, using repeated, gentle flushing of water to cleanse the colon of waste material.

The reason why I went for it was because I suffer from eczema and recently, I had a flare-up due to things I were not supposed to eat! (Treats!) Also, my bowel habits were not great. I could at times pass stools only once a week (bearing in mind - if you eat alot, then the contents in your bowel must be impacted, therefore, toxic!!! Becos, what goes in, should technically come out! And other times, I had diarrheoa... I also suffered from bloatedness. So, something's wrong there...!

So, how do you know if u have toxic material in your colon? Common signs include: headaches, backaches, constipation, fatigue, bad breath, body odour, irritability, confusion, skin problems, abdominal gas, bloating, diarrhoea, sciatic pain, and many more! Yes, true, the signs are all very vague and non-specific... but only you know yourselves if your system is sluggish!

After researching the topic and talking to others who had used the procedure - I psyched myself up and booked the appointment! I was ofcourse, apprehensive! Is it safe? Does it hurt? What should I expect? Will it work? Its so embarrassing!

Last week I went with a fren to the clinic and the lady who was fully trained talked me through the whole process and explained each step to me... First, we filled out a health assessment. We talked about diet, exercise, other factors which may affect our health... We then took some readings of my vitals (e.g. weight, BP).

As the procedure progressed, I was told to lay on a "bed" with a towl over my lower body half and take my trousers off... The atmosphere was relaxing and warm with soothing music in the background... I was lying on my back and she began to massage my stomach area... she would tap my tummy area explain the different sounds (I had gas on the rhs and impaction on the lhs!). I then had to lay on my left and she inserted the instrument (which was like a metal tap attached to plastic tubes). She continued to say "I will now start the water, tell me if the pressure gets too much". Pressure?!?! How will I know it's enough?!?!? I can tell you, you do know!!! It's like your busting to goto the toilet. Anyway, the lady has a rough idea of how much water to use anyway!!! So as she pumps the water into your colon, you dont actually feel anything! The water isnt cold, the only thing you feel is when she releases the water out of the colon and the pressure is released... And "things" come out!! We did this for about 5 mins to get the procedure moving.

She then told me to lie on my back as though I was giving birth (dont worry the towel is still hiding your assets!). And she proceeded to massage my tummy area and continue with the flushing of water procedure... Wow, I could feel the gas come out and at the start, when she was massaging, you could feel "hard" areas... but as she carried on - it was getting "softer"... This whole thing continues for 45mins to 1hour... I was worried that what if "I leak"... I can tell you it doesnt!

At the end of the procedure, I did feel less bloated and I had lost a few pounds! I was told to avoid red meat for 1 week and to take some probitics and was shown how to massage my tummy area.

So, the summary? Not as daunting as I thought! My personal dignity was maintained and after the gentle insertion of a small tube into the rectum, you are completely covered. Rubber tubing carried clean water in and waste out in a gravity pressured system. This procedure is non-habit forming and there was no mess or odour (even though you think there is!). The colon therapist is able to work loose and eliminate far more toxic waste than any other short-term technique (enemas and laxatives). Now, I frequent the toilet daily and am less bloated. Also, my skin is clearer. Will I be going again? Yeah probably! (twice a year)

"Stamp-Lickers"

2006-12-02T21:48:00.000Z

Today was indeed, a very random day! I was particularly more observant and on the ball, as they say!

No matter where I looked or travelled to - I saw people with letters and stamps... You're probably thinking that's harmless - what's all the fuss about?!?!? It's not normally a problem - but today all i noticed were people licking stamps! And I started to notice it more and more. And the more I noticed, the more gross it became!

To be honest - I dont lick stamps! Partly, because I hate the taste of it and 2ndly, you dont really know where this stamp as been. As far as Im concerned, the cashier selling the stamp to you, could have had dirty fingers! I am a definite fan of sticky self-adhesive stamps. If I do have to lick the stamp, I wet my finger in my mouth, then smear the damp finger on the stamp!

Today, I noticed different ways of licking a stamp... Here are a few examples!

-Using the tip of your tongue and keeping your lips generally closed - rotating the stamp
-Opening your mouth as wide as you can (so that you can see your tonsils) and then literally putting the whole stamp on the tongue - then sticking the stamp (which becomes damp on the top and bottom) onto the post! Gross man!!! Worst thing is you can see the saliva still on the post after the stamp has been stuck on!

For those out there who next decide to lick stamps - pls turn away so that the insides of your mouth are not in full view of someone else... And if you do decide to pass a newly-licked stamped letter to someone - pls make sure that the letter is dry!!!!

What a hectic day!

2006-11-29T18:02:00.000Z

*Alarm clock rings: 7:15am
*Mobile phone sms: 7:30am - "Mum needs copy of her travel insurance - asap, airport needs to see it b4 she is allowed to travel - pls scan & send"

Ok, basically, Mum is in HK and she wants to travel to Taiwan - but they need to see her travel insurance (for whatever reason, I do not know!). Mum has already bought ticket!

*Mum's flight leaves in the next 6 hours
*I must leave for work at 8:15am latest to get there on time

I call mum.... "Where is your travel insurance documents?"
Mum: "Allan bought it over the internet - so it should have arrived to home!"

*I call Allan in singa.... and he said it should be at home!!! UK home!!! Ok... basically, time is ticking away and I havent done anything!!!

I wake Ansy.... and told her to check all of mum's post... nothing! So, we try to call the insurance agency.... their computers are down and tell us to call later... GrEaT!!!

So, I tell Ansy to look for it!!! Whilst all this commotion is going on - Gav is just looking at us, weird. He know's we are looking for Mum's documents, he knows the company name.. so, all of a sudden - I ask him, "Have you collected any of Mum's letters?" because I told them to put them all in one place... "Yeah!" SO he goes and gets this ONE letter and voila its the travel insurance docuements!!!

Time is ticking away... I shoot upstairs to get changed, put my hair up in a messy ponytail and grabbed something quickly to eat... Got into my car and 5mins later - I was stuck in traffic!!!...

Arrived to work dead on 9am and it occurred to me - I didnt brush my teeth!! ehehhehe I quick time chewed gum!

Arrived at work and what a tip the place was inside... Apparently, the day before, the Pharmacist was not experienced and didnt know the computer system - hence, most of the walk-in and delivery scripts were not dispensed... Oh no... So all day - I was doing todays scripts and playing catch up on yesterday's scripts.... Summary... Non-stop day except for a rushed 15min lunch break..

5:30pm - shop closes - glad to be outta there! Hope the evening is far better... Cant wait to relax in a well deserved hot bath...

"I'm a celebrity - Get me outta here!"

2006-11-26T22:47:00.000Z

I've never laughed so much - but today's episode was fantastic!!! It's on everyday and I'm so addicted to it!!!

You're probably wondering - what Im on about... Well, I am currently addicted to a reality show called "I'm a celebrity- get me outta here!" It's weird - becos, I dont normally watch reality shows, nor did I know who these celebrities were (they weren't really that famous!)

To read about the gist of the show - click this link... "About I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!"

But it's hilarious!!! Why? Because - you see them encounter their fears and some of the characters are so funny and random! I mean, there's this guy called Dean who screams louder than any of the women there - when faced with creepy crawlies!!! Also, in one of the trials - one of the celebrities had to eat a kangaroo tongue, eye-ball, testicle and anus to win some meals for their camp-mates!!! It was gross!!!

Wanna know something? For those who truely know me - I'm a wuss... dont like creepy crawlies, never slept on the floor (as such), love my luxeries, need a proper toilet, hate flies/mosquitoes, never been camping or living it hard! Never really done any outdoor activities... never really had the chance to actually! And never really wanted to - because my skin always tends to attract biting insects - so Im terrified!!! Also, cant swim, terrified of heights, dont like roller-coaster rides, dont like the dark..!!! what else is there?!?!?

So, I think it would be fantastic to experience this sort of adventure one day... Maybe, one day a group of us can go camping or do some sort of outdoor activity... and bond and make more frens! It reminds me of the good old days when a group of us frens went on hols together... didnt have a clue, had alot of experiences and got thru it crazily!!! So to those of you out there reading this... let's do something in the future... I cant wait for this experience cos its a must... Nothing too dangerous, just something whereby a group of us can be together, bond with each other and talk, laugh and spend a min of a week - forgetting everything, all the pressures, stresses and allow us to be young and care-free... Bring it on... Hope you'll be able to make it when the time comes.

Just so boring today....

2006-11-26T16:55:00.000Z

Just come back from work and to be frank... Im so so so bored... I just saw my love on Msn but he's got the "busy" icon - so best not disturb him! Dont want the bored mood to rub on him now!

Work was boring to the max... but there was a glimpse of hope at about 3pm when all the electricity blacked out... "Yeah" some excitement at last! Sad, I know!!! Whilst customers and staff were stood in pitch black - about 1 min, the emergency generator came back on and there were some light.... So whilst everyone was panic-ing within store - I just stood there watching the whole chaos... I've been thru many a elec failures and supermarkets are the best. Why? because if its not resolved soon - there will be more choas. I mean, look at the amount of freezers, chilled foods... the clock ticks away and you have max 1 hour for the back-up generator to fail also! - or there will be food waste... hence, loads of money down the drain...

Also, when the tills are down - the check-out people need to "estimate" the amount of money the shopping will cost... You could either be over-charged or under-charged! Great...! "That'll be £20" for a trolley full of shopping worth over £100! ehehehe... however, they are trained and it's never that off!!!

Well, enuf of the shop side of things - what about the pharmacy? Well, we re-boot and uh-oh... the label printer doesnt work! Oh nvm... so we start writing labels out - name of person, name of drug, dates, warnings... tedious but at least more interesting than what boring day I had... 30 mins later - everything is restored and the elec is fixed and the boring day continues until 4pm - home time!

Price Of A Degree

2006-11-24T20:40:00.000Z

As the UK new university top-up fees come into force - as an additional burden after the introduction of tuition charges - the question is whether the cost of higher education and gaining a degree is worth running up debts.... Why do I ask this? I was just watching a documentary whereby, by the end of the decade Tony Blair wants half of school leavers to go to university.
However, rising tuition fees and living costs means that many students graduate with a five figure debt!!!

Is the price of a degree worth paying?

It used to be that if you were a university graduate, you were guaranteed a good job with a good salary - compared to those who didnt. However, as the number of university graduate increases, the demand for these highly qualified persons are declining, and the gap in salary between graduates and non-graduates are decreasing. Why is this so? The reason is because there are now other routes to get where you want to get to (e.g. you can do vocational courses, BTECs, dipolmas...) and an increased competition for the same job.

Graduates in UK now find that even though they have a degree - they are finding it more difficult to find jobs in the field that they studied in... I mean, look at Jamie Oliver - he was working at the age of 8 at his parents' pub restaurant and did not graduate from uni... his personal fortune is estimated to be more than £20 million... Other examples include Stella McCartney with a personal fortune of £15 million and listen to this... Retail tycoon Philip Green was named Britain's richest man after amassing a personal fortune worth £3.3bn.
The 52-year-old Arcadia and Bhs boss became the first "commoner" to hold the title of wealthiest Briton!!

Well, DnA have very different backgrounds and we both have different qualities and knowledge... I do believe, getting a degree opens the doors to many opportunities that may not be present to non-graduates. However, these days, getting a degree doesnt necessarily determine that you will be highly paid nor does it determine that you are intelligent!!! Sometimes, getting a degree may "inhibit" your potential, as you are fed information and "taught" how to do things, whereas those who are able to experiment and learn as they go along may develop themselves and then excel...

So, whatever your choice may be or have been - there is no right or wrong answer... The point is do not regret that choice and work to the future...

Do I love you more? Or do I love YOU more?...

2006-11-24T18:00:00.000Z

What a hard choice to make.... both have qualities and both have its bad points...

I am torn between the two - however, I need to make a choice - for myself and for my future...

My loves are salmon and the other irresistably delicious and sexy chocolate (whether it be in the form of a cake, bar, sweet, drink, dessert)!!!... However, I have sinned and have sneekly tucked into some chocs... For those who know me, I am allergic to cow's milk and egg - I itch and end up having rashes (which have this time round, appeared with avengence and have not subsided!) Although I keep promising myself I will not eat it - I just simply cant resist...

How can I when someone is slowing enjoying a hot double chocolate fudge cake - right opposite you, or next to you, or on tv, or when you pass by a random shop! It's not just the cake - its also its family members - the choc bar, the choc drink, the choc ice-cream!!!! Urghghghgh!!!

Well, I've been suffering this rash for awhile now and have not eaten any chocolate for about 2 weeks - so after going thru the cold turkey session, I am quite determined. Oh, let me clarify - its not actually the chocolate's fault - its the milk inside that's the culprit! So - I should rephrase and say "no more milk chocolate products!"

I sometimes resort to eating dark chocolate when Im really desparate - but for those who have tried it - its SO not the same... the bitterness puts you right off!

So today, I am declaring my love for salmon to be more than choc products (milk chocolate, that is)... Hopefully, one day - someone can make up a recipe for milk-free and egg-free cakes, biscuits, choc, snacks - which are readily available on the shelf to buy and in lots of varieties! Cos currently, the range sucks!!!

Hey, I shouldnt complain cos atleast - Im eating healthily and cutting out the bad foods (cakes, biscuits etc)!

So sad a story... and so touching...

2006-11-19T20:50:00.000Z

A fren posted this following story on his blog.. and since reading it, it has had a huge impact on me. I had tearsin my eyes... Still - I have this story on my mind... it's something that is niggling inside me - I cant explain what and why but I just feel so frustrated cos the girl couldnt see how much she meant to the guy - even tho I am not sure if this story is real or fictional!... Any hows, I have learnt from this story that those who truely and dearly love you are supporting you quietly...

"There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she's blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He's always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she can see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?" The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend is blind too, and refused to marry him.

Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying, "Just take care of my eyes, dear."

Do I see snow?!?

2006-11-18T15:44:00.000Z

Today, I really didnt want to get up for work... I had a late night last night, cos I just couldnt sleep - even though my body had shut down... I had a thumping headache, my body aching, sore throat - to be honest, I am in no fit state. However, I should return the illness to those whom kindly gave it to me!!! hehehe!

So after making myself get up, I finally faced the cold and got ready for work... Work was the usual and was ticking away slowly... until some lady walked in with patches of white snow (as it seemed), on her clothing!

We all rushed to the front door... It wasnt snow... It was hail stones - bucketing down at some g-force... People were covering for shelter! Ever been hurt by a hail stone? - they kill! some are so small - but are so impacted!- Its like throwing stones! It was quite pretty. Imagaine the roads and buildings etc covered with white balls of polystyrene - it was like that! The pretty polystyrene white balls were not to last - as they turned into slush after about 30 mins and the hail stones stopped... Boring!

Time for me to sleep and recover....

P.s. Sorry Ritchie I cant attend your 30th tonight - I really dont think you'd appreciate me passing my germs to all your guests... Have a fabba dabba time x

60th Bday Party

2006-11-17T12:57:00.000Z

I didnt sleep well last night - maybe becos my Huppy was not near... In addition to lack of sleep - I have been feeling quite achy and I feel as tho my body system is gonna shut down soon.

Work was a chore and although quite busy, it seemed to drag on for hours... I mean, when you wanna just go home and tuck yourself in bed - its always the same - the day drags! Anyways, I forgot that I had a 60th Bday to attend. And there was no excuse as I was going with Jayne!

End of work finally arrived - and I had to dash to Jayne's house to get ready... It was fun getting ready! It was like younger days where you have dressing up sessions! The invite said the event started at 7:30pm.. but we didnt manage to arrive until 8:40pm.... And no - we're not the fashionably late type! It's just that to get to this place, you had to travel thru the country lanes (and it's pitch black) and Jayne didnt know how to use her full beams (she knows now!). Basically, to cut the story short - we were disorientated!!! but eventually got to our destination by parking somewhere very close and walking!!!!

Although lethargic and feeling slightly ill - the whole process of travelling down the spooky lanes in the middle of the night - was extremely scary and the adrenaline was making me feel less ill! But I had to get myself in the mood - I mean, you might as well make the most of the evening - right?!?!

The evening was a beautiful evening... with men in black tie and women in long dresses... The event was organised by her husband and children... Quite touching.... So as the night unfolded - we danced and ate the night away....

When I reached home... then did I feel the shock to the system... total shut down! Nite...

Day B4 & Binny's Bday

2006-11-15T23:01:00.000Z

Today - we are in London - after travelling from work in the night.... We thot we'd just enjoy today and chill out.

We woke up late, about 10am... Sis and Kobe had left for work at about 8am! We sorted out breaky - which was just one slice of toast covered in peanut butter! What shall we do now? What do we want for lunch? Wonton noodles Huppy said.. so off we trekked to the local bus stop to arrive at Earls Court... Arriving at 11:30am - the restaurant doesnt open until 12 midday! So we just slowly walked along this Earls Court Street - going to all the shops on both sides!

12 midday approached and we entered this restaurant. No wonton soup was ordered cos they said it would take aout 20 mins!!! So huppy ordered Beef flank Noodle soup and me, shreded chicken ub noodle soup... verdict = Not so nice! And the service was not good at all!

So, we then set off to Covent Gardens and around there... becos we were meeting Bin at about 2:30pm... We just walked and talked and chilled... Met Binny and we updated each other about our happenings- as we dont often get to meet cos of the distance and busy schedules. It's her Bday today too - so it was equally special to see her today... "Happy Birthday my Dear"

Then met up with Sis and Kobes to eat Gili-Gilu... a jap sushi place... we opted for the buffet! We were going for gold - with the final figure of 58 plates plus one cold noodle dish and one tempura noodle!! Completely full to the brim.... We just talked and laughed... An enjoyable evening...

Time is drawing near to our separation....

2006-11-09T18:36:00.000Z

With the date pre-planned and with exactly 1 week to go - DnA will be separating... We will be going our ways for about 3 months. Hupps to Singa, where the weather will be hot and dinner will be served on the table by his beloved mother... Whereas, myself - I will be stuck in UK where the weather is freezing and where I am in command of the household aka ansy and gav (my bro and sis!) and dinner - normally its mum and Hupps that will cook! I'd rather wash dishes anyday!...

I suppose things wouldnt be so bad but my mum is on holiday too, visiting my sis in HK and she's away for over 5 weeks - arriving home just b4 Christmas.

Although Im gonna badly miss my hups - I suppose I cant be selfish and keep him all to myself. It will be good for him to spend time with his family in Singa without the distraction of his bingy, and I have job commitments until end of Jan. Anyways - I hope to meet up with him for a month during chinese new year and then travel back together - so what am I complaining about?!?!! Im not! I just cant wait for another holiday!

Trying to look on the positive side of things - Christmas is nearing and I am actually fully booked in my dairy - with social events and work...! Believe it or not its rather hectic! The 2 days after Hupps leaves - I have 2 evening party functions to attend. My friends have already offered their company, and my day's off are with them or I am doing things - just in case I get the "missing Allan blues!"

Well, like I always say - "Absence makes the heart grow fonder! Just hope the absence is not too long!"

Google Acquires SpaceShipOne?

2006-10-24T12:43:00.000Z

Just becos we were talking about Google the last few days, i thought i might as well add this article into this blog.

It was rumoured that Google has acquired SpaceShipOne and is putting it inside building 43 at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. No word on the purchase price, or if this was a donation, or why the ship is not staying at the Smithsonian.

SpaceShipOne made headlines in 2004 when it won won the $10 million Ansari X prize. To win the prize, aerospace designer Burt Rutan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen led the first private team to build and launch a spacecraft capable of carrying three people to 100 kilometers above the earth’s surface twice within two weeks. In 2005 Rutan and Richard Branson formed a new company to produce a new ship, called SpaceShipTwo, for a new spaceline company, Virgin Galactic.

Guess what, the truth is, Google bought a replica. See images.

With emphasis on yesterday's blog..

2006-10-23T14:05:00.000Z

Yesterday i blog about this future about the internet.. Today, i will give you another example of why i think the future is not really that fictional.. It could well be realistic pretty soon.

Headline: Amazon Sells Groceries, Tower Records Goes Bankrupt and Google buys You Tube.

What are your views on those Headlines??

Google EPIC Video

2006-10-22T14:29:00.000Z

Watch this epic video ( fictional yet realistic )

This video is well worth watching if you have not seen it. it predicts that in the year 2014, the New York Times has gone off-line- replaced by something called Google EPIC.

Sounds a bit creepy, but the implications are so real that it worries people..

What are the implications?
From my perspective, we will see more unemployments, lots of home based business, (online) lots of outsourcing including freelance writing, freelance designing, contractual work, purchasing.
Lots of rentrenchments.. lots of people finding the need to consolidate debts. Many people unable to pay their monthly mortgage repayments...

There are many things that i see, that many of you will probably not see, how realistic it is, depends on how u can feel it. A lot of signs are showing that the world economy is revolving around the WWW, and the dependencies of computers and the internet has proven its efficiency to modern city dwellers.

Just 2 days ago, on a local newspapers (Cardiff) we saw a headlines : " XXXXX store cuts 400 jobs. And all XXXXX stores to be closed. " Well, XXXXX store is actually a bargain store selling very cheap household products and gifts and miscellaneous stuff, they should have good business.. but they are in fact going down! Why?? I leave that to your imagination.

If you would like to know more about what i think cause the failure of this XXXXX store.. email me or simply leave me a message.

Enjoy the video.

Im Gonna Be Sent To Prison!!!!

2006-10-21T18:58:00.000Z

"What happened?"
"Why?"
"When?"

These are just some of the few words that people have said when I had to tell them that I will be sent to prison mid-dec... Some just stared at me blank... Whilst others just laughed and brushed it off with "whatever!"

For me, I'm extremely excited. Nervous but looking forward to the change of scenery! Oh no, dont you worry - Im being sent there to work! I mean, do you really think I'd do something criminal - exactly!!!

Well, when someone asked whether I'd be willing to work in a prison pharmacy, I thot to myself "Y not?" I'd be doing the same job - just in a different environment! I was told that I am not in contact with the inmates, but for those who I need to supervise taking their medication - I will not be put under any danger (sounds scary!!!)

I can sort of imagine the prison that we often see on TV or films... Inmates shouting back at you, guards with weapons... Ummm - maybe I've been watching too many films! Tell you all about it when I experience it :)

Fantastic Feeling!

2006-10-17T20:15:00.000Z

Have you ever had the feeling of doing something that you wouldnt normally do and then worry about it later?!?!? yip, that was me!

Today, I went out to shop for bits and bobs... Didnt plan to spend alot UNTIL I saw this most lush cashmere jumper...

My mind said *do I need it?*
Mouth says *Of cos u do - its winter and its freezing!*
Hand grabs the first of my size... then hand grabs all the colours of the same range in my size..
Legs go quickly to the till point and hand goes into the purse to pay

And all these actions happened b4 my mind kicked in and said *well, maybe one jumper is fine!!*

Worried? Nah... just a fab feeling! Now i sort of know what models feel like when they buy all of the colours of the same item!!!

Frens.... MWAH!!!

2006-10-12T18:47:00.000Z

*Ring tone*

All of a sudden I get a msg on my mobile and it reads "How was ur day chick - hope its been good. Miss u"

These kind of messages are great becos they always seem to come at the right time, out of the blue! I must say at times I feel that I am not very good at keeping contact - but I have promised myself that I would try better...

I will say, although we are all busy with are paths in life and we dont get to chat or meet up often - but when we do it's like as tho we never parted! Usually, we start with "so, what's been happening?..." It's great!

To my Dearest Frens (new, old and to-be's) - I just wanna say - thank you for being a fren of mine and for putting up with my weird, quirky ways... Pls know that if you EVER need someone to talk to, share your happy and sad times, or just be there2 hav a cuppa - come find me and I will ALWAYS try my best to be there...

Taking so many pills - is it necessary?

2006-10-08T13:44:00.000Z

This morning, actually every morning I ingest a number of pills!... pills consisting of:

A-Z vitamins and minerals (I have allergies to cow's milk and egg)
Omega-3 fish oils (for supple joints, circulation and brain function)
Evening Primrose oils (for beautiful skin & hair and to help with hormones)
Probiotics (to have the friendly bacteria in my tummy to digest the food)
Anthihistamine (to prevent my allergies from ruining my day)

Do I/you really need them?

You should always try to eat a varied diet - to meet your nutritional needs. Sometimes, vitamin/mineral supplements may help provide you with the nutrients that may otherwise be eaten in less than recommended amounts. If you are healthy and you meet your nutritioanl needs then a supplement may actually not benefit you!

For some categories of people - you will need to take supplements (for example, if you're thinking of becoming pregnant, you will need to take folic acid; older adults, people with dark skin, and people who get insufficient exposure to sunlight may want to consider taking vitamin D from vitamin D-fortified foods and/or supplements).

However, you need to remember that vitamin/mineral supplements are not a replacement for a healthy diet. In addition, not everyone can take supplements without causing harm to themselves - so please check first with your Dr or pharmacist.

Conclusion: Yes I need them! I take them because it makes me feel better (my joints, skin, hormonal and memory!!). Although, I eat a varied diet, I dont eat egg nor cow's milk and not that much fish - so, I think i will benefit from supplements. It may be an expensive "hobby" but that's the price you have to pay to look and feel great, and prepare me for my future years to come!

If you need more info visit:
BBC's Health
Medical-site

Blythe.... Umm - I think they're growing on me!

2006-10-05T20:45:00.000Z

Anyone know what a Blythe doll is? Well, I've seen their faces sprawled over many accessories, clothing and my sister owns one - but yet I didnt know they were called "Blythe dolls". To me they were dolls who had big heads and humungous eyes!!!

For some unknown reason - I decided to search the internet (shh - at work!) using the keywords "Dolls+big head"!!! because I kept thinking of these dolls and the pictures I have seen! Also, I was trying to think of something to get for my sis's 21st birthday - maybe I'll get her this doll cos she loves them! Or maybe now, for myself!!!!??!?!? ummm - but they're a little too expensive for a doll!!! Anyone care to buy me one?!?!? (",)

I still remember when I first walked into my sis's room and turned around to find this 28cm doll with its huge eyes staring at me... Oh boy did it give me a fright!! I must admit they first looked scary and then as I looked at more products - they actually look quite nice... But I must admit - some still look real scary cos of their hair-dos and clothes!!!
So what ya think? - Are you sharing the same emotions as me for these Blythe creatures/dolls?!

Today is Porsche Day!

2006-09-30T23:31:00.000Z

Hey Hey,
Just came back from the Porsche Experience, and it was a nice experience..
Drove 3 different type of fast cars.. They all handle really well.
1st was Ford Focus RS. .
2nd was Porsche 997 Carrera.
and finally the new Porsche Cayman S.

Before all the driving was the safety brief and introductions to circuit driving. Halfway thru the briefing, it sounded all so complicated and lots of things to take note etc... I thought i would be so busy being safe than enjoying the experience.. But it all turned out to be rather good...

3 laps each in a racing mode.. with instructor next to me watching my every move, will correct me if i ever did something wrong.. 0-60mph is about 4 secs!! (Yes, it was me driving it)... Oh yea, there are 6 forward gears in porsches, today i was allowed to use till 4 only.. becos the circuit is not that big.. and, at 4th gear, i was only able to bring it to 110mph, (178km/h) even though i feel that there are ample room for 130mph for 4th gear. Wow i can imagine how much u can do with 5th and 6th gears!!

Today not only did i get to drive my dream brand cars, i also learnt a lot of driving techniques with particular racing driving.... Hard on accelerator, hard on brakes, only brake on straight roads, overtake without using indicators!! ehaehaheaheahe...

Thank you my love for the gift (so what is for next year?), and Priya for attending this event with us, i hope she enjoyed the passenger ride.

Summary: It is nice to drive the porsches.. but would it be worth it to buy it as a road car? Muy opinion will be waste of money, if you cannot go beyond 70mph.. and it is a 2 seater... unless if we get the Porsche Cayenne, at least the speed and space is a good reason to buy it.

After the 3 hrs drive up to Mallory Park Circuit, i think it is worth it, do it again? Perhaps not, becos i rather buy my own and drive it in a circuit as many laps as i want to. :)

HI People...

2006-09-27T18:14:00.000Z

Just a quick update... Well nothing much really other than it has been busy with work work work.

Been to a little girl's birthday party last sunday, ( Siobhan ) and my oh my, lots of kids and food!
For the 1st time i actually gave Isabelle and Kien some lovely attention, quite a lot actually.. eahehaehaeh.. Spent most of that day, playing ard with these 2 kids, and in a way looking out for them.

These 2 kids amazed me. They sometimes behave in a manner which makes me wonder if they know what i m talking about. BTW they are under 2 years old. After spending a few hours observing them and interacting with them, it seems that we got closer, as a friend, uncle, brother whatever.. we just got closer.. no longer "hey stranger"...

Why did i say that? at the end of the day, when we were about to go, i was wearing my sandals and Isabelle, saw me putting on the right side, immediately took the left sandal and passed it to me. Amazingly nice!!

I love kids... can't wait for our children to start playing with us, but not yet... step by step, priorities are different at different stages of life.

Next... cars... remember the porsche experience thing?? Yess.... its the 30th soon and we will be going back to the Mallory Park Circuit again!! Wooooooo... can't wait for the heavy acceleration!!!

Will keep you posted.. Laterss...

Day 10: Business Class!!

2006-09-14T19:46:00.000Z

Up on the plane we were given even better attention. With a champagne to welcome you the moment you sit down, and a dinner and breakfast menu which you can select. the 3 courses for dinner were served one after the other, lots of leg rooms, leg rest, almost 180 degrees recline seats, a goodie bag, better blankets, a nice booster, personal TV and even the headphones have noise reduction function!!

To be honest, a taste of business class has made economy feels like a ride on a cramp bus. Hmmm... we definitely would love to travel in business class or even 1st class now!! Well, probably not now... in the future... definitely!!

The business jets feature 44 comfortable lie-flat seats that can be operated fully automatically. The 62-inch seat pitch and a seat back that reclines down to 175° ensure that you will be well rested when you reach your destination. All passengers have access to a DigEplayer, an interactive, portable audio and video player with an extensive, regularly changing selection of movies, music and information.Moreover, since all the seats are equipped with a laptop connection point, passengers who prefer to work during the trip will have ample opportunity!

Day 9: Time For Good Byes And Hugs

2006-09-13T16:59:00.000Z

Always the dreaded time of all holidays - the day to say goodbye.

It has been a quick 9 days at LA and our hosts, Auntie Cathy, Auntie Hannah and Uncle Titus has been very hospitable and kind during our stay at their place. Would like to thanks them here and no words can describe our gratitude during these few days.

This morning we started our day with Macdonald's breakfast!! It seems like Ansy really like the breakfast served in US Macdonalds. ehahehaehae...

Did some very last minute shopping to spend our US dollars and trying to get Daisie's mum's requests.. Thankfully managed to get them and went home to pack and left for the airport.

At the airport, whilst trying to check in, a Northwest counter guy refused to allow us to do a priority check-in and told us to queue up and after much fuss, he decided to check us in. Minutes went by and suddenly i was told that i m not allowed to fly into UK, becos i was on a visitor's visa for UK, i was required to show them proof of intentions to leave UK after this US trip.

Well i have the air ticket as proof, however i need to login to my email to retrieve them. So i asked the counter guy where is the nearest place to have internet access, and he said no where close (really beginning to piss us off). So a little bit of commotions and discussions (15mins later) he managed to get his superior to allow me to travel back to UK, and issued our boarding passes.

Checking the borading passes, we realised that the reserved seats that we had booked ( the 1st row of seats just behind the business class, which is very roomy. ) has not been given to us, instead of seat 10 a and b we were given 29 j and k. This must be not our day, we thought.. so i went back to the same gentlemen and gently remind him that our seats were reserved about a month ago via a phone call, and is this a misunderstanding, his reply was : "Your seats are 29 j and k, the one by the window with another seat next to it", i said u dun understand, we were given the reserved seats 10 a and b by KLM. His reply after that was, "Your seats are 29 j and k, the one by the window with another seat next to it, ok?"

Furious but maintaining our cool, we walked away and headed for another counter, and spoke to a nice lady whom explained the whole situation to us in a very polite way and told us that, maybe if we go to the gate and have a word with her in 60 mins time and she will see if she can sort out some better seats for us.

A bit disappointed we were planning to write complain letters to make ourselves heard by KLM, we thought we will not gonna have better seats becos according to Northwest, this is a very busy flight. Nevertheless, we went to the gate and waited for the nice lady to appear. 80 mins passed and we found out that our flight has not arrived yet, 30 mins delay, and the best part, our nice lday has not appear. We thought oh well, a scammer and thought nah... we gonna be stuck with our cramp seats. Little did we know...

"Can Mr Allan Tan and Miss Daisy Wong come to the podium please?" we heard over the PA sound system, so we went over to the podium... gave this stern looking woman our boarding passes and was told that we have just been upgraded to business class. Wow!!

to be continued...

Day 8: Universal Studios!!

2006-09-12T23:40:00.000Z

Today is supposely our last touring day for this trip and we ended up with a spectacular finishing with the reknown Universal Studios!!

Travelling to Universal Studios is a bit of a distance from home and we had to wake up really early so that we can beat the morning traffic and take the Metro. The Metro is actually really easy to use and very accessible if you want to travel from one end to the other in LA. We were glad that we had Uncle Titus to bring us to the Universal Studios.

At Universal Studios we learnt how they did the various stunts and blasts and also the mechanical and computerised graphics effects, that makes the difference.. A couple of joy rides and unfortunately a few attractions were not opened, like Jurassic Park and Fear Factor Live.

Nevertheless we enjoyed ourselves at the Universal Studios. We then headed home to pack our lugguage and prepare ourselves for UK....

Day 7: Venice Beach And BBQ

2006-09-11T23:02:00.000Z

We headed for Venice Beach, as Auntie Cathy suggested the night before. I spoke briefly about Venice Beach as it was recommended by a friend that you haven been to LA if you haven been to Venice Beach. So Auntie Cathy tookthe extra effort of checking about Venice Beach and managed to find out why it is called Venice Beach..

Nope, this time we did not go too near the water as we do not wish to get wet. So a slow stroll by the beach was good enough.

We also had a stroll by the Venice Canals.. took lots of pictures and saw quite a number of nice houses..

Towards the evening, we had a BBQ and wrap an early night to prepare us for tmrw's trip - Universal Studios!! WOOOOOOOO....

See you tmrw!!

Day 6: Sunday Church And Yi-Por's Jokes

2006-09-10T23:32:00.000Z

Sunday, was a very light and relaxed day for us. We went to a sermon and headed for dim sum with Yi-Por's God daughter, "Cook" jie-jie.. (pardon, dunno how to spell it).

The dim sum to us was ok, but they have a specialty which seems to be the major attraction, i mean, at least my love like it a lot!!

After the food we went to Yi-Por's house to chill a little. Have some fun and chit chatted about the good old days back in Hong Kong. The whole crew, Daisie's mum, Auntie Hannah, Auntie Karen, Auntie Annette and the rest of the group.. Sang some songs and the best part of the day was to listen to Yi-Por crack some jokes and some chinese tongue twisters... Unexpectedly fun day with an 88 years old lady... who must have found a weak spot in my heart.. ( reminds me of my 2 late grand mothers. )

It is unexpectedly to see her to be still very strong and full of laughter at her age, especially when she is most of the time in pain. Amazingly strong woman, i mean, this is the 1st time i have seen her but, my instinct tells me that she is a very strong and determined woman.

Seeing her gives me a very encouraging message - Always be strong and have faith in whatever you do. Never give up and never stop laughing.

What a day! Oh yea, thank you Auntie Karen for all the programming books and discs, they will come in handy one day.

Day 5: Sunset Blvd And Hollywood

2006-09-09T23:14:00.000Z

Woke up early today becos we were going to have a long day. Had breakfast and headed for Auntie Karen and Yi-Por's house. On our way there, Auntie Hannah, one of our hosts decided to show us her workplace, which is according to her is the largest single cemetery in the world. It is also considered to be the largest and most beautiful memorial park in the world.

The scenery were nice and indeed it has got a very huge compound, bigger than you could imagine. On the top of the hill, you could see a large part of Los Angeles, and i fully understand why it is so expensive and rationale for why people want to have their final resting ground to be at Rose Hills.

Soon after that we went to meet Auntie Karen and Yi-Por, and as proposed, we went for a quick lunch and went to Hollywood for a quick picture taking and touring..

Lunch was amazing at one of downtown LA's best/freshest seafood place. The food was simply divine! And thinking about it again just makes me hungry!! Yummy!!

Straight after lunch, no time was wasted as we headed for Sunset Blvd where we managed to see some Hollywood stars!! Yeah... the stars on the on the floor!! No, we did not managed to see any celebrities there.. just lots of wannabes... heahehaehaeh...

In the evening we then went to a Japanese Restaurant for a full-blown all-u-can-eat buffet!! Everything was so fresh, the oysters, salmon, crayfishs, prawns, lobsters, vege, desserts and so much more. I wonder if i have gained weight so far!! Not a care in the world.. Food glorious food!!!

Day 4: The Sun, The Sand And The Sea!!

2006-09-08T23:58:00.000Z

Heard lots about the California beaches.. Seen them on TV on Baywatch, and many other movies.. heard from friends and strangers.. And today is the day where we gonna have a taste of the Pacific waves!!! Cowabunga!!

Had some burger lunch at Jack in the Box down Laguna Beach and headed for the waves at Dana Point, Salt Creek Beach.

Finally the time has come.. with my super-see-thru blue BBall shorts on, i was prepared to faced the pacific waves. Out i went and woooooow, the water was cruelly cold (18-20 degrees C?), and the waves were rather strong, for an Asian man.

As you can probably see the pictures on the left, the wave absolutely rolled over me. And i went on to swim out to where the surfers are... I must be crazy!! Why? Read on..

Summary for the Pacific Experience:
It is not that easy to take on the Pacific waves without a wetsuit. Becos the water is far too cold for a normal person to stay in it for too long, i must admit that hypothermia almost hit me if i haven swam back to the shore. And with the waves and current so strong, i was pulled back to the sea when i was closer to the shore. It actually took me quite a while and lots of effort to try to reach the shore. And i ended up about 50 metres away from where i entered the water.

I won't say it is a near death experience, but should i have been in the water for a bit more longer, something dramatic might have happened. I rest for a full 15 mins before i could get back up to try again.

My advice for 1st timers: get a wetsuit and dun go too far until you are comfortable with the temperature and waves/current.

Day 3: Downtown Disney Land

2006-09-07T23:52:00.000Z

Disney Land:
"Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy."

Fantastic time... No matter what age!

Firstly we went and explored the Disney shops whilst we planned our excursion... so many things to do and not enuf time (u know what I mean?!)

Ansy and Huppy went on most of the rides whilst Auntie Hannah and I stayed on firm ground and laughed. Why would anyone wanna experience some crazy ride!?!?!? well, not me! atleast not the really scary ones! Hehehe... we managed 2 get Ansy on the Hotel ride!!! And I went on the most scariest ride in my life - Space Mountain.... Umm! I had my eyes shut all the way and missed all the beautiful stars according to Ansy! Oops nvm!

The shows were really good esp. "Honey, I shrunk the audience"!!! The 3 gals had the biggest scare in a long time and laughed uncontrolably!!

With the day drawing to an end and the parade in full flow - today was a memorable day....

Day 2: Up/Downtown LA... Family gathering

2006-09-06T23:10:00.000Z

Woke up early and embraced ourselves 2 face Uptown LA at Whittier... Ummm - not much happening - even the museum was closed!

So where next? Downtown LA...

Buses were easy, $1 will bring u from one end to the other - however it's not literally down the road (bout 1.5 hrs)!

Weather was fab with the sun beating down upon us... hydrate hydrate hydrate!

We arrived and 1st impressions were good... Beginning to orientate ourselves and picking places to explore from a pathetic little map, we ended up in the library!!! Well, we checked our emails and had our toilet breaks. So we continued our journey to the proposed destination of Little Tokyo.

To get there, we used 5th street and boy, bad choice - it stank (urine/ammonia/vomit/bodily excretions!) Apparently, it was the street which has alot of homeless people... But we got thru it, after about 10mins and brisk walking!

*Stomach grubbling* We arrive at Little Tokyo - what a difference - even the air smells nice! We decide to go and try some authentic sushi (made in US of A)!!! After that it was shopping time at the Japanese Village Plaza.

We had to leave Downtown at about 4:30pm to arrive home for 6pm... so whilst walking back to our bus-stop (choosing to by-pass 1st street instead of the smelly 5th one!), we passed Grand Central Market - Very trendy! We fitted into the scene by ordering some local smoothies!

We arrived home and then went out to visit my God Grand-Parents... Went to a Shanghai restaurant close 2 their home... Chit chatted and slept well late!

Clockwise from left:
Ansy, Auntie Hannah, Godma Cathy, DnA, Gong-gong and Por-por.

Day 1 of LA Adventure:

2006-09-05T19:42:00.000Z

You should have seen the views over the Canadian Mountains... The word to sum it up would be "spectacular"...

At last we have landed... DnA and Ansy arrive at LA airport... "Bring it on!"

What's the first thing we do?!??! Yip, hit the Starbucks 4 some caffeine - we have so little time but lots2do... and it should be our UK bedtime!

Let the adventure begin...

Porsche Driving Day! Well Supposed to..

2006-09-02T23:13:00.000Z

Hey hey...
Today is Porsche Driving Day, and we drove down to Leicestershire for a good 3 hours.. Weather wasn't that amazing with the heavy rain in the morning part.. 1145am, 15 mins away from the actual Porsche Experience, we went on to find the registration place. Finally found it and was told that they have no Porsche today!!!

"WHAT!!!?!?!!" We drove 3 hours down and there is no Porsche today!!! After much explanation and clarifications, it turned out that they had sent us the cancellation letter to notify us of a change of date. ( we did not receive it at all! )

Well, nothing can really change anything at that very moment so, we decided to postpone it ( 30th Sept ), and as a compensation, they offered us 2 passenger "joy" ride in a Subaru WRX or Ford Focus RS.

We thought well, WRX does not sound too bad... so we accepted it and went on downstair to collect our gift.. The most amazing thing happened!!

"Sorry, the track is closed down temporary due to an accident on the track. Come back in 30 mins time." We were like, ok, we got to wait for this joy ride too!! Not really our day is it??

30 mins passed and i was still trying to persuade my love to go on and try the joy ride.. now for those of you who doesn't know her, she doesn't like joy rides.. she cannot sit behind as a passenger at the back. So there i was trying to get her to enjoy the ride.. she finally agreed and went for it...

I went 1st and it was ok... taking corners at 70mph and 110mph on the straights.. it was ok... i flimed the 4 laps on a camcorder, but couldn't get it on the computer... but next time i will do it digitally..

My love went on next.. and when she came back, the 1st thing she said was, " I am going to puke soon!" opsss..

And so for the rest of the day, she was not feeling that well... all becos of that joy ride!! hehaehahehae... I drove the returning trip back home..

Well guys, sorry to disappoint you.. but do stay tuned on 30th Sept..
I see u when it comes.. GTG now.. See u in America!!

Snails Cooked!

2006-09-01T23:49:00.000Z

Today is the day we cooked the snails!!

As per blog post a few weeks ago, we cooked the snails the way Gordon Ramsey did it. Whilst cooking the fragrance of the sage and parsley was fantastic!!

Added to a bowl of salad, the snail mixture taste rather good. Our 1st impression of the taste of snails:

D - it taste funny.
A - it taste almost like gong-gong (aka Strombus canarium). A bit tasteless.

Overall conclusion:

We shouldn't be trying home grown snails for a long time.. only becos its not that tasty... the time and effort could be use somewhere else..

But it was a great experience, having to farm for your own food. And yea, there were some thoughts on keeping snails as pets, but they are not really that interactive, so it would be rather boring keeping them as pets!! hehaehaehaeh...

Maybe you can try snails farming and cooking too!!

All work and bored!!! Itching2go!

2006-08-31T20:27:00.000Z

My shift is about to end (9pm). The time is now 8:10pm and I've been in this place since 7:45 this morning... This is one of the most longest shifts that I do becos they dont split the shift.. But I shouldn't complain cos I get paid for it!!!

For some reason, my mind is not at work and I cant wait to leave!! Why? cos the weekend is gonna be fun fun fun!!!

Tomorrow - is my day-off and I will be visiting a friend that I have lost contact with. She is a dear fren that I knew from my childhood... If youre reading this Wendy - what happened to us?!?!? So sorry for not keeping contact - will do much better now :)

Also, tomorrow - i can at last, spend some quality time with my Huppy.... We're so busy with our work and projects and daily chores, that at times I feel I neglect him.. but he's been great and he puts up with my weird ways! Loves ya hupps!!

Then Sat will be Huppy's big driving day.. what do i forsee?!?!??! I think there will be a stall of the car!?!?!?!? I mean - c'mon, you dont expect to drive a really fast car with small pedals perfectly to begin with?!?!? You need to get used to it! I just hope it wont rain.. so that i can capture it on the camcorder!

Sun and monday will consist of working and then after my monday shift - pack for our hols.. Yippee.... can't wait....

Tell you all about it soon :)

Sorry Folks

2006-08-31T16:24:00.000Z

Sorry Folks for not updating on the blog, it has been rather busy these few days... secretly hiding at home to prepare for yet another project, rather intense.

Just some updates today,

i) the snails are in the fridge now, preparing to be cooked proposed date, Friday.
ii) this Sat will be the Porsche Day.. so excited!!
iii) We will be heading for LA in 5 days!!

Eventful soon!! ehahehaehaeh.... stay tuned!!

Carnival Time!!

2006-08-28T10:19:00.000Z

Today has been great fun. We went to yet again another hot air balloon festival thing, this time is native Wales.

It was a small one nevertheless an enjoyable one. We went with quite a few kids from Daze's mum's friends.

We pretty enjoyed it and had some fun with the kids. How we wish to do all these activities with our own kids... Soon....

Enjoy the summary picture.

Bring it on!!!! Wiggle those hips!!!

2006-08-26T17:41:00.000Z

Today I was listening to some music and Shakira came on the radio.... I just love the music and i just love the way she moves... So out of the spur of the moment I decided that I too wanted to be able to move like that!!!

She gave me the inspiration to get up and text a few frens and get our act together and find a mixed dance class!!! Why do dancing? keep fit, do something we enjoy and keep us flexible!! To my surprise, those whom dont normally exercise when i ask them to, were VERY enthusiastic!!! Hope we find a class so that we can M-O-V-E...

Take a look and enjoy!

http://www.videocodezone.com/videos/s/shakira/hips_dont_lie.html
(Shakira - hips dont lie)

Day 7, 8 and 9 of Snail Camp

2006-08-23T20:27:00.000Z

Hmmm, they are still having some black poo.. Carrot continues to be on the menu. Hope they will be ready by Sat or Sun.

Keep your guys updated.

Watch this space..

Day 5 and 6 of Snail Camp

2006-08-20T09:19:00.000Z

Nothing much changed, more orange poo and a little bit of black ones... So there must be some snails that are not eating the carrot..

Hence need to give more carrots and make sure all of them are eating carrot and pooing orange...

A few more days... heahehaehahe... when my mouth gets better too!
For some of you, i know you can't wait to see the finished products!!

Have you ever wonder what the taste would be like???

Hmmmm.... those who want to try them can leave me a message!!

Wisdom Teeth..

2006-08-18T16:07:00.000Z

I just took out my wisdom teeth, upper and lower right side. In fact they are sitting to my left on the computer desk..

After 1 and half years of wait, they are finally out of my mouth. It was a painless operation, the only painful part was the local anaesthetic injection, about 5 of them.

The surgeon and the nurse were very professional and they did the whole process in 45 mins, i m glad i got them. Thank you so much.

The next operation for my left side teeth will be a few months later, i can't wait to get rid of them.. They are nothing but trouble, whilst eating meat or bread, bits will get stuck in between the last 2 teeth.

This can lead to very bad decay which cannot be rectified by general dentist. The only solution will be to remove them. So gone is the "wisdom" in the teeth, there is nothing wise or smart about these teeth..

Hopefully the pain will not be that bad tonite and for the rest of the week.. Soft and cooling food only for the next few days..

Lots of rest too!! Well well, lots of rest...

Day 4 Of Snail Camp

2006-08-18T13:03:00.000Z

Day 4 Of Snail Camp, and the snails has begin to have orange bowels.. Very interesting.. However not all of them are having orange bowels, so gonna feed them carrots again, and see what happens tomorrow.

As i m typing this, it is time to go for my dental appointment.. This time its going to be painful.. extraction of wisdom teeth.. Oh no!! See ya later..

Day 3 Of Snail Camp

2006-08-17T11:50:00.000Z

They are given a quick clean up and fresh water, plus today is the 3rd day, carrots will be on the menu....

I saw some of them feeding and took a picture. I think it will be about 3-4 days before the next step.... which is to freeze them and put them to a long sleep.

Watch this space.

SnailsDay2

2006-08-16T10:20:00.000Z

Today is Day 2 for Snails Camp. And this morning, the snails were hibernating and not moving much. Just cleaned them and gave them new water.. The more i think about it the more delicious they seems..

I wonder if it will taste the same as gong-gong (aka Strombus canarium). I wonder if Andy will like it... Hehaehhae.. let's see how it goes... Can't wait..

Snails Eater!

2006-08-15T14:50:00.000Z

Today we decided to go ahead and try a new recipe obtained from Gordon Ramsey's Fword. It is going to be a daring and bold move, but we are determined and convinced that it is possible to eat our own garden snails!!!

So the 1st thing in the morning, after breakfast, we went to the garden and did some trimmings of the lawn and flower bushes and of cos not forgetting looking for garden snails. Managed to find quite a number of big-enough-to-be-eaten-sized snails. Daze was actually my QA ( quality controller ) telling me to not pick up small snails. ( YEah can u beleaf that?? She is more concerned about the size of the snails than i am, boy she must be hungry!! )

According to the recipe, we need to detox them for 2 days, so we will update you with the snail story everyday. Watch this space.

1st Chelsea Match - FA Community Shield Finals.

2006-08-13T21:58:00.000Z

It is our 1st Chelsea match together, in fact our 1st Chelsea match ever.. We went only becos Daze's bro-in-law, Kobe could get the tickets at a reasonable price, and it was the front row, which was excellent for photo taking.. The atmosphere was great and the fans were fanatastic, singing and cheering for their teams, LFC and CFC.

It would have been a better experience if Chelsea won the Community Shield, nevertheless a good overall experience.

CFC fans sing "One England Captain.... There's only 1 England Captain... One England Capppp tttain.... There's only 1 England Capppp tttain... One John Terry....... There's only 1 John Terry.... One John Ter rrrry....... There's only 1 John Ter rrrry....... "

Hot Air Balloons Again

2006-08-12T23:59:00.000Z

We are back again at the Bristol Hot Air Balloon Fiesta! The last time we went to that Fiesta was 2 years back. Wow, 2 years does fly by really quickly...

Looking back these 2 years, I think I have learnt a lot, ( still learning every single day ) a lot of new experiences and concepts. I guess that is what we call phases of life, which everyone has to go thru.

Let's take a look at some pictures.

At Last We Will Meet...

2006-08-03T08:35:00.000Z

Yipee.... We have just confirmed our air-miles ticket to meet my Godma in California.... And guess when it is?!?!? In a month's time... Only a 10 day affair but nevertheless 10 quality days, I'm sure. Although she has been my Godma from when I was a baby.. I have never met her in real..

We continually write letters, emails and sometimes talk on phone... but at last - we will meet... so exciting.

DnA will be travelling again! Cant wait :)

A Professional Service

2006-07-31T06:50:00.000Z

Remember awhile ago we went to a studio for a photo shoot?? We just went to collect it from the studio and boy, don't u think the picture of us look fabulous???

Comparing it to another photo shoot that we had in Singapore, this is so much more professional and brilliant... Venture gave us this beautiful shot, framed up nicely for free. The other just merely gave us a CD-R with 2 not so pretty shots + some rude comments from the image consultant. After these 2 visits to the 2 professional photo studio, i realised something:

A professional service (Venture) will lead to fantastic (returning) customers. Even though there is no benefit if you refer this professional service to your friends, you as a free trial customer feels good recommending this professional service too. Whereas a lousy service (not Venture), offering incentives for recommending it, does not make us want to refer our friends to it, purely because we do not want our friends to expose themselves to a lousy service rendered.

Moral of the story:

Always treat your potential customers as if they are your customers. If they are satisfied with whatever you offered to them, even though this time round they have no money to buy it, one day when they have the money, they will come back to you.

I learnt it from Cycle and Carriage ( Mercedes distributor in Singapore ). They treat all their potential customers as if they have already bought one. I think this is the respect in sales line that should be displayed everytime without fail in any sales or retail stores.

Birthday Present In Advance!!

2006-07-29T13:57:00.000Z

As some of you might know, my birthday is coming and whilst back in Singapore earlier on my love has hinted that she got me a birthday present and the present is in UK. After much guesses, i have decided to wait till we come back to UK to see the present.

Just received my birthday present after much waiting, and had the surprise of my life...
My love has just given me this wonderful present... to know more click on this link.

Welcome, introduction and briefing on circuit driving techniques ( COol )

3 demonstration laps with instructor in hot hatch ( Subaru if available )

3 driving laps in hot hatch ( What is the hot hatch? )

3 driving laps in Porsche 997 ( WOW )

3 driving laps in Porsche Cayman S ( WOW WOW )

High-speed passenger ride with a professional driver ( WOW WOW WOW )

Presentation of Porsche Power Experience Certificates

Individual driving assessment

Thank you my LOVE!!! ( Mwah, Kol Kowhp!! )

For a free porsche wallpaper please click here

"Army BBQ"

2006-07-15T03:16:00.000Z

Tonight was the "Army BBQ"... Oh no, don't worry DnA haven't changed occupation!

We met up with Huppy's National Service Army buddies at Ling's Condo... Preparing food was quite easy, I must say, cos all the guys were generally carnivores! Basically - buy meat and lots of it and it will be finished! However, I made salad for the 3 girls - the healthy option.
Chit chatted and had some fun cos it was nice to forget work and stresses and act young again, talk about the past and the present and then the future. Although this group is relatively new to me and they are from all different backgrounds - I enjoy thier company, love listening to their stories and watching my Huppy laugh with them. I hope the army group will forever stay bonded as they once were in the Commandos (",)

SuperStar Virgo Cruises

2006-07-13T04:38:00.000Z

Our trip on SuperStar Virgo Cruises 9th-12th July 2006... Stopping at Phuket and Langkawi....

To see more pics - click on the link below....
Super Virgo Cruises, originally uploaded by DnA (",).

Details of must do's: (we didnt do all.. but maybe next time...)

1)Phuket - Thailand:

a) Wat Chalong - Phuket's most famous and impt Buddhist temple

b) Wang Talang - Look&purchase local handmade souvenirs, gifts, Thai silk, pearls...

c) Sri Burapa Cashew nut factory

d) Patong Beach - Very beautiful

e) Traditional Thai Massage - Not for the ticklish!!

f) Off-shore adventure to outer islands of Phang Nga Bay (can experiemce caves, lagoons)

g) Natural restaurant.... Not in the tourist area - but very good value for money and very excellent traditional food.... 62/5 Soi Phutorn, Bangkok Rd, Muang, Phuket

2) Langkawi - Malaysia:

a) Underwater world - where you can see marine life

b) Langkawi Lagenda Park's Giant Eagle

c) Galleria Perdana (Prime Minister Mahathir's Museum)

d) Pulau Payar Marine Park - (swim, snorkel, dive with the fishes!

e) Kuah Town - shopping's galore

f) Tasik Dayang Bunting (Lake of the Pregnant Maiden) - Swim in the largest lake in the islands of Langkawi - but need to walk 250m of mid-hills!!! So be ready!

g) Pulau Beras Basah (The Isle of Wet Rice) - Another island where its beach has crystal clear water and pristine white sand - fantastic

h) Langkawi cable car ride - experience Oriental Village and ride to the top of Mount Mat Chinchang. From the peak you can see views of Langkawi, its surrounding islands, Taruto Island in Thailand!!

Slight hiccup day B4 cruise trip!!!

2006-07-08T13:14:00.000Z

*Fri 7th July 4pm:

DnA decide to be healthy and go swimming in the local outdoor swimming pool... Swimming lasts for 50mins.... I decided to leave the pool first and take my shower etc... When I finished I noticed lots of little red dots on my inner thigh but didnt think anything of it.... Bed time came....

*Sat 8th July am:

I woke up very itchy... put my glasses on... OH MY GOODNESS... my body was covered in this disgusting red dots... ok, let me help you picture it... Look at your thigh very carefully and closely. See all those hair follicles/pores? Imgaine those are all inflamed and red and raised... and that's the rash! My whole body was covered in this rash - except for my face (luckily) - or you wouldnt see me leave home!!!! Even my scalp was itchy!!! So i popped 2 loratadines and 1 cetirizine (Antihistamines -Dont try this at home!!!) - but No help.... So all day, ive been itchy and trying to cover myself as the sun seemed to make it worse.. so imagine.. itchy rash, but have to wear long sleeves/trousers or stay out of the sun - but where am I? Yip in sunny and humid singapore.... OH MY GOODNESS again!!!

Well, Ive been rattling my brain... what could the matter be? Allan seems to think that it was the Chlorine and chemicals in the swimming pool... He said he saw people cutting grass nearby.. so I assume the chemicals/grass or whatever has ended up in the pool and due to the chlorine opening up my pores has led to this reaction... Oh well, at least we're going on a cruise tomorrow to Lankawi and then Phuket... Just have to stay in air-con and avoid all sun for awhile!!!