Christmas in May

For my family, that is.

I'm going back to Manila tomorrow and I just couldn't resist buying things for them.

It's 12:12am, and I haven't started packing yet. Maybe in an hour, I'd start to panic, but not for now.

My flight is at 940am.. so I have to be in the airport at round 8-830am, which means I have to leave the house at 745-8am..which means I have to wake up at 715am.. Okay.. it's starting to sink in that I actually need to start packing (and panicking) now.

Welcome to My Bus

At around 1110pm tonight. I, and I alone, got onboard bus 159 going to Seng Kang.

Wow, I was the only passenger.

It's not nice though, I still prefer having people around.

How I Helped My Anti-bodies

In an effort to help my body combat the virus, I ingested some food that are said to be good for the body.

I took: Pear, water, cheng tng ( a cooling dessert with gingko nuts, white fungus, longan, barley, some thing clear with black dots and I think red dates).

I was also supposed to buy herbal jelly (recommended by a friend), but I got out of the office at 10PM, and all the stores were closed already.

Long Time No Blog

Wow, the last time I wrote in was May 21? Whatever happened between May 22 to May 27?

To summarise, I had the flu on 21 May, but it got a bit stronger (the virus) and me weaker on 22May onwards. By Saturday, I was okay, but the virus came back again on Monday. Which lead to my theory that my office and my job were the actual 'virus'.

I had the flu shot 2 years ago, and ever since that shot, my body has become more alert such that whenever there's something, a bacteria or a virus, it gets up and starts a war with them. In short, whenever the virus is there, I'm always caught in between. Like I feel sick that I want to just lie down in bed, but I'm not sick enough to declare that I need a medical leave. Sigh.

So far, this latest virus-against-anti-body war has been the longest. Normally it just takes a couple of days.

My friend told me to cheer for my anti-bodies.. so here it is:

Go go go, fight fight fight! (er I'm not much of a cheerer)

I'm going back to Manila tomorrow, I can't be sick or else the temperature sensor at the airport will capture it. I don't want to be quarantined!

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas, Mabuhay!

I went to the Philippine Embassy today at Nassim Hill (the far far and hidden part of Nassim Hill) and noticed some enhancements.

Wow, the embassy now has a queuing system, and it also has a flat screen tv which was turned on to display a blue (and blank) screen. Wow.



Oh, and the vending machine looked new (or freshly cleaned), plus they added a magazine rack and 2 medium sized Toyomi industrial fan.

Hooray! atleast there are improvements.

* I went there to get my OEC, exit pass, because I'm going back to Manila on May 29! Hooooooray!

My "all-the-hawkers-are-closed-so-I-can't-get-a-decent-meal' Dinner

I left the office at 9pm. By the time I got out, most of the hawkers were already in the process of closing, if not already closed.

The only ones still open were fastfood joints, so I had no choice but to choose one. Tonight, I decided to eat at Burger King in Toa Payoh.

I ordered their new Tendercrisp Chicken Burger ('spicy, juicy and tender chicken thigh fillets') Meal for SGD5.95. It was still hot when I started to eat it, and did I get a shock! When I bit into the chicken fillet, the oil from inside the meat oozed out and spilled over my lips. Aaaaaouch! But anyway, I continued to eat while removing the trans-fatty mayo and some of the flabby chicken skin.

All in all, not bad, but not good either.

After I ate, I suffered from a semi-major (or major-minor) gastric pain, probably because I only had a few mouthfuls of beehoon and a cup of milkshake for lunch (didn't have time to eat, didn't feel like eating too). So while waiting for the bus, I was hunched over while trying to find a position that won't intensify the pain.

When I got to the bus, I was a bit better. But on the way down, my nose suddenly dripped. Dripped with blood! Oh cmon, all these in just 30 mins. Geez.

I stepped down the bus, and I'm not sure if the other girl saw my nose. If she did, she probably would have been scared, seeing somebody walking with blood dripping down.

Milk Jar

Literally, I have a milk jar in the office. Originally, I planned to prepare myself a glass per day. As always, it gets busy and I couldn't even get myself a glass of plain water, much less take the time to prepare milk.

Oh Toto

My first ever Toto, which I bought at Lucky Plaza after my smashed pomfret lunch at Ayam Penyet. (1 dollar for two boxes. You have to choose six numbers in one box)

The draw was on the same day, but I only got to check the results today.

My dreams of becoming a millionaire have crumbled. I only got one number correct -35.

My Coke, My Drug

I drink coke only on 2 occasions, on super rare instances when I crave for it and when I want to pursuade my 'cycle' to hurry up and start already.

Sunday Mini Pigout

Sunday is all about eating...

Lunch at Pizza Hut, Compass Point.

Dinner at Bosses Restaurant in Vivo City. A very posh Chinese Resto - Szichuan Garden Greens with Crab Claws, Hot & Sour Sharksfin Soup and Xiao Long Bao (super soupy).

Que Horror!

It's been my habit to reread my past entries to double check on what I've written...

..and I know now- I've written a lot of grammatically incorrect phrases and wrongly spelled a lot of basic words. Oh no! oh no! oh no!

Saturday Night Live

Last night, my friend made reservations in Partyworld KTV at Liang Court.

They were supposed to sing (and I, listen) last Saturday but what do you know, the place was packed, the next available slot was at 1am, and it was only 9pm then.

We checked other KTV outlets, and it was the same thing- either it was 12mn or 11pm.

So around mid-week, my friend secured a slot for us.

-

We had dinner first at Clarke Quay. Since my friend was craving for paella, we went to this place called Tapas Tree (Tapas Y Vinio). We had:

Cheese croquettas - Yummy!

Asparagus wrapped in bacon - So so

Leche flan - So so (but not worth it)

Churros - Not good! If this is what true churros tastes like, then I'd stick with the ones from non-authentic Spanish restos.

Paella de Valencia - It was good, although still moist (maybe because they were in a hurry to serve us after 40 mins of waiting time!) and there was non of that toasted-rice feel and taste to it.

The damage: It's SGD40 per person. SGD120 in total.

The rating: 3 spoons. Probably won't visit a second time.

-

After dinner, we went to Partyworld KTV where I listened to live music, from my friends and from other people at the room near us (it's not even mildy soundproof).

I sang one song, I think, and hummed along to the others. I really don't sing, and I'm okay to just listen and sing along silently. Honestly, the mic scares me!

Damage: SGD26.50 per person for 4 hours.

Tips for Travelling Ladies

From my past trips (only 2, ahehehe), I have gathered some valuable travelling tips:

1. Bring tights instead of jeans. It's so much lighter, space-saving, easy to pair, more comfy and can be re-washed in time for next day's use (in case of a wardrobe emergency).
2. If you're going to hot hot places, buy sunblock with SPF130 (or I think more), they have it in travel size in Watsons.
3. Bring a scrunchie or a hairband. Your hair is your crowning glory, but it can get super irritating when it's hot.
4. If where you're going to is rainy, might be a good idea to buy a disposable raincoat, instead of lugging around an umby.
5. Bring a nice shoulder bag with a spacious inside. Preferrably it shouldn't be a leather bag so that it doesnt get sticky when you perspire.
6. Bring a small calculator along, to help you compute for the conversion.
7. Put your passport in a nice envelope, together with your other travel docs. That way, it doesn't get messy inside your bag.
8. Bring menthol rub and headache medicine especially if you're going to sun-exposed places.
9. Bring wet wipes.
10. If you perspire a lot, bring a small container of powder to refresh you throughout the day.
11. Bring your sunglasses.

Beehoon for Breakfast

For my fellow Pinoys, this may sound weird. To be eating beehoon in the morning.

To be honest, the first time I tried it, I experienced 'peh' or the feeling of having the food stuck in the passageway between your throat and your diaphragm (sorry, not sure, but you get my point). Ofcourse I eat beehoon, but not in the morning!

But then, a few more tries and I began to like it.

Now, I tend to miss it.

Everytime, I tell myself to wake up earlier so that I can buy myself a packet (an order) of beehoon.

Yesterday morning, I was earlier (9am at the Toa Payoh mrt station), so I passed by Old Chang Kee to buy white beehoon with spicy string beans, sunny side up egg and their famous chicken wings.

Wah! it was super nice. I liked it! A great breakfast to start the not-so-great day (because there was a pending issue at the office).

Cambodia Keyring

An officemate gave me a keychain from Cambodia.

It's actually meaningful for me because it's something I didn't buy when I was in Cambodia.

So now I have a Cambodia Keychain =)

5 Dollah Voucheh

With every SGD100 purchase using HSBC credit card, Isetan will be giving back a SGD5 voucher.

So what I did was, I bought a pair of white socks (to wear with the new pink sneakers I bought last week) to bring my bill to a hundred.

Then, I got my 5 dollar voucher.

A shopaholics way of thinking. Oh dear, I have fallen prey to their marketing tactic.

The Perfect Black Bag

Here I go again... shopping when I should be saving money to buy a bed and mattress for my new room (I'll be moving to a new flat in June).

It was my lunchbreak and my boss and I went to the sixth floor of Shaw House to eat. Thereafter, we checked some sale items in Isetan. I was able to pass up an Agnes B bag which was on 40% discount. The original price was about SGD215.

Then we went to the first level, which had more everyday-bag brands - LeSportsac, Lacoste, Hedgren, Kipling.

Then I saw it! A very nice Hedgren black bag, which seemed big enough to fit in all the things I would want to bring along everyday - wallet, cellphone, vanity pouch, iTouch, book, camera.. and it was down to SGD93! (I was told it used to be around SGD159, and the design was only six months old).

I was trying to resist the temptation, then my boss said "When else will you buy these things if they're not on sale?". That was all the persuasion I needed, and so I asked for a new stock.

It's so nice! I love it!

Graffiti Cafe

The stressed feeling followed me through dinner..

I didn't really feel like eating, but I knew I had to or else I'd be suffering from gastric pains tomorrow morning.

I went to Far East Plaza to look for a place to eat, but the sight of the usually appealing food stalls drove me away instead of welcome me in.

Then I remember seeing a new restaurant at the basement, so I went there.

It's called Graffiti Cafe because there's graffiti on the wall. Plus, you can write on their tables.. but using Whiteboard Markers. I guess they should have named it 'Whiteboard Marker Cafe' instead.

Anyway, they were only selling wanton noodles soup / wanton soup and some desserts. It only differs with the sauce. The must try was the chili and black sauce, which I ordered. I also bought green lime juice, which was super yucky! It smelled (and maybe tasted) like toilet cleaning liquid in 'Lime Scent'.

The wanton itself was just okay. Noodle was just okay. Pork was just okay. Overall, the dish was, well, just okay.

Not something I would miss and go back to.

Dead (Wo)Man Walking

Have you ever experienced being in a stressed-induced-dazed state?

When you're just walking around, deep in blank thought..

When you know that something is about to blow up, and it's just a matter of time..

When you know that there's money involved and you won't be paying for it in cash, but in exchange, you have to forego having peace of mind ..

Oh well, maybe not. Maybe just bankers directly dealing with client's money can relate to it.

This is the reason why sometimes I hate being in the banking industry. Specially since I'm in the service sector, where it's prone to errors.

In fairness to me, I have about 65% (or more) right to point fingers in this instance. But I'm not like that. In any situation, even if it's really not my fault, I would always think "Maybe I could have done something to prevent it. In that sense, I am also at fault." My conscience is driving me nuts!

Really, in banks, it's a dog eat dog world. You have to be tough, be fast(in pointing fingers) and be confident(when you point your finger) or else the blame will all be pushed to you.

Thankfully, my colleagues are doing that for me (because again, I did do my part, something just happened during the process). But still, I'm stressed about it.

To try to combat that awful feeling, I treated myself to lunch of juicy charbroiled burger from Carl's Jr., paired with natural cut fries dipped in chilli and salsa, washed down by cold lemon iced tea with fresh lemon wedges.

Sounds yummy, but I didn't enjoy it.

I Love my URS

I love my URS sandals sooo much!

It has been to the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

It's one of my most durable sandals. To think that it looks flimsy, with just a few strands of leather criss-crossing with each other.

It's cheap (even got it during the 2 week sale), light, soft(because the sole has cushioning), cute and durable.

It comes in this color, and pink.

I love it!

Happy Birthday to my Hunny (May 13)

Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!
Happy Birthday !!!!! Happy Birthday !!!!!

Oh! Still in Vietnam... Super Cute Pups

Awww...

Awwww...

Awwwww...

The Museum in Phnom Penh

What you see is what you get...