Happy New Year !!

A & E

Just came back from having spent 9 hrs at NUH today and I am really zonked out by now.

What happened was that at 12.30pm today, suddenly I received a phone call from Gran's home (which is like NEVER a good sign when one receives call from home during working hrs) and my Auntie was rattling off in a panicky and shaken voice that grannie has gone all soft and fainted twice at the dining table and she is at lost as to what to do next.

My mind went blank when I heard that cos I am extremely close to my grannie and I cannot imagine (and refused to imagine) the worst.

I swiftly grabbed my laptop and ran out of the office and sped my way home. Looking back, it was pretty scary the way I rammed my engine as I attempted to pick up speed. But good senses got the better of me and safety prevailed

Anyway, by the time I reached home, the ambulance has already arrived and gran looked pretty weak and in a daze when they wheeled her onboard. Since children are not allowed on the ambulance, we had to leave grannie alone with the paramedics (so sad) and my Aunt, cousin& I followed behind in my car

When we were at the A & E, grannie was quickly pushed into the room for doctors' attention and that is when the incredible waiting started. We waited for 3 hrs before a doctor came to speak to us and asked some questions and then the waiting resumed for the next 3 hrs. All these went on without us being granted any time with gran or any information on how she was getting along. The only thing we know is that she needs to be warded and is queueing for a bed space. Soon, concern turned to weariness and exhaustion and I was getting impatient

My phone was also ringing off the hook with uncle and cousins and mum asking for updates of the situation. Especially from uncle in SZ who witnessed the fainting incidents throught SKYPE

At 7.15pm, I finally gotten a call from the nurse informing us that we are allowed to see gran and we hurriedly made our way to the ward. It was a huge relief when we saw grannie sitting up on her bed and beckoning us to her bed . Colour has gone back to her cheeks and she was no longer breathless or weak like earlier on. She even managed to play with Baby Jun and related the fainting incident to us.Though we were all chirpy and making lots noise teasing each other in the ward about missing our favourite TV show (which is Little Nonya), I know that we are all putting up a brave front so as not to affect grannie

Though there is no confirmed diagnosis as yet(more tests need to be done), stroke or a heart condition may be the probable cause

I just hope that gran will recover really quickly

Heartland

I love walking around the heartlands, buzzing with activities, and taking in all the sights and sounds.

Here's an introduction to Hougang ... nearest town to Sengkang and one of my favourite place to shop .

Apparently there was some Karaoke singing competition and this uncle was belting out his tune with much gusto and was pretty macho man ....hehehe...Sand was staying this is a typical Karaoke pose to show heartache and angst ..hahahah


Kids enjoying themselves while their parents were glued to the Karaoke Competition. Yippee !

Always thought Malay barber shops are really cool with their crew cuts. Stylo SIA !

Sneaked up to a group of Ah Peks (oops, some lads too) pitting their skills at Chinese Chess. The hilarious thing was that when I took the shot, the Malay Barber (cos this was placed outside the shop) came out and this is what happened .

Barber : *Smiles* Why are you taking the picture ?

Me : Errr .. for my own keeps ...* smiles sheepishly*

Barber : You want to interview my boss or not ? See that young man over there in blue, he is the boss ... Oi Ah "XXX", this girl want to interview you !!

Me : *Panics* ... No, no, no .... I dun want to interview him ... Oh, Hello *waves to Mr "XXX" ...hehehehe

Barber : You doing school project ah ?

Me : Yah yah , hehehe .. thank you..... bye bye .. * scoots off quickly*

Hahahaha ... me must have looked "young" ...still doing school project ....

Found this at a traditional medicinal hall and wanted to get Sand to pose next to the bottles so that I can take the retro thermos flask but she refused (think she learnt her lesson in Bangkok..hahaha..ask her for the story the next time you see her) so it is ZOOM lens to the rescue!

Oh, who can miss out the newspaper auntie .. Ma Bui Po .....

A must have in most heartland towns, the towel & curtain shop. But sometimes the towels are not absorbent enough leh ...

A pity the shop was not opened ..have always been intrigued by the workings of the Dang Tian..

Muffins Galore

Was totally overcome by excitement when I saw this book at the book store and I grabbed onto it with my dear life! I have tried quite a few muffin recipes but none was satisfactory so was filled with hope that this will do the trick... *keeping my fingers crossed*

Of cos I was not alone in my baking frenzy ...had Sand Sand to help me and take my pics too (noticed how I LOOKED slimmer ...hehehe...Sand is a pro at that already cos I kept nagging NOT to take my fat arms..hahaha)

Anyway, it was a pretty simple recipe and we had fun baking & mixing ...

My final creation... Vanilla Chocolate Chip Muffins on my new pretty plate (see I told you it will come in useful... see my previous entry..hahaha)

Extremely pleased with how the muffins turned out.It is very unlike the typical buttery muffin (which bro likes so he is not a fan of this batch).

Instead, it tasted more similar to those muffins found at the coffee/tea joints & cafes with a milky after taste. Good thing was that it is neither oily nor overly sweet and would be a great snack during tea time.

Post Christmas Sale!

Yup, you heard me right ... Tis the season to be jolly cos the Post Christmas Sale is now On ...woahhhooooo...

Actually, what started as innocent window shopping (yah right, like who will ever believe that I will ONLY window shop??!!) developed into a full blown shopping mania at Aussino@Paragon.

I mean the store was huge (oki, me sua ku can, never been to Paragon outlet what..hehehe) and within minutes, the damage was done.

After 2 sets of bedsheets, 1 set of quilt cover, 2 sets of kitchen towels, 2 pairs of bedroom slippers, 2 sets of plates and an apron & mitten set, I was totally happy with myself. Yeah !!

So here's what my mum will says as SPLURGING but they are so adorable that I MUST have them ....= P

Princessy "fur"lined slippers is an essential in the bedroom okie...

Such adorable darlings ..Anyone for a cuppa tea & muffin?

花花one ... I like.....

Perfect attire for my new found hobby (baking!)

So... justifiable not ?? = )

Singapore Flyer

As part of Yi Ma's 60th Birthday Celebration, our family decided to go on the Singapore Flyer on Sunday. Though it was drizzling, we did have fun posing in the cabin(if that is what you call it) . More pictures later.

Here's the compulsory group pic we took which we of cos only paid for 1 copy and scan it for all.Hahaha

Work is Fun..sometimes!

Ok, for those who think these photos are familiar, you are right cos most of them are in my facebook (aka FB) too !

So why am I posting them here ? Well ...... this is for the benefit of 1 or 2 of my avid "reader" who refuse to have a FB account .. you know who you are !!hahaha .. but anyway, I love to yak so this gives me another chance to do so ...hehehe

So after 30 hrs of being on the plane and car, I finally reached North Carolina and that marks the start of my visit to our various plants along the East Coast.

I sure not bore you with the work details but it was really quite a good learning experience and maybe my next career switch could be overseas! Am entitled to dream right ?hehehe

Back to more fun stuff, true to my trigger happy fingers, how can I not snap pics as I go right ? For the first 5 days, I had to contain my urge to whip up my camera as we drove from places to places cos official duties mah ... cannot right ?

So when I heard we will be driving up to Washington DC for the weekend, I was over the moon ..finally some kodak moments!

This was taken in a considerably wealthy estate in Greenville, North Carolina. It is really a huge house with pool and yard at the back. In fact, there is even a personal driveway to the house.Not that we stayed there, I wish.

These mall signs were seen in every state, though the shops differ.

Oh, my new found friends since they accompanied me almost at every breakfast ...with the exception on Apple Butter which I think is an acquired taste.
This is my favourite hotel, Best Western Old Colony Inn in Washing DC.Greatest thing about it is that they have a common pantry fully stocked up with all kinds of cookies, instant noodles & soup,cereal bars,chips,chocolates,candies etc. There is even a coffee machine and the fridge is filled with juices, canned drinks and bottled mineral water.No guests will even go hungry in the middle of the night.

Though this concept will never work in Asia especially Singapore !hahaha

I did my laundry there too and I was delighted with the little cover note they placed. So endearing to see "I LOVE OUR CUSTOMER" .. oki, I am a softie...

Oh, you know what is in the little bag with green words ? I actually left $50 in the pockets of my jeans which I have sent for laundry and it was returned in that little bag cos as it says "WE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR POCKETS BEFORE CLEANING" ...awwwww ....

Time for a diet .. can hardly see my shape ... or whatever is left of it.hahaha

How explicit !Yes... NO CASH INSIDE

For those who remembers...WENDYS with their yummy burgers.I managed to grab a burger there and was served with a square beef patty along with the bun. Din recall we had that but maybe I was too young then to recall.

We were craving for Chinese food so Chinatown here we go.However, was disappointed that the Chinatown in Washington DC is but a few shops along 1 street.Anyway, dinner was settled at FULL KEE where we tucked in to roasted duck,fried french bean, tofu etc ...

One of my colleague who is familiar with DC brought us to this interesting seafood market on a floating platform.Yup, all the stalls are on a platform that goes up when it is high tide.
Here is how it looks like at low tide.When the tide comes in, the stall will be raised up. Cool right.

Here's the scrumptious seafood ... Alaskan CRAB !!
A must see in DC ... the Abraham Lincoln Memorial.
Was overcome by a wave of emtions as I stood before the statue.

Korean War memorial - Freedom is not Free

Spotted this cute Daddy... oops, cute Tee I meant ...freudian slip..hahaha

Flags standing tall while guarding the WWII memorial

A little break for the tourist (there were like bus loads of them!) Duck Tours!!
LEESBURG CORNER ...the outdoor mall where I went crazy trying to shop within 3 hrs. So many shops... so little time! My only real shopping for the entire 10 days.Quick quick quick ...
My archilles heel ....I had to restrain myself from cleaning off shelves after shelves of bags.And at the end of the day, I only bought 2 for myself.Sigh .... all becos of official trips ...hahaha

Finally after 1 full day of sightseeing and shopping madness, we decided to indulge in comfort food. Fried kway teow, wanton noodle,rendang etc .. SEDAP !

Ok, if you ever crave for Malaysian & Singaporean crusine,go look for the restaurant PENANG. Heard they have branches in several states but the best is in Washing DC.

Before you think that I have another entry on day 2 sightseeing, you are so wrong cos the next day we had to drive 4 hrs to Pennsylvannia and the work starts again....

Burnaby Mountains, Vancouver

Sigh, if you think this entry will be filled with pics of the beautiful Burnaby Mountain Park, you are so wrong cos it was RAINING HEAVILY on my last day in Vancouver !! SOb sob sob ....

Was totally disappointed cos I was only in Vancouver for slightly more than 2 days and 1 day was already spent in the plant for my official duties so that left the last morning before my flight at 2pm.

Woke up to a chilly morning (though it has been raining since I touched down the day before) and was keeping my fingers crossed while my colleague drove us towards the mountain.

As we ascend the mountain, the rain began to pour even heavier and all I could see was huge raindrops running across the window pane.Arrgghhh ....

Was so looking forward to the view cos apparently it is known to have a spectacular view of Vancouver, Richmond, and the harbour and mountains. Reason why Canadians do not want to leave ... I mean would you leave if you can ski, trek and kayak all at one place ??!

So in order to console myself, I decided to dedicate an entry (with pics from various sites) to the view which would have taken my breathe away....

http://www.greatervancouverparks.com/BurnabyMtn01.html

My First Encounter with Krispy Kreme!

Here's my first encounter with the much talked about Krispy Kreme donut...
Was wondering the neighbour since we ended our meeting earlier and gotten it from a supermarket just 2 blocks away from my hotel in Alexandia, Washington DC.

YUMMMY !!!There goes my appetite for dinner....

Durian pig out at Olympics Party !

It was with great anticipation that I gathered (ahem... coerced more likely..hehehe) some of my buddies at my place for a Olympics Party ! Ok, I admit, I was the only one who was SUPER keen to watch the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony 2008 and I can;t possibily watched it alone right?!! = P

By 7.45pm, I was frantically jamming Sand & Ler Ler's hp and reminding them not to miss the miss the magic hour ... 8.08pm on 08.08.08

And the ceremony did not disappoint one bit. Our eyes were glued to the screen from the first minute and I was shrieking in excitement and oohing and aahing at the wonderful display of colours, discipline, technology and the whole ingenuity of it ... Kudos to China

This is one of my favourite scene ... love the gravity defying folks effortlessly skating round the globe. Way cool boy .

And the highlight of the ceremony has to be seeing our national flag entering the stadium but it sure was a LONG wait. We were like the 186th team or so and I even fell asleep while waiting ...hehehe ...ssssshhhh ....

Nonetheless, my heart was swelling with pride when I spotted the familiar crescent and stars and was jumping up and down in joy.hahaha

So where is the durian party you say ? Here it is, all 5 boxes in all ! Enjoy our pics ! YUMMY