Hate Being SICK!

Okie, I know no ones likes being sick but this is really terrible. Been down with god knows what over the weekend and played Doctor with my own prescription of Panadol, Clarinase, lozenges and Woods but sigh ....I am STILL sick ..so have to make the inevitable trip to the polyclinic. It was super crowded I tell u ... feels sick just sitting inside cos every now and then, someone is coughing and blowing their noses.

What makes it more irritating is my new company/colleagues are not too kind when it comes to absence like that . Especially since I am considered new. But it is ridiculous, a person is sick then must take MC right ??!! Such insecurity ... and I can imagine I will BE the topic during lunch time gossip. Can't pple just make use of their time more constructively ?? Medical leave entitlement is given for a reason, not just a show to staff that the org "cares". I am one who objects to any org who gives monetary rewards for being MC free. I agree it has its merits but many a times, pple come to work sick just cos they do not want to have that marked against them and in the process, spread the virus around to their colleagues! Totally irresponsible I must say.

In any case, some of you might have thought the fever has burnt some of my brain cells which has resulted in my raving ... fear not, I am still very sane ... except a little irritated cos of the work related sms I am getting . Arrggghhh ..... and its all under my personal account for your info .

Come to think of it ... maybe the above is the words of a hungry woman ....hahahaha .. time to make my bread soaked in tea ... I know its very ah Ma-ish but I can't swallow so cant be helped right. Short of mincing all my food like a baby ...hahahaha

Interesting Pics over the week

Freedom FINALLY .... *taken on San's last day at work* .... hehehehe

Message from WWF (not World Wrestling Federation lah !) : When trees die, animals die too. Liked the subtle implication cos we must love the EARTH ...

Gives a whole new meaning to 忍到脸青 .... bet Mr Vodoo feels all relieved on his "throne" now .. =p

Tit bits & Peppermint Peckers anyone ?

Who says one can't have FUN at work .. check out these toys I snapped in the Office .

Dedicated to one of favourite colleagues, BARBIE!!

Hi Barbie,
Just realised that it will be your last day tomorrow and I can't be there to give you my hugs and kisses and Hi Fives ... yes FINALLY !!! hehehehe ....

Will really miss you .. in fact have been missing our entire team lots for the past 4 months ... think my frequent emailing and gossiping attest to that ! = P

We were such a great team together & I can't ask for better pals like you girls. Love all those whacky moments when we made so much noise and our shrieks and laughter can be heard from all corners of the office (finally the long awaited peace has come now that we are all GONE). And not forgetting our growing mama shop with loads of turkish delights, meiji chocs, rocher, sour creams chips & etc etc etc ... remember our motto ...We live to eat & eat & eat ....hehehe

We'll definitely stay in touch cos you still owe me a picture of a pretty bride (hint hint) and so this is not goodbye but just see ya later !

Lots Love,
Hainanese United! Muack !

Breakfast For Dinner anyone ?

Yummm .. here I am munching on my cheese (calories ladden cheddar no less) on toasted multi grain bread (my redemption factor ... healthy what) accompanied by a nice cold cup of HL milk and oh, not forgetting my 3 blistery looking (dunno why it turned out with strange bumps) sausages ... cest la vie ...

In case you are wondering ... no this is not my bkf but my dinner for today! Guess I am one of those weird folks who likes to have bkf for dinner (you know, like cereals and oat and pancakes and toasts .. you get the picture) , fries dipped in Macs strawberry sundane, eats harshbrown with raspberry jam and thinks M&Ms with rice can be quite yummy. You think I'm mad too dun you .. admit it my friend ...hahahaha

To say that I am adventurous with food ? Nah ... I dun agree cos I am not the 1st in line to try weird ,and I really meant Fear Factor worthy kind of weird, food when I am overseas. Think the furthest I went was to eat fried grasshoppers along the streets of Bangkok (very oily and salty) & steamed sikworm cocoons (reek of ammonia man) in Korea. Pretty mild I would say.

Was just discussing with my colleagues who just came back from China on the kind of weird stuff she has eaten and apparently fried bees & scorpion are pretty good and she stop short of eating 田鼠 and dog's meat. Have seen signboards promoting cat, donkey, crocodile's meat and my uncle even tried monkey's meat which I thought was totally gross. Heard in parts of Msia, sparrows are BBQ and served... sigh ... always believed that some creatures are created not for human consumption.

Having said that, it is not only the Chinese(not being discriminatory cos I am a Chinese too) who eats weird stuff .. even the westerners have their own delicacies which I find it tough to stomach .

This article is pretty cool on both end of the spectrum so check it out http://www.maxent.org/ch/exotic_food.html

Wild Nite ... woohoo !!

NEWS HEADLINE : Too hot to handle .. 4 supposedly sober girls went wild and lost all inhibitions in a little Karaoke Room at Bukit Pasor !

Think thats not groundbreaking news ??!! Not when the dancing quartet comprised of *GASP* Ah ma ACBG doing her soy milk grinding dance moves , Retro Ms LS rolling her way with every beat, Flabbalious Wenz doing what comes naturally .... wriggling her flabby arms uncontrollably & Corny Monkey with her award winning transvesite impersonation coupled with a spinning Fusia Pink umbrella! What a sight to behold!

Yup, 1st hand witness, Ms cutie pie wannabe was reported stunned beyond words with the strange encounter and secretly video the entire "ritual".

Reliable sources have revealed that the quartet was last seen drinking some beverage which they claimed was hot honey (yah, as IF !) but suspicions are rife that there is more than meet the eye.

Interested parties who are keen to have a sneak peek of the video.. do drop an email to
WLL@youwish.com and special arrangements would be made.

If you are unable to reach me, this email works too ... its WaitLongLong@youwish.com

Skype is Great !

Am now on skype with Ms Monkey (yes , finally I managed to coerce her to download) and we are having so much fun chatting. Only thing is that she doesn't have a camera so she has the unfair advantage of seeing me in my PJs & messy hair ! No fair ... donch care ... tomorrow she MUST get a camera too !! hehehehe

For those who are not on skype, try it ... that's how I get to see my baby cousin & grannie over in China so often .....

Warning : This would also mean that you jolly well look good on screen lest SOMEONE starts critizing you on the flowery auntie PJ you wears!

http://www.skype.com/intl/en/helloagain.html

See this pic taken off skype of my cute cousin ...Jun Jun .... = )

Medieval Wedding

Awww ... am watching CNA on "I Do, Let's Eat!" one of my favourite weekend shows and its the final episode featuring a medieval wedding. So magical right ? And the groom and bride calling themselves KING & QUEEN along with homemade thrones with 12 ladies in waiting and 12 knights ...imagine that! And all the guests were gamely geared in medieval costume .. wish I could attend a wedding like that . Love thematic parties ...

And of cos not forgeting the most important part of a wedding .. the FOOD ! Yup, it was all done in medieval style along with a huge roasted pig (like our suckling pig) and the weirdest of it all must be the Fish & Fruit tart below ...and apparently the most delectable dish of the night !

Here's some pics I have taken from the show .. yup, I do love my camera ... = )

Happy Birthday Thumb & Index Finger!!

Just celebrated AC & JL's birthday with little monkey & LS and boy was it fun! They were so sweet to come over to my place cos they know I wanna watch over Belle so I "decorated" the place and bought little cute cups and plates for the occassion ..so adorable right ?

Baby Pooh .... almost too cute to use ...hehehe

My streamers all along the window .. with 2 sets of candies for the 2 Birthday girls

Our birthday girl JL being bullied by Ms Monkey..bet you have no idea what was going on right ? Next time you see JL, stare closely at her EYEBROW!

The 2 Birthday girls fighting over who should blow the candles of the cake ! Sigh ....

Well, not surprising cos my cake was soooooo pretty ....I added the decor okie .. M & M works wonders ... = )

And so, to pacify the two children, we made them pose together .. dun we all lup each other

And JL morphed into a giantic hamster ...bring me the HAY!

Now this is totally exclusive.... The One & ONLY time you see the sweetie pie in AC ! Kawaii !!

The fingers family (except our "wedding" finger who unfortunately cannot join us) doing a neo print shot...everyone says CHEESE ...

Just to let you in on a little secret, just a while ago before all these happened, a little LIZA invaded my hall and scared the wits out of me and AC. I admit, I am totally terrified of them and was the first one to run outta my house shrieking (there goes my usual composed self .. as IF !!hahahaha)when our heroine JL took the broom to chase it off the wall. Only thing was that she chased it towards me !! My god, I din know where to run and was hopping from foot to foot at the corridor ! EEEkkkkkk .....

My Birthday ....

Just in case you are wondering what happened to the pics of my own Birthday .. here it is .
It was held at my gran's place at Clementi along & they were so sweet to surprise me with my favourite strawberry shortcake from 4 Leaves and of cos ... FLOWERS from my little monkey !!hehehehe...

See my excited look as I open AC & LS's present ?? Its a really sexy looking necklace stand which I casually mentioned about in Oct/Nov last year !So touched that they remembered...

And of cos not forgetting the Ang Bao (which I extorted from AC !) I received on my Chinese Birthday. It was literally a red packet with a wonderfully sweet note & birthday bear ... awwwww ..

Taken outside The Animal Clinic@ Clementi while waiting for Belle to wake from her GA. Pardon me for the puffy eyes, were so worried and upset over Belle's condition that I was tearing while anxiously waiting for time to past. Thankfully, dear little monkey came to accompany me and cheered me up with this little surprise ...Friends, what I will do without them ... hugz...muack muack muack ...

Belle Law

Belle is now lying quietly next to her stack of hay as I speak. Can't help but take nervous peeks constantly just to make sure her breathing is regular.The past 2 days have been really tramatic for her and heart wrenching for me, with a regular visit to the Animal Clinic taking a turn for the worse, having to put her though GA and waiting a dreadful 60 mins for her to wake, witnessing her coughing violently & fluid spewing from her nostril to rushing down to Mt Pleasant Hospital last nite at 11pm ...I am tired but am sure it must have been worse for my piggie.

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Every cough increase my anxiety and make me wanna pick her up and hug her tight but I know that will only stress her up. So here I am, feeling pretty helpless and starring at her while she lies in her pee pen (yes, thats what she likes to do, strange right but prob cos she likes the warmth from her pee ....hehehe) and eye lids start to shut. Am suddenly gripped by fear of the unthinkable... what if Belle doesn't wake up ??

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To think abt it, it has been almost 5 yrs since I adopted Belle from Dawn. Though she is one problematic piggie, with mites infection, missing incisors and whats not, she is such a fiesty little dearie. Because of her mite problems she had to undergo at least 5 jabs over a period of 1 year and at each visit she will huddle close to me, still allowing the vet to adminster the jabs. I would be squirming and crying if the jabs were for me .. yes, I am a cry baby.

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My family always teased me on adopting such a "ma fan" pet knowing that I have been spending quite a fortune on her regular visits to the vet and buying all sorts of pellets and hay and snacks, just so Belle can try and decides which she likes best. But, I am very sure to every pet owner, their little ones are as precious to them as Belle is to me and no amount of money is considered wasteful or unneccessary. Their happiness is priceless ... = )

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For those who have been asking after Belle, thank you so much .... I will continue to monitor her condition and will bring her to the specialist on Monday (thats the earliest I appt .. sigh) to ascertain what could be done to her wayward molars that's causing her to choke on her accumulating saliva and food. As the previous vet warned me, it may come to a stage where Belle will stop eating altogether and I had to put her on a liquid diet. I hope that day will not come cos she loves her timothy hay and apples ...

Belle, when she was in a better state ... she looks much cuter in "person" though.

Overestimation!

I'm now totally bloated and taking a break to continue ROUND 2 (ting, ting, ting !) after our dinner while the 3 of them ( you know who u are) continues to down the humongous dumpling that we have enthusiatically made earlier. Here's a pic of advice, DO NOT allow Ms Monkey to wrap the dumpling cos it will end up as big as a CURRY PUFF with the ingredient threatening to burst outta its skin!


Now Ms ACBG is lying motionessly on the sofa with a tummy the size of a molehill...hahahaha ... usual posture for her after a meal man ... only am amazed how she manages to stay that petite!


Okie, here's a idea of what we just ate ... and its NO joke !!

Our HUGE pot of Pumpkin Fried Bee Hoon (its actually placed in a rice cooker to keep warm so dun be fooled, its really deep !) all inspired by a Taiwanese gourmet show we watched earlier this morning.

ONE of the many bowls of gigantic dumpling Ms Monkey wrapped ... yummy with lots water chestnut, carrots, chive, minced pork, prawn and pasley. Actually, there were 33 dumplings among the 4 of us ... quite a feat man... I am so full just looking at this.

The final product, our Dinner .... who says we can't cook ?! Looks pretty darn good yah. hahahaha

And of cos our "favourite activity", not watching TV programme on regular TV but watching the MOSIAC !! Sigh .... guess you know whoever holds the controller wields the power yah .. = P

Oh, did I mention that we had still had a box of durian puff waiting for us in the fridge .... *white flags waving * TOO MUCH FOOODDD ......

Cute Sells !

Guess this is old school marketing strategy but it sure works ... at least enough to attract me, every salesperson's dream ! hahahaha ... so here's what I found at the NATAS Travel Fair@ Suntec.Every (okie, most) girl's favourite character ... Hello Kitty@ the Japan Booth and I was not alone in the queue for some shots.hehehe ... only thing was that we were made to say "I LOVE HELLO KITTY" which was totally cheesy.But we did anyway ! hahahaha

More Japanese influences and a huge "Zao Cai Mao" spotted at another booth. Doesn't it look like a shrine of some sorts. Too messy and not tastefully done up I must say but for many, it was enough to stop us in our tracks for a second look.

An-yŏng-ha-se-yo !More cuties walking around the fair ...made me miss Korea lots more

Who can miss Beijing 2008 mascot Fuwa, Huan Huan, the Olymic Flame all decked in Fiery Red. Ain't he adorable ?

For those who do not know, each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.

When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games.

Check out their official website : http://en.beijing2008.cn/27/74/article212027427.shtml

Not to be outdone, Taiwan has their own "Ah Mei" look alike mascot showcasing Taiwanese aborigines .

And of cos somethings, FAME sells too ....HK superstar, Mr Jackie Chan spotted at the fair

Special Request

Alright Ms ACBG, here's the pics of our makan & mahjong session last week. And for the benefit of those who were not there, I did the COOKING okie! Yes ... Me, the lazy bum who's always surrounded by a family of chefs...hehehehe... I admit it doesn't look good here but think it was at least edible right ?

If you still can't figure what we were eating, we had pork rib watercress soup, prawn in tomato sauce, sesame chicken with mushroom and that bowl of dark stuff is actually Mei Cai (preserved vege) & pork. Oh, and not forgetting and I bet is the most yummy dish, Ms LSPT's contribution of asam curry fish head from Katong! Think everyone was thanking their lucky stars for THAT saving grace ..= )Here's a pic of our even lazier bums being punished for not helping in the cooking and setting of tables and had the "audacity" to sit around and "shake legs"!! MUahahahaha

And to train our fat and clumsy fingers, we had several rounds of mini MJ and trust me, mini was an understatement cos its sooooooooo small! Can you imagine a full row of 18 titles is only the length of a Swatch watch !

Here's an even more obvious comparison with regular tile which I managed to find.


So, more rounds of MJ continued with some looking extremely impatient where others confused over the choice of tiles to discard. Just to let in a little secret, you are looking at the MJ master here (among us amateur at least) and the most "unlucky" one who always fails to HU... = P
Now you know why is one impatient whereas the other is pressurized with a frown...hehehe


Anyone game for more training this weekend ?? Hint Hint .....


Disclaimer : No blood was shed nor money exchanged in the above activities ... just bloated tummies and aching backs ....

Ssssssllleeepppppyyyy

I know i must be out of my mind to blog while *ahem* at work but my eyelids are seriously going to shut and when that happens ... my little cubicles is gonna resound with my ZZzzzzzzz oink oink oink ...and that WILL be terrible right ? hehehe

In case you must be thinking"wah so free ah, nothing to do !" You are sooooooooo wrong !! I have tons and tons of work piling on my table (wish I could take a pic of my workstation but u know lah ... high security mah so cannot) but my mind is just conked out. Its one of those days when its mind over matter ... yes, mind wanna sleep....

In a couple of minutes, i will need to shine those pearly whites and plaster on my PR smile and give myself a big pinch to wake muself up for "Go Yoy" selling at the uni. What to do, a girl has to go what she has to do ....

Ms Monkey, i've decided to place your little gift on the wall of my cubicle and now everyone calls me PRINCESS ! hahahaha ... what a neat trick ... the next time round, maybe I shd put a sign saying "Money required" and maybe, just maybe , cash will miraculously appear !YEAH !

Choy Choy Choy .... Not for the faint hearted or supersitious

Okie I know that many of you reading this must think that I have gone off the rockers and am actually blogging abt QING MING !! Choy choy choy right ??? Actually I think it is all in the mind cos Qing Ming is really one of the events (or shd it be festival?) that Chinese folks round the world participate in to show filial piety and remembering our loved ones who have passed on.


Yup, so thats exactly what we did today. Usual yrs, it will start with us trudging to the temple at Bright Hill early in the morning (like 6.30 am! ) and mum had to drag me out of bed and out of my PJs definitely but this yr, we sleepy heads were able to convince our parents that "traffic" will be better later in the morning so I managed to squeeze in at least 3 more hrs of sleep.hahahaha...


So here are some pics taken ... all with good intention of our Chinese tradition...

Who can miss the ever present "Flower Auntie" who will not fail to convince passerbys to add more flowers to our offerings . As you can see, I snapped this REALLY quickly while she was preoccupied with her phone. Dun wanna know what she will do if she has seen my camera!

Bright Hill temple at Sim Ming Drive which was bustling with activities getting an early start to the Qing Ming Festival.

Our offerings consisting of fruits, vegetarian buns and noodles and of cos joss papers and all. After this, we went round to "visit" my great grandfather, great granduncle and uncle George. When I was younger, it will always spook me to step into the "house of urn" and I will hide behind mum, letting my imagination run wild but now that I've matured (hopefully), I appreciate the chance to pay my respects to them and hope that they are doing well.

With such great weather (love clear blue skies man), we decided to make our way to the other end of the island ....the Christian Cemetry at Choa Chu Kang. This was my first visit there and I was full of anticipation.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tranquility and I could even hear the birds chripping and leaves rustling in the wind. Colourful windmills were also seen spinning gayly in the wind and only one word could fully describe .... peaceful.....

Kids are a joy .... when they ain't yours!

Yup yup .... had tons and tons of encounters with kids this lunar new year & boy are they fun to play with .. until they started crying that is !hahaha ..

So here are some kiddos whom I've managed to coax with sweets and toys and the ultimate bait .. HONG BAO ! (from my mum of cos, me not qualified okie!) heheheh ...

So the lines are not open to vote who is the cutest .... dun mind getting some votes myself = P

Jerome, the naughtiest boy of the family but our little precious ... though he once made me ( & Ms Monkey)search the entire pool for his lost toy diving penguin like some sunken treasure ...

Our latest addition, Princess Alyssa, who was pretty anti social until she needs a pillow to lie on for her nap and guess who had the "honour" ... ahem ... I would like to think its because I cushiony???hahahah

Oh, not forgetting, little Miss Evangeline who was totally smitten with Uncle John (Auntie Rose's husband) till he had to hide in his study ...talk abt kids maturing early! = P

How can I miss out Mr Benjamin Bond 007 ?? What a cutey right ? Dun you just want to give him a little nibble ??

Which is what I attempted !!! Hahaha ....Yum Yum ....

Now this is Che Che Janna who insisted on wearing her Korean costume for house visiting ! Kids, never know what they are thinking ....hehehe ... oh, and that is poor Jaleb who looked absolutely helpless and overwhelmed by his sister's smothering love .... and yes, I did rescue him eventually ..

And my all time favourite, Baby Joey Jun in his make believe kangaroo pouch ... ain't he just edible ........ I meant, adorable...... hahaha ...