in retrospect

back with more pictures!

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:20:21 GMT

as promised, pictures of my estate and phoenix shopping trip! :D

this is what i see everyday when i walk out of the house :)
heart the blue blue sky!

along the walkway to the main gate...

this is how my estate looks like. heh heh. im living on the first floor. over here, there are pros and cons living on the first floor. i need not tread softly in my own house, as no one will complain about loud footsteps. but when it's summertime, i will suffer with the creepy crawlies in my house! :(((

some random trees surrounding my estate

wanted to take more shots but i saw sam and jas waiting for us in the car. so i had to stop :(

on the highway to phoenix. this is what you get over here.

decided to camwhore a lil'. the journey was an hour odd okay!

ah heng got restless too. after his psp games.

and the sacred 4-lettered word never escapes from my eyes! muahahahahhaa!

and we finally reached phoenix!

arizona mills!

the interiors. it looks like the mall that is near my house though.

these apples looked so lovely!

close-up shot

care for a poisoned apple? (remember the movie "Enchanted"?)

we chanced upon this rainforest cafe, which ah heng claimed that it is commonly found. not an unique themed cafe :(

the crabs here look different from what we have in singapore. they have really long legs. and don't expect to see fat pincers. :(

ah heng in action with his crab legs

and now, my loots of the day:

1. hair dryer. i needed this BADLY. couldn't stand having dripping wet hair when i was out of the shower.

2. Victoria's Secret!!! honestly, this is every girl's haven! muahahaha, jas and i were sucked into this store for an hour! :X
i got 2 bras, 3 undies, 2 body lotions, 1 nail polish and 1 eyeshadow. total damage: USD 78

waiting for my angel card to arrive though. heehee.

3. kid's sized tee from old navy. this is a steal - USD 6! ah heng was complaining that it might not fit me at all. hohohohoho, i'm not that fat ok! and this is XL from the kid's department :D

4. 2 pairs of jeans from pacific sun, and my, they cost me USD 30! :)))
it's a brand called bullhead, and i so love their cut! they even have 3 lengths for the jeans can - long, regular and short.
and of course, i took short. hahahahaha! and they fit well! no need to alter at all :D

well, i didn't spend that much, but ah heng was already nagging at me. :X
he pampered himself too, with 1 pair of oakley slippers, 1 pair of kenneth cole slippers and belt. don't ask me why he's stocking up on slippers.

okay, off to unpack my luggage and make soup for dinner!

a walk down the memory lane...

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:35:54 GMT

i finally have the time to edit the photos proper, and upload them here.

it was 17 december 09, and the day started off as ah heng and i made our way to hdb to sign the agreement.

my cpf account shrank that very day.

anyway, we met up with jen at maxwell food centre for some local foodfare! :)

and ah heng left early to meet up with hs friends. while we both strolled to ann siang hill, which was a stone's throw from the food centre.

and then, we sat down outside a cafe to "celebrate" my birthday. :D
oh man, we are always doing all the romantic stuff!

we got the cakes from the patissier! droolworthy!

i pretended that the candle was lit, and i made a wish :D
jen bought me wonderful gifts - a lovely pink winter coat, an apron with my fave My Melody and a cute speaker in the shape of an apple!
thank you hons! i love love love the pressies very much! xoxo

and our last destination was mint, the toy museum.

there were 5 levels in all. goodness. we had always thought that there was only one level to explore! :P

my momo's fave character - betty boop!

"sis, i just wanna say a BIG THANK YOU for everything that you have done for me! was trying hard to hold back my tears that day when i read your card. i feel your love and goodbye is the hardest word. i look forward to every webcam session with you!"

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and the day moved on to my meeting with the Bimbims!

we had hot pot at liang seah street, and desserts at ah chew's!

folks, just a reminder, NEVER order chicken wings from their menu. they are not cooked, and it's strange to cook chicken wings in hot pot.

left: the culprit that made me tear (footage of all the photos taken during this decade)
right: yuru brought us these cuties from hongkong!

sorry, i looked crappy in the photos taken before i left. very tired from packing, and definitely not smiling heartily.

phew, i'm done with the uploading! heehee.

shall upload the photos i had taken at phoenix tomorrow. gotta start unpacking my clothes now that i have the hangers. :D

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some honest ramblings: i somewhat dread when friends say i seem/sound/am happy over here in US. i guess it's not that i am truly feeling it this way, but it's more like a no-choice situation. what can i do besides trying to cope and grit my teeth to weather this? i can't possibly sound all weepy when i call my friends. they can't do much for me anyway. i chanced upon a gf's shoutout in facebook. and i totally agree with it. nowadays, folks mistake companionship as friendship. true friends are the ones who give you anal comments and make you face the harsh side of life. and some simply brush you off with their non-commital remarks.

okay, i am beginning to sound cynical. ha!

on my way to being a desperate housewife...

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 11:12:21 GMT

irashaimasen! i can tell the folks that i have been to japan....... her airport :P

was transiting at narita airport. you should have seen the horrendous queue!

and after a day of flying, we finally reached tucson, arizona.

cactuses greeted us. and i tell you, they are EVERYWHERE. big/fugly/puny/in all shapes and sizes

loading our luggage onto this truck

as you can see, i was not helping out with the loading :P

and we got to enjoy a 3-day hotel stay before moving into our own apartment! okay, not as rosy as you may have reckoned, as we were rushing here and there to settle stuff. hectic.

i took this as i liked the colour of the sky :P

t-mobile! got my cellphone here. F.O.C. wanted to get a sdekick badly, but the data plan here is exorbitant! :(((

i finally got a chance to enter this shop today. quite a letdown though.

if only singapore has such huge carpark spaces...

en route to pinal airpark!

it was chilly when i took these shots. :X

this is actually a dumping ground for commercial flight carriers.

and we headed for vietnamese cuisine!

having hot soup in this climate was shiok!

carl's jr!

american settings

this spicy chicken burger was supposed to be much bigger. it costs 99 cents by the way.

we were at ihop for some nice pancakes and omelettes!

ah heng's coffee (forgot what this was)

chocolate chip pancakes!

hashbrown!

i forgot what omelette this was. (goldfish memory acting)

mushroom and spinach omelette

last but not least, welcome to my house!

bathroom in the master bedroom

my sealy queen-sized bed! in some ergonomical design. :D
and it cost us USD 650 only!

my territory :D

the dryer room!

and i totally dig this bathroom. so big!

guess what this is?

my wardrobe! ah heng occupied quite abit of the one in the master bedroom. and since i have heaps of clothes, i had better occupy this one as well.

and lastly, my view from the balcony :)

gosh, it's the ungodly hours now.. needa crash!

shall upload more photos tomorrow... went to phoenix for a dose of retail therapy today! :)))

after a short hiatus...

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:43:07 GMT

i am finally connected!

gosh, it has been a whirlwind ever since i reached tucson.

and i have not really adjusted my biological clock to the time here. as i really needa stay in touch with my friends in singapore.

anyway, have decided to blog a lil' as i am waiting for my hair to dry (yes, we forgot to get the hair dryer. walmart!!!)

and i have sooooo many photos to edit, it becomes a nagging pain when you have no optical mouse. :X

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My birthday + farewell dinner with family

i heart the chilli crabs here!

took this as i reckoned the incentive to get this set meal was erm, weird?

totally dig this chandelier ;)

while waiting for the food to be served...

and then, the first dish was served. prawns!!! my fave!

the soup that accompanied this dish was orgasmic.

sharks' fin soup

my chilli crabs!!! :D

veg with mushroom

some jap udon-like mee

and the dessert! finally got the chance to taste it, as I thought having the dry ice is cool. :P

continued to camwhore after meal :D

3 generations in one

when we sent grandma back to the nursing home, we both hugged and wept. sigh.

i wish her good health.

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Short meeting with Mama Jo

it was her "off-day" from her full-time maternal duties. so we caught up at TWG! been wanting to go there after hearing so much raves about it!

when you step into TWG, you begin to wonder why Singaporeans need not work on a weekday and can afford to have tea at such an atas place!
it was crowded

trying to take a snapshot of the pretty teapots. i had sexy tea and she ordered magical moment.

the names in the tea list were so interesting! ;)

i took the muffin. Yummy!

cream and jam to go with the pastries

a shot together at last! after so many years of friendship :P

i observed that i looked totally crappy in most of my farewell shots. argh. either i smiled reluctantly, or i looked obnoxiously flabby. :(((

next entry will be on tucson!

i just did my laundry. felt the sense of achievement as i had never used a washing machine and dryer in my entire life. :X

and i like how my clothes smell now :)

before the pictures are so overdue...

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:19:03 GMT

decided to take a break before i get ready for dinner and h1n1 jab later. i am done with one suitcase.:))) anyway, met up with my gfs for high tea buffet at goodwood park hotel! i know, feeling like a tai-tai at last ;) we didn't manage to make the reservation for the western cuisine, hence, we settled for the local one. dimsum! laksa! yes, high cholesterol with 2 quail eggs. who cares? :P mango sago with pomelo and chocolate mousse cake fruits are <3! love how they place the mirror there loving this setting! the arched walkway and we chanced upon the poolside setting for a solemnization. almost wanted this place but it was too small (max: 60 guests) :X and i realised, luckily i didn't go for this. lovely cakes!

i have a penchant for chandeliers. the red carpet! we certainly camwhored alot at this place. so girlies, please send them to me asap. :P and thanks for spending the afternoon with me! gonna miss you all too! xoxo

sob sob :(

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:58:36 GMT

bye-bye Singapore and Merry Christmas in advance! will be out of action for a few days, as i am very busy packing my luggage and meeting up with friends. will only load the pictures when i get my lappie over there. (ah heng, i want a mac book!!!) will leave my netbook behind for momo to use. hurhur. omg, looking at the volume of things i have, i seriously doubt i can squeeze them into my suitcases. and yay! i'm gonna have my ds lite :DDD (thank you, ah heng!)

okay, gonna make lunch and pack away! P.S. A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THE LOVELY PRESSIES, MY DEAR FRIENDS! HEH HEH, WANT ME TO DROWN IN MY TEARS AH? :P

totally random (again)

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:37:42 GMT

whilst packing away, i thought i could just blog something random.

yes, that was me when i was 18. and i was the odd one out that disagreed men and women can be just friends. lol.

a closer look at my orbiang face (read: drag queen wannabe). okay, i think i look better now.

i recall my gf and i were caught by this cleo interviewer at ngee ann city, somewhere near coffeebean. and initially, we thought it was a hoax. and tadah! first stab at fame!

we shipped over a total of 23 boxes over to the states. some of you may have your jaws dropping already, but these are the smaller boxes of the lot. really. we don't even have bulky items!

okay, i think i should resume packing now. :X

the bloated conspiracy

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:17:48 GMT

yea, i didn't realise i do lots of posts on FOOD. how ironic, as friends know me long enough, i share a love-hate relationship with food.

i think i'm just a sucker for great ambience. heehee. and my gf always falls prey to my "escapades".

and this tme round, limon along purvis street. the restaurant was empty when we were there. like we booked the whole place :P

the starter : toast

the tapas! with ham and cheese, i think. (goldfish memory acting up again)

HL's tom yam rice

my saffron rice! kinda sticky though, and i got a lil sick after consuming half of it. :X

the date ain't complete without a picture of us!

chilling out at the cafe at swissotel stamford. i so heart the TWG teapot! intelligent design ;)

spending quality time is of utmost importance now.

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:20:33 GMT

ever tried singing ktv in bedroom slippers and blanket?

we did it! right here at K Suites!

this machine is way cool! can even record the song that you have sung and send it to your mobile via bluetooth. :D

and if you are the type who only eats tidbits during ktv sessions, fret not! you may even surf the internet :)

our pots of tea. twinnings' chamomile tea. :D

had to take this shot as i was amused by ser's big bottle!

the chio wallpaper

the menus (food and drinks) against the grey sofa

guess what this was?

bedroom slippers!

nice knowing you, ser. looking forward to chat with you via msn. heehee.

camwhores in action! :D

it was a pleasant experience at K Suites!

next, we moved on to The Queen & Mangosteen, Vivocity.

the booze! but nope, too early for that. :D

the paintings on the wall

our starter: seafood platter

didn't quite fancy this dish, as the small crayfish didn't taste good. alright, we dread the shelling.

fishermen's pie! i <3 this dish! the mashed potato (top layer) simply melts in your mouth!

it was a good thing that we shared the dishes. hence, the bill was of a healthy amount ;)

i heart the coasters! so cute :X

first attempt to take a group shot, but the server should learn to take better pictures!

in the end, we got the customer sitting at the table beside us to take this picture for us :X

HL told me about the origin of this name. "Queen" suggests that it is British, and "Mangosteen" is the "Queen of Fruits", therefore, they are used in this context. In addition, mangosteen is an asian fruit, hence, british influence in an asian restaurant. (not sure if i got this right though)

i heart this gigantic chalkboard!

trying to look pro with my camera

and lastly, we were chilling out at this moroccan pub.

i like all the chambers in the pub!

I had great fun, ladies! hope to hang out with you all soon, when i am back!

and ser, you look great... no need to lose weight.. just be healthy and glowing!

11 days

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:51:51 GMT

anyway, first wave of birthday celebration!

my ex-colleagues organised a ktv session, in conjunction with my farewell and birthday :D

that was the first time that i witnessed a mahjong session in a ktv room.

the birthday cakes! the other one was meant for the other girl, but she couldn't make it that day :X

my birthday cake!

make a wish.. make a wish...

first attempt to take a group photo without human intervention

success at last!

thank you ladies!

16 days

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:51:34 GMT

and the countdown begins.

sigh.

anyway, went for tooth extraction today, and boy, i need panadol!!! the dentist kept assuring me that everything would be alright, but apparently, when the anesthesia wore off, the pain grew on me :(

but i know i will survive the 2 ktv sessions this weekend! yay! :P i so needa sing my heart out before i am deprived of this for 2 nagging years.

oh, and, i got myself 2 books, namely Freakonomics (i know, an old book. but i missed that out as i did not have the time for the e-book version then) and the sequel, Super Freakonomics. :D

i am so gonna mug through my Cocktail For Three so that i can get my hands on the new ones!

and i have been packing away these 2 days. bleah. i am like a garung guni. so many stashes!

i chanced upon this horrific shot benny took years ago.

i'm so gonna stick to long, straight, BLACK hair from now on. ;)

okay, needa take the painkiller before i KO

not been sleeping well lately. sigh.

camwhoring action to commence this fri onwards. :D

P.S. been contemplating to move my blog to a new address. new life, fresh start? oh, and i have been lemming for a small star tattoo on the inside of my wrist. hurhur.

leaving on a jet plane...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:33:35 GMT

yes, i am going to US afterall.

momo cried when i told her i wanted to give up. so i relented in the end.

i love you, momo.

oh yes, and my dear friends.

i am gonna miss you big time.

when the silence is deafening...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:52 GMT

i can't cry.

i can't get to sleep.

it's all mixed feelings, feeling miserable than anything else.

having a showdown is much more stressful than i have imagined.

having to face the consquences makes me weak. really.

china doll

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:57:32 GMT

hmm, contemplating to cut my fringe into bangs. yea, like a china doll.

but, this is not what i want it to turn into.

i wonder how i managed to move around with the bangs!!!

should i cut this hairstyle or trim it after the rebonding?

pleasant surprise!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:09:48 GMT

i checked my mailbox... and i found this....

jen, we are going for another showcase! yay!

who will you choose, someone you can live with or can't live without?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:52:48 GMT

speaking from experience, choose the guy you can live with.

not only that there will be peace at home everyday, you may love the person more and more!

choosing the one you can't live without, you may end up convincing yourself very hard that he's all worth your effort/sacrifices/whatever-that-fits-in-this-context.

i chanced upon this blog, where the gal professes her love for her hubby in every entry. :X

okay, i mean, beig lovey-dovey apart, it's kinda sad to justify why you are in a foreign land with your hubby right?

underlying those entries, it seems to imply that she is afraid of losing something.

i don't sense any hint of happiness in those entries. it's more like reminding herself that this is the man she loves, no regrets.

oh well, who am i to judge her, when i am in such a big mess? hahahaha!

saying goodbye is never easy (3)

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:37:25 GMT

hmm, think this segment will go on and on till 20 dec...

yeah, was at oosters for my final farewell lunch on my last day!

apparently, angmohs like to frequent this place.

hmm, i won't really go back for the mussels (though it's supposed to be their specialty). but i heart the cod fish and the fries! :D

it was feasting all the way... we were at dallas.

hmm, dallas was pretty okay, didn't leave a deep impression with me and gf. don't reckon we will return in the future.

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this marks the beginning of my days as a desperate housewife (literally).

yay! my first attempt to cook chicken soup! okay, how wrong can you go with a slow cooker right? :P

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gonna review this after a few tries! i used it once, and i liked that citrus-y scent. :)

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in case you are wondering, yes, was feeling quite emo for the past one week. things got a lil awry, and i am trying to reconcile.

last but not least, emo song for you. :X

冷暴力

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:11:44 GMT

我渐渐地走回那个房间。

失望的心情已不在话下。

原来人性本恶。

面对丑陋的你，我举起白旗。

你赢了。而我连自己都输掉了。

我似乎再也走不出那个房间了。

the emo creature in me

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:16:38 GMT

marital bliss is elusive. period.

what say you?

saying goodbye is never easy (2)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:59:47 GMT

guess what this is?

shopping vouchers!!! and i spent them all today, got 4 wacoal bras. :D <3

and we started camwhoring before i rushed off for my appointment.

we realised it was quite cramped.

and we attempted to act cute with 1,2,3,4.

ripped these pictures off facebook from one of my colleagues' photo album :P
was kinda lazy to load the pictures from my camera.

i'm beginning to enjoy my jobless life now.
aunty in the making too. gonna cook tomorrow. ;)

saying goodbye is never easy (1)

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:52:17 GMT

my farewell treats were spread across the last 2 weeks with the company.

first to kick-start: treat from my team leader.

we went to foster's at holland village. the english accent never fails to entice me. ;)

the menu set in the format of daily newspapers! nice!

knight in shining armour???

the accolades!

so <3 this picture

the charlie's angels :P

kinda like it that they write the menu on the reflective surface

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next stop: food for thought + cityspace with gf

my dinner. yes, you heard me right.

gf's pasta. yummy!

highly-raved food for thought. cozy place, but definitely not somewhere i wanna hang out for long. so cramped and noisy!

owing to the lousy quality of this picture, i turned it into black and white. :P

lovely light decor on the ceiling

so glad that my hair was finally growing out

the dressing area in the ladies is <3!

i know, this is random. the ceiling lights in the dressing area

while i was trying to take this shot, this man passed by the ladies with his friends. and he walked into the ladies so abruptly, that shocked us! we thought he was some security guy who wanted to tell us off for taking photos in the ladies. and when i showed him this photo, he went, "oh man, i look so wasted in this!" LOL

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mama jol's boy had his first month's celebration!
what a shame that i didn't manage to get his pictures, as he was crying away when we reached :(

and i decided to take shots of the lovely cupcakes!

that's all, and i realise i have digressed from my farewell. hahaha.

more photos in the next entry!

outdated photos

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:45:51 GMT

we were invited to a cozy gathering at the Intercontinental Hotel a few days after our wedding.

beautiful chandelier greeted us!

congrats to ed and jacq! bask in bliss always! ;)

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alrighty, will update more later!

don't turn me off...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:33:17 GMT

been officially hooked to this song.

check it out.

anyone has the mp3????

just another ranting

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:46:24 GMT

my heart cringes whenever my friends tell me to be "xing fu" (blissfully in love).

aaawwwwwww.

okay, heading out for some shopping. pictures soon!

goodbye seems to be the hardest word now.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:01:55 GMT

Me: "Dear, i am feeling sad about leaving Singapore, you know. Like, leaving everything behind. "

Ah Heng: "You won't feel sad anymore when you are over there. "

-_____-"'

For someone like me who has never gone out of sight from my momo for more than 72 hours, it is excruciating.

Was chilling out at Cityspace with Jen last night, and alcohol sure amplified my emotions. Tears found their way to my eyes, but nah, I didn't.
Departure is bittersweet. Cheers to a new life. I love my friends.