i went to cut my hair

it's been 3 months since i last cut my hair. that's the use of a blog really. cos the last time i cut my hair, i posted pics too. ha. but this time my haircut cost double the price of my previous. $10 this time. But cos it was nearer my place.

Today i walked to Serangoon Central. And i realised just how near it actually is. 10minutes only. And i wasn't even walking briskly.

This is the 'before' look. i'm testing my sis' canon camera. let me noe wat u think. I still prefer my Sony at the moment tho.


Before the haircut
Qi


after the haircut. bottom left pic i like
Qi

I have no idea

I'm currently in the process of job searching. Some people have expressed to me that Accountancy students have it easier than business students, since our specialisation is professional and the Big Four firms are currently short-handed. Yea, those aspects are kind of true. but then, it doesn't impact me in any way.

I'm not sure if i actually want to join the Big Four. The only thing good about it, ok, not the only, the things good about it is:

1) steady income
2) steady hours --all the time
3) progressive increments and promotions (i'm told that it's pretty standard unless u screw up big time)
4) when u tell people the name of ur company, they don't go "huh, do what one huh?"

of them all, number 4) appeals to me the most.

Having done my internship at a small tax and consulting firm, i learnt that it is really a pain having to introduce ur entire company and its operations when u introduce urself, or when people ask wat u r doing. Really, it's a pain. To make matters worse, i wasn't particularly proud of it. I am more proud of being from National Junior College.

4 October is the deadline for applications for all the Big Four. So i have to decide by then.

Since i am considering other areas, u must be thinking, what?
ha. this is the thing. I don't noe.

I seriously fantasize about being a waitress. I think i can do a good job. Really. But on a long term basis, i am not sure if it ties in with my expectations. sigh. So i think, oh customer service. (i mean, along those lines). Then i realise that i don't noe exactly what it entails. If i don't noe, can i still say it's something i wan to do and still hope to sound like a learned person?

And then u have those oh-so-cool positions such as marketing, human resouce, events management, advertising, consulting etc.

sigh. this is bad. I tink i need to go and seriously pray/ponder about it. and i do wish i started earlier.

So i'm reading this book

Happy me has time to read, other than time to watch Coach Carter, (Being Julia is next) and The OC (i'm saving it for some auspicious day when i'll sit and relax and relish the experience). More than that, i have time to read!

Reading Trading Up by Candace Bushnell. In case u don't know, it's not a book about trading. And Candace Bushnell is the author of Sex & the City. Hee.

You know how in primary school and secondary school, we have this component in the English paper called Composition? well, when i was younger, my mum was really tough on me where studying is concerned, especially in primary school. I used to finish stacks of assessment books. yea, that's me.

And u noe, it's not possible to study for compo. So when i read, my mum would encourage me to pick out phrases that are good and words that i don't know. I don't suppose that habit really left me. Cos i find myself very porous to the stuff i'm reading. As in, i tend to write in the style of the author i'm currently reading, u noe, that kind of thing.

And today during intro to psych class, we briefly talked about the use of visual imagery on sportsmen and the effect of violent shows on children. For example, sports people imagine themselves performing a certain action without actually doing it, or watching a very skilled player do his stuff, and it helps oneself improve sporting performance. As for the children, they tend to be more agressive after watching a violent show.

Both show the effect of external influences on people. But they differ in the nature of the actions. so, being porous me, i have to make it a point to immerse myself in good stuff. =) whoo hoo.

ok, on a ligher note, we went for wan tan mee after class. nice stuff. i'l post the pics later. cos now i have to go for Quidam.

Lesson for the day:

A tranquil heart gives life to the body.

What do u tink?

Char: business idea? =)

Ouch

So after my spa yesterday, this free thing i went for, i went to bed with a backache. and it's not funny. I can't touch my toes. And it hurt wearing my jeans today. i don't noe y. and i'm a bit angry. cos i'm supposed to feel relaxed, relieved of tension, happy, basically, 'spa-ed'.

Ouch.

But before i go on to complain about the spa, i have to say i'm unsure whether i can prove causation. ha. mayb i hurt it by some mysterious way...mayb i should go swimming sometime.

i miss poddie. sigh.

Coach Carter and friends

Just finished watching Coach Carter. At the rate i go, i'l be a zombie at school tm. But it's a good show! erm...it's not the best show of the year really, but it's good. It's educational and inspiring, and touching at some parts. It also made me realise that black guys can be quite hot and chubby cheerleaders are not that revolting. interesting.

something said by one of the b-ballers:

Our deepest fear is not that we're inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us
Your playing small does not serve the world
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around u
We were all meant to shine as children do
It's not just in some of us
It's in everyone
And as we let our own light shine
We unconsciously give people the permission to do the same
As we are liberated from our own fear
Our presence automatically liberates others

I have no idea i agree with what this little speech is saying. but that guy impressed me with his eloquence. and in general, this show is for anyone who needs a kind reminder that things are possible, if u are willing to work for it. Believe u can achieve. =)

I'm still alive

Hi!!!! i'm so happy to be blogging. cos this means that i have time to blog and it's been a while. This week is my worst so far cos an unexpected take-home test was kindly bestowed by my advanced management accounting prof.

Take-home tests to me are the worst things, if u ask me. (just let me complain a bit ok) It's really a project, albeit a short one but needs to be done in a much shorter time. This time it was 48hours. And it nicely overlapped with my psychology test preparations, 5 chapters worth.

And now i'm done with both. It seems not all that optimistic. Cos spoke to a fren who spoke to the prof who said there are 9 issues. I seriously don't believe u can count them per se. But yea, the prof must be more right than me. well, he better be. As for the psych test, well, i really dunno. I'm really really zonked out. I know that i shouldn't b. But in this case, i really dunno how i could have been any more prepared. Dad, i've left them to You. Thanks.

for now. boo. my agony isn't over. cos i have to report to work at Quidam in 1 hour's time. And the only comfort is that my dad is sending me. The irritating thing is that i have to be standing (in d's shoes, thanks d!!) for a freaking 8 hours. I'm tired....

On a brighter note, i have Coach Carter and The OC Season 3 Ep 1 & 2 for my viewing pleasure when i decide that i can sit through a show without nodding off. And i have a free spa on Mon. Ok, now things are looking up. And yea, it's Sunday tm. But it means another 8 hours at Quidam. arghhhhhhhhhh.


i really really need to sleep.......

the most random blog in the world

so yesterday, or the day before, i can't remember, i made another pair of earrings. nice?

it's nice ok. just that my picture-taking abilities are not so good. hee.

today i brought my parents and kooma on the campus tour.
[a picture of them touring, presently standing on Campus Green]

actually it's not me la. i merely tagged along. the Campus Tour Guide did. And did a pretty good job i have to say. i definitely learnt a few new things about my school.

u noe there was all this hype about us cauing the demolishing of the Central Lending Library? well, it turns out that in our bid to keep the memories, the bricks (1000 of them, to be very precise) is lodged in the wall along this staircase under the Li Ka Shing Library. Old library bricks under the new library. get it? hee.



During the building of the new school, all the trees have been preserved, thanks to some kind of nursery care while the school was under construction. now they sit healthily on Campus Green.
Another use of Campus Green is for display of some weather-friendly, too-heavy-for-thieves exhibits. Like these cherries.

edit: i walked past campus green again and they just put up little signboards. And i found out that these 'giant cherries' are actually chillis. =)

when the tour ended, my parents & kooma were presented with SMU brand water! how cool is that!

there were a few parts of the school that really made me feel damn proud la. Like the nice amphitheatre, the concourse, the library, and i tink the list goes on. My kooma even calls our seminar rooms 'famous'. ha.

oh, and earlier today, after psych class, F, K, D and me went to support Z, who was hosting this Voice Personality event. how cool is that. i mean, for a long time, i've known that he does these hosting things and deejaying. but today is my 1st time seeing him in action. Way to go, Z.

oh, and Z says everyone to listen to Campus Radio (go to Oasis and scroll down) on Tuesday at 10pm (USA time). Maybe can win iPod Nano. ha.

clockwise from top left:
[Z in action][Z in action again][Z, F & me!][Z][other supporters/laptop users]

worthy of mention is that part of the event was this lucky draw and an iPod Nano was the top prize. Guess who won it in the end? the boyfriend of the President of the Arts & Culture Society, which is coincientally the organising body of the event. hmmmm.....

After the tour, i brought my parents & kooma to watch the E-mix concert.


And S, my friend ,the founder of SMU Sapphires was performing. With her team of course. They are one happy bunch. But given their petite-ness and energiser-bunny kind of jumpy outlook, it was hard to believe they were all undergrads. but S did well. Darn proud of her.


At the end of the concert, met Dean of Students, Prof Low. He knows my auntie and he was surprised to know that she's my auntie. And he told her, "do u know that she's a famous actress?". ha. i know it's not true but i was proud. hee.

the night ended with dinner. with my sis who joined later. it was fun. talking, and talking. hee.

Today

Today was a good day. Thank God. I went to church with an expectant heart, having missed it last week, i was really looking forward to it. and excited to be refreshed and renewed. I stood during worship, feeling ever so grateful, ever so loved. And the comfort of just being there filled me.

i'm a worry-er. (erm...i dunno who to spell it. 'worrier' looks too much like 'warrior' and seems to have a brother 'worriest', which i'm pretty sure doesn't exist.) and it's always a challenge to leave it to God. I wonder if i'l ever manage to do it totally.

but this came to my mind, as we sang 'You are awesome in this place': that i'm so thankful that relative to my God, the big-ness of my problems seems so small. and He's like telling me, feel free to leave it with Me. "My peace shall reign in you"

It was good. it was really good. Thanks Dad.


*oh, and today was my 1st day being outside the show for the entire course of the show. and quite coincidentally, the weather was cool. most delightful was the rainbow i saw, stretched across the sky. A timely reminder of my Dad's promise to me, and that i must live with the 'rainbow mentality'. Thanks. It's an answer to my request for rejuvenation. whoo hoo.

Guide to Quidam

i have decided that since i'm watching the show so many times, i should make use of the experience. Also, most people can only afford to watch it once. And i think that there are some things that if u knew, it would make ur show a lot more enjoyable.

1) the show starts punctually. yea, it does. It's not a wedding dinner. to add to that, at various parts of the show, late members of the audience are locked out. u don't want any of them to be u.

2) bring your own food. popcorn, coke and water is sold. But nothing i mentioned is under $4. Hotdogs are $5, M&Ms are $3, Ice Mountain is $5, popcorn is $5/$7...you get the idea.

3) bring like a sweater or something warm. if u are the scared-cold type. cos considering the number of "got air-con inside?" questions i entertain, i think u will never guess that it can get pretty cold.

4) there are toilets available. not in the tent, but around it. pretty decent i must say. but very crowded during intermission.

5) the mechandise is expensive. but i have a staff discount of 40%. the programme is $25, but i already own one. so if u want it before your show, i can lend u.

6) don't kill yourself if u don't understand the 'plot'. if there is one. ha. i've watched it 9 times. and i don't see how it flows. so really, just enjoy whatever u understand (which is most of the show actually) and u will be really quite happy.

7) the intermission is 30 minutes. i suppose the longer-than-usual break is so that the chances of u buying the exorbitant food or mechandize is increased. but really, u have time to walk to Bugis Junction to get whatever. but as usual, be back in time.

8) on those days when it's more empty, and u have a really lousy seat cos u can't bear to spend anymore, look around the empty ones and if they have a better view, just help yourself. don't ask for permission (cos then the ushers wouldn't noe wat to say). just do it.

9) oh, know that all the music is live. i feel that it makes u more appreciative. i personally think that the female singer is really really good. and i tink it takes a lot of skill to be live, especially something like a solo saxaphone. pretty cool. the musicians are dressed in blue and if u look really hard, they are at the back of the stage throughout the show.

i can't think of any more stuff to add. but basically, the show is really acrobatic acts intertwined with a story line that involves a headless man (Quidam). and it's really quite entertaining, especially if u are watching it for the 1st time. =)

my 7th Quidam show

when i first started ushering, one of the people i met at the usher training told me that Cirque Du Soleil shows are so good, (in his words) "can watch 6 times also not sian one".

He's right.

Cos i was so bored today. I was silently egging the artistes to go a little faster, spin a little less. And for the audience participation part, i silently chided the people who got 'sabo-ed' on stage for being so lousy. Cos it always takes longer when they are shy or nervous.

The night went smoothly. And the perk of my day came when i reached home and found a postcard in the mail. Thanks!

i have no idea where this entry is leading. But yea, my mind is a bit messed up. ha. =)

should i buy?

nice or not? my friend has a discount. i pay only S$64 bucks. what u tink?

msn nick: who~i miss Poddie

So this has been my nick since i sent Poddie to Apple. by the way do u noe that my other name is 'who'?

hee. now u do.

so just, out of the blue, G msn-ed me.

sexy says:
hey babe.. is poddie... jem??

who~i miss Poddie says:
erm no

who~i miss Poddie says:
it's the name of my new ipod

who~i miss Poddie says:
i sent it for repair

my 6th Quidam show

today was my 6th Quidam show and the work day started pretty well. I was the ticket-ripper, only that the tickets don't have to be ripped. so i only check that people turn up for the right show and that they actually own a ticket. and a little bit of crowd control.

then i went to work at the door i'm most familiar with. u c, every door has different duties. And for Door 7, ushers have to care for handicapped patrons, ensure that the technician is not blocked during some acts and during the intermission make sure patrons don't use the wrong exit. Basically Door 7 is rather complicated but i have gotten used to it. so i like it.

While there are some specific duties for every door (8 doors in all), some things apply to all. one main similarity is that Act Two is a lot freer than Act One. Basically after the intermission, all ushers have less to busy with. Which is why i took the chance to go to the ladies. I also needed to make a phonecall.

However, i ran into my supervisor. So i had no choice but to ask if i can go away to make a 'quick, urgent phonecall'. the conversation was like this:

me: may i go and make a phonecall? it's kinda urgent.

Patrick: no.

me: no? (surprised)

Patrick: no. Did your father die?

me: (even more surprised now) no he didn't....... you mean he has to die for me to make a phonecall?

Patrick: yes.







I duly went back to my position. And angry tears filled my eyes.



edit: and patrick has since apologised. and he promises that he is actually a nice person and that he was harsher than he meant. and i accepted it. now we smile to each other when we pass.

new sightings in and around school

Poddie's in hospital

ok, this entry is not goin to be nice n cool. But it is goin to be all about Poddie. I brought it to Apple Hospital today. Cos there's a small leeeetle fault on it. Being the fussy me, i decided that i shall make full use of the warranty. Well, the service was ok.

What's interesting is that i learnt from the guy at the desk that he entertains the most ipod minis. And he promises that the Nano is the best and most stable thing in the (Apple) world. I made a call to the help centre (i had to, which i find so odd) and guess wat? the call connects directly to India. And because of the very heavy accent, a call which would have been short turned out to take a bit longer. Sigh, i do hope the overall costs of outsourcing their call centre to India is still worth it.

And while u are contemplating buying a nano, i found out today that Apple outsources all their after-sales care. But not like u care la hor? ha. But yea, the guy behind the desk, who keeps reminding me that he's not employed by Apple (which so defeats the purpose) was quite nice. And Poddie will be ready in 2 weeks. boo.

in the meantime, i will have to go back to being a bored jogger.

welcome Poddie

i'm feeling way to0 lazy to blog. but i decided that i shall just say something.

Firstly, welcome Poddie, my new, sexless tech toy. the 30GB ipod. it's sparkling white. and presently very naked. i'm thinking of wat to clothe it with, so as not to compromise its purity.

2ndly, tomorrow is my 4th nite and will be 6th time watching Quidam. boo. i killed my black shoes so will be wearing my navy blue Adidas. Hope not to be found out. i don't wan to buy shoes for this. remember i'm allergic to black clothing and shoes? yea.

3rdly, i really wan to tell u all about my monday. cos i went to Morten's and Carl's Junior and had lots of fun.



4thly, tm i can go jogging without getting bored. but i must think of a way to carry Poddie le. i can't hold it in my hand. i'm v likely to drop it....

5thly, i haven't read for class tomorrow so i better go. the next blog will be nice n cool. all about Poddie. heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Q: should i get a green cover or a white one? u noe, the condom lookalike silicon cover? Ben was telling me to sew one...just like the one i made for him...

Broken shoes

I broke another pair of shoes today. it's not me really. it's just that i really wear my shoes out and it so happened that it all happened this week. and that means the shoe cabinet got more space. A lot more in fact.

Working at Quidam has begin to be less stressful. But standing all the time might just begin to take its toll. But i'm not thinking about it. And smart me went to sign up for 4 shifts next week! boo. i'l survive. ha. And it helps that the supervisor that i don't really like won't be around. hee.

random pics for a random day

on another note, really give thanks for N, who brightened my hours working at Quidam. many more to come!

Must talk to me hor!

was chatting with P over msn. the is the same P who brought me to church dance. she herself dances beautifully. and with her skinny, long arms and torso, doing any nonsense moves also she looks v nice. so i decided to tell her.


p* says: who! did u go for traingin?

who~is rejuvenated says: no, lazy.

p* says: me too

who~is rejuvenated says: v bad hor

p* says: how i feel bad

who~is rejuvenated says: we're becoming the touch delinquents

p* says: ya!

p* says: and the dance for God lovers

who~is rejuvenated says: whoopeee

who~is rejuvenated says: and pam, i have to tell u this

p* says: yes?

who~is rejuvenated says: i think u look really nice dancing and perhaps this is really ur area

p* says: hhaha thanks. yea u knw,the trick is to pretend there's no one ard

who~is rejuvenated says: ok, i'l pretend no one's ard.

p* says: but talk to me when i talk to u ok

And they gave up on me

I went to the New Balance warehouse sale today! whoo hoo! well, it turned my otherwise rather unproductive day into a fruitful one. Cos i found a nice pair of shoes in my size. And i paid $30 for it. I'm happy.

But being the nice person i am, i didn't return home to discard my old shoes right away. I decided to give my Nike Shox another try. So i went running. Well, even before i finished my 1st round, it gave way. Sigh. I couldn't run after that. I even had difficulty walking but i had to lug my feet home. Tell u, i could almost hear passing joggers snigger at the pathetic me, draggin my feet along. boo.

how to walk like that? sigh. it was rather sad.

my shoes are really not that old. look at it. still quite pretty rite? cost me a bomb...

a proof of their newness. the soles are not even worn out. the right sole is broken down the middle also.

my another pair of Nikes. also cost me a bomb. but really, how to wear like this? sigh...

i think that's it with Nike for me. New Balance here i come. I shall blog about her tm. She's nice n sweet-looking. Silver and powder blue. How pleased i am.

Rejuvenated

Last night (not even night), at 630pm, i went to bed. I thought that since i sleep so early, i can wake early to run. I woke at 10am. Feeling damn good. I shall give Chip a nice scrub. u peeps have a goooooooooooooooddd day!

my first consulting meeting

And so today I encountered the owner of the juice bar I am about to do my consulting project on. Well, she doesn’t need any consulting and she made that rather clear. She seemed content with how far she had come and I suppose it’s a reflection of the amount of work needed in doing ur own business. But I am once again reminded that setting up a small business is no easy feat. And for that, I respect her.

Expertise. Some time in pursuing her degree in Australia, the owner (let’s call her J) studied design. She is the last of the present 3 owners to join. 65% of equity is owned by her god-parents. They are largely sleeping partners and come into the picture when losses are incurred or when exceptional profits are taken in. Armed with design abilities, she turned around an apparently unattractive shop-front into the colourful kiosk seen today. The kiosk, albeit small, looks pretty much like a fortress. With thick walls tiled with mosaic colours. The staff are dressed in orange polo tee and black pants. J herself wore the company tee shirt with a green skirt, her curls let down.

On having no competitors. Being a homegrown brand is her pride. And she is confident that it is in line with government initiatives for everyone to pursue a healthy lifestyle. In this aspect, the juice bar beats Bubble Tea, which comes across as a Taiwanese product and is not healthy. She, however, professes to be a fan. But quickly adds that where it comes to surviving, a juice bar would do better since people are becoming more conscious of their health.

Operations. She admits that she doesn’t even know how to cut a papaya nicely. This is especially important as the lunch crowd, which she affectionately calls “the office girls” are crazy about the nice packaging that the papaya comes in. It is obvious that the presentation of her cut fruits is very important since the juice bar located in the heart of the city and everyone is presumably looking out for nice outlook. Selling cut fruits was not the original idea of the business. However, in preparing the materials for juicing, she thought “might as well”. However, the costs of having this other ‘product line’ did not come cheap as she had to invest in a refrigerator that doubled up as a display case.

Inventory management. The nature of the fruits being perishable remains a perennial problem in the business. Retail space is expensive so she cannot afford to get a bigger place. The fruits spoil easily but demand is difficult to predict. All this leads to increment of her operating costs. This is on top of the $4000 she pays monthly to Marina Square.

Employment. “Giving hope” to the younger generation is something good that came out of employing them to help out. Their otherwise idle after-school time is taken up, keeping them out of trouble. They also learn a new skill. J also plans to send her staff for language courses, for example Japanese and Korean. This is after observing that many tourists are interested getting juices but due to the language barrier, they are limited to the conventional ‘orange ju’.

The future. Hopes are set on the government decentralizing the CBD, from the Shenton way area to Marina bay, inevitably leading to an increase in passers-by. However, it remains unseen as to whether if people walk by, they will actually stop to browse the numerous flavours, decide on one and pay the $2.50 to $3.50 for it.

Vision. J sees the juice bar securing a position that spells ‘quality, cleanliness and health’. Afterall, she understands perfectly that fruits are not exactly things that are difficult to obtain. In her words, “one orange and one blender. That’s all you need. You don’t have to come to my shop.” She also hopes that should anyone see her juice bar anywhere abroad, they will immediately feel safe, knowing that it is prepared with the highest of hygiene standards.

Expansion locally. For every cup, profit margins range from 100% to 150%. On average, she manages to sell 300 cups, ranging from 100 on weekdays and 600 on weekends. She wishes for a kiosk in the busy streets of Orchard Road. But she claims that rental can go up to $30,000 per month, making break even virtually impossible. Moreover, with the vast range of equipment, from juicers to blenders and refrigerators, the cost of a kiosk could be $40,000 to $80,000 (which is the cost of her most elaborate one in Marina Square).

Franchisees. She unabashedly mentioned that a handful of people have approached her to buy a franchise. However, she has put it off not knowing the pros and cons of doing it. She also didn’t know how she may exert control or help build the brand. Even though she currently has 2 franchisees, she hardly talked about them. She hopes to find out more about it.

Some personal thoughts.

Where the understanding of the business and its competitive edge is concerned, I find some controversies. I asked casually if the current Ministry of Environment rating was an “A” and she said yes. However, she quickly added that she’d rather a “B”. I was really taken by surprise. But she explained saying that by getting a B, they bother you less. And that even some McDonald’s branches have B ratings. She further added that she does not like to patronize hawker stalls that have A ratings. I found that awfully puzzling because just minutes ago, she was so jubilant about the clean way her fruits and juices are prepared.

She was very proud that she single-handedly designed the kiosk. However, I found it slightly weird that the walls were so thick and the place was so cramped. It didn’t project the clean, fresh image that was talked about. She mentioned that people could look in to see her staff do the preparation. However, I’m not sure if that was a good thing. The garbage was everywhere and there were 3 people in a space equivalent to 2 toilet cubicles.

While cleanliness and quality was supposed to be the source of competitive edge, where people would feel ‘safe’ when they see the juice bar’s logo, her staff were only equipped with very basic gloves. Their hair was unkempt and tee shirts tucked out. I ordered a drink only to find the cup smeared with juices.

She mentioned that sales are very adversely affected on rainy days. She mentioned that being in an air-conditioned place also does nothing for the business. However, of her present 5 outlets, none of them are outdoor.

things i learnt today

i had a very enriching day. I attended a talk by Gerard Ee, NKF's interim chairman. Then i had psych class. Then i had consulting class. I had good good fun at consulting class. To think i toyed with the idea of skipping class. Cos it turns out that time passed really quickly. It was 6.55pm without my realising!

Things i learnt today:

1) School gets awfully awfully cold. I should really bring a sweater. And a good one at that.

2) that when u eat very little the entire day and have a normal dinner, u can feel like exploding.

my family celebrated my bro's birthday today. And i showed my parents the pictures of my bro n i in my phone. they were rather amused at me being so surprised that we look alike. And my mum kept trying to claim credit for it. sigh.

3) my extended family has become very big.

and by 'extended' i mean to include the 2 tenants, Minori and Marco. Minori is from Nagoya, Japan and Marco is from Macau. And we're one big happy family.

4) People from different countries really have to be respected for their differences.

We were talking casually and it felt really refreshing that people who are much younger are so knowledgeable about another part of the world. Cos they have lived it. it's one thing to have read about the world and noe quite a bit about it (i respect people who are well-read too), but it just feels different when u c the real people talk about the real stuff. cool.

5) Japanese don't eat wasabi the way we do. They don't mix it with soya sauce.

6) Oyako Don is 'Chicken & Egg' rice. Literally. 'Oya' means 'parent' and 'ko' is 'kid'. Cute eh.

was browsing through the Anything Goes pics. i like this one.

Best friends and the same wallets

It's not an extra wallet. Qing wasn't in the picture. hee.

My brother & I

Just realised today that my brother n I look alike. What do u think? Hee.

Odd sightings

Look! It's an almost seedless papaya! There is ONE seed.



Poor thing. Imagine the stress it must feel. He's the only one to bear any chance of carrying on the family line. You can do it!!!!!

of good music & nice company

It was a relaxing evening. At the Ritz Carlton. I was rather impressed by the music really. Live and jazzy. And they are not the sort who play for a while and take really long breaks. The volume is just nice. Enough for u to enjoy, yet facilitating conversation. nice.

some good company helped.

even when they behaved like kids at times.

the glasses don't know how to stand straight, making the water look like it defies gravity.

the phone on the other hand, stood too upright. too uptight. hee.

of white elephants and colourful cows

Residents of Buangkok are angry at the un-opening of their MRT station. They put white elephants (something like those cows, remember?) around it. I think it's damn funny. Singaporeans are quite creative right?

from my sis.

"I hope you're enjoying your quiet time with God through the devotion on the Armour of God.May God's Word continue to provide all you need to cope with the daily stresses of life! Do drop me a note to say how you've been encouraged, or to suggest a devotion material for the next 3 months. God bless! :) "

How awfully refreshing. i just came back from dance. And it was fun! Well, before i went, i was worried. That i was too fat, too slow, too uncoordinated, too whatever. But it turns out that everything is fine. And i had fun. and even if i was any of those things i mentioned, it doesn't matter.

Before the dance, they had a little sharing. And i was lifted. I mean to say encouraged. But it is a bit more specific than that. It has the effect of making me feel a little lighter, stronger and loved. And i'm reminded of my value in His eyes. Thanks Dad. Just that it's always a challenge to remember to see things Your way.

We did a lot of stretching. And modern dance, which required a fair bit of floor movements. Then we did hip hop, which was the funny part. Cos all that jerking and bouncing and wanting to look cool at the same time is really not my thing. But i can learn. ha.

Now i feel worked out. But not the kind of worked out i feel after my runs. Running like works out my main muscles. This one seems to work the small little ones that hide behind the big ones. The thin, underdeveloped, shy ones. yoo hoo, time to appear now. hee.

Now i'm a bit zonked out. Not from the dance. Considering i fell into a deep deep sleep on the short journey to school just now. But rather, from the bad sleep i had last night. i hope tonight will be better.

Which one is nicer?

Campus tour (cont'd)

In case u are interested in parts of my school, i just have to show u this. Cos i remember being rather amazed.

it's a big toilet. i only captured half of it. but it houses 11 cubicles. very spacious. nice. and toilets are very important to me. cos i'm toilet queen.