I Heart Melbourne (Pictures explosion alert - aka will load very slowly)

Sniff, I miss Melbourne already. Want more. Want to go back. *pout* Just wish it wasn't so terribly expensive. The freaking food court costs like AUD12 for a hotdog, fries and drink. That's S$14.40, by the way. For foodcourt food.

But on to the pleasantries.

You know what is better than taking SIA?

Taking a half-filled SIA midnight flight. The stewardesses were super attentive and happy (which I suspect stems from there being less customers to service), and it's marvellous being able to stretched out and sprawl all over 3 seats.

We stayed at the Crown Promenade Hotel located on the Southbank of Melbourne, which is about 15 minutes walk from the city centre. I love the hotel. Sure, by 3rd-world countries' standard this 4.5-star hotel is nothing to whoop about... But I love its elegant and simple decor, big and comfy beds and good food. Oh yeah, and it also has a casino. Yes, we went every night. And yes, it ate quite a bit of my money, but I won some too. So take that, casino boss!

Think I'm the only camwhore in the family? Think again. Point a camera in the right direction and see all the hams. Haha.. and this is why NO ONE in my family knows about this blog. I think my mum would murder me if she knows the language I use here. :P

Yes, yes, we are shameless. But that's a civil servant, advertising producer and idle student you're laughing at. We (ok they) deserve to loosen up on a break from work.

I fell in love with Melbourne the moment I saw... the bare trees. I know, I know, wtf right? But when I went to Vietnam and Taipei, it sometimes felt like I was still in Singapore. But when I saw those damn trees, I wanted to weep from joy. Cos it meant that I was in a country that had more than 1 season every year. Yay, trees! Oh yeah, and I love how Melbourne preserved it's old buildings for posterity, mixing the old and new seamlessly.

You know how in Singapore, people would laugh at you if you said that you were walking from point A to point B, and it took more than 10 minutes? But got train, what! Take a cab lah, goon du! But the weather was perfect for taking long walks. We didn't take any cabs at all, which is quite an accomplishment for my family, really. We walked and walked and walked. And no one complained. Although I doubt we would have felt the same way in the summer. FYI, our hotel is the smaller, blue one in the first photo at the top-left. The bigger building is the Crown Tower Hotel, which is more opulent.. but I think in a cheena kind of way. And it has more mainland Chinese guests because of the casino.

The Southbank river to the left, Federation Square the right.

The Melbourne authorities thought it would be a good idea to construct some monument welcoming visitors to the city. And they constructed this... monstrosity. As our driver described it... A slanted MacDonald's sign and multiple carrot sticks.

Look ma! Bare trees and old buildings! Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas (Singapore) anymore!

Our hotel room. Had to share a bed with Cheryl. Thank goodness it was big enough. And the stupid toilet has no tub, but hey, 1st world country. Cannot expect that much.

Port-o-loo. Teeheehee. I wonder if anyone actually uses it.

The casino thoughtfully planned out entertainment for its guests. And they thought that a series of explosions would be fun. That's us cowering in fear as fire exploded above us in succession, building up to a giant burst of fire that lights up the skyline. And you can actually feel the heat. Yes, that big.

There was this confectionary shop in my hotel's shopping arcade. I would pass it every night and drool. But i never ate anything cos I was always full. Damn.

My fave shot of the whole holiday. I didn't look fat and actually posed quite glamourously. Hahha!

We went on a chocolate tour. Ate so much that I was a bit sick that night. But the chocs were amazing, guide was nuts and the extra pounds were worth it... mostly.

Mmmm... Chocolate.

Took a lovely horse carriage ride after the chocolate tour. My poor dad was so exhuasted (and I suspect, sick from the choc) that he went home early. So the Chan women took a delightful tour around Melbourne, via smelly horses.

The next day was reserved for a wine tasting tour. It was a whole jumble of things, really. We:

Fed some birds... (one bit my hand while gobbling the bird food, stupid sod)

Trekked through a forest...

Sat on the Puffing Billy Steam Train and winded through a forest (yes, I sat on the sill the whole 30 minutes. Can anyone say, sore ass?)...

And of course, tasted wine. My first time, so I must say, it was quite an experience. I didn't know it went to fast. And 10 different types of wine at each location (there were 3)? I was sick to my stomach at the last stop. Not from being drunk, but just sick.

You have to visit the Moet and Chandon winery. IT IS FREAKING GORGEOUS. Look at that! Isn't it unreal? I swear no Photoshopping or whatever (I don't even have the program, can).

What else did we do? Shopped, ate loads, and went for a stupid river cruise. Only old people and devil school kids take such rides. But Geraldine wanted a cruise, so bloody hell, got dragged along.

Not very happy.

And erm... we just stopped taking photos after that. Not much to cronicle, anyway. Except on the final night, which also happened to be my parents' wedding anniversary, was celebrated at the wonderful number 8 restaurant at the hotel. It was utterly fab. Fantastic food, service so discrete and attentive I wanted to stand and clap, and best of all, we (ie. the sisters and I) wanted to arrange for a cake to be brought to the table at the end of the meal. The restaurant not only gave us a free cake, but a damn good one at that.

So Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary, parents! Love you and thanks for sharing this magical event with us!

Halal Will Never Mean The Same Again

I think I'm gonna enjoy my investment banking class. The prof is crappy and lame enough to keep us awake.

On packaging financial instruments to suit a country's needs...

Prof A: "You think only food need to be halal ah? Investment instruments must also be halal, ok! Maybe next time we will see the MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura) sign on all certificates!"

In case you don't get it, Islamic banking is in accordance with Islamic law principles and forbids the collection and payment of interest.

So, you know, Islam, Muslim principles, MUIS (governing body), halal, ha-ha-ha?

Ok, fine. The class thought it was funny when the prof said it. I'm not a dork.

First Day of School

After a while, you learn to stop holding your breathe. Things get thrown in your way and all you can do is... react. Maybe it was not the best response, maybe when you rethink the incident, you wish you could do it all over again. But really, perhaps it's time I stop fretting the small stuff and move on.

School officially began today. Funny thing happened on the train. I entered the train and to my surprise, I was greeted by the open-mouthed, sleeping Lee (Li?) Ji Kun. I didn't want to wake him up cos it might have been a bit awkward... but when he woke up, boy was that embarrassing. Especially the little drool. Hiak hiak.

Dear ol' SMU looks exactly as how I left it, except more crowded. Damn bigger intake this year. I dread thinking about how cutthroat it would be to book resources. Damn Year 1s. Relax a bit lah! I actually saw some mugging already! On the first day! Sheesh... And it's weird, but although the male freshies are my age, I find them strangely... infantile-looking. Like very young and immature. I had fun walking down the corridors, picking out the freshies. So young, so fresh, so uncontaminated. The aura of "Year 1" clings to them like a dead odour. You just can't shake it off.

My 8.30am professor was entertaining enough. If I have to deal with Monday morning blues, at least I won't fall asleep. But OH MY GOD, please kill me after that. My afternoon class is a dry subject, the professor even drier. I nearly died simply keeping awake. But what to do... pre-requisite. Die die also must do. Bleah.

Oh yeah, and the SMU-OCBC card is finally launched. Hoorah, hooray, bring out the confetti. The card face and idea behind the card is still pretty much what my team fleshed out, but hat's off for getting the card out. The new team managed the operations side and triumphed. But that doesn't mean I have to care. Or apply for the card. Screw this, I'm done with it.

3 hours later, I was still running, this time in a gym for volleyball training. And I think I was most vexed by this. Not because I'm now aching like mad from the lack of activity for the past month, but because I had to deal with a bitch of a team mate. She's immature, acts like a princess, and expects everyone to quiver in fear when she goes on a rampage. Well, boohoohoo, if you want to play the bitch card, take a queue number, honey.

So anyway, my captain had to leave first and left the training to me. So there I was, encouraging my team mates as we all struggled along, and that prat had the gull to go on and on about her pathetic little life and loser problems. Seriously, no one gives a shit. But whatever, as long as she does what is required, she can talk till her voice goes hoarse and I wouldn't give a shit.

But she had to go and throw a temper. She refused to do the exercises and sussed me. So I basically told her to fucked off. Well, not so succinctly, but I told her to to get lost and go home since she was so just being in the way and affecting the others. Surprise surprise, she hung around after all, giving me the evil eye. Amazingly, she never stopped talking to breathe. Needless to say, we pricked each other's temper further.

Frankly, she's not the only person so completed wrapped up in her own world that she can't see past her eyelashes. I dunno why, but I think there's something wrong with this generation. I think we're taking the whole "me, myself and I" thing too seriously. Damn the iPod. Maybe it should have been the peoplePod.

But seriously.. I have heard so many people whining about their lives, relationships, school, life... blah blah blah. All they do is whine, whine whine. Well, you can jolly well suck it up and deal with it, yeah? It's called LIFE and everyone has their own problems. You think everyone is at your beck and call, acting like a sponge and just absorbing? A friendship is 2-ways and if all you want to do is talk about yourself with no regard for the other person, may I suggest you call 1900-SELF-ABSORBED?

Yeah, I'm pissed off. First day of school and I have to deal with so much shit. I've finally realized that I can't please everyone. And you know what? I'm done trying. You don't like me? Deal with it. Don't expect me to try to grovel into your good books or anything. I'm happy (usually), I have friends, family and boyfriend who love me, and that's enough.

Hear this woman roar, babies!

I'm Back!

Melbourne was fantastic. Utterly charming, it exceeded all my expectations and more. Great architecture, deliciously chilly weather (yes, my parents picked Aussie to escape the Singapore heat), unbelievable food and overall, a very, very memorable holiday. I heart Melbourne. It's unreal that I'm back in Singapore, waiting for school to start in a couple of days. Ah me.

But I'll like to take a pause from recounting my Melbourne holiday to pay homage to Singapore Airlines. Good lord, after having endured the 3 budget airlines one after another (Bangkok - Air Asia; Vietnam - Tiger Airways; Taiwan - Jetstar), SIA was the breathe of fresh air that I so badly craved. Having dropped one position to 5th place on the list of best airlines in the world, I suppose SIA had to take a firmer stand with it's cabin staff and remind them that good service is not only for bloody ang mohs, but Asians too. The last time I took SIA, I vaguely remember encountering snarky service staff. Not so this time around. Smiles on all faces, indefatiguable good nature, attentive staff. Did I mention the awe-inspiring inflight entertainment? Who else would give you great movie selections, TV shows, games and even attempt to teach you a new language on a plane flight? Ah SIA, if there's one thing to be proud of Singapore, it's the damn bloody good airline we have. Pat yourself on the back.

Alright, back to the post. So why the sudden family holiday, seeing how the last holiday with all family members accounted for, was 11 years ago? Well, how could any of us miss the 30th wedding anniversary celebration of our parents? 30 years, can you imagine? By today's standards, that is probably equivalent to 3 serious relationships! It's mind-blowing, really. I think that's something people fail to realize today. Sure, women are more liberated these days and some may view relationships as fluid and replaceable. If a relationship fails, it's much easier to throw in the towel and move on because you learn from your previous relationships and everything would soon be better, right? But at the end of the day, nothing comes easy and quarrels do happen even to the best of relationships. If you do manage to overcome all the various hurdles (and more would come), life is just so much more... colourful. I suppose we all have the "Ultimate Ideal Mate" in our heads, but seriously, no one is that perfect. And that's the beauty of having relationships. The constant surprises, learning something new about your other half. If it was so perfect to begin with, wouldn't you get bloody bored awfully quickly? Yes yes, it was nice having the flowers and mini surprises and that first kiss, hug, touch. It probably felt like your other half cared more back then. But there's beauty in mature relationships too. I think sometimes, we take the comfort level derived from a long relationship of understanding for granted. It doesn't come easily, and when you do find it, learn to cherish it.

Sorry bout that, dunno why I suddenly went off in a rant.

Ok, photos will be up soon... enough.

School in 5 days' time. Ugh, ugh, ugh.

Singapore Fireworks 2006

Oh.My.God. The number of Singaporeans who have nothing to do on a Saturday night is amazing. I thought it would be fun to go check out the Fireworks competition since I was in the vicinity, but the sheer pandemonium that greeting us was madness. Hundreds of people squeezed along the riverbank of Esplanade Park. People pushing, children screaming... you would have thought that the world was ending.

But I succeeded. I admit, it isn't very good footage, but footage nonetheless. And my viewpoint was terrible. But I did manage to capture the first few minutes of the fireworks display by Team Italy.


Look at the number of people who turned up! I was pushed, shoved, poked, prodded and harrassed severely.


Stupid trees blocked my clear view. Disclaimer: if you suffer from motion sickness and throw up after watching this, not my problem. I don't have steady hands and I was trying my best to stay on tiptoes for a better view. Hence the shaking.


After-battle us. The Fadz man was not happy.


But nothing like a little sinful dessert to make things better. Yums!

A Proper Post For Taiwan

Okok, time to get down to business. Have to write down my thoughts before I flit off to Melbourne with the family.

Hate my life? Bite me. I've worked my ass off for the money and besides, I will be burning in intern and summer school hell next year. Need to build up precious memories now to sustain me through that trying time.

Ah well. Back to Taiwan.

Someone commented that we picked the possibly worse time to visit Taipei. The typhoon hit on Tuesday, we banged right into the first day of the 7th month and on the last day, a 6.2 earthquake hit the city. Luckily, we were already at the airport. Makes for great stories though.

Just a small digression. Traveling with the boyfriend was all great and dandy because he was my strong man and carry all my shopping, took care of me and let me sleep an extra 10 minutes every morning while he bathed first. But traveling with one of my dearest and oldest girlfriends was fantastic too. Sure, I had to lug my suitcase everywhere myself and there was the toilet issue, but hey, nothing beats being with a female while you ponder over a potential purchase, poking and questioning, before deciding 10 minutes later you don't want it. Girls never mind that. Fadz would totally have killed me.

Ah yes, so what did we do? Eat, shop, sightsee, eat and shop a lot more.

The boyfriend and parents formed my entourage. Muahaha.. The Rock Star has arrived!

I've now had the dubious honour of traveling on all 3 budget airlines. My conclusion? THEY ALL SUCK. It sucked so badly I wanted to chop my legs off and pry my brain out. And Pei Wen was extra fidgety which made the 5-hour journey excruciating. IT'S SO DAMN, FREAKING BORING, CRAMP, LACKING IN SERVICE AND THEY CHARGE EXORBIDANT PRICES FOR CRAPPY FOOD. Hummpff. I'm gonna kiss every bloody inch of SIA when I go to Melbourne.

I'm very messy meh? Both Fadz and Pei Wen complained incessantly. Look, I'm female, I carry tons of stuff in a ridiculously small bag. Need to find something urgently? Turn all the contents out onto the bed lah!

The hotel was okay, not as pokey as I expected it to be. They even gave us a whole freaking watercooler for all the water we needed. But dim lighting and a 10 minutes walk from Ximending can seem like an eternity after 8 hours of nonstop shopping.

Oh god, we ate so much. We were like heinous pigs devouring everything in sight. Gulp. FYI, smelly tofu is not so bad while consuming it, but leaves an aftertaste of shit. Remember the breathe mints. And Shilin XXL chicken chop is so overrated. Bleah.

The ubiquitous Ximending. The maze of shops kept us quite occupied for 5 days. Mostly Ah Lian fashion, with a quirky find every once in a while. So dig deep, dig hard, and haggle mercilously (not that it really worked).

Yes, we did sightseeing, ok. It wasn't just a debauchery of shopping and eating. Taipei 101 was brill, but a fucking pirates' den. Must pay for everything. Leave your wallet at the counter. But the view was killer. The memorials were... ho hum. But I wrote calligraphy for the first time!

I realise that we (fine, mostly me) did a lot of stupid things that made us stand out as bloody tourist. Oh well. You can only be dumb overseas, yeah?

The signs in Taipei are... interesting, to say the least. I felt terribly inadequate speaking Mandarin and was constantly at a loss for words (*sobz* I wept and cried out for people who would understand Singlish). But ha-di-ha-ha, I got my pride back when confronted with swoon-worthy and confusing English signs.

Pity we didn't get to go to Dan Shui for its hot springs, or planned for a trip over the weekend, cos S.H.E. were in town. Oh well.

Now I just want more, more, more! Let's see the world!

Taiwan Was Simply Lovely

Argh, I hate uploading photos. But I feel like I'm neglecting this blog and have been forcing myself.

Taiwan was brilliant. Going on holiday with one of your oldest female friends is very different from going on holiday with your boyfriend. Both have pros and cons. Let's the say that I'm glad it was Pei Wen who was with me this shopping spree holiday.

We ate shitloads. We shopped to our very last cent (literally).

Will update soon.

P.S.: Mok Mok, glad you're back in Singapore! *muacks*

I'm Doomed...

Sobz, so sad... turns out it wasn't a sprain.

After last week's debacle, I religiously applied ointment on my ankle and the swelling and pain gradually went away. Thinking the worse was over, I went to play volleyball again on Friday.

Not my best move, I must admit.

The pain came back almost from the start, and as I was going home, my ankle started shooting bolts of pain up my leg.

So in fear, I went to a Chinese physio to twist my leg back into shape. I nearly fell off the examining table when he proclaimed that my foot was "out of alignment". But that was not nearly as great a shock as when he told me to lay off exertion for 2 months. 2 months!!! wth!!! And no high heels, no running and no jumping!!!!

I asked him whether it could be a shorter period of rest. That snarky physio was so grumpy that he told me if i chose to ignore his words, he would only be too happy because then I would need to keep going back to him and give him business.

Bleah, if Wayne Rooney can break his matatarsal and heal quicker than doctors predicted, so can I, dammit.

No high heels? At least Fadz would be happy. And yes yes, we've made up. What to do, my heart so soft, cannot stay mad for long. :P

On a happier note, I'm off to Taiwan on Monday! Jay Chou my darling, 我来找你了! xxoo

Men Are Stupid Creatures

Don't give me some bull crap about stereotyping and making sweeping statements. Men ARE stupid creatures, there are no exceptions and sometimes they truly deserve to burn in bachelor hell. They can sit around and watch bad football, drink stale beer and reminisce about how stupid they were. Bah.

I was having volleyball training in school yesterday, running and jumping around and just doing my thing, when I executed a poor landing and popped my ankle. Hobbling painfully off the court, I hastily wrapped my ankle in tape. So what did I do next? I called my supposed boyfriend to come and take me home cos I needed emotional and physical support.

I called, he hemmed and hawed, going so far as to say that it probably wasn't anything serious and I just wanted to whine to someone, and informed me that "what was he suppose to do?" and "why don't you just take a cab home?"

I was furious. So much for being the love of my life. So much for caring about my welfare. Argh. In a fit of rage and with too much pent up anger, I tightened the bandage, laced up my shoe, and played volleyball for another 2 hours.

Talk about cutting off your nose to spike your face. Today, I woke up and my ankle hurts like hell. I'm sitting on my couch, stewing in my self pity and angry over how pathetic the situation is. Fuck lah. I can't even go out cos it hurts too much to walk.

His act of nonchalance, blatant laziness and inconsiderate behaviour cuts all the more especially when I'm surrounded with new love. 2 of my team mates have recently hooked up and just seeing the "new bliss" that surrounds them tears me into a million pieces when I'm faced with the lack of concern. Their boyfriends make the trip to SMU just to see their girlfriends, never mind the distance and what not. I'm hurt and stupid Fadz can't even be bothered to come get me.

I think this is the fear faced by every longtime relationship. That your other half simply stops caring. Stops trying to make magic happen because why bother? That stale moldiness that sets in and drives me to despair. Who am I to judge people who indulge in flings and whatnot when I find myself wanting to cave in to similar temptations? The need for something new, the need to find what is lacking in your current relationship. The need to stop doing what's right and start doing what feels GOOD. To stop thinking about the future for a moment, to throw caution to the wind, to live it up for one night, damn the consequences and be FREE.

My Heart Is Broken

I'm shattered. My soul is battered. My heart has been smashed into a million pieces.

ENGLAND IS OUT OF THE WORLD CUP.

I absolutely HATE Portugal now. I hope France kicks the shit out of those asses. I hope France's defence cuts down Christiano Shithead Ronaldo so fast he dives as a desperate attempt to get the other team carded but his dumb act is recognized by the referee and HE gets carded.

Yes, I am that passionate. From now on, I shall refer to that country as PUI. Next week, it's France versus PUI. Remember to bet your money in France. NO way is that loser team getting into the finals.

It was such a painful match to watch. First, my beautiful darling Beckham was injured and had to be sent off. His pained and despairing facial expressions cut into my heart with every wince. Then stupid Rooney had to go and clash with dumbass Ronaldo. He should have kicked his balls too. And let's not forget the penalty shootout. When Lampard missed, I knew England was screwed. Absolutely agonizing stuff.

I watch football for David. Every tear, every cheer, is for him. Sigh...


So magnificantly beautiful. So regal. Sir David Beckham. My knight. Probably his last World Cup. And since La Liga matches are in the insane hours of 2-3am, I doubt I'll see much of him unless he comes back to English football. Sigh.

Here's my final homage to the freekick wonder. Sir Beckham. I salute you.

Random Events In My Life

Yeah, haven't blogged for a long time. No Internet access at my work place, what. But thank God, my assignment is over. Finito. I don't think I've ever been so happy. Yup, definitely not in the working mood this vacation. How to be when I just want to go on holidays? Anyway.. here's what's happening in my life...

LOVE

I've found the love of my life. Sorry Fadz man, it's been a good run, but I think it's the curtains for us. Sometimes things change and as Heidi Klum would say, "One day you're in, and the next day, you're out." There really was no competition... My new love gives me comfort, support and is simply magnificant. How to compare?

.

.

.

Meet Triple Chocolate Crunch. I swear, once you taste this amazing cereal from Marks and Spencer, there simply is no way to turn back. It's delightful crunches of lovingly toasted oats, interspaced with 3 kinds of chocolate that melts in the mouth. Together with milk, and you can't go wrong. Mama mia, I am in love! Pure sin, this is to die for.

Haha, you really think I would leave Fadz and still be able to sound like such a cold hearted bitch, meh? Ok, don't answer that. I may be a bitch at times, but I'm lovable, okay. Although I must admit, I came this close to punching Fadz in the face over our 4th year anniversary.

LIFE as I know it

Yup, you read that right. 4 freaking years. It's madness, I tell you. Even I'm surprised that we've lasted this long. Between my bouts of psychotic mood swings and his unreadable stoniness, I would have thought we'd have killed each other or at least, committed suicide.

But anyway, back to my latest act of near violence. So there I was, busy sewing my poor fingers to the bone, making a surprise present for Fadz. Oh well, I missed the dateline by a week and a half, but it was a lot of work!

The pillow, not the couch. Handstitched the pillow casing (what to do, no sewing machine)! Now isn't that enough dedication to make you weep?

When I finally presented it to him, the little twerp at least had the decency to look touched. But in a moment of humbleness, I admitted that it wasn't my best work and there were some errors. Oh yeah, and go easy on the stitching.

I did back stitches and pillow stitches, but I suspect it can still fall apart.

So what did he do? Instead of being a great boyfriend and romantically declaring that it was beautiful and he couldn't see any errors, he actually had the cheek to examine it closely and point out a mis-stitch. See, wasn't my rage justifiable?

PERSONAL

Sigh, at least he's redeemed himself. Seeing how I'm in my "Arts and Craft" phase, in a moment of inspiration, I decided it was time to spruce up my bedroom walls. It's been almost 6 months since I repainted my room, and I decided that it was looking a bit bare. So I persuaded (coerced) Fadz into helping me stencil and paint some designs. He did the stenciling while I read blogs. Yes, I can be horrible too. But I love, love, love how it turned out!

My family is aghast. Is there no end to my shamelessness? You bet. Bow before me, serfs. I did most of the painting, anyway.

FAMILY

Oh yeah, and Father's Day. Ate at CHIJMES... this place called Carnivore. For meat lovers, it's amazing. 12 different kinds of meats charred to perfection and cut at your table still hot from the grill. It's a buffet, so it's nonstop meat after meat after meat. I nearly puked, but it was fantastic nonetheless. And they have funny as hell Brazilian chefs walking from table to table, cutting meats and obviously, they do not speak much English, except "Very nice, very nice!" or "Hen how chi!"

Daddy's Girl... moi

I can't wait for Taiwan. 23 more days to go! ;)