house(s) of the heart

2007-10-14T07:34:00.000+08:00

ha. so much for posting more here.
1 day more to school reopening though, so...a quick sum up of the "one month holiday". thats in inverted commas, for reasons im sure all OT peeps will know. bah to our workload!

did a whole load of fyp. argh, fyp. on the bright side, spent a lot of quality time with the dc team, which was...bonding. times spent laughing in the cafeteria about honeybunny and his latest exploits, talking about upcoming stuff, and confessions with sh over dusty files...you guys make me smile.

rounding up shs succession. we're almost there...just a few hiccups to get past, but still, almost there! :) positive thinking positive thinking.

on the personal front....heh. rearrangment and changing of status.events happening in my life, leading to actions taken on my part. wounded hearts.
it may sound unsympathetic when im not the victim here, but i do feel very bad about the way things turn out.
having said that though, relationships are someting which really have to take a back seat at this point of time in my life. and i learn a truth in my life: it is impossible to care as much as i want to for everyone i know.

finally. im sure u all know me as someone...who's not very careful with her things. so, it'll probably not surprise you to know that i lost my wallet, yesterday, in cinelesiure. this time though, i honestly dont know what went wrong. i distinctly remember putting it in my bag, and not taking it out. but then....
*sigh* as if im not financially strained already.
no worries though. i'll deal.
sleeping it over helped. a little.

time to face the world again.

2007-09-20T09:22:00.000+08:00

haha am working on updating more here. so. :)

yesterday was guitarissimo's (smu's guitar club) thank-you-and-welcome chillout at...frujtch? is that how you spell it? anyway, cafe-like place in smu.

having helped out with the concert, and having had a lot of fun with them the last time, i dropped by. had a lot of fun again! an evening of good music, crazy company and a fun place. what more could a gal ask for. :)

hello! :P

haha you can see i was a bit of a photowhore last night. but it was honestly funny, as people would just pick up my cam and aim it at me. so anyhow pose lor. haha.

haha PAP guy! :P this was just before all the card gmes started methinks...

".....huh?"

and sandwich for you? she's still too ridiculously cute. cant take it. haha.

2007-09-20T00:16:00.000+08:00

photospam part 2: bday picnic.
the babes v nicely organised a bday picnic for me on my birthday's eve. pics for u!

firstly the main players -

"oh why, oh why are there SO MANY CARS"
"who cares. kissies to the cars!"

"could not be bothered either. ooh, and oportunity to act cute!"
steph: "i look sexy cuz i have wasabe peas!"

lai: "why did i not hop on that bus and get away from the madness"

hey! a fragile, innocent leaf!
.......and my two kindhearted, loving friends. SIGH.

peekaboo?
lai: "no la...."

steph: "yes! so go do it now!"

the most game person that they, tired and annoyed with her 2 shutterbug friends who kept taking photos, she sitll can smile so sweetly. if it was me, i'll be stoping tover to destroy ur cam i tell u.

i look like this because.....

i am trying to light this candle 21 times. which is quite a feat for someone who didnt know how to use a normal lighter before this! and yes FINE, im a wimp. its just not east to use u know! haha.

the food before.......

and after. i feel like a pig man.

story behind this photo: for some unknown reason, there was a bunch of people filming a bolloywood (i kid u not. it had all the traditional bollywood things!) mtv. the're the small people behind lai, who is demonstrating how she will audition for the lead role. :P

lai loves grapes!

u might not be able to see clearly in this pic, but lai is actually tossing champange grapes at steph, who is attempting to catch them with her mouth. in reality the grapes ended up EVERYWHERE. steph ended up sitting on one i believe. lol.

"kiss my hand!!"

steph looks desperate to get into the drame. photowhoring becomes a lot more difficult when u try to fit 3 heads into the frame. haha.

steph! are u holding a flower?

"no its the stalk of grapes after i finished all the grapes on it"

another ridiculously cute picture of her tho. lol.

2007-09-19T11:51:00.000+08:00

how lai looks like when she's concentrating. okay not really. lai dont kill me!!

lai: im going to take more photos of you!!!

steph: NOOOOOO SPARE MEEEEEEE

this is kinda cool in a sci fi way. :P

lai trying to make me look like a pig. lol.

was looking at the bottom left photo. dont u think thats a really strange way to hold the carton? haha, i have abnormal motor patterns.

posed photo of picknicking.

failed posed photo. i cant move fast enough la.

no, i really dont know how to pose for photos.

the other 2 look pretty good though, so focus on them instead. haha.

and that, boys and girls, is how you look like when u stuff 100 champange grapes into your mouth! :)

we all look so constipated. haha.

2007-09-19T10:52:00.001+08:00

haha this is bad of me. i keep promising photospam, but i never deliever. so now here u go! :) squid outing (01/09/07)

this is so adorable.

this pic amuses me. it also amuses me to think wj is going to hate this pic. :P

yay nice couple shot!

isnt it amazing what u can do with camera modes. :)

Chio bu alert!

noel's expression here is priceless. u can see hp agrees with me.

couple pic!!

and yes wj, i still think u look like an elephant in tis picture. haha.

2007-09-18T00:08:00.000+08:00

and ive finally gotten through 8 weeks of attachment.
how does one describe challenge, exhaustion, frustration and a great deal of stress woven together to make up 1 exciting yet horribly draining attachment.
thinking of my upcoming action filled hols doesnt do much to lower my exhaustion levels.
when am i just going to get a moment of total peace and quiet to myself?! hai.
anyways. quick picture spam here just to bring u all up to date.

quick sum up of CE 3B: a photographic representation.

so many pathways to explore, so many things to do. they tend to stretch out into the distance, looming before you. it took me a while to master the trick of just taking it one step at the time, and trusting that everything will work out in the end.

even though i wasnt the only one at this centre, placements tend to give me a fundamentally alone feeling...that you are on your own, you have to watch out and take care of yourself...

much like being a therapist, on your own, i guess.

its all worth it at the end though, just like a beautiful sunset at the end of a long tiring day.

2007-09-13T01:41:00.001+08:00

3 more days to end of attachment.
4 more days to guitar concert.
and the 1 person helping me keep it all together.

*hughug*

2007-08-28T22:19:00.000+08:00

time to brush away all the cobwebs from this journal! lol. i know ive been gone an awfully long time, so providing a comprehensive report of what ive been up too all this time would be taxing and (trust me,) extremely boring. will just try to post short but quick updates ba.

-24/08/07-

"i can look good even with cake on my nose!" okay, not really, but haha what to do, the placement of the spoon was just nice. :P

-26/8/07-

my morning spot for the past 5 weeks. scramble of updating patient notes and reviewing my treatment plans.

haha as it turns out i have no energy or time to do more,so this is it for now. hope everyone else is fine!

get

2007-08-02T21:02:00.000+08:00

someone said, "you havnt posted in a long time."
i replied, "thats cuz ive learned how to prioritise"
and even though he couldnt see it, i smiled into the phone.

so this for you! :)

Don’t wantcha for the weekend – don’t wantcha for a night
I’m only interested if I can have you for life – yeah
Uh, I know I sound serious – and baby I am
You’re a fine piece of real estate,
and I’m gonna get me some and
Oh, yeah
So, don’t try to run – honey, love can be fun
There’s no need to be alone – when you find that someone

I’m gonna getcha while I gotcha in sight
I’m gonna getcha if it takes all night
You can betcha by the time I say “go,” you’ll never say “no”
I’m gonna getcha, it’s a matter of fact
I’m gonna getcha, don’tcha worry ‘bout that
You can bet your bottom dollar, in time you’re gonna be mine
Just like I should – I’ll getcha good.
(Shaina Twain - Im gonna getcha good)

2007-07-28T23:52:00.000+08:00

feels like i havnt posted in a while, so here's some snapshots of my life so far.
so my relatives for the uk are here.

us taking photos at night. haha tribute to lai here...i'll never forget all those fotos of hers.

one of the many photos taken that night. somehow the blurness brings out a strange and otherworldly feeling to a familiar place.

the moral of this picture? never put pralines in the sun. hahahaha u should see people's face when they open the box. anticipation turned into confusion and stunned-ness. LOL.

lunch today...ba kut teh soup is amazing on a cold rainy day.

finally, dinner tonight in a chinese resturant. yums.

2007-07-26T23:49:00.000+08:00

attachment has been, is still, and will be insane.

tired yet excited. weird huh.

anyways:for you.

2007-07-23T21:42:00.000+08:00

and so it begins....
heh. first reflection of my first day of 3B. you know, as scary, intimidating and stressful placement is, i cannot deny i always get a rush of adrenaline and pure, unadulterated joy in placement. this is what keeps me going through the neverending craziness that is school; to know that in the end, im going to come out, and do this, every day.

i know that this seems hopelessly idealistic and naive, but hey, im sure sentiments like these (or their equivalent) was what spurred u all to take up OT, yes? you sure didnt pick it as a way to earn money. *insert usual whine abt our low pay here* haha. anyways, here's hoping that placement is going well for all....just think, 39 DAYS MORE ONLY! HEE.

anyway. im in an acute hospital in the west, now in neuro inpt. craziness doesnt begin to describe the frantic pace in which we see patients.

This resulting in situations like this:
*sup and i see patient A for 5 min, set him up with activity*
*we turn to next pt, and next, and next, and next*
1 hour later sup starts documentation: "oh yeah, this auntie performed quite well. how would u describe her dressing performance?"
shiri: *mumbles incoherently as she trys to figure out which patient from the multitudes sup is talking abt.*

heh, havta buck up! *determined*

after work met up with the darling, ate in bugis and he took me scenery-viewing! :)

teochew porriage with yummy brinjal!

oasis of calm amidst a sea of modern constructions.

.................no, i cant explain this pic either. but cute rite??? hahahahhaha.

darn rain clouds, they chased us home. *sulks*

*grins*

2007-07-22T00:43:00.000+08:00

so, bbq with dear's collegues today at some ulu part of ponggol. its one of those unreachable-unless-you have-a-car, and with its serenity and quiet, has quickly become a make-out-in-dark-car places. so you imagine all these couples getting all happy and such, and lo and behold!10 noisy people come and set up a bbq.

haha its probably not too good that this amuses me greatly.

anyway the place itself:

weather was a bit iffy the whole day; intermittent showers throughout. had a few close calls while bbq-ing, but the rains did have one good thing: gorgeous clouds.

it looks almost holy, somehow.

it being such a nice peaceful place (especially in the late afternoon), it was almost impossible to resist just taking a walk and enjoying the scenery.

hee, i think this is dear's favourite angle or something. its kinda unconventional, but i think its cool. :)

as funky a photographer he may, its obvious that we need to work on his posing for fotograph skills. lol! pls la it was such a nice picture and he looks like that. *shakes head sadly* giveup man.. heehee.

for a remote and ulu place though, the place saw its share of visitors...aside from those arriving in cars and obviously up to amorous activities (aka, pak tor). there was 1 wedding party (the ant size figures in foto above) and one...weird modelling group. 1 photog, 1 model (quite dressed up) and some other guy, who proceeded to wander asmong the lalang for 1 hour pls snapping photos. weird man.

all in all it was really fun...haha his collegues were something like the OT-ies...lame (and dirty) jokes galore...good natured teasing... will the good company and a lovely view, u really cant go wrong.

was quite inspired by this trip to explore more corners of singpaore tho...*grins*

2007-07-21T00:16:00.000+08:00

exams are over!!!! *jumps*

now just 8 weeks of placement to go. *droops* okay its not THAT bad. im kinda looking forward to it now, really. :D must psycho myself up for it....yay geri! lol. oh, but im also getting ICU cases. will i be able to handle it? i just gotta find a way somehow.

shs stuff...did handover to the juniors already. will tidy loose ends, and then its backstage work for me with regards to nurses day. clinicals ahoy! heh. (btw shs-ers: i met with our dear teacher advisor, and she started quizzing me about my personal life. it was....well you know her. heh.)

anyway. plant in my mother's (ever expanding) garden. OT-ies, dont know if u all can recognise but this is a smaller relative of a plant in our garden. its a desert plant and does well with little water, but has pretty red/pink flowers, making it quite popular to grow.

so, after paper today and shs stuff, went down to imh. just got thrown a bomb though; we've gotta do data collection from scratch for 1 phase. *sighs* not a disaster, but i cant help but sigh wistfully thinking of how we've gotta do colleciton AGAIN...bah im just whining. this is what happens when u're doing action research, after all.

and met up with the dear after imh. *blissful* didnt realise how much ive missed him over the weeks...and how just spending time with him makes the day seem all the brighter, somehow. :)

at macs, when he was showing off his math skills. as it turns out, my math has deteriorated to the point where primary school kids can tutor me. this is just embarrassing man.

okies, bed for me....

2007-07-19T23:29:00.000+08:00

Today, not so a good day.

P&S: not so bad, but could have been better *curses her lack of details*.

walked to amk hub, partly to take bus from interchange, and 159 pulled away form the stop before i could get there and i didnt want to wait another 30 minutes to saunter around.

beautiful tree. homage to the one cut down on bishan gounds, near ri.

2007-07-18T19:26:00.001+08:00

psychosocial dysfunction: one of those papers you can write a ton about, but there's no time.

so now last of the heavy papers: play & school (aka epeds, aka p&s, aka pain in the ass). but somehow i dont feel frightened of it leh. and no its not because ive studied for it...quite the opposite. think im too burned out to care. WAKE UP YULI!!!

anyway as promised to syaz, addendum to the my appreciation post (lol actually it shold be part of nurses' day! a time to appreciate ma. haha)

to my LOVELY and FUNKY SHS-ers (who if you've come to my blog, welcome welcome! pls tag. hee): working with you all has been a blast, and the way u all can pull together an event out of nothing, have fun doing it and walk away with a big smile always amazes me! your energy and enthusiasm are real inspirations. :)
ps: syaz is an exception. *runs away before i kena whack* but i mean that in a GOOD way! really! not. :D

2007-07-18T08:39:00.000+08:00

oh and shoutout to the OTs: anyone wanna go for peds SIG? 1 day before work soci...its just work soci ma...hahaha. let me know, kay?

2007-07-18T08:08:00.000+08:00

3 more papers to go. losing the drive to study, but okay, need discipline.

Haha, i realised the hazard of being an OT student...you cant stop being an OT, even at home! tis pic doesnt show it very well, but im trying to show the amount of compensation he's doing with his right hand to bring it up to the computer. a lot of scapular protraction, shoulder adduction. so he stopped using R hand to type after a while and just typed with left. u shold see his use the mouse. even worse.

but i should probably stop here before you all throw things at me.

Sky at 2am when i was studying yesterday. all though all those clouds in the sky = hot unconfortable night, it really is quite pretty to look at.

and view from the outdoor living room (we put our old living room furniture out in the porch. nice place to sit.) clouds are love.

nurses' day & shs meeting yesterday: stressful yet uplifting. there's a lot to do, but as that famous man says...."can we build it? YES WE CAN!" bob the builder. eternal source of inspiration.

&hugs to someone. there's nothing i wouldnt give to spend a day with you.

2007-07-17T08:40:00.000+08:00

haha quicky post before going to school.

deb: i dont want to be in a nursing home too! unfortunately with the current healthcare systems, odds are thats our eventual residence. personally i feel that group homes or sheltered housing, where elderly live independently but in the same complex is where we should be heading at with our aging population. we've gotta work towards that, cuz there's no way the future generation (ie, us) can support the babyboomer generation in nursing homes.

haha done ranting.

2007-07-16T16:49:00.000+08:00

warning, long rambling.

lets kick off with picpics though. easier to digest. ha.

if i havnt mentioned it recently, my silly bro fractured his wrist. closed articular fracture. how? let me quote the medical report.

"wrist fracture caused by football flying into it."

now u know why being an OT can be so entertaining. like, wth?!

but ive been assured by the patient (aka emo boy above) that thats what really happened. its so weird tho. people will ask, "how did you injure your hand?" and he answers, "football accident". it just doesnt seem congruent, somehow.

school today, during lunch. i must say, the class'es picture siaming reflexes are getting faster.

see what i mean?? :)

but as it turns out, it was a tactical error to take out my camera as they soon turned the tables on me, hijacking my camcam and making me pose with abi.

and if the photos resemble some....other fotos i have in my blog...its intentional. *hides head in hands* i swear it wasnt my idea!!!! my evil, evil, class.

okay, talking time.

you know, for a occupational therapist student, my self-reflection is not up to par. nothing else can explain how i can miss the things right in front of me until i (almost literally) run smack into them.

things like, how age differences invariably leads to mindset differences. which leads to plans-in-life differences. which can be an awfully scary thing.

i said, i dont want to be your mistake in life.

you said, im not.

you said, lets treasure what we have now.

you're right.

You know, there really is something to this concept of "treasuring what you have now". cuz now sitting back and reflecting...

i do treasure all of you. every single one of you. the time we've spent together has been inspiring, entertaining, amusing (VERY amusing, sometimes), occasionally exasperating, but most of all, inspiring.

babe x 2: 7 years of walking together. you guys have comforted, entertained (OH YES. hahahaa.), amused, prodded, counselled, and performed many, many, other feats in the name of friendship. i wouldnt be who i am today without the two of you.

squids: jc to now. we've gone through thick and thin. am proud to call you my friends, and i want you all in my life until im 80 and in a nursing home! we can all BE in the same nursing home too. haha!

OTties: 3 years of intense project, classes, attachments. 3 years of insanity, amusment (i think i derive a lot of amusment from my surroundings), inspiration and love (naggy sometimes, but its the thought that counts, yes?). you all will be my collegues next time, and i dont think i could ask for a better bunch of people. a big big WHINE to you all!! :D

last but not least, to the person who inspired this post: patience. understanding. thoughtfulness. fun. joy. love. peace. support. guidance. you've given me all these and more. words cannot express how grateful & thankful i am to have you in my life. you complete me.

*hearts*

haha writing this almost made me cry again. :P

2007-07-14T21:20:00.000+08:00

i just need company now. please.

2007-07-14T20:20:00.000+08:00

exams. gah.

and people tell me they rather be a student than be a member of the workforce.

not that i dont believe them. its just that....exams.....

anyway. study study study.

so what am i doing online, you ask?

am doing the aunt agony thing again...this time for my little cuz. she's didi's age (for some werid reason he started calling me jie so i reciprocated. lol.) and is one of the many overseas cousins, so the whole bgr thing is invietable, i guess.
talking to her...eheh. man, kids are little monsters at 16, i tell you. so daring, yet so insecure. sociable, but incredibly cruel to each other.
the teenage years really werent easy.
looking at teens now, you may thing, "huh, why are u making such a big fuss about nothing?" but its not nothing to them, really. its everything.

and yes, its a critical period for me, and i should be studying.
but its hard to say no when she's looking for help.
will just study and talk to her i guess.

oh, and.
you dont know how badly i want to see you.
you said that you will bear with it.
and your patience and understanding is something i cant thank you enough for.
its just....its not something i can control either (short of dropping out of school, then definately no more exams)
argh im just frustrated. and distracted.

okay cannot be distracted!
am going to get notes to start studying. while counselling. haha.

2007-07-13T23:39:00.000+08:00

*guilty look* i know im supposed to be studying, but trust me, this is a great destresser.

go take this test!

all u have to do is look and select pictures. v easy one. :)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

2007-07-13T22:54:00.000+08:00

Quicky pic post!

Dinner w dear @ vivo, 10/7. a bit...tasteless, if i remember correctly.

11/7 BFG (aka bloody falls group, inside joke on their FYP title), also the most photogenic fyp group in the class. no, really. they have all the hotties! er, girls, anyway. but then joseph is the best man (another OT joke..thing), so he fits in too.

13/7: tree behind serangoon gardens market, where i was studying this morning. and dont give me weird looks, it was a pretty nice place. :)

brunch today! haha im making like aishah and indulging in food therapy, my way: take fotos of everything i eat. its probably getting pretty boring tho, rite. :P

13/7 night: AYE CAT!!!!! she was so cute okay.

haha, done.

2007-07-13T12:37:00.000+08:00

the way i see it, i have exactly 2 days to cover 4 subjects. good news, its 2 full days. bad news? hello? 2 days? 4 subjects??

on the bright side, i feel full of vim and motivation to study. yay!

on the not so good side, my mother is driving me nuts. am working on just being nice back. harder but smarter thing to do. not to mention what it can do to improve my frustration tolerance level. :D

2007-07-12T23:39:00.000+08:00

.................GAH.

okay, PBL (problem-based learning) time, guys!

if my current mobile plan gives me a totally inadequate 60min outgoing calls and 500sms per month, how can i reduce my outgoing call bill? every month now i pay average $70 more on top of my plan for outgoing calls. AND im barely staying within my sms limit also.

need to find solution before mother kills me. this feels so.....secondary school. bah.

and before you all look disapprovingly at me, i honestly spend most of my time on the fone due to work, i swear. non-work stuff.....usually i work out private arrangements with the respective parties which involve utilising my all-day free incoming.

currently im contemplating a second line from singtel (im on m1 now) or something. theoretically combining two plans should help keep the bills down? what u all think.

too tired to really care, but mother is really, really going on and on. argh.

hope ure feeling better after sleeping on thursday. please take care.

2007-07-10T01:13:00.000+08:00

whirlwind of things to do, actions to be taken, things to be done.

i dont know if i can do it all, even though i know i must, somehow.

oh well, its not like i dont know the answer. be organised, be disciplined, and to take things one step at the time.

eaiser said than done.

on top of school stuff....

i made mistakes, and im sorry.
ive apologised, and you've accepted it.
you said u need some time to get over it,
and i think that makes a lot of sense.

i still cant help but feel frustrated.
at myself, at the situation.
maybe all we need is time.
.....i just dont know.

someone once said that when ure 21, you'll think that you know everything, when in actuality, you know nothing.

so if at 21, i feel like i know nothing...thats...probably not a good sign.

okay. work work work.

2007-07-09T10:29:00.000+08:00

haha if lai saw the post below she's going to complain no pix of us. so here comes. :)

do work time! :)

2007-07-09T09:53:00.000+08:00

report from saturday:

:) lunch at a secret recipe-which-needs-more-staff. service was good but SLOW. not that we minded actually. more time to just chill together. ha.

down in orchard road. someone was on the phone, so i started to entertain myself. haha. good thing he can multitask. :P

night programme at timbre...anthony (steph's SO) was performing. heh ended up eating off dear's plate again. :) great way to diet, no? this photo amuses me, actually, cuz my reaction when seeing it is "SO THATS WHAT WE'RE EATING!!!"

well dim lighting in a bar makes it hard to actually see what ure eating. heh.

lai and her NEW TOY (which still sounds wrong, really)

the "odd couple" :D photo by steph, who refused to turn on the flash, resulting in a really....artistic photo? mark looks really evil in this one. lol.

okay, photo post done. now for whining. :P

its that time of the year again.

as much as i love my course, my workload, and my life in general, the emotional toll on my mind and heart invariably starts sinking in after a while. the hectic pace doesnt help either...a 2 week ACTUAL holiday (not just a break so we can rush more work) would be nice, but if wishes were fishes we'll be eating for a year. *sigh*.

so.

am tring to find ways to jump-start my mind again, or at least to get out of this cycle of TIRED TIRED TIRED im in. it really is more emotional than physical...sleep doesnt really help. actually i think the only thing which helps now is just to concentrate on my work, and get it out of my system. and recharging by spending some time with myself, and the people i love.

cant wait for october.

enough dreaming. time for work!

2007-07-07T00:07:00.000+08:00

(if you saw the previous posts for today and realised that the've disappeared, thats cuz i decided that they were a bit too nonsensical and removed them. dont worry about it though, u didnt miss anything coherent. lol)

so. today.

school was full of play & school (module on children). honestly, 15 minutes is not enough to absorb everything a group of 5-6 people has to say about a case...AND think of insightful and meaningful questions to ask them. and yes, its madatory we ask questions...for that lovely thing called active class participation. bah.

after class was meeting on teacher's day...left with a whole list of things to do. whats new, right. sigh.

then. met the babe, went strip. one word...

OUCH. forgotten how much pain i get from a visit to that place. the stupid things we do for beauty. bah.

went bugis. met anthony. bus-ed home. met deardear. went home.

bedtime soon...feel like eating now tho. hee.

2007-07-04T11:19:00.000+08:00

just finished SMD pract. argh so feel that im part of the 1/3. who fails.

gotta work very very hard for psychosoc now. very. very. hard.

2007-07-04T03:06:00.000+08:00

7 hours to the pract and counting down. not really tired, but not really alert either, just want to get it over and done with.

am still thinking of yesterday...and my mistake of not calling someone back, causing that person to feel worried and angry.

ive apologised, and you've accepted that apology...
but i still feel bad about it.

now i know why my parents get angry though...when it comes to letting people know where i am at what time, i confess im not as responsible as i should be.

well, i know now. i wont let this happen again.
i dont want you to have to worry and be angry about this again.

2007-07-02T23:26:00.001+08:00

i want to do well for SMD pract. or at least not fail. anything else is good enough, really.

i want to get olaf past all bombs on thursday. or at least past lecturer's bombs can le.

i want to end the cold war between my mom and i. or least be able to have a conversation again.

i want to see my darling again. or at least not wait until saturday.

i want, i want, i want.

i will study my brains out for SMD, so at least ive done what i can.

i will do what i can with my enthu and engaging olav (oops, not olaf. gonna be scolded again), so we can said we've tried.

i will get home early for the next 4 days, so at least i will be a dutiful daughter for the next 4 days.

i will study a lot, and work a lot, BUT. i'll still miss deardear a lot. BUT, i dont want him to come down. AND i want him to work hard too, and forget about me...until saturday. our special saturday! :)

i love you and miss you and will think of you....till saturday!

2007-07-02T06:36:00.000+08:00

tired and rapidly losing energy still.

becoming bothered by things i could laugh off (or at least attempt to resolve without getting upset).

i feel like ive lost my emotional immunity, the ability to stay sane and balanced.

thank you for being there for me through the mess that was sunday. you really came through for me, and i want you to know how much i really appreciated that. you were there when i needed you most. now, stop reading my blog and go work! :D

for the OTs, i know work is getting everyone down. so i offer inspiration!
this test will tell you if you are dumb!

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=6798

it will take u all of 15 seconds but it made me smile, before i realised i needed those 15 seconds. haha back to work i go, then.

2007-06-30T23:25:00.000+08:00

my saturday:

morning with the maternal family. these are the youngest members present...engaging in cooperative pretend play using abstract objects. i challenge u guys to guess what the're pretending. lol. hint, they're holding stools.

afternoon down to city to meet the babe for shopping, gossiping and eh....general babe time, i guess. met the darling also though... thanks for coming down and carrying my books when we were shopping! missed you badly when u left. actually i missed ur arms more, as they carried my books. v hard to shop carrying books. :D

she doesnt look happy to see me though. i wonder why. :D okay i confess. i wouldnt let her eat until i photographed madly. haha.

something we saw walking to esplanade. as steph said:

one for you, one for me, one for lai.

love, we're always here for you; up or down, good or bad.

2007-06-29T19:58:00.000+08:00

i guess its obvious im one of those people who doesnt know what's good for myself. haha well its just fever though...not dengue (TOUCH WOOD) or something equally serious.

anyways. disjointed thoughts.

a miss z.z. chen was spotted in the newspapers...having won a really prestigious award for being top in the the school. and when i say school, i mean in a cohort of 2000 plus people? no joke. really happy for her though, she's an amazing person. but hey, this is what i mean when i say its no joke to specialise in peds. ALL peds people are really good scholars...and im...indifferent, at best. of course, this is probably a good sign than i should stop whining, shut up and study. haha.

yay fyp proposal done! (except for grammar-ing). went past our supervisor with no problems. which was... you know what i mean.

argh kena bombed for p&s presentation. bleh. almost back to square one...but hey, its a learning process. yay!

finally a big thank you to someone...although the liang cha is really super bitter :P i know its all for my benefit. you're the best! :)

done. going for dinner!

hee new template! and yes im finally going to bed. lol.

2007-06-29T08:52:00.000+08:00

after 2 years of successfully not getting sick (been very blessed to avoid falling sick for clinical and classes), my luck finally ran out.

so hate being sick. :(

cant sleep though...keep thinking abt things to do. so i'll get up. and i'll get stuck in front of the com (like now) setting things.

will tryy to go sleep after this.

2007-06-27T07:44:00.000+08:00

going to all the other ots' blog now would give you one common theme: stress! and its true...everything is coming really fast and furious (out of contex, but Chai, 2007) now, and we barely get a chance to bring our head above the water before another load comes crashing down on our heads.

oh well. we've lived through stress of this level for 2 years...lets stay strong and pull through together, yes? we can do it! :P its just (less than) 1 year to go!

2007-06-24T01:08:00.000+08:00

met the babe on friday. as u can see, she's as busy as ever. cant wait to see u again...though goodness knows when that is. gah.

we walked past the mr bean at her school. this is just adorable can. :Pwent for marilyn's (my 5 year old cousin whom im teaching piano) birthday party on saturday morning. seriously, kids are the most entertaining thing to watch in the world...especially the kindergarteners. i just sat down there and watched. and laughed. and laughed some more. ha.

this kind of cake still amazes me. :P

met the darling (but for some reason have no pictures of that. did we take any?) thank you for the 2-3 hours of just being with ya...though i know u dont really like just little bits of time like that, thank you for understanding thats all i really have now... *sigh*

and met the squids at night. finally! missed noel though...he had work. *haiz*. by this point of time my cam died, which sadly resulted in a lot of fotos disappearing. i remember taking them, but the're not in the cam. the only thing in the cam seems to be photos of wj, which is like, ick. haha.

i those this pic cuz at least deb is in the pic...so i dont just have to look at wj. lol.

sunday...piano as usual. movie and dinner with someone after that. :) you really made my day.

2007-06-21T12:08:00.003+08:00

last pic of it all:

dunkin doughnuts in jusco. this pic says it all.

2007-06-21T11:46:00.000+08:00

end tuesday and wednesday. this might be a bit confusing to read (i blame blogger's way of uploading pics), but forget the time line if its really too starnge, just enjoy the pics ne.

the little beach we ended up at almost by accident. amazingly calm, and very good for restoring balance. so need to go to the beach more. :)

cat at the coffeeshop on wednesday night. the only one in malaysia which actually stayed still for phototaking...for all the other cats i saw on this trip, i have a whole bunch of blurred feline figures. poetry in motion? :D

la la! (thats the name, not me singing) shellfish which apparently is impossible to find in singapore. but yum, yum, yum. :)

hahahahahaha.

reflections are amazing things.

boredom in the car. i look almost decent in this foto for a change

seaside town where we had lunch on wed afternoon. nice place, but as they've built too far out already, the sea actually comes in on the built up area every night, leaving a layer of mud everywhere. result? hose cleaning of carparks every morning.

at the beach. this is my uncle b, my aunt's (father's sister's) husband.

tuesday, continued.

so since we never stop being ots, here's a great picture of our bread and butter!

disabled toilet in jusco. the toilets there were impeccable, i tell you. amazing to look at. the disabled toilet...*sigh* so close, yet so far, ne? cookies to all the problems in this foto, though i think by this point of time you guys are sick of doing environmental analysis. but it is a start, i guess...and things can only get better, no? yay for positive thinking.

driving back to singapore at dusk. pretty, pretty, pretty.

2007-06-21T10:57:00.000+08:00

yay finally back from malaysia! okay, i lie, since i actually went to malaysia and came back on tuesday, then went again on wednesday, and came back. my family doesnt believe in energy-efficient travelling. so. tuesday!

found this sweetheart under my aunt's condo. have realised that i have a total weakness for orange kitties. doesnt she make your heart melt? :)

my brother demonstrating what we did 90% of the time travelling. hey, its a long ride.

mall at terbau city. for some reason it reminded me a lot of aeon in japan.

okie, will call a temporary break now, next post will have the rest of tueday's fotos and wednesday.

2007-06-18T23:58:00.000+08:00

firstly, to all 0T0502 people out there: stop reading my blog! or at the very least if ure going to read how bout tagging? and stop the read point and laugh thing la. cant take u guys. :D

quick post before i go pia olav. sianz.

my mature and grown up brother. lol proof that we never grow up. yay to play. :)

dear's..........beef and tofu with cheese thing. which was pretty good, actually. it was better than the cake i picked though. oops. :D

i'll see u in 2 days.

u're in my heart .

2007-06-18T16:10:00.001+08:00

today's just an extension of yesterday, only that ive been down the whole day. maybe its the rainy weather, which isnt perking me up like usual for some reason. haiz.

oh well. will stop being down...yay to positive self talk rite? :)

2007-06-17T23:58:00.000+08:00

no pictures today, just ranting.

im upset that my parents insisted that 10:30pm is way too late to be meeting friends for not urget business.

im angry that i didnt just have the brains to make a move eariler in the night and just travel to meet my dear.

im tired now due to all the energy i spent feeling frustrated and annoyed.

i dont know what im saying anymore,but im hoping that tomoro will be better.

i know im going to spend the whole day thinking of someone, and thats going to affect my work, and that makes me angry. its not your fault at all , dear, but i want to do a good job tomorro by myself as much as possibe)

im so sleepy im falling asleep on the computer table.

tired.

2007-06-17T00:25:00.000+08:00

haha yes blogging again. im becoming addicted. partially due to all the photowhoring. haha.

hand lunch with the darling today. thats his turkey fillet from han's at national library. and if you're thinking it looks like fish, i totally agree with u. i even mistook it as my grilled fish can. bah. the carrots were nice though. lol.

babe and i at dance class. I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS GIRL FOR WAY TOO LONG. but okay, ive got her next friday, so that's making me feel marginally better. miss you so much dear. haiz. oh well. cant wait till after 16th sep. lol .

went out with the dear after class...and was (very sadly) interrupted by family outing...sorry again, dear. anyway he very kindly accompanied me to ikea to meet them, and we ended up talking and watching videos of us in class on a sofa bed. yay to ikea. but haha, im feeling pretty good abt todays class, even though its the last one. have realised thru the video that i actually take too big steps when i step backward ("5-6-7"), and that im still hard to turn (not enuff self-momentum). oh well. will work hard! hee.

and yes i know this pic makes him look slightly beng. but i like the way he looks. so bleh to you guys. lol.

(warning, next pic can be slightly offensive)

my other favourite young man. lol dear look carefully though! :P this pic sums up my bro perfectly --> qat guai only. lol. today he was looking particularly wholesome though. must be the lack of football jersey, cap, and other pai kia equipment.haha. he looked pretty shuai kayyyy.. :P

and finally, what happens when one forgets to bring plastic bags to ikea (who now has a no free plastic bag rule). its quite entertaining to carry flower pots (with plants in it) around though. haha.

okie, pictures done, talking time.

didnt get to see the squids today...will be anxiously waiting to see u guys next week! :)

will be going to malaysia on tuesday and wed, so i'll be uncontactable (somemore no roaming. sad). will miss everyone tonnes, see you all when i come back.

haha a lot of work to complete today (sat and sun) before monday...got olav and play, fyp and SM dysfxn. gah. gotta really work hard! its a bit tricky though, especially when you add a bf into the equation.

its late le, will turn in.

2007-06-16T00:00:00.000+08:00

Note to self: no more staying up until 5am anymore. it almost literally ruined my day. anyway.

"and that makes it...five!"

one of the golden moments of the dc team...and a very graphic description of how un-user friendly the data storage system we're accessing is...the programme has no way of tabulating information you want (for example number of visits a patient makes to 1 particular clinic), so we've resorted to the anicent and time honoured system of counting fingers. ha. so much for the information age.

headed down to vivo after fyp to meet dear.

yay water!

as you can see, the scenery was great. right dear? *grins*

my big, strong, boyfriend's small, delicate cup of coffee. it packed a bretty big kick though, for something so small. yay to expresso shots to keep you away. :)

no words. :)

2007-06-15T02:40:00.000+08:00

So tired. photos, here u go.

Hougang station! i dont come here enough...very intriguing place. it looks pretty undeveloped still...almost kampong like.

intriguing seats at hougang. they have different levels...probably to cater for the different populations.

so this is su and i before FYP...

and after. :D okay, so i lie. we took both fotos on the ride down to town on the NEL. lol. it took us 3-4 shots to get each pic right...much to the entertainment of the other commuters on the rides. we so have to put all these fotos together and create some form of momento book...

Deb's cabonara pasta before...

and after she drowns it in cheese. this is just.......scary. seriously. lol. i have no idea how she can actually eat that. haha.

Deb and i on the mrt. haha she's looking as lovely as ever...im going to miss you when you go overseas! and we should still go exercising can... dont give excuses anymore! haha.

2007-06-13T23:08:00.000+08:00

long and hectic day. am quite sure that ive reached a point where i just need a moment out off everything...out of school, cca...everything. and just...breathe. im close to being swept off my feet, and im not liking it at all.

whining aside, let me attempt to make myself feel better through fotos.

the queen of dao. doesnt she just look it?? doesnt stop her from being adorable though. :)

its probably a sign of how mentally disturbed i was today that the normally camera shy me (no, serious! ha.) started cam-whoring shamelessly on the bus. its pretty fun as hobbies go, provided youre pretty uninhibited. ha.

i gained a lot of entertainment from this. and yes, this is one of the better looking fotos already. the rest are...hillarious. :D

this was how entertained i was. :D

took a whole mess of fotos of the class, but thats on the class blog if you want a look.

went out with the bro after class to watch ocean's 13; which turned out to be fun in a way remarkably similar to ocean's 11. still delightful entertainment, though, and thats all that matters.
apparently i havnt lost my appetite for photowhoring though. it started to creep my brouther out after a while. /grin.

and yes, he does seem to only have that 1 expression. haha.

Then he dumped his cap on me! :D that cap was a major pain in the arse though, he left it behind in the theater and we had to go hunt it down. bah.

anyway fotos aside. classes are getting really crazy...and with sensorimotor practical (phycial handling skills) coming up, i really have to buckle down and study. haiz.

miss the darling a lot and a lot...didnt see him today...hope the work went well...and that you dont have too much for tomorro...ganbatte ne! missing you like crazy.

2007-06-13T00:00:00.000+08:00

haha more randomness of my life. today u get pictures of my school! yes yes, yawn...but hey, how many of you have actually seen my school?!

View of the other schools' blocks (not SHS...we're on the other side) here. actually, heck the buildings. just admire the clods. this was one pretty cloud day i tell you.

but really, i also appreciate the landscaping. its not something u see in every tertiary institution, and its greatly appreciated when you're all wound up and just need to relax. sitting beside the pool and just staring in calms me down somehow.

See how nice the clouds are? its just relaxing to look at the sky...especially when its as pretty as this.

And to round off with one of the loves in my life. PEDS FOREVER!

2007-06-11T08:13:00.000+08:00

So, went for a morning walk. its still slightly overcast, which makes for unseasonal good weather...something to be enjoyed as long as it lasts. :)

It almost doesnt look like singapore, really. ha, to pretend that im overseas even for a short moment... :)

One of the houses being renovated.

You know those brightly coloured spinnarets everyone and their dog seems to be putting up these days? well this is 1 design i havnt seen before,,,it almost looks like a lotus, actually. pretty!

And this is for someone out there...this is what it looks like from where i stand..and wave goodbye. :(

cant wait to see u soon!

Forgot to mention..went out with yh yesterday...shopping, talking, more shopping, too much walking. :D but haha, daniel really looks like a num guy! :P

squid outing next sat to new york new york (yh says that her frens eat there got stomachache, wj say his sis eat there okay. im too lazy to change le and i dun mind risking it, but what do the rest of u think? tag or msg to let me know), 5pm (this is confirmed time, sorry wj!) at city hall mrt. pls spread the word!

2007-06-08T05:29:00.001+08:00

GUESS WHAT GUYS!

I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED!

I HAVE A CAMERA AGAIN!!!!

and my new baby can do nightshots! *happy* previous one couldnt, which sucked since i like night scenes.

pretty clouds near my place.

Stroll down road beside amoy street (aka dance school area)

heh, not sure what else to put up, so will just call it a day. anyway i'll be blogging a lot more (photoblogging - my reason for living) so no diff.

fyp is going better now i think...its nice to know that we have a direction, that things are going where we want it to go, and not just be pushed along by the data. thats the D (from DISC personality profiling) in me speaking...losing control really is kinda scary. :P

2nd thing... haha this one is hard to blog about! lets just put it this way, im not single anymore. for more details, you know where to find me. :)

to someone: i miss you...again. :P

2007-05-29T22:18:00.000+08:00

yes im blogging. FINALLY, says ms danielle. dont be expected to be entertained though, since i intend to whine my way through this post. ha.

you can blame the sour note on my currently unsettled stomach...it doesnt hurt or anything, it just feels...odd. any remedies for a queasy stomach? and befor you ask, i have no idea why im feeling this way. bah.

maybe its cuz my cousins were over again...yes, the little ones (4 & 5 years old). and yes, before you guys give me the "REALLY????" look, this is precisely what i mean when i say i love WORKING with kids, but thats about it. i just have no energy or mood to deal with them on a 24/7 basis. this probably doesnt bode well for shiri the future mom.

okay, next topic. did more fyp today. its great, but i realised that there's only so much data collection i do before i become schizophrenic myself. or at least OCD, if nothing else. halfway through i kept obsessing about having skipped some data. *shudders*

haha i realised going on and on about things bugging me is no way to cheer me up. and it seems like im not the only one feeling a bit down...ms j's not too keen on nights either. haiz. well the squids are at least cheery...miss universe (and bald people) being the topic for the night.

i want to cheer up.

maybe thru dance tomorro?

i miss you.

2007-05-03T00:53:00.002+08:00

have been reminded by my human alarm clock that ive been slacking on the blogging again, which is very true. there's a real, if rather superficial reason behind this.

when i was staying over in sentosa 2 weeks ago, i dropped my camera. as a result, no more photos. seeing that the camera is not likely to be repaired, it seems like no more photos for a long, long while.

:(

yes, i can write perfectly without pictures. unfortunately, having gotten use to photoblogging, to do so without is feeling distinctly odd.

sigh.

will try to remedy the situation one way or another soon. meanwhile, quick update:

school's started. mad. mad. mad. more work, even less time. doesnt help that with expecting lecturers, some modules have classes twice a week. harder to cope, but we all will, one way or another.

council work's becoming easier. happier thought, that. well familiarity might breed concept, but it also makes things more predictable, which helps greatly.

i need to spend more time with music!

since all the time is going to salsa. becoming just a little unhealthily obsessed, but hey, how can improved coordination be a bad thing? provided i dont kill anyone by tripping them up or preforming some other violent stunt n the dance floor. sometimes i terrify even myself. but yay dance!

need more time with the family too. bro's not doing too well. :(

too tired. anyway that should give you a pretty good idea wat im up to these days, no?

2007-04-09T21:47:00.000+08:00

yes another post! not that im getting more free...if anything im getting more busy. argh. anyway. quick one to commemorate....

this beautiful girl! saw her when i was walking to the bus stop. initally wary, she relaxed when i whipped out my cam. and no, im not kidding. she was literally posing!

see what i mean?!

and last thing to all the sweethreats who are having exams now...ganbatte! remember,

hearts and kisses to u all, and i'll see you when ur exams are done!

2007-04-08T21:19:00.000+08:00

im starting to see a pattern. everytime im bored and/or am procastinating, blogging here i come. :)

First off, yes, its architecture again. and yes, im strangly attracted to broken/damanged/ruined buildings. this is just a temporary state for this particular building, though it seems to be take a pretty long time for renovation. you've got to admit its pretty cool. much like a skeleton.

the great summer-y weather's perfect for picnics by the pool, as modled here by the (very hungry) babe. :) and man, those sandwiches were good.

Thi is the void deck of susan's block, which has been renovated and is pretty elderly friendly now, with ramps and all. just one question though. what the hack are these for? cookies to the enterprising soul who can actually find a use for these things...

more photographic evidence of stuff ive been doing...feeding myself! :) and i make up my own recipes, no less. mostly cuz im too free-spirited and innovative (read, lazy) to actually check out books and stuff. this one's a favourite...im calling it summer orange salad, simply because it contains...oranges. :) and iceberg lettuce, tomatos, and baked chicken nuggests, cubed. Dressing is pepper, lemons and olive oil. Yum, yum, yum. if you're dying to escape the heat, everything can be mixed and chilled in the fridge first except the nuggets.

final foto! taken when i was out with wj (no, another wj)...we went to tiong baru for porriage (which was pretty good, but thats another story). after dinner we walked through the neighbourhood, which is pretty old. with letterboxes to match, as you can see!

yep, 'nother update done. till nex time!

2007-04-06T16:25:00.000+08:00

okay, post time!

realised i didnt blog about my penang trip, so here goes.

travelled there by night, so didnt get much photos. here's one of the penang bridge in early early morning, though i doubt u can see much. :P

our hotel, the bayview. right in the middle of the city, which made for convenient travelling.

and the view of the pool from our room. really weird one though...the pool, i mean. its not often u see 3.5 meter depth...it got pretty scary swimming over that section.

anyways. penang being the food haven it is, what follows next is my food gallery, from 5 days of gorging. try not to drool. :D

breakfast on the first day...lor bak (fried items, not pictured), hokkien mee (with the prawns) and lor mee (bowl with dark sauce). all noodle items tasted a bit off, but the lor bak was great! ridiculously expensive, though. it really makes u wonder how locals can afford to eat out. then again, if you lived to eat, price wouldnt be much of a concern, ne.

hawker food isnt the only great place to eat though, everytime we go back (which is what, once every 2-3 years), my aunt tends to cook up a storm, as you can me. now you know why im so scared to go back to penang...all that happens is sideways expansion.

Final food pic, satay at one of the rest stops on the return journey. yum. :)

One more memorable thing about penang has to be the architecture there, as a lot of the old houses built during colonial times are still standing. Sadly, not all of them are in every good condition. As i hae a ruined house fetish, however, this proved not to be a problem. Some highlights of lovely architecture, both of the ruined and non-ruined variety.

Yes yes, not architecture i know. But heck, who can resist a lane like that?? :D

Again, not architecture per se, but i really had to take a photo of this. Corridors which have a size limit! gah. for all the great food, penangites still seem to be pretty slim , huh.

(yes finally architecture!) a lovely, lovely building i found. its just...woah. hee. you want irony? the two buildings on either side of this poor dear are modern skyscrapers. Its quintessesntially penang.

Now this....all ive got to say is: a room with a view, anyone? :) man, the real esate industry over there's just digging themselves a new grave. ha.

Anyway that picture's helping me segue into the other reason why i went to penang: qing ming jie. visited graves from both sides of the family. Not wanting to have too many pictures of graveyards and/or headstones, which arent the world's most tasteful photographic material on my blog, I bring to you this:

A pretty interesting looking statue from on of the graveyards i visited. Gravesites here (especially the old ones) are really well decorated, some even with tiled floors. The're almost pretty, really. Looking at these though, it really is kinda sad that burials are a luxury here, not to be had for love and money. Outdated custom, maybe. Lets not forget all the culture, and craftsmanship, which tend to walk hand in hand with customary practices.

with, that. finito! :)

2007-04-02T21:37:00.000+08:00

one post which didnt require yh's prompting to write.

im in, we're in, a profession dedicated to help, to heal.
that would, or should, make us generally more enlightened individuals.
people who believe in the bigger picture.
people who can put aside prejudices.
people who wont indulge in petty gossip and malicious rumours.

well, apparently not.

im not one to judge (heaven knows i can be one of the worst)
but i think
its good if we just all reminded ourselves.
lets do it all for the patients.
and forget all the other crap.
"do no harm" doesnt just apply to the patients after all.
we're such a small profession already.
there's no point in alienating each other.
so
paraphrasing barney (god knows since when)
i love you
you love me
lets be one happy ot family
with emotional and spiritual support for me and you
this is what ots should do.

yay for writing as therapy. :)

2007-03-27T00:16:00.000+08:00

So. its been a rough and eventful 6 weeks, and now its a (throughly blessed) 4 weeks of hols. the camera not being with me most of the time, i had to resport to gettyimages. its pretty fun to post this way, directed by picutres which strike you as meaningful. very theraputic.

want to play along? go to gettyimages (a quick google search should get you there), and type the first word that comes to your mind into their image search. then pick the picture that speaks to you the most. its really fun!

So this is the first picture i found, the keyword being "candle". This picutre represents contemplation, to me; the need to reflect and to learn from within. self reflection used to be a greater part of my life through journalling, which i had given up. i intend to pick it up again though, through the hols.

Feeling more calm now after an insane (nearly) 12 months, my next keyword was clouds, and this picture just shouted to me, it stood out so.

The crisp clearness of the blue sky...it just evokes a spirit of joyous calm in mind,, a sense of peace i enter so rarely nowadays. The vivid blue brings back memories of my last full day in hamamatsu, where the sky cleared, and the intensity of the blue sky just took my breath away.

2007-03-25T21:34:00.000+08:00

haha i got nagged at again about updating. (i love yh. and so should u, if u're in any way keen on me updating. haha.)

so im out of placement. passed. which is the only thing good bout my grade, actually.

going to penang next week. have nothing much to say actually.

dissatisfied.

2007-03-18T22:26:00.000+08:00

this post comes to you courtesy of the yh reminder service. without here, this page would remain sad and un-updated. ha. if you read, tag plz plz? at least i know then who comes here. hee.

here goes then. no pictures,so i'll keep the narrative short as well.

life in placement: more stressful, but its something i can and will have to handle, so now my main goal is to curb my urge to whine madly at my very, very understanding friends/coursemates. please feel free to stop me. self pity never did an ounce (or gram, if you prefer) of good.

life at home: too many relatives. wedding dinner (and resulting onslaught of visiting relations) are never too fun in my opinion. bah.

life outside work: I MISS YOU SQUIDS!!!!!!!! can we juz meet and crap? :) babe - dancing together once a week is so not enough. otties - i think i'll just jump on you guys when we meet this sat. (i know wh is just waiting for this part) for him - yes i still feel like a jerk, but as discussed with babe and yh, its just an open mind now...que sera, sera. but all that food -- simultaneously nice and scary.

YH IM DONE.

2007-03-10T01:20:00.000+08:00

So, calamari outing tonight to settler's cafe. Quickie update before i get into the fun and games (literally)...

you guys. yes, you, my (admittedly very few) readership. have you ever thought how damned lucky we are? our education, and the opportunities open to us...do you really realise how a goodly portion of singaporeans dont, and never will, live the kind of lives we do now?

what brought on this sudden bout of grandmotherliness, you ask? a day of listening to and about client's families...and what they go through just to gain the basic necessities. lets not even talk about luxuries like pubbing, movies....not even a dinner out in restaurants.

just something to think about.

okay, enough doom and gloom. here comes the calamari's night out! love and hugs to hp, who couldnt make it this time...will see you soon i hope! for more pics (and accompanying insanity) swim over to the squid blog...this one here's a quick run down of the day.

So having decided to go for somthing more interesting than the same old dinner (and coffee) routine our outings tend to be, we went to a board game cafe this time round....a cafe i will (for fear of getting sued or worse) call immigrant cafe. :) here, food and card/board (2 of the first, 1 of the second) games became a merry mix of insanity, as the following pictures will prove:

This picture says it all, actually...

Its actually quite distracting to eat and play though...good way to eat less though. all that laughter's pretty detrimental for one's appetite.

Having decided to leave after eating, we then made our way down into clarke quay, heading for the singapore river. which proved to be no easy task, since everytime we orientated and work out the next direction to turn, invariably 2 people (ore more) would epointing in different directions.

having proved myself to be one unreliable orienter, i decided to entertain myself by taking random photos; here's a sampling :

Arty farty pic of noel!

When the rest realised what i was up to, people started posing. unfortunately my shortness (its not my fault EVERYONE else is taller than me!) and my shakiness (from laughing) a good photo does not make. hence i give you, exhibit 1. trust me, the're all like that.

What weijie looks like in real life. really!

We finally rounded off the outing by alighting at starbucks, where hilarious conversion continued. A word of advice though, unless u're up for something really exciting, dont go near their chai frappacinos.

They look so innnocent but trust me, the're really..........interesting. *grin*. so thats the outing in a (not very small) nutshell. kinda sad i lost the cover to my cam, but i got a new one le...a pink one. haa. :)

2007-03-03T23:11:00.000+08:00

haha. gotta post! or else i need to treat a certain pretty girl to lunch/dinner. man, is she mean. haha. so. here goes.

so its saturday, which is traditionally student council meeting/teaching piano to cousin/salsa. not very relaxing huh. anyway...

me walking to bus stop. i dont quite like taking full frontal pics, so u get an artsy one! of the top of my head! :) and no, was not wearing hairband today. cant find my favourite one!
right, not that you care. :D

so was on the bus to salsa (10 mins late...scrambled in), and being bored, u get...

babe's weird nails! not very clear here, but she files them in a pretty unique shape which is apparently better for playing guitar. it certainly gives her fingers an artsy look. probably thats appropriate fora SMU student? :)

class was pretty fun today...getting the hang of salsa seems to be a downward slope; it becomes easier for followers (or women, as un-sexist as this sounds), as steps are all led by the guys, so following is a matter of reacting to their moves. and with our dance school in tanjong pagar AND next to a market, what follows after class in invietable.....

desert time! this stall is REALLY good though, their deserts rock. :) see how happy we look after desert:

haha, duty completed. thats all, folks! :)

ever went out shopping during cny?

2007-02-20T00:50:00.000+08:00

well, now i have! okay, maybe not shopping, but out with friends...cny usually being a family festival and all. so anyway, todays' events.

as always with cny, one eats. and eats. and eats. the amout of eating, it is hideous. the food's really good though, so temptation is everywhere.

one of my favourite dishes...too troublesome to make on a normal day basis, so when it reappeared, everyone leapt at it like, well, fish.

today was catered malay food, our family having fairly eclectic tastes when it comes to meals. that was one amazing (if not highly fattening) lunch. am SO going to miss all this when the holidays are over...vegetarian food becoming an even more unappetising prospect. oh well, its good to live in the present. :)

having guests over everyday (this year my house gets to be much like the HQ, and everyone drops by when they can) this year means loads of cleaning after each party leaves. things just look much better after a good clean (courtesy of my mother).

lunch and dinner being resolved, us younger cousins (there being only 3) went down to town for some entertainment., and i got to meet wj and yh, with her friend and HIS friend. haha, that was just weird. but fun too... (wj is no help in talking to ppl who we dont know, by the way. just a little side note for him there. ha.) we did loads of walking though orchard though; just sitting down at one place becomes awfully difficult when 3/4 of the place is closed, leaving everyone to cram into the remaining 1/4. anyway, here comes really strange fotos of the squids present:

what is wj looking at?

only the same thing he looks at 3/4 of his time awake. wj, just give up the tv already!

and this may not seem like much, but its yh combing her hair with her fingers. gotta love her (hard-won) new colour though, i think it really does her justice.

it was a really good night, one and all...lots of plans, laughter and general entertainment shared. ive forgotten how much i miss you guys.

of to bed for me now.

rainy cny?

2007-02-17T23:47:00.000+08:00

ive been informed by SOMEONE that i havnt been updating my blog (but it was only last week! haha.), so here comes a long-overdue update!

most of you know this by now, but they past week has been a series of battle with school admin over council matters; most of it my fault, but well...lets jusat say its been pretty grim. so here's something to cheer myself up:

okay i know she actually looks kinda evil, but hey. she's a cat, earning her automatic bonus points in my book. have i ever mentioned that i really like cats? the stray ones in my neighbourhood are pretty skittish though, running away quickly when approached. gotta win them over somehow, i guess.

its been a rather rainy start to this years cny, what with the frequent showers. being influenced by my rather dim mood and the rain, i now present to you a series of photos: in the rain!

black and white for added emo-ness!

white cars always stand out, irregardless of the presence of other colours. by this point of time i was perking up more, so photos became less emo and more artsy.

this one is for the babe; i dont even know how it became so...twisty. cool though. no?

so, reunion dinner for the night....with 90 of the population,, we had steamboat, which was pretty good. foop pic for u:

can barely keep my eyes open now, so nights to all!

ps: the person who complain i never update...noticed u change ur blogskin so much recently..you think u could afford to change my skin too? rpetty pretty please? :) let me know...

of crabs, little girls and dancing queens.

2007-02-12T18:52:00.000+08:00

oops, so much for updating everyday. then again it not like u guys check everyday, no? :) so anyway, here's my weekend for you:

one very scary guest at the family steamboat: $100 crab from Hokkiado. I kid you not. One really ugly thing. Very meaty, so it was at least partially worth it.

the other highlight of the steamboat...my little princess cousin, aka my very first private student! she's a princess in many ways, apart from her adorable looks...making teaching her a...challenge, to say the least. still...just imagine seeing faces like this every day at work...and THATS why i want to go in pediatrics.

I AM A LIP GLOSS ADDICT! okay, i just couldnt resist that. the babe and i went for our first salsa lesson in the saturday afternoon slot. the contrast between this one and our previous thursday class is drastic, to say the least. the saturday people are just so energetic! and good! and the two of us suck so much that we've been offered free "remedial lessons". sigh.

feet! mrt rides nowadays are spent camwhoring...its an addictive hobby i assure you.

and to round it off....here's a fish for you! with pretty hair! thankfully, its not on the fish.

placement has started, so gotta buck up! hee.

black holes

2007-02-10T00:11:00.000+08:00

one cant get out of.

things just...suck, for the lack of a better word. how is it that the very thing that u wanted for so long turns out to be a horrible mistake in the end?

more irony for the pot; we would probably be pretty good, if we werent in the positions both of us are in nw, we would probably be distant friends.

i dont know how long more i can do this.

photos for today.

so anyway, i went to centerpoint to get my hair cut today. and look what i found!

people leave yellow footprints behind on the escalator now! honestly, i have no idea what the're for. "step here"? standing in the middle of the escalator track is nver a considerate thing though.

anyway, those steps ultimately led me to....

this. dont laugh...its "dramatic". :D okay, its actually a miscommunication between my hairdresser and myself (he was pretty hunky though :P), especially the fringe part. ah well. just see it as an experiment, ne. or if all else fails, just meditate on this quote from my mother "oh, i thought u wanted to look like a doll!".

went back to school after that exciting town adventure, and by the time i left, it was late afternoon. now for people who are now thinking "so?!", take it from someone who usually leaves school and sees stars, literally. the afternoon sun is just. gorgeous. so gorgeous, i decided to take a longer way back to the bus stop, so admire the detour scenery:

pretty, pretty sun. but how often do they clean those windows?? the answer is, more times than its worth spending money on.

visual imagery for the song "morning is broken" by cat stevens.

Late afternoon sun + any scenery = OTP

down and out

2007-02-08T20:03:00.000+08:00

stayed home the whole of today. peaceful. not feeling particularly chirpy though, so that's a damper on a pretty good day. so anyway.

morning in my backyard. beautiful skies, not so beautiful mood.

vegetating in my room. my mood did lift for a while...sunshine can really do wonders.

its quite interesting how different i look in this picture.

night sky for you! haha, time to panic...have to work faster!

revival and love in many forms

2007-02-08T00:56:00.000+08:00

long time since ive blogged. u've heard it all by now; no time, no interest, or just no content. if you want excuses the're plenty. so instead, you get photos!

and so that's my febuary resolution: more blogging, but with a twist. 5 pictures everyday, rain, shine, snow and fog, though haze would probably be more appropriate for singapore.

without further ado, here comes today's top 5!

had a really great start to the day, actually; how often does one get a hot babe to stay over for the night?

continuing the theme of love; got a lot of that from shs today, with our v-day celebrations. look at all those hearts. :)

taking a whole new look to a (not very new) building. Presenting, the national library, on negatives! Shot by abovementioned beautiful girl, an aspiring photographer? certainly adding on to her many skills, yes?

my latest addiction. thanks to its endlessly addictive video clips, i got stuck at the comp until....

1:11am! and counting! its certainly time to sleep. good night, all!

2006-08-15T00:31:00.000+08:00

hah, it turns out i cant resist after all. i have word diahorrea, you guys. so, back to the good ol' blog for me!

dont really have the time to fix it up (exams AND reports due this two weeks), so bear with the lousy format. anyway u're here for my pearls of wisdom right? right?

ehhhh. back to report writing for now. i must write my second report and hand it up ON TIME! *growls*