Fantasies & Inspiration

2012-01-24T04:20:00.000-08:00

I have been so sick and recovered just in time for the Chinese New Year long weekend. It started early last week in what I thought was a simple flu and stayed home to recuperate for a day and a half. Then I went back to school on a Friday, and still managed to watch Cuban ballet @ the Esplanade with Maya in the evening and worked through the whole Sat morning in school. Then I got home, and from there, I got horrendously sick. Fever rose all the way up to 38.5 deg and by night, I was burning up and was coughing like a maniac. And it's not like I was not eating my medication conscientiously. I was!!

I woke up the next morning feeling like I just entered hell. My temperature was at 40 deg, and I was coughing as though my ribs were going to break. It was bad. I was so dizzy from the body heat that I collapsed against my bathroom door and my door actually fell off its hinges! Crazy. Anyway, I went to the doctor again, and got 3 days off from work cos that was how sick I was. And I was concussed in bed all 3 days.

I usually get sick, or very very sick when I am under a lot of stress. And this only happens usually 5 months into the school term. But I have been on full turbo engine since 19 Dec 2011 and have not stopped since. I think since 19 Dec to the time I collapsed, I have organised 10 school events (some big, some small) which means I am under constant stress. I just took on this new portfolio fully this year and it has been tough and not very forgiving. I am a stress head and anal about how things go, which means I have to make sure everything is under close scrutiny and I will not breathe until everything is settled. So imagine going through this sequence 10 times in 3 weeks, on top of my teaching and marking...Not the best combination.

I have never worked so hard in my whole life. I am doing so many new things, all at one go. I am a person who is passionate about my job. If you have read through my previous blog entries, yes, I whine about the amount of work that needs to be done, but I ultimately love what I do. I love my kids, I love what I teach, I care for my kids like nobody else does, and I feel for my job. I wake up every morning excited about going to school. But this year, I have been miserable. I don't have as many classes as I have undertaken a more management role, which means my contact with my kids is lesser. I have no form class, nor CCA. But I have so much admin to do, and planning and I don't know if I'm just bad at it or it's really tough. My colleagues tell me I am doing a good job. They are nice. I personally feel that I am barely keeping afloat and I spent my first week in school crying every night cos I dreaded school. Second week was better cos I think I wasn't pms-ing as much, but I think by then, my body decided to shut down, to tell me to stop. And that's why I got so sick. And hence the super long absence from school. And the weight loss. And pasty skin. Vile.

This long CNY weekend has been great. For my physical and mental well being. I did things that I love. I went to the Esplanade with a friend and ate chocolate @ Max Brenners (though I didn't eat much as I was still not 100%), sat by the Esplanade roof top and talked shit. I hung out at Starbucks @ Tanglin Mall and watched youtube on my netbook with another friend, and had coffee and laughed like crazy. I watched a late movie and had supper. I ran twice in the 4 days break, and hot yoag-ed twice as well. I slept in, I took afternoon naps, I watched America Idol, So you think you can Dance, reruns of the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, America's Next top model and reruns of Friends, I went to Paul's @ Takashimaya and ate feshly baked croissants.I was just happy to be healthy, laughing and normal again. And I did not touch any work at all.

School's starting again tomorrow, and again, it's going to be full blast. No more long weekend, no more public holidays until March. That is another 6 weeks. I'm going to grit and bear with it, and most importantly, I am going to depend on God and my family and friends to help me pull through this period. I talked to God when I was so sick in bed, and told him to give me the strength to keep at it, and if HE thinks that this is not the right path for me, to show me and I will stop. At the end of the day, fame and fortune do not intrigue me. My sense of optimism, and sanity are the most important things, and I miss having those things with me.

2012-01-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I cannot believe that 2011 has just passed! And as always, I reflect on my 2011, and move forward with goals for 2012.

2011 has been a good but tough year work-wise for me. I travelled like crazy this year; started with Bangkok in March, India, Sri Lanka & Maldives in June, Bali in September, and I finally got to Spain, with a pop over in Paris in December. It was really nice to get out of Singapore so many time this year. And really, really expensive!

Fitness-wise, I am probably at my fittest. I used to run but it wasn't enough for me, and I was not as fit and toned as I would like to be. 2011 saw me picking up hot yoga and pole dancing, and I continued my weekly runs. And I am so so so so very happy to see the effects of my efforts! I am definitely leaner and more toned, and lost some weight. I swear, the confidence it gives me when I can fit into a size 8 nicely, and sometimes even a size 6!!! Exhilirating....

Work-wise, I finally took up an appointment in the school. I have been very wishy-washy about this. I was scared of doing something beyond teaching, worried that my teaching would be compromised, and most worryingly my kids would be on the receiving end of the shorter stick. Finally this year, I went for my interview, cleared it and have been doing it for almost a year. Is it easy? No. Am I dying? Yes. I am moving on to a bigger portfolio in 2012 and I am scared to death. But hey, life would be boring if there are no challenges to it right? :)

On the guys front, I am a swinging single. 2011 is probably the first year where I truly enjoyed and embraced being single. I met a lot of single guys, I went for single events, I went out a lot with my friends, and did a lot of things for myself. And I love it. :)

And most importantly, 2011 has been a year where I was truly happy. I am able to balance between working hard and playing hard. I am able to seek out old and new friends, and find peace at being with myself and doing things for myself.

So yes, 2011 has been great.

For 2012, these are my goals. I don't call them resolutions but goals, cos I make sure I attain them. Resolutions tend to be broken, but goals are achieved....:)

1. Get my car licence and get a car (Im getting there soon!!!)

2. Push myself harder at work and not compromise standards and principles that I have set for myself.

3. Be fitter, more toned through tri-weekly hot yoga sessions and weekly runs. This requires a lot of discipline and focus. Because God knows how hard it is for me to put on my running shoes at 7pm after work, and force myself to run for 5km.

4. To travel a little leser this year so that I can save a little bit more. Im terrible at this....Travelling 4-6 times a year on a teacher's salary is no joke! This year, Im hoping to go back to Australia in June to see my darling friends, and Japan year end for my yearly long haul trips. Not Europe cos I have been to Europe 3 consecutive years AND IT IS BURNING A VERY VERY HUGE HOLE IN MY POCKET!!!

5. And on a more personal note, to be less judgmental of people, and not get affected by people's opinions and perceptions of me as it takes too much time and energy to be bothered by such things. And to have faith in myself and God that everything happens for a reason. Most importantly, to be grateful with my life and continue being the happy and optimistic person that I am.

HAPPY 2012 EVERYONE!!!!

2011-12-18T04:09:00.000-08:00

Hola!!! As you can tell from the very long absence of blog entries, I have been very very very busy. The 3 weeks leading up to my year end holidays were filled with meetings, and conferences and courses. I was a miserable teacher in those 3 weeks. And then 28 Nov came, and I flew for my well-deserved long haul break. And where was it this time? Espanyol!!!

Yes, I went to Spain this time. I have always wanted to go to Spain for the longest time ever.

1. 2007- Wanted to go with Maya but she went ahead without me as I was starting off new in HQ and was not able to take time off. So she went, came back, and told me that it was stunning.

2. 2010- Signed up for a Spain trip with Angela but the trip was cancelled last minute due to unforseen circumstances and I ended up in London and Paris instead.

So, 2011, I made sure that Spain materialised for me. We went on our own, me and Angela. We hired a private travel planner to plan the trip for us, booked our train tickets for us, the accommodation, day trips to Alhambra and Cordoba, and he did the best job in the world! It was so easy for us as we didn't have to worry about sourcing out for day trips, and hotels, etc. We simply told him what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go in Spain, and he arranged it for us. Fabulous. Money well spent.

And so I left for Spain, starting off with Madrid, moving on to Granada where we visited the Alhambra, then to Sevilla where we took a day trip to Cordoba before ending off in Barcelona. I loved every single state that I was in, and no one state disappointed. Each state had its own character and personality, offering something different.

I started off in Madrid, and despite what people said about Madrid being too touristy and not too exciting, I beg to differ. I liked it there. The architecture, though not as bold as Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona, had its own charm. The cafes and tapas bars and restaurants were so quanit. It was such a pity we only spent a night day and wasn't able to explore Madrid fully. I had the best paella there as well as churros. Visited the Royal Palace, Plaza Sol, and got lost walking around the beautiful city.

Our very quirky room in Madrid, right next to Puerta de Sol

After a 16 hr flight.

We stayed 1 night in Granada and had a full day to walk around Old Granada town. It was surprisingly beautiful. People know Granada for the Alhambra, but would be surprised to see the beauty of the city. The trees lining the cobbled pathways, the weather was fantastic there, and we walked up all the way to the Albacin to get a view of the Alhambra from the top. We sat there till sunset and to see the sun setting against the gorgeous Alhambra was just mind blowing.

And the Alhambra. We took a half day tour here and after seeing the Alhambra on National Geographic and so many travel shows, I couldn't believe that I was finally seeing it myself. Stunning, what more can I say.

Sevilla is probably my favourite city in Spain. It has so much......flair...and soul...and...something that I can't seem to point my finger to. I was so happy that we were there for 3 full days and I walked around the city so much, in wonderment and awe. The majestic architecture, orange trees lining the streets everywhere, the zig zag of little alleys, quirky cafes trapped in between these alleys, flamenco music filling up the air, creating this very romantic mood all around. I loved it here.

From Sevilla we took a day trip to Cordoba, and I was intrigued by the mix of Islamic and Christian elements here. Cordoba was also where I had to best tapas in Spain and where I made a very nice friend from New York, Francis Beluca. We were on the day tour together and we hung around together and had lunch. As he was staying in the hotel near us in Sevilla, we met up for dinner that night and that was probably one of the best nights I had in Spain!

Last stop in Spain: Barcelona. Barcelona is a big city. Most cosmopolitan, and shopping was the best here. By the time we got to Barcelona, we had seen many sights, saw many beautiful buildings, ate a lot of tapas. We were missing our Mcdonalds and our Starbucks and our shopping! So Barcelona was the best city for this! Yes, we went to see Gaudi's architecture, Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Casa Battlo, Parc Guell....But we actually spent 1 1/2 full days doing nothing but shop! I went a bit beserk because my favourite brands came from Spain. Mango, Zara, Desigual, Bershka....God, and it was so much cheaper. I'm talking about half price ok, and they were NOT on sale. Damage done:

1. Zara: Pair of jeans, a t shirt, a shirt, a black work dress, a party dress and 4 sets of kids clothes for my niece and nephew.

2. Desigual: A dress, a top and a skirt

3. Bershka: A top

4. Springfield: A dress

Bad!!!!!! But then I went back to Singapore and saw the prices being slashed in half and I was a smug girl. lol!!

So yes, it has been a long and overdued post but it was worth the wait cos I have put up so many pictures!!! And this is a pretty long entry.

For now, I will have to wait a looooooong time before my next holiday next June as it doesn't seem that I would be able to get away in March.. Boo hoo.

Enjoy the rest of the holidays (for my teacher friends) before the grind starts again. :)

2011-10-27T23:54:00.000-07:00

It's the last day of school, I have completed most of my work, but can't go back yet as I need to wait for a parent to come at 4pm to get feedback on their child. So I refuse to do any work as I am so drained from the last month of craziness at work, so I started surfing the net for the designer bags that I want to buy when I am in Spain and Paris later in November.

I was in Paris last year, and went a bit crazy bag-buying. I got myself a Long Champ, a Miu Miu bag, and a Prada for my sister. And it was isnanely cheaper than what Singapore is selling them for. So this year, after my Spain trip, I am doing a 'pop over' to Paris to go designer-bag shopping.

It's terrible, I know. It's a costly obsession that I have but I can't seem to stop! So this year, I told myself that I would not buy anything crazily expensive (bag-wise) as I would be spending a lot of money at the end of the year.

So I was surfing, and these are what I am lusting after.

Prada tote bag. I saw this last year when I was in Paris, but stupidly enough, did not buy it. Why not? Cos I was dumb. And when I went down to the Prada store at ION, it was so much more that I refused to buy it. So I have been waiting very patiently till year end to get my hands on this bag. I love it cos its roomy, not too stuffy-looking, and its compact in size. Yay!

A Miu Miu wallet. I already have a Kate Spade wallet, but it's kind of used and abused. And I have been lusting after this wallet forever. Didn't buy it last year cos my Kate Spade was still in its infant stage (half a year old). So it's time for me to get my hands on this gorgeous pink wallet!!

And I am in major need of a formal evening bag...for...well... formal occassions like weddings, Hari Raya..Ok, fine. Im finding excuses to buy this bag. But it's a gorgeous Prada clutch bag, purely leather, wilth gold embellishment. Sigh...What's there not to love about it? So yes, I want this too.

And yes, this brings me to the end of my very shallow post, on designer bags. I haven't come to the Hermes or Birken stage and I hope I NEVER GET TO THAT STAGE COS A BIRKEN CAN COST UP TO $12,000! EUROS!! So yes, I am bad but not too bad cos the designer brands I lust after are still fairly affordable. To me, at least. :)

2011-10-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

I met one of my dearest friends after a very very very very very long time. Khalidal is one of those friends whom you know you can always depend on, as crazy as I am, intelligent, kind, sensitive, and most importantly, just a very good friend. I have known her since we were both in NIE, and we both just clicked. You know how it is, when you meet someone new, and everything falls into place? Yeah, it was like that with her.

We had the best time together in school. Did projects together, went out like crazy and my first big trip out of Singapore to Europe was with her. We went to Turkey together and until today, Turkey is one of my most favourite place in the world and it is largely because of her. And we kept in close touch even after graduation, saw each other through ups and downs, shit at work, break ups with jerky bfs, etc etc. She got married in 2007, and as horrible as this sounds, I was really sad. Cos it meant losing my best friend. Despite what everyone says, the ball game changes when you are married. I have a lot of married friends who have just disappeared due to their marital and family commitments. And I don't blame them as priorities change when you reach new phases in your life. And I remembered crying when she told me that she was getting married.

I left for Australia a month after her wedding, and was gone for a year, and then she gave birth when I came back to Singapore in 2009. I met her once in 2009, and then there was a 2 year hiatus before we met again last Tuesday.

I don't even know why we stopped meeting up. It's funny cos in the Sunday Times today, there was an article which resonated with me. The article states 'Much like how a man has to seize the moment when it comes to asking a woman out, friendships too are about timeliness.....' And I think we were both so occupied with our jobs, though I must say K has been a dear in trying to keep in touch, that things got really awkward. At least for me. And the article also states 'Much as I'd like to re-establish communication, I've waited too long and it now feels awkward.' Which was exactly how I felt.

So we kind of drifted apart, with me not knowing what was going on with one of my best friends and vice versa. And then I received a work email from her (was a generic email which she sent to all Humanities teachers in Singapore), and something just slapped me in the face. I was like, this is one of my closest friends, and the only contact I have with her is through a generic work email, which was really impersonal. Hello! I went to Turkey with this girl for 10 days and she was there for me at my very lowest!!!

So I sent her an email, and we met up. And it was the best decision I made, to re establish contact with her again. I started crying when I saw her and hugged her. And from there, we carried on where we last left off, and just talked and talked and talked. It was really nice.

So K, if you are reading this, I am sorry for being an ass for 2 whole years and letting my pride get in the way. I love you and we have to meet again during the holidays!!!

2011-10-09T03:49:00.000-07:00

This is going to much less morbid and depressing post. I was reading through my previous entries and I SOUNDED SO WHINY!! Urgh...Utterly unlike me! So this is going to be a much happier post, even though I am still rather overwhelmed at work but I am smarter this time. I refuse to let the mountain-load of work control me and rather, make sure I am controlling the damn work. So for the past 2 weeks, rather than burying myself with work, I asked myself: What makes me happy and not stress me too much?

The answer:
1. Dessert
2. Exercising
3. Spending time with my family (Like the whole she-bang, niece and nephew and brrother in law and my elder sis)

So I have been eating lots of dessert. Let's see...It started from 2 Saturdays ago where I went to Laurent Chocolate Bar and had the gorgeous chocolate souffle. And then the following Sat, I went back to the same bar cos it was so damn good and had the chocolate tart. Orgasmic. And then I read the papers and found out Brunettis has opened here! Brunettis is this very very popular cafe in Melbourne, with some of the best desserts and coffee in the country. And IT WAS OPEN HERE! So I made a trip down to Tanglin Mall where Brunettis was located and had not one but 2 desserts! The chocolate eclair and the chocolate canoli and latte. Which reminded me so much of Melbourne. And reminded me how much I miss it there and haven't been back for the longest time!

My desserts...There was so much to choose from!!

Interior of the cafe..exactly like the one in Melbourne!

And cos I did so much eating, I made up for it by exercising more. Im much better now since my ulcers-in-the-throat fiasco. So I have reverted back to my weekly 5km runs, and my twice a week hot yoga sessions. I have been doing hot vinyasa now, rather than the normal hot hatha and it is so much faster, and more strenuous and more demanding but I love it. Everytime I step into the class and am halfway through the session, I would be kicking myself mentally for putting myself through this. But once we reach the end where we meditate, I always love the feeling and can't wait to start again. And that is theraphy for me. I try to run out of school early at least once a week to hit the yoga studio and one weekend.

And this weekend, I spent it with family. It was my neice's birthday 2 weeks ago, and we decided to celebrate it at the airport. My mom has fallen in love with the airport for some bizarre reason, and she insisted on going to one of the restaurants at T3 for our family get together. So the airport T3 it was. Really fun. Been a while since the family came together, the last being fasting month, which was 2 mths ago.

Earle Swensens @ the Airport

Monkey girl. Guess what she wanted for her birthday? Not new toys, not a doll house, not new shoes, not new dresses, but.....AN ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH. Don't ask. And yes, I bought her an electric toothbrush. Bizarre.

It has been a manageable 2 weeks, but I can't wait for the break to come!!!!!!!

2011-09-25T01:14:00.000-07:00

GOD! It has been over a month since I last blogged!! That's how busy I have been! It's crazy. So many things have happened since. There was Hari Raya, there was my Teachers Day dinner and concert, and of course, my Bali trip. Which I had a blast. It was such a good break. I am not going to bother with pictures cos it's all in my facebook anyway, so check them out there if you want to see the pictures. But Bali was like a slice of heaven for me. After doing the National Day concert, and then the Teachers Day concert, and then crazy marking for prelims and preparing my kids for the GCE N Levels paper, I was in major need of a break. And when I reached Bali, I switched off my phone and literally did nothing. We got into our chauffered driven car, and got whisked away to our private and very-exclusive villa: Amala Residence. We got straight to business by getting a 90 mins massage, before dressing up and hitting KuDeTa. AND I LOVE IT THERE! I was worried it was going to be all uppity, like the one in Singapore. I have been to the one in Spore once and I was not impressed by both the service and the food. So I wasn't really expecting much with the one in Bali but I was pleasantly surprised. Great service, food was fabulous, price on the steep side but hey, it's a touristy place so what do you expect right? But we were seated right in front of the beach, breeze in our hair, sipping mocktails , eating sorbet...Life was perfect then...:) And for the next few days, we massaged, spa-ed, facial-ed, swam, got drive around, had dinner by the beach, candle lit dinner, the works....Needless to say, I was devastated when we had to go back...Anyway, I am going to try and make this a yearly Sept affair to keep my sanity.

And from then on, it has only been 2 weeks of school, but I am barely keeping afloat. I have always been an organised and efficient person. I always cope with my work, and even had a lot of time to spare. But this term has been crazy. I am doing so much work it's insane. I am doing a normal teacher's work, plus my portfolio's work and I am covering duty for another portfolio...It's insane... For the first time in my life, I can feel myself struggling. I haven't had the time to restart my pole dance 3, I haven't ran since Bali. The only exercise I do now is my Hot yoga classes twice a week and even then, it is a struggle for me to go on weekdays cos I have meetings almost every afternoon, meetings which can last till 7pm!

And to make things worse, I have been sick for the past 4 weeks. On and off, on and off. Started with a fever, and then the throat, and then fever, and then throat. I actually went to Bali nursing a fever and a sore throat. I have been self medicating until last week when I could feel there was a growth in my throat. And I had no choice but to get it checked cos my voice is my bread and butter. True enough, there is an ulcer or even ulcers in my throat which makes it so hard for me to eat and drink. And cos I haven't been well, and haven't been eating properly, I have been losing weight. I know I am usually happy when I lose weight, and I will be jumping around the place, but I feel really weak. I lost 3 kg from fasting, and I have lost another 1.5kg. Urgh....I don't know it it's a good thing or a bad thing. But 2 of my friends have said that I look like I am shrinking, one has called me a lollipop head (God, that was what Maya and gang used to call me when I was in uni and was a skeleton), and another has said I have eating disorders. What the hell..I so do not have an eating disorder. I think it's the not-eating-properly-cos-it's-too-damn-hard-to-swallow, plus the being-disgustingly-sick plus the ongoing exercising. I cannot don't exercise cos it's my only solace from the craziness in school. But even exercising is a struggle for me. I did a hot vinyasa class today, and I came out of the class half dead, and the veins on my forehead were popping and throbbing like crazy. Angela was so stressed cos she thought I popped a blood vessel. I had to calm down for 45 mins before the crazy throbbing stopped. I am hoping that things would look up after this week cos exams will start, so I can juggle my time better, and the doctor's medication would make me better too.

And I am looking forward to my year end trip so in the meantime, I am just going to plough through October and pray I do not collapse and die before my holidays.....Urgh...

2011-08-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

I am so overwhelmed with work these past few weeks. Term 3 started off pretty slowly, and I had a lot of time to myself. My teaching was good, lesson prep was on task, marking was great, and everything was falling into place nicely. And I even had time to exercise, run, dance, go out, etc etc etc.

Then I don't know what happened, but 4 weeks into school, and the craziness kicks in.I have never done so much work before!! The 4As prelim markings are in, markers report has to be done, my common test papers are coming in next week, my 4E prelim marking, setting of my year end exam papers, my portfolio work, my band, my student leaders, school commitments, meetings....urgh..The list goes on.

And it doesn't help that I am fasting, which means that by 4pm, my brains start to shut down. I am on adrenalin mode all morning, and then the engine slows down by 2pm...But I usually push it a little bit more and stay on till 430-5pm and that's when I give up and go home. Then I will vegetate in front of the tv and just wait for dusk to break my fast. And I am usually half concussed by then.

Teaching when you are fasting is one of the hardest thing you can do. You have to have the same amount of energy when you teach, you are still running up and down, you are perpetually talking, but....you can't drink or eat. The non eating part is bearable but the non drinking....Kills me. So I am pretty drained and wasted by the time I start eating at 7pm-ish.

But but but but but.....on a more positive note, I only have 3 more weeks of school left, and another 2 weeks of fasting. Which means, my trip to Bali is looming closer, and I am going to be THIN when I prance around in Bali!! LOL!!! I am so shallow, I know. I haven't been exercising for obvious reasons, but am losing weight cos of the non eating! So far, it has been -2kg for me! I hope to lose another 1-2kg, and keep it like that. Everyone tells me that weight lost during fasting month doesn't last as you will gain it all back after that, with all the feasting you do during Hari Raya. Well, I am going to try my dardnest to keep it off, thank you very much! :) Then I will be at my ideal weight, at least ideal to me, though my friends think I am psycho. lol!!!

Until next time, tata people! I will try and keep my head above water during this time!

2011-08-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I am feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. I was looking through my old pictures which I put up on Facebook, when I was in Australia yesterday night before I slept. Australia seemed so long ago, when it has actually only been 2 1/2 years. But I have been so busy and occupied with work, family, friends and travelling that the time has just flown by. Yesterday, being a Friday, I had some time to kind of relax and unwind and I started flipping through my old pictures and a whole flood of memories came crashing in. Made me kind of sad, cos those were such happy times for me.

Change happens all the time, and as cliche and overused as this phrase is, change is indeed the only constant. But sometimes, you don't want things to change cos it was so much simpler and uncomplicated. And Australia was just that for me. Life was simple. I didn't have much money with me cos I was a student but I was deliriously happy.

I studied hard and played hard. I loved waking up in the morning, and having long leisurely breakfasts with Mark. I loved what I was studying and school was so much fun. I loved meeting up friends and having lunches by the park. I loved my weekly Mon and Fri shopping trips with my gfs. I loved grocery shopping after a morning of household cleaning. I loved snuggling in my room, reading a book under the blanket with a cup of green tea, and enjoying the winter cold. I loved the long runs that I took by the Swan River. I loved the random flea markets which we would go to every now and then. I loved inviting people to my place and hosting my house parties. I loved dancing the night away with my friends on weekends. I loved the movie night marathons which we used to have on weekends with my girls.

But most importantly, I loved all my friends whom I made there. They were the reason why I was so happy and I love them to bits. And even though they are all over the world now, from Perth to Melbourne to Sri Lanka to Indonesia to Canada to Vietnam, I still keep each and everyone of them close to my heart.

One of my last few days in Perth, taking pictures at my university grounds with Anri and Foize.

Swan River with Rush

One of my many house parties. I had these like once a month.

NorthBridge, to party.

Another round of partying!

After school, cam whoring by the river.

Ramadhan, sleep over @ Foize's new place and doing rubbish.

More partying! We celebrated so many birthdays that year so partying was what we did a lot!

My last day in Perth, having breakfast with the girls.

Road trip to Margaret River, Fatima and me

After a hard night of dancing, hanging out at my place. This was at 5 in the morning!

The party before the party...

BBQ at Kings Park

After a hard night of partying, the routine was sleep over at my place, dim sum in the morning, and vege out at my place till 3 pm in the afternoon! With my darling Ryan.

Hari Raya in Oz with the whole gang.

South Perth

Pinnacles

Lunch by the river

Cottlesloe Beach

Freo!

Mark's Bday Bash!

I am thankful for all these wonderful memories, and that the friendship I made with these wonderful people remain so very strong...Love all of you!!!!!!!

2011-08-01T01:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's me and Hannah, upon completion of our SHAPE RUN. I went for my 2nd Shape Run 2 Sundays ago. Signed for it very early and was aiming for a much better timing this time round. My first 10km run was the Great Eastern Women's Run last year. That was a terrible run. The route was tough, the weather was cruel, and I was lousy. I clocked in 1hr 11 mins. Bleah. Then 2 mths later, I did the Shape Run 2010. Slightly better timing of 1 hr 9 mins.

So this year, I told myself that I would do a lot better, since I am supposed to be fitter with all the exercising that I am doing. I ran the race with darling Hannah, who was doing her first ever 10km run. It was a good run. Weather was less dreary and hot, route was scenic, and I felt good while running. And I clocked a time of 1hr 3mins! YAY! Ok, for some of you it might not be that big a deal but I am so damn proud of the timing cos I was on a running sabbatical for a mth and only started running a mth or so before the event itself. So yes, I am happy and am already looking forward to the next long distance run!

On another note altogether, I am going off again for a vacation!! Where to this time?

YES!! BALI!!! :) This was one of the most impromptu decision I have made with regards to a trip! I was in a damn long meeting few weeks ago, and was having the worst back ache, and suddenly thought of going for a spa retreat. So I messaged Angela and asked if she wanted to go away during the 1 week break. And her response was a resounding 'YES!' so within two weeks, we booked both our air tickets and accommodation! We initially thought of going to Vietnam but decided aganist it as it was too complicated!! So Bali it was!

This is going to be a very luxurious spa retreat, where we do nothing but laze around in a private villa with a personal butler and breakfast cooked and served in your villa, with a private pool and a 120mins spa session every day that I am there. I am going to lead the life of a rich tai tai at elast for the 4 days that I am there. I have been to Bali and I love it there. I am so looking forward to doing nothing, being pampered on, get driven around, check out the bars and restaurants there...Arrgghh!!! I can't wait!!!

In the meantime, I am going to trudge through another 4 more weeks of school before I say Adios Singapore! YAY!!!

2011-07-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

I am a dessert person, and that is one big reason why I exercise so much. When we are at a buffet, I can't really eat much when it comes to the savouries, and I will groan about how I am full, bla bla bla bla bla. And then it's dessert time, and I have a completely different stomach when it comes to dessert. And I can eat a lot. A LOT.

Usually I have pretty good self control when it comes to dessert. I limit myself to one Starbucks frappucino and a cake/ice cream a week. But for some reason, I craved desserts more than usual the past week. So it started last Sat, where I went out in the evening and had Ha'agen Daz Paradise. Which was yum. 6 mini scoops of ice cream, sandwiched between flaky buttery wafer, drizzled with raspberry sauce and chocolate sauce, an topped with fresh strawberries. How yum is that right??? It was so bloody yum that I had the same exact thing the following day! God.....Two Paradise in two days! How did I make up for this? A 10km run the evening after the 2nd conquest of Paradise. Couldn't feel my legs after. lol!!

Then I had my fix of Starbucks Dark Mocha Frappucino, which is the yummiest drink ever, even though the Java Chip Mocha Frap is pretty awesome as well, and the Mocha Frap is good too....Ok, Im digressing. But yeah, I had my Grande Starbucks Dark Mocha Frap on Tues, so I thought, great, the fix for the week. And then, cos it was so damn hot on Sat, and I had no self control, so I had it again! GRANDE! Punishment? A 60 mins Hot Yoga class, much faster paced vinyasa class the following day.

Then, on Friday, I had dinner of pasta, and was still not completely full and walked around, and saw J and Co, the donut shop. And those who knows me knows that doughnuts are the bane of my existence. They are like my favouritest dessert ever, for some weird reason. I mean, when I was in Australia, I devoured 12 before. Not at one go, but in a span of 2 days. Which is a hell of a lot of doughnuts. And calories. So I have been avoiding eating doughnuts cos doughnuts are like Pringles for me. Once you start, you can't stop. But I saw the damn shop, and I told myself, 'Oh what the hell? I haven't had doughnuts for ages (Which is not a lie. I have been very disciplined)' and bought 3, and ATE THEM ALL. I shared it with my friend who was with me, but honestly, I was eating so fast, he barely tasted them. Make up? Pole Dancing, which left me used and abused.

And then today, I was walking around town, and finished lunch, and as always, I craved for something sweet. My friend and I almost succumbed and went into a cafe which sells cake to have some gula melaka cake, but I stopped us in time and we decided to fix the sweet craving by sharing a scoop of New Zealand Natural Chocolate Brownie Ice cream. Make up? None for this...lol!! My body was too sore from the pole class, hot class and running. So I told myself, one won't kill!

Urgh....so yes, it was fatty food week. I'm attributing it to the fact that I am going to get my period soon, so I am bloated, pimply, and forever hungry. Hopefully this phase passes!!!

Alright, I can't believe I did a whole blog entry on fatty food. Have a good week!

2011-07-06T03:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a good one and a half weeks of school. I started off the week, getting the news that my interview for my new post in school was on the 29th June, and not 29th July. Needless to say, me and my other colleagues got really stressed cos we knew what the interview entailed. Basically being grilled by principals and superintendent. So I spent a very stressful 3 days preparing for the interview and was hardly breathing by the time 29th June kicked in. But I am so happy to say that I cleared the interview, and got positive feedback from it. Yay!! Surprisingly, the interviewers were rather kind to me, and asked me questions which I can answer from my heart, rather than trying to regurgitate whatever I have learnt and prepared for the session. I think my sincerity with my students came across very strongly, and I was actually disappointed that the session ended cos I still had so much to share!!! lol!!! I know, I am such a nerd, I swear. So yes, I am now finally an official appointment holder in the school. Been procrastinating it for a while, and it is good that I have finally made a decision and progressing forward. Remember how I hate stagnation, well this is a good way of preventing that. :)

Met Maya for dinner after 2mths. She just came back from her own holidays and we had a good time trading stories. I was telling her about my Maldivian and Sri Lankan escapades, and she was sharing with me about her crazy adventures in New Zealand. She got me my Earth Organics hand and body lotion. I AM SO HAPPY! I discovered this particular lotion when I got it for a Xmas gift and loved it so much and when it finished, I was devastated to discover that the lotion wasn't available in Singapore!!! It's this Cucumber and Mint lotion which smells damn good and makes your skin really soft. Only found in New Zealand. So I got Maya to buy 2 jars for me. Then I found that they sold it in Singapore @ Sephora but at almost double the price. Maya got it for $18 for me, and Sephora was selling the same thing for $30. WTH right??? Anyway, this is the lotion. It is the bomb.

I also started my exercising again. Took a 4 weeks sabbatical cos of my holidays. So I started with a run last week. Wanted to do a 40 mins run, but by 30 mins, I was half concussed. I kept telling myself 'Come on Khai, this is only 40 mins...You can do it...Come on...' But I diedlah. Couldn't keep up. The head was willing but the body was weak. So I have been running twice a week now, and can now run respectably for 40 mins....LOL!! I am so lame, I swear.

The hot yoga sessions have restarted, and again, overly ambitious. Went straight for the 90 mins Hot class, rather than start off with the 60 mins class. Of course, almost fainted of dehydration and spent the following day walking with a slight limp and aching shoulders. It's much better now, more do-able. Practice practice practice!!!!!

And I started Level 2 Pole Dance. Man, if I thought Pole 1 was hard, Pole 2 is virtually IMPOSSIBLE! We no longer do spins with our arms. We now hang on to our life with our thighs. Ok, I know I have strong thighs (Some people say I have big thighs, I like to think of it as shapely and strong and it's my blog so I will call them shapely and strong..:P) but to hang on to the pole with just your thighs is insane. You are climbing to the pole mid way, and you have to hoist yourself up with your arms first, before gripping the pole with just your thighs and your pelvic bone. @ one point, the instructress kept saying 'Spread your legs, spread your legs!' cos we are trying to lift our legs off the floor and hold on to the pole with just our arms supporting us (Crazy difficult) with our legs spread high up and I am like..'Man, someone who is listening to this outside will be wondering what the hell is happening inside the room.' And would probably want to join in...LOL!!! Sorry, digressing.

The first time the instructress told us to hoist ourselves up the pole, she told us, 'You pull your body weight up with your hand, and DO NOT jump onto the pole'. Of course, what did I do? I jumped. And I didn't just jump! I jumped HIGH! VERY HIGH! So what happened?? I whacked my very sensitive areas (Im assuming you know what I am talking about) against the metal pole ( metal, I repeat) and I gasped for my life cos IT WAS EXCRUCIATING. I literally rolled down the pole, holding on to that area for dear life. I now know why men react the way they do when they get punched down there...IT FREAKING HURTS!!!!!

But yeah, very very unglam and super difficult!!! God, I came out of the class all bruised which lasted for almost a week ok!!!! Urgh...But I am going to trudge on, glam or unglam, bruised or not.

So yes, I am keeping myself busy and occupied as always with a gazillion and one thing.....Until next entry darlings, enjoy yourselves! Tata!

2011-06-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

So the previous entry was on my escapades in Maldives. This entry is on Sri Lanka. I have always wanted to visit Sri Lanka but it was so unstable and dangerous. And then I meet Rushika when I was studying in Australia, and the civil war ended there, and I figured this was the best time to visit. In Sri Lanka, I visited Colombo where Rush is based at, and then we took a 3 days road trip to Sirigiriya and Nuwara Eliya.

Colombo is like Singapore. Crazy crowded, horns everywhere, cars everywhere, lots of shops, and lots of people. I was in Colombo for about 2 days and basically just shopped a little, went to a few nice restaurants, went to a club there with Rush and her friends (Yes, clubs in Sri Lanka actually plays English music. Cool ones. I was surprised, honestly speaking. Hahahaha...Didn't know what to expect seriously.) and on my last day in Colombo, I went for a hair spa and foot spa. Things are cheap there, I felt like a millionaire! lol!!

And after our Maldives trip, we rested for one night and then started our journey at 7am to Sirigiriya, a 5 hr drive. There was a horrible jam on our way there, and finally got to our hotel there at 2pm! 7 hrs in the car..I was really cranky. Thank god the hotel staff was fabulous, and we had a good lunch, rested a little, before proceeding to climb the Sirigiriya rock. Which was an adventure in itself.

One thing about Sri Lanka is there are two separate prices for locals and tourists/ foreigners. I found it really bizarre. Firstly, carz can only enter the Sirigiriya grounds if there is a tourist in the car, so since I was a tourist, we got to drive in to the foot of the rock, saving us walking time. And then, when we had to buy the tickets to climb the rock, Rush only had to pay $0.50. Me? I had to fork out $30. In USD! I was shocked! And we got ourselves a guide cos we are clueless as to how to go about climbing the rock. AND I WAS SO THANKFUL THAT WE GOT A GUIDE. His name was Lall. It was super duper crowded, and crazy. Without him, I think Rush and I would never have gotten to the top, and probably gotten harrassed by the very very friendly Si Lankan men there. He knew all the shorcuts, and pushed away those very friendly guys. Thank god for him. We gave him a very very good tip. But really, the climb up was bordered on traumatic cos there were times when we had to be with the crazy crowd, and we got jostled and pushed, and amidst crying babies, and smelly people....Urgh....The whole climb was 1600 steps, and up and down took us from 4pm to 7pm. Died. But the view was stunning!!

What else did I do in Sirigiriya? I took an elephant ride in the morning and we trekked through the forest, and went through the river, with the Sirigiriya rock as our background. It was really an experience.I also went for an Aryuvedic massage. Ok, I have to be honest. This was a traumatising massage! I still asked for a 45 mins massage, rather than just the 35 mins one cos I thought it would be good. YUCKS!! Terrible! No one, the masseause could not understand me. No two, the oil!!! It was this gross black oil, which she was very generous with, slathering it all over my body! GROSS! And it stank like nobody's business. I spent half the time trying not to breathe in through my nose. WHICH IS REALLY HARD!! And the table they massaged us in was hard!! And then, we were supposed to have a steam bath, and I expected a bath. What did I get?? I was put into this coffin-like thing with Indian leaves, and wrapped like a mummy for 20 mins and steamed! I felt like an Indian dumpling. NOT COOL! So yeah, trauma man...First and last time.

From Sirigiriya, we took a 4 hr drive to Nuwara Eliya. They call this place Hills Country, and it is a very hilly area, and this is where all the tea plantations are. Cool climate, and very very poor but generous people. :) Here, we took a walk down Gregory Lake, and took a boat ride. Saw a lot of tea plantations, interacted with the farmers there, saw the vegetable farms, and how the locals lived. They are really poor, living in clay-made houses. And it is cold here, about 12 degrees. In the morning, we took a horse ride, up the mountains into the clouds. That was probably one of my favourite moments of my trip. The horse riding up slowly into mountains was just so beautiful, with the cool air in my face, and the clouds and tea plantations and waterfalls surrounding us. Gorgeous.

So yes, my Sri Lankan trip was fantatsic. It is a very under-rated country, and I really hope with time, it will attract more people to allow its economy to grow again. Sri Lanka has been hit with civil strive for almost 30 years, and its economy has been badly hit with people having this really bad impression of the country. But there are so many beautiful things about this place, and I would definitely come back again. :)

Inside a 3-wheeled cab. Its not exactly a cab. More like a tuk tuk

I insisited on taking a bus just to experience taking a bus in Colombo

One of the shopping centres in Colombo. I have to say, shopping there is sad. Not much to buy with very bizarre taste in clothes.

Roads of Colombo

Rushi;s dad. One of the nicest and most generous man I've met.

Her maid, who cooks really well, and was really entertained by me. She keeps laughing when she sees me. I was confused!

Her brother, Sohan and mum. Also very very nice people.

The Sirigiriya rock which we climbed. It was a high climb.

The carzy crowd which we had to battle!

@ the top of the rock.

View from the top

My guide, Lall. He was an angel, helping us be safe. :)

Elephant ride in the morning! I was super excited cos the only time I took an elephant ride was at the zoo when I was 8 or something. And that was really sad.

@ Nuwara Eliya, Hill Country

Lake Gregory where I took a boat ride to enjoy the view

Horse riding in the morning

The St Clare's Waterfall, where we had tea by.

Karu, Ryshi's very dependable driver who drove us everywhere, from Colombo, to Sirigiriya to Nuwara Eliya.

So that is the end of my June adventures. School is starting tomorrow, and it is going to be a crazy term 3. It is always crazy in school! So until the next time, enjoy the remnants of the holidays to my teacher friends!!

2011-06-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

And yes, finally. My very long and overdue post on my trips which I just took this June hols. I started off with India, then to Maldives, and then to Sri Lanka. I won't blog much about my India trip as it was essentially a school trip, but more on the personal trips that I took to Maldives and Sri Lanka.

I landed in Sri Lanka on a Fri night, and then spent Sat night clubbing hard in Colombo. Was on the dance floor till 4am, rushed back to Rushi's place and got home at 430 am, slept for an hour and a bit, and then chanegd and rushed to get to the airport for our Maldives trip at 730am. It was insane. We just kept drinking coffee to keep us awake while at the airport, and snoozed through the 1 hr plane ride to Maldives.

And then we reached Maldives. The minute we landed, all we saw were vast blue sky and clear blue skies. We got up our speed boat, and I was taken aback by the blue-ness of the seawater there. It was really aquamarine, and just gorgeous. I have been to many beach places, but Maldives is stunning. It's just the water. So pretty.

So what did I do in Maldives? Nothing. Seriously. It is a do-nothing sort of place. After 5 mths of hard work in school, and then a very stressful 9 days India trip, going to a place doing nothing is like a slice of heaven. We swam by the beach which was directly outside our room, swam by the pool, lounged on the beach deck chairs, snorkelled on our own, ate, drank, did a spa (which was probably one of the best I have ever had), drank tea by the beach while watching the sunset, listening to music, talking. Night were spent having dinner by the moonlit pool and then drinks by the bar at the beach with live music before calling it a night in the very comfortable room. It was really all very serene and relaxing. Something which I really needed. Time out to really appreciate myself and reward myself for 5 mths of work. And one morning, I got up early, and hired a yogi to do yoga by the beach with me. It was an experience. The cool balmy breeze, the vast expanse of the sea, waves crashing, the clear aquamarine water, the clear blue sky. All that while you are doing your sun salutations and other yoga postures. It was all really thereaupeautic.

Things in Maldives are really costly. An average meal in Maldives will cost about USD$35 per person. Crazy. The spa is expensive too, almost USD$100. But I figured we were already there, and there really is no point stinging in such a beautiful island. So yeah, I spent shit loads of money here, but so worth the experience and money. And needless to say, when it was time to go, I was sad. So anyway, here are the Maldives pictures.

The view from the airport.

Speedboat to Kurumba Maldives Resort. We were the only 2 passengers so it really felt like our own private yacht. Service was excellent.

Entrance of our resort

The biew that we get when we open up our room.

All changed and dressed for dinner

Where I did my morning yoga

Snorkelled for alost 2 hrs, and I am now majorly burnt.

Sunset by the beach

This was at 745am in the morning. We woke up early on our last day and spent an hour at the beach, swimming, doing rubbish, talking and laughing. Really really fun.

Our way back to the airport to Colombo

I am going to miss this aquamarine sea.

2011-05-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

No, I did not get abused by a man, or fell down the drain, or anything dramatic of that sorts. These are the bruises that I have been getting from my pole dance classes. And this what I got from my last lesson, yesterday. Lesson 5. One class. And like a gazillion bruises. I died in class. We learnt how to do a backward butterfly and backward spinner. It's like doing a spin, but you hook your knees backwards, rather than the normal way. Which is damn bloody hard. And a lot of bumping your legs into the pole. Hence the bruises. Ouch. My arms are half twisted now, and cos I really give my all during class, and don't even think of the pain, my shoulders feel like they are going to fall off their sockets. It's my 2nd last lesson, and I am really enjoying it despite the crazy bruising. I'll probably go for Pole Dance Level 2 when I get back from my holidays. But I see what people mean when they say pole dancing is hard. Not as hard as my hot yoga, but still hard.

On another note altogether, the holidays are finally here. Been a really busy semester. I fell sick for a whole week last week, and then came back to school trying to play catch up. All 's done and completed and I am now left with nothing but Speech Day and then I am off for my trips.

India from 1st to 9th June with my kids, Sri Lanka to see Rushika on the 10th, and we are going to do a girls trip to Maldives for 3 nights when I am in Sri Lanka. Rush has also arranged for us to do a road trip during my stay in Sri Lanka. We are going to drive down to Nuwara Eliya, a Hill Country where we are staying overnight and visiting tea plantations and then we are driving down to Sigiriya, where we are going to climb up the mountain in the early morning and enjoy the caves and rock formations there. Then we will drive back to Colombo and spend the last day there. Yay!!

I am going to make sure I maximise my break cos Term 3 is going to be a looooonnnngggg................term. So until I come back from all my trips, enjoy your June and I will update when I am back!! Tata!

2011-05-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a long couple of weeks. Marking came in, and it wasn't so bad this time round. I actually managed to clear the marking 2 days before the marks were due. Probably because I marked like a maniac during the exam lull period and brought the scripts back home to complete them.

On top of the marking, I started my pole dance classes, and it started off a little shaky, honestly speaking. I couldn't for the life of me spin gracefully! We started off with two really easy spins: the fireman and fairy, but when I did it, it was more like dumbo and friends. Urgh...And I was bruised like crazy!! But I persevered, and after the 3rd lesson, I can happily say that things are looking up!! Yay!! I can now spin sexily, at least I think it's sexy, and can do about 5 different types of spin, my favourite being the geisha, cos when you land, you look like a little geisha sitting down!! And pole dancing is hard work!! My arms are always sore at the end of the session, we always start with a 20mins warm up of stretching and crunches and arms exercises, before starting the lesson proper. And I am always bruised at the end of each session. But Im really enjoying the sessions. My gf who was supposed to be with me stopped after two sessions, so Im basically doing it alone but really, it is so much fun that I don't really mind not having any company! I am so looking forward to the next few lessons! I will probably continue with level 2 after I am back from my holidays!!

And on to something completely off, I went to a dating event 3 weeks ago. I was bored, and my gf has been wanting to do it for ages, and I have been putting it off, and finally, I decided to just go for it since I had nothing to lose right? So I went for this high tea event at Mandarin Gallery, where 12single men were going to meet 12 single women. WOW. Sounds like something of a reality tv show right? 12 glamorous women meeting 12 glamorous men. But of course, in reality, that did not happen. LOL!!!

So I went for this thing, dressed simply in a cute sleeveless short black dress (not too short, just 3 inches off my knees), with a cute heart shaped hole at the back for a little bit of skin, with sling back sandals. I don't know why I was so nervous before entering the restaurant, maybe because it has been FOREVER simce I dated. Or did this sort of 'meeting guys for the first time' thing. I mean, I AM WAY.....TOO OLD FOR THIS!!! But anyway, we went into the restaurant, and then the torture began! LOL!!!!!!!!!!! Yes! It was tortuous!!We were seated in groups of 3 girls and 3 guys, and after each course was served, the 3 guys will rotate to a different table. Which means the torture was tripled!!

I met the weirdest guys ever! Ok, because almost everyone was strange, I will just shortlist into 4 of the strangest ones.

Guy 1: Mr leather jacket (I KNOW! IN SINGAPORE'S WEATHER??!!) aka Mr Grease Lightning (Not cos he was cool like John Travolta but cos HIS HAIR LOOKS AS THOUGH IT SWALLOWED A WHOLE GALLON OF GEL/OIL/WAX). He barely talked, and when he did, he sounded as though he had marbles in his mouth!! Very painful 30 mins as I had no clue what he was saying!! I had to excuse myself to the toilet to lessen the pain.

Guy 2: Mr Flower Power aka the silent man. He wore a flowery shirt, teamed with striped pants. I REST MY CASE. LOL! He was so quiet! I basically rattled on and on, and came to a point where I had to ask him point blank, 'Aren't you going to ask us anything? Anything at all?' And his response? 'Ah...No?' *FAINTS**

Guy 3: The babbler. Started off promising cos he was chatty...and I listened....and listened....and listened...and listened.....I listened so much that it got to a point where I became cross eyed. HE BABBLED NON STOP! About anything, and everything, and I dont think he even knows if we were listening to him!!! Talked about soccer, and politics, and taxis, and teachers, and Im just like....'Someone save me'....

Guy 4: The moron. He didn't say a single word throughout the 30 mins the group had together, until the last part, where he asked me...'So. Where did you get your fake tan from? Which tanning saloon?' Everyone just kept really silent (Awkward moment, anyone?) and I had to compose myself before smilig nicely and telling him 'Oh, this is not a tan. This is my natural skin colour. I am a Malay, you know that right? Moron's reply: 'Oh, you Malay ah? But like fake ah, your tan?' * KHAI SLAPS FOREHEAD IN EXASPERATION*

So yeah, that was my experience. I am not saying that I was the perfect person there. I am sure there are those who were there at the event who are probably bitching about me too. Like maybe saying things like 'What a bitch' or 'Urgh, she thinks she is all that'. LOL!! But really, I dont care. Cos they are just too weird!! Honestly speaking, after the traumatic experience, my gf and I went to seek solace in cake and coffee @ Clarke Quay, and we couldn't stop laughing at the experience. And we both agreed that between being with anyone of those guys, we would rather be on our own!! Seriously, a guy who barely talks? Or a guy who talks....and talks....and talks...?

So yeah, that was my very exciting weekend meeting new people. Next weekend, it's just coffee and cake for me @ Starbucks with normal people. :) Call me boring and unadventurous, but at least it makes me happy!

2011-04-21T18:27:00.000-07:00

And YES! I am finally doing it. POLE DANCING!!! I remembered putting a few things on my list of must-do for 2011. And aside from trying to whip myself back into shape, pole dancing is one of them. I have always been intrigued by this dance, cos it looks so sexy and slinky, but I also know it is majorly difficult as it requires a lot of core strength, flexibility and endurance. And to me, pole dancing allows me to hit 2 birds with one stone: I get to do one of my favourite things in the world, dancing, as well as get toned and fit! Not that my hot yoga is not already killing me, but hey, nothing wrong with trying to get fitter and leaner right? Yay!!!

I have been so busy at work, and I am getting really restless. I get solace from my bi-weekly hot yoga sessions, but I feel that I need to do more!! So one of my friends from Australia is in town for 6 weeks, and she asked if I wanted to take up pole dancing, and I'm like, why not? So yes, I have signed up for a 6 weeks course for pole dance beginners level 1 with Groove Studio and I cannot wait to start. First lesson is next Friday,and I AM EXCITED!! Been a while since I took up dance classes, the last being my salsa in 2005, which is forever!!

And to continue on with my quest for that lean mean body which I used to have when I was in uni (oklah, I was't lean and mean, I was just thin and unfit. I never exercised before and I was so thin!! I swear, I hate the phrase 'metabolism slows down with age'. Damn it.), I have also signed up for 2 10-km runs in July. The Great Eastern run in early July and the Shape run at the end of July. I did both runs last year, and the timing improved the 2nd time I ran, so I am hoping for a better time. I am still running, about once a week, but short distances though, about 5km. Will have to start doing 1-hr runs to make sure I dont die during the runs in July.

Ok, enough with the fitness update. It's a long weekend, so I am just going to enjoy it. School is K-I-L-L-I-N-G me, and I am trying to get through 5 more weeks of school without killing anyone. Will update more about my pole dancing class!! So exciting!!!!!!!!!

2011-04-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

I am barely keeping afloat at work. School has been just insane, and everyday has been a mad rush of so many things: meeting deadlines, doing up tests and exam papers, marking, meetings, planning, conducting workshops, going for workshops, preparing for the SYF competition, and of course, teaching and learning. Urgh...And that is just skimming the surface! But I refuse to let this be an entry of whining and griping cos well, there is really nothing much I can do about it. So instead, I am going to channel my inner Qi (whatever that means) and divert my thoughts to happier things....And what else can make me happier but....TRAVELLING!

Hahahahahaha, I know. You are probably rolling your eyes now, cos I am forever talking about it, and I am SORRY!! It is the one thing that keeps me sane, and as long as I am not on a plane, I will not be happy! And no, going to JB does not count as travelling to me. :P

So I just got back from Bangkok three weeks ago, and I am already looking forward to my next trip! 7 more weeks and Im off for 3 whole weeks again! Yay! And this time, I am not going to Australia, nor Europe. It's South Asia this time round! A 9 day trip to South India with my kids, and then I am off for a 10 day personal trip to.......Sri Lanka and Maldives!!! Yay!!

I cannot wait for June to come. I have always wanted to go to Sri Lanka. I think it is a very under rated country, and with all the bad hype it has been getting due to the Tamil Tigers conflict, people think it is a bomb infested place. I actually wanted to take my kids on a trip to Sri Lanka in 2006, but it never materialised cos my school thought it was far too dangerous. And then the plan was put on hold, and what do you know? I made a Sri Lankan friend when I was studying in Australia, so all the more reason to go! I will get to see Sri Lanka, and see Rushika, and at the same time, get a really local feel of Sri Lanka as Rush is Sri Lankan and she doesn't get more Sri Lankan than it comes. Can't wait!

And cos Sri Lanka is majorly near Maldives, I figured 'what the heck' right? So I convinced Rush to come along! I might as well hit Maldives as well, cos well...it's the Maldives. Just gorgeousness galore. I can't wait. Maldives is costing me an arm and a leg, but cos we are flying from Colombo, it is much cheaper. But the resort I am staying in with Rush is costly. And it is already one of the cheapest I could find ok! I cannot wait to see the pristine clear water, and just do nothing, swim, spa, eat, snorkel, tan (not that I need to get anymore tanned), and just enjoy being there.

So, since I am stressed, and I cannot wait for my trips to materialise, I decided to google the beautiful places I am going to visit. Just to make me happy. Lol!!! I am so sad, I swear....

Ooty, in South India

Tea Plantations in India

Hills Country in Sri Lanka

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Maldives, North Atoll. GORGEOUS!!!

Kurumba Maldives Resort, where I would be staying

Sigh.....Travelling is like a slice of heaven to me....I can't wait.....

2011-03-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

So, I have turned 31, and honestly speaking, there is absolutely no difference in the way I feel. This year, my birthday was spent in Bangkok. Had a blast there. I ate like a horse, indulged in massages, bought a whole load of new clothes...Was really fun. And Bangkok wasn't crazy hot like it was the last two times I went. It was actually cold! And I spent 3 out of the 4 days there with a cardigan around me!

I had kind of a quiet birthday. Aside from my Bangkok trip, my family gave me a treat. A high tea at our favourite Carousel. It was nice hanging out together, we seldom get together and birthdays are the best occassions for the family to get together.

So this year, I have made a resolution to worry less about getting older, and focus more on being happy. And 3 months into the year, I must admit, I am much happier and healthier. I am eating well, exercising hard, working hard, and playing as hard. :) So let's hope this positive spirit in me continues, and I am looking forward to many more birthdays. For now, I have to get through this term, which is a killer term, and then Im off for a long haul break. Yay! :)

2011-03-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

I met up with the girls last Sunday. It has been a while since we last met, and since then, Wendy has gotten preggers. She is due early May and she looks good pregnant. Angela and I went to meet her for a late lunch after our hot yoga class and we headed down to Marmalade Pantry.

We actually wanted to do high tea at Goodwood Park but it was fully booked so we decided to try out Marmalade Pantry since I've heard a lot of good things about it. And it was pretty awesome. It is like an all day breakfast restaurant serving food like pancakes, french toast, a gazillion flavoured cupcakes, and your regular pasta and sandwiches. And because Angela and I were starving from our class, we ordered a crabmeat linguini with pine nuts (majorly yum), French toast with banana and maple syrup (to die for), lemon ricotta pancakes (this was disappointing. It was more like a cake than a pancake. BOO to this!) and then cos we were still hungry after, we ordered a side of fries. And we just sat down and talked and ate for a few hours. :)

It's always nice to meet the girls up. I have known Wendy since she just started off as a teacher and we used to do so many things together. We would share stories about our classes with each other, complain to each other, go out for dinner and coffee all the time, travelled together. She is married now and of course things have changed but Im glad to say that we still meet up outside of school every now and then, usually during the term break. She is heavily pregnant now, and she looks cute pregnant. She is expecting a baby girl, and people say that when you are carrying a girl, the mother always looks like crap (bloated, water retention, big noses...Dont ask me about the big noses part. Thats what they all say.) but she doesn't. Aside from the tummy being like a balloon, she doesn't really look fat. Which is good, cos she is really paranoid of looking like a giant...:)

But it was nice to just end off the school term meeting up with my closest friends over good food....And here are the pictures which we took. Been a while since we last took pictures..

And yes, Term 1 of school is over, and I am awaiting the 16th March. Not cos it's my birthday but cos I am finally leaving the country and going for a much deserved break!! Will update more when Im back from Bangkok!!

2011-03-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

I am in the midst of my common test marking but I am so brain dead from marking essays after essays of traffic policies (I mean, seriously, WHO CARES ABOUT HOW EFFECTIVE THE ERP OR COE IS??????) and I have been at it for days! So yes, I have decided to take a well deserved break before I start the crunch again and blog.

So last weekend has been a fairly productive weekend. I like productive weekends as it means I have not wasted it away. Met Maya on a Thursday to celebrate her birthday, then went out for drinks at the Esplanande on Fri, went to school Sat morning for band, and then I decided to go for a massage after. I also met Angela for dinner on Sat night at Brussel Sprouts at Robertson Quay where I had the best mussels I have tasted in Singapore and then ice cream at Haagen Daz..Fatty right? Urgh...We had a platter of ice cream. And of course, Sun was spent doing my hot yoga and then had high tea at Fairmont with my family to celebrate my sister's bithday.

The most productive part of my weekend?? While I was on my way to my massage place on Sat morning. I saw a huge crowd gathered across from my spa. This was at Thomson Plaza by the way. Of course, being a Singaporean, I was curious and snooped my nose in to see what the commotion was. IT WAS.................A KATE SPADE SALE!!!!!!!!!! Arggh!!!!!!!!!! I have promised myself not to buy anymore expensive bags cos I basically spent like a gazillion dollars from my last trip to Paris on bags, and I already have a million Kate Spades right? But I couldn't deal with how cheap it was!!! And this was the damage done..Ok, fine...These were the damage done...

Queen Renwick Street in Pink

Stevie Thompson St Noel in Black

Stunning right??!! Yay!! So cheap!! Cos they imported it from New York itself! The pink one was only $235 (sale price at Kate Spade Taka is $450) and $335 for my St Noel (sale price at Kate Spade Taka was about $590). It took me 10 mins to just grab them both and paid for them. Urgh....I got home, with this huge paper bag, and my mom went like...'Are those more bags??' And I just went...'Uh....well...cheaplah mom..' LOL! So now I have 6 Kate-s. And I just received a $150 voucher from them cos it's my birthday month and I am a VIP member there! Urgh!! I am going to pass the voucher to my sis, unless I see something drool-worthy.

So yes, it was a very good weekend, despite the damage done to my wallet. Nvm, take it as a birthday gift to myself since it is coming soon! YAY!! Ok, I better get back to my marking. SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

Im flying off again soon! To Bangkok this time during the March holidays. I usually dont travel out during the March or September break cos it's just too short but this time round, I have nothing much on in March (highly shocking) and I am not planning anything highly exciting for my bday, so I decided to treat myself to a trip for my bday. Like a gift to myself. Tickets were pretty reasonable, $200 and I've booked a nice place to stay in, very near the shopping belt of Bangkok.

I love Bangkok. I have been there twice and I always enjoyed myself there. Shopping is cheap, it's easily accessible, people are really friendly there, helps that I look Thai myself, food is amazing and really really cheap. Whats there not to love about it right? I know I have friends who do not like the place. Says it's too crowded, and over rated. But I dont know. I seldom travel within Asia, but if there is one place in Asia which I really enjoy, it has got to be Thailand.

The last time I was there, I was with Wendy and Vidhu.This was in 2006. I bought so many clothes, and shoes, and bags. Ate like a horse there too! Oh! And they have very very good and cheap lingerie there. I'm not talking about rubbish lingerie but like good brands such as Wacoal and Triumph but at much cheaper rates! I bought like 5 sets the last time I went and it lasted for years! So, yes, lingerie shopping it's gonna be!! Im looking forward to the crazy bargaining at Chatuchak, the night markets at Patpong, the wholesale shops at Pratunam, the fab shopping at MBK and Pratunam Shopping Centre. the cheap Thai massages and foot reflexology....Arrgghh!!!! I cant wait to travel!! Just go and do nothing. And I chose a hotel with a nice pool too so I can spend one day maybe just lounging in the hotel and doing nothing!! Yay!

And until then, I am going to trudge through 3 more weeks of school before I go on the plane.... Yay!!!!:)

2011-02-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

It has been 5 weeks since I blogged! School has started and we all know what that means for me. Crazy busy, literally living in school, and just trying to keep afloat for the first month at least. And school has been really quiet cos all my babies are gone, which means I dont have company during recess and after school. After school used to be something which I really looked forward to for the past 2 years, where my kids will just hang around after their last lesson, doing work, playing, chatting with me, and basically, just bonding with me. Well, they have all now graduated and are waiting for poly to start. I have a whole group of new students, and the school decided to give me the very very very good kids. I have a knack with the naughtier kids, and getting the good ones is something new for me. They are a good batch of kids, quiet and less naughty. It's just a different ball game altogether now and I guess it's something I have to get used to.

On a positive note, cos I am all alone in school after curriculum time, it basically means I have a lot more time to finish up whatever work I have, and leaving me more time for myself. And one thing which I have been doing on a regular basis is my hot yoga class. I have been doing yoga since 2007, and I love what it does to me. So I decided to cut my membership at California Fitness (It's getting to be more and more rubbish now and I cannot deal with the hard sell that they do) and went yoga gym hunting. And I finally signed on with Pure Yoga, the new yoga gym down Orchard Road. It's costly to be a member there, Im paying double here than what I used to in California Fitness but I figured it was good investment. Enough with the kick boxing, step classes...I decided to just run for my cardio fix and then supplement it with regular hot yoga classes.

And yes, these are some of the things that we do in the very very hot yoga rooms. Before I actually started, I knew it was going to be a tough class. Already, doing yoga in a normal room temperature is hard enough. So imgaine doing your static yoga poases in a 51 degrees room. And therefore, yes, I was mentally prepared that it was going to be a very very hot and sweltering affair.

But man, nothing prepared me for when I went for the first class. The minute I entered the room, the hot air just hit me and made me feel suffocated! Crazy hot! And I was starting to sweat within the meditation part of the class whcih lasted only 3 mins! When I started the class proper, I was dripping sweat in bucketsful! Insane. But it feels so bloody good. It's like cardio which tones and leans you. Hot yoga is one of the best way to lose weight and be toned at the same time. Exercise usually does one or the other. If you run, you get the cardio but not so much the toning. Yoga on its own helps you with the toning but not losing weight. So hot yoga is a merger of both. And I swear, at the end of a 60mins Hot Hatha class, I am literally panting and soaked to death. You lose about 600 calories doing an hour of hot yoga, equivalent to doing a 10km run! And as tiring and draining hot yoga is, when you finish the class, and you are all aching and dying and dehydrated, it is the best feeling in the world. :)

And of course, the most important question is, does it really work? A RESOUNDING 'HELL YES!!' I swear, I have been doing it for just 5 weeks, not even as often as I would like to, maybe just twice a week, and I can feel a lot of difference. My skin is better (think the sweating detoxIfies you), I am definitely a lot stronger and fitter, and most imprtantly, I have seriOusly lost some weight!! My clothes are much looser, and I feel so much better and more confident! Yes!! lol!! Of course, I am not just doing the hot yoga on its own. I still run but not so often now. Just once a week, to get my cardio fix and the heart pumping but seriously, this hot yoga thing works. So if anyone wants to lose weight and be a lean mean machine at the same time, this is the best way to go. :) Im targeting to lose another 2 kg and I will be satisfied! YAY!!

2011-01-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I cannot believe 2010 has already passed and 2011 is here! Feels like the year just flew past. And as always, I make it a point to blog down my thoughts for the year, what I have accomplished, and what I would want to do better, and of course, make some semblance of commitments for 2011.

1. 2010 saw me moving in new directions in my career. I was given a lot more responsibilities, and I received recognition for the work that I have put in. I worked really hard with my kids, and they worked as hard as me. The commitment they showed in school for me was astounding and Im praying that the results coming up next week will bear fruits of the work we have put in. I worked in many different committees, contributed to the school in many different ways, and 2011 looks set to be a challenging year as I am going to try on a new portfolio, something which I have never done before. Am I nervous about it? Of course I am. But I hate being stagnant so this is timely as it will challenge me. My kids have moved on to tertiary education and I am getting a whole new group of students and it will be up to me to create that special bond I always have had with my previous group of angels. :) And that is my first commitment for the year. To put in as much effort with my new group of kids as my previous one and embrace the new work challenges for me in 2011 and loving it at the same time.

2. 2010 has been great fitness-wise. I managed to complete two different competitive 10-km runs with respectable timings. I managed to conquer the 'I have no time to go to the gym' excuse by running around my estate after work. And still managed to go for weekly yoga sessions. I've lost some weight, which makes me feel so much better and confident about myself. I am back to my pre-Australia weight and for 2011, I have made a commitment to get even healthier. I have just joined Pure Yoga, and I am so psyched to start my yoga classes. I am especially excited to do hot yoga as I read that it detoxifies you, keeps you lean, and makes you lose a hell of a lot of weight. So yes. 2011 fitness resolutions: To do weekly runs, go for yoga sessions @ least twice a week, and to take part in more runs. I can't wait. :)

3. Travel wise, 2010 saw me travelling to a lot of new places. I made my yearly pilgrimage to Perth and Melbourne in June, seeing close friends and spending time with people who love me unconditionally. And at the end of the year, I visited 4 different countries. I managed to bring my band to Taiwan, a totally different culture for me and my kids. I finally got to London and Paris, countries which are so beautiful and I am definitely coming back. And I took a much needed family trip to Krabi. So yes, I have been lucky to be able to see so many familiar, and new places and it is something I am really thankful for. Travel plans for 2011? I hoping to visit Rushi in Sri Lanka before flying off to the Maldives with her in June, and to Spain at the end of the year. And maybe Hong Kong. :) We will see how 2011 pans out in terms of my travel plans.

4. I think 2010 has seen me maturing emotionally and I am surer of myself. I had moments of weaknesses, where I got really affected by things that people said to me, went through moments of unsurety, but I got through them with help from my friends. I had people questioning my decisions in life, telling me that I need to get more out of it, and not just focus on my career and crazy travelling, telling me that I need to start putting in serious thoughts into settling down. And I would be lying if I say it does not affect me. But I have managed to conquer those demons and just appreciate what I have now; the success I have experienced with my career, the close bonds I have with my kids, the fact that I love what I do, the support I have from my closest friends, who have no qualms about flying down from wherever they are and amidst their busy schedules to visit me in Singapore as well as those who are here with me, the fact that I am able to see the world when I want to, the financial stability that I have.....And in 2011, I am going to lead the life that I want, and embrace whatever comes my way.

5. And in 2010, I am most thankful to the fact that I have 2 very special people in my life.
Jay is one of them. I have been in a long distance relationship with him for over a year and I have always been very secretive about it. Cos I have been burnt so badly before and I just don't want to have too high hopes. But 2010 saw him coming down to Singapore twice and me to Melbourne once, and he loves me a lot. And I think 2011 will be special for both of us. New experiences, not all good but definitely different. :) And another very special person is my boy, Kok Tiong. He has been my student for 2 years, and over the years, he has shown me the most care, concern, love and loyalty. I call him my angel in disguise cos he protects me all the time and I always feel shielded by his genuine love and care for me. In school, he makes sure I eat and drink, rallies his friends and classmates to do the same for me, plans my birthdays, and Teachers Day and Xmas gifts for me, puts in so much effort for me cos he knows I want him to succeed, and most importantly, he makes me laugh and makes me truly happy. He sees me as not just his teacher, but also his friend, mentor and mom. And it is mutual for me as I see him as a very special person who will make something out of his life and I am happy to have been able to contribute to his future success. And I am truly blessed to have him in my life. :)

And that's 2010 for you, plus my commitments for 2011. :)

On a lighter note, New Years this year was spent with Ryan! He came down from Australia to usher in the New Years with me, before flying off to Vietnam. And we had such a good time though he was just here for 3 days! We went to so many places on NYE! Had dinner @ Clarke Quay, where Angela joined us and had a really good time, just talking and stuffing our faces with pasta. Then went to the Esplanade where, together with like a million people (Ok, Im probably exaggerating but there were a lot of people), we watched the fireworks. Chijmes after that, where we had drinks at a tapas bar. And then, Ryan and I proceeded on to Clarke Quay and partied till 4am! God....I was like a possessed woman at the club!! I haven't clubbed in a while, probably 3 mths, and the music playing was so damn good and I just danced like a maniac! I actually lost a kg after I got home! Probably water weight, but that was how crazy it was. Really, really fun!

So yeah, I had a good new years. And most importantly 2010 was awesome for me, and I am hoping 2011 would be as great, if not, even better!

Happy New Year everyone!!

And these are my pictures with Ryan while he was in town!

@ the Esplanade.

Gallery Hotel, where we stayed. Had the best pool ever.

Dinner by Clarke Quay

The million people @ Esplanade

Fireworks display.

Chijmes, La Viva Bar

@4am after hard partying.

2010-12-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

Has been a quiet week, after all the excitement of travelling non stop for almost 4 weeks. I have the whole house to myself most of the time, which is something I savour, as I get some quiet time for myself. I sleep in, read the newspapers, watch a bit of tv, surf the net for a bit, read, and then meet up friends if I have made plans, or do my hair, or my nails, or do random shopping...whichever I feel like. Most importantly, these quiet times allow me to reflect, something which I don't get to do much in the course of the year as I am so busy all the time, surrounded by my friends, and family, and kids.

Sometimes I feel like Im a walking contradiction. I love where I am right now in my life. And I am grateful for the things that I have and am able to do. But you know how sometimes, you get that flicker of doubt? And unsurety? Of course, people don't usually see that as I am always smiling, and happy, and confident. But there would be moments when you get shaken a little bit. Last week, I met one of my friends and she is a singleton, like me. And when I met her, the first thing she did was flashed her finger to me. No, not the middle finger, but THE FINGER. Where you put your wedding ring. Yup, she got proposed to by her boyfriend. And I felt like the worst person in the world, cos the first feelings which came up was...'WHAT!!??? EVEN SHE IS GETTING MARRIED???!!'

I know, Im a horrible horrible person. I should be happy for her!!! There is something seriously wrong with me, I swear. I dont know why I reacted like that. It's just crazy. Almost all my friends in Singapore are married, with kids, or having kids. And I really treasure those who are still single and independent cos they are my pillar of support. Cos seriously, no matter what everyone says, things change once you get married. Worse still if you start having kids. And this is from personal experience, having had really close friends being married and having kids. It's selfish, but I hate losing them. And I think that's why I loved it when I was away studying. Cos all my friends were single, independent, successful and fabulous. And didn't give a damn about being single.

There was Foize, my gorgeous charitable do-gooder friend who works with UN. Then there was Rushika, a highly successful lawyer, highly intelligent, and of course, beautiful. There was Fatima, who epitomises the notion of 'don't give a heck of what the world thinks' and is going to be a Phd holder at the age of 33 and is so bloody stunning. There is Mark; funny, witty, kind, generous, and smart, a doctor to be as well. And of course my darling Ryan. Generous to a fault, loves me to bit, hilarious, ambitious, smart as hell. I love these people, and being around them made me feel normal, that it was ok to be 30, and yet still single and most importantly happy. And they were always around for me. Always. Even until today, I know that I can always depend on them for anything.

But here back home, I can feel that my pillar of support has shrank. And I think that's one reason why I put so much of myself into my job, cos it gives me sanity. And surety. Cos I know that if I work hard, the results show for itself. And it is in my students that I get that sort of love and care. And as strong as one may be, you still need reiteration somtimes. That you are not going nowhere in life. Cos if I hear one more word of 'You are not getting any younger' or 'When are you going to find a boyfriend', I swear I am going to lose it.

Like I said, most of the time, I am happy where I am. But there are moments when you falter. And that is when that strong support system is important.

2010-12-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

And yes....I took yet another holiday. So it was Taiwan first, and then London, Paris and I ended off the year with a trip to the Thai island of Krabi. This was a family trip, very last minute. We were supposed to do a Switzerland trip but there were some issues with the travel agent and the Europe trip was axed in the end. So at the last minute, we decided to do a free and easy island getaway and Krabi it was. I was kind of excited as I was in the cold for so many days whilst in Europe, that the idea of sun, sea, and sand was really appealing to me.

It was really relaxing. What did I do there? Nothing. I literally did nothing. Ok, fine, if you want me to break it down, these were the things I did. I ate (Thai food is the bomb. Food was so cheap there!), I went to the beach, I went island hopping, I snorkelled, I swam with the fishes, I massaged, my feet got massaged too, I shopped, I slept, I read...Yeah, just rotate these around...That was basically what I did. And it was really relaxing cos Taiwan was stressful cos I was like a mother hen with 40 kids, London and Paris was just full of activities, and museum visits, and going to differrent monuments, and Krabi was just....relaxing. Which was a good way to end my holidays. :)

Everything in Krabi is really cheap. From food (Less than $50 for a good meal for a family of 7), to the massages ($8 for an hour of full body massage or at the same cost, an hour of foot reflexology), to the island hopping activities (we paid $34 per pax for a half day island hopping tour on a speed boat plus snorkelling too), to the shopping ((It was crazy cheap here. I bought 3 bikinis for 7 bucks each, 2 sundresses for 8 bucks each, a beach top for also 8 bucks!). So yup, I didnt burn a hole in my pocket the way London and Paris did and I was a happy camper.

Only dampener? I fell majorly sick on my last day there. Like deliriously sick. I came down with a very high fever of 40 degrees, bronchitis like cough with phlegm, stuffed up nose, body ache..urgh...the works. So of course, I didnt have a choice but to drag my ass back onto the plane, went to the doctors the minute I landed, and have been home bound since. Feel much better now. Thank God.

The view outside my room. We could just jump into the pool from the room.

The beach outside our resort. It was just across the road from where we stayed.

Town area, where there were thousands of shops and restaurants. CHEAP!

Ao Nang Beach

In a tuk tuk from our resort to the town. We could have walked but wanted to try the tuk tuk. 20 baht per pax, thats less than a buck.

My nephew, doing the 'fish feeding off the crap on your toes' thing. I was majorly grossed out.

On a speed boat for our island hopping adventures.

Phranang Cave Beach. Gorgeous, clear water

Snorkelling off Chicken Island.

My newly bought bikini- Very sailor moonish. Only $12 for this one.

Tup Island. It was scorching here. I turned like at least 2 shades darker.

Poda Island, the island where you get to swim with the fishes.

So yes, I am back in Singapore for good now. No more trips till....I dont know...Maybe March? lol!! Im terrible. I plan my holidays like a whole year in advance. But we'll see how. So many things can change in a year!! For now, Im going to recuperate, go out with friends, and start psyching myself up for school! Which Im kind of looking forward to!! Yay!

2010-12-09T05:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, 2nd post on my trip. So from London, we took the Euro rail to Paris. Trip didn't start too well. Firstly, it started snowing heavily in London, and our train to Paris got delayed by an hour and a half (Which wasn't too bad as I have been stranded at the Adelaide airport for 12hrs before...So an hour and a half was a breeze). When we reached London, it was dark already, and we got lost looking for our hotel. Didn't help that no one spoke English, so I had to keep speaking in French, which wasn't very effective as my French is sad. We ended up walking with our huge luggage and backpacks in the cold (and it was really cold in Paris), and finally found it after an hour!!!

This was the hotel in Paris, Villa Brunel. Near the metro, about a 5 mins walk. Much smaller hotel, and much cheaper than the London one. S$900 for a 5 night stay.

Our first full day in Paris. We went to Rue Cler, highly recommended by Rick Steves for its shops and cafes and had breakfast here. Cost an arm and a leg. 2 croissants, an omelette, 1 hot chocolate and 1 juice- Euro $15!! But yummy though the croissants. I am not a croissant person cos of the sheer amount of butter in them, and the ones made in Singapore are majorly smelly. So this was a pleasant surprise for me. I had a croissant (and sometimes 2) every single morning.

Our first stop was the Army Museum. I was really excited to visit this museum as it had a lot of WW1 and WW2 artefacts, and being a History buff, I was so excited. This was the back of the museum.

And this was the front. :) Majestic looking.

Napolean's tomb

There was a military procession at the grounds of the museum. So we managed to watch the whole process. Interesting. The soldiers were freezing their asses off, Im sure. I felt cold just looking at them!

On our way from the Army Museum to the Eiffel. I was wrapped up, and it wasn't warm enough, so I had to cover my head and face!! Urgh....I was in pain!!

The Eiffel in the day. It's better at night. In the day, when you get near...it's like a piece of metal... Very unimpressive. But at nights, with the lights....Beautiful.

Notre Dame Cathedral. Snowing by the time we were here. We wanted to climb up to the top, 400 steps, but it was closed!! I was so sad!!

Crepes from a cafe near the Cathedral. Travel guide books actually informed not to sit in the Paris cafes as prices double, and to just do take aways. But cos we were so cold, and the snow was making us uncomfortable, and I was not wearing a thick enough jacket, we had to stop in here. Had a chocolate and banana crepes, as well as a cinnamon crepes. Take away would have been 7Euros. The price we paid: 15 Euros. Expensive country. But worth the heating we got for 30 mins. lol!!

Church of Saint Chapelle.

Metro Station near the Cathedral. We went everywhere by the Metro. Very convenient.

Galleries Lafeyette. The ceiling of the shopping centre. Very lit up, and adorned with lights and decorations. My God, the plan was to go to Galleries once, but cos the designer goods were so so cheap, we ended up going twice!! Ok, what was the damage done?

1. A Miu Miu bag. I have been eyeing the Miu Miu bag for a year in Singapore!! Would have set me back 1.8k! And then I saw what it cost here, and I hyperventilated!! So much cheaper. Let's not go into how much it was....But let's say it was much much cheaper.

2. A Long Champ limited edition bag. Im not a Long Champ person, but the bags were so much cheaper here, and the one I bought was simple and classic looking, so I got it.

3.Got Jay a Long Champ wallet for Xmas!!

4. A Prada wallet for sis. She has been eyeing it for ages, but never dared to enter a Prada shop. And it was cheap there!! So got one for her.

5. A Skalli bag for my younger sister.

So yes, a lot of damage done but I reckon it's worth it cos of the fact that it is much cheaper, and I got a 12% tax rebate!!!

My favourite place in Paris- Avenue Champs Elysees. People say it's magical especially during Xmas, and it truly was. The lights on the trees, the Xmas markets, with the smell of hot chocolate, cinnamon, crepes, the snow falling......I fell in love with Paris here....

Arc De Triomphe, which is at the end of the Avenue Champs Elysees

We did a day of Museum tour as well, where we visited 2 major museums: Orsay Museum and Louvre. Orsay Museum houses Impressionist paintings, so you get your Da Vinci, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh.....I had a really good time here. Almost 3 hrs, and had to go cos we had to proceed on to the Louvre.

Inside the Orsay used to be a train station. Interesting.

Our walk from Orsay to Louvre took us across the Seine River, seen here, and further into the Tulleries Garden. The garden was just white, cos of the falling snow.....Stunning.

Tulleries Garden

The Arch leading to the Louvre

The very famous Louvre Museum. But I was kind of disappointed by it cos it was really crowded, and the paintings were not as impressive as the ones in Orsay, but oh well, you can't go to Paris without seeing the Louvre!

The very famous Venus De Milo, Goddess of Love.Obviously Angela and I had to see this, to get blessings from her for our very sad love life!! lol!!

And ta da!!!! The Mona Lisa. Disappointing, seriously. Im like..'What? This is it?' Heaps of people around her portrait....

One of my favourite places as well...Marais Street. Very quaint, with quirky shops and cafes. Found the best boulangerie selling macaroons..Yum!! We went back here just to get more macaroons to bring home!!

THE MACAROONS!! YUM! And Im not even a macaroon fan!

The strawberry tart from the same boulangerie. I had a tart or an eclair or a cake every single day. Desserts there were to die for. And I have a sweet tongue, so it was a carnival for me there! And every single dessert I ate was amazing. I had a berry cake, a strawberry tart, an apple tart, a chocolate eclair, a coffee eclair, macaroons, croissants, almond danish, chocolate croissants....Fatty right?? lol!! I didnt care. Too yum!

Preparing to leave for our climb up the Arc De Triomphe and Eiffel. We were so scared of the old that we had 4-5 layers on!! Plus my Michellin man jacket!!! See? I look like an eskimo girl right? lol!!!

240 steps up the Arc De Triomphe. Not bad. And the view we got was worth the climb.

TA DA!!! View of Champs Elysees

View of the Eiffel from the top of the Arc

Then we walked down the stretch of Avenue Champs Elysees, had a hot chocolate crepe, and armed with that, we trudged down to the Eiffel. Here, we went all the way up to the summit. I dont have a fear of heights, but God, the elevator up was scary as I could see all the metal under me...

And on our last day in Paris, we took a trip down to Chateau Versailles, the Palace of Versailles. So much History here that I just had to take the 45mins train ride there. And as we got there, it started snowing lightly and then the snow became crazy! But I loved it, cos it was just so beautiful and I kept putting my face up to let the snow hit it!!

Palace of Versailles- The entrance

The Garden, which is supposed to be spectacular in summer where there would be fountain shows!

Hall of Mirrors where the Treat of Versailles was signed. So exciting....Where History was made..:)

After trudging through the snow, we went back to Paris city by train. Tiring.

And that was me in Paris. Paris is definitely beautiful. City of lights and love. Where people are beautiful, and the sights are gorgeous. I can see why people choose to go for their honeymoons there. It's just so romantic and you are really in the mood for love. And coming during Xmas, with the snow falling makes it even more magical. They have everything there, museums and palaces for those who are into history and culture, shopping for shopaholics, sights and stunning scenery for scenery lovers, and the best desserts in the whole wide world. Definitely my kind of city. :) I can't wait to go back again.....

That's us on our way home to Singapore, 13 hr flight. We paid more to sit on the SQ A380 Upper deck where we get more leg room. And it was so worth the extra we paid. Not as painful as it usually would be. :)

And that's it for updates on my Europe trip! Next up: Krabi with my family. So from snow and cold weather, where I was wrapped up like a snowman, it's now to the sun and the sea and my sun dresses and bikinis! Update when Im back!!

2010-12-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

I just came back from Europe. This will be the first of my 2 blog entries on my trip. We'll start off with London. I never wanted to go to London, cos well..it's like USA. I never had a thing for USA, and neither did I have any for London. But when my Spain trip was axed, Angela and I decided to do a free and easy to London and Paris. London was her thing, and I have always wanted to go to Paris, so it was the best for both of us. And both cities were really near to each other, so it was all set.

And London did not disappoint! I love it there! So vibrant. I love the culture, the weather (it was nice when we went, about 2-4 degrees, but got a lot of colder as we were leaving for Paris.), the sights were breath taking, the buildings, the architecture, the scenery in winter. And the shopping was just amazing. We spent 6 days in London and out of the 6 days, we managed to see a lot of things- St Paul's Cathedral, Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminister Abby, parliament houses, saw the changing of Guards at Buckingham Palace, Notting Hill and its Portobello Market, shopping at Oxford Circus and Covent Garden, managed to watch a musical (Grease) @ Picadilly Circus, did a day trip to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the ancient town of Bath. It was a really good trip, and I had a blast in London. Very liveable city....urgh...don't give me ideas....

The room we stayed in. We stayed in Millenium Bailey's Hotel. We upgraded to a Deluxe room, with breakfast.. And we paid like S$1600 for 5 nights, about S$320 pernight per room. Costly? Yes. Convinent? Yes. We were just across from the Tube station. And breakfast in the morning was so great, and the manager of the restaurant was so nice, and catered for vegetarian sausages for me!! Every morning. So the additional cost was worth it, I reckon. :)

St Paul's Cathedral. Our first full day in London, and we went to visit the cathedral, as well as the Tower of London. We actually took a London bus from St Paul's to Tower of London. Very exciting! lol!! Wanted to take pictures on the bus but decided against it...Didn't want to attract too much attention!!

The Tower of London. I love it here. Cold, but not too cold. Had a hot chocolate here, and sat down basking in the sun before shopping at the Souveir shops.

The Tower Bridge. The London Bridge was just opposite it but I didnt bother taking a picture cos it was so SAD-LOOKING! Like some bridge over a longkang! I swear!

Shopping at Oxford Circus. So many shops here! All the mainstream brands: ZARA, MANGO, NEU LOOK, HNM, TOPSHOP (HUGE 4 STOREY HIGH), MASSIMO DUTTI, MISS SELFRIDGE, DOROTHY PERKINS....And these are the only ones I can remember. I bought a Dorothy Perkins dress, a Zara dress, cute Mary Janes, a winter coat (This was only 15 punds!!).....Urgh....In one day...

We took a train down to Notting Hill on Sat, where there was the Portobello Market, supposedly a very famous market in London. And it was such a quaint, cute place! The houses, trees, cafes...It's like I was in a movie set!! Love it! So much vibrancy here, the colours, bread, flowers, food, crepes, paellas, antiques, vintage stores....We spent hours here!! Got myself a vintage dress!!! It was like at least 2 sizes too big for me, but cos it was inky 5 pounds, I had to buy it!! Went to alter it back home!

The tube in London. We took it everywhere we went. A 6 day stay in London cost us like 32pounds...thats about S$65. Crazy expensive but better than walking in the cold, and getting fleeced from the London cabs!

Our day trip to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath Town. Beautiful, beautiful places. Here, the temperature dipped to -1. I was frozen. But thank God for my Michellin Man jacket. I look like a fridge...lol!! A cute fridge though!

This was at Windsor Castle, one of the 3 residences of the Queen. Huge palace with countless of rooms...Very beautiful.

Stonehenge.Stayed here for 45 mins. Saw the stone structures, almost slipped cos of the snow, nose kept running, freezing cold, ran out, grabbed a hot apple cider, and went back up the coach! lol!!

The Roman Baths in Bath Town. That's steam coming out from the Baths. It was bloody cold despite the steam. Don't be fooled by it.

The view over Bath town. I have to say this was my favourite place in London. It was just stunning, like something out of a fairy tale....In medieval times...With the snow covered grounds, and the branches of the trees, and the orange and purple hues of the trees and skies....definitely my favourite place here.

And on our last day in London, we went round the whole city of London. We saw the Buckingham Palace, where the changing of guards took place. It was so bloody cold. Colder than when we were at the Stonehenge. My toes were frozen.

From Buckingham Palace, we took a walk down James Park to the Big Ben and Westminister Abby. Love love love the reds and greens and yellows and oranges!!

Parliament Houses by the River Thames.

Big Ben

Trafalgar Square

Shopping @ Covent Garde

And this was us, waiting for the Euro Rail which would take us to Paris.

So yup...this was my London leg of my Europe trip. London is just so much fun. Helps that they all speak English, it is bustling all through the day, and night, people were friendly, and there is just so much to do and see here! Next time, if I go back to England, I wanna go back to London again and include Wales, Scotlnd and Ireland!! Yay!!! Will update my blog later on in the week for my Paris trip!

2010-11-22T23:35:00.000-08:00

It has almost been a month since I blogged!! My God.....That's how busy I have been!!!! Was doing O level exam duties, which saw me waking up at 5am, leaving the house by 530am, taking a cab down to exams centre, and then back to school to carry out the exams, and then going back to the exams centre to return the papers. It was an insane period, for 3 whole weeks! I was so glad when it was over! Yes, yes, I get paid for this, but seriously, so much of a hassle....Urgh...Been doing this duty for two years in a row, so am hoping they give me a break next year.

And right after the exam duties, I flew to Taiwan for a band trip. The band hasn't been out of Singapore in a long time, so this year, I made it a personal goal to ensure that the band goes somewhere. I mean, the band works really, really hard, and they deserve a break. So we took a plane down to Taiwan, and seriously, bringing 40 kids is no mean feat! I was all over the place! But most importantly, the kids had fun, and for some of them, it was their first time out of the country, and on a plane so I was so happy to see them so excited. :) And it wasn't just a sight seeing trip. They had a band exchange with a Taiwan band there and they held a collborative concert and I have never felt so proud seeing my kids perform really, really well. :)

And how was Taiwan? Taiwan has never been one of my 'must go' places in the world, but of course, when it comes to travelling, I always take what is offered. :) It was an interesting place. I visited quite a number of places when I was there. My favourite place had to be the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, where exhibits of him and his journey in leading China to independece were shown. I was so fascinated, like a kid in a candy store. My band members were like...'Miss Khai, we are bored.' And I ended up telling them stories of Chiang and what he has done, and relating it to events in the world today. Perked them up a little. :) And the grounds of CKS was just stunning.

The shopping in Taiwan is not that fantastic. It's a cross between Chinese and Korean/Jap dressing. I don't like it. What did I buy when I was there? We went to Xi Men Ding (supposed to be really popular), and bought 2 pairs of shoes, and then at Shi Lin Night Market (I hated it here), 2 hats for my London/Paris trip and a shawl. Oh, and I bought a whole lot of Mochi. I had Taiwan dollars left so I didnt know what to do with them. So, Mochi it was. lol!! The Shi Lin Night Market is supposed to be this really famous night market, but it was insanely crowded! We made a mistake of walking past the food street, and OMG! People were packed like sardines! And the road stall vendors, set stall in the middle of the street, oblivious to the throngs of people swimming through as they continued cooking. Urgh...And of course, Taiwan is pork land. I have never seen so much pork in my whole life. While at the market, wafts of pork smell seeped through my pores, and hair, and face, and clothes...Urgh....I was traumatised. And food wise, I was so restricted! I was stuck eating nothing but vegetables!! I didnt dare touch anything else cos it all looks suspicious. So yeah, vegetables and more vegetable for 5 days straight. Needless to say, I had no constipation issues. Plus my clothes feel looser. lol!! See? I always see the positive out of every fiasco.

But the thing I hate most about Taiwan is the people! I don't know if they are Taiwanese, or tourists, but they are really boorish! Speaks loudly, spits everywhere. AND THEY KEEP PUSHING AND SHOVING!

Case Study 1: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
I was waiting in line to get in, got shoved in the waist by auntie in purple, who was trying to rush in. I was like 'WTF?' And ended up seating next to her, where she was devouring every single thing on the buffet table...AND LEAVING HER SCRAPS OF FOOD ON THE TABLE! Hello!!??? We are not in China here!! Of course, I lost my appetite so had a piece of bread and left.

Case Study 2: Exhibition at National Palace Museum
We were being guided by out guide into the museum, and as he was explaining about the exhibits, I was going closer to look at the artefacts, then bam! Someone's elbow hit my face. Who was that? Oh, another man, who in his excitement to see the same artefact, trying to shove me to get a better view. Not cool.

Case Study 3: Last day in Taiwan
I was rolling my luggage out of the hotel, going down the ramp. This man, was trying to overtake me (I didnt even know we were in a competition.Hmph.), and kind of pushed me , and I fell. Fell flat on my bum. Hard fall, not like a 'Oops I tripped' fall. The fall was so bad that I have a bruise on my back. Not cool at all.

So yeah, that is Taiwan for you. It was interesting and I think the country has a lot of potential, but the people needs more educating and class. Anyway, these are the pictures I took there. Not much taken, which is shocking as I always go crazy snapping when Im overseas. But with 40 kids, and trying to prevent myself from being shoved around, taking pictures were the least of my concerns.. :)

First night in Taiwan, the Lovers Bridge.

Our 2nd day. At the Confucious Temple.

National Palace Museum.

3rd day: Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Saw some nude paintings and pictures. Highly disturbing.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

The grounds of the hall. Beautiful.

Martyr's Shrine. To commemorate those who died in the 1911 Revolution.

Last day: Walked around on our own. This was at the Taipei Bus Station.

And with that, all my school duties are officially over for 2010 and it's time for my own holidays! Goodbye Singapore and hello LONDON AND PARIS! Till then!! Tata! :)

2010-10-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

I had one of the nicest weekends in a long long time. I watched David Foster and friends in concert @ the Esplanade and it was really, really good. David Foster is a musical genius, a maestro in his own class. He had produced and written some of the best songs ever and he has got that midas touch. So when I found out he was coming to perform with some of the best singers, I jumped at the opportunity to watch the concert.

And God, it was really good, from the start to the end. I loved the way he banters with the audience, and he is a really funny and unpretentious guy. Love it. So the concert started with the Candian Tenor, 3 very hot looking men and they were belting out music from David Foster, including one of my favourite songs ever, Hallelujah. Their voices were amazing. Then Natalie Cole came on stage and for someone who is over 50, she is smoking. She sang 'Fever', 'Through the Fire', and she sounded silky smooth. And then there was also Ruben Studdard, and he sang 'I swear'. Another one of my favourites cos his voice is like velvet. Peter Cetera was on stage too and he sang his classics, Glory of Love, You'r my Inspiration and Hard to Say Im sorry....The crowd went wild. And they left the best for last. Charice. OMG. She was beyond awesome. For someone who is just 18, her voice is powerful. And she sang some of the hardest songs on Planet Earth; Whitney Houston's bodyguard soundtrack of 'I have Nothing' and 'I will always love you', Celine Dion's 'Power of Love' and 'All by Myself' and she hit every single one of those crazily high notes!

It was a really long concert. 3 hrs. Worth every single cent of my $150. I went back home a happy camper! :)

And the next morning, Sunday, I woke up at 530am, and went for my Great Eastern 10km Women's Run. I have been a little under the weather for the past 3 to 4 days and was hesitant about running. But I popped like vitamin C and multi vits and felt much better this morning, so went for the run. And it was a good run. I did a 1hr 15 mins on the Shape Run in July and I was hoping for a better time. And it was a really good route, with kind weather, aside from the occassional sun which filtered through the foliages and trees, steady pace and momentum, easy breathing, good long strides. And I managed to complete the run, with almost 10mins shaved off the Shapre Run timing. Fab! So I feel really good about it..Maybe half marathon next year...We'll see.

And then in the evening, I went to buy room accessories. Bought myself a room diffuser, scented candles, Home fragrance oil and the oil burner as well. All from Bodyshop. So now my room and toilet smells of pomegrenate and raspberry. Very very yum. :)

Going to be a short week cos of the Deepavali public hols, but for the rest of the week, it's crazy exam duties. Bleah.....

2010-10-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Again, been a while since I blogged. A lot of work to be done in school. There was this big presentation I had to do with some of my colleagues, which saw me pulling late evenings for almost a week, preparing for the kids' graduation day, planning for the GCE O level exams, and all these amidst my teaching. Crazy.

But I've been able to be pretty disciplined when it comes to exercising despite my hectic schedule. I've been slacking ever since fasting month. Obviously, I dont exercise when I fast cos that's crazy, then there was Hari Raya and no one exercises during Hari Raya, then Jay came and it was just like crazy and non stop eating and partying then, and it was only in the last 3 weeks that I've been dragging my ass to the gym and running a little bit more consistently. I'm doing another 10km run next weekend, the Great Eastern Women Run and I know that I will die if I dont at least try to hit the tracks twice a week. So I've been doing 45 to 50mins run twice a week, and going for yoga classes to lessen the strain on my muscles. And this regular exercising this is making me feel so much better about myself. :) Oh, and indulging myself in massages for the apst 2 weekends too!!

And I guess I exercise so much now too cos my kids are all gone. It was kind of a bitter sweet thing for me. As everyone who knows me knows, I am really really really close to all my kids. I have been teaching them for 2 whole years, and it has been the best 2 teaching years of my life. I mean, I literally live in school and it's cos of them. Just being around my kids make me so happy. They make me laugh, cry, are so protective and caring of me, and really give their 110% for me, no matter how hard the work is. And with such undying love and loyalty towards me, it's just natural that I give back as much to them.

I was really depressed the week before their graduation day but I knew that they were all going off for greener pastures, to secure a better future for themselves. And I had to keep telling myself that. On their last day of school, no words could describe that feeling of sadness I had. All of them came to me, to express their thanks and gratitude and love for me, and I couldn't keep it together!! Started bawling...Urgh...horrible. I hugged each and everyone of my angels and thanked them for the love they have for me. Bitter sweet, like I said.

The school feels so much emptier without them. And I do get nostalgic at times, reminiscing about the good times and fun and laughter that we've had. But I know that I have impacted each and everyone of them in one way or another and they will always remember me. Just like I will always hold them close to my heart. My darling batch of 2010. :)

My best class of the 2010 batch, 4E3.

A snap shot me me teaching in class, in the final lesson

The Pure History class of just 10 students. My smartest and most hardworking group.

They were just crazily snapping random pictures of me...I felt like a celebrity stalked by the paparazzi!!lol!

Laura and Dayna

Germaine

Shuey. I looked like crap here. Just bawled for a whole half hr!

The final lesson with my 4E classes. They convinced me to not teach for the full period and instead, to take pics!! And I consented! lol!! Thats Grace.

Dawn and Zhi Yan

Hong San

2010-10-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged for over a month! Thats how crazy busy I've been. The fasting month passed, then Hari Raya flew past, and then the 1 week school term which was basically spent slaving away at home cleaning, baking, scrubbing, and then the week after Hari Raya saw my darling coming down to Singapore! Jay came down for almost 2 weeks this time. His 2nd trip to Singapore this year. And we had such a good time together. The last time he was here was in March, where he was in Singapore for about 8 days. That was a lot of fun.

This time round, he was here for a longer period of time. To see me, and at the same time, to try and get a job here. He is trying hard to settle here for a bit, just to try things out with me, and being in the same country, rather than doing this long distance thing. We have been doing long distance for over a year and a half already and even though we are 2 very independent people, long distance takes its toll on you. And financially, it's a real bitch cos it costs an arm and a leg for us to meet each other. I think since I've known him, I've flown to Melbourne 4 times! In a year and a bit more! Crazy. Let's not talk about the spending...

It was really nice to have him around. We did boring and normal couple-y things. Like watch a movie, have coffee, go for drinks and dinner...Things which most couples take for granted. But for us, we really cherished doing mundane things like that cos ...well, we are not exactly around each other 90% of the time. So mundane is good.

Cos he was in Singapore for a much longer period of time, I managed to bring him to many more different places. And I was impressed by Singapore! Which is a really strange thing to say cos Im Singaporean right? But seriously, there are quite a number of things to do here, provided you make the effort to actually go out and do things. I think for most of us, we don't bother venturing out of common areas in Singapore because we feel that 'Oh, we are in Singapore. Can do this some other time.' Which of course never happens. So it's always the same old places.

But cos Jay is a 'doing things' person, we went to so many different places! We had dinner at very nice places: Giraffe by the Istana (Best pasta, I swear), La Viva (Spanish tapas) & Pizza at Chijmes, nice fine dining buffet @ Fullerton, brunch @ Goodwood Park, lunch @ Ten on Purvis Street, crazy dessert eating @ Cannale (Rose petal ice cream with lychee bits and merengue. Total yumminess), One Caramel (5 course dessert platter. Kill me.) and 2am dessert bar @ Holland Village (Ultra indulgent), went to Chinatown to watch the lanterns during the Mid Autumn Festival, had seafood by the roadside stalls @ Chinatown, very Ghetto I must say. Then we went for drinks at the rooftop bar by the Esplanade, and Ann Siang Hill, plus Clarke Quay's Forbidden City Indo Chine. Of course, it was the F1 weekend, so we went for a lot of F1 related parties. We watched Chingy live @ Butter Factor on Fri night and partied till 3am (And Chingy was awesome). We also clubbed @ the Arena Clarke Quay, went to St James Powerhouse, Movida, and Boiler Room. Crazy night. And we both took the Singapore Flyer and went to the top of the Marina Sands SkyPark! I've been wanting to do that since both opened but never had the time and never bothered to. So I figured since he was here, I might as well do it with him!!

So yeah, it was 2 weeks of crazy fun. I was really sad to have him go. But I know he is trying really hard to get work here. When I went to school, he spent a lot of time job hunting, just going into fine dining restaurants and asking for job openings. He even got a job trial @ Guy Savoy, a French restaurant at Marina Bay Sands and prospects seem positive. So we'll see how that works out.

So am I still sad that he is gone? Of course. I would be lying if I said I wasn't. Im going to miss spending time with him, and having him around physically, and knowing that I can meet him whenever I want instead of having to wait months to meet up. But that's the thing about long distance. You have to be strong enough to be on your own, and must have a lot of faith in each other. And I guess, it's so much better when you meet up. There's a greater sense of appreciation towards each other. And the intensity is greater when you are with each other. And most importantly is it allows you to be in a relationship without losing yourself as you are basically left on your own most of the time. Having said that, it would be so great to have him in Singapore with me. So, let's pray really hard that he gets a job here, and in the meantime, I will keep my chin up, and look forward to many more visits from him and to him. :)

Chinatown

Mid Autumn Festival

Outside the Butter Factory.

Chingy's live gig

The Botanical Gardens

Forbidden City, Indo Chine

Clarke Quay

F1 Party with Mariah Carey!

La Viva @ Chijmes

Up the Singapore Flyer

@ The Heliax Bridge towards Marina Bay Sands

The view from the top of the Sands Skypark

Our favourite dessert place, the 2am Dessert Bar. He loved it here.

My favourite boy in the world!!

2010-08-29T02:55:00.000-07:00

I had such an exciting weekend! We celebrated Teachers Day early this year and had our annual sit down dinner on Friday. It was held at Mariott Hotel, and Vidhu and I co-hosted the event. It was a lot of fun. The working committee was made up of a group of really fun people, most of them my friends. It's always nice working with close friends, cos you can be so rubbish but at the same time, get things done. So we played games, had lucky draws, ate, laughed, took pictures and of course, dressed up to the nines! The theme was 'A little bit of shimmer' but I was dressed more like 'Spanish night' rather than the given theme! Think it was my red flowery dress and big curls...lol! But who cares...Most important is I had fun!

I did make up for Mrs Yau! So much fun!!

Wendy, who went all out with the theme!

Been such a long time since the 3 of us took a picture together

The working committee

And this weekend was also the Natas Fair!!!!! And I knew I was going on 2 trips this year end. I managed to get 2 great deals and for 2 huge trips!! I am so happy!!! On Sat, Angela & I went down to the fair, expecting to spend nothing more than 2 hrs day. We were so off with the time. Was there for 5 whole hours! And we got a good deal for Spain and Portugal! A 13 day trip! Yay!! We're going to Madrid, Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Valencia, Lisbon and Alicante.

Spain!

Lisbon, Portugal

And then I went again on Sun with my sisters and brother in law. The family trip was a confusing one. We tossed and turned so many destinations. From New Zealand, to Korea, to Japan, to Italy, to Turkey, back to New Zealand. And we finally decided to go on a trip to..........Switzerland and Paris!! So exciting! We're going to Lucerne, Interlaken, Swiss Riviera, Geneva, try snow boarding and in Paris, we're going to see Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower , the Louvre and of course, shopping at Galeries Lafyette! I can't wait! And my younger sis and I will probably go and watch a Moulin Rouge show on our last day there!! So exciting!

Lucerne Lake

The Eiffel Tower

For now, I just have to get through 3 more months of school and I will be off for my holidays! Costing me an arm and a leg but it's 4 full weeks of Europe! Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and Paris!!!!!!!

2010-08-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

It was a fulfilling weekend. I finally managed to buy myself my Baju Hari Raya for this year. I bought one lace kebaya (my usual favourite baju, lace..Its so pretty!) and I bought a songket kebaya Pahang. Dont ask me to describe it. All I know is that I am just happy that I have finally bought them, and I sent them for a little alteration as they are a little big. And I also bought my shoes to match. 4 inch velvet black open toed heels. Hot. My legs look endless in them. And my toes hurt like crazy too when I wear them,..but who cares right? What's important is I look tall and slim in them. :)

I did a lot of sleeping as well. I think to make up for the crazy work I have been doing the past 2 weeks or so. Woke up at 11plus on Sat morning and 10 on Sun. Plus an afternoon nap on Sun. Ive never slept so much in my life. And I feel so much better! Even managed to get a bit of reading done. :)

And on Sunday, the family went out to break our fast outside. We went to the Ramadhan buffet by the pool at Concorde Hotel. Very nice place, and the ambience was good too. And food was excellent. So many options. And at affordable prices. $45 nett per adult. Which is decent pricing for a hotel buffet. :) It was nice to dress up and go out for a good meal with people you love. Ate a lot, laughed, took lots of pictures....I think my family really enjoyed the break fast session there. Although it was a little warm, but the pool more than made up for it.

Here are the pictures taken....

Ok, one more week and then this coming weekend, Im going to book my holidays at the Natas Fair!! Will update on the destinations in the next entry!! Yay!!!

2010-08-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

I did not feel the weekend at all!!!!! I was in school for both Sat and Sun cos my band was giving a public performance at Macritchie Reservoir, and because I am the only unmarried with no kids band teacher amongst the 4 of us, I was stuck coming down for the god-forsaken slots. Spent literally my whole Sunday in school, except for a little portion where I went to wax my legs (Very very painful, but at least I have smooth silky legs now! Yay!) and on Sat, I did a little bit of teaching and then a little bit of shopping and then broke fast at my aunt's place.

I hate it when I don't maximise my weekends. Cos I work like a dog from Mon to Fri, my weekends are really precious (As with everyone else, Im sure) and I try to do as many things as possible or just vege out at home and do nothing, maybe a little bit of tv, reading or just surfing the net. So I was frustrated. And I wasted my whole Fri night! I went down to Geylang bazaar that night. I have not been to the bazaar for the past 2 years. 2008- I was away in Australia. 2009- I couldn't be bothered. 2010- I decided to go cos firstly, I did not tailor make my baju this year cos I had no time to go down to Arab St to buy my cloth, so I had no choice but to buy a ready made one from Geylang and secondly, I thought it would be fun since it has been a while since I was there.

BIG MISTAKE!!!! It was so bloody crowded, and the crowd was horrible. I mean, it's the fasting month!But I see skanks wearing the sluttiest of outfits. Let's see...I saw girls wearing tube dresses, a tube top with skin tight jeans, halter dresses...I was like WTH??????????? It's not like I was dressed in a tudung or anything, but at least, decently dressed, knee length shorts and a sleeved top. Even then, my mom nagged cos my legs were exposed. I was appalled, I swear. No resepct for the month at all! Oh, and I didn't get my baju at all! Urgh....Irritating.

Ok, it's a Monday and Im going to countdown till week end. And have a better weekend!

2010-08-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Happy National Day everyone! Ok, I know it's long overdue but better late than never. Im not a very patriotic person so I was more excited about the long weekend and being able to go out than the fact that it was actually National Day.

And I had such a good weekend! Started from Sat where I spent time with the family, doing a bit of shopping and then dinner. I also went to watch Aftershock the movie with Angela. Major sob fest. Highly depressing. Had a 5 dessert platter after the show. Then on Sunday, Godberg and I went to watch the Wild Rice Play 'Boeing Boeing', starring Adrian Pang ad Emma Yong. Hilarious, entertaining and it was barrel of laugh basically.

And he then brought me to a very nice high end Chinese restaurant on Purvis Street called TEN, where they serve very good herbal Chinese food. It was reviewed in the Sunday Times that day and we decided to try it. Healthy. My throat was already getting croaky cos of all the teaching and the herbal food was timely. And it was so YUMMY! We had so much food! Little cute portions but many courses. Check them out...

The set dinner menu that we took.

Eight Treasures Tea, or something like that. Very very nice. Calming

Our appetiser, fried fish skin. A lot of Omega 3. Or something like that. Whatever it is, it's yum. Like keropok

Starter: Abalone. Small but mighty.Not enough for me.

Egg white on a fried potato bowl. They had t use 4 egg whites for just one of this!

Herbal chicken soup. One of my favourite dishes. The chicken was so tender!!

Steamed garoupa with baby kailan and mushrooms. The fish just melts in your mouth. YUM!

Thats me, before I started gorging on the food.

My favourite dish: Fried tofu with mushrooms and scallops embedded within the tofu, and deep fried in egg. I know!! How yum is that right??

And our dessert, pear compote...Very refreshing.

And a coconut pudding...Not bad. But I like my dessert chocolatey though..

And my eating partner! Godberg! He is such a foodie, I swear.

We went to the Marina Bay Sands Resort after that. I've never been there and there have been so much hype about the place, so we took a walk there. It was pretty nice actually. A lot of bright lights, shops...OH! They have a Manolo Blahnik shop there! And I went in! And tried on this gorgeous pair of stilettos! Purple in colour. Stunning! My legs looked endless in them! Cost: $1760. I balked at the price. And walked out sadly. LOL! I cannot buy too expensive shoes cos I use and abuse them. So, I will have to stick to trying them on only for now. :) We then went to the Skypark Hotel and had a drink by the bar there. Think the place was called Fuse or something. There was a jazz singer singing the likes of Barry White and Stevie Wonder, acoustic on the piano. Very nice. Here are the pictures...

The model of the whole place.

At the bar. Yes, I had a latte. Which tasted really bad. Think we were paying more for the ambience than drinks... Oh, and the free wasabe nuts. LOL!!

So, yeah...I had a pretty good weekend. A lot of good food, good company, and good shows. Will be a while before I start eating normally again with Ramadhan being around.

Have a good weekend (YAY! It's the weekend again soon!) and to my Muslim friends, Happy Ramadhan!

2010-08-01T00:42:00.000-07:00

I am having a very relaxing weekend. I spent the whole of Sat morning in school. Sometimes, I hate having to come back to school on Sats cos it means less of a weekend, and having to wake up early on a Sat morning. But sometimes, going back to school on Sat mornings can be a good thing cos the school is virtually empty (except for my band practicing) and I get to do so many things, work which cannot be completed in the course of the week, or just preparing for future work due. And the Sat that just passed was one of those Saturdays. I managed to get so many admin out of the way, and then some of my kids came back for extra lessons with me. It's nice to be able to give them one to one attention cos I can do so many things with them.

Then I had a nap in the afternoon and met the girls, Wendy and Angela for dinner and drinks. It has been a while since the three of us met cos it's hard for Wendy to get out now that she's married and all.And we are all really busy so this was one of the rare times all three of us were free. We had dinner by the garden at Chijmes, had seafood pizza and calamari fritters. Updated each other on gossips, and happenings in our lives. We did a little bit of shopping and then went for drinks, brownies and churros at a bar at the Esplanade. Took some pictures with the girls. Cant even remember the last time we took pictures together, probably last year during Angela's bday. That was more than a year ago.

It was a lot of fun. A lot of laughing, gossipping, talking, and more laughing. It's nice to meet up close friends, and just have fun. :)

And today, I have the whole house to myself cos everyone's out. And I woke up late, had a decadent breakfast of chocolate cake, then did a whole array of housework before I started on my last set of exam papers. And then spent the rest of the afternoon just surfing. Totally no-brainer day and I love it.

So to end this blog entry, I am going to blog down three things that made me very happy this weekend, aside from all that I have talked about above:
1. Reading a damn good book on child prostitution in India. Heart wrenching. I just inhaled the whole book at one go.
2. Reading a positive article on long distance relationship in the Sunday Times today. Gives me hope. :)
3. Completing my exam papers.

So there you go. Simple pleasures in life which puts a smile on my face.:) And before I go, here are the pictures we took yesterday.:)

Angela, Wendy and me having dinner by the lawn at Chijmes

Wendy found a way of taking the pictures to make us look leggy and thin! :)

Short week coming up. I can't wait!

2010-07-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

I havent blogged for a while. School has been taking up 90% of my time. But Im smarter this term.I have been going to bed at about 930pm-10pm on weekday nights, so that I am on full functioning mode the next day. And it's really great cos in school, Im just full of energy. But by 6pm, I have depleted my battery life and basically the evenings are just zoned out periods. It works out fine though and as what one my friends say, long days and early nights for me. :)

But I fully utilise my weekends. Last weekend, I spent my Sat meeting Diana for a bit of shopping (we bought for each other bday gifts. Highly belated for me, but we were both busy. I got her some shoes and she got me a sequinned MPhosis jumper. Utter cuteness!) We had tea and cake at my favourite cafe, One Caramel and talked and talked and played with her baby. It was a lot of fun cos I meet her really rarely cos she has her own family now.

Then I met Angela after for dinner and we then went to a flea market at Singapore Art Museum. There was like a Night Festival there, a lot of things going on, but being shopaholics, we spent all our time at the Flea Market. Pretty nice, and I managed to get a vintage looking chain for just $10!!! Cheap!! We had tapas at Clarke Quay and just spent the whole night talking and talking....Very nice.

This weekend, I went for my first 10km run. The SHAPE run. I have taken part in 2 runs last year, one was a 5km run (Great Eastern Womens Run) and the other was a 6km run (SAFRA Run). So this year, one of my resolutions was to take part in a 10km run with a respectable timing. And I DID IT!! YAY!!

I went for the run with Maya and Alice. They both did the 5km run so I was on my own at flag off. No joke, having to wake up at 530 am and dragging my ass to Nicoll Highway (thats where the run starts). But if I thought that was bad, the run was worse! It was a tough run. I have been running consistently, about once or twice a week since I got back from my Australian holiday, and progressing from 30mins runs to finally hitting an hour the week before my SHAPE run. I thought an hour would be sufficient, and I thought I was adequately prepared. Urgh...I was wrong. 10km IS A LONG RUN! At the 6km mark, I was ready to throw the towel in. Seriously. It just seemed so far!! And at the 8km mark, there were so many uphills!! I just kept pushing myself and pushing and pushing. And........I completed it with a respectable timing (at least to me) of an hour and 10 mins. Im happy with that given the fact I almost gave up! So next run Im looking at? The Great Eastern Womens Run, 10km. Hoping for an improvement in timing...

So yeah, I have very busy weekdays but great weekends. And despite the busy-ness of my weekdays, I enjoy it tremendously, as Im with my kids. So I guess Im lucky...:)

Anyway, here are some pics of me and Diana taken when we were out last weekend. And her baby Syakir!!

2010-07-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

I had a less tiring week this week. Think the Youth Day holiday on Monday made the week a lot shorter, and the lessons this week weren't as long and painful as the week before. I had time to go for a long run on Tuesday and a boxing and yoga class on Wednesday. So that was good. Makes the crazy dessert eating on weekends more justified.

I recently met up 2 friends who had gone through bad break ups and are having problems dealing with it. And both of them asked me the same exact question, 'How do you do it? Be happy all the time, and be ok with the break up.' And my answer to one who just broke up:

'You cry like a river, and then surround yourself with people who genuinely love and care for you. You tell yourself it's ok to falter, but make sure you bounce back from the bout of sadness. Think of what you have rather than what you do not have, and realise that it is just not your time. Most importantly, to remember the positives of the relationship rather than just the bad, as it will make you a really bitter person if you only harp on the negatives.'

And to my other friend who have had the break up for a few years, my answer to her was:

' To let go completely and do not look back. To forgive and be genuinely happy as nothing is more tiring than fake happiness. To be satisfied and happy with the simplest of things. And most importany, to never lose your friends when you are in a relationship and never lose yourself and your identity. Cos guys do not want clingy, needy girls with no spines. They want girls with character and confidence.'

I have always believed genuine happiness radiates from within, and when you are happy, people naturally gravitate towards you. I have been lucky as I am a naturally happy person, and have always been one to be positive about everything. I get excited by almost everything (be it small or big), and I love life. And despite the many downs in my life, I have always managed to bounce back stronger and happier. Cos it's a choice that I make. And I'm happy that I can be a source of happiness for many people. :) Share the happiness around, I always say. :)

And this weekend, I made myself really happy cos I went to watch the movie 'Eclipse' and it was so bloody good. Watched it at the Grand Cathay and the seats were so comfy! And the movie...did no disappoint. Im in 2 minds on whether Im on team Edward or Team Jacob. When I see Edward with Bella, I swoon and I so want to marry him! And then Jacob comes on the screen, and I start salivating over him. He is hot, I swear. LOL!!!! Me and Angela kept taking in deep breaths whenever Jacob and his wolf pack comes on the screen. And it helps that they are topless perpetually all the time in the movie. So that was a yay thing! LOL!!
We went to a bar cum restaurant at the Esplanade after the movie to grab some food and drinks. Had calamari, brownie with ice cream and a virgin magarita. And the night ended with me getting the number of the Moroccan chef from the restaurant! Hahahahahahaha.....He came over, chatted with us, and passed his number. Very flattering. :) And no, I did not call him up. Just nice to know we are still attractive to the opposite sex. Yay!

Im going to spend the rest of my weekend doing nothing. Maybe do my nails. Maybe I will go to the gym. Maybe eat ice cream....Dont know, we'll see.

In the meantime, remain happy cos life is not meant to be a drag. :)

2010-07-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

School has started, and Im already exhausted and it's only the first week of school. I can feel myself losing my voice and Im getting chest pains. Think it's the sheer amount of number of periods that I have. I basically have school from 745am till 430pm almost everyday and it's full-on lessons. I take all the graduating classes hence the heavy timetable. I try to remain upbeat about it though and one of my colleagues asked me, 'How do you still smile amidst the crazy timetable?' My response to that is , 'What choice do I have? It's either I get grumpy and vent it on my kids and don't teach properly, or I take it in my stride and do the best that I can.' And if you know me, I usually just smile and do it. And I always end up fine. :)

I foresee many long days ahead, with attempts to exercise and have a semblance of a life. I just hope I dont get sick the way I did in the first term. That was terrible.

In the meantime, I uploaded pictures which I took over the course of the 3 mths. Not much cos I didnt bother taking much, even when I was on my trip in June. But here they are. Not much energy to blog so this will suffice for now.

Enjoy the weekend. I know I am going to languish in doing nothing. :)

Post celebrations of my bday with my boys.

Celebrating Kok Tiong's bday together with me and his best friends.

In Perth with Mikhail, my favourite baby

Dim sum with friends; Mark, Ryan and Sharifah

Melbourne with Jay.:)

Sharifah in town

2010-06-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

Been a very relaxing week or so. I have kind of semi started school with the extra lessons for the graduating kids. But it's pretty mild, compared to the intensity during the official school term. Im having a lot of fun with the kids cos I haven't seen them for a while, and it's nice to be teaching once more. It's like the 2 week break recharged me, and Im on full steam again in the classroom.

Aside from the teaching, I am spending the last two weeks of the holidays fruitfully. At least in my opinion. I have been exercising a lot. Doing long runs to prepare for my July run, and to lose the weight gained during the holidays in Australia, going for regular yoga classes down town, shopping at the Mango sale on my own (shopping on your own is the best thing to do in the world. No one to make you stressed and feel bugged. It's so thereaupeutic! And you can go to a gazillion Mango outlets without them giving you the 'Why the hell are we going to the same store over and over again?' Hey! Different Mango outlets actually sell different things ok!). I went for a manicure, and a massage. Met up friends for drinks, dinner, movies, cake, lunches. Met up with Sharifah and baby Mikael and her husband Olivier for dinner and cake as well as lunch last week. Then met up Angela for dinner and drinks at Clarke Quay last weekend. Met another friend over the weekend too and chilled out at the Esplanade and Chijmes. And Im meeting Maya for dinner and gossip fest tomorrow.

So Im a happy camper. I feel very at peace with myself. Im doing a lot of things, both with friends and on my own. My kids are doing great in school. I had a great holiday, both out of and in Singapore. Im happy.

Term 3 looks like it's going to be a crazy term but I'm ready for it! :) Yay!

2010-06-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my holidays. It was a gastronomical holiday cos for the first time in my whole life, I did nothing but ate during the whole 2 weeks. And I'm not talking about your normal eating, but fine dining food. I went to a few really top end restaurants and I have never paid so much for food in my whole entire life! But I can see why they charge so much for the food though. The quality and presentation is just wonderful.

Movida, Spanish restaurant

So the crazy expensive eating started in Melbourne. I went to a fine dining restaurant called Movida at Bourke Street. A Spanish restaurant, very popular there. I have been to Meblourne a gazillion times, and for the past 2 trips, we've always wanted to try the tapas there. Always failed cos you need to make reservations 6 mths in advance. But this time round, Jay managed to get us a reservation for 2, and we dressed up and went for an early dinner. $100 meal, and I had some of the best tapas in Melbourne. (That's what the restaurant claims, anyway) I had the scallops, hoki fish, thinly sliced wagyu beef, quail, and rounded off with a pear and chestnut tart. It was yum. Tiny portions which barely filled me, but it was so good.

Maze, by Gordon Ramsay

The 2nd place I went to was Maze, a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay. (Crazy, psycho chef from the show Kitchen Nightmares). This place was at the Crown Metropol and it was newly opened. A lot of hype about it, so we decided to try it out. Very, very fine dining, immaculate service, fabulous ambience, food was superb and the prices were crazy exorbitant. We had rabbit, venison, ox tongue and cheeks, quail, salmon, baramundi, salmon and ended off with dessert of a banana cake with pearl barley ice cream. It was so bloody good. Very, very, very small portions (And honestly, I was flabbergasted by the prices that went along with it) but when I tasted the food, it was just amazing. The rabbit and venison were so tender, and the ox was so soft....Yum....:) And the baramundi and salmon just melts in your mouth.....So yeah, that was a $170 meal. Im extravagant. I know.

Bistro Vue, a French restaurant

On my 2nd last day in Melbourne, Nad took me to Bistro Vue, a French restaurant off Little Collins Street. I have never eaten French food, and am really not a fan. But this one was surprisingly nice and pleasant. :) I had the soft shell crab as an appetizer (So crumbly and yum, but seriously, the portions were small. I could have eaten it with 1 mouthful), then the pan seared dory topped with crayfish, and ended off the meal with the chocolate souffle and tea with canales. IT WAS SO GOOD! The souffle was so big and puffy and when they poured the hot molten chocolate into the souffle, it started rising. People were staring at our desserts. LOL! That meal was $150. Insane.

Cafe Rosamond

And on one of those really cold nights in Melbourne, after dinner at a really cosy Japanese restaurant, we booked ourselves a place at Cafe Rosamond off Smith Street. A small cafe tucked in a corner, and could probably just fit about 15 people. We wait for about an hour before our turn, and we had a 3-course dessert, created by the renowned dessert maestro, Pierre Roelof. He only comes in on Thursday nights to this cafe, where they call it a Degustation evening. There's no menu, and we are basically in for a surprise as he concocts different courses every Thursdays. Which makes it so interesting. I had really no idea what I ate, but all I knew that each bite of the 3 course dessert had me and Nad swooning and gushing. It was really a lot of fun. That was a $50 dessert, by the way.

And of course, aside from these extravagant food that I had, I had my favourite breakfasts of strawberry pancakes, scrambled eggs on ciabatta, raisin toast at Degraves Streets as well as my Vietnamese noodles at Swanston Street, and Nandos Chicken. And in Perth, my fish and chips at Freemantle, Yum Cha at Jade Garden restaurant (I ate like a horse here!), cake at Leederville. And these are just the ones that I remembered. :)

It was a really nice break for me. To just be with friends, enjoy the cold weather, and trying out comforting and exciting food with close friends.

For now, it's back to the hustle and bustle of work for me. Term 3 is going to be a crazy term, but Im ready and psyched for it! Oh, and I need to work my ass off at the gym. Shed off the pounds gained during the trip, and to train for my 10km run coming up in July. I dont know why I signed up for 10km. I think I was delirious. Oh well....Good reason to start training up! For now, Im going to bask in the memories of those melt in your mouth dessert......Yum....God, I need to go for a run....

2010-05-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

School's over, well almost over. I have 1 last event, a combined cultural groups concert, this Sat and then Im going to have a good long break for 2 weeks. A well deserved trip. I have been fortunate in this lifetime to be able to earn enough money to allow me to travel. I remembered when I was much younger, I never had the opportunity to travel around and I used to look at my friends who were able to travel with gerat envy. I remembered when I was 16, I told myself that I was going to work hard and be able to travel around and see the world. And I have managed to do that. My first time on a plane was when I was 23, and the first place I went to was Perth, Australia. And I loved it. And from then onwards, I never stopped. Every year, I take trips out. It used to be a once a year affair, a big trip at the end of the year usually. Then from once a year, it became twice a year ( a short trip mid year, and a long one year end). Then I dont know what happened, from there, it went to 2 big trips a year.

When I was in Australia, I spent half the time travelling around Australia and the other half studying. It was the best. Of course, financially, it was draining. But hey, that's the perk of being a single lady. :) You get to travel as and when you want to as you dont have any commitments. Actually, having said that, it's not about whether you are a single lady or not. It's about whether you want to do it or not. And even when I had a bf, I still travelled like crazy. It's like my ultimate passion. Now, my mom doesnt even ask if Im going off anywhere during the school break. She just asks, So where are you going this holidays? LOL!

Travelling gives me the biggest high ever. From choosing the place to go, to buying your plane tickets, to booking your accommodation, to planning your trip, to packing your bags, and to finally being there, it's an adrenalin rush. I just love it. The experiences you get cannot be substituted with anything else in the world. I love going to new places, and meeting new people, and experiencing different culture, and food. I am able to just let go and not be restrained as in Singapore, working as an educator, I have to watch myself sometimes. But once Im in a foreign land, I become truly myself. Unihibited. :) And I can truly say that travelling so much has made me the person I am today. Fun loving, adventurous, risk taker, free spirited and independent and I live for the moment.

This Jun, Im going back to Perth to meet my dearest friends, Mark, Shari and Ryan and back to Melbourne to see my best friend Nad and her siblings as well as to see my darling Jay. :) At the end of the year, if all goes well, I will take a family trip to Korea and a personal trip to Spain. :) Cross fingers. Im going to be spending a hell of a lot of money.....thank God for high bonuses. YAY! :)

I have actually put up some pictures of my travels in the past 8 years, when I first started travelling. :) Enjoy them!

Bali Dec 2009. A trip with my kids. Best fun I had. Bali was a beautiful place. Culture, scenery, food and people. Fantastic.

Sydney 2008. I took a week trip to Sydney when I was studying, during my winter break. Sydney was very cosmopolitan. It's urban, with beautiful architecture. I managed to watch a show at the Sydney Opera House, something that I would always remember. :)

One of my favourite places in the world, Melbourne. My first trip there was in 2006, then I took 2 trips there when I was studying (one on my own and one with my family), and then I went back there twice last year. :) Melbourne is just great. It has great food, great city culture but at the same, has the mountains, and scenery for you. Long drives in Melbourne during autumn and winter is just stunning. And of course, the fact that Nad and Jay are there is a bonus. :)

Egypt, Dec 2005. I have always been fascinated by Egypt. Im a History buff, especially ancient History. And growing up watching Indiana Jones and the Mummy series has made Egypt one of the 'must see places to go to before I die'. And it did not disappoint. Mind blowing. I remembered my hotel in Cairo faced the Great Giza Pyramids. I was in awe.

One of the few Asian countries I really wanted to visit, Cambodia. Dec 2007. I took this trip with a group of students, as one of them was Cambodian and he took us all around. Cambodia was a beautiful but unkept place. I was really sad cos I saw so many poor people, especially children. Broke my heart, but made me appreciate my life more. The architecture of the Angkor Watt.....Did not disappoint. :)

My favourite place in Asia, Bangkok. I have been there twice. Dec 2004 and June 2007. Bangkok is nothing but shopping, eating, shopping, eating, massages. Nothing else. I love it. It's so decadent!

Turkey, Dec 2004. My first trip out to Europe. And one of most favourite trip as I was with one of my most favourite people in the world. So many memories, so many stories, so many first experiences. People there were so friendly, kind, flattering. The scenery was mind blowing, I took my first hot air balloon there, and as the balloon flew over the sunset and snow capped mountains, it was the first time I truly appreciated my life. Something that remains etched in my memory until today. :)

Italy, June 2005. I have always wanted to go to Italy and I spent 2 whole weeks in Italy, visiting Rome, Sienna, Florence, Assisi and Venice. I got to see a lot of monuments, Trevi Fountain, the Roman colosseum, Leaning Tower of Pisa, St Marks Square.......Beautiful country with beautiful people.

Perth, a place close to my heart. It's like 2nd home to me. My first trip out of Singapore was to Perth, Dec 2003. And then I studied here for a whole year in 2008. Went back twice in 2009(once for my graduation in March and another time last Dec to see friends). Perth is beautiful. Quiet, simple, with beautiful beaches, winery, rivers, natural scenery. I love it here. :)

Greece, June 2009. Probably the most beautiful and stunning country I have ever visited. I have always wanted to go to Greece but was saving it for my honeymoon. Until I decided, screw that, and packed my bags and went. And my God. Greece is is just stunning. I dont even know how to describe it. It has these gorgeous clear sparkling seas, against the white backdrop of the pristine white buildings and blue domes... Then when you drive away from the islands and go into the different cities in Greece, you get to see some ancient architectural wonders, and when I say ancient, Im talking about ancient myths and mythologies. It's just mind blowing. And the people there are so gracious, and nice, and wonderful :) I love Greece. And I definitely want to go back there again. Just stunning.

I have been fortunate tobe able to go to such beautiful and far flung countries. And I look forward to more trips, and discover new places, get new experiences, and meet new people. :)