Merry Christmas!

it's Christmas time, a day where loved ones are thought of, wishes are shared, all hearts are peaceful, a day of renewal, a joyful time....

on this special day, here's wishing all a blessed peaceful christmas, and a joyous new year 2007!

Merry Merry Christmas!!!

yay! free wireless access islandwide

an ex-colleague and i were just cracking our brains to think of where to meet in town tomorrow, somewhere we could find free wireless access cuz she wanted to show me some documents on the website...

then i received this CNA news article from a colleague, such perfect timing! :)
3-year free wireless access islandwide to kick off in december

starting today (1 dec 2006), we can all enjoy free wireless access at public areas islandwide. yay! isn't that cool?!! :) i think it's a nice surprise for business travellers to singapore too.

sign up for your free account with any of the 3 providers today:
- icell
- singtel
- qmax

now one more reason for me to really save up to get my own personal laptop soon.

a few good men

this holiday, give yourself a treat... to a few good men ;)

philosophy - a few good men lip shine trio (US$25)
"date multiple men this holiday season, without hurting anyone's feelings. philosophy's a few good men lip shine trio offers delicious .5 oz. high-gloss lip shine formulas that are infused with three mouth-watering flavors including the milkman chocolate milk, the ice cream man pink bubble gum ice cream and the gingerbread man. these delightful lip shines not only smell and taste delicious, they leave behind a beautiful supernatural shimmer and shine on the lips - the perfect accessory for any holiday party." (extract from www.philosophy.com)

i simply adore this!! <3
the only philosophy item i own is a minature bottle of their best-selling "amazing grace" perfume spray. even though philosophy is not available in singapore (the grossly overpriced miserable range at T.C. is not counted :P), they always come up with products that hit on my biggest weakness - packaging. *sigh* this confection-inspired collection is oh soooooo too sinfully cute! gingerbread, bubblegum ice-cream, chocolate milk... *yummy*... oh boy, i sure don't mind the company of "a few good men" now ;)

check out other eligible "good men" from philosophy's holiday collections here ;)

"monopoly" for beauty queens

gosh! it has been more than 1 month since i updated my blog *boo hoo*.... no i haven't abandoned my little corner, just been s-w-a-m-p-e-d at work and just too tired to log on to do anything after the long days.

nonetheless, it's 17 november 2006 today... and i'm back! :)
first off, let me share a really cute boardgame i saw online few days back.....

monopoly - sephora edition *grin*
"Sephora has teamed up with MONOPOLY to create a beauty-full edition of the classic game where you - GO TO JAIL for bad hair days, ADVANCE TO GO for winning a shopping spree, and pay for your products with Beauty Bucks. It's every beauty enthusiast's favorite pastime!

Buy, sell, and trade all the beauty-full products that make Sephora successful as you vie to own the Sephora empire. Stock your stores with beauty products and hire store directors and specialists, while ensuring that your store has all the essentials like water and electricity. Learn the basics of the beauty business from the beauty authority!"

priced at US$45, one of those too-girly indulgences in life ;)

7 jan 2007 update: looks like the price of this girly game has been reduced *woohoo*... now it's US$29, certainly much more affordable price. i wouldn't complain if someone got me this ;)

BBQ-pork-filled-prata something...

2 weeks ago, i tried to pan-fry the frozen prata and got myself the "chilli-tuna-prata something". today, my mum bought some BBQ-pork from the char-siew-rice stall and we had leftovers, so i figured it's time to finish up my last 3 pieces of frozen prata in the freezer.

this time, i decided to give my toaster oven a try. i diced the char siew (BBQ-pork) and spooned them onto the frozen prata, half-folded the pastry and then put the oven to work. i guess the reason a toaster oven is called a toaster oven, is simply because it's meant for t-o-a-s-t-s, not so ideal for prata, pastries, puffs or cakes. the crust just ends up either too white or too black (burnt), hard to get anything in between.. :P

nonetheless, i find today's "BBQ-pork-filled-prata something" much more successful (and less oily) than my earlier chilli-tuna pan-fried version. certainly still nowhere close to sherie's beautifully golden-glazed bakery-standard tuna-puffs... but i guess this is the best me (and my toaster oven) can achieve for now ;)

looks aside, i do like how this thing tastes... :9 my mum and brother liked it too.
oh, and i did try a rolled version (3rd image), kinda cute.

yahoo! mail beta - try it now.

if you love the fuss-free navigation of your emails with MS outlook or outlook express, then the new yahoo! mail beta version will surely score points with you.

packed with new features such as drag & drop mail-navigation, reading pane, enhanced security protection, keyboard shortcuts, rss feeds etc., i like what yahoo! has done to up their competitiveness against other web-based email providers.

as this is the "beta" version, i guess it's still in testing and not rolled-out to every account yet, but as long as you have a yahoo! email account, you can log on with this URL anytime - go ahead, try it out! :)

small complaint: there is just no way to close the "tips" help section on the right-hand navigation column... kinda distracting and takes up too much screen space, only thing that annoys me for now. perhaps it'll be taken away once the beta version is officially launched.

samsung mp3 player: k5

this entry is dedicated to those of you who are crazy over gadgets esp. mp3 players ;) the well-known korean brand, samsung, has yet again set their mark higher by introducing this new mp3 player that comes with a slideable speaker (first of its kind).

not quite as sleek in comparison to apple's ipod nano but in my opinion, samsung k5 belongs to quite a different league of its own anyway. comes only in black at the moment, this cool-looking mp3 player features touch-pad control buttons, photo slideshow, FM radio, alarm clock and a 30-hour battery life - pretty impressive! oh, and check out these hair-dryer-like earphones... looks interesting :)

this baby will be available in singapore from late october 2006 onwards.
going for S$338 (2gb) and S$438 (4gb) respectively.

check out the k5's singapore-interactive site, pretty cool.

reviews & more details can be found on: hardwarezone

the celebration continues...

just when i thought i'd received all my birthday gifts for this year, i got MORE... yesterday at lunch and when i met up with cozycot ladies for dinner at cafe iguana @ riverside point :) nice cozy dinner, 7 of us just lounging, chit-chatting the night away.
davis's birthday falls on the exact same day as mine *smile*, just one year before me, such a coincidence! thanks to all of you who took time off to share the lovely night together, and thanks to carolyn, tanny & davis who picked out the chocolate cake - that was heavenly!! mmmm :9 and of course, thanks to to irene, agnes & davis for the thoughtful gifts *meowww* lol. thank you, ladies!

ps: i went for my first-ever digital perm on thursday... so now i've got a new hairdo. new year ahead, new look. hope i'll grow to like this more than my usual rebonded hair ;) but my stylist said digital perms are not as lasting as rebonded hair, typically holds for 3 - 4 months only....

9 october - #109

today is 9th october 2006, my birthday. specially lined up my blog entries in a way that my 109th entry on this blog falls exactly on this day too :) time flies, it's been 10 months 9 days since i posted my first words on here - who would have thought i could last this long. so many things have happened in this course of 10 months - not a long time, yet not too short either, just quite a few unexpected big changes in life....

birthdays are really nothing of a big deal, perhaps just adds pressure on your friends who feel they have to give you a treat or buy you something. actually, i think we're all so caught up with our own life and work, daily chores.... a birthday gives long-lost friends, close buddies, loved ones and even people you didn't expect to remember - a chance to drop a note, say "hi, you are in my thoughts", to celebrate, to show that you matter. i have received many SMS greetings today from friends, ex-tuition kids' family, ex-schoolmates, former colleagues, cozycotters etc. thanks to all of you - i am having a joyful day today :) i've got a special japanese dinner treat at CHIJMES tonight too, thank you! of course, not forgetting the all-girls-get-together come friday evening too :) really appreciate all your kind gestures - don't wanna sound mushy, but THANKS LOTS!

another year has passed... before i get too old to admit my own age, i can still make this announcement - i am officially 27 years old this year :) not exactly that old yet.... but certainly not too young to start achieving something in life.

in the new year ahead, i just want to:
- be good to myself
- be happy
- be loved
- be healthy
- be adequately successful
- be wiser
- visit some new places
- learn new things
- stay in touch with good ol' buddies
- catch up with old friends
- spend quality time with family & loved ones
(ps: doesn't harm to lose some flab, be more sexy too *lol*)

animated graphic courtesy of: cutecolors.com

coach's horoscope reading

links: coach lifestyle

little surprises...

little pre-birthday surprises from friends & loved ones...

i) my first birthday celebration this year:
- dinner with my parents & brother @ 鼎泰丰 DinTaiFung - paragon last weekend.

ii) my first birthday card this year (you know who you are):
- a really funny e-greeting from hallmark.com -hoops & yoyo (really made me laugh).

iii) my first birthday cake this year (from my brother, totally unexpected!):
- lemon cream-chiffon fruit cake from bengawan solo.

iv) my first birthday present this year:
- a pair of french kitty earrings i'd been searching around for.

*BIG SMILE*.... there're still 4 more mins. to go before my birthday itself, and i've already received these kind gestures from people who take time to show they care. i'm not trying to show off, just wanna say THANK YOU, truly :)

vivo city is open!

vivo city opened it's doors to eager shoppers yesterday, 8 october 2006. though still 2 months away from it's official launch (1 dec), major ad. campaigns, media coverage and much hype have already been going on for the past few months.

my parents couldn't wait to check out this "singapore's largest multi-dimensional retail & lifestyle destination", they asked me along but i'm too sleepy to go out today :P some other day...

meanwhile, for those of you who have not hopped onto the vivo city wagon, check out this short multimedia clip to find out more.

"Highlights include:
- Singapore's largest multiplex cinema
- A brand new concept hypermarket
- Department store
- Flagship lifestyle concept stores
- Over 1 million sq. ft. of retail, F&B and entertainment concepts
- Rooftop play pool, the area of 4 Olympic swimming pools
- 300m waterfront promenade
- Open-air amphitheatre
- Open-air courtyard on Level 2 featuring engaging and interactive water features
- Event spaces" (extract from vivocity.com.sg)

pretty impressive erh? btw, GAP will be opening it's first SE-asian store (managed by FJ benjamin) within vivo city too - cool! just hope that the prices will not be too insane (as with many import-from-US mega brands) *tsk tsk*. ooh... and i just noticed there's a kim gary hk cafe too *yay* - i've so missed kim gary's food since my first visit to it's KL outlet last year. yumm yumm.

hope this mega-multi-dimensional complex survives and thrives.
check out tenants listing here.

chilli-tuna-prata something....

after reading sherie's blog entry on her tuna puff, i suddenly felt like having home-made prata. i remember one of my ex-colleagues once told us how he could prepare the DIY prata-sausage-wrap and eat that consecutively for an entire week!

anyway, i went grocery shopping at ntuc fairprice today and grabbed a 5-piece plain roti prata pack from the frozen-food section. the brand is "spring home" - S$2.20 for 5-piece pack, S$5.95 for the more economical family pack of 20's.

i wasn't in the mood to make my own fillings, so for a quick fix, i bought a can of ready-made chilli tuna flakes for my prata wrap. there are 2 ways to prepare the prata - (i) pan-fry, (ii) oven-bake. not sure whether my toaster oven would work, so i went for the pan-fry option. this is how it looks like (see pic. below). i won't call this a wrap, can't even call it a puff or pastry.... well, i guess it's just my chilli-tuna-filled-prata something ;)

p-l-e-a-s-e do not compare my prata with sherie's professionally-done baked tuna puff. hers is a fluffy, creamy, perfectly baked pastry (anything she bakes always look so professional anyway). mine's pan-fried, remember? so naturally it looks.... like the regular roti prata! *lol*. next time i'll try using my toaster oven to see if i can bake something out of the frozen prata. i still have 4 slices of prata + another can of curry-tuna-flakes in the kitchen cabinet ;)

mentos-eruption part 2

a follow-up on my earlier post on the mentos-eruption.... i got so intrigued by it that i went on to search the web and youtube for videos and footages on other people's experiments. (well, i'm not prepared to clear up the sticky mess at home, so no way i'm gonna try it myself... at least not for now)

i'm sure those of us who now know of this mentos-eruption phenomenon would at some point in time be curious about this: is it safe then to consume mentos + cola at the same time?

to that question, eepybird.com has an answer:
"So is it dangerous to drink soda and eat Mentos? Well, a lot of the fizz goes away as you drink. Then when bubbles are released in your stomach, your stomach can expand a bit, and it also has ways of releasing excess pressure. Do not, repeat, do not be stupid and test the limits of your stomach. Don't even think about it....."

as much as i'm curious what would happen if one really consumed these 2 items together, i won't be quite as enthusiastic as this guy who actually experimented on HIMSELF! imagine how dangerous and painful this could be... so i must applaud him for his sheer courage (and insanity) in doing this... hope he's still alive :P
WATCH VIDEO HERE (youtube) - i was holding my breath when he started swallowing those mentos.

kids at home, please do not ever try this on yourself.

it's time for mooncakes! :D

the annual mooncake-munching time has arrived again. this entry is specially timed to mark the 10-day countdown to mid-autumn festival :) this year i've ordered raffles the plaza (szechuan court) assorted alcohol-chocolate flavoured snowskin mooncakes for my granddad/aunt's family - yumm yumm :9

on top of that, i went by the mooncake fair at takashimaya shopping centre last weekend (big mistake.. *tsk tsk*) and couldn't resist picking up these 2 adorably packaged single-mooncakes too (chocolate-walnut & red-bean with mung beans).

note to self: a packaging-sucker like me should avoid big fancy fairs as much as possible ;)

btw, check out this interesting website - 2006 mid autumn splash off. inspired by the mentos-eruption idea, a group of youngsters in hong kong are appealing to people via their website to send in pictures of "erupting cola" to celebrate mid-autumn this year. as much as i'm turned off by the idea of wasting food (or drink/ candies in this case) for unpurposeful reasons, i'm intrigued by the mentos-eruption phenomena.

my brother did mention recently that mentos candies + coca cola = eruption but i wouldn't believe all that nonsense.... until i read about it on wikipedia by chance:

The experiment involves dropping several Mentos candies into a bottle of cola, resulting in an eruption. This reaction occurs because of the rapidly expanding carbon dioxide inside once the Mentos are introduced to the carbonation.

WATCH THIS VIDEO - steve spangler's step-by-step experiment (5 bottles straight!)
incredibly fun! :P

so next time a kid tells you that he can create explosions with his baby food and orange juice, don't brush it off until you see it for yourself ;)

more links:
- steve spangler science experiment
- eepybird.com

sometimes it's ok to not return a call....

please read this letter published on the straits times forums today, about a phone scam:
------------------------------
Don't call back if you get this phone number

Sep 26, 2006
The Straits Times

IF YOU get a missed call starting with +861 (the full number is +8613713467924), do not call back.

It's the latest prank which could incur you high IDD charges unknowingly. My colleague's husband happened to return the call and it was an answering machine. He was shocked to see an enormous phone bill when he received it later. He then approached the service provider, but it could not reverse the charges. He had no choice but to pay up.

On Aug 30, I also received the same missed call. Luckily I did not return the call as it was an anonymous phone number. So, beware of such callers.

Lynn Lee
Senior Staffing Specialist
GMP Recruitment
A division of The GMP Group
------------------------------
i've been following the forum discussion on cozycot for a few weeks, looks like many people have been receiving such calls recently (including myself). fortunately that "+861.........." number showed up as a missed call on my phone (think it was on a weekend some weeks back) and i chose to ignore it. initially i was unsuspicious and thought that was a business associate in china whom i've been working on a project with, good thing i didn't call back.

i've been warning my family and friends about this too. not exactly sure how this phone scam works at ripping off our money, but doesn't hurt to be wary anyway if you receive calls from "+861.........." numbers you don't recognise.

hady mirza - our new singapore idol :)

yay!!! three cheers for our new singapore idol - hady mirza! so happy he emerged the winner tonight :D shows that singaporean audiences still make sensible choices afterall :p this good-looking chap sings well, selects great songs, looks cute & down-to-earth, has good vocals, gives entertaining performances on stage.... in my opinion, certainly the most deserved person to win this competition.

i didn't follow through every "piano show" in this singapore idol 2006 season but ever since i heard hady's very soulful rendition of the malay number "lagenda", i knew i'd root for him till the end. fyi, i broke my own record and sms-voted twice for him (never done this before) - once after he sang that malay song (which i didn't understand a single word of), and once last night after the final showdown. spent a total of S$1.20 on him, so i probably contributed 0.000000001% of his success tonight *lol* :P

i'm not that obsessed to follow the idol-contestants all around their island-wide tours, buy their CDs or spend big bucks to go watch the concert at indoor stadium. to me, that S$1.20 was a remarkable feat already :) just glad that a well-deserved (and cute) contestant won the show. hip hip hurray!

retro-chic outfit

i like this outfit put together by M)phosis! it's really funky and pretty! i don't usually dress in stark black-vs-white contrasts but this combination just looks too cute and cool... well-matched layers and accessories, slightly retro yet not over-done *thumbs up*!

now i must go get myself an off-shoulder tunic top like that :D

note: the 2 dresses are not from M)phosis (but le'range/ staplewear). please refer to isetan private sale newsletter (28 sep'06) for details.

math genius

came across this young lady's blog through cozycot, and i had such a good laugh reading her latest blog entry dated 12 sep 2006. certainly my laugh-of-the-day *lol* :D

couldn't stop laughing.... just had to share it here. some "mathematical genius" must have done these algebra/ pythagoras theorem sums.

check it out....


link: holy green guacamole

cosmetics with a twist

i'm attracted to pretty things (don't we all?).... and i'm a big sucker for nice packaging. looks like this beauty brooch from too faced cosmetics is worth a mention :) cute little accessory with somewhat funky-victorian mix of dangling charms, plus lip gloss hidden in that oval-shaped retro-looking trinket - quite unique. selling at US$28.50 each, i feel it's slightly overpriced. anyway, we can't find too faced cosmetics counters in singapore :(

if you're not into brooches, check this out instead - the ring rouge from anna sui deserves huge raves too! not a new product, i received a gift pack of 3 ring rouges (each with a different-coloured rose-scented lip gloss) some 2 years back. they are really pretty and look so vintage!

i love them to bits... but the plastic lid of my 1st ring broke, the 2nd one got lost in a public toilet (blame it on my bad habit of removing my ring when washing hands), so that leaves my 3rd lonesome one sadly sitting behind the doors of my makeup cupboard for now.

louis vuitton meets tintin

i'm not really crazy over louis vuitton bags. i guess partly because i don't have such deep pockets for them to begin with :P i used to think LV monogram prints are a tad bit "oldish" and rigid, not as fun and sporty as gucci's or coach's canvas monograms.

but i changed my mind - check out these upcoming cuties from the LV monogram groom collection (limited edition). the cute tintin-like prints certainly brighten up the classic monogram and give it an entirely different feel. i actually like this :) in my opinion, way better than the monogram multicolore or the limited edition cherry/ cherry-blossom prints from earlier seasons.

said to be launched in LV stores from late-october 2006 onwards, interested ladies, do keep a lookout :)

links:
- ebelle5.com
- ebay.com
- cozycot: louis vuitton thread

clip on your music!

i'm not so much a gadget-girl, gotta admit that i don't even own any MP3 player - the only iPod product i have ever purchased, was the iPod shuffle i got for my brother's 21st birthday last year.

but i just HAVE TO put this on my blog, it is way toooooo cool to be missed! :D
ladies & gentlemen *drum rolls*.... check out the new generation iPod shuffle! (((tada)))

it's a tiny metallic clip-on! OMG, what else can i say? so mini, slim, so sleek, so cool... even doubles up as a regular clip for your A4-notes.. or use it as a tie-pin, money-clip! ;) US$79 for 1Gb, certainly worth every bit of it!

only complaint: it now connects to the computer via a mini-dock, no longer a plug-&-upload USB connector in itself.

eat to live or live to eat?

recently stumbled upon a local food blog - food glorious food, pretty impressive stuff! junie is one of the regulars on cozycot and i've seen a couple of her food-review posts before. didn't realise she has a blog until few days ago. now that i've seen it, sets me wondering what good food i've been missing out all my life? *lol* i guess that's one of the "side-effects" of being out of touch with the local dating scene for so long. somehow i just didn't see the need in dining out that often. besides, i'm someone who would feel the pinch if i splurge on food... still more of a shopaholic kinda girl ;)

back to the topic, i'm really impressed with the extensive listing of food places (mostly local) junie has on her blog. complete with drools-worthy pictures and detailed categorisations, i'd say she can certainly sideline as a contributor for one of those "wine & dine" magazines anytime.

next time i need ideas for new food places, i'd know where to look them up :)

photo bag it

photobags are nothing new. london-based designer anya hindmarch started a celebrity following when her "be a bag" collection was launched in a charity promotion back in 2001. these lovely photobags come in various shapes and sizes, colour-combinations, textures and styles. besides printing your own photo on it, you can also opt for one of the many oh-too-cute ready-printed photobags (mostly of adorable animals or interesting moments).

there is a anya hindmarch boutique in singapore (used to be at paragon, it's currently closed - heard it's in the midst of relocating to takashimaya) but unfortunately carries only a very limited range of designs for the ready-made photobags. the other "unbaggable" fact of course, is that these customisable photobags don't come cheap. priced between S$500 - S$800 on average, i'm happy just keeping my favourite photo tucked inside my wallet for now :)

last weekend, i chanced upon a makeshift counter at takashimaya shopping centre that was promoting something similar called bag-it! - generally same concept as that of anya hindmarch's "be a bag" collection, but cheaper (made of canvas & satin) - S$248 for a regular landscape or portrait tote bag; S$268 for the bigger-sized diaper/ messenger bag. you submit your selected photo, choose the style/ colour/ size/ straps of the bag, and the company prints it for you. according to the sales assistant, production time takes approximately 4 weeks. so if you intend to start christmas shopping earlier this year, perhaps you might want to check this out...

i like the buckles series :) check out the gallery here.

insomnia

sleep is such a luxury - good quality sleep is heaven!
all living creatures sleep (or at least rest) everyday. it is something we do so naturally at the end of a workday, that we don't give much thought to.

the other day, i was dead tired. by the time i hit the sack at around 12:30am, i could feel every single muscle and cell in my body leap in joy. i could almost hear them go "ooohhh ahhhh...." in unison, as my head laid down on the soft fluffy pillow - sheer bliss! to be able to enjoy sleep like that is such a blessing.

last night, i got to bed at 2:00am. tired as always, it didn't take me long to be totally knocked out. but at around 4:00am, it felt like i was sleeping in a sauna room. even though the fan was oscillating at the end of my bed, the heat was unbearable. dragged myself up, went to the washroom and then came back to stand in front of the fan for a few minutes before returning to bed. for some reason, i just couldn't get back to sleep. tossed around for a while, and the next time i looked at the clock, it was already 5:00am! how did all that time fly by so fast? i never understood. anyway, i reluctantly got out of bed again, switched on the tv, grabbed a book from the shelves and attempted to read. in no time, it was 6:00am and i was still unable to sleep. this time, i switched off the tv and lights, dumped the book and started playing solitaire on my mobile phone. on hindsight, that was not such a good idea cuz i think that actually made my mind more active and harder to rest. anyway, i completed the game over and over again for about 20 times, until i felt cramps in my fingers and right arm. of course my eyes were terribly weary too. finally got to sleep some at around 8:00am. woke up briefly at 10:00am and then let myself sleep a little more till noon.

needless to say, i woke up looking like such a panda today. didn't help that the neighbour's baby starting wailing non-stop from 8:30am onwards. i must go to bed early tonight. hopefully no more insomnia for me. peaceful sleep is precious, don't take it for granted.

itchy itch

i've got hives (also known as "feng mo" in chinese) - itch like crazy!
wonder what caused the reaction - can you believe i was woken up by the itch in the middle of the night at 3:00am??! got out of bed to inspect and found rashes all over my thighs, calves, upper arms, back and at the sides of the waist! eeeiiiks! figured it could be due to the heat (been quite hot and humid these days) or some allergic reaction to something i had eaten, or maybe dust. yea, i got into a sudden "clean-the-room" mood yesterday morning, so i spent the first 2 hours in the morning sweeping, mopping, dusting, cleaning, wiping etc. worked myself into a sweat.... so much for trying to keep the room clean, ended up with hives *sigh*

the itch got a little better this morning, also helped that i tried not to scratch. but by evening time, for some reason, the itch came back again. now i'm trying hard to resist the urge to scratch. if it doesn't get better tomorrow, i'm going to the doc. or pharmacy to get some antihistamines. i just don't like to spend money seeing the doc. over such matters. oh well....

a joke about my earrings....

if you had read the earrings post right before this, you'd have seen the lovely rose earrings i'd bought few days ago. the other day, i was all dressed up to head out for work. picked out the yellow-brown paper earrings and put them on, all happy and satisfied with the way they matched my outfit.

i went to burger king for breakfast that morning and the phone rang.... then came the problem. i couldn't hear the other person clearly! didn't take me long to realise that the paper-earring, being fairly big and 3-dimensional, made it impossible for my phone to rest flat on my ear (no matter how i shifted it around), so that somehow obstructed my hearing :P

oh well... so much for pretty earrings *lol*.
in the end, i had to put the call on hold for a sec. while i removed my earrings, just so i could have a proper phone conversation. hehehe... felt so silly. the rest of the day, that pair of rose earrings remained sadly hidden in my handbag.

guess next time i wear one of these 3D earrings, i'd have to make sure i have the headset/ earpiece plugged into my mobile phone ;)

earrings fever

sometime back, i chanced upon pictures of adorable earrings some ladies had posted on cozycot. since then, i've been dying to lay my hands on them but somehow just never got to even see them.

this particular shop supposedly sells cartoonish-cute earrings & accessories at really pocket-friendly prices. maybe those earrings and i are just not fated to "meet". i have already made 3 separate trips to bugis village in search of that shop, but all in vain *sigh*. 1st visit - i couldn't locate the shop; 2nd visit - i was there with a friend after dinner, most of the shops were closed; 3rd visit (today) - i was there at 1pm, and guess what? most of the shops were not open yet *roll eyes*... oh well, just my luck.

so... to temporarily cure my itch (for cheap earrings), i stopped by this other accessories shop at bugis village and bought myself some pretties :) not exactly what i'm looking for, nonetheless cheap-&-nice. there must be over 1,000 pairs of earrings/ ear-studs displayed at that tiny corner-shop (if you really count).... comes in all shapes/ sizes/ textures/ colours etc. but i was just obssessed with these rose-shaped ones! *thumbs up* had a hard time deciding on these 6 final pairs.
total damage = S$10 :D


the quest for more cute and cheap earrings continues.....

make fried-rice the "cheat" way

fried rice is easy to cook - everyone can make fried rice in minutes, tastes especially good with overnight/ chilled rice. by chance, i found a "cheat" way to make fried rice taste good easily. that is to save your leftover rice from those takeaway economic rice (chup chai beng) stalls, especially if the stall-owner generously poured dark gravy or curry sauce over it *yumm yumm* :9

it's also a very good way to "recycle" rice that you just can't finish from lunch... hehehe (happens too often for me, cuz i tend to order lots of dishes, eat less rice). however, please do this only for takeaway portions, NOT those you had for lunch at the coffee shop and get uncle to ta-bao (wrap up) and then left for hours on your office desk... no no *shakes head*.

i made fried rice from my leftover-rice (from lunch) for dinner tonight. the stall-owner gave me so much rice, even the leftover portion was huge. i'm stuffed now! ;p this is such a fool-proof way to make fried rice cuz the gravy had already been completely absorbed into the rice, making it taste effortlessly good even without adding seasoning. so i just stir-fried some dried scallop, ikan billis (dried anchovies), fresh seaweed, mixed peas and egg, along with the chilled rice. nothing else added... tastes so good and looks not too bad either erh? hehehe... my "cheater" fried rice ;)

woof woof

i love this new doggie-shaped keyfob from coach! another love-at-first-sight ;p

this year, i bought my very first coach tote bag (from the spring hamptons patchwork collection) + a mini skinny coin pouch from the US :D love them to bits. i have not bought anymore "luxuries" from coach since then, though i'm like constantly drooling over coach's every new collection... *tsk tsk* not healthy for my bank account ;p

i would love to buy myself this doggie keyfob - if only it's priced in singapore dollars, NOT US$38 (comes up to about S$65 incl. tax). more bad news, singapore coach boutiques typically mark-up prices by another 30-40% *faint*... i would be insane to pay that much for a keyfob. so *boo hoo* no adorable keyfob for me, shall just continue to browse and drool ;)

my day...

i'm so dead tired right now. been sitting in front of the laptop literally from the moment i stepped out of bed till now. my hair's in a mess, i haven't changed out of my sleepwear... and did i brush my teeth this morning? (hmm.. yes i did) ;p fyi - it's 7:00pm here. one whole day flew by in my slouchy attire.

many of my friends envy me for being able to work from home on some days (like today), as much as it sounds relaxingly wonderful, i have to tell you... this sometimes also means more gruelling hours of work. really. take all that time you spend dressing yourself up, putting on makeup, selecting which top to go with your skirt and then which pair of shoes to match your entire outfit, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, the bus/MRT ride/ walk to your office.... convert all that into non-stop hours fixated in front of the laptop.... well, not exactly a bed of roses afterall. ok, i'm not really complaining :)

today's been a really productive day. besides stopping for 40 mins. to get myself lunch, all day i've been typing tons of emails, making business phonecalls, troubleshooting problems, managing project timelines, handling 101 matters at one time! everything was happening so simultaneously, i actually got a high on that! (not that i crave this kind of "highness") *('_')* but it's great to see productivity translate into real work done at the end of the day.

my body's aching now, esp. the neck & back. my eyes are so tired.
wish someone would give me a back massage, that'd be lovely :)
ok, no more work for today - time for tv & dinner! yay!

rainy day

it's a wet wet day today - been pouring heavily since i woke up this morning. best time to laze in bed all day, do nothing much and just roll around in the cool bedsheets, enjoy the crisp air-conditioned-like atmosphere.

the rain tamed a little around noon just now, and now it suddenly started pouring cats & dogs again. makes you wonder where all this rain come from? so much H2O. yesterday it was equally wet since afternoon, made it so difficult and crumblesome to travel around from place to place (and i was wearing my new pair of canvas shoes! eeks!)

good thing i'm working from home today :D
gives my brolly some time to dry.....

girls vs technology?

received this in a friend's forwarded email.... as much as i don't appreciate being compared to some kind of technology phenomena, found this interesting enough (though not necessarily true) to share it here.

disclaimer: i'm not saying i agree to any of the following, just meant for laughs anyway - the last one is so mean but funny ;p


hard disk girl: she remembers everything, forever.
ram girl: she forgets about you, the moment you turn her off.
window girl: everyone knows that she can't do a thing right, but no one can live without her.
screensaver girl: she is good for nothing but at least she is fun.
internet girl: difficult to access.
server girl: always busy when you need her.
multimedia girl: she makes horrible things look beautiful.
cd-rom girl: she is always faster and faster.
email girl: every ten things she says, eight are nonsense.
virus girl: also known as "wife" - when you are not expecting her, she comes, installs herself and uses all your resources. if you try to uninstall her, you will lose something; if you don't try to uninstall her, you will lose everything....

too cute to resist :)

mid-autumn festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar. this is a time when people go shopping for yummy mooncakes to present to friends and relatives, and kids get all excited playing with candles & paper/ toy lanterns. hotels and bakeries would come up with all sorts of mooncake flavours, designs, packaging etc. to attract consumers.

this year, there is a leap 7th month in the lunar calendar, so mid-autumn festival (otherwise known as "mooncake festival") comes slightly later - 6 october 2006. so there's still plenty of time to shop around for mooncakes.

i wasn't even shopping for mooncakes but came across these too-cute-to-resist mini cartoon ones in a regular bakery (Q-bread) at people's park this afternoon. seeing these mooncakes instantly made me feel like a happy kid - they're so cute, i just couldn't stop smiling :D of course i had to bring some home! there are 9 different designs displayed on the shelves (crab, koala, pooh bear, hello kitty, doraemon, piggie, fish etc.), i was so tempted to grab them all! hehehe... but limited myself to 4 for the time being. i'll be back for more when mid-autumn festival draws nearer. quite sure the prices will hike by then... but oh well.

these are just S$0.60 each or S$2.00 for 4... go grab some too. they're filled with semi-sweet lotus paste fillings, yummy and sooooo cute!!!

more than a canvas

while searching for the motion clip of ahree lee (as seen in my earlier post), i stumbled upon this other simple yet intricately done piece of art. equally inspiring.

words just don't do this justice, you'll have to watch it yourself to appreciate the efforts put into it. watch canvas - by divyesh k. lad.

3 years...

this was featured on the 10pm channel 8 news tonight. it all started with a very very simple idea but with some creativity and conviction, this truly amazing piece of work was born. this lady took daily pictures of herself for 3 whole years and made a collage video clip out of them. every single shot showed such consistency and the same expression for 3 years - wow! i applaud her for her patience having kept up with this for that long. i read that she's still taking pictures of herself everyday without fail. no doubt an award-winning piece.

ahree lee's ME - 3 years captured in 2 mins 15 secs.
watch it here now.

learned vs learnt?

sometimes as i'm drafting a post on my blog, i'd get stuck deliberating between the use of certain word(s). in the past, i thought the difficulty in deciding which was the correct word to use was due to my not-so-fantastic standard of english.

earlier on, i had trouble again deciding whether it should be "i have learnt today" vs "i have learned today" vs "i learned today". i finally went with the first option (by gut feel) but to get things clear, i searched google for an answer after that.

this article provides an enlightening explanation to the problems that i've been facing - attributing the cause to the differences between british english vs american english. so i'm not the only one challenged with these word-uncertainties afterall. you see, typical singaporeans are taught british english in schools but are highly exposed to the american media - movies, tv programmes, music and all. plus considering the use of our infamous "singlish" in day-to-day life, it's no wonder we get all mixed up in our grammar and vocabulary. can't really blame us, can you?

lifted from the article, a funny example on the different use of vocabulary in american vs british english: "Rubber: (American English - condom, British English - tool used to erase pencil markings)"

can you imagine the look on your office manager's face when you walk in to borrow a "rubber" from him? *lol* ;p

life cycle

i have no idea who's the original creator of this simple but incredible animated file. my dad received this in his friend's forwarded email.

very interesting, decided to share it here - enjoy :)
"人的一生" - life cycle.


ps: thanks to pointers from this lady's blog, i've learnt to insert animated gif files on my blog today *clap clap* :)

type like a secret agent....

stumbled upon thinkgeek.com and saw something interesting, check it out - a bluetooth-enabled laser virtual keyboard, ooh la la! this is not a new product (read somewhere that it's launched in early 2005) but since i only found out about it now, no harm featuring it on my blog, even if it's "passe".

this virtual keyboard looks real cool, reminds me of that laser scene in "entrapment" or "mission impossible" :) imagine whipping this tiny gadget out, setting it up at mcdonald's or delifrance, and then intently tapping away on the table's surface under red laser lights... so surreal! besides attracting tons of curious stares and questions, i think it'd make me feel like a secret agent too - 007 or one of the charlize's angels working on some confidential information. hehehe...

back to reality, i don't suppose this product would make it real far. granted it's interesting, cool and "geeky" but i think one would probably end up with bruised fingers with all that prolonged typing on a hard surface - ouch. also, i can't seem to figure out how the red laser lights would work if your hands are blocking the projection stream when typing? hmm...

to find out for yourself, how this thing works - click here.

links:
- i-tech
- thinkgeek

hershey's kissables

hershey's kissables - saw these at NTUC fairprice check out counter the other day, grabbed a packet out of curiosity (typical marketers will like me cuz i'm a "keen-to-try-new-stuff" consumer) :)

verdict: in terms of colours, shape & cute factor - i give it 100% (just look at how cheerfully pretty they appear in the picture!) as for it's taste... i'd say it's just so-so. i find the candy coating too thin, so these candies lack the "crunchiness" when you bite into them + somehow they're also too sweet for my liking. i'd still go for m&m's anytime :9 (milk chocolate, peanuts, peanutbutter, almonds or crispy - yummy!)

bruised

i had a fall 2 days ago at home. was on my way to the washroom, didn't realise that water had leaked from the washing machine in the kitchen (the pipe has been faulty for some time already).... it all happened so fast, before i could think - whoosh! i slipped and fell hard on my bum - OUCH! no time for me to grab hold of anything for support. fortunately the mugs and glasses just inches away didn't come tumbling down all together, otherwise i'd be in a bigger mess ;p

anyway, it was so painful i had to sit still on the floor for a couple of seconds before i could brace myself up. didn't help that mum just stood by nagging at me for not being careful *duh* (like it's always my fault... if she had slipped, it would have been my fault for not cleaning up the leak in time; but now that i was the one who fell, she blamed it on my carelessness - oh well, i know she meant well afterall)

i've been aching all over since the fall. even though i'd landed on my bum (and yes, there's a nice blueish bruise on my left thigh now) but my lower back, shoulders and neck have been aching all of yesterday and today. not the sharp killing pains, just the kind of achy feeling you get when you overstretch a muscle or something. guess it's from the impact of the fall... *sigh* age is catching up, i really should avoid home-accidents like this :p

dots dots please grow....

yay! my ClustrMap is finally showing up!! *clap clap clap* i inserted a new clustrmap on my blog yesterday and today it finally started showing up with tiny little red dots indicating where all my visitors are coming from :)

ok, looking at the miserably small dots on the map right now, maybe it's nothing to shout aloud for afterall :P but i'm just excited to try something new... you know, this teeny weeny sense of achievement when you see something - an image, a new column, a new link or some coloured text appearing on your blog just by inserting some html tags here and there (ok, i must admit i know nuts about web-stuff... most of the time i just cut-&-paste default templates, but that's not too bad already, right?)

i don't exactly go around inviting people to visit my blog, in fact it's quite a personal space that only a few of my friends are aware of. i guess different people create different blogs for different reasons - some are to showcase their talents, some to sell things, some to interact with the world, to be different, to share ideas, to create awareness, to generate income, to market something, to be heard, to become famous etc etc. for me, i started blogging because i wanted to experience this new way of life, to keep up somehow with technology and the new-age media, to create something of my own, and of course also, because S. has a blog (a few blogs actually) and i wanted to be able to share a common interest/ activity in that sense. then eventually, it grew on me and just became something fun to do - like nurturing a plant, you invest time & effort on it everyday, and it'll just keep growing & flourishing :)

anyway, back to the topic of my clustrmap... i should have inserted that the very first day i started this blog, then i wouldn't have missed out all the "footsteps" from the past 7 months. oh well, it's never too late i guess. so dear friends & new visitors, please do drop by whenever you're free, check out a post or two, leave some comments, spread the word... and help those red dots grow bigger & bigger :D

mobiblu

i have a secret crush - on this mobiblu MP3 cube player (DAH 1500/ 1500i) since perhaps 1 year ago :) while everyone's crazy over ipods, minis, shuffles & nanos.... mobiblu seems such an unheard-of brand in comparison. i can't even remember how i stumbled upon this cute little cube's picture many many many months ago.... but it sure was love at first sight. this tiny 2.4cm dice-like cube somehow just appeals to me *smile*.

i have never owned any MP3 players. since my workplace was within walking distance from home, i never really saw the urge to get one while commuting, even though the ipod fab was huge. lately, i revisited my "secret crush" and found that the mobiblu MP3 cube2 now comes in more colours, features and functionalities (though i can't imagine who would want to watch a motion video on a 2.4cm-wide screen??!!). nonetheless, the cube's cute factor still wins me over hands-down.

i also just found out that mobiblu is a korean brand - that explains the cutesy-prettiness in it's packaging :) if i ever were to buy my first MP3 player, i guess it could very possibly be this <3

oh... while you are at the mobiblu website, don't forget to check out this very innovative cassette-type MP3 player (looks like a cassette tape, works like a cassette tape, and doubles-up as your MP3 player! incredible!) :)

more images can be found on mobiblu's korean website.

discover your ego

can't decide between a laptop or an apple macbook? how about a tulip ego?

a friend sent me a link to this dutch-brand tulip ego website. pretty interesting notebook designs up there. the machine itself comes with an integrated carrying-handle so you can skip the laptop bag and just show it off in your hands as you travel - looks like one of those classy cosmetic cases :) you can even clip on extended straps by the side to sling it across your shoulders. the egos run on AMD chips, i don't really know enough to comment on it's functionality - do check out the specs. yourself... but with it's clean, sleek design (i like the idea of "sliding doors that hide connectors" at the side) and interchangeable skins & diamond studded-covers, it sure seems to be on the right track in wooing the women-crowd.

ok, i just found out how much one of these machines costs. weighing 2.6kg, each tulip ego retails at a jaw-dropping price of Euro 3,975 (ie. US$5,103.50)!! *gulp* looks like egos don't come cheap afterall (pun intended) :P

my D-I-Y belts :)

i was never really a belt-person. i figured if i don't have a 24" waist, then i better not be drawing too much attention there :P but recently, i've been getting frustrated with jeans that kept getting looser around the lower waist/ hips area (after prolonged washes)... just don't look too flattering with all those loose bits jutting out.

so i've been thinking of getting some nice and versatile belts to help with the problem. then i got inspired by the girls on cozycot who started getting all creative making their own belts. it's so easy, you don't even have to actually "make" anything. there are 2 shops at people's park complex level 2 (chinatown area) that sells all these pretty buckles made of plastic/ wood/ steel. you select whichever buckle you like, then coordinate them with matching woven/ lace/ stretch canvas belts.... and tada! there you go... your very own D-I-Y belt, no sewing or stitching needed. simple, yet lots of fun. best of all, each complete belt only costs S$7 - 12 on average. (i know some girls are selling them for twice that price on yahoo auctions :P)

check out my creation! :D i love the butterflies <3
plus the black and red belts are reversible... so you can switch sides for different colours. pretty, aren't they? now, no more drooping jeans :)