Goodbye My Friend!

Last Saturday, after clocking late hours for the entire week (including Sat itself), I was looking forward to a day of R&R on Sunday. Suddenly, I received a sms from my friend telling me about the demise of our secondary school classmate.

I was shocked! I have not contacted this classmate since the day we parted, after getting our 'O' level results. It turned out that she was already suffering from Lupus for quite a while and she passed away on last Friday midnight.

This is the 3rd time that a friend of mine passed away. And everytime, it is a reminder to me that our life is short and we should cherish each and every moment of it. I can't help but feel thankful for the fact that I am still living in this world! Thank you, Lord!

Goodbye, my friend. I wish you well.. May you find peace in Heaven and comfort in the Lord. And I... shall always remember you in my heart!

我知道我变漂亮了

前阵子，当MediaCorp在播出<<一切完美>>这出剧时，我就非常喜欢它的主题曲。
但因为工作太忙， 没时间上网找这首歌。
直到昨天，才发现词曲创作人竟然是原唱者 - 石欣卉！
真没想到石欣卉这么有才华。。。 对她更是欣赏！

当我让旧同事听这首歌时， 他还以为那是林忆莲的歌。。。
哈！仔细一听，果然有点像。
要是石欣卉听到我旧同事的comment, 一定很开心！
石欣卉 - 加油！

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
我知道我变漂亮了
词/曲：石欣卉

过去的批评嘲讽 (Let it go, let it go)
过去的轻蔑冷落 (Let it go, let it go)
有些人口不饶人 却忘了瞧瞧自己 又有什么资格

时刻都善良待人 (let's move on, let's move on)
时刻都做好本分 (let's move on, let's move on)
有些人心思浅薄 绝不是宽容 自暴自弃的理由

也许 确实也受过言语打击 也许 从来也没什么好际遇
千万别将勇气深锁在阴影里 我们又不会妨碍这世界继续美丽
咦耶~ 呼呜~ 呜~

我知道我变漂亮了 (我知道我被注意了) 曾难过 曾失落 微笑一下就过
外在的美貌容易戳破 内在的美好细水长流 耶咦耶~
我知道我变漂亮了 (我知道我也豁达了) 不自卑 不埋怨 就算还差一点点
用 内涵弥补一切缺陷 内在的美 迷住每个人的眼 哦喔~

时刻都善良待人 (let's move on, let's move on)
时刻都做好本分 (let's move on, let's move on)
有些人心思浅薄 绝不是宽容 自暴自弃的理由

也许 想说的话总埋在心底 也许 想要的爱可望而不可及
竭尽全力争取 幸福会看到你 大声说 你的真心全世界最动听
呜呵~ 呜哦呜呵~

我知道我变漂亮了 (我知道我被注意了) 曾难过 曾失落 微笑一下就过
外在的美貌容易戳破 内在的美好细水长流 耶咦耶~
我知道我变漂亮了 (我知道我也豁达了) 不自卑 不埋怨 就算还差一点点
用 内涵弥补一切缺陷 内在的美 迷住每个人的眼 哦喔~

一个两个不懂 丑小鸭变天鹅啊 需要时间比较多
走过了伤痛才看得更通透 不到最后不会懂命运安排了什么
呜呵~呜喔哦~ 呜呵。。。呵~~ 呵呃~

我知道我变漂亮了 (我变漂亮了) 曾难过 曾失落 微笑一下就过
外在的美貌容易戳破 内在的美好细水长流 耶咦耶~
我知道我变漂亮了 (我知道我也豁达了) 不自卑 不埋怨 就算还差一点点
用 内涵弥补一切缺陷 内在的美 迷住每个人的眼 呜呼呜~
用 内涵弥补一切缺陷 内在的美 迷住每个人的眼

Wii

I bought my PSP 2.5 years ago and it was so popular among my nieces and nephews that I was comtemplating whether to buy a Wii as well.

Finally, I bought my Wii from my neighbourhood shop at SGD 498 (mod set) last month. Prior to that, my nephews were so worried that I will sell away my PSP after getting Wii. Well, they never once asked about my PSP ever since the day they tried out Wii!

So what are the interesting Wii games? Hmm... for ladies and kids below 5, I would recommend 'Cooking Mama', 'Big Brain Academy', 'Wii Sports' and 'Mario party 8' etc.













For kids who are better at controlling or who like to play RPG games, then 'Ghost Squad', 'GT Pro Series' and 'Winter Sports' should be quite good.



Funny games like 'Raving Rabbids' is also quite fun!

For those who are still contemplating whether to buy Wii... Don't have to think so hard lah... Just buy!

Disappearance

*Sigh* It is amazing... I have not edited this blog for 1.5 months! Where have I been? What have I been up to?

Well... It all started rather well. After my last blog in Sep, I went to Cebu (Philippines) for a short trip to rest and relax. Frankly, there is nothing much in Cebu, so it is a perfect place for you to do NOTHING!

After I returned from Cebu, I was really unwell. First it started with a cough, then flu, then it became a fever and stomach flu! I was sick for 3 full days in a row! But the good thing about this is, I get to rest really well in that 3 days.

After I have recovered from my stomach flu, I made a short trip to KL and did my usual - bought a pair of shoes from Vincci! I just cannot visit Malaysia without returning with at least a pair of Vincci shoes!

Before I know it, we have entered into November. Work was crazy since the first day. Why is there so much work to do? I have been working late till 10pm almost everyday! Even my Saturday was spent in office.

Last week, my team and I went to Guangzhou for a business trip. Wah... this is the first time I have to work OT when I am on a business trip. We even 'tabao' dinner in case the restaurants were closed by the time we finished work! But the good thing that came out of this trip is, I bought a 4-wheeled fake 20" Samsonite luggage at the price of SGD38. And also a nice pair of Nike shoes for SGD25, though I could have gotten it at a much lower price of SGD18.

Finally, I am back from my trip but am drowned by my work again! *Sigh* By this time, thought I better update my blog, in case all of you thought I have disappeared into thin air!

Formula One

Ever since they started to fence up the Formula One race track and put up the lightings, I can't help but start to feel all excited about this first ever night race that is going to happen in Singapore. However, as I know nuts about F1, I thought it is meaningless for me to buy the ticket to this event-of-the-year for Singapore.

So few days before the event started, I took some pictures of the race track to remember this great event. And below is one of them.

(This is the spot where most of the accidents happened during the F1 race.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just 2 days to go before the start of the 3-day F1 event, my colleague gave me a free walk-about ticket to last Friday night's practice race. Wah! I was so happy even though I will have to go alone! Yippee!

Friday came and I left office promptly with my Panasonic TZ3 in hand, ready to conquer the F1 race! Ha Ha... F1, here I come!

Let's see what have I taken during the practice race.


This is my best shot of the night...Ha ha... You must be wondering why? Look carefully and you will find that I have indeed captured one of the car in this shot. However, it is moving at such a speed that all you see is a patch of blur white object. That's how fast the car was going... Err... or how slow my TZ3 shutter speed is... Hee!

This is Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari. He is the defending champion in his 8th F1 season.
And here is Felipe Massa whom all thought he will win the night race, but did not.

Wah... I sound like I know quite a bit about this F1 race, isn't it? Ha ha... all thanks to this magazine that my colleague lend to me before the race. I was busy trying to digest all the info before the race starts.

In between the 2 practice races, I managed to sneak into the Grandstand opposite St. Andrew Cathedral. Wah! It is really nice to be on the Grandstand. The view of the race is different too.


Actually, most of the pictures taken that night are similar, so I won't bore you with too many of them. Here is a video of the race itself though... (For those who did not watch the F1 on TV)



Just before I left, I took this nice picture of the CBD...



I really enjoyed myself on Friday night, and I think I will try to go for next year's F1 race again!
Yeah! Can't wait for next year to come! =)

Where Will Our Money Be Safe?

The past few days have seen many Kiasu Singaporeans queueing up at the AIA Customer Service Centre. In this case, they are really 'Kiasu', because they are afraid of losing their hard-earned money, in case AIA also declare bankrupt just like Lehman Brothers.



Look at how far back the queue has gone...



But then again, where exactly will our money be safe? The bank may also go bust and we will lose every single cent we have entrusted to it; our house may also be robbed... *Sigh* Where should we keep our money???

Mystery Phone Call Finale

After 1 week, the mail which is supposed to carry my prize money still has not arrived... Just when I was dead sure that this is all a scam, Xiao Tong called.

She was very surprised why I did not contact her when I did not receive the money after so many days. I told her I have forgotten about it (Though the truth is that I don't even believe this whole story!). She panicked and asked me to contact their lawyer from Huan Yu International (环宇国际).

Their lawyer, 何正宇, told me that I have to collect my prize money personally as the amount is huge. But who in their right mind will travel to HK for a prize money?

Ok... side track a little... the 3rd prize which I have won is a Mercedes Benz E350 worth HKD 486K. Which works out to be SGD 86,700. But I have to pay 3% tax (福利公益税) which is about SGD 2,500. Well... after tax, it is still a lot of money to me!

To cut the story short, after calling Xiao Tong and the lawyer a few times, they said that there was a case where a person from Malaysia also won the same prize, but did not have to go to HK to collect it. And he got his money within 1.5 hours.

When I asked the lawyer to process my case in the same manner, this is what he told me...
First of all, you need to make payment to HK xxx dept for the 3% tax. Once that is cleared, you can give us your account number and we will credit the money directly into your bank account.

Tada!!! There you have it! The answer to my curiosity.

So the question is: will you risk $2.5K, in return for $85K?

My reply to the lawyer and Xiao Tong: Thank you so much, I am not going to claim this prize money! =)

Mystery Phone Call Part 2

Four days ago, I wrote about the mystery phone call which I have received back in end June. Well, the same caller, Liu Xiao Tong, called me on that day again.

She asked if I have attended that special event back in early July... Nope, I said. She went on to ask if I have watched the event live on TV... Nope, again I said. Oh! What a pity, you have missed out on an exciting event! Blah blah blah...

Finally, she came to the most important part... She asked if I remembered my lucky draw number... You must be kidding! I did not even believe that I would be given a chance to participate in a lucky draw for no good reason, why would I even remember the number?? Well... that part, I didn't really say it. ;-p

She went on to repeat my lucky number and then, she broke the unbelievable news to me... Miss, it is a pity that you did not watch the event that day, as you have won the 3rd prize! And the 3rd prize happened to be a car... A CAR??? Ha ha... Great, I bet she will go on to say that since I am in Singapore, the prize will be donated to charity...

As soon as the committee realised that the winner is a foreigner, they have converted that prize into its cash value and we will be sending you the amount thru mail soon... Har? Did I hear that correctly? Did she say I will be getting some money soon? Ha ha... All the more I am sure this is a scam. How can I be so lucky? And I have never been lucky before...

When I shared this piece of news with my colleagues, only one of them thinks it may be true. Well, do you? And will I really get that huge amount of money that the caller has said? I really do not know and do not think so.

If I do receive the letter, I will certainly share the news with you thru my blog. So, do look out for part 3 of this post. =)

Mystery Phone Call Part 1

The past 2 months, I have been so busy that there are some things happening in my life but I have paid little attention to. Just like this incident that happened in late June, which I have almost forgotten about it until I received a phone call today...

Someone by the name of Liu Xiao Tong called me around the last week of June. She told me that I have been selected to participate in a lucky draw for an event which is held to celebrate the opening of Disney Land in Hong Kong. Or was it that Disney Land has been opened for x number of days in HK? Anyway, can't really recall already.

Anyway, she went on to ask me to tune in to a particular channel a week later to catch the event. And she also reminded me to look out for my number when it is time for the lucky draw, just to see if I am the lucky one. Blah blah blah...

Frankly, if not for the phone call today, I really cannot remember most of our conversation on that day. Anyway, who on earth will bother with such a phone call? I also could not understand why I did not cut her short that day and just hang up.

So... what's is it about this phone call? Why am I sharing about this seemingly unimportant incident in my blog? Well, look out for part 2 of this post. =)

12 Lotus Concert

9 August 2008 - 12 Lotus Concert

On National Day, I went to attend a church event at Singapore Expo. Prior to that day, I have not slept well for the past few days as I was busy preparing for this church event.

It was during this event that I got to know a sister-in-christ better and she asked whether I am keen to watch a concert with her after the event. At first, I was rather reluctant as I badly needed to catch up on my sleep. However, she kept persuading me to go as she said that they were front row tickets and she is attending it alone.

Furthermore, they are tickets to the concert for the up-coming movie '12 Lotus'!

Err... ok... since this movie is so popular, maybe I should watch the concert to find out what is all the hype about.

See... Row 4... really very near to the front row already!



So whom did I see at the concert? The lead actress, Wang Xin(王欣), herself of course!



Liu Ling Ling(刘玲玲) is ever so impressive in her dressing... In fact, she appeared in all sorts of different outfits through out the entire concert! And this is the most wayang outfit of all!



Chen Zi Qian(陈子谦), the young and handsome director, figured that he should not lose out to Liu Ling Ling... So he stole Qi Yu Wu's(戚玉武) costume in the movie - The golden cowboy suit.




So who else were there in this concert? Surprise! Project Superstar 2 contestants - Sun Wen Hai (孙文海) and Carrie Yang (杨佳盈).



Carrie also appeared in a very wayang costume which she is obviously very uncomfortable in. She kept having to adjust the head gear through out the song.



Finally Qi Yu Wu(戚玉武) appeared at the end of the program... after we have all waited so eagerly.



I have bought my Panasonic Lumix TZ3 for slightly more than a year now... it is only during this concert that I get to appreciate the 10x zoom capability! See... all the celebrities look as though they are standing right in front of me! =)



Frankly, this concert is nothing fantastic... it is just something to get everyone curious and eager to watch the movie itself.

Hmm... Have you watch the movie yet?

NuSkin from US

Knowing that my brother's Father-In-Law(FIL) is returning from US after he has stayed with them in US, I made an order of my favourite facial product - NuSkin.

As NuSkin is selling at a much cheaper price in US, I thought that my purchase would have saved me a bundle. However, when my package arrived, one of the most expensive items (SGD 38) was not tightened properly and it was totally empty!

*Sigh* So Suey!

All Work and No Play

Ever since I completed all those posts on my TW trip, I was very determined to keep up with the momentum and write more often. *Sigh* However, many things in life are just not within our control. I have been working day and night for the past few weeks!

Finally, the day to 'deploy' our application has arrived... We have had no less than 10 meetings (each lasting at least 2 hrs) just going thru the steps we have to do to make it a success. The plan has been changed countless times. So much so that I have become an expert in changing the plan within a few minutes! Ha!

At 5.30pm today, I gave the final touch up to our plan and was just about to send it out when the whole world came tumbling down... My colleagues' system encountered a BIG issue and we had to change our plan AGAIN! Arrggghhh! Ok, I am not blaming my colleagues, cos they did not want it to happen too!

Within a few minutes, our plan was changed again. By hook or by crook, I am going to 'deploy' it this weekend, even if it means splitting the 'deployment' into 2 parts and we have to work again next weekend.

IT MUST GO OUT!!

*Sigh* This month is really a ALL WORK AND NO PLAY month!

$50 Gift Voucher from Kampong Fish Therapy

Mid of last month, I was really happy to know that as a result of my earlier post on Fish Therapy, Kampong Fish Therapy is giving me a $50 gift voucher!

Wah! This is really a wonderful surprise! And I am so motivated to share more wonderful experiences that I may have in the future with all of you! Yeah! =)

Life is all about Communications!

Recently, while I was travelling on the train, I couldn't help but noticed that the guy sitting right in front of me has not 1, not 2, but 3 mobile phones in his pocket.

Hello! What has happened to our life? Why do we need 3 phones to communicate with the people around us!?!?

Papaya to Moisturise Your Hair!

Have been troubled by the fact that my hair is not as smooth and shiny as I would like it to be. I know there are many DIY methods out there where you can use fruits to help moisturise your hair. But none of them are simple enough to make lazy people like me to want to give a try.

Last weekend, I finally found one DIY method which is really simple. All you need to do is to smash a ripe papaya and spread it over your hair for 10 mins before rinsing it away. After which you may wash your hair as usual. Hmm... Sounds really simple isn't it?

Time to shop for a ripe papaya!

Note: This DIY method will moisturise damaged, dyed or permed hair.

依依不舍

最近，我买了一台新的 Creative ZEN Player。
因为容量大而把多年来所收集的歌曲统统输入这台新的唱机。
也因为这样， 我又开始听一些好多年都没听到的旧歌曲。

上个星期六，和朋友们约好见面。
一出门，便扭开唱机。。。
过了一会儿，唱机开始播放一首好久好久都没听到的歌曲。
是一首张信哲的歌，可是就是想不起是哪一首。

歌词非常感人，觉得‘男主角’非常可怜。
和女友分手，还要答应她那么多事。
张信哲也把歌曲诠释得非常好，让我听了差点儿落泪。

因此，决定在Blog里和大家分享这首歌的歌词。。。

依依不舍 曲:殷文琦 词:刘虞瑞 编:殷文琦/徐德昌

我答应你 再也不会 打扰你的生活
我答应你 再也不会 为你多喝一杯酒
我答应你 从今以后 我们都还是好朋友
你怎么说 我怎么做 这样子够不够

你看不到 我的双手 在痛苦地颤抖
你听不到 我的内心 碎得我都不敢碰
你想不到 我的沉默 压抑著多少话要说
爱不能有 泪不能流
你教我这种日子怎么过

舍不得你 所以才会骗了你 也骗自己
其实我也知道 只是我 没勇气 面对问题
舍不得你 虽然明知我的爱 你不珍惜
有些事情谁都说不出原因

First Attempt to Write a Short Story

Last week, my niece made her first attempt at writing a short story. Though it was just a very simple one, but I thought she has done a great job, considering she is only 7.

On top of writing the short story, she has also done an illustration for it. See! Not bad for a 7 year-old, isn't it?

Taipei Trip - Day 7 (Finally!)

2 May 2008

[Beitou Hell Scenic Park --> CKS International Airport --> Changi Airport]

Woke up with a dread... cos this was the last day of my Taipei trip!

Packed up before we went down for breakfast. After that, we headed for the last place on our itinerary - Beitou Hell Scenic Park!

Just outside the park, there was this signboard explaining about the origin, temperature and quality of the hotspring.



When I stepped into the park, there was a very strong sulphur smell coming out from the hotspring...



I was totally stunned! Never have I expected so much vapour gushing out from the hotspring.



Deeper inside the park, there was this small waterfall.



Though this park is quite small, but the amount of vapour rising from the hotspring due to the heat is amazing!



After we checked out from Sweet Me Hotel, we went back to Rainbow Hotel to collect our stuff and to take the Freego bus to airport. But since we still have some time, We decided to have my favourite Mango Ice for one last time!

Taipei Trip - Day 6

1 May 2008

[Beitou --> Hot Spring Museum --> Aboriginal Museum --> Miramar Ferris Wheel --> Danshui Old St Night Market]

Got up early to pack and check out of our hotel. No... we are not returning to Singapore yet. We have made plans to go to Beitou for Hotspring. Left most of our luggage with the Rainbow Hotel and off we went to Xin Beitou Station.

As we arrived before the check in time, we decided to look around the area before going to the hotel.

There was this Library near our hotel which I thought it looked very nice, so I took some pictures of it...

Beitou is a really small place, everything is within few minutes' walking distance to each other.
Just next to the library, there was this little stream which made the place looked so serene.



The place that we really wanted to visit was the Hotspring Museum. Didn't know that it looked more like part of a university from the outside.



After walking one full round, we finally found the entrance to the museum.



Inside, they showed us how the museum used to looked like many years ago. It also explained about the origin of the hotspring.



The following was a bigger common pool.



And finally, the biggest hotspring pool around... which reminds me of Bath in England.



A few meters away from the Hotspring Museum, there was this Aboriginal Museum. As no photography was allowed in the museum, all I can take is the photo of this wooden sculpture just outside the museum. Basically, the museum will show you the various tribes' costumes and location and history. And all these time, the only person that came to my mind is A*mei!



Finally, when it is time for us to check in, we headed back to our hotel... Sweet Me Hotel. I will certainly recommend this hotel to anyone as it is located very close to the train station and the rooms are really big and comfortable...



Furthermore, the hotel provides complimentary tea which was simply sumptious! If we have known that earlier, we would have skipped out lunch and just have tea instead. (Since they serve tea between 2pm - 5pm)



As our hotel stay also came with a pair of complimentary tickets to the Miramar Ferris Wheel, we decided to go for the ride after our tea session.





Though the Ferris Wheel was much much smaller than that of the Singapore Flyer, it was still quite fun when you are at the top of it.

We took some pictures when we were at the top and we could even see Taipei 101 far far away.

Wah! This was like a warm up session before we ride on the Singapore Flyer back home!



Actually, we were not sure how much a ride on the ferris wheel cost. But I would not recommend it since we have to travel some distance before we got here. And there was nothing else to do after the ride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As we would be returning to Singapore the next day, my friend wanted to go back to Dan Shui Old Street to buy more tidbits. So we went back to Dan Shui and shop around before we head back to Beitou.