[on resolutions and such]

Another sore topic for me cos I never keep the resolutions I make (who really does anyway, heh). But I'm resolved to keeping a couple of resolutions this year:

1. Eat (healthy), drink (healthy) and be merry (healthily).
2. Savvvveeeeee.
3. Love myself.

So if any of u catch me
1) eating unhealthy stuff
2) spending countless $$ on things I don't really need
3) hating myself

STOP ME PLEASE! Lol. :P

[2008 beckons]

I'm not big about the new year - neither about reflecting on what's been done nor celebrating the countdown. But after reading a few friends' entries, I began reflecting on my own year...and I must say 2007 was filled with lots of trials and difficult periods, but of course, it had its fair share of wonderful moments which I cherish. Thanks to my family for their support, close friends who were there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on most, and everyone who made my year meaningful. I grew a lot as a person this last year and I'd like to think this is a new and improved me. There's probably a long way to go, but I'm glad I'm closer to getting there! =)

Here's wishing everyone a very happy 2008 and may your year be filled with excitement and adventures.

I'm looking forward to 2009 already. Haha. ;)

[I'm addictive ;)]

Addictive content in my personality is 74%

Beware!!! people easily get addicted to me

Lets101 Quizzes - Quizzes for Fun

[Ajab Si/Strange]

My fave song at the moment...from Om Shanti Om (sharukh khan..drool...)




Aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adayein hain
In your eyes there is a strange beauty
Aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adayein hain
Dil ko banade jo patange saansein yeh teri woh hawaien hai
Makes my heart fly like a kite, these are your breaths, your wind
Aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adayein hain
Aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adayein hain
Dil ko banade jo patange saansein yeh teri who hawaien hai

Aaee aisi raat hai jo bohot khushnaseeb hai
A very lucky night has come for me
Chaahe jise door se duniya woh mere kareeb hai
Even if she’s far from the world she’s close to me
Kitna kuch kehna hai phir bhi hai dil mein hai sawaal kaheen
So much to say yet the heart has so many questions
Sapno mein jo roz kahaa hai woh phir se kahoon ya naheen
What I said everyday in my dreams, should I say it again or not
Aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adayein hain
Aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adayein hain
Dil ko banade jo patange saansein yeh teri who hawaien hai

Tere saath saath aisa koi noor aaya hai
With you comes this amazing light
Chand teri roshni ka halka sa ik saaya hai
The moon is just a small part of your light
Teri nazron ne dil ka kiya jo hashar asar yeh huwa
Your look made such a mess of me
Ab in mein hi doob ke ho jaoon paar yehi hai dua
Now my prayer is that I want to drown and come to shore in your eyes
Aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adayein hain
Aankho mein teri ajab si ajab si adayein hain
Dil ko banade jo patange saansein yeh teri who hawaien hai

[back from the land of the free]

My poster and closing dinner at the Government House

Reclining Buddha, Floating Market, Thai bamboo dance


Ayuthaya ruins, Flo and the chedi, our exploded luggage.

Yay, my Bangkok photos are finally ready! Took me almost a week to seive through them, then upload and caption them. Phew..a lot of work..and a lot of photos, for just a week there, and only 3 days of sightseeing. Well, can't expect no less from the photo princess and her sidekick who has a new cam. Haha.

This trip was much better than the last one (in 2005?) for several reasons:
1. I got to fly on SQ..god bless NUS lol.
2. The conference was actually good. Didn't doze off like I expected I would.
3. There was much less shopping, much more sightseeing, which is what I like on a trip.
4. Got to know my prof (and his wife) better...even went shopping with him, where he taught/motivated me how to bargain. I term it "life skills" haha.
5. Shopping was fun! Saw the shopping side of Flo like never before...till we had to buy 2 extra bags for out loot :P
6. I didn't get bronchitis at the end of the trip. Big relieve! Except for a lil tummy upset and chapped lips, I was fine..yay.

And some things I learnt from this trip:
1) Latest way of note taking is snapping photos of the powerpoint slides on the big screen...was getting annoyed with some ppl doing that (very distracting..duh)..then I realised my own prof does that. Gah.

2) The Thais bow a lot - it's not just a Jap thing. Ha. Everytime the Princess entered the room, everyone had to stand, and everytime someone wanted to leave (even if they were sitting behind the princess), they'd bow before making their way out.

3) Princesses can do what they want - she left before a speaker was finished, making everyone stand and disrupt the speaker in mid-sentence. I think he looked pissed..haha.

4) Many young Muslims (more visibly the hijab clad ladies) doing research - very refreshing compared to the news we always hear about how violent Southern Thai Muslims are. =)

5) The Thais have a lucky colour for everyday of the week! It first started of when we noticed a LOT of people wearing red on Sun at the airport, then yellow on Mon. We were trying to take note of all the days..but ended up not being able to follow through. So according to our tour guide, the scheme is:

• Monday - Yellow (also the King's colour since he was born on a Mon - you're more likely to see the yellow "uniform" more prominently than other colours)
• Tuesday - Pink
• Wednesday - Green
• Thursday - Orange
• Friday - Blue
• Saturday - Purple
• Sunday - Red

I want Saturday to be my day! Haha.

[Learning to Trust]

Learning To Trust

Go softly here, let me lead the way,
so shadows can not hide behind this door,
for skepticism is my greatest foe,
yet hope forever, forces me to stay.

Be gentle now so I can learn to trust;
betrayal comes in colors of the night.
My soul desires a warm and loving touch;
please do not say you love me if it's lust.

With just a touch, my secret is revealed;
a traitor's body, defies my decree.
Before this night my spirit was concealed.
Malice enslaved, now passion sets me free.

Suspicion is the only truth I know;
Please close the door behind you when you go.

~ Susan Maree ~

[happy birthday blueberry!]

yummy dessert

the happy b'day girl


min n me

this is really late...but happy birthday mel! hee =)

[good Deepavali for me]

I just remembered I forgot to wish my Indian friends Happy Deepavali..so here u go..Happy Deepavali. Heh..better late than never right? :P

Anyway, I finally had my lazy day. Yay. On Wed nite I had tuition with a new student, at a really ulu place in Jurong West. Didn't know student hostels existed there (they're actually HDB flats I think)...there was Sheng Siong there, and even life, for such a seemingly deserted part of Singapore. I didn't even have an address, just directions to get there. Was relieved I managed to find the place even though I was 20 mins late heh. After tuition, I wanted to call a cab but I didn't even know where exactly I was so that was impossible. I was pretty infuriated, cos after waiting so long for a vacant cab, some bunch of !*&#@! cut queue and took my cab...grrr. Luckily Flo was sleeping over and since she was on the way to Clementi in a cab, she got her cab driver to rescue me. Wee, what would I do without her. =)

We watched Good Luck Chuck...first time seeing Jessica Alba in a romantic comedy role. The movie was alright, kinda predictable but sweet, though I don't think the role suited her...she should stick to hot adventurous roles like Dark Angel or Invisible Woman. HAWT. Then saw a couple of really weird movies which flo had..gosh..they made me have weird dreams that night. Lol. Woke up late yest which was really really good. Felt very rested. Flo helped me cook nasi lemak..for my first try, I must say it was pretty good ;). We watched Final Destination 3 after that (finally completed the trilogy) and more weird movies...but I fell asleep halfway. I think it was cos I was too comfy lying on Flo. Haha. So yeah, I got lots of rest.

In the evening, when I finally decided to open my eyes, we went for a drive to my student's area so that I could familiarise with it. After having some satay there, we headed home..and suddenly i was dreading going back to work. ZZZ. I wanna be a tai-tai. Send me a rich husband please. Heh.

[here's to 3 years and more]

Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to Florence,
Happy birthday to you!

And the birthday girl turns 26 on 3rd Nov 2007. Oops, am I not supposed to reveal her age? Ok, she's 21. Haha. As the tradition goes, celebration almost always equals to eating, so on Friday night we went to Royal Plaza to have a buffet dinner at Carousel. Been wanting to try the food there since they had their makeover, and I must say, I wasn't disappointed. The ambience of the place was much cooler than before, very trendy. The food was good as well - variety was huge (International cuisine)...and the highlight, for me at least, was DESSERT. Yum yum. The pastries were good and the chocolate fondue was mmmmm. Too bad we were stuffed pretty fast, didn't gulp down that much food..but ok lah, I think we ate to meet the cost of the buffet..haha. The only thing that was ridiculous was the $11 fruit juice which I'm never gonna order again. I snapped loads of pics of the b'day girl..shall put them up when they're ready.

Next day was mostly lazing in at the b'day girl's place...waking up late and spending the day doing brainless things like watching movie after movie. Caught two sequels of Final Destination...was surprised I actually remembered the plot. Still remember watching it with my JC friends..the twins, Ina, and the Mr-Koh-crazy girl. Haha. Yep, my Angklung gang..hmm..nostalgic.

In the evening we headed down to the Esplanade to catch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We were a lil early, so I annoyed Flo a lil more with more pics. haha. Wanna make use of my cam as much as possible. The musical was exciting! The plot was..well..meant for kids I guess...and the songs weren't particularly catchy. But the special effects, dancing and costumes were great. I loved it when the car floated..and even flew! Weee!!! We were expecting it to "fly" (slightly) above the audience, but too bad it didn't (Peter Pan still wins big time on that point!). The car with its wings n all against the starry backdrop looked cool anyway...made me wanna get up on the car with them heh. Me want a flying car....or a magical one just like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...

Still energised after the show (and full from dinner), we watched Don Juan Demarco back at flo's. Johnny Depp was ultimate droolable material. Ahh..I wish I were one of his conquests. I'd have to be just one of the thousands of gals he's mesmerised, but at least I'd get to be kissed by him. Lol. We slept in again on Sun morn, then went to Sim Lim to buy the b'day girl a prezzie. Being the very efficient shopper she is, we settled on the first within-price-range camera we found - a Canon Powershot A550. For the price we paid, I think it was a fantastic deal...even a discounted 2GB SD card and a rechargeable batteries kit were thrown in. Oh and not forgetting the free screen protector. I love discounts. Haha. We had lunch at Banana Leaf Apollo restaurant...food was spicily good as usual. Ahh..can never have enough of those masala prawns... After getting a good deal at M1 on a prepaid card - which came with a free gift (I chose a toaster) and a spin-the-wheel gift (I won an electric toothbrush..was eyeing it even as I was queueing hee), we came to my place to chill.

At about dinner time, uncle dolah called to ask us if we wanted to go out for dinner...he missed flo and wanted to give her a bday kiss lol. We had a great time, glad sakura peeled away from her A-level mugging to join us. After a sumptuous dinner at our usual haunt, we went over to Swenson's for ice cream. We had lots n lots of ice cream; even an ice cream cake for the b'day girl. She looked happy. Heh =) Glad she felt loved; she was especially touched that people who are not her family were so eager to celebrate her special day with her. We love u Flo! :)

Phew, and that about sums it up. Hope the b'day girl had a fantastic time. **Muaks**

[freakin' annoying taxi driver]

Had about the worst experience with a cab driver so far yesterday. Way worse than being cheated my money for taking weird longer routes. This guy appeared nice at first - asking sweetly which preferred route I have. Ever had one of those cabbies with the sign: "Dear Passenger, please let me know your preferred route and please alert me beforehand if you want to turn or alight at a certain place."? Good I thought; at least no misunderstandings over why he took a longer route, etc. I've even seen a cabby with a footnote "please do not give a $50 dollar note as I may not have change" - fair enough, at least there was a warning.

Throughout the drive, this fella was ramming the engine and cursing at drivers who were either slow, blocking his way, or one thing or another. Well, typical aggressive driver I thought. Then came the horrible part. I reached my destination and took out a $50 note to pay. He turned around immediately and said I just started my shift so I don't have change. Like I was born yesterday - if you've just started your shift all the more you should bring change in case of a big note...ever heard of preparedness?? So I told him nicely that I didn't have change. Then he suddenly gruntled on and on about "I don't care you have to give me small change or else I'll drive you somewhere else to get change". I'm like "hey, I really don't have change", while digging in my bag looking for enough small notes which I didn't have. So he suggested I pay by credit card or NETS but I said I didn't want to cos there's an extra charge. That's when things got worse - he said he'd drive me off to the nearest petrol station, get his money and not bring me back to my destination. Like wtf. He should've told me at pick up that he didn't have change, I would've gladly taken another cab. When I told him that, I got another nagging about how passengers should do the asking, don't take the cab drivers for granted etc etc.

By that time there was a queue forming at the pickup point and the cars behind started honking. He thought by opening his window and flashing the $50 note ppl would understand...I'm glad they continued honking at him. Even the security guard was asking him to move off but he threatened me (with the meter still on) that he'd drive off some other place and leave me there after taking his fare. I called Flo so that she could come pay for me. But in the end I just wanted my money back and to get out of the cab (plus not anger the other vehicles), so I paid by NETS anyway. Idiotic cabbie said "don't worry, I'm not so hardup about the surcharge - afterall it goes to the company not me...u shouldn't be so stingy.." blah blah. So the moment he swiped my card, I got out of the cab adding, "Well, ur aggression is not gonna get u anywhere!" and slammed the door and walked off. He actually said "Thank you". Grrr. When I got out it was so embarrassing cos ppl at the lobby were staring at my cab. I turned around to look at the number plate, muttered the F word under my breathe, got a sympathetic nod from the security guard and stormed into the building. Oh yeah, that reminds me - I should write in to Comfort. And if you happen to flag down SHC 1503 Z, either avoid the idiot, or make sure u have plenty of small notes to pay for ur ride. Gah.

When I was done with my errand and was walking out of the building, the security guard said "bye" with a wide smile. I said bye but was a bit confused why he was so friendly. Maybe he was one of them who saw the incident. Haha. Well, can't remember, was too flustered. Luckily I had Flo to comfort me. Thanks sweetie :P

[exciting weekend]

I don't feel rested, but I'm not complaining. Had loads of fun this weekend. Started out with Fri night at East Coast Park with Flo. Finally saw what the cable ski park thingy was about. Looked like really exciting - was almost tempted to try it there n then. Too bad wasn't in the right gear...must go soon! We sat at the beach, drawed in the aroma of some noisy kids' bbq, and enjoyed the sounds of the waves crashing in on the beach at high tide (I sound like I'm writing a travel review lol). It was soothing to just sit there and stare into nothingness (not exactly: my complain abt east coast..and many sg beaches..is that there's always ships destroying the horizon!), talking out things that were causing knots in our lives.

Slept in on Sat morn and that was gooooooooood lol. Been wanting to do that since..hmm...last Wed (mid week blues?) Woke up, cooked, spent a couple of hours online then went off to meet cordelia, ruth n gil for dinner. They met a lil earlier but I wanted to laze a little at home first :P. We waited senselessly long at Swenson's, only to be disappointed with the food. It's not the first time that outlet got me disgruntled...they should really do something about it. After dinner we had a longgggggg chat at Coffee Club, where I was suddenly inspired to reveal deep dark secrets about myself. Thanks gals for being supportive. Ur loving words give me encouragement to heal more =)

On Sunday, got up early and tai-tai Flo picked me up to go to the Esplanade. Walked around a dead Esplanade and Marina Sq, but it was good cos I hate crowds. Bought myself a blouse from Dorothy Perkins..yay. Later on we had lunch (a week early) with her family to celebrate her b'day at Mirchi Restaurant. The decor was fantastic (except that the ac cld've been cooler), and the variety was excellent. I enjoyed the small feast too - but it was no big deal for a 5-star restaurant...can get the same at Apolo Banana Leaf at Little India for half the price..haha. After lunch we did a lil shopping, where Flo frightened her bro and me with the prices of things she wanted to buy lol. She couldn't find the Gucci wallet she wanted, so we just headed home, esp since her bro needed his baby nap..haha. Cute.

We went to Auntie's house so that I could give them the gifts from Bahrain...dresses for the ladies and perfume for uncle. We watched transformers and it was awesome! I wasn't interested when it came out in the cinemas, but now I think I've been converted. The special effects were fantastic..and I love it when they transform. My fave is Bumblebee...am still wishing my dad will buy me a car that will convert into a cool chevvy. Keep dreaming, girl. I was still stuffed from lunch..but the rest were hungry so we went to Teck Whye for dinner. Had another round of sinful and simple yet delicious food. They dropped me off at my place..but when I went up, I got a call saying they wanted to come up as well, since it's been ages since they visited us. The "twins" did their usual long-lost-brothers catching up while the girls huddled together in my humble abode and I later declared it my unofficial room-warming party. Yay! Lol. Too bad my room wasn't as need as it should've been...tsk tsk. :P

So after that busy weekend, maybe I should catch up on sleep tonight. Uhuh..good idea...

[back from bahrain]

A week that zoomed by so fast. Enjoyed every minute of it. Meeting was sweet, parting was tough. Till we meet again...

More Bahrain photos

Seems that ppl don't know where Bahrain is, other than that it's in the Middle East. Well here's a map and more info haha (on the East of Saudi Arabia):

[huggies]

12 hugs in 2 days...yay!

[Innocent Like Drew]

What's Your Celebrity Smile Style?

My Result: Innocent Like Drew

While we'd never believe she's Never Been Kissed, Drew is sweet and innocent smile is what makes so many women want to be her, and so many men want to be with her. Like Drew, you have a sparkling personality that can light up a room (or a movie set) the moment you walk into it. Accompanied by an easy-going manner, your charming nature tells people that you are trustworthy and ready for a good time.


You love to laugh about anything — jokes, pranks, yourself — and you prefer to maintain a childlike sense of wonder and amusement about the world. Even when things don't go your way, your positive attitude always helps you find the bright side of things. Keep on smiling!

Take this test >

[me want hugs]

Need I say more? Check out the bottom of my chat column. =)


psst. i wasn't hugging myself. those 5 were just a test run. :P
got the link from a random gay boy's blog i stumbled upon heh. cute.

[bored]

i was bored at work today, so i did this.

while I'm at it...there's an egghead on my desk....

3 more hours to go. tick tick tick.

[Thee passes by in a flash again]

Ramadhan's coming to an end. 9 more days. As always, the beginning is slow, and then before you know it, it's the last 10 most precious days. Inshallah my Muslim friends will receive blessings of the Night of Power (Lailatul Qadr).

[Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power.

Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Night of Power is?

The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.

The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees.

(That night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.]

~Al-Qadr 97:1–5~

This Ramadhan was much better for me compared to last. As a family, dad was less grumpy about us spending time with mum (not that we spent much time with her, unfortunately). And he's not going on about how we're gonna abandon him on Hari Raya - well, at least not yet. I guess if I cook good food then he'll be happy lol. Sis improved as well...no more needing to drag her out of bed (literally!). Maybe it's the stress of her studying making her a lighter sleeper, maybe she decided to cooperate this year. Whatever the reason, we're happy haha. On a personal level, I've been paying more attention to prayers; keeping time and not rushing through them. I actually miss the days that mum would drag us out of bed and force us to pray the special prayers with her to get most out of this blessed month. I used to hate it, but now I'm longing for it again. Funny, you miss the things that are not there even though you took them for granted before. I've also been trying to spend more time at home during break fast, as I told my sis...I wanted to be "more domesticated". And they've been putting up being my guinea pigs for my cooking, so all's well. Heh.

May Allah grant us forgiveness and remove all our past sins, for He is the Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Amin.

P.S. Looking forward to Eid cos that's also when I'll be leaving for my trip. hehe. ;)

[a thousand views]

Hurray to a thousand (and some) views. Hope I'll catch the number 2000 next time heh.

[eXpReSSiVe]

Saf, your personality is shaped by your Expressive nature.

Your expressiveness makes it easy for you to explore life's possibilities without feeling too hemmed in by obligations. You probably enjoy sudden bursts of spontaneity and tend to live in the moment. Extremely structured environments, situations, or people are likely to make you feel uncomfortable because you generally gravitate toward flexibility and openness.

What Shapes Your Personality

Hmmm...me expressive?

[My vegetable intelligence]

Question # 1: Feeling sluggish? Which vegetable should you eat?
Your Answer: Brussel Sprouts
Brussels sprouts contain a special type of sulfur that has proven effective in fighting cancer, but if you’re looking for energy, the avocado is the way to go. Avocado is rich in monosaturated fat, which is easily burnt off as energy. You can also find the natural energy boost in olive and peanut oils. Avocado, a popular food in ancient South and Central America, promotes cardiovascular health as well.

Question # 2: Which vegetable contains as much calcium as a glass of milk?
Your Answer: Broccoli
Not only does broccoli offer as much calcium as whole milk, but the body absorbs it faster. Collared greens, kale, and spinach, are osteoporosis’ worst enemies as well. Broccoli, high in vitamins A and C, is considered a super food. This distinction means that it has the ability to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, and make you happier.

Question # 3: Which herb helps fight against cancer?
Your Answer: Cumin

Cumin seeds help digestion and provide an energy boost but if you’re looking for help in the battle against cancer choose fennel. Carrots, onions, and peas stand next to fennel as cancer fighters as well. An integral herb in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine fennel also contains high levels of antioxidants and vitamin C, strengthening the immune system.

Question # 4: Feeling blue? What vegetable should you choose?
Your Answer: Mustard Greens
Mustard greens prove effective in treating depression. Other natural Prozac alternatives include pumpkin, turnip greens, and kale. Mustard greens, a part of cuisine from China to South America, additionally helps fight asthma and keeps lungs healthy.

Question # 5: Spring cleaning? Which veggie is right for you?
Your Answer: Alfalfa

Alfalfa has been shown to effectively treat stomach disorders, but onions are the best choice for detoxifying your body. Parsley, sweet potatoes, and chard are all chock full of the stinky substance. Used since the sixth century as medicine, onions offer gastrointestinal benefits and lower blood sugar

Question # 6: Noticing some extra wrinkles? What vegetable do you need?
Your Answer: Bok Choy

Bok Choy provides an excellent source of Vitamin A and C, Beta-Carotene, dietary fiber, and calcium but pumpkin is your best bet for looking young. Pumpkin, a good source of fiber, iron, and folate, contains high levels of beta carotene, a chemical shown to slow the aging process. Pumpkin is one of the super foods, high in vitamins A and C, is considered a super food. This distinction means that it has the ability to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, and make you happier. In addition, pumpkin seeds work to lower cholesterol and promote prostate health. Sweet potatoes, winter squash, carrots, and broccoli all contain high levels of beta carotene as well.

Question # 7: Interested in preventing disease? Which vegetable lowers your chance of contracting colon and breast cancer?
Your Answer: Cauliflower
Cauliflower, an excellent source of Vitamin C, also contains sulphorophane, which has been shown to help prevent both colon and breast cancer. Sulphorophane is also found in broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and turnips.

Conclusion: I might not have the best of vegetable intelligence, but I'll keep this list in mind when I go on my healthy eating regime.