Bubu in BubuLand

No progress

2010-11-23T20:13:00.004+08:00

This year is 2010. Had a post this year, but deleted it became I feel that I'm doing free advertisement for the online store.

In just 1 month's time, a new year begins, and it's time to review and reflect on what has been done this year. I'm still the same old me, yup.. no paper from me yet (boss is going to kill me soon), not much progress in my research. I wonder if I can graduate in my estimated time. Whenever people ask me when I'm going to graduate, I will tell them I hope to submit my thesis by end of next year. And if they will remember.. they will just ask again (for the sake of asking). In terms of my studies, work, and research, I'm a failure and basically still stands like where I am last year. Maybe I should quit and get a masters degree..

Very lazy to come here to type my post. Feeling very unmotivated (in everything).

Don't come near me, I'll...

2009-12-25T21:47:00.002+08:00

Ahhhh... Chooooo...

SNEEZE!

It's Christmas day today and sadly after returning from my stayover at LL's place, I fell ill. Oops.. having itchy nose, running nose..

I have enjoyed my X'mas eve girls' night out. LL's place is our fav stayover venue. Felt loved during this season~ Participants: LiLing, MiaoLing, SiHui, Ivy & me. Ivy says that I'm the 1st (real) friend to sit in the car drove by her. So honoured!! Yeah! SiHui was my "secret" santa. She's so smart to give me chocolates! Royce somemore loh.. I love 'em a lot. haha, cos I complained to her that I was looking at looking at a X'mas exchange gift received 3 years ago.. haha~ She had also spent a lot of time and effort in the creating of my wedding video. The songs, the tatty teddy graphics, the edited clips, the animation,... very professional. I seriously think she did a much better job than the video/photo montages I saw during wedding banquets. Thumbs up. Ivy and MiaoLing were very interesting.. Ivy bought and put on cucumber eye masks on us (really printed cucumber loh) and MiaoLing gave each of us a Faceshop facial mask.

Happy shalala.. but got to try to have more rest tonight to make my body well again.

Happy Christmas everybodee!!

Tracing footsteps

2009-12-20T11:48:00.007+08:00

Browse thru' my E66 phone and saw some photos..

At NUS, waiting for my sister to finish lab. We are going to the dentist after that.

My lunch yesterday. Japanese noodles with egg and cheese ($4) at Taka. My favourite!!

My breakfast today. Made by Dennis using a specialised half-boiled egg container. Quite cooked actually. Next time should put less water to make the egg more runny.

One fateful Saturday which I reached school at 7.20am to be in time for my subsequent experiments, Dennis came to school later to keep me company. He brought our mini jigsaw puzzle along. Haha, I need to wait for my stuff to cool down and dry so at the meantime, we kept ourselves busy. The duo managed to complete in 2 hours. The pieces were very small that it was very hard to be handled by our fingers, we need tweetzers.. haha..

Marche @313 (1st day of operation)

Photos taken before the very fierce "stall"-lady shouted at us and forbid photo-taking.

Food not that fantastic.. The lady at savoury crepes cannot make it. Rosti burnt. When we go and get our food (but Dennis left his bag at the seat), the silly waitress kept flipping the table display to show that the table is free. They don't sell the pork knuckles!

After thoughts: I prefer vivocity's Marche.

1998- 我的心田

2009-12-19T10:36:00.002+08:00

Just made a discovery of my Chinese assignment many years ago. It was done when I was in Secondary 2. Found the first draft of the A5-size book which I was supposed to compile in 6 essays, 2 book reading reports, and 2 newspaper article review. I remembered doing this assignment during a school holiday period, either in June or December, and I had spent a lot of effort in designing my little book by choosing my Chinese character fonts appropriately and making the use of nice clip art graphics. I used to be very proud of this book of mine, though there are many errors (wrong Chinese character word used) and massive use of cliches and idioms.

After reading a few of the essays, it brought me back to the days (primary school to secondary school) when we need to do composition/essay-writings. We did not have much life experience and we need to have imaginary friends, fictitious events, and exagerated descriptions to spice up our essays to get more marks. Haha, it's pretty interesting. Maybe I will scan and upload a few of the writings from this little book and give my feedback.

Happy Day in School and Shopping after School

2009-12-18T21:54:00.004+08:00

Managed to do REAL lab work in the afternoon today. Was rushing in making of pellets and scanning my samples, but truly felt very happy to be busy and doing REAL work. Weighing powders was a boring and patience-testing task. Did weighing for one hour plus prior to making of pellets. Not easy to get 1mg (0.001g) when there were so many people walking pass the weighing balance and causing vibrations (balance becomes unstable).

Dennis and I finally walk to the grassy top of the School of Arts, Media & Design. The air smells fresher and cooler there. The breeze was amazing shiok. We were not the lone 2 souls up there, there were others coming after us. Dennis was cute to suggesting picnic at the top of the building on the grass. Our food was FRUITS!! Luckily, my camera could still capture a few photos of the grassy view. NICE~

We went shopping today. Dennis is deployed to do teaching first, so he needs working clothes. Buying guy's attire is being straightforward. Tops are usually solid colour, stripes, checkers or dots. Bottoms are trousers with variation in colours, textures, and stripes. Jurong point is super crowded today. Probably it's due to x'mas frenzy. We are happy with our buys coz it's sale items with further reductions in price and we got a free towel without knowing that we are entitled for one. Wahaha~

Dennis finally get to eat his special fish burger. He said that he taste better than the teriyaki chicken burger. It was so delicious that I do not have the chance to test-taste it. I'm contented with my MOS chicken!! The corn soup took such a long long time to be ready. It then became our hot desert.

Little updates about our flat and our after-ROM lives

Went for 1st appointment with HDB, exhausted our CFF o' savings, depleted our joint account savings (cash upfront + agent's commission). Handover of key (aka 2nd appointment) to be taking place just before V'day 2010. However, we won't be getting our flat yet cos we need to give the sellers some leeway time to evacuate the flat. Will be in an awkward situation whereby WE are the true owners but the occupiers are the previous owners. My cousin agent said that it's a norm and we can't really do anything about it. I just feel that in this case, buyers are the ones on the losing end. WE should be more clear next time in our purchase, like negotiating rent. Just have to pray hard that the previous owners do not do something funny (like borrowing money from you-know-who). I have got their IC numbers! So if they do anything funny, I will report them to the police with their IC numbers!!! If everything goes smoothly, the flat will be ready by May.

We are staying apart after ROM-ing and will still be staying apart after we get the flat. My "in-laws" will be shifting into the flat while I'll still be staying with my family. I really need time to adjust to "new" lifestyle to settling down with the in-laws. Afterall, we have not gone through the traditional wedding part yet so mentally still not considered married. What's important now is to save up enough to refurnish the flat.

Taken @ someone's place. House-viewing in August of a 4-room flat. Bad fengshui.. haha~

Not excited at all

2009-12-13T17:20:00.002+08:00

Going down to HDB office tomorrow for 1st appointment and not feeling any excitement.

A lot of fear factor adding on to me. We have the money to pay tomorrow but for our renovations of the house, we are squeezed dry le. Guess that things are going to stay as it is. No money and no heart do do anything to decorate it. Not my house other than it has my name tied to it.

Today is 2 months after we sign the marriage cert. No meet-ups, no celebration.

Feeling very down actually.

What's the purpose of X'mas gift exchange?

2009-12-12T00:02:00.003+08:00

So far, I'm gonna have 4 gift exchanges in the name of Christmas. I don't really celebrate X'mas but I truly believe that it's a season of giving. However, I don't really understand why should we have gift exchange when most of the time, I get things that I don't use or need. In the end I chuck them aside and they were left to collect dust or decay with time. I don't remember what are the past presents I had bought.

With 4 x ~$20 = ~$80.. Can't believe that I'm going to spend $80 on gifts which may be junk to the recipients.

Giving comes from the heart and not some kind of obligation. I do remember giving little pressies to my friends (for no reason but just feel like it) and still remember what I have given.

Just penning down how I feel and there is no need to feel the same way. Wahaha~

My new year's wishes so far (for 2010)

Have pay rise

Get fat bonus

Good health (no LS, no cough!)

Accept the reality of being married

Lonely in this little corner

2009-12-03T12:34:00.002+08:00

Learning to be selfish

Learning to be quiet

Learning to be efficient

Learning to stop procrastination

... ... ...

Being striked out

2009-12-02T13:22:00.003+08:00

If you have noticed, I have striked out some friends in my side bar links. Yup, try clicking to see if you are able to gain access. I don't, sadly.. The links shall remain to remind me that I've been frequenting their protected blogs donkey years ago.

Some cheerful notes

I have just completed training for the new FE-SEM at my workplace. Feeling contented to be one of the few pioneer users. The equipment has many value-added features and shall be very useful to my research. Hopefully I can strike out one of the item in my wish list by end of this year.. i.e. to have an academic publication (may be far-fetched but I will work hard in this last month of the year to at least finish drafting out a manuscript).

Dennis is successful in his career switch. Next time I will have to go holidays with him during the peak period of school holidays. Regardless of the negative feedbacks of being a public educator, I give him my well wishes and may he succeed and be happy in his new-found job. It's a golden rice bowl after all.

Facebook game achievements

2009-12-02T13:07:00.002+08:00

Yeah~ awards achieved in Farmville (Facebook game)

Buying temptations everywhere

2009-11-28T23:32:00.003+08:00

It's year end and the whole Singapore has sales going on~ Sitex is on now and X'mas sales are happening too. Merchandise going at cheaper prices.. really make many hearts fall into temptation including mine!! I gotta hold on tight to my purse strings cos I have to save hard for my coming flat. In case some of my friends are lost, Dennis and I are getting a resale flat (second-hand or even third-hand flat). Hee, and I don't intend to elaborate on why (just that I don't think I owe anyone any explanation). The flat has not officially become ours yet.. needs time... any doubts you can go to the hdb website for more information.

Thanks for all your concerns

Thank you my friends who understand my frustrations and send me well wishes and heart-warming private messages. It's really very sweet. Both Dennis and I are just following the regular pattern of life: graduation -> work and save $ -> marriage solemnisation -> buying a home -> wedding luncheon/dinner/party -> honeymoon. We are happy to share our process of different stages. He says that Singaporean just like to compare (especially prices), I just guess it's true. What I have realised most out of these processes is that we live in reality and not in our idealised world and everything has to reach an equilibrium and some kind of compromise.

NEWater vistor centre revisited

It's my second time there. First time was in year 2005 together with my SIP internship people.

Dennis registered us for the free guided tour and he's pretty excited about this visit. However, there are only 7 visitors at that time interval that we were there. Looks quite cold. It's alright, everyone can take photos without much hindrance. The centre has not changed much over the years and of course after the tour, we are all given a bottle of the NEWater. Water is essential to our survival!

My family loves me

2009-11-20T23:34:00.002+08:00

Dennis is the latest addition to my family.

For the past 2 days (Thursday and Friday), I'm on medical leave. Seems like the indigestion and food poisoning bug has hit both Dennis and I after our return from Bali (Monday). He vomits while I have runs. Imagine running for the bathroom hero (according to Andy Lau's old song on "Ma Tong") for more than 20 times during the day. That's my only activity for the whole day yesterday. What an experience! I woke up feeling wobbling of my body, lack of strength. After my baby sis left for school (she waited for me to feel more stable physically before leaving), I started my frequent sprints to the toilet. Shall not elaborate on how my stools look like. Dennis came to visit me after his school. He was here to watch me perform my sprinting feat. He came armed with anti-vomit tablets and anti-diarrhea capsules which came from his recent doctor's visit. He came unnoticed by me who was weak and napping away in my cosy bedroom. Luckily my mum was home already and let him in. I woke up after my nap find Dennis by my bedside, I was so happy! Mum was sweet, she treated me dark chocolates after informing her that I've only had self-cooked campbell soup as my source of food intake for the day. Dad came home at night after work and sent me to the doc. I really have no guts to walk to the doc myself, in case of any urgency, I do not know how to react. Travelling by car is a much conservative option. True enough, while waiting for the my turn to see the doc, I went to explore the clinic's hero. I wondered how did the doc confirmed that it's food poisoning after listening to my abdomen area with his stethoscope, I was amazed. I was given only one type of medicine, hopefully it's powerful enough to stop my further release.

It's warm to know that my family cares and love me, I love everyone of them too! And I love the toilet bowl too!!

Happiness and frustrations to vent out

2009-09-19T11:38:00.003+08:00

We are going to be officially engaged this coming Oct. Beginning next year, we hope to be proud owners of our new flat... but we are not really married... going to still stay apart until our Chinese customary procedures that will be done in the next 2-3 years.
Many friends and relatives have expressed their concerns or over-concerns, and I feel that our decisions are our own choice. What's wrong in having the ROM solemnisation and the customary procedures apart? What's wrong with buying a resale flat? What's wrong with staying with the in-laws? What's wrong with staying near the wife's family? What's wrong with buying a 5-room flat? What's wrong with signing up for a ROM package first and then later decide on a good studio to do our bridal package? What's wrong with everyone? I'm sick of explaining all these very private issues with people and different people have different preferences. And I'm not in the rush because I'm pregnant k... I'm not pregnant currently. Thank you and shut up.

Stress Stresses Stressed

2009-06-20T10:25:00.004+08:00

School stuff
It's June now, many days have passed in June. June is left with not much days.

June signifies the start of the next half of the year. Bubu is stressed over many things.

There is one very stressful thing now, to write my phd confirmation report and go for my confirmation review presentation.

Still stuck at writing the report, and very stressed cos June is left with only 10 days and I need to finish writing my first draft very soon. I need to present latest by early Aug cos in mid-August, I will be flying to Sydney to attend a workshop for one week.

One more thing coming up, I need to prepare presentation slides for a "conference". It's local small-scale one, not well-known and not much people.. but it's still my first confirmation conference presentation. I'm still undecided on what and how to present.
There is going to be many transitions in this coming and I hope to overcome my obstacles eventually.

Hope to continue doing my leisure stuff
hmmm... Sydney is going to be cold in August, I hope to be able to finish knitting my beanie and scarf to bring over... maybe after my confirmation presentation is settled then I shall regain my momentum in knitting. Or I just take the ones I knitted for Dennis.. haha~
Baking has been put on hold and so far, Dennis has only tasted my oven-baked food once.. it has been 2 months since he's back in Singapore. Really no time man.. I wanna try the baked rice recipe a lot!!

Bintan getaway in mid July
I am going to Bintan!! It's my first time visiting there~ Now book the Angsana Bintan resort got special promotion.. looking forward to my outdoor bathroom and jacuzzi~ I'm going with my mum, sister, aunts, uncle, cousins, and nieces. Sounds exciting lei... such large group man!!

Seems like a good baked rice recipe

2009-02-24T17:20:00.002+08:00

24/2/2009

This post is to remind myself to give this recipe a try.. hohoho... excited to try out new recipes in my new toyomi oven.

http://chekyang.com/musings/tag/chicken-baked-rice/

Chicken Baked Rice

INGREDIENTS:

300g chicken breast meat (sliced thinly and then into chunks)
1 can (290g) cream of mushroom soup (Campbell’s)
1 can (290g) fresh milk (use the emptied Campbell’s can for measurement)
1 tray of fresh button or mixed mushrooms (sliced)
3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice (rinsed)
Finely chopped garlic (1 big clove / 2 small cloves) or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small onion (cubed)
1 small carrot (cubed)
1 small capsicum (cubed)
1 sachet dry onion soup mix (I used Erin’s cream of vegetable mix)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
A dash of ground black pepper (optional)
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (quantity variable depending on individual’s preference)

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Wash chicken breasts and pat dry; set aside.
Combine cream of mushroom soup with fresh milk and stir well to remove lumps. Set aside 1/2 cup of mixture for later.
Mix remaining soup mixture with chopped garlic, chopped onion, ½ pack of the dry onion soup mix and rice. Optional: sprinkle some ground black pepper.
Mix well and pour into a baking dish. (Can be a casserole dish or pyrex glass dish. Mine’s a round, 8″ diameter by 2″ depth pyrex glass dish).
Place carrots and capsicum on rice mixture followed by chicken pieces.
Combine reserved soup mixture with mushrooms. Spread over chicken.
Sprinkle with remaining dry onion soup mix, thyme, and Parmesan cheese.
Cover tightly with aluminium foil and bake in a 180°C oven for 1 hour.
Remove foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until chicken is tender and liquid is absorbed. If the dish still looks watery, you may want to increase temperature to 190 or 200°C to speed up the evaporation. Do sample from the centre of the dish to check whether rice has soaked up the soup mixture.

Alternative recipe....
http://cookbakelegacy.blogspot.com/2007/07/baked-rice.html

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked rice, washed and drained of water
1 yellow onion, diced
1 small tin button mushrooms, sliced
1 packet ham (8 slices), cubed
2 tbsps butter
1 can mushroom soup (Campbell)
Mixture of mozarella and cheddar cheese, shredded

Method:

Melt butter in a pan and stir-fry the onions till fragrant.

Add in the mushroom and ham and stir for a few minutes.

Add in the uncooked rice and mix well.

Transfer the rice mixture into the rice cooker and add enough water to cover the ingredients. Cook for one cycle.

When rice is cooked, portion out the rice into individual baking plates and ladle in about 2-3 scoops of the mushroom soup.

Add a layer of a mixture of shredded mozi and cheddar cheese.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degree C for about 20-30 mins.

Treasures found during the Chinese New Year Spring Cleaning

2009-01-25T17:28:00.002+08:00

Feeling very satisfied that I moved my lazy bum to do a mini spring cleaning. Read many unread letters.. shredded many pieces of paper.. and I found surprises!!!
Surprise #1.. a $30 cheque... it was dated last year's August... I guess it is still valid within 6 months bah...
Surprise #2... it came with a very very thick envelope... it was a credit card which I've apply last July... woo~ it actually came... I can finally use that card for some discounts le...

Happy Chinese New Year 2009 to everybody!!!
Gong xi gong xi~
Niu nian xing da yun~

Who...

2008-12-07T19:36:00.002+08:00

Ayumi singing Mandarin~

Jap version of the song, Ayumi singing live~

My work

2008-11-29T15:08:00.005+08:00

Bought the yarns on 1st Nov'08
Complete knitting of scarf on 29th Nov'08
Duration: 4 weeks

<1> The yarns
<2> Almost finished scarf without the loose ends weaved in
<3> Weaving in the loose ends with a needle
<4> Finished product (*smilez*)

**************************************************************

Sun YanZi
found this 25+mins long clip which are divided into 3 segments
A very touching compilation of Stefanie Sun's music videos, concert scenes, her quotes, her voice, her past ads on tv...

Knitting basics - binding off / casting off

2008-11-29T09:45:00.002+08:00

I keep forgetting how to bind off my knitting work.. haha~ here are the videos which I have found from YouTube to remind myself if I forget again...

Binding off in knit-style

Binding off in purl-style

Going to finish my sister's army-camo scarf in time for her one-month Europe trip... so happy... I guess it's time for me to knit one for my own in case I go to really cold places in future...

Old songs

2008-11-28T16:49:00.007+08:00

These are the songs which I learnt when I was in primary school:

The Happy Wanderer by Frank Weir which was originally sang in German.

Me and My Shadow by Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr. A very light-hearted song...

Beauty and the Beast by Celion Dion and Peabo Bryson, oh I love the Disney cartoon too.
The version I have here is sang by a teapot.. not sure whose voice was it.

Somewhere Out There by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram

a cute version from the movie itself

Amalliri, Mia Belle by Giulio Caccini in 1885
Now shown was sang by Andreas Scholl

Italian text

Amarilli, mia bella
Non credi, o del mio cor dolce desio,
D'esser tu l'amor mio?
Credilo pur, e se timor t'assale,
Prendi questo mio strale,
Aprimi il petto e vedrai scritto in core:
Amarilli, Amarilli, Amarailli è il mio amore.

English translation

Amarilli, lovely Amarilli
Believest thee not, oh my heart's sweet desire
tis thou my heart aspires?
Believe, tis true: yet should a dread besiege thee
doubt not, tis vane
rip my bosom open, and there inscribed you'll see
Amarilli, Amarilli, Amaraillys
My sweetest love art thee

________________________________________

I'm on MC from thurday... so, it's gonna be a long weekend for bubu.
I'm sick of sleeping the whole day so I did knitting today. Hope to be able to complete this work by beginning of Dec which is just 2 days away. Gambatte mina-san!

What's school for bubu?

2008-11-26T21:50:00.004+08:00

Invigilating undergraduates' quiz, not fun loh... cos just stand around and look at them to make sure that they are not cheating

At my work desk

... MSN-ing?!!?? I need a BIGGER table!

Be at laboratory doing experiments

and listening to my own music to not be so bored at lab...

Exploring food in NTU's only food court

with my current favourite Fishball Noodle stall...

Having lunch alone can be a pleasure

at Palete western food restaurant in school, quite costly... seldom go there...

Attending workshops... this one is about chemical hazards, fire-fighting and fire prevention

My bombs for hydrothermal synthesis (what I called toxic lab)

which I guard very dearly...

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Yup, I know it's recession and it's not wise to spend money... but within these 2 days,

I've booked flights to Macau for May 2009 (only $230 each for return trip, it's too cheap to resist the offer). Intending to go Hongkong from Macau and spend 1 or 2 nights in Macau. Going with Dennis.

I just booked free-and-easy tour to Macau with Mum (18-20Dec'08), I wanna buy my almond biscuits and wife's biscuits!!!

I'm going to Genting Highland with my uni friends (26-28Dec'08)... 2nd trip with them ever since the graduation trip last year... it's time for everyone to deserve a good break.

Haha, being poorer but richer at heart.

Am I fallin'...

2008-11-25T17:40:00.005+08:00

SICK?!!??

4 cups of hot japanese green tea + 1 cold tablet
do not seem to be effective on my body
sneezes 'n' runny nose accompany me for the whole day
really feel like clogging my nostrils with tissue paper.. but I'm not at home!!

I wanna go home sweet home but I still have labwork to do...
should i skip something?
sighhhh... not thinking well...
am i seeing stars?? heehee...

"Starry night" by Van Gogh

An innovative starry night inspired artpiece

Umbrella!! So cool!!

A Tote bag!!! I think this beats those Louis Vuitton & Burberrys ones...

Mythbusters

2008-11-24T17:52:00.003+08:00

Trying to beat the fingerprint security

Being a burglar?

a heavy weekend
last weekend, I met up with many friends... new and old ones. It feels great to be still in touch with my old friends from university and kind of miss the study times with them a lot. I'm still in NTU but the feeling is kinda of different now. I prefer the old times.. haha~

Say Goodbye...

2008-11-20T22:02:00.002+08:00

finally, I managed to find out the title of this song by the late Zhang Yu Sheng 张雨生
it's called 我期待 and it was re-made to so Matilda Tao can sing along with him...

张雨生 in a variety show hosted by Fei Ge

A-Mei & 张雨生 together singing live in 玫瑰之夜

The song "Zombie" by Cranberries has been become a hot pick in singing competitions in Taiwan lately..
the original singer...

the lyrics...

Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaken?

But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying...

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, dou, dou, dou, dou, dou...

Another mother's breakin' heart
Is taken over.
When the vi'lence causes silence,
We must be mistaken.

It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.
In your head, in your head they're still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are dying...

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey, oh, ya, ya-a...

~~~~ Very meaningful song... WORLD PEACE... a world with no violence (possible??!!??)

爱什么稀罕

2008-11-18T18:39:00.003+08:00

A powerful song by A-Mei (Zhang Hui Mei)

Sang by many and very well... a comparision...

By Alisa who went to Xin Guang 2 to pk, I like her voice!

By Huang Mei Zhen (Xin Guang 2) and Lin Hong Ming (Xin Guang 3)
Rock version.. super cooooool...
Very entertaining performance!

By Wang Ya Ting from Chao Ou 1

什么时候你开始对我说
奇奇怪怪有些勉强的理由
我只好装着都不懂
我在想爱情怎么有这么多借口

**那天晚上你有话对我说
你的眼神早已对我没有温柔
还怪我什么都不懂
我在想你为什么总是有借口
三心二意的你我不想再忍受

**爱什么稀罕不要再等待
你若是摇摆只好说声Bye Bye
爱什么稀罕我选择孤单
你若不敢爱决定不算太晚
就是要从现在把你赶出门外

Teacher Eileen? Yes and No

2008-11-17T22:44:00.002+08:00

When I was young, I never have big ambitions. Neither do I expect that I would get in touch with teaching during my growing up years and even now.

In Junior College years, I joined the Interact Club. My weekly mission is to attend the Wednesday breaktime meeting and to mentor less privileged children in a student centre located at Bukit Batok. I dreaded attending the dull Wednesday meeting because I got to eat fast and less. Going to the student centre seemed more interesting to me. After some time of volunteering at the centre, my friend and I got transferred to coach tuition on saturdays. Instead of checking school homework of many children, I got myself my first student in my life. I remembered that she was in Normal Tech secondary one and was very weak in her Mathemathetics. Guiding her in Maths wasn't as simple as it seem but I tried my best and Maths was my favourite subject. Sadly, I cannot recall her name, I only remember her as a soft-spoken and thin girl.

Community service played an important part in Junior College years. I'm not sure why was I so determine to complete 100 hours of CIP hours just to get an unrecognised Platinum Community Service award? Nonetheless, I did many tasks. One of which was a mentoring scheme to guide secondary 4 students from Yuan Ching Secondary school. It was an interactive and fun experience as the age different between mentor and mentee was just 1 year. So, no generation gap. I believe that the students are very smart and diligent, not difficult teaching them.

Everyone was very busy hunting for part-time or short-term jobs right after JC studies. I was pretty lay back and my first job in my life was recommended by my friend. She called my house phone and encouraged me to go for the interview. It was the first time that I called potential employer for an interview. After one interview and I got the job. I worked in a before-and-after-school student care/learning centre for solid seven months. My students' age ranged from 4 to 13 and they called me "Teacher Eileen". I prepared my own teaching materials and assignments. I love the feeling to being able to control and love the feeling of my students improving day by day. The subjects which I taught are too many: Maths for 5-year-olds, Phonics for under-8-year-olds, Creative writing for Primary 5, English for a Chinese girl waiting to enter into Primary school, Chinese & Maths for Primary 2, Science (my fav!!) for Primary 3 & 4, English(??!!?) for Primary 4. Like a superwoman? I still had to sweep and mop the floor after class, answer calls when I am near the phone, be a promoter to get more deals from interested parents, bring/pick students to/from school daily, mark the assignments, ... Some friends thought I have gone into drugs as I look very haggard during that time. A lot of hardwork for the pathetic $5-5.50/hr pay.

Left "Teacher Eileen" career behind me when I progressed to University. Days in University were peaceful until I joined the Welfare Services Club during my 3rd year. It's never too old to join a CCA so I went to join one with my 2 friends. This time was challenging. I had to learn Sign Language and get a basic certificate first! Why? I was going to be involved in teaching deaf adults Chinese. Venue was at the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf). It was a 2-way thing, I was learning sign language from my deaf students, and they were learning Chinese language from me. Everything is through English medium.

Being a graduate student, I have to teach undergraduates. For the past two semesters, I had taught year one experiment module. I find myself lucky to have gotten an experiment teaching assistant job. Teaching tutorials is more tough than teaching experiment. All I need to do is to prepare once, one set of presentation slides, and repeat the content every time every week. It may seem like a brainless job, but there is more to it. It's the handling of questions and interacting with the freshmen which I look forward to every lesson. Each time I finish one lesson, I would tell myself that I will do better the next week.

****
This is a sudden realisation while showering... thinking that I may not be an official school teacher but I have been teaching in one way or another these years. Some people may have stepped into teaching for the sake of living or as the easiest way to get a job... I do hope that they teach well and really from the bottom of their hearts. Teach with passion and not for profits!

Oh my, what am i talking about??!!??? I guess I am getting sleepyyyyyy.....~
Ciao*

More photo fun

2008-11-07T19:47:00.001+08:00

Photo fun

2008-11-07T16:44:00.003+08:00

I like this effect!!! Our photo mural is being appreciated by people.. haha~

Looks natural?

Birthday celebration

2008-11-06T23:18:00.004+08:00

We went to Paulaner Bräuhaus for lunch... from the internet forums, the pork knuckle there is highly recommended. It's really much better than Marche's!!! Thumbs up!

URA Centre & Maxwell Food Market

2008-11-06T16:53:00.005+08:00

When Dennis came back to Singapore for a short holiday, we made a trip to the URA centre and Maxwell Food Market.

URA Centre displays many models of buildings, landmarks, and greenery of Singapore. There are also many pictorial plans for future Singapore.

Let's see how were the living conditions of typical Singaporeans in the past. Interesting...

My secondary school is part of the development plan of the West region... Li de li gong, hua yu hua wan....

Went to explore the Maxwell food market.... looking out for stalls with long is a good sign of delicacies. Zoom into the Fish soup stall and the Porridge stall which are directly opposite each other. The fish soup tasted great but the number of fish slices ($5 for less than 10 pieces) given was pathetic... overpriced! The porridge was very good and the raw fish ("yu sheng") was fresh and super cheap (more slices then the fish soup's).

还是旧的最美

2008-09-14T09:52:00.002+08:00

Old is better than the new.
My 1-year-old Nokia N80 has failed me and I'm currently using my old Nokia 7250 phone.
The latter may be 5-years-old, it can still answer calls and notify me when new messages arrive or I have an incoming call. It starts up faster and loads data faster too. What the point of having a phone of an advanced technology when it cannot perform its basic function. The faulty phone is sent for repair and congratulations to me as it's just 3 months past its 1-year-warranty, so I need to pay $80-120 for the repair.

Sunday school
Guess what? I'm in school today on a Sunday morning!! Makes no difference to me anyway, cos if I'm at home I would probably be watching variety shows online. Actually it's pretty refreshing to be here, free air-con, faster internet loading speed, peaceful (no one to scold the F-word when using the free access computer), no irritants. I just hope that I won't be attacked by lizards. LOL

Back for more action
Dennis the boyfriend is going to be back in Singapore for a few weeks. Feel like he's some star cos I seem like a spokesperson for him by answering questions on his behalf. Like.. "How is Dennis?", "How's Israel?", "Is his professor nice over there?", "What he does there?"... Sometimes I'm pretty irritated by these questions because people talk to me just to know more about my boyfriend and not concern about me at all. It's good to know that Dennis the boyfriend is coming back and he can answer all these questions personally.

What were your dreams when you were young

2008-08-29T15:44:00.004+08:00

There seems to be a big hu-ah about young singing talents like Connie Talbot from Britian's Got Talent 2007.

.....

Around 10 years back there were many rising stars.
Can you sing like this girl?? Got vocals and if you listen without looking at the screen you will not know she is just 9 or 11 years old.

Her own songs rock!!
Answer revealed in the following video:

Haha, it's Christina Aguilera!!

Becoming stupid due to loss of wisdom

2008-08-18T22:20:00.004+08:00

Had a extraction of wisdom tooth this morning, just a simple pulling out of the tooth and one day mc granted. Currently taking a full view of how the tooth exactly looks like. It's not really that long after all, but this little devil had been giving me a lot of problems. Even after its departure, the legacy which it leaves behind is a lot of pain. I guess my gums really miss it a lot that they are giving me a hard time.
I have this crazy thought of grinding my extracted tooth into fine powder and do XRD on it. Oh no, am I turning into a mad scientist?!!??

I kinda miss dating...
It has been 4 months since boyfriend left for Israel. Sometimes I just feel that it would be much better if he is around to keep my company and we can go out for dates. Simple dates such as bringing me to eat pork chop rice or shopping at nearby ntuc supermarket would be wonderful! Walking along the path back home can bring lots of memories too. Sometimes it just feel very lonely walking alone and tracing back our footsteps. Can't wait for him to come back to Singapore!!!

Catching the Olympics fever
Being a non-sports lover, I do have interest in watching certain olympics events such as diving, swimming, gymnastics etc. Yes, I know who Michael Phelps is and I also know that he had won 8 gold medals... what a superhuman.
My sis showed me this youtube clip...

It's about Eric Moussambani who participated in Olympics 2000 and I do admire his courage here but I find the commentators quite bad somehow by laughing at him.

Memory loss of Friday activities

2008-06-23T10:13:00.005+08:00

I really have to ponder very hard over what activity I have on Fridays recently. Is it some sort of curse or what... My brain can remember that I have something on on Friday but I will have to take half-day to make myself recall where I am supposed to go and who am I meeting. This condition has been occurring quite regularly recently. Am I getting old?

Lots of things to do but no heart to fulfil them all...
Finishing knitting my scarf
Uploading my Japan trip pics
Making some kind of apatite
Learn how to rip music from CDs
Tune the FM radio stations in my mp3 player
Write some paper of academic value

Indulgence in...
watching drama series...

Nodame Cantabile (finish watching le) I love this drama a lot!!!

http://www.mysoju.com/nodame-cantabile/

Absolute boyfriend (still watching) Nighto is so handsome~*
http://www.mysoju.com/absolute-boyfriend-zettai-kareshi/

Forensic Heroes II (still watching) Loading from tudou.com is really slow slow... any recommendations of fast streaming videos?
**updates~ completed and pretty fast loading forensic heros II at http://www.tudou.com/home/yhywqw/

West girl goes to the East
Bubu went to sent Huixin off at Changi Airport Terminal 3 last night. The last time was to send Dennis off. Gonna miss her lots too. Thanks for the "love letter" you gave me. Old friend le... we gone closer during our JC times. Thanks for withstanding all my nonsense and teasing ah. All the best to you in Aussie Land.

Japan Fun

2008-06-15T21:05:00.003+08:00

Heehee, I shall start my Japan trip photo entries with photos...

Thanks for all the birthday wishes

2008-06-09T10:04:00.003+08:00

Dear Friends & Boyfriend,

Thank you for remembering my birthday which was last week. Very happy la to be receiving birthday greetings from friends despite >50% of my friends are busy working ah and I have been celebrating my birthday for these few days. Got presents this year too!! Special thanks to SiJia, HwaJia, ShiYun, Winnie 'n' Dennis. All the technology gadgets for an un-tech-savvy bubu. Practice shall make perfect la!~* Very thankful to 2i pple (LiLing, Stella, HongYi, GhimHui, JinJie) who gave me a treat last night at Manhattan Fish Market. First time there, me a kampong kia!

As for my actual day of my birthday, I went to the Owen Restaurant at Turf City with my family to have fresh seafood feast. Oiishidesu!

Bubu is older by one year le, hope that I am smarter by one year too.

bubu

Random rantings from a hungry soul

2008-05-21T13:37:00.003+08:00

Oh my god, it's 1.38pm and I'm so hungry. Tortoise bubu is so slow in grinding her powders this morning. Did 2 XRD scans. Should be continuing more grinding of powders in the late afternoon. Mortar, pestle, ethanol, acetone, powder, water, spatula... i think i'm going bonkers after being the grinder the whole day. Is my research going to be like that.. sighhh... feeling so bored now. A lot of big plans for research but feeling very little and incompetent in executing the big tasks. I'm going to build some equipment to suit my experimental conditions... and the bad news is bubu is a mechanic dummy loh... I'm so slow in my experiments too... feeling so short of time!!!

I'm going to have a long lunch-cum-teabreak later after posting this random entry!!! Going to eat my favourite KFC and probably taking along some academic papers to read in the restaurant to make myself feel less guilty bah.

Over these few days, lots of good and bad news. Relationships can be very sponteneous, fragile or strong. Life can just terminate due to illness or cancer. Really got to cherish everyone and everything that I have. Heard about many unsuccessful long-distance relationships over the past few years. Hope that mine turn out to be the reverse. Currently in a happy state of this LDR and communicating well and still connecting. Happy 49 months and 1 days to us~* Really wish to get my first red bomb from my friends ah... jia you everyone!!! Hmmm, as for me... not so soon lah... plus my bf is so far away... and also a big question mark bah... don't dare to think so much cos it's a whole of responsibilities... bubu not yet that mature and ready for all these responsibilities.

What is more important now (really now!) for bubu is to go fill up her stomach to increase her happy level. Fill up stomach and the heart won't feel that empty too...

Tired bubu is back!

2008-05-20T16:14:00.003+08:00

Just got back from a 7-day trip from Japan (Nippon)!
Hopefully i will upload the pics asap... got lots of pics ah.. cos i so country bumpkin... fascinated by everything in Japan, so take shots almost everywhere.
Short summary of where I'm been:
Day 1: Narita Airport, Tokyo
Day 2: DisneyLand
Day 3: Pattletown and go to nearby of Mt Fuji
Day 4: Mt Fuji 5th station
Day 5: Kyoto
Day 6: Universal Studios Japan, Osaka
Day 7: Return to Singapore from Osaka International Airport

~"~

Despite having one more day (Vesak Day) to rest before starting work today, I feel very tired the whole day today. Miss my carefree days in Japan. Miss my boyfriend who is in a foreign Jewish land. Miss my karaoke sessions. Miss my friends. Miss my kickboxing sessions. Not doing much work today and super inefficient. Hope to work hard for the rest of the days in this week. Pressure is building up on me in my research and I got to be well-prepared for unexpected challenges ahead. Don't want to be caught in surprise...

Ja Mata!~

kids say the darnest things

2008-05-05T17:54:00.003+08:00

On my way home today, on the train...

girl: I'm going to find my dad afterwards.
teacher: Where are you going to look for him?
girl: He works in Yio Chu Kang.
teacher: I see.
girl: My mum is not dead yet.
...silence from teacher...
girl (louder): My mum is not dead yet.
*bubu wants to faint*

When I was a kid, I always ask my mum the same question (in Mandarin)...
Me: Mummy, why people die?
Mum: Because they don't drink lots of water.
Me: I'm scared that you die.
Mum: No, I won't cos I drink lots of water.
Me: So I won't die so soon when I drink lots of water?
Mum: Yes, definitely. See, I drink lots of water and I'm so healthy.
...Lil' Bubu went to drink lots of water...
Moral of the story: You will have a long life if u drink lots of water!

2008-05-04T23:36:00.003+08:00

After a KTV session with my NTU friends Minglin, KeJie, JiQing, PengYan, WenWen, and ChenLing. Saw a really interesting video footage. It's Michael Jackson singing the song "Ben" when he was young:

Another classic video clip, check out Janet Jackson who appeared at the ending part, so kawaii desu ne:

Makan Rendzvous 2: Korean Food @ NTU Canteen 13

2008-05-01T10:53:00.004+08:00

Now and then, I would frequent this stall in Canteen 13. Haha~ I work in NTU so can take a 10 -minute walk from my workplace to this stall. It's the food which give me motivation to walk under the hot sun and for so long.. wahaha~

Two dishes which I alternately order:
Chicken Bulgogi & Shi Guo Fan (egg surrounded by vegetables rice in a stone bowl)

Makan Rendezvous 1: River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles Eating House

2008-05-01T10:12:00.004+08:00

29/06/2007
31 Tai Thong Crescent (Facing Jackson Centre)

Taken from the outside, shophouse style.

The stall itself. You can mix what type of ingredients. I love pork ribs + big prawns been hoon soup!

Me trying out the delicacy. I love the thick soup.

My sister enjoying her fair share.

Dad tasting seriously.

Not many places would have such authentic prawn + pig's bone soup base. Not very expensive too lah. I would choose it over NIE canteen's one. Haha~ The journey to this place is pretty far for bubu ah (who stays in the west), need car to get there!
Review from my fav food bloggie, includes how the soup base is prepared.

Good to have the Internet now!

2008-04-30T18:19:00.003+08:00

I'm very grateful of the invention of the Internet. Really allows me to surf the net and go over countries's boundaries to source for information. It also let me stay connected with my boyfriend ah. Webcam, Msn, Skype, Internet data calls.. I am really happy with these inventions! One being in Israel and one being in Singapore. We can talk and see each other. Catching up with what's happening in each other's lives. He also got a blog started before leaving Singapore for Israel... can go and visit his bloggie if u are interested in living there (Man in Haifa-yingquan.wordpress.com).

Updates on boyfriend
Many friends asked me how is my boyfriend doing. Thank you for the concern ah. He has managed to find an accomodation near his workplace (Technion). Saves $ on transportation. Everything there is expensive but the accomodation is pretty affordable, comparable to Singapore's rental flat fees bah. He got a whole apartment to himself, it's a one-room apartment equipped with bathroom, kitchen and living room. Sounds pretty good sia. As for his work, he is officially starting some lab research today! He not available on Msn while I am working. So, today he starts to do experiment le bah. No longer eat snake le. I hope that he can brush up on his cooking skills lah, if not, he will be very ke lian when his house-mate comes back to singapore in about 2 weeks' time. Wahaha~ actually pretty challenging for him to buy ingredients cos everything is in Hebrew there man... and the variety is not as wide as in Singapore. I heard from him that the only meat he had is chicken.. poor thing... must be missing pork a lot lot ah... *evil laughs*
And yes, we are still together!

Bubu's plans
~*~ Do intensive lab work and hopefully can publish some papers this year ah
~*~ Be prepared for my confirmation review examination (if fail ah, I will get kicked out from PhD programme)
~*~ Going to Japan with mum and meimei in 2 weeks' time!!! Yipee yaya~*
~*~ Go find my darling by the end of the year (subject to changes la, he may come back anytime, depends on his work schedule bah)
~*~ Continue with my kickboxing lessons (it forces me to exercise very week ah-->good for the mind and soul la)
~*~ Upload and comment on the food I have tried and like a lot (will post up photos and give a little review bah, not sure interesting anot)
~*~ Learn jewellery making (now I know how to make earrings, need to progress to bracklets and necklaces, now boyfriend not around to scold me for buying so much beads, haha)
~*~ Try to make my complexion better, in case got big events coming up sia (sigh, facials are expensive ah)

I'm not alone!

2008-04-19T00:12:00.002+08:00

Thank you all for being so concerned with me! I am alright and trying to adapt to my new lifestyle without my darling by my side. It's going to be a tough period of the both of us being so far apart. But I do believe that technology now is good enough as we can still communicate almost everyday and we are actually not that apart as what the physical distance is. May we be more independent in our research and field, may our love grow stronger!

I'm pretty busy these days, so won't feel lonely la. I have my cheapo and cute mp3 player to accompany me while en-routing to school or going home. (Pretending to be) super focused and diligent with my lab work... grind-and-heat routine, doing XRD. Be good to my skin and work hard to reduce my blemishes.. haha~ Many soft toys to sleep with me through the nights.

Saving up for my trip to Israel to visit my darling. Heehee~ not sure the exact visiting time but surely is this year. Things are costly over there. A Burger King's meal is worth S$16 while a raw egg costs S$0.70-0.80. High standards of living ah.

"L"omantic Journey to Cameron and Genting Highlands

2008-03-25T10:21:00.004+08:00

20th March to 24th March 2008
A trip to remember just the two of us...
~Dennis and Eileen~

Finally... the photos of our trip...

Rainbow to greet us good morning after a long journey from xin jia po to cameron highlands. Our bus seats were great and really way above our expectations. Comfy and steady rides!

Rose centre where there are many species of roses and also many other kind of flowers. Hee, darling got me a bouquet of roses from the market place, kept me happy throughout the journey!

We tried the legendary strawberry chocolate sundae~ yummy!!!

Boh tea plantations are magnificent views. In Cameron, the farmers grow organic vegetables!

Us at a chrysanthemum nursery. The guide warned us about smelling the flowers as the flowers had lots of chemicals on them which are no good for human health.

Water cress. Strawberries. Hydrophonics of vegetables.

I like the colours of strawberries. Darling striking a pose with the bag pot strawberries.

Cactus Valley sells cactus (of cos!) But the bigger ones are not for sale.

My roses and our desert (raw super-sweet corn and not-so-fantastic strawberries).

Our last lunch at Cameron. We went to try out the famous charcoal steamboat. Photo on the right shows our lunch while on our way to Genting Highlands, we had bak kut teh... super expensive and not very yummy.

Resting at Starbucks cafe upon our arrival at Genting Highland's First World Hotel. Waiting to check in. The interior views of the hotel.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Exploring the odditorium is definitely an eye-opener. Let the photos do the talking.

Our last dinner @ Genting Highlands. Kenny Rogers. I still prefer the restaurants in Singapore. The side dishes are not as tasty as homeland's!

Not much things bought but many beautiful memories taken home~*

A lazy lost sheep

2008-03-06T00:07:00.002+08:00

Many things to read... many things to learn... many progress from others... none from self... how to pull my own socks... how to create... how to start... how to get things done... no effort... no experiment... no results... just a lazy lost sheep...

Have been wondering what will I be doing if I'm not doing what I'm doing currently... working till wee hours and earning big bucks... but compromising work life balance... hmmm... I still prefer to have freedom and time with family and friends and also to relax my soul... than having more money bah. This type of enjoyment shall end next year when my contract is up and I will be really a poor student then. Sounds very ke lian... shall make some plans for myself while I'm still an employee bah. Like how to earn extra income, perhaps giving private home tuition is one good source... or should I go do some part-time... Realised that money is pretty important in reality. Not financially bold enough to do lots of things...

Happy CNY 2008

2008-02-15T12:03:00.002+08:00

I know this post is very late. But but, it's still the CNY festive season! So CNY is still not over cos it's 15 days long and I still have chances to collect hongbaos.. hohoho.. the thought of it feels great! Unlike my friends from China, they are considered as working le and they need to give hongbaos liao. Their hongbaos super loaded with cash one loh... but they don't anyhow give hongbaos to just anyone la, they give to very close relatives only la. Think the market rate of hongbaos (from your relatives and other married adults excluding your parents) in Singapore ranges from $4 to $12 bah... so far, I have yet received $2 one cos it reflects not so well la especially the giver is quite well-to-do.

A simple summary of my happenings:

Eve of Eve
~KBox 7-10pm with my cutey sis.. haha
Got the itch to go sing..

Eve
~Steamboat lunch at Dennis' place
~Steamboat + BBQ at my 3rd aunt's place (brought Dennis for the 1st time)
BBQ-ing abalone is so tasty!
Feeling so welcome by YaoYao (my cousin's 1year-old doggie)... oh my I want a doggie!!

Day 1
~Morning house-visiting (1st aunt's and 2nd aunt's places)
Had lunch at 2nd aunt's place. First time of using disposable plates there cos water supply cut off for the residential area. Realised that all the Rats (me and my 2 cousins, all of the same age) have permed hair... wad a trend.. hohoho...
~Evening + dinner at my ah gu's (mum's bro) place
Had nasi lemak. Almost full attendance (all except 2 family members) for the first time... the most number of hongbaos collected at one stop.. hohoho... big big family cos my grandparents (no longer around) had 11 children. It's very hard to get everyone (of all generations) to gather together and we made it!
~Night activities (4th aunt's "casino" opens)
Haha~ my mum's generation played world pool and casino-style blackjack. Younger generation play big 2 and mahjong (no money involved)

Day 2
~Watched CJ7 with Dennis and his family
Went to his aunt's place for homevisting.

Day 3
~To my cousin's Brenda's place (housewarming)
Brought Dennis to see my maternal side relatives for the first time.
~Went to my xiao gu's (mummy's younger bro) place
To see the parrot.. and waited for it to say "Cashew nut" (its fav)

Day 4
~Annual visit to Huang Lao Shi's (Sec 2 class form teacher) place
Got cute baby (3 months old) to interact with.
Mini class lunch at Jack's place.. had their CNY meals.. the steak is very yummy.. medium rare...approximately $18 for the meal.
~Visited Dennis' buddies' place
Haha~ pretty interesting la, 1st time visiting his friends' houses during CNY. New experience.

Day 7 (Ren ri)
~Dinner with my cousins (+Dennis)
First time that we gather like that. Had a sumptous and wonderful dinner at Raffles City's Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar Restuarant at the basement. Super good lei... the style like Marche except that it has Japanese zest in it. My virgin bar visit loh... 1st time in a bar. Went to Long Bar to chill out. Had apple-flavoured alcoholic drink.. not very nice... should have ordered the Singapore Sling (a signature drink representive of Singapore too) which all the angmoh tourists were having.. haha~ I think my cousin's Vodka sour is much nicer!!

Day 8 (V-day)
~Bday celebration of Dennis' grandma
Unique way of celebrating V-day..

Feeling: Very happy but physically exhausted.

P.S.: Hope to upload some pics in this post... need to wait for my sis to load the pics...

China trip 26th Dec 2007 to 2nd Jan 2008

2008-02-05T16:47:00.000+08:00

Here are the long awaited China Trip pictures.
Our journey: Singapore-->Xiamen-->Wu Yi Shan-->Xiamen-->Quan Zhou-->Zhang Zhou-->Chao Zhou-->Shan Tou-->Xiamen-->Singapore

Xiamen here we come!!! Dennis came to send my family off (so sweet!). The mountain pics were taken at Wu Yi Shan when we conquer Tian You Feng. I remember swearing that I will never climb hills and mountains again when I was in Australia last May, but in the end, I went climbing again. My legs shook and ached a lot for many days after the climbs, causing difficulty in walking for the rest of the trip. Tian You Feng is a must-visit attraction, it has one of the most beautiful views in Wu Yi Shan. There were tons of visitor majority Chinese from Chinan. Interestingly, there were a large group of uni students at the top doing surveys for visitors, and I helped them by filling up 2 separate questionares.

After the climb, we really regretted not taking the jiao zhi (sedan)... they are red and carried by 2 men. We went to visit the Da Hong Pao tea trees. They are very very expensive tea tress in China and there are only 3 of them, that's why so precious la. These are what they called the first generation Da Hong Pao Tea Trees. Those commercially sold are the second generations of it and are much cheaper and pretty nice to drink. It's the local product of Wu Yi Shan. Speaking of Wu Yi Shan's local products, there is also the Hong Gu (red mushrooms). These mushrooms are claimed to be very beneficial for the body and are pretty much like tonic as locals cook them with pork ribs and make tonic soups.
Below Tian You Feng is the Jiu Qu Xi, a river very suitable for rafts to travel downstream naturally. The rafts are made of bamboos. My sister gained experience being the boatman.. haha~

Other than the Tian You Feng, we went to visit Yi Xian Tian. It is a landmark made of two huge rocks with a gap in between. When you look through this gap, you get to see the sky and this gap forms the word "yi" (number one in chinese). The path to walk was very tough as the steps are very steep and the space is very confined (bags tend to be scratched due to abrasion with the rock surfaces). Luckily, the route to visit this landmark has options. We chose the less strenuous route for "lan ren" (lazy people). On the way back, we look "tu di gong" and "tu di po" (male and female earth gods). So interesting, cos seldom we get to see the female version of earth god. Gu Lang Yu is an island near Xiamen. It is known to be place full of different cultures and a place to groom piantists. There is a museum for pianos, full of antique and valuable pianos. Gu Lang Yu used to have 16 embassies in the past but currently the old buildings are used for other purposes and are very unique in their outlook. Haha, I saw an interesting signboard introducing a hostel's cafe's menu... snacks was written as snakes... wow.

For the following collage, I'm not sure which part of China I'm at... haha~ we visited an old bomb shelter with canons on top. At another place, we went to see a rock which stands firmly on a cliff despite being blown by strong winds. Actually, I don't really see what's so fantastic about this rock that everyone was rushing towards it to take photo with it. There were a lot of sight-seeing of temples for our schedule. What makes the one I feature in my collage special was that... it was full of offerings (can see many roasted pigs, bunches of flowers, delicacies) and super crowded with people. Heard that the gods there grants to devotees' wishes and the devotees in turn, will come back to the temple to give offerings to thank the gods. Wow, can see that there were many successfully cases ah. The food was still very fresh!

We were back at Xiamen. On our way back, we saw this cute vehicle with only 3 wheels. There was a temple built below a rock. Night shopping at Xiamen. Oh, we also went to the university of monks, where monk trainees go there to learn how to be monk.

Okie, this marks the end of my narration of my China Trip. I find Xiamen much more developed than Guangzhou, and also much safer there too. This trip is special as I get to see the hometown of my grandpa and I realised that if my grandpa did not take the risk to come to Nanyang, I would be still in the hometown enduring hardships.

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-13T21:40:00.000+08:00

Back from my third china trip for 11 days le. LL, I will try to upload the pics too... thinking of making a collage...

What I've been up to...

Very interested in making my skin more smooth and hydrated. Staying in air-con environment really cause much irritation to my skin. Is it that age is catching up on me or my skin is getting sensitive due to "dehydration"? Heehee~ today I use my new body scrub for the 3rd time. Dennis bought it for me!! It's from The Body Shop, called Africa Spa Salt Scrub. I love it a lot lot!! So far the effect was great. No irritation from the scrub, makes the skin very hydrated, smells good.

Yesterday I went to Malaysia with Dennis and his mum & sis. Places I have been to: City Square, Holiday Plaza, Taman Gardens, Railway station. Did a bit of shopping, hair treatment, seafood feast...
I went to support my cousin's hair salon, had a hair treatment for my permed hair. It's located at Holiday Plaza, 3rd storey, F37. The salon uses Loreal products and many Singaporeans go there to do their hair. Very worth the trip and price is reasonable and definitely much much cheaper as compared to here (Haha!). The cab fare from immigration customs ranges from RM6-8.

Starting to watch Korean drama serial Coffee Prince. It's so so so addictive. I'm going to continue watching le.. heehee~

Anyone wants to be an entrepreneur?

2007-12-01T09:48:00.000+08:00

Took bus 179 to school early in the morning today despite it being a Saturday (=rest day).
Watched LifeStory on Nanz Chong-Komo. I remembered going to One99 stores to hunt for cheap and good quality stuff and for the toppings for baked rice with my secondary school friends. There used to be many outlets in Singapore but all of the sudden, the stores were gone due to SARS and business being in huge debts in 2003.

Here is her personal website: http://nanzchongkomo.com/
Woman entrepreneurs wanna-be, you may wish to consider reading her book titled "One Business 99 Lessons". I am thinking of getting this book to read to broaden my horizons and learn a bit on setting up a biz. Wahaha~ She was named the Woman Entrepreneur for the Year 2000. Don't pray pray ah...

A section of an online article on her....
http://www.mingalaronline.net/story/straitstimes/one99_success_in_failue.htm

She opened her first One.99 shop in The Heeren on Orchard Road in 1997 and, in seven years, grew it into a chain of 14 stores selling a whole range of merchandise at the flat price of $1.99.

At the height of its success in 2001, turnover hit $14 million. Then Sars hit. Business halved, and in April 2003, when it owed $3 million to her bank and other creditors, she closed the business. The Woman Entrepreneur of The Year 2000 was declared a bankrupt five months later.

'I used to be a model and businesswoman, but being a writer is the last thing I thought I'd be,' she says. 'Let's face it, nobody's going to buy the book because I'm a writer. It's my experience running and then losing a business that people will find interesting, and I want to share that.'

Wedding vs Marriage

2007-11-30T22:46:00.000+08:00

While surfing the net, I chanced upon this article from femalebrideonline.com.
It was about knowing the difference between looking for a wedding and a marriage. Wedding is a one-off kind of thing while marriage is a life-long promise. Short-term versus long-term.
Something worth pondering if you are currently in a relationship or you have fallen in love with that special someone... whether you just wanted a romantic and pleasant wedding or shared togetherness as a couple.
Below is the article...

http://www.femalebridesonline.com/articles/features/amain.php?article=15bapr03feat

Why is the phrase, "Love and marriage" and not "Love and wedding"? Why is it called married life and not wedded life? Why is it called Marriage Preparation Course and not Wedding Preparation Course? Why is it called the Institution Of Marriage and not the Institution Of Wedding? The list just goes on.

In a recent survey done by the Ministry of Community Development, it stated that Singaporean couples were more concerned about their wedding ceremony than they were about sharing their life with someone new. It is sad to think that the pomp and pageantry of a wedding- which lasts a day -takes precedence over a lifetime of togetherness.

Do this quiz to see if you do know the difference between a wedding and a marriage.

1. As soon as he proposed, you...
a. called your tailor and asked her to go ahead and sew that wedding dress you commissioned her to do two years ago.
b. called your mother to break the good news to her and to seek her advice on the next step.

2. As soon as he put that ring on your finger, your first thought was...
a. "If the diamond is so small that means we'll probably hove a small wedding This is not what I had dreamt about all my life".
b. "I can't believe I'm about to share my life with this sweet, sweet man".

3. When planning the wedding you...
a. did everything from choosing the invitation cords to the wedding coke.
b. Made sure your fionc6 was there at every appointment, you even let him choose what flower he wanted on his boutonnière.

4. One evening while having dinner, you caught a glance of him in a pensive mood and you thought to yourself..
a. "Oh my God he's going to get bold very soon and his paunch is getting bigger. Must get him on a starvation diet".
b. "I'm going to look forward to growing old with this man".

5. Your church insists that you both attend a marriage preparation course. Your reaction is one of..
a. horror because you can't see beyond the wedding day and that living together is just like living with your family.
b. great relief because you'll need all the advice you can get about learning how to live with another person.

6. Setting up home to you means...
a. you can finally get that five-room HDB flat
b. you can finally shore a life with someone else and you look forward to turning it into a home.

7. While saying your vows, you...
a. hesitated when it come to saying his name, because you were distracted. The floral arrangement at the altar was not what you wanted and that ruined your wedding.
b. surprised him by composing your own vows,

8. When the wedding was over, all you could think of was...
a. "Geez, what am I going to do now that I have nothing to plan?"
b. 'I'm so relieved it is oil over, now I con concentrate on adjusting my life from living as one to two".

9. Have you discussed the upbringing up of kids, such as the child's religious beliefs, to who will discipline him?
a. Nah. No need for that. You'll just go with the flow.
b. It had all been sorted out when we attended the Marriage Preparation Course

10. When budgeting for the wedding you...
a .just want to spend all yours and his savings 'cos you wont to throw the biggest bash ever.
b. make sure there's enough set aside for rainy days when you and your husband might need the money

11. Six months before the wedding, your fiance gets laid off from work. This means that your wedding plans are affected. What would you do?
a. Borrow some money from your father and the bank and go ahead with the wedding. You'll worry about paying for it later.
b. You postpone the wedding so that there's time for him to find another job. You wont to start life together on a comfortable financial footing - not in debt. *

HOW YOU SCORE

MOSTLY As
Your main concern is planning and preparing for the wedding. This has been your obsession since you were a little girl. As you got older, your planning took over your every waking, breathing moment. While dating, you were not so concerned if this man will make a good father or whether he will be a great companion as you grow old together.

In fact, your partner never played a prominent role in your life. Right now all your conversation centres on the wedding day itself. Have you both will be talking about after your wedding?

MOSTLY Bs
You understand the difference between a wedding and a marriage. As you grew up, you somehow managed to get the idea of the perfect wedding out of your head and concentrate your efforts on finding a suitable man who could give you a marriage made in heaven.

To you, a wedding is just a formality to get it all legalized, whereas marriage is the part you know will take a lot out of you as you try to adjust to life as a couple. With this right attitude, you know your married life is going to be fine. In other words, you look forward to growing old with him.

****************************************************
In case anyone is wondering why am I surfing on wedding or marriage stuff... I really chanced upon this article while looking for information on Sharon Au.
One of my google search hits links to this webpage: http://www.femalebridesonline.com/articles/features/amain.php?article=oct2000
I guess these articles are dated all the way back to year 2000 bah.
The "Wedding vs Marriage" article appeared to be valid in today's context bah.

Cool things

2007-11-27T17:48:00.000+08:00

While doing my software (TOPAS), I can doing some blogging bah.
While surfing the net, I found some interesting stuff

Sony Ericsson's K770i

I like the purple one. I miss my old Nokia 7250!

Ayumi playing wii

Wii seems like a fun thing to play with. Looks a lot like arcade games

Agate
Ever since I went to the National Dinosaur Museum, Canberra, I have fallen in love with rocks and minerals. Oh my, my dear Ah Teng had given me one agate pendant necklace from China!

Facts about agate
Agate is a common semiprecious silica mineral that has long been used as a gem and ornamental. Agate is the most common variety of chalcedony which is a form of quartz. Agate is, in fact, identical with quartz in composition and physical properties. Composed of silicon dioxide (SiO2), it has a hardness of 7, a glassy luster, a conchoidal fracture, and a specific gravity of 2.60.

Some pics from the net (aren't they lovely??!!??)

Where to go this December?

2007-11-04T12:39:00.001+08:00

December is here again and it's the time of the year when my family goes travelling. There is a bothering question... where shall we go this time round? Gosh, my mummy has travelled to so many places le and she doesn't want to go to cold cold places... sighhh... my sister and I are so sua gu... never seen snow before. So many places are cold cold (like Japan...) this December. And many non cold cold places are expensive to go to... like Australia...

So far... a good option to go China. Big country with different parts having different weather conditions at the same time. Economical--> can shop for more stuff. Beautiful scenery! Cooling weather and not so hot like Singapore for some parts of China. Looking forward to booking a tour!!!
I will be very down if I don't get to go anyway this December...

Random post with random thoughts again...

Yes, I did it again

2007-10-28T01:29:00.000+08:00

A spontaneous decision... just like one year ago.
My permed hair is back again and this time I went to a different hair salon and try out digital perm. I'm an impatient person, sitting at a salon for 3 hours is torture for me especially with all the burning sensations and smelly ammonia-based chemicals on my hair.
I am very satisfied with the outcome... looks much better than the previous one and doesn't require much maintenance. Yeah!!!!

Shots of us at Aijisen Ramen... i love ranku ramen!!!!!!!!

2007-10-14T12:38:00.000+08:00

一同学习的一个早晨

昨天真有意思，一同与同学一起练习如何操作TEM2010。看似简单的步骤其实没有想象的得来应手。搞了一小时多，我们才正式开始做 gun alignment, stigmatism correction 和voltage centering。我的记性很差，把次序都弄乱了。当遇到不对劲的情形也不晓得该怎样去修正它。幸好还有同学在身边扶持才终于有小小的收获，能够看到我的样本的乳山真面目。哈哈，真开心。。。制造了那么多的样本，首次清楚地看到了hydroxyapatite的grains，是polycrystalline的哦！我们一同努力合作的成果就save在电脑里。谢谢大家，辛苦了！！

2007-10-11T14:56:00.000+08:00

Celebrating 25th Wedding Anniversary

Went to eat Ah Yat Restaurant at Turf City yesterday to celebrate my parents' wedding anniversary. Our favourite eating place recently because of the enticing half priced live sea creatures offer. Had lobster, crab, scallop and spinach. The standard of cooking was disappointing... the crab not very well done, too much butter and flour, too little salted egg. Lobster was okok la, I don't really like the ingredients, I prefered the cheese-baked ones.. but my dad don't like... Scallops turn out to be super fresh and sweet.

"This is how is like after 25 years of marriage," my mum commented. My dad was at least walking 3m ahead of my mum. So, I went to hold my mum's hand and said, "Nevermind, you still have your daughters to hold your hand." Interestingly couple, I think my dad pretty unromantic... no present for my mum and leaving my mum to walk on her own. I definitely wish this will not be the scene when it's my 25th wedding anniversary.

TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) the terror

Starting to get hands-on using TEM-very expensive equipment!! I guess I'm a pretty timid person, not very confident on operating it... too many steps and details to remember in order to handle the equipment. I can't believe that me and my friends spent 2 hours to just get the TEM to start working. My heart sank when the vacuum inside TEM was lost when I was attempting to remove the sample holder. I thought I have spoilt the equipment. Luckily got colleague to help in troubleshooting.

TEM is not so easy for bubu. I must jia you!! I have a TEM slot on saturday... let's pray hard that nothing goes wrong.

My work so far....

Did a review on a SCIENCE journal article dated 6 years ago. It was on N-doped TiO2 being photocatalyst in the visible light region. I think I know more about photocatalyst and some characterisation techniques. Can anyone tell me how to do the calculation of density of states?? Lost bubu...

Mugging for my 3rd quiz now... Advanced Ceramics. A bit interesting module but very messy as there are too many lecturers for this course and 4 out of 5 were from A* institutions... It's irritating to have to listen to their great findings when I don't even know the fundamentals of the stuff that they are talking about. I am not even in the field, cannot decipher their jargons... ARGHHHH~

Wish me luck for next Wed. thanks

Britney brings old memories

2007-09-28T15:02:00.000+08:00

It was a drowsy Friday afternoon. Eye lids heavy, mood heavy too. Staring that the words of research papers hard. Hard to comprehend the words with such heavy mood. Sudden reminded of the mp3 cd which is sitting inside the drawer. Listen to familiar songs. Going along with the rhythm. Britney's old songs are really nice and close to the heart. From the bottom of my broken heart. Sometimes. I turn to you. Brings me back to the good old days in secondary school. Ice-skating with my best friend after school. Bowling too. Eating fast-food like nobody's business. Chatting and gossiping. Last-min quiz revision. Taking neoprints. Shopping at popular. How carefree schooling days are!

Moving on to the next stage of life

2007-09-19T14:40:00.000+08:00

Physically at work, mentally at dreamland.
Is my work that boring? Or is that I'm still not used to working long hours?
Sleepy me. Eats lots. Slack.

After schooling for close to 2 decades, work is my next stage of life. I'm still not used to work and not used to night classes. Starting work in the morning and studying at night takes a lot of endurance and stamina. Being at work, I should not be sleeping; being at class, I should be paying full attention to avoid missing out any fine details of the lectures. I'm tired... physically and mentally.

May not be talking sense now cos I'm not in the right state of mind.. 4pm one lecture to go...
What I really want is long hours of rest and sleep...

Carnivore @ Vivocity

2007-09-15T14:55:00.000+08:00

We went there last month before we got our first pay...
Expensive dinner with lots of meat... definitely not suitable for people who don't like / can't to eat beef... I had lots of different types of beef from different parts of cow or different ways of cooking...
I love the potatoes and one and only type of fish fillet there....
Too much meat is too filling for the both of us!!!!
Will I go there again... nope...

Random lil' things in life

2007-09-15T13:43:00.000+08:00

A sign from gods?

My area where I'm staying is recently in limelight because of some interesting lookalikes on the tree trunks. I've been there myself... got 3 trees with monkeys, guan yin and elephant trunk. Swarms of people flocked to the place and every now and then there are crowds. Woo~ my street became famous! I even pray to the tree with joss sticks...

Here is the article today featuring the trees...

and tomorrow there will be a feature on the monkey gods on the trees...

taken from my hp on the crowds surrounding the trees...
Believe it or not...
Be there be blessed...

My little nephew YangYang

These photos were taken last month at a family dinner. He ran fast, played with me, posed for my camera phone... such a lovable little 3-year-old. Beautiful boy. Playful boy. Smart boy.

Korean Cuisine @ NTU, canteen 13

New discovery after venturing the canteens in NTU... Really yummy and cheap cheap too. Definitely worth the walk from MSE to Canteen 13. I may not like spicy food but this is one rare occasion which I can finish the spicy chicken meat and soup.

2007-09-02T22:36:00.000+08:00

After more than 1 month of waiting... presenting the free 8R photo of my family at my convocation. It's free and a gift from my school, materials science & engineering. Think this is the best taken pic of my convo.

I'm going to have a busy week ahead. For this whole week, I will have lab lessons everyday and from 9am to 4pm. Such long hours! From Monday to Wednesday even worse for me cos I have night lessons. Hope that I can survive well! Feeling very gan chiong now... hope to able to sleep well this week.

Here at my little corner

2007-08-29T11:17:00.000+08:00

My working desk is located at a pretty well-situated corner. Behind me is a wall, which is good.. so others won't get to see what I'm doing and thought that I'm hard at work. haha~

Today's a boring day. Didn't do lab, just reading journals, waiting for my lectures at 1.30pm and 4pm. A long day for me... Feeling terribly hungry right now with my stomach growling while waiting for a friend to finish his lab so that we can go eat together. Working life would be super boring with no lunch friends... so sad to be eating all alone right? Now eating some sweets to trick my stomach that I eating something. So silly hor?

Wearing slippers my work place. Supposed to be wearing covered shoes cos I'm in lab. But my warts are pretty painful at my left foot. A bit swollen after getting treated by nurse yesterday at ntu medical centre. Wearing shoes limit my foot movement. Yesterday was my 5th histofreeze treatment. When would my warts go away? I want to walk normally without spreading warts to others. I've been going around my house with my own slippers since I got them.

Oh ya, I suddenly remember that I got hello panda in my cabinet.. should I eat it..? heehee~
Nice to eat!!!

After 2 weeks of "work"

2007-08-17T21:37:00.000+08:00

I've finally started my postgraduate studies and my status right now is temporary project officer. Why temp, cos i'm still waiting for my application to be done so I can officially be a staff. Lack of updates in my blog cos I'm lazy to type and lazy to look at the computer after looking at computer the whole day in school. I just gotten my computer this week and my working desk no longer looks empty. I'm starting to feel the stress as a postgrad student... as an undergrad, I was so relaxed.. but now... I always feel that there is a lot of things i need to learn and know. My knowledge pool is so shallow and I don't really like to compare. But I'm in a competitive environment... feel like a misfit sometimes... wondering whether I can tahan this environment for 4-5 years.

Just some lil' update of my new work... ciao~

Zoo zoo zoo

2007-08-05T20:45:00.000+08:00

I went for a 2 day 1 night zoo crash course camp yesterday and just finished camp today at 6 plus. It was an eye-opener for me and I am very happy to be able to join this special camp with my sister. There are is one more animal in my list for favourites. Before, I love the elephants and now I got more to add... slow loris (cute innocent eyes which make you wanna give it a BIG hugz).

haha.. but i'm super exhausted now to blog down the details, shall elaborate the next time.
Crucial thing now: to pack my bag for tomorrow! First day of school.

****************************************
4-5 Aug 2007
This is the second time I am going to the zoo this year. My sister's friend ask for people to join this zoo facilitator camp targeting adults who would like to work in the zoo part-time to help education the young. I spontaneously agreed to join once my sister asked me. Being chosen or not at the end is not very important la. So far no new from the department and I guess I wasn't selected to be a facilitator. Importantly it's the experience that counts. Getting close to the animals... going behind-the-scenes not once but twice... fully guided Night Safari tour... staff lunches at Ulu Ulu Restuarant... sleeping under the stars.

Places I have been and things I have encountered...

1) Fragile forest Behind-the-scenes

Instead of going into the biodome, we went to the place where they breed the invertebrates. Invertebrates are pretty short-lived and they have to be bred in order to have constant supplies for display. Got to touch the rhino beetle, stick insect, tree nymph caterpillar, hissing spiders... not only getting to see the adult insects but also their youngs (larvae and pupae). There are also the arachnids and myriapods. Arachnids refer to a group of invertebrates with 8 legs such as scorpion and spiders. Myriapods are invertebrates with many many legs and many segments along their body such as millipede and centipede.

Interesting fact: How to tell millipede apart from centipede? For millipede, each segment of its body has 2 pairs of legs while centipede has only 1 pair of legs.

There is a special enclosure where the butterfly are able to fly freely roaming from flowers to flowers and mate with one another. Way to catch a butterfly is to use your second and third fingers and use it like a scissors to hold the wings of butterfly. Cannot be too violent if not the powder on their wings may fall and their wing patterns will be destroyed. I was sad when I see butterflies floating on the water in the drain, wanted to save those which are still moving but the facilators advised us not to. Why... because these butterfly were dying and too weak to fly away from the water, if they are still strong, they would be able to fly away from the water to free themselves.

2) Reptile House Behind-the-scenes

Do you know that the world's most venomous snake is the Taipan? Heehee~ Before entering the reptile house, you will see many things outside. There are cages with big fat white rats bred to be the snakes' meal. Before the rats are given to the snakes, they are euthanasized so that they die a peaceful and stress-free death. There are cages without much shade for sick reptiles or molting reptiles. This is to allow them to have some sun-tan to make them feel better.

Behind the scenes... some reptiles are placed there and they are kept in tanks with heating strips the top of their tanks and also there UV lamp in their tanks. The place is non-airconditioned because snakes don't like places which are too dry. Got to touch the molts of snakes, touch a white snake, have a closer look at the anti-venom... I don't know that each anti-venom is unique. So when bitten it's best to take a photo or at least try to remember the look of the snake so that when you are sent to the hospital, the doctors can apply the correct anti-venom. And the hospital to go to in Singapore is Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Interesting facts: How do you know if the snake wants to molt its skin? Its eye will turn cloudy due to growth of old skin covering its eyes. It would rub its nose against some surface to try creating an opening for the shedding of old skin.
Horses are injected with venom to produce antibodies to the venom and anti-venom is made by extracting the antibodies from the horses' blood.

3) Animal Hospital
This is where new animals and sick animals go for checkups/surgery and perhaps to be warded. There is a showroom which is opened to public where you can find out some facts about the animal hospital. If you are lucky, you may catch some work in action in the treatment and surgery rooms from the glass windows.

We went to the post-mortem room where all the dead animals would go.. for either visual inspection or autopsy. There is a chiller room and the freezer room to store the dead animals. I saw crocodiles and buffalo heads in these rooms.

4) Kitchen

A place where the food is stored and cooked. The store room is not a sweet-smelling place to be in. Got discovery there, orang utans drink milo for breakfast with ah meng having one cup for her own while the other orang utans share the other cup. What privilege for a superstar ah!

5) Dentition

We get to see and feel the skull of animals such as cheetah, girraffe... their teeth are so different due to different eating habits! I love the elephant tooth! It's so so huge and it's surprising to know that elephants only have 4 teeth and throughout their lives, they can have up to 6 sets of teeth. Can't imagine the elephant's tooth falling on my head. Ouch~

2007-08-02T12:53:00.000+08:00

I surfed the net yesterday and chance upon pretty nice graphics...
Some things to cheer a sick girl up

Being someone's sunshine feels good

Cute robot lovers. Life may be boring but there is love. Love brings joy forgetting the sorrows & unhappiness. Even robots know feelings.

La Vie En Rose = Life in Pink. Think positive. Things may not appear as it seems to be. Yellow yolk can be pink, nothing is impossible. I used to hate pink a lot 'cause I find it very girlish and attention-seeking. But now, I learn to appreciate it 'cause it gives me a positive feeling esp hot pink, it injects life, vibrance...

How about taking hot air balloon to be nearer to rainbow? Romantic...

**********************************
Tomorrow need to go back to school for training in lab in the case of chemical spill or fire. Exciting hor? First time being in lab with dennis, looking forward to it!
So many things yet done... I wanna
1) Do lab
2) Get my stationery
3) Get my table in school
4) Read >10 journal articles
5) Get well
6) Make earrings
7) Go swimming

The medicine is making me go drowsy again.. starting to talk nonsense le.

LemonHoney

2007-08-01T14:46:00.000+08:00

Honey lemon drink is good for sore throats and cough. My favourite drink now. Really helps in soothing my throat. PS: Do not use hot water to dissolve honey as it will destroy honey's natural nutrients.

*********************************
Some home remedies from
http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/food/lemon_cure.html

Lemons are good for the body

Listed below are some common problems and ailments which can easily be cured from the use of Lemons:

Colds and sore throats
For relief, mix a teaspoon of honey and the juice of one lemon, in a glass of water and drink every two hours. Another family remedy is a clove of crushed garlic, mixed with half a lemon and sweetened with honey. This usually clears up anything you may be "coming down with" by the time Fajr prayer arrives.

Cystitis
to acidify the urine and to stop bladder infections, drink a glass of cherry juice, lemon juice and water on an hourly basis at the first sign of infection.

Mouthwash
Lemons are more natural then fluoride and effective in removing plaque. They also whiten and strengthen tooth enamel

Cystitis
to acidify the urine and to stop bladder infections, drink a glass of cherry juice, lemon juice and water on an hourly basis at the first sign of infection.

Asthma
One tablespoon of pure lemon juice before each meal relieves Asthma.

Excessive Menstruation
Consuming the juice of 3-4 lemons a day will help.

For children
Rub the body with two halves of a lemon to open the pores of the skin and release the body heat

Fevers
Hot water and lemon juice will support and speed up the fevering process, helping the body fight off infections or toxins. Without the fever, the immune system has fewer ways to combat the disease. However, if there are bowel problems this should be avoided

Diphtheria
Use pure lemon juice every hour as a gargle and swallow some until it cuts loose the false membrane in the throat.

Toxins
Squeeze some lemon juice into warm water and drink it to help cleanse the body of toxins .

Clearing blemishes
Lemons can be rubbed directly onto skin and left for about 2 hours before rinsing to clear skin. This is good to reduce wrinkles and treat blemishes. The treatment will work better if followed by olive oil after rinsing. It works by speeding up skin renewal and uncovering a fresh new layer of skin. However, it is important not to do this before going out in the sun as it will have a bleaching effect.
As a cleanser, beat an egg white with lemon juice and honey. Leave to dry on face for a few minutes then wash with warm water.

Hair tonic
Massage some lemon juice onto hair and leave it for a while before rinsing. Again, do not do this before going in the sun. This treatment is especially good for greasy hair as it will regulate the sebaceous glands which produce oil and make the hair shine and prevent dandruff.

Chilblains
Rub a slice of lemon dipped in coarse sea salt on unbroken affected skin to clear Chilblains.

Itches
Rub fresh lemon juice on the itching area.

Acne
To healp against acne, mix 1 teaspoon lemon juice with 1 teaspoon finely ground cinnamon powder. Apply on affected areas frequently.
For acne spots, apply lemon juice with a cotton bud as bactericide.

Itches
Rub fresh lemon juice on the itching area.
*********************************

When Life Gives You Lemon ...

May I get well soon in all areas. Cough, runny nose, pain go away!
I want my wart-free sole back!

2007-08-01T12:40:00.000+08:00

Sunny days gone
Cool days revealed
Tears from the sky
Pouring still

Watching the vast blue
In seek of something colourful
Self not positioned right
So colourful not in sight

Wrap self up
With something black
To hide from cool air
Till the next sunset

Cough sore throat
Please go away
'Cause little bubu
Wants to play

Many plans lies up ahead
Uncertainties came in to set
Not ready to conquer all
Bubu went to sleep afterall

Dreamland a wonderful land
Where magic dances everywhere
No cold no fear
No danger any near

Time to rise
Time to wake
Face the real
All over again

How long this ritual last
See the sky so vast
Everything can happen
Up in heaven

Imagine every impossible
Making others plausible
No angels and no saints
This poem doesn't make sense!

*******************************
Just a lil' bubu nonsensical creation...
sick and tired alone at home
try to make everything sound right
want to stay awake till the night

2007-07-31T16:06:00.000+08:00

Monday events- 30th Jul 2007

Histofreeze treatment
My sister and Dennis accompanied me to the NTU medical centre. I was super early cos my appointment time was 0830.
Arghh I had wart on my left sole. Been there for around 1 week le. Initially I thought it is corn, so I put corn plaster on it in hope for the "corn" to dry up and drop off by itself. This is what I call self-treat, haha~ Went to see doctor last Thursday while waiting for the super-long postgrad matriculation and she fixed a histofreeze treatment on Mon. I had probably caught the wart while I left my feet unexposed while bathing in the shower room of swimming pool. Doc said it's quite common to catch wart there and esp from shower areas in halls. Contagious lei... hope that other parts of my body won't have it cos it's really hard and painful when in contact.

My treatment was at NTU medical centre and conducted by nurse. The nurse seemed very experienced in doing such treatment. She cut away the dried skin and removed the harded small "lump" underneath the skin skilfully. There was little bleed but not painful lah. The painful part was when she put liquid nitrogen on my infected area. It was so cold and my skin felt so numb when in touch with the nitrogen. Pain pain! I underwent the pain thrice before she bandaged my sole. I was charged $30 for the treatment (so expensive since I don't get any subsidy as a postgrad student) while undergrad students are charged $10.

After my treatment I went back to the counter to queue for turn to see the doc. Why, I'm sick again loh. Having dry cough. Doc said that my tonsils are inflamed. Believed to be a virus attack rather than a bacterial attack since I didn't have a fever. I asked if I should have my tonsils removed but doc said that it is not necessary since I don't really have inflammation as frequent as every month and tonsils are part of the human immunity system to fight foreign bodies. I was given cough mixture to suppress my cough, tablets to subside my inflamed throat and lozenges to soothe my throat (perhaps).

First time having Pot Luck

Our delicacies....

QiYue is leaving on Tuesday for USA, thus we decided to hold a pot luck over at my house yesterday (mon). It was my first time cooking for friends and I decided to cook chicken cos it's the easiest to handle. All of the 4 "musketeers" turned up: QiYue, Geraldine, GeokYan, Me. Qiyue cooked seafood pancake while Geraldine cooked carrot cake and vegetable stew. GeokYan was so sweet to have bought nice cookies for all of us from London. I made fake claypot chicken (since I don't have a claypot) and honey lemon drink for my girls. Haha, I didn't follow the recipe totally cos I added mushrooms and I dun really like onion (so I didn't add loh).

Buffet at Brio's cafe, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore
For the food, 3/5 stars but for the service 1.5/5 stars.
SiHui, Ivy, MiaoLing and I were sitted at a small dining table. There were many types of cutlery for each of us. There was not much variety in the food but my favourite were the salmon sashimi, the chocolate fondue and the choc moose cake. It was taking forever for the bill to come and when we see the bill, the charges were more than what we were promised and expected. There was some miscommunication when asked about the promotions and charges on phone. The assistant manager insisted that it was our fault, making us look ignorant about understanding how the promotion system work. Hmm, I feel that it's not that we don't understand English, it's just that he don't understand Mathematics.
Will I go there again? My answer is NO. I would rather spend my money eat at The Line @ Shangri La Hotel even though it's $65 per person for dinner. More variety, more delicious food, more table space, better ambience.

Tuesday happenings, 30th Jul 2007

To the National Skin Centre
Went with my parents.
I have this keloid on my chest for more than 3 years. Not itchy and not growing but painful at times. So decided to go see doc about it since my mum had a follow-up appointed at the national skin centre. Doc said that this scar can't be removed as it is prone for bigger growth if scarring takes place again. So what could be done is to flatten it. The colour won't go away too. I was given steroid injection on my scar. Very painful when the liquid was injected into my scar, my scar is very sensitive to touch and the needle went so deep in with liquid forced into it. My mummy was with me while the injection took place and she exclaimed that my scar turned white to the nurse. The nurse said that it is alright la. My scar is still swollen after 1 hour plus and the redness around the area is still intact. Not flatten yet but made swollen. Hope that the steroid start its flattening job soon. Looking forward to good results.

I was also prescribed pimple cream for my pimples by the doc. Haha~ will use it at night to see the effects tomorrow.

Drowsy effects of cough syrup
Feeling drowsy now. In dilemma of whether to sleep or not. My scar still in pain and I'm afraid of touching it while sleeping by mistake.

My convocation

2007-07-28T10:51:00.000+08:00

Busy busy and rush day for bubu. My family and dennis made it to my convo ceremony. It was very crowded after the ceremony, so I didn't manage to take photos with all my friends. MSE had made special arrangement for the graduates. Our reception was at level 3, examination hall B. Can dedicate songs to family, friends and professors. Got free postcards with own shots taken (instant ones loh, plus unlimited, what a pity that I only took 2). Many backdrops for us to take photo. Free 8R photo to be taken with family or friends. I didn't eat anything cos I was prepared for a big feast later (dinner-seafood with my family to celebrate my graduation).

Some of the photos taken. Sorry, I didn't adjust the brightness and constrast. Hee~

me with angel wings!

wacky photos with my xiao mei zi

darling, brought his convo gown to take photos with me!

with my mummy and daddy

with my mummy

2007-07-24T14:53:00.000+08:00

I have finally applied for Project Officer position at my school. I'm such a slow coach. And I was told that my application will take at least 3 weeks to proceed. So, at the meanwhile, I am still a full time phd student. When I become Project Officer, I will be doing phd part-time and will be doing research work and administrative duties at my school. Haha~ I still don't know what are my responsibilities now. See, I'm so unprepared to be in the workforce.

Collected my medical examination results. The nurse said that I got pretty good immunity against Hepatitis B. I spent $42 for this medical checkup which is inclusive of X-Ray. But... I was just told that I don't have to go through this checkup and there will be another one for me after my PO job is confirmed. Alamak, is it healthy to undergo X-ray screening twice within a month?

I asked about insurance being covered by the school. Apparently local students are covered under some mysterious insurance within the premise of NTU. Guess I need to buy some insurance for being outside NTU. I'm worried for my health man, cos I will be spending most of my time in laboratories and there are a lot of types of chemical and radiation that I'm subjected to unknowingly. Oh yah, I need to get a new labcoat too.

No Monday Blues yesterday!

2007-07-24T12:19:00.000+08:00

It was a Monday Full for me. Gosh, I was so exhausted after a whole day filled with activities that I slept till 11am today. Following written is how I spent my day.

Darling Dennis' Convocation Ceremony
First time for bubu to attend a convo ceremony plus it was ceremony 1. Something special about this cere was that the president of Singapore Republic attended it! Even still, the First Lady of Indonesia was amongest the VIPs because her 2nd son was graduating with a Masters. Now I know why people always say that convo is very time-consuming. Cos everyone will be busy taking photos with one another. Everyone is wearing "uniform", the same type of gown mah, and everyone wants to have his/her classmates in their photos. I can feel and see the joy of all the graduands and the happiness in their parents! I was busy taking photos for Dennis and his friends. Not much photo with me in it ya.

Karaoke at Chinatown
The place was called Ten Dollar Club. Interesting hor? As what its name indicates, for session from 2pm to 7pm, the cost per person is $10nett. Happy to see the word "nett" cos it means no extra charges like GST(7% now le) and service charge. It was the first time being in a karaoke lounge other than KBox and also the first time with this group of friends. LianLee (my BangkokTrip Kakhi) asked me to join her buddies for singing. Since I love singing karaoke, I gladly accepted the offer though I'm a bit shy. Haha~ Present there was LianLee, Joanna, WeiFen, QianHan & SokYee. The room that we were in is big since the TV screen is far away from the sofa we were sitting on. Haha~ the songs sang were nice and fun too! Heehee~ Joanna praised me for my "good" taste of songs, cos I selected songs of different genre.. haha~ (internal joke). After singing Grasshoppers' and AhMei's songs, I starting to feel tired and breathless le.. haha~ is it considered as a type of workout? Looking forward to going to the place again! Affordable and the entertainment factor is high!

Early supper with girlfriends
It was supposed to be my dinner la. My friends have eaten le and so, I was the only person eating. Geraldine and QiYue met me for "supper". I gave them my earrings, heehee~ so happy to be able to make something for my friends. We chatted till 11pm... girls always have endless stuff to talk to ah. We watched one another grow. 13 years of friendship is long man and we still have lots of things to chat about. Of course, the topics do change over the years. From telling one another who was our crushes in our primary school class to now, we are talking about boyfriends and marriages. In the few years' time, I bet we will start attending one anothers' weddings, housewarmings, 1st month celebrations of babies, and of course, bring our children to visit the Jurong Bird Park together!

The Orion Belt of the Orion Hunter

2007-07-22T01:30:00.000+08:00

After 2/3 nights of late night sleep, my pimples pop come with organisation. 3 on the left side of my chin lining up as one straight line. I remember that at certain season of the year, when I look up the sky, I would be able to see the Orion Hunter constellation. Good old days being in the astronomy club in NJC. How many schools would have CCAs taking place fornight and start when the sun is setting on a Saturday? I'm scared to admit that I was part of this extraordinary CCA before becos I have not been very into astronomy and my knowledge in it is really limited! Paiseh!

Still I'm still quite tempted to leave an entry before I sleep. Cos it's past 1am already, the optimal time for beauty sleep is over and by sleeping now doesn't really solve my acne problem anyway. Convocation is just 6 days away and I'm still unprepared for it. Haven't ironed my gown yet. And my face is in bad condition. Oh my oh my... I've not submited my application as a PO, really very slow me!

Gathering with 4 working ladies

5 of us, the 2i girls met up for dinner at PS tonight. All of us graduated at the same time, each with an engineering degree. But different types of engineering course: LiLing (Bioeng), SiHui (Mechanical eng), Ivy (Electric eng), MiaoLing (Chem eng), me (Materials eng). All except me have started working le. Heehee~ happy for all of them ya. Chatted a lot through the night and we laughed a lot among ourselves. Girls night out was fun-filled and I feel so happy being with them. This is called life after undergraduate bah and we are all proceeding to the next phase of our lives. Heehee~ looking for to hearing more work and play adventures they experience in our future gathering.

Today's Straits Times had reported graduates of Class 2007 being the luckiest lot to be graduating at this point of time. We are called the "Good Luck Club" with high ratio of offers:applications for jobs and also we get jobs with higher salaries and we can get jobs more related to our field of study with more ease. Good luck to my friends who are still looking jobs! The job market is really looking good now. Heehee~

Random thoughts

2007-07-18T11:10:00.000+08:00

I'm happy that many of my friends have gotten jobs and started to join the worklife in full force.
Me- Unemployed still. I have accepted the offer from NTU to do full-time phd course along with a monthly stipend. BTW, i got rejected by MEWR. So no EWT phd scholarship from it. But I'm hungry for more, currently trying to get a Project Officer position so I will be doing similar work but getting a salary instead of stipend. I love the idea of being employed, heehee~ I'm not sure of what lies in front of me and I don't even know what is the job scope of being PO. Gosh, I'm so so so impulsive. Surely, there's definitely more demand in being a staff in school and I'm expected to hold some teaching duties. Hope to be teaching Lab sessions!~* Going to be matriculated on 25th July!!! Convocation is on 27th July, Fri. My family is going to be there to see me up the stage. Ha~ they can be even proud of me if I agreed to give a convo speech on the behalf of my cohort. I'm a coward! I'm scared to go up the stage to talk to such a big audience.

A really random post....

Self indulgence

2007-07-17T18:41:00.000+08:00

My collection of beads and creations

Days are not boring if I'm occupied with some self creation. Cheezezzzz! These earrings are not for sale la, they are made for my friends. I'm not confident that my earrings will sell la.. haha~

Sick me

2007-07-12T14:18:00.000+08:00

Haha~ fell sick after my Thailand trip and after going back to school to collect my convocation free gifts and certificate. Hee~ so sick and blur that I've missed what was printed on my cert. The class of honours is printed on it too... nice!

White Hunt @ JP
Despite being (occasional sneezes and runny nose), I went shopping in Jurong Point with QiuTing yesterday. Shop around all the female apparel shops in JP and found that only Dano sell what we want- white long-sleeved collar shirt. It's meant to complement our convocation dress. Hmmm... limited choices around... currently contemplating on whether to get a white top or not. If yes, perhaps need to get from G2000 bah cos the one I eyed in Dano was stained. Yucks!

N73
Haha, my cousin Ah Pei came to visit my family yesterday. Dad and I went together to the nearby market with her to get her new mobile phone and change her price plan. Time really flies, 4 years ago, my dear cousin just arrived in Singapore to pursue her bachelor studies and my dad bought a HP for her. Now, she has graduated from NTU (same time as me!!), got a stable job, got boyfriend, got place to stay... and my mum sponsored her a new HP! Wow... I can't believe that we have gone through four years of uni life le! All the best to Ah Pei!!!

Beautiful Thailand

2007-07-11T19:15:00.000+08:00

Flying Tiger

Darling Dennis, Me, LianLi, MingJie

We took a 6.30am flight to bangkok on the 6 Jul. First time being in the budget terminal. Not as bad as what I thought. And there is air-con! Not much shops in there. Tiger Airways' plane is pretty small with 3 seats on the left and also 3 seats on the right. Pretty cramp in there and I think the guys are not sitting very comfortably due to lack of leg space.

Tiger Zoo

On our way from bangkok to Pattaya, we went to the tiger zoo. Of cos there are tigers in there. We were welcomed by circus performance by tigers. It was the first time I see tigers being so tamed and agile as compared to the lazy sleepy tigers in zoo on typical hot days. Even got a tiger dancing on 2 legs and it really reminded me of tigger, heehee~

Next we proceeded on to watch crocodile show. Gosh the performers really went all out to do their stunts and to make viewers impressed. They were quite small-sized but they do have the strength to pull the crocs all by themselves. My heart beat very fast when they put their heads inside the croc's mouth. So risky!

Pigs are not stupid! Meet this pig, it can count!

Be it multiplication, division, substraction or addition... so as long as the answers are in the range of 1-6. The pig can do the calculation and can pick up the right number tag. If not, it would become roasted pig...

I wonder if the tigress and the female pig know that their babies are swopped. It was proven that when the baby tiger cubs are reared by pig mum, they are able to grow up fast and strong. Look at the piglets wearing tiger printed cloth... haha~ would they be able to trick the tigress?

Pattaya

First time watching Ah Guah show. They are so pretty and well-endowed!

We took speed boat to Coral Island. In the middle of the trip, there is a station for some sea parachuting. Haha, I don't have the guts to try it. It's pretty expensive too. When we reached Coral Island, it was pretty disappointing la. Cos it was flooded with people and sea activities like jet ski and banana boat. We ended up just playing with the waves and seawater. I didn't take out my blue top ya... cos I am not brave to wear my biniki there to play water.

Went to the Nooch Village which has very smart elephants. Look at them! They can do a lot of things. So capable! First time seeing so so so many elephants at a time. Very amazing sia.

Bangkok

This is where we stay. It's located on Petchburi Soi 15. Very convenient location as we are directly opposite Pantip Plaza (IT Mall). We are near Pratunam market and Central World Plaza too.

One-bedroom apartment in studio style. Nice nice!!! Very big and well-equipped. Dennis' and my mouths couldn't stop wow-ing when we first see the place in real. Really look like what is seen on its official website.

Temple of Dawn-Lies along the famous Chao Phraya River. Our boat stopped a while for us to feed the fishes. I was literally throwing something I hate (bread) into the river.

Grand Palace- A place where King Rama I to VIII stayed before. Magnificent. I like the museum with the royal collection. However we were not allowed to take photos in the museum, what a pity... Saw many expensive accessories and clothes in there, a lot of gold stuff!! Another place which tourist should not miss out is the Emerald Buddha. Went in the temple and feel very peaceful in there. Fact: The Emerald Buddha has 3 different outfits for different seasons- Rainy, Hot and Cool.

Eat and Shop

A&W

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Very hot and crowded! Coconut juice to quench our thirst. Only 15 baht (>40 Sing cents).

Central World Plaza

Colourful cabs

Dunkin Donuts

We don't have this brand in Singapore. Bought value pack of 1/2 dozen donuts for only 109 baht. Yummy!!! Many flavours to choose from and gosh, they really make me very very full even though I only had 1.5 donut.

KFC

Yap, my all-time fav... the food was served on plates and we were given knives and fork. But we... didn't use... cos it's finger-licking good.. haha~

Tut-Tuk Experience

We took a tuk-tuk to the Pratunam Market.

Pratunam market

This is a heaven for wholesale buyers. Lots of goods here at cheap cheap prices.

MBK
7-storey shopping mall. We went there 2 times to shop. Movie there also very cheap. Either 100 baht or 80 baht person only!!! We watched Fantastic Four there.

@the airport, we had thai food...

Me after the trip....

Happy and Satisfied!

Idling bubu

2007-07-04T10:51:00.000+08:00

I'm very free these days, a big contrast with my boyfriend who is always busy (haha). These idling days are times when ...
I don't have to have to work,
meant to be stress-free days for me (to charge up my "chakra"),
opportunities to catch up with my friends (don't worry, I'm totally jobless and a student-wannabe, so don't be mistaken that I'm going to sell you any products cos i've none to sell to ya),
giving myself time to think of my goals in life,
go for getaways to be far from the hot lil red dot (and enjoying my passion- travel and see the world on the other side),
make lil craft works i.e. jewellery-making,
learn cooking (wanting some dish to be called my own original recipe)....
the list is going non-stop

Hoho, I'm be heading to Bangkok, Thailand and Pattaya island soon... in 2 days' time. Can't wait to be there to visit the landmarks and shopping for beads (heehee~). Most importantly is to spend quality time with my darling. Very exciting to be there and I hope that the situation there is peaceful and calm when I am there la.

What people says... (is it really me??)
I'm people-oriented and love to interact with people
I'm more like a salesperson who can really sell products well
I've got a face which is sincere and won't-cheat-your-money kind
I'm loud and talkative, full of nonsense at times
I can be very fierce when I'm having mood swings
... I guess I'm a typical Gemini with lots of personalities... hohoho...

Taiwanese Porridge Buffet @ Suntec
weekdays: $9.80 nett
There is a variety of dishes to complement with the porridge. However the dishes are more on the salty side. What I like most are the three layer pork, fried ikan bilis. I think I prefer to eat flavoured porridge bah, not really used to eat this taiwanese porridge. There were only three types of porridge available: Plain, Sweet Potato, Peanut. No beverage served... need to purchase from the counter, no sight of ice-cream too. I don't take the deserts there... black glutinous rice and green bean soup...
I like the congee at Crystal Jade Kitchen!!! Even the plain ones are delicious and you can find scallops in there too!!!

Convo prep. Medicare for bubu

2007-07-01T10:40:00.000+08:00

Thursday 28 Jun.

Curry pork chop rice at tiong bahru coffee shop with darling, mel and mel's sis. Went to ChinaTown to get the Thailand trip's tix. Headed to Serangoon Broadway to buy my convo dress. Finally going to graduate from NTU le. Haha~ strangely, the size of my gown is S loh... it goes by height not weight and waistline. I was pretty determined not to take up the photo-taking package and appeared very fierce. So the salesman no choice, cannot psycho me much into buying. Taking studio photos really expensive, for an 8R self photo, it costs $110. And my parents are not really interested in taking canvas photos, maybe they will be most enthu about it when my sis graduate bah.

Friday 29 Jun.

To the National Skin Centre
My mum had a mini surgery on that day. Nothing very serious lah. First time to the centre and the surgery was pretty quick, less than 30 mins.

Haha, after the surgey we headed off to eat prawn noodles/beehoon. Really yummy!! And I had cooling ice-lemon tea as drink. Very expensive but all worth it, cos the soup base is really thick with aroma of prawns and bak kut. Hao chi! My sister finally made up her mind to buy the N73 Music edition phone and made a purchase at Jurong Point. She's not extravagent la... cos the N73 normal version is out of stock, so no choice got to buy the one with music edition and it costs $80 more.

Met my uni friends for a steamboat dinner at Bugis. Very nice atmosphere and not that humid and greasy. No need to get the ingredients ourselves and the soup is really nice nice. Haha.. but I don't the name of the restaurant ah... Attendance list: Jerry, Sherley, SiJia, ZhiQiang, HwaJia, LiLing.

Saturday .

To the Jurong Polyclinic with dad. The polyclinic is so different now. Newly renovated and tech-savvy.. haha~ BUT, the waiting time is still long long.. I waited around 2 hours loh. It's a saturday so no choice... there are so so so many people around especially old aunties.

I was there to get a referral letter to the National Skin Centre. Need to go check out the protuding scar on my chest. Not sure what is it and hoping to flatten it man.

Busy 2 days

2007-06-27T16:19:00.000+08:00

ECP with friends

Yesterday: What a scorching hot day! And we were out in the sun for some action-> cycling!! My buttock hurt a lot yesterday after 2 hours of cycling. The bicycle tracks are pretty user friendly and the humps are more gentle.

Dennis, SiJia, Winnie, LiLing, Me

Dennis, SiJia, Winnie, LiLing, ZhiQiang

Us, last friday at the bedok jetty

Seafood at Owen Restaurant

Yesterday: The Unique Seafood Market at Turf City is having 50% discount for all seafood on weekdays and the prices shown are already inclusive of cooking and ingredient fees. We were there to celebrate Fathers' Day, belated one. Mummy wanted to try the lobster and we had the baked cheese lobster. As usual, we go for the salted egg yolk crab... nice! Chosen to go to Owen Restuarant to dine. Eating seafood here is so so fresh and delicious, and we get to choose the which lobster or crab to eat.

Where we choose our seafood...

Baby abalones

Alaska king crab

Salted egg yolk sri lanka crab (bubu's all-time favourite)

Dennis helped take this photo for my family
Happy Fathers' Day!

Dim sum at Crystal Jade Kitchen, Holland Village

Today: Met my primary school classmates for mini-gathering. We have known each other for 13 years!!! Still keep in contact and we were very good friends in primary school. Still remember the days when we go to each other's home to play and eat home-cooked delicacies. Good old days at the Jurong Bird Park and our common CCA-Science Club (Gardening). I always hang out with my 3 dear friends for recess break in school.

*~Me with my pretty friends~*

Geraldine

YuYan

QiYue

Changed and more holiday plans

2007-06-25T04:30:00.000+08:00

Changed handphone

Mummy and daddy have been bugging me to change my mobile phone and its monthly subscription plan. We chanced upon westmall on Sat and spontaneously, I got myself a new phone. N80(internet edition)... looks cool and i finally have bluetooth function in my phone le... looking forward to explore its functions which my Nokia 7250 doesn't offer. Ha~ I guess my friends are smiling... that I've finally changed a phone. And I got myself a student plan! Haha~ the salesman didn't question when I'm graduating. Happy!! But hor, I got difficulty transferring all my contacts to my new sim card and phone. Not very tech-savvy me ya. So forgive me when I ask who are you when you msg k?

Bangkok/Pattaya

Hee~ I'll be going there with dennis and friends (another couple) from 6 Jul to 10 Jul. First time overseas (+ night stay) trip with my darling. Really looking forward to it. 3rd time going to Thailand! Guess there is a lot of change and a lot of eye-opening thingy (riots...) going on now. Hope that we are going to be safe there. Strangely, I thought my daddy would disagree going with dennis... he's a bit conservative kind... but he is okay with dennis, not okay with the idea of going to bangkok cos of the tense situation taking place there lately. Hee~ he even helped me research on accomodation on the internet just now.. how sweet of my dad!~ I'll be taking budget air flight for the 1st time. I hope that it's not bad la... Tiger Airways... just that I'm flying at 6.30am... waa~

I think I'm really into holiday mood. Feel like jio-ing my sister to go tour tour since both of us are jobless and free.. haha~ But need money to sustain... bubu is becoming very spendthrift and bad at mathematics.

Jobless me

2007-06-20T10:05:00.000+08:00

Some of my friends may be wondering... why am I so inactive recently. Be it in my blog and on msn. I am hardly seen on msn because I'm working part-time. NOW I'm jobless. Just finished part-time job yesterday. $45/day, not bad la, better than no income. Worked for only 6 days and that amounts my pay to $270. Haha, definitely not enough to cover my post driving lessons this months. I'm very free now... got any part-time lobang can jio me? I can drive van too! I had my class 3 licence le. I'm going to be an unemployed person for the next approximate 4 years. Yay, I'm going continue on with my studies. Unexpected huh..? Monthly allowance of $1500... not a lot man. Most of my friends would be fetching home more than $2k home. I hope I won't get discouraged easily during my pursue. Why I want to study? Because I don't want to work. I want freedom as a student. Simple reason. hA! Is research something for me to do in the long run? Hmm.. I don't know until I try ba. I know I like studying.

Trying be more financially aware

Books I'm reading...

WHY WE WANT YOU TO BE RICH
by Donald Trump and Robert T. Kiyosaki

Big book with big fonts. A wonderful insight of how two big millionaires think. Teaching you how viewing your finance in a different perspective.
Something from the book... There are 3 types of investors:
1. Those who do not invest.
2. Those who invest not to lose.
3. Those who invest to win.
Of course I would want to be in category 3. For now, with little capital I'm in category 2. Bought funds from my personal financial advisor lately. Haha... hope to earn big money!

Retire Young Retire Rich
by Robert T. Kiyosaki

I'm still at the beginning of the book. Hahaha... I'm putting it on hold now as I'm reading the above book. Gosh, I am such a slow reader loh.
Robert wrote about using leverage to make money grow in a good sense. Not all debts are bad, debts can be good if you know how to leverage. This book reminds me of a talk show in Taiwan called "Jin wan na li you wen ti". The author is already a millionaire and he need not work to have money going in his pocket. He had passive income which is generated from his businesses and investments.

Law and order going downside in Johor
A few days ago, boyfriend told me about the security issues in Johor. Women especially of Chinese race must be very careful if travelling alone or in small groups. Obviously there is a racial discrimination here and these lawbreakers are trying to convey some messages to the public and the government. I can't believe that our neighbouring country can be so unsafe. I remembered a month ago when my cousins and aunties telling my family to be careful when travelling to Johor because the baddies are not only targetting Singaporeans, they are even targetting their own people, the Malaysians. Hope that the police take more action and prevent further tragedies from happening. I'm starting to be worried for my relatives staying in Johor.

Never perfect

2007-06-13T20:43:00.000+08:00

I guessed I'm not a favourite. I am not perfect because I fail to get full marks for every exam. No perfect score for my o'levels and a'levels. No celebration, no word of praise, no sign of a happy atmosphere. Even after knowing that their daughter got 1st class honours, even after knowing that she passed her driving finally. What was said is words of how lousy I park my car, how inflexible I am, how am I supposed to get this type of honours with my imperfect grades... what I get was criticism... yap, thank you very much. Feeling very shitty now.

Made worse by what happened at my part-time work. My team was being complained of being inefficient and slow... and being the slowest team. If people want to compare, there will always be a team which is the fastest and a team which is the slowest. What's wrong of being slow? If we were pathetically slow, they should get some fast-working people to help us right? Instead of just complaining and not solving the problem, yap... this is what we called "management"? If someone have the time to watch us and find fault in us, why someone just don't come and offer help to speed things up and reduce human error.

Two things to be happy about

2007-06-12T14:14:00.000+08:00

My final year, final semester's results were out last friday (8th June). I went to studentlink to check them early in the morning at 6.23am. My dad was already awake while my mum was preparing to go for work. I am so big already and it was strange that my parents were standing right behind me and together we stared at the computer screen. The moment when the results page was fully loaded, everyone was shocked. Yap, I was awarded first class honours with a minor in business. With the B and B+ I got, I can still get 1st class... my parents were laughing at me saying that I was really lucky.

Next thing to share about... today I bravely went for my 3rd driving test. When I saw my allocation slip, my heart sank. It's car 88 again, my first test car... the clutch was pretty hard to handle that time. And I failed with 36 demerit points that time.Then went to draw lots to get a test route and tester. Oh my, I get back the same tester as my second attempt, so qiao. My test route was route 5, good good, cos it's left turn out and in the school... easier for bubu to drive. My tester kept pointing out my mistakes during the test and I thought I'm gone case again. He briefed me after the test and my eyes were already filled with tears cos I thought he would say,"Please practise more for your next text". Gosh, I saw him ticked the pass box!!! I passed!!! Unbelievable man... just nice... 18 demerit points. Now I can add that I have class 3 driving licence in my resumes. Hohohoho~

Today is my happy day!! Shalala...

marry me tomorrow?

2007-06-10T01:59:00.000+08:00

Interesting cartoon MV.

Here is the original MV.

Birthday fun @ Zoo & Marche

2007-06-06T17:25:00.000+08:00

Singapore Zoological Gardens

Small little parrots. Aren't they cute and full of colours? They are located near the entrance and there to welcome all visitors. What a pity that they can't talk...

Elephant at work and play. We went to watch the elephant show. Oh man, they are so strong and they can carry very heavy loads which man finds hard to handle. Elephants are so adorable and even knows how to act.

White tiger!! There are 3 of them. It was close to feeding time and the 3 tigers are swimming around and waiting for bloody food to be thrown at them. Beautiful skin.

Warning to all visitors. Not all human food can be eaten by monkeys. Heehee~

"See how tall am I?"

I love the signs... with the animal heads at the ends. *Interesting*

Us resting at the cool station. Great relief from all the walking and the hot sun. Singapore is very hot recently!!!

Me taking a shot. Do I look happy? Yeah, I'm... feeling oily on the face and sticky all over the body too. haha~

Marche

Went to Marche for dinner to celebrate birthday with my 2i friends Ivy, Li Ling, Si Hui and Zhibin. Dennis joined in too. haha~ Waiting for Li Ling to send the pic so I can upload them here. Stay tune!

I am a slacker. NOT!

2007-06-01T17:48:00.000+08:00

Anyone who had watched BORAT who have understood what my post title means. Haha~ I watched BORAT while flying back to Singapore via Quantas Airway. I underwent a movie marathon and very proud to announce that I completed 4 movies namely "Borat", "Music and Lyrics", "Happy Feet", and "Charlotte's Web". All are nice but I find the last one a bit slow and boring.

I returned to home on 28th night.

29th May- Went to Singapore Examination and Assessment Board to work part-time
What did bubu do there man? I was counting the number of scripts for O'Levels Chinese papers and checking the barcodes. Super excited about this job cos I get to work with Dennis. This is the second time we are working together. The first time was at Suntec Exhibition hall pumping and distributing balloons for Singtel. Surprisingly, I met 2 primary school classmates.. Zhengyu and Alvin. I'm so blur cos I was sitting directly opposite Alvin for one whole morning and I failed to recognise him. Gosh, I guess 11 years is a long period and he had changed quite a long. Change was good as he was pretty initiative in conversing and pretty popular with the aunties at the same table. Haha! I don't remember talking to him before in primary 6 class.
I'm looking forward to eating yummy curry pork chop rice at tiong bahru coffee shop man...
Work shall resume on 7th June. There is plenty of time for bubu to revise driving, spend time with friends and bf, relax...

30th May- Psychometric test at Civil Service College. Trying to apply MEWR's phd scholarship on water studies. Coincidently I happened to be an intern in MEWR 2 years back. Haha, after the tests, I guessed I shouldn't pin too high hopes for my application. I simply can't count... buang my numerical test man. The other 2 guys taking the test concurrently with me seemed so li hai and they do so many more questions than bubu. Anyways, I'm just have to pray hard that I get at least a Second Upper Class Honours in order to fulfil the admission requirement for ntu. It would be better if it's first class.. more opportunities of earning more allowance. Went swimming with dennis in the evening. Oh my, so many little kids learning swimming. So paiseh cos I swam slower than them. Lousy bubu. First time seeing Serangoon Swimming Complex flooded with people.

31st May- Relaxing at home. Watched Naruto Movie 3 and 4 episodes of new season of Naruto. Kept wanting to continue watching but our stomachs were really hungry during dinnertime. It was strange seeing the characters being older/mature... The storyline is captivating and exciting (much better than the filler episodes) but I'm still not used to the new grown-up look of the characters. I love Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun!!!

1st June- First revision driving lesson for my upcoming practical test. Quite happy that I went... practised driving in the rain. Good practice for me! My test is soon but I'm going to be very secretive about it.. so I won't feel so stressed.

Bubu back from Australia

2007-05-31T22:16:00.000+08:00

My journey with 6 friends for 15 days: Brisbane, Surfers Paradise, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne. Thank you Winnie, Si Jia, Sze Teng, Jerry, Zhi Qiang, Justin for making this trip possible! I love you guys for your company!!! Lots of fun and experience in Australia with you guys.
Introducing my wonderful friends...

Me, Si Jia (my roomie for all the nights... love ur company!!)

Winnie, Jerry, Zhi Qiang (very adventureous people, loves to climb a lot esp waterfalls)

Sze Teng & Justin (the couple of the trip)

Brisbane
A day tour for us. Met Winnie's friend for the second time and many more friends for the first time. They were very nice people and willing to spend one day with us to show us around. Get to sit different models of sports car ah.

Traces of us...

DFO (bought cheap tops there)

Brisbane city where the casino is and it was my first time in a casino!!!

Mount Coot-tha Lookout

Rushed to Surfers Paradise at night to reach our accomodation- Islander Backpacker Resort

Surfers Paradise
Not unfamiliar place to be in. I was there with my family many years ago, to be exact, it is 8 years.

Traces of us...

Movie World

Along the streets when I found a park of the same name as me!!!

Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum Entrance (I took a photo at exactly the same spot 8 years ago)

Mount Tamborine: mini trekking to the Curtin Falls, Winery

Habour Town Shopping where I bought beads & dinner at Fasta Pasta

Byron Bay
Went to explore the place while travelling from Surfers Paradise to Sydney
I like the beach!!! The strong winds!!! The rocks!!!

Oh my gosh, the kebabs there also very yummy... highly reccomended!!!-->Bay Kebabs

Sydney
Before reaching Sydney, we had dinner at KFC!!! I was super elated to see an outlet and took a quick snap there. KFC tastes better in Australia...
It had been a long long car drive to Sydney... took us around 14 hours to reach there. Initially very excited about getting to Sydney but we were slightly disappointed when we finally got to the hostel. 2am, so late man, and more than 50% of everyone hanging around are drunk. People going to clubs and pubs. The scene was so complicated and shocking to me. I saw men touching women's body like nobody's business, made me wonder if these women are prost***. I didn't even feel safe when we were already in the hostel, Maze Backpackers Hostel.

I remembered my body shivering while getting to the ladies for the first time, even had ZQ to wait for me outside the toilet. I was such a timid person!
Day time in Sydney was quite okay!!!

Traces of us...

Chinatown-breakfast (Taiwanese Crusine: Zhu Ma Ma)

Paddy's Market

Darling Harbour

Bondi Beach: Sze Teng, Justin, Zhi Qiang, Jerry went to play in the sea (so dangerous) while the rest of the girls strolling along the beach

Night view of Sydney Opera House and the Habour Bridge

Fireworks near the opera house (beautiful)

Blue Mountains
I love the YHA there. The toilets are great, beds are very stable, nice kitchen ....

Traces of us...

Jamison Lookout

Wentworth falls: I do have a lot of ramblings about this place... the journey to see the falls was not worth the trouble... tough journey down and even more difficult journey back. Just to see mist of water... Remember, Australia is currently having drought at certain places...

Three sisters

Jenolah caves... we visited Lucas Cave which is made up of limestone, very pretty!!!

Kanangra Boyd Plateau Walk

In our rented cars...

Canberra

One night at Victor's Lodge... Haha, 2 bedrooms and a big living room... 14 beds for 7 of us... we get to choose man.

Traces of us...

Old Parliament House

New Parliament House- I like its rooftop!!! Nice place to take photos!!!

National Library where we had our lunch

National Dinosaur Museum: think only Sze Teng believe me that it actually exists... haha~ and we really make it to the museum, so happy!!!

Melbourne
A place with many Asians. Made us feel at ease...
I love the apartment we were staying. 3 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 2 bath rooms, washing machine, laundry dryer, TV, Sofa, Dining Table... 7 of us living together in a "house". Cosy cosy!!!

Traces of us...

St Kilda's beach

Queen Victoria Market.. I like this place cos I get to bargain. Bought a lot of things there. Souvenirs, Macademia nuts, Spanish donuts, Chicken sticks...

Surf City... Shopping!! I can't believe myself that I bought bikini!!!

Philip Island: Penguin Parade (fairy penguins are so cute and we were there to watch them parade home from the shore)

Great Ocean Road: 12 Apostles, Loch George Arch, Blow hole, Thunder cave... sunset pics

Werribee Zoo... Meerkats, Kangaroos, Emus, Lioness, Cheetahs... Haha, don't encourge you all to go, Singapore Zoological Gardens is much more exciting than it!

Nandos... Peri Peri sauce... Grilled chicken with exotic flavours!!!
Lygon street... Ice cream time!!!

I'm free!!! Hip Hip Hurray!!!

2007-05-12T15:21:00.000+08:00

FYP presentation was finally over last Wed (9th May). Though it wasn't a pleasant experience, it's a good learning experience man. Made me realise how simple I had thought things to be when I failed to answer the examiner's questions. Indeed as what my friend had pointed out to me after her experienced with the examiner, the presentation was interactive! Haha~ I directly went through Q&A without presenting my slides. To think that I had rehearse my slides so so many times... feel pretty unjustified though. I am glad that the presentation is over.

Yesterday was the MSE Grad Night. Took a lot of photos, a bit like prom night sia. But everyone is not so formal dressed like evening gowns la. I must say that the NTU Alumni Club is located at such a OFF place... on a hill somemore and not a convenient place to go to if you don't have a vehicle. The food wasn't very nice but I think the programmes are very fun and really made me laugh very hard. Even had a lecturer dancing ah. If i can, i shall upload on my blog through youtube. haha!

I shall upload some of the photos later.... heehee~

Hopefully I get to eat churros later!!!
***************

Photos of grad nite

Top (left to right): Otto, Lisa, Sze Teng, Me
Bottom (left to right): Shawn, Hwa Jia, Si Jia, Jerry, Zhi Qiang

the girls... Si Jia, Sze Teng, Shi Yun, me, Lisa

with JiaJia

with ZQ

with Jerry

with ST

bidding a last farewell on a beautiful sunday morning

2007-04-29T17:11:00.000+08:00

Today, my family went to Malaysia. It was not a holiday trip. It was the last time that we will be seeing my eldest uncle and we were there to send him off his last journey. Within a week, I have gone to Malaysia twice. Full of regrets that I didn't get to see my uncle before he passed away. It was too late... actually my sister and I wanted to go and visit him on Saturday, but he didn't wait for us and went off on Wednesday night. My uncle had fallen into coma about 1 week before his death and woke up. Now I know... it was the last chance for family and friends to shower him with care and warmth. Sighhh, feeling unfilial cos I didn't grab this last precious chance. I still remember the last time I saw him was on the first day of CNY this year. He could barely support himself and walk. He aged a lot over the year and grew very thin. Cancer is not a man-friendly and had taken my uncle away from us. I still remembered him joking about me being plump and he could still see me even when I tried to hide behind my mum. That was 2 months ago...

The place where the funeral wake was held was the same place where my grandma's was held 12 years ago. The surroundings were unchanged but just older. Brought me back about of memories of my grandma who had taken care of me from my birth till she fell ill, battling with colon cancer.

May my uncle and my grandma rest in peace. Missing you dearly...

little biology lessons for bubu

2007-04-25T11:42:00.000+08:00

OH my, it's time to mug for my BIOMATERIALS module.
Surfing the net to check for biological terms and processes.
Before I forget to bookmark my pages and take down the urls, I guess it's best to place them here, haha~ Maybe my fellow coursemates can find some help here like I desperately need. I'm scared of BIO-related subjects!!! Blur bubu got to memorise a lot of spelling and definitions... very hard for me!!!

http://www.kumc.edu/instruction/medicine/anatomy/histoweb/blood/blood.htm
There are three types of leukocytes:
1. Granulocytes (These are also called 'Myeloid Cells.')
2. Monocytes
3. Lymphocytes

Some sources combine the monocytes and lymphocytes into one category and just call them all 'mononuclear leukocytes.' (You probably are beginning to realize that the real challenge in learning this is just learning the vocabulary.)

Granulocytes include the neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. It shouldn't surprise you to learn that their cytoplasm is often filled with granules. These are the work horses of acute inflammation (and other processes). Make sure you learn the neutrophil. In pathology and immunology, you'll call this same cell the PMN (polymorphonuclear leukocyte). Eosinophils are involved in allergic reactions and parasitic infections. Another cell to mention here (although it is NOT a granulocyte) is the Mast Cell. It's very similar to the basophil: both release histamine (and other mediators). Some think that the mast cell is derived from the basophil. Just remember that the basophil circulates and the mast cell is found in peripheral tissues. Other than that, they are quite similar.

Monocytes include the monoctye and the macrophage. The monocyte circulates in the blood until it receives the signal to extravasate into the peripheral tissue. Once in the tissue, it matures into the macrophage. It can also mature even further into other cells, but that is beyond the scope of this course. The monocyte/macrophage is the work horse of chronic inflammation.

Lymphoctyes are often overlooked when we consider blood, but they are white blood cells. Indeed, they originate in the bone marrow and are derived from the same stem cell as the rest of the erythrocytes and leukocytes. These are the T-cells and B-cells that direct the immune system and produce antibodies, respectively. They are the central cells in our cell-mediated and humoral (antibody) defense mechanisms. Also keep in mind that the B-cell can mature into the plasma cell.
***

http://www.amfar.org/cgi-bin/iowa/bridge.html?page=P
PHAGOCYTE: A cell that is able to ingest and destroy foreign matter, including bacteria.
PHAGOCYTOSIS: The process of ingesting and destroying a virus or other foreign matter by phagocytes. See Macrophage; Monocyte.
MONOCYTE: A large white blood cell that ingests microbes or other cells and foreign particles. When a monocyte enters tissues, it develops into a macrophage.
MACROPHAGE: A large immune cell that devours invading pathogens and other intruders. Stimulates other immune cells by presenting them with small pieces of the invader. Macrophages can harbor large quantities of HIV without being killed, acting as reservoirs of the virus.
***

http:www.safecount.com/Glossary.htm
Histamine is a chemical present in cells throughout the body that is released during an allergic reaction. Histamine is one of the substances responsible for the symptoms of inflammation and is the major reason for running of the nose, sneezing, and itching in allergic rhinitis. It also stimulates production of acid by the stomach and narrows the bronchi or airways in the lungs.
***

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=124906
The host foreign-body response ensues immediately after implantation of biomedical devices and prostheses. This response progresses through stages of inflammation and wound healing with different cell types as hallmark indicators of the particular stage of the reaction. Neutrophils and mononuclear cells immediately infiltrate the tissue–material interface and are associated with acute inflammation. Chronic inflammation is evident when the number of infiltrating neutrophils decrease and the local monocyte population adheres to the surface of the implant and differentiates into macrophages. Lymphocytes also become more predominant during the chronic phase of inflammation. The total number of infiltrating cells normally decreases as the inflammatory response resolves and the wound-healing process progresses to the formation of granulation tissue and subsequent fibrous encapsulation of the implanted material. Although formation of this foreign-body capsule is thought to be beneficial to the implant, cells already adherent to the surface eventually may cause failure of the device. These adherent cells consist of monocyte-derived macrophages, which may fuse into foreign-body giant cells (FBGCs) that concentrate degradative and phagocytic properties leading to structural and chemical damage of the implant (1, 2). Therefore, methods of effectively modulating the presence and activity of adherent monocytes/macrophages/FBGCs would enhance the in vivo lifetime of implanted devices.
***

http://www.ecm.auckland.ac.nz/course/cm422/422BiomaterialsNotes.pdf
Non-metallic materials- Biomaterials
~ lecture notes

http://static.scribd.com/docs/gwhfiscb0emhd.pdf
Biomaterials II
~ lecture notes

http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/Materials-Science-and-Engineering/3-051JSpring2004/D3176581-9158-4730-AA8A-6B741928B3D0/0/lecture_8.pdf
Cell-Surface Interactions: Host Responses to Biomaterials
~ lecture notes

bubu and poems

2007-04-25T01:32:00.000+08:00

Geography Poem done by bubu (28/5/97)

Geography is enjoyable,
If it is understandable.

We learn ...
... of the large land surfaces,
The continents
... of the large water surfaces,
The oceans.

Geography comes from two words
'GEO' meaning 'Earth' and
'GRAPHY' meaning 'description'
That is the explanation.

We learn ...
... about simple technology,
Example is the !Kung Bushmen
... about advanced technology,
Example is the people of Arizona.

A map is a graphic representation,
Which is able to find a location.
Maps are often used by people to ...
... find places
... get to places
... know about places

We learn ...
... that the line of latitude is an imaginary grid line
that runs in an east-west direction around the world.
... that the line of longitude is an imaginary grid line
that runs in a north-south direction from the North Pole to the South Pole.

The condition of the atmosphere at a SPECIFIC PLACE
Over a SHORT PERIOD of time is called ...
... weather.
The condition of the atmosphere of an AREA
Over a LONG PERIOD of time is called ...
... climate.
***

I was getting some rough paper to scribble on while preparing for my examinations and I found a poem created by me 10 years ago. I was so excited to read my poem again and curious of what motivates me to be so poetic at such a young age. After thoughts--> my English standard is like 1o years ago+ it must have been a geography subject assignment + I think I lifted a lot of phrases from the textbook (haha~).

The following 2 poems were found with my geography poem. They were printed and handed out as notes for class during English lesson. Find them meaningful, so sharing it here.

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

Love from friendship - this love leads to light
to peace and to deep joy.
This love never harms people
It does not possess for itself
It leaves the other person free
And when it finds expression
in physical tenderness
it stays pure
But when one person wants
to possess another for himself alone
for his own satisfaction
he destroys the person he thinks he loves
And destroys the friendship
True, you will never be capable
of a totally unselfish friendship
But you must always keep trying.
***

SIMPLE FLOWERS WILL DO

Why have so many people got nothing to live for?
Because they have no friendships.
Because they don't know anybody who likes them.
Because nowhere do they find
an ounce of symphathy and affection.
Because a flower never blooms for them.
Any yet flowers work wonders!
no need for expensive or rare flowers.
common simple flowers will do-
a smile, a kind word, a simple gesture.
the smallest tiniest flower
given with a warm heart
tells a lovely story.
a pure, sweet story about a small piece of
heaven-on earth.
where the people seem like angels,
where, for every anxiety,
for every pain and for each tear,
there is a soft comfort,
where the people, like flowers, bloom for each other
***

Grumpy me

2007-04-15T17:41:00.000+08:00

Is it the exam blues?

Is it the lack of company?

PMS?

Because it's Sunday?

Is it the insufficient sleep?

ARGHHHH.... crazy me grumpy me sick me.

Surfing the net. Looking at friends' blogs. Looking at strangers' blog simply by hitting the "next blog" button. Seems to have plenty of time. But not really. No mood. Irritated by trivial matters. Yells!

I was so bored that I went to read up on Siamese twins.
Many sad and pathetic case around... but there are happy ones too.
Abby and Brittany Hensel currently 17 years old. Living life to the fullest while having 2 different personalities in a common body.

To view a video on them, here is the url:
http://www.devilducky.com/media/57295/

I feel that I am lucky to be born in the world normally. There are so many out there who are struggling to stay alive. I shouldn't be grumpy and be unhappy about life. I should be happy to be alive.

Yi Ling, go and eat your medicine

2007-04-13T13:56:00.000+08:00

Yeah yeah, BAD NEWS is I'm sick again. GOOD NEWS is I am recovering.
Sick since last Good Friday. Went to doc on Easter Sunday. Quarantined to sleep alone.

New records: Almost fainted after climbling a flight of stairs. First time using some inhaler puff to relieve my breathing due to clogging of phlemgh in my breathing pathway. Ate some tablets which makes my heart pump faster and me sweat like nobody's business. Infected mum, now she got quarantined to sleep with me at nights.

Noisy because: My dad keeps nagging me to eat my medication. Even now... very noisy. Even noiser than the jets flying pass my flats.

ARGHHHHH.... I want to go swimming but I'm sick and it's pouring now. Makes me more sad...

the little prince

2007-04-12T12:44:00.000+08:00

Professor Abadie included excerpts from "The Little Prince" in his last lecture slides.

I had read this story before but yet completed it despite it being a thin book. I read from a website and here is the url:http://www.angelfire.com/hi/littleprince/introduction.html

It was previously written in French and that's why the prof wanted to put it in to show that it's the product from France bah. hohohohoho....

I want to finish this book before I leave for Australia!!!

Currently reading:

"Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

Professional Communication textbook

Finished:

"The five people you meet in heaven" also by Mitch Albom

bubuengine gets started

2007-04-12T11:40:00.000+08:00

Some boring + random revision thoughts
I'm finally starting preparing for my exams. Started studying the last 2 sets of biomaterials notes. The notes are quite thin ah, but bubu took such a loooooong time to read time and digest them. So much biology terms in there, really bore me lots. I wonder why some people love to study it despite it being so dry... haha~ I think i I don't have flair in biology and cannot really appreciate it well. I guess I won't be dealing with bio stuff in my postgrad studies bah. I'm too lazy to memorise so much things!!!!

Today, I'm supposed to study for my professional communication module. This is much interesting and more applicable to the real world bah. Finished 2 sets of notes, haven't started reading the textbook yet. I don't understand why am I such a slower reader. Blame it on my poor English standard...haha~ maybe because I lack of practice (seldom read books, even newspapers).

What will be will be
Lots of people asked me whether I have got any job offers or which companies I have applied. The answers .....

I had only given 3 resumes in the NTU career fair and none had contacted me.

I'm looking into postgraduate opportunities, since I like studying and don't really want to go for job search now. My application to full-time phd programme with NTU is still under consideration. But I'm open to other options such as doing part-time phd and working at the same time. Most importantly is I want to have $$ no matter what I take ... haha. I don't want to receive pocket money anymore and be able to support my family financially. My mother is the sole breadwinner in my family now.

If I were to look for a job, it would be after I return from Australia bah. I don't want to be bothered during my trip like waiting for called or unable to attend interviews. Who knows? I may be more clear-headed after the trip and know what I really want.

Sweet for my sweet

2007-04-06T22:13:00.000+08:00

I watched "Sweet for my sweet" last night which featured celebrity couple Allan Wu and Wong Li Lin. Interested in the Thunder fron down under and the italian restaurant which had a lot of cheesy stuff. My all time favourite is still chocolates... no particular brand, just need to be rich and marvellous tasting~*

Childhood favourites: Churros

The last time I saw them was at a night market at serangoon central. I really miss the taste of them. Churros, where are you in Singapore. I remembered getting them from Tangs long long ago, but the place no longer sells it. Sad sad... the close substitutes would be eclairs bah.

Silly me, I went to yahoo to find images on churros.... where are you...? I want to eat you!!!

Final semester as an undergraduate

2007-03-29T23:14:00.000+08:00

Those were the days
Hmm... I was listening to songs on my laptop. Those were the days went I on my laptop and a loud "bommm" sound would disturb my hall-mates.... the days when I left my laptop on through the day to download mp3 songs from napster and mIRC... the days when I need to spend 20 mins to walk to south spine's MLT (old name for biggest LT in NTU) for common engineering lectures early in the morning cos I know I can't cannot onto the shuttle bus from hall 15.... times when my friend just drop-by my room to borrow tutorials from me... late night chats with my roomie.... great snacks from canteen 2...

Above mentioned were my memories from my first semester in NTU as a freshie.... yap, those were the days. Wow... time really flies (what a typical phrase)... currently into the final lap of my undergraduate life. If I were to choose again... I would want to be more proactive... do some research projects offered to me (I just ignored them... a bit of regrets for letting chance slip), I would still choose dennis as my boyfriend, I would want to take cheap or free workshops on photoshop, dreamweaver, flash....

Just some reflections on my uni life... randoms thoughts... messy writing!! Haha~

Stressful week coming up!!!!!

2 quizzes

1 simulation assignment due

1 submission of fyp final report

1 oral presentation

These are making bubu feel stressful and worried. Thinking of them makes bubu unable to concentrate. I want to go out and eat hao liao... I want to go swimming... I want to go on a holiday!!!! Arghhhh....

Buffet time!!!

Went to Vienna Restaurant located at United Square to celebrate my sister's birthday.

*~My family~*

Ren Ri's Feast versus 1-day Batam trip

2007-03-21T15:35:00.000+08:00

1-Day Batam Trip: 11th March '07
Here are my photos on my first trip to Indonesia. I went to Batam with darling and his police volunteer friends.

En route to Batam via Ferry from HarbourFront

There are rules to obey in the ferry

A big shopping mall located near the jetty. Looks like ikea ah...

A&W in Indonesia!!!

Our lunch arranged nicely before our arrival. But I am not used to the food. Either too spicy or too salty. I even ate green chili by mistake... gosh.

Imitation time outside the Da Bo Gong Temple

The coconut is only S$1 and it is bigger than darling's head!!!

After a traditional body massage. Satisfied customers: Dennis and bubu. S$20 per person. Value for money. Full 1.5hour of good quality massage + a free cup to ginger tea after the session. I was so shy, cos need to strip my top and wrap myself with towel.

Somewhere was burning something. Air pollution taking place in front of my own eyes. Yucks, black smoke.

Seafood for dinner. I find it more enjoyable than the lunch.

Ferry journey back. Tired but happy!

Ren Ri 2007

It was on a saturday and many weeks ago. It happens on the 7th day of the lunar year and for the Chinese, it is everyone's birthday. That was why my family celebrated it at Crystal Jade Kitchen @JP. Haha~ actually my mummy was very interested in eating "peng cai" which I call the dry version of buddha jump over the wall dish. It cost us more than $100 (can't remember the exact price) for 6 pax. Participants were Daddy, Mummy, Xiao Mei Zi, Sixth Aunt, and Darling Dennis. I find the peng cai tasty and full of hao liao (good stuff). Ingredients include: Bei Gu (mushroom), big oysters, big prawns, pig's tongue, pig's trotters, pig's skin, etc... I ordered durian pudding for dessert, I still think real durians are nicer.

Take a break

2007-03-14T18:16:00.000+08:00

I guess I have been taking breaks, short and long. What is making me feel so tired and sleepy these few days. I am not stressed even the FYP first draft deadline is nearing.

Just for laughs
-Found these interesting graphics while browsing strangers' blog

Though I learnt a bit of Japanese in school. I still cannot understand what the sentences mean. Just read the English sentences and pictures would give some hilarious information.

Creative ways to recycle your printers (ideas from HP):

1) As a flower pot

2) As a rack

What have I done? Looks familiar?
[ ] Front matters
[ ] Abstract
[ ] Content page
[ ] List of tables
[ ] List of figures
[x] Introduction
[x] Literature review
[ ] Results
[ ] Discussions
[ ] Conclusion
[ ] References
x: done
WOW, I have done "so much" so far.

A quick getaway: 1 Day Batam Trip last Sunday with darling + his friends
Hmmm.. lazy to upload pics here... will upload if I got the mood... hohoho

Coming long getaway: Grad Trip with my uni friends, 14-28 May'07
Australia! Here we come~

Happy but still sick

2007-02-22T15:29:00.000+08:00

Many friends met these few days and many things to jot down here. But bubu is feeling lazy to write out everything... shall summarize the happenings these few days.

19th Feb: Day 2 of piggy lunar year
Random photo-taking at home

Me and my mei mei

Smelly fish which my family (minus me) loves

Mini abalones

Went to New York New York for the first time with darling

Went to River HongBao for the first time

20th Feb: Day 3 of piggy lunar year
Went to Dave's house

Borrowed Davien to take photo. So lovable!~*

Went to SzeTeng's house

21st Feb: Day 4 of piggy lunar year
Went to school to attend Microelectronics Process Integration tutorial
Gathering with JC classmates at VivoCity's Sushi Teh

22nd Feb: Day 5 of piggy lunar year
Went to visit doc to get more cough syrup and consult him on my eye infection
Met Ivy for lunch at Mac

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Found this while browsing blogs...
25 Reasons Why Chocolate is better than Sex

1. You can GET Chocolate.
2. “If you Love me you’ll swallow that” has real meaning with Chocolate.
3. Chocolate satisfies even when It has gone soft.
4. You can safely have chocolate while you are driving.
5. You can make chocolate last as long as you want it to.
6. You can have chocolate Even in front of you Mother.
7. If you bite the nuts too hard the chocolate won’t mind.
8. Two people of the same sex can have chocolate without being called names.
9. The word ‘Commitment’ doesn’t scare off your chocolate.
10. You can have chocolate on top of your desk during working hours without upsetting your work-mates.
11. You can ask a stranger for chocolate without getting your face slapped.12. You don’t get hairs in your mouth with chocolate.
13. You can have chocolate at any time of the month.
14. With chocolate there’s no need to fake it.
15. Good chocolate is easy to find.
16. You can have as many kinds of chocolate as you can handle.
17. You are never too young or too old to have chocolate.
18. When you have chocolate it doesn’t keep the neighbors awake.
19. With chocolate, size doesn’t matter, it’s always good.
20. You don’t have to beg to get chocolate.
21. You can have chocolate with little kids without being sent to jail.
22. Chocolate doesn’t keep you awake yapping after you’ve had it.
23. You can have chocolate all weekend and still walk ok on Monday morning.
24. It’s easy to find 9 inches of chocolate.
25. When chocolate melts all over your hands its nice to lick it off

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*