beijing episode #5 - colorful china!

food aside, fun aside, we do want to experience the colorful culture of china! =)

talking abt colors, literally, it was apparent that a certain color caught our eyes!

~doors~

~carpets.. walls..~

~walls.. entire buildings..~

~signposts~

~decors~

~even cars!~

you name it, they have it!

beijing episode #4 - work it out!

after all the pigging out, we definitely need to do something fast, before we come back to singapore and all our frens recognise us no more!

we tried to hunt for the gym. but quickly gave it up cos there are better alternatives, every where on the streets! they are called S.T.A.I.R.S...

~stairs, combi of both east and west~

~these are the scary ones! you cant see the ending of the stairs!~

~even the scenic spots have their fair share of stairs~

yayyay! our conscience have been silenced! we need no gym no more! and we welcome more food with open arms!

beijing episode #3 - eat, drink and be merry

how can a holiday be free from pigging out! so we carried this mentality: everything muz try!

~bao session #1, excited~

~bao session #2, still excited~

~bao session #3: not very excited, but still not so bad, since we have soya bean to complement the baos~

~bao session #4: again?!~

we only have a conclusion... the china chinese simply lurve BAOs.

**********

since the 'everything muz try' mentality still stands, we quickly moved on to greener pastures, erm some of which to be watched and not to be tried (cos we are scaredy cats)...

~see no touch~

~steamboat, beijing style~

~sweet delights! very sweet, indeed~

~bucket rice, enough to feed a village
(but strangely, we cope very well trying to finish them, WE are the village)~

~and our FAVORITE! huang ji huang!~

and so... after tasting all the delectable cuisines, our conscience pricked us temendously.. so we had no choice but to exercise them off! (to be cont'd...)

beijing episode #2 - learning engrish...

Oldsters: Being past middle age and approaching old age; rather old. (u know, like twangster, cheongster, etc...)
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Quite: How much there is or how many there are of something that you can quantify. (i suppose they meant quantity)
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and the best-est of all...
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Aliens: A person not native to or naturalized in the country or jurisdiction under consideration. (ALIENS! oh my, how can we be classified as aliens?!?!? we travel with a plane, not a UFO!)

beijing episode #1

finally!!! i have time to sit down and blog abt our exciting trip... and being a 9 day trip, i really have no idea where we should start.. hmm..

for a start, weiwei and i took different flights, primarily due to the fact that we decided to be more adventurous and independent. yea rite. we juz wanted to save every single cent for the shopping spree in china! ha!

and so, we ended up taking different flights, from different terminals, and at different times. she managed to snap a shot of the sunrise while i managed to catch hold of the sunset. putting the 2 and 2 together, i can only marvel at the magnificence of the universe, and of cos the Creator of it all. =)

h0t m0mma!

Dream Factory的主唱谭芷盈在台上演唱FIR的“Lydia”，歌声强劲有力，台风有型有款；就算在台下接受访问时还是一样帅气十足。

当她一提到自己2个月大的宝宝，酷劲瞬间转换成浓浓母爱，团长王福霖则是她的老公。

谁说妈妈摇不起来，她绝对让你刮目相看。

谭芷盈说，Dream Factory曾经在Hard Rock Cafe驻唱，原本是个9人团体，为了比赛而缩减到5人（比赛规定最多人数为5人）。

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guys you rock! DF came a long way.. but rest assured that we will always be your most loyal fans!

the imperial 格格s...

we realise we are the descendents of a royal family! no wonder we feel so at home!

the weather today was abit cold, so we adjourned to our summer palace and strolled the streets of the lake...

happy beautiful bday pastor!

wa i found it!

even in beijing! i found the big blue! hahahaha... and nope, i aint going to work! hmph!

day one of beijing

remember my date?

told u i'll be there! heheh!

bizzzzyyyy....

omg! in a twinkling of an eye, i am set to go on my long awaited trip!

after much planning (for weiwei), and much niam-ing for weiwei to plan the trip, we finally made it!!!!!

and i am 1 DAY to my trip! ha!

suddenly, i am very kan cheong... over a thousand and one things!

... my work in the office... somehow i managed to finish almost everything in a record 2 days after the month end closing!
... my kids at home... pls pls pls, listen to aunty ad and make sure u dun drive her mad while i am not around!
... my momoto at home... dun miss me! i promise to spend less, which is highly unlikely with weiwei around. hehee...
... my attd, my cms, my admin... erm, oh well, ''someone has to stand in while we go away, isnt it?'' haha!
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aiya, i talk so much abt being kan cheong abt things here.. but i tell u, the moment i am gone, hehehe i wish i neva come back! hahahaha! thank God its a return trip tix. =p

alright, back to packing... have been packing for the longest time, but everytime i open the luggage, i only managed to put an insignificant amt of things in, and den i am tired alrdy... keke.

my covergirls and posterboys =)

found this online, kinda fun to be putting pple i noe into the cover of magazines.. hehehe.. one day i will create a ''history maker'' one.. =)

anyway, to all the W378 and W398 pple, dun miss us! and remember to behave yourselves and be good to whoever is taking the cg for these 2 weeks while weiwei and i go conquer the Great Wall!

we'll miss you guys!

dun quit.

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
So don't give up, though the pace seems slow –
For you may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
it seems to a fain and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure, turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

via dolorosa

They shouted “crucify”
As He stumbled on the road
Weight of the world, all the pain
The cross became His Load
He was innocent, yet accused and blamed
Sent to save a fallen world, to bear all our shame

They shouted “crucify”
As he climbed the lonely hill
Bearing the shame and mocking crowd
While heaven, earth stood still
He was innocent, yet accused and blamed
Sent to save a fallen word, to bear all our shame

They put a crown of thorns Upon His bleeding head
Whipped Him as he struggled on
He uttered not a word

This is your savior
Pure Love of Heaven
Sent to Die on Calvary, to bear the sins of all
Rejected, cursed to die, Love silently Endured
His blood poured out an offering
At the foot of the Cross

For the brokenhearted
For the poor, the weak
For the blind and searching
He shed His Blood for you, for me

**********

tear inducing song. each time. =(

i wish upOn a star!

~pwetty!... i want!~

the billion dollar roundtable..

The Billion Dollar Roundtable was created in 2001 to recognize and celebrate corporations that achieved spending of at least $1 billion with minority and woman-owned suppliers. The BDR promotes and shares best practices in supply chain diversity excellence through the production of white papers. In discussions, the members review common issues, opportunities and strategies.

So thrilled I am part of the BDR! Oh well, in a way.

And of cos, I can't help but wonder, can some companies really spend that $1B to get into part of the membership?

I wan to be part of the Billion Dollar Roundtable... for Shopping! hehheh..

ode to a man

as i was penning down my thoughts, i juz tot abt wat to put for the title.. ode to a.. fren? acquaintance? employee? den i realise that he was neither of them. he was this guy who got crushed under the lorry along tamps road and loyang ave, juz the other day.

mel fong, in his usual boliao but sometimes resource-full morning routines, sent me tis clip from ST interactive.. the news of this "crushed into a metal ball" news. oh well, being morning, being still half asleep and half trying to run report, being bimbotic, all i could make of the news and any associations of it to me, was that it was a toyota (same as perper!) and that it took place in tamps (that's pretty near my home! a big news for this otherwise peaceful estate).

anyway, he turned out to by my dad's coworker. and my dad saw him juz half hour before the accident.. suddenly, a piece of totally unrelated news got me into a state of shock. now i really didnt know wat to make of it.

as weiwei has aptly put it, life is transient. *sigh*

cOmbo meal

and so it was. met up with cindykoo for our combo meal.

not too bad. turned out to be a triple combo.

i lurrve cOmbO meals. *heh*

fine fine fine!

SMRT fined $400,000 for causing severe train disruption...

wow! $400k for some SEVEN whooping hours of disruption.. but wait a min.. the fine is on SMRT.. SMRT gets their money from commuters, aka innocent pple like us topping up for our ez-link every week.. means the $400k comes from our pockets la!

grrrr.........

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~and the last pic...~
can anyone explain which in the picture is the "gladys"??? the apple or the worm??

grumpy..

it's that time of the month when i feel grumpy again.. and it definitely doesnt help when there are funny things (and people) around me trying to irritate the hell outta me too.

the rain juz falls like there's no tmr..
the last episode of that princess show i am watching didnt provide a satisfactory ending (at least not enough for me to say 'nice ending'..)
there're unhelpful, slow, selfish, i-want-it-my-way colleagues..
there're procrastinating pple..
even my thinkpad is not helping by refusing to logon to the wireless network juz when i needed it the most.. >:(

but at the very least, i thank God for putting funny toys around me to remind me that in the midst of the most grouchy moments, there are still stuffs to be thankful for. i dug out the pic i took of the grumpy i bought sometime ago. hehe. it's cute, lah! ironically, looking at its grumpy look juz makes me smile again. :)

~see? so cute!~

world famous, yet again.

after the world famous arches, we are once again famous again... i had to blog abt it... ha! -.-

read at your leisure...
CNA | NY Times | Bangkok Post | ABC News | Reuters India | BBC News | Philippines | International Herald Tribune | Xinhua China | Malaysia Sun | CBC Canada | Denmark

previously, when a singaporean visits the US of A and proudly say that we are from SINGAPORE, americans will give us the typical reply "is it part of china?"
now: "OOOOOOOOO, the infamous country that let a dangerous terrorist figure escape from toilet.""

omg! am i really safe????

teaching session...

after seeing this picture in a particular blog.. i cant help but feel exasperated at the level (or rather the lack of) IT expertise in picasa, collaging pics and the such!
and so... i've decided to do a short (and hopefully) powerful teaching session whilst eating my pasta! ha!

Picture #1: without using the shift pics key... the grey area is not needed, lah!Picture #2: USING the shift pic key

conclusion:
no matter how i tried to make the picture #1 look ugly so as to emphasize my point, i still cannot make it appear like the one on top! how? so i've decided... i will either try to overlook the lack of expertise, or i will juz attempt to erm, appreciate the grey areas in the picture collage. hahaha.

the cut of ultimate brilliance

i do. =)

wat gladys means?

What Gladys Means

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

really?

fear not!

"The only thing to fear is fear itself." -Franklin D Roosevelt-








"Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice,
For the LORD has done marvelous things!"
-Joel 2:21-

a happy month!

yea.. there's always stuffs in your life to look forward to and be happy about. =)

happy valentine's! (ref to previous entry) oh btw, i have flowers too! so much for whining that everyone else on the streets had flowers.. hehehe..
happy birthday! and my beloved sister is 13 years old. got her a chantilly cake. or was it chinchilla. dunno. oh and i insisted on taking some psychotic photo of me eating the cake!
happy 1st month! yea... all the aunties pretty ladies gleefully gather around baby for the photo shoot! after all, he's the latest addition to EW. i'm sure there will definitely be happier (and busier) days ahead now that we have a kid around! hehheh..

Godliness and contentment is great gain. Indeed.

beijing!

help! i am suddenly looking forward to beijing! and more so if he's there!

are u BUILT TO LAST?

And God spoke all these words, saying:
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

(1) LOYALTY
“You shall have no other gods before Me.

(2) COMMITMENT
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

(3) RESPECT
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

(4) ACCOUNTABILITY / CONNECTEDNESS
“ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

(5) FAMILY
“ Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

(6) LOVE
“You shall not murder.

(7) FAITHFULNESS
“You shall not commit adultery.

(8) HARD WORK / DILIGENCE
“You shall not steal.

(9) INTEGRITY
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

(10) GENEROSITY
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

the strength of a man (revisited)

The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.
It's seen in the width of his arms that circle you.

The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.
It is in the gentle words he whispers.

The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.
It's how good a buddy he is with his kids.

The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.
It's in how respected he is at home.

The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.
It's in how tender he touches.

The strength of a man isn't in the hair on his chest.
It's in his Heart...that lies within his chest.

The strength of a man isn't how many women he's loved.
It's in can he be true to one woman.

The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.
It is in the burdens he can carry.

The strength of a man.

**********

I Love My Man.

my THREE valentine's

DATE #1
got myself an early valentine's dinner with my boy.. wat to do, thursday he got class. so i shall plan a hot date with weiwei instead. and tis hot date sure is hot, we're gonna hunt for baby stuffs.. haha.

~the food~

verdict: totally lurve the pizza! not much of the crust to fill up my eh-hem, small stomach.

DATE #2
breakfast: a pink heart-shaped cookie (i ate it even before i rem to snap a pic of it! zzz... so had to sheepishly snap one outside spinelli's instead..)
pressie: a pink pouch from tomato can, which i got in late jan. talk abt early birds. *heh*
flowers: a pink flower which can aptly transform into a key chain.

thanks shirley! she's turning my workstation into a pink station! even the february calender is in PINK! hahaha...
DATE #3
my hot date with weiwei... to be updated.. stay tuned!

lOve is in the air...

Valentine's Day, a holiday that most have no idea of what it's really celebrating. Or whom it celebrates.

Perhaps, the most well known should be of a priest named Valentinus, who was beheaded by Emperor Claudius the Cruel on 14 Feb AD269. Upon slim evidence, whole layers of legend are stacked: Valentinus performed secret weddings after Claudius banned marriage to prevent soldiers from deserting their armies; that he refused to deny Christ and so was thrown in prison, where he healed the jailer's blind daughter; that he fell in love with her and left a note in the cracks of his cell the night before his execution, "From your Valentine".

wateva it is.. expensive dinners, gifts and flowers aside, it is a sweet thing to be able to spend valentine's day with your loved one. =)

oh well, and who cares wat or whom Vday celebrates. my rock is on the way! yayYAY..

"Love sought is good, but given unsought is better." -William Shakespeare-

wOrld's famOus arches...

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and we have quite a number of those too! grrr~

CNY CNY...

yea.. been outta action for the past few days.. cos it was the CNY period! and tis is wat i have been up to.

1. joining the chinese population in creating crowd in chinatown. and of all days i had to choose the rainy day. boy, it was crowded.
2. getting my wardrobe all ready for the CNY. new clothes, new shoes, new lingerie even! *hee*
3. desperately trying to eat lesser so that i can make room for the CNY goodies come chuyi!
4. pooling and brushing up our physics (law of reflection, refraction, etc)
5. hitting the ktv. after all, how many relatives' houses can u visit?
6. going for our long craved tian tian. $3 more for the festive season, but the staff, seeing we are 4 pretty ladies who cant seem to eat alot, kindly waived the soup base cost. he was Wrong!
7. spending the next day digesting all the food.
8. going to church on sunday (how could we ever forget God?)

but it seemed that amidst all, tis plays a huge part these past few days...

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~food (specifically junk food)~

~and more food~

happy 2008 to all!

j.west

juz not too long ago, we shifted to a sunday svc at jurong west. that one was pretty challenging for me, considering that it would be much easier, cheaper and more convenient for me to be at expo.

den after a week, we shifted back to expo. haha deep down in my heart i am rejoicing like crazy!

soon, in no time, i am back to jurong west.

ADVANTAGES:
1. free parking!
2. more cleaner toilets
3. attributes finally looked more like a bookstore.
4. better and cheaper food! ban mian!
5. that, after all, is our miracle building.
6. all our pple can come! time for revival, w378!

~i love your house...

it's where your glory dwells...~

Does Jesus care?

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

Does Jesus care when I've tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?

Does Jesus care when I've said "goodbye"
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks –
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.