beijing episode #8 - self-portraits

top reasons for taking 'self portraits':
#1: we are kiasee, that pple will run away with our cameras while we pose.
#2: and since they run away and we are too clumsy to chase, better not risk it.
#3: usually we cannot hiam the quality of the photos that other pple help us to take.
#4: it's an accomplishment to know that we are skilled enough to fit our faces into that tiny screen, simply based on intuition.
#5: we juz want to take ourselves. more fun lidat.

so, it didnt take us long to master the art of taking photos ourselves. in any situations, we cope juz fine!

~outdoor / indoor~

~dark / bright~

~cultural / simply glutton~

beijing episode #7 - the oh-so-very-great wall of china

they say you can see the great wall of china with your naked eyes from the moon. for me, it's awesome enough to see it right in front of you. a wee bit scary too.

~BEFORE~
[feeling] excited! yayyay finally we are climbing the great wall!!!!

~DURING~
[feeling] like an ah ma trying to run a marathon. tiring, lah!

~AFTER~

[feeling] thankful we are alive and there is such a thing called foot massage

so... we can call ourselves 好汉! cos we conquered the great wall (erm, 0.1% of the length, but still, better than nothing).

(notice in the ~DURING~ part, there aint alot of photos? hehheh, that's cos gladys was busy struggling for her dear life. she almost fell to her death!)

beijing episode #6 - imitation, the simplest form of flattery

seeing the many many stone carvings, we cant help but tried to be like a few of them to soak up some of their majesty. keke. after all, there muz be a reason why they are carved the way they are. aren't they supposed to look majestic and command respect and awe, or some sort?

sadly, the imitation turned out to be funnily weird.




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after a while, we grew tired of trying to be like the statues, so we decided to be part of them!

~weiwei finally found a trunk so big, it made her look slim,
while i decided to jump into one of the vats for a spa session.~

~we see more of weiwei trying to be part of the artefacts...
like looking for dandruff, playing the guzheng...
she's obviously having fun.~

procrastinate...

~this is soooo funny! how adequate!~

NEWcomers' dinner!

wat was meant for newcomers having completed the CIC course.

oh well, had been to newcomers' teas, but newcomers' dinner is a new thing for me! so i am a newcomer too! keke. and the dinner is really an 8-course kinda thing. we are happy pple! =)

wanted to snap alot of photos and send to keng for him to be jealous! but after the 2nd one, we were simply too lazy to snap photos anymore. hahaha!

~forlorn ad and glad~

~jiexiang, my bookstore next in line
& my beloved girls!~

all work and no play makes glad erm.. unglad

dat's y we are going to minds! hahahha... not a very exciting idea in the first place, but i guess, some play really boosts our morale a lil. played Blokus, easy to learn and play.. and den moved on to I'm the Boss, perhaps due to this desire in our subconscious state of mind to be boss over the real boss.. hehe .. not very easy to learn, but pretty fun haggling over share prices..

and how could we forget jenga.. the all time fav!

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.

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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

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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!~