| Hong Kong, 6-10 July 2007, Day One |

the extremely long awaited post i realised...better do something about it before the year ends =p


::when we first boarded the plane in the wee wee hours of the morning; the parents were sssooo sweet to send us down - A Big Thank You Dad and Mom for letting us go so far away on our own!::


::the clouds look like candy floss and cotton balls, heh =p::



::LANDED! the boyfriend took this shot - nice!::


::after our 4 hour odd sleep on the plane, the two sleepyheads happy to have landed::


::our passport to FUN, SHOPPING and SIGHTSEEING for the next 5 days!::


::on the airport transfer to the hotel..but i dunno what this bridge is called::


::our hotel - called the Mexan Harbour Hotel. though its far from the city and on another island i heard, its near to the airport and disneyland and the boyfriend and i enjoyed the bus rides home every night =)::


::trademark - i always do this pose on hotel beds hehe =p::


::super model of the year - the boyfriend!::


::we started from this station...::


::then we reached this station...::


::and finally to the famous station for shopping!::


::noticed how hongkongers are very disciplined with these sort of queue systems; they are surprisingly very neat!::


::our first experience with HK streets, the boyfriend love taking shots like these::


::they had lotsa street markets like this Jardine Crescent::


::dropped in one of the pet stalls::


::then onto the main streets where the boyfriend is sharpening his photography skills::


::one of my favorite pasttime - manicure and pedicure!::


::then night came...::


::and we headed into Sogo Shopping Mall - yours truly just acting innocent in a place like this; its my HAVEN!::


::we were happy with our first purchase - our couple shoes! - stay tune to the next post to find out how it looks::

| Leaving |

my boss is leaving....his last day is this friday....*cries


::@ his farewell dinner::


::in the office - from left to right, that's uncle chin kah, my boss, uncle wong and yours truly::

how am i gonna survive without his shield from now on? i have no idea...*cries

| To Love, or to be Loved? |

am suppose to be doing the final ASSignment for the semester which is due tomorrow BUT i'm rather disturbed about this series of conversations i've had with this new fellow colleague today during lunch.

she's married with 2 children who are about my age. she doesn't sleep with her husband ever since she got pregnant with their second child, and she also doesn't allow her husband to touch her since the birth of their second child.

she tells me that she's never loved her husband. prior to their arranged marriage, she had already broken up with him because she didn't love him anymore. the only reason why she accepted it was because she respected and loved her parents.

her life story just made me feel so sad. i can't imagine if i were in her shoes...

then it comes to the question of whether to love, or to be loved...?? think about it folks.

| Friends/Love |

broke my fast on clubbing after slightly more than a year when i checked out St. James Powerhouse last saturday with the gals. in my opinion, it wasn't all that impressive. maybe its just that i haven't clubbed in ages and hence i felt strange in there. nevertheless, i just couldn't be myself, so we left early, at 1.30am.

what a start back to clubbing.

and did you notice the way i'm penning this entry? its so ASSignment-like can! my english has become so extremely formal and i hate it! STOP it!!!

anywayz, the whole purpose of going to club was to enlighten this friend who is involved with a married man at the same time she's in a relationship with another guy. her boyfriend kept calling/begging/bugging/disturbing me at work/school/weekends and it got me so annoyed that i finally told him the truth. what truth issit - its not very nice for me to pen it on my blog. but was i wrong in doing that? yes i reckon so and i had been feeling bad about it considering the fact i had totally betrayed the trust my girlfriend had in me.

how could i have helped them otherwise?

in short, she doesn't seem to love him or want to be with him for the rest of her life else she wouldn't have this sort of flings and always find fault/quarrel/breakup with her boyfriend. so our advise was for him to give up. but he wouldn't listen and says he loves her. is this still called love? despite the fact she has betrayed/lied/hurt you? its still love???

i highly doubt it.

anyway, since the day i told him the truth which he couldn't handle, i've haven't heard anymore from either side. i wonder if everything's ok...BUT i dun wanna start to ask or i'd be dragged into it again making me so very tired.

since there's no more news, i'd wash my hands off them.

food for thought: maybe that's why i have a hard time keeping friends........

| Talk to the Hand |

i have another 3000-word ASSignment to rush before wednesday comes with work keeps piling up for me in the day; exams are in about a month's time; i really dun feel like talking and/or socialising, thus for now, just talk to the hand.

| Singapore National Stadium |

this is way overdue BUT hey i've been busy so here...the National Stadium before it was officially closed to the public.


::the majestic structure which stood for decades::


::nice shot by the boyfriend::


::where we were at most of the time::


::our night mode isn't all that fantastic as you can see::


::yours truly exasperated when we realised the gates were locked and we weren't allowed in::


::ok but at least we were there 2 days ago and managed to get this shot with the pup eyes closed! heh=p::


::closer shot - he looks aged =p::


::so we were outside taking pics::


::look behind, the gates were actually open; we sneaked in but didn't take any good shots so yah...::


::the all-famous sign::


::veronica & yours truly::


::@ dinner::


::then we headed out for some fresh air::


::i've always wanted to take pics here!::


::and i'm satisfied...my wish came true!::


::us girlies::


::and lastly, the chauvinists =p::

| When You're Gone |

my favourite song...

| 不能说的秘密 |

| Never Again |

i will never touch your car again.

those with eyes and can see will know the extent of your favouritism. i will not be bothered by it anymore.

let this post serve as a reminder to myself, never to drive your car again.

| 白色风车 |

| Selfless |

the second hostage has been killed and still nothing is happening.

the Talibans disgust me. its so like them to go round killing innocent people just to try to get what they want. and i'm sure you've heard of the conditioning theory which is why no one is giving in to any of their sick requests. both governments have to play their cards well or they may just risk stepping on the sick nation's tail.

bless the souls of the two Christians who had already been murdered for their faith in Jesus Christ. i commend their bravery and their unfaltering faith.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:10

Father i claim this promise that You made and trust that in Your own good time, these Talibans will come to know and fear You:

"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”says the Lord." - Romans 12:19

All of God's people, i beseech you to offer your most sincere prayers for the remaining hostages.

| Fasting |

from july to the eve of National Day, is the 40-day period where most Christians would endeavour to sacrifice something out of their normal day-to-day lives, i.e. fasting.

as we go by our routine lives, we sometimes take things for granted and therefore this period serves as a reminder for us that all things are from God and that we should learn to give thanks as well as to give up things that we have become complacent about.

i used to fast from using the computer/internet/shopping etc, but this year, i've decided to fast from food - my lunch.

because i have pretty bad gastric problems and am rather anemic, the doc has advised that i should not go without my meals for the entire day.

anyway, there's this booklet which is given freely to Christians in Singapore during this period, to guide us who are in one body, to prayfully ask our Father to bring salvation to our family/friends and to the whole nation. today's word really convicted me.

you know how all good religions teach against murder, so when i saw the title for today's reading, i wasn't surprised.

but when i read further, i realised it was teaching against the killing of innocent lives - ABORTIONS.

not just in singapore, but in other developed countries, the abortion rate has been on the rise. and the women who had opted for abortion are surprisingly well educated!

abortion was legalised in 1970. it is available upon request up to the first 24 weeks of gestation. according to a study by NUH, about 14,000 pregnancies are terminated yearly, meaning 1 of 4 pregnancies end in abortion. there had also been a dramatic increase of repeated abortions in year 2000.

before ending an innocent life, your own flesh and blood, did you know that:
1) in week 5, the first heartbeats of the baby begin - all 4 chambers of the heart should have started functioning
2) in week 11, nearly all structures and organs are formed and beginning to function
3) at 24 weeks, the foetus is about 30 cm long with taste buds already forming, and weight is rapidly gained.

why make the mistake when you could have avoided it right from the start? tons of contraceptives are readily available in the market, dun make the mistake of conceiving only to realise you "aren't ready" for it. its not fair to the life that you have created in your folly. we as humans have no right to end a life, even if its in your tummy. God is the giver of life, He decides when to give and when to take.

my daddy is funny. he's told all 3 of us girls when we were alot younger that we should always save our virginity for the intended one who will be bound to us in marriage. however, in the event we become "accidentally pregnant", we should not abort it.

which is why i never allow myself to be sexually involved. i've witnessed how a friend went for abortion and became all weak after that. i felt her pain and i empathised with her. abortion is definitely not something pretty or glorious. most importantly, its the baby whom is connected with you directly by a tube that is in pain.

whatever your religions are, pray against all the women who have done it, the men who have encouraged it and those who are contemplating to do so. pray against this nation and the society who thinks so casually of abortion.

"For You created my inmost being; You knit me togeher in my mother's womb.
I praise You because i am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, i know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You when i was made in the secret place.
When i was woven together in the depts of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." -Psalm 139

| Back! |

i'm back! and was extremely fatigue the past week - it was that time of the month you see.

had an ugly quarrel with the boyfriend in front of his friends AGAIN on the night we watched Harry Potter which by the way, is the worst of the 3 ever filmed.

all i have to say is, i'm sorrie your friends had to see that AGAIN.

my character is such, i cannot and will not force myself to accept something/someone that i do not like or am upset about. i will not hesitate to show my anger/frustration/unhappiness, even if this means making you feel like digging a hole and hiding yourself in there. ah-huh! that's where your NS training on building man-holes will come in handy!

simply put: arrange to meet me at a certain time, jolly well be there before or on time.

an obvious example on how you would really not want to step on my tail. like i said, i'm really harmless...until provoked. so until then, i'll be the nicest and sweetest thing you can ever imagine. =)

that aside, Hong Kong is a pretty place. its even prettier now that its got Disneyland on their island and this reminds me of the 100 odd pictures we took just on Disneyland itself hmmm...also, Hong Kong indeed is a shopper's paradise! no kidding. only thing you need to fear is money not enough, and their nearby neighbours whom the boyfriend and i absolutely detest. we've had a terrible experience with them, especially myself and the boyfriend and i have vowed never to step into their land again except to better cultured and civilised areas.

will upload the pics soon. school starts next this week (our saturday class) and i only have so lil time left to fulfill my to-do list (see right). time sure flies when you're having fun, and already i'm thinking when will be the next time i'll fly to Hong Kong again or to somewhere else. *tsk

focus.

so many things to update, oh and there's a new addition to the Chia Family - Piccolo Tan. its an italian name which means tiny. we call him Pico for short. he's like our nephew, only that he's kinda hairy. i prefer him to know me as "jie jie" instead of aunty. here's introducing Pico Pico Pico!


hehe =p

ain't he adorable?

he's my pup's lil brother or uncle or whatever. they have the most unusual dog relationship and its amusing watching them interact. because we flew to Hong Kong one day after he came, in our absence, he has marked his territory in every room except for mine. he was only waiting for an opportunity the lil baggar.

i left the boyfriend's mattress out on the floor on friday night, and left my room door slightly ajar. the next morning, Pico happily walked into my room and positioned himself nicely, right in the middle of the mattress and did his poo there! i was still in the midst of my drowsiness when i looked at Pico and Pico looked at me before the big sista peeped in and started yelling "Oh NO! Oh NO!!!"

*lolx

he's only 4 months' old, still a baby. so its quite usual for them to not be able to hold their pee and poo very well. he's currently undergoing serious training and discipline at the moment. until he learns to only pee and poo when allowed will he finally graduate and be allowed to take that stupid leash off his body.

in case you're wondering why i'm so free to do up this blog entry, that's because the boss is not around today. he's now in charge of 2 more other branches and he's at one of the other branch today. i'm almost bored to tears!!! when was the last time i screamed boredom? its been a long time too. these days, things are different. the supplies dept which i'm seated so close by is undergoing a series of serious manpower shuffling. all the old birds whom i'm rather closed with have left or are leaving. the new breed is here to rule and it stinks!*sigh hopefully we'll shift over to the main building soon so i won't have to face these hypocrites anymore.

enough said, be patient with the pics yah? ;)

| HongKong |

yes, so i'm finally gonna fly to HK next friday. just paid up the air tickets and stuff and now i need to borrow a haversack. who wants to lend me???

6th Anniversary "Video"

| 6th Anniversary |

decided i had to write something or it wouldn't do justice to our big day.

we originally planned to go out on saturday for our lil celebration. when yours truly was finally done with the make-up and we finally stepped outta the house, the evil phone rang when we were downstairs.

"Message from MINDEF, press ***"

and yes, the boyfriend was recalled. on the day we decided to celebrate. we had class on sunday morning mind you, which was why despite it being the actual day, we decided on a saturday.

but yes, it just had to happen.

so we got back up, washed off all my make-up and jumped right into bed to sleep. didn't even wanna see the boyfriend off. he showed himself out.

i wasn't angry with him lah, i was just annoyed at the fact that they took him for 2 years, and even after that, they still won't let him go, especially on our special day!

anyway, when i woke up, i called the boyfriend who had already reported to camp by then. was walking around and surfing online, still drowsy from my afternoon nap and then i spotted it - recovery plan. prior to that i actually went to the boyfriend's blog because he told me to. read about the recovery plan and was wondering in my semi-conscious state what on earth was he talking about until after countless walks in and outta the room, i found it right there!

how could he have sneaked into my room while i was sleeping?! i'm usually a very light sleeper ya know? he must have been real sneaky. ha!

anyway i appreciate the recovery plan, it did make me feel better. still, i detest the defence ministry very much. and thanx JF for helping out! pity i missed the boyfriend in his SMART 4, i'm a sucker for the boyfriend in uniform. heh =p

so sunday was the actual day. we went to ViVOcity to have our lil game - to buy each other gifts not exceeding $100.00 within the hour. whoever's closest to the hundred with the least amount of gifts wins! and guess who won?? yours truly thank you very much! with the help of some of the boyfriend's buds. we didn't lay down any rules stating we can't engage telephone assistance. *evil laughter

a couple of pics to enjoy in a "video" which i created myself, except that there's no sound. hmmm...the songs they have in photobucket are horrible!

but i'm clever, aren't i?

Pulau Ubin (cont'd)

Pulau Ubin

| Exams...Again... |

::see how sianz we look::

anyway, i'm thinking of coming up with a list of to-do when i clear this semester, well to sorta motivate myself to studying hard.

wish me luck!

| New Favourite |

ok, my new favourite store now has got to be River Island

this lil brand came outta nowhere and took yours truly by storm. alright, maybe i'm exaggerating BUT while i was waiting for the boyfriend to turn up for our last class of the semester just now (he's always late btw), i went in to shop and saw like so many pretty clothes!

oh how i wish i could buy 'em all but its freaking expensive!

and despite it being the GSS now, this store is totally nett throughout. *argh

anywayz, so i bought one for work. hehehe and i'm gonna get the boyfriend to get another to redeem himself for being late. ha!

| Batam |

my long overdue batam trip post!

if my memory didn't fail me, this trip was suppose to be in celebration for V-day. and its already May now. hmmmm...

oh well, better late than never!


::@ the ferry terminal early early in the morning - check out the boyfriend's eyes::


::when it was finally time to board the ferry which took us less than an hour::


::when we first touched batam soil::


::the first sight of the hotel resort room::


::view from the top::


::this was the-most prestigious room, a stand-alone and the honours went to kor's parents *muahahaha::


::it's even got a lil balcony overlooking the sea::


::anything to do with nature and you'll see this handsign from the boyfriend::


::as for me, i'll just be enjoying the break from the urban life::


::but at the end of the day, i guess i'll have to agree with him - the handsign!::


::we went for a short go-kart session after exploring the resort::


::another shot, another view @ the go-kart::


::we wanted to try our hands at beach volleyball but flopped very badly because all 3 of us were just too dainty and afraid our hands will be sored =p::

and yes i know i'm fat, so what are you gonna do about it? *snorts


::so we decided a dip in the waters would be a better choice for princesses like us::


:: somewhere in the middle the boyfriend wanted to be romantic...::


::...and take pics of yours truly again!::


::finally, the night came and by this pic, we had already finished our very "romantic" dinner::


::the night came and left and we had to say goodbye and hello again to the real world =(::

it was a good short trip - too short if you ask me. but it was all the break we needed after struggling and rushing with the semesters.

after this semester is done in june, we'll take another break, definitely.

| Eye -Candy |

some eye-candy for you in the meanwhile! this was @ elicia and michael's wedding some time back.

i'm just bored now...can't wait to finish this final ASSignment and study for exams!!!


::the boyfriend & i @ elicia's wedding::


::the three of us who were her jie-meis and didn't quite enjoy it *pouts::

| Take Heart |

so much has been going on lately and my heart is almost dead. but thank the Lord for all the kind souls He's planted along the way in my life to lift me up when i feel so down.

loving the unlovable. that's something i've yet to learn.

i know how Jesus must be gently whispering in my ear telling me how to love, and in all my sanity, i know how i should forgive and love, but it isn't always easy.

again i get the blame for people's reluctances and inadequacies. even the people dearest to me chide me. my big brother told me that Jesus was a target-board for blame too and that cheered me up - to know that whatever i'm facing right now, Jesus has gone through it before too.

God sees, Jesus sees, how much i've to struggle coming back to this home everyday after work or school.

i wanna work things out but how can i when people cannot even hold decent conversations with you and start raising their voices?

and even though i shouldn't doubt the extent of their love for me, this incident, like all past incidents have gotten me to think, if they still love me as before? if they still love all of us equally? because i just can't seem to feel it anymore.

take heart, Jesus knows, and that's all that matters.

| Waived |

oh, blogger is finally up and running! its been having all those funny error message thingy all over the screen for quite some time now.

anyway, guess what?

my summon of $50.00 got waived off!!!

my letter of appeal got thru to them and i'm SO happy! *lalalala

| Dashed |

further to the boyfriend's post on "wonderful recovery surprise", i am totally stubbed by how the army works.

we had all these wonderful plans for the day @ vivo and i had been looking forward to it. we were gonna play our game, eat, shop, take pictures and stuff. and now its all dashed!

i hate the army. i really do!

BUT yes, i guess part of the recovery surprise was already in the room by the time i woke up from my afternoon nap.

| To-Do |

i've been craving for the loyang point fish bee hoon since forever!!! went there last night and it was already closed, i hope it'll be open when i go at approximately 10 minutes from this post.

i have so many things on my mind which i wanna do when i finish this semester.

*sigh

i've really neglected my life.

its alright.

when i'm back from lunch or later today, i shall post it the list of to-do up here. at least it'll brighten my day and give me more motivation to finish up this ASSignment.

| Stuck |

i'm lost.

keep getting stuck at competitive advantage and i have no way and no idea how to move forward.

i've been at it the whole morning, come on girl, do me proud!

| Fined |

today is the third time this year that i've been fined for anything related to parking. i do not believe the luck i had in the last two rounds, i'd just quietly paid my fine. but i cannot stomach this one down. its downright unfair!

i just had a sudden craving for bak chor mee today and off we went to the 85 market.

apparently, that whole carpark there had been recently converted to a season parking one. we may have passed the sign but hey, it wasn't prominent enough, there was only that ONE sign in the entire carpark and the lots were all in WHITE. yes WHITE. it wasn't red like how season parking lots are supposed to be, they were all WHITE. and the one i parked in was definitely a WHITE one.

now since when did that conversion take place and where is the reasonable notice that are supposed to be given motorists???

i've just submitted a letter of appeal and hopefully they'd waive off the $50 on the account that i'm inexperienced and am still a poor student. if not, i'd go to the MP. yes i am willing to Q for 3 hours just to see the MP and get the $50 waived off.

| Again... |

just when i thought i was free to slow down and take my time in life for a lil while, i was greeted with the realisation after class today that my second ASSignment is due next monday.

well done.

the sound of ASSignment just irks me now.

that day when i was finally done with all 3 ASSignments due on the same day, i hid my lappie away!!! because i now associate my lappie with the horrendous experience of rushing ASSignments.

sometimes i just feel so tired. i feel like i've aged so much over the last couple of months. we haven't had a decent break since we started school last july. when this semester ends, we are so gonna take a short vacation somewhere to R&R. oh which reminds me, my batam pics are still not up yet. you see what i mean?