The Gathering

Ben's 23rd

2011-07-12T21:07:00.001+08:00

Celebrated Ben's 23rd sometime back with a whole day of programmes. Heng Hiang was the organiser of the day BUT he did not turn up. Of course, with special reason.

First up is the Settlers Cafe in SMU. Playing all the games that we are really good at, because we had been playing it EVERY wed at Mind's Cafe since it's members' night!

Of course, camwhore abit with my remote controlled DSLR.

Dinner was at Timbre! Duck Pizza! It's really really nice! Love the duck sauce on it! Tasted like beijing roasted duck.

A photo of the guys present.

And we also ordered a platter of assorted food.

More photo- taking while waiting for the all the food to come.

Suddenly out of the blue, someone special arrived!

Heng Hiang in his no. 4! He was called up last minute for mobilisation and thus was not able to join us in the afternoon.

LOL at JX face because he was not prepared when the person pressed the shuttle.

And ended the day of a few instaxes taken.

Back to blogging

2011-07-10T21:39:00.001+08:00

I think I sort of neglected my blog whenever I'm busy. Very busy now since FOC is barely a week away and there's so many things happening in my life now. Not gonna reveal too much because I sort of treasure of private life every now and then because people on my facebook have been commenting about my movement. Maybe it's because I put up too many photos and people tend to 'stalk' where I had gone to, what I ate and who I hanged out with. As what I learnt in psychology and had discussed with few of my closer friends, Facebook had really revolutionized our lives and a simple 'like' button has become a powerful positive reinforcement tool that encourages us to continue what we had been doing. Take for example, 'liking' a post or a comment will greatly increase a person's confidence and self- esteem and the person will post more of such comments in future. And on Facebook, we seldom see people posting pictures of their sad lives, but rather their happy moments, because it's a powerful influence that we impose on our peers, making others envious of you. It doesn't matter if we realise it or not, but it's a common consensus between me and my friends that Facebook does have a great impact on our daily lives.

Anyway gonna post the instaxes we took on JX's last day at work.

Will keep in contact after he comes back from his overseas trip!

Picnic at Marina Barrage

2011-07-02T11:02:00.001+08:00

I guess by the time this post is on my blog, I will be at camp since this is a scheduled post.

The last time I went to Marina Barrage was During the opening ceremony of Youth Olympic in August last year. Time flies and it's almost a year since I stepped into it again, this time round not just about photography, but also for a picnic!

Looking at the background, you can see that it appears that sundown marathon is also on that day! And the barrage was half occupied with all these structures. It's rare for us to meet up and chill as everyone is busy with their work.

Food was potluck and everyone bought a little of something. Luckily we have ice on that day! So nice to drink cold drinks under the hot sun.

Of course we didn't forget to take photos with such a nice scenery.

But now we used instax instead of digital cameras! Love the instax as it looks like a post card!

Syahirah finally reached at 5pm when we are supposed to meet at 2pm. And she brought fried rice for us.

Also, we ended up playing bubbles as it creates a lovely experience and also adds special effects to our photos!

We also played Monopoly deal after eating continuously. Wanted to play san guo sha but syahirah don't understand chinese, so we can only play monopoly deal.

And we continue to take lots of instaxes! And HY brought along rainbow films! So pretty!

And a picture with our instax cameras! A lot of people were looking at us as we had so many cameras, looking as though we are setting up a stall to sell them.

It's really nice to meet up with people at different setting as it brings about a different mood!

Meet up with the Bitches

2011-06-28T00:22:00.000+08:00

It's been some time we met! Ok la, we met a few times during the Holidays but it was in May. So this time round, we decided to catch a movie: Green Lantern! Wanted to wear Green initially but it seems that CY thinks that it's too weird, so we ended up wearing different colours.

Of course, we camwhore along the corridor since it was my first time coming to Lido after it was renovated!

And my turn!

And we had dinner at Tampopo! my 2nd time there! And we saw Chen Han Wei and Lin Cui Fang there too!

And not forgetting taking instaxes! Love the Winnie the pool films!

Camwhoring with our food!

And YQ's turn.

Of course, we camwhore even more before the dinner! At mandarin gallery where they are places to sit down.

Can't wait to meet them again!

And the hectic weekend begins

2011-06-25T23:48:00.001+08:00

Going to break up my hectic weekend into several posts to make it look like I've been blogging more often recently haha.

Ok, so it was Tuan Chun's birthday on Friday, but since our cells got contaminated and we don't have any sample to do Western blot, there's no need to go to school! Yeah! But, still have to go because TC's birthday. So HS asked us to plan one for him.

Soup Restaurant! That's what me and HS decided on one day before as she said that TC likes to eat chicken and their famous dish is the Samsui Chicken. BUT, something not very pleasant happen that day because HS insisted that what she decided on is Dian Xiao Er. And she wanted us to leave the restaurant and walk out just like that! It's so embarassing because we already started eating on the side dishes and the people in the restaurant had helped us to keep the cake in the refrigerator.

Their signature dish is a must try. I love to eat this everytime I come here. Ok, the 2nd unhappy part was that HS wanted to order a lot of other dishes and wanted it to be of large quantity because she said that we are not ordering a lot of dishes. Maybe she didn't realise that she's dining with poor students like us who don't get any salary. But luckily I insisted on getting a mixture of small and medium dishes because there's still a bit leftovers at the end. I trust my judgement a lot since I don't see the need of wasting food.

It wasn't really cheap since the meal + the cake cost $35 per person. And I don't usually don't spend so much on a friend's birthday (except those celebrating 21st and those really close ones). I barely knew TC for a year and it was not enough to justify the 'expensive' treat. And luckily I did stop HS from ordering as though she owns the restaurant. Otherwise I think we will end up washing the plates.

Time to start saving! Because all my friends are celebrating their birthday this month and makes me feel so broke, especially when there are still a lot people who haven't pay me back the money =(

And the race begins

2011-06-23T21:47:00.001+08:00

With special sem coming to a close, it's time to focus all my energy on my next major task, one that is beginning to unfold after 1 year of preparation: FOC Senior Camp! Indeed, even with special sem on hand, and lab sessions, numerous outings and friends that I managed to meet and my routine commitments, this preparation has played a major part in my life the past year.

With senior camp just less than 1 week away, I'm already filled with emotions to see all our effort paid off. People might wonder how busy can I get with just a camp to plan, when I have so many people alongside with me. I won't say that they are working for me, because all of us are working towards the same goal, to make the camp as memorable as possible. With one last year in NTU, I believed this will make a good ending to what I had aspired to start out, which is to play and enjoy the remaining time I have as a student, because the next thing I know, I will be working in the corporate world and not being able to enjoy myself as a student anymore.

Right after my special sem paper, it's time to start working hard to pack goodie bags. It's really heartening to see all the fruits of labour. Of course, it's really a difference compared to being a programmer last year. This year, I have to oversee lots and lots of stuff, especially the camp flow which is the most crucial part of the camp. Having to clear average of 20 emails daily with different correspondence, it makes me become a more mature and organised person. Having said that, it's a good training as I get to experience different fields and job scopes and learning to have an EQ as high as possible.

Stacking up all the coupons for inserting into the goodie bag, and I must say that we really have lots of nice sponsors this time round. Thanks to all my biz mags for the help if not our goodie bag won't be heavy!

And with tonnes of honey bottle for the freshies, It's so heartwarming. Of course I'm excited to go camp, not as a freshie, not as a programmer, but as a person who oversees the minute details, like a baby, watching it grow and develop.

It looks a bit messy, but trust me, it's the content inside that counts haha.

Ok, I can't wait for camp to start. Shall go and prepare for my super hectic weekend with 2 birthday parties to plan and a picnic at marine barrage!

Birthdays

2011-06-16T20:58:00.001+08:00

I'm going to blog a long post this time. Because it involves 2 birthday parties that we organised for 2 of my BQFs.

First up is Lance's birthday on 9 June, and the preparation dated back right after I finished my exam in May as it involves a lot of people.

Supposed to have more people but quite a few didn't turn up that day. Sort of disappointed. And I personally feel that if one does not make an effort to join any gathering, you can't blame others if you are not invited to any future outings, because this just shows how unimportant we are to you.

Dinner was at Mad Jack cafe and it was like Pastamania sort of eating place where we will order and pay at the counter.

The birthday boy with the birthday cake, specially ordered from Secret Recipe.

Wanted to celebrate Sheena's birthday too but she have OT and could not join us.

Another group photo with the cake.

And the 38 gang. Our own picture!

Birthday boy eagerly opening his present.

Wide instax camera! I know he likes to take pictures hahaha

So busy posing with the camera

And the last surprise of the day is the birthday card!

Love the 38 gang! And I always wonder how come we can click so well despite our differences and the really short time period that we had known each. It's only barely 1 year! And now I do, because all of us are accommodating enough to compromise for one another, one way and another.

Next birthday is belongs to Heng Hiang's on 15 June and we celebrated in Game Haven.

It was really tough planning for his one because he's always asking us questions that almost make us reveal the surprise to him. Without the surprise element, it's just so plain and boring. Luckily I got lance to help with the planning because I barely recover from all the planning last week.

Managed to get the cake from Dhoby Ghaut before proceeding to Clark Quay. Even though we were there early, we need to get drinks and prepare the room, only to find out that there's a slight mistake which is that we forgot to get lighter and JX has to borrow it from the counter. This expose our plan because HH was walking towards the room and he already saw JX prior to entering the room.

Surprise element 2 is the fake present: hard disk, which he peel very carefully.

3rd surprise element is something that he had wanted all along; San Guo Sha playing cards! He was still doubting that we will get that for him because I told him that delivery takes time if he want to order it.

See the newspaper packaging? I purposely wrap over 10 layers for him to peel slowly, and it took me an entire night to wrap it.

ZX and his JC clique got him a Fred perry shirt that he wanted all along. So HH is a happy boy.

And 4th surprise is the video that Ben made for him.

After all the surprises, it's time for dinner! Sunshine Fantasy! Favourite pizza when we were at ICA last year.

And Wii Game! That's the main purpose of booking the room!

And HH was so high after playing Raving Rabbit (my all time favourite game)

Mario cart!

And we ended the day with instaxes! Love my new instax camera! The mini!

Short meet up with army friends

2011-06-11T10:42:00.001+08:00

Come to think of it, it's already more than 2 years since ORD. And the last time we met is the KL trip in JUly right after our 2nd ICT.

As me and WZ were pretty early that day since we were supposed to meet at 7, we decided to eat something light as we were very hungry by tea break time. So we decided to eat at Itacho Sushi at Bugis. There was usually a long queue outside the Bugis branch, but we didn't have to to queue since it was during weekdays!

Dinner was at Millennia Walk Nantsutei. And it wasn't very nice, considering that it costs abt $17 per bowl of ramen. So excited to blog about my trip to Tampopo (another ramen concept store) in another post!

And what's a meal without dessert? Gelare Waffle with one scoop of ice cream! We ordered a total of 2 waffles to end the meal!

Didn't take any group shots because they are not those types that like to take pictures =(

Universal Studio Singapore

2011-06-08T10:47:00.001+08:00

The day started off with a nice weather, not too hot to go to a theme park. So the 6 of us, Me, Ben, Lance, Heng Hiang, Zhengxi, Sebastian met up at 9am for breakfast at Vivo city before proceeding to USS at Sentosa. But things don't go that smoothly. We realised that USS is opened at 9am instead of the usual 10am because they wanted to end the rides early in preparation for the soft launch ceremony later in the evening.

Everywhere inside Universal Studio is very pretty, with different themes along the way like Far far away land, Sci Fi city etc. We were greeted with the red carpet at the entrance, much like an Oscar award ceremony.

We decided to start off with milder rides, in preparation for the thrilling Battlestar Galactica.

See how empty it is in the morning?

It was a boat ride, not a roller coaster ride. So people can enjoy the exhibition on display.

Everything inside is quite dark, so it's quite difficult to take pictures. There's a part oft he ride inside where we had to go pass a waterfall! And I was so scared that water will get into my camera.

At the Far far away land, we tried the milder roller coaster ride! Which is quite fun!

Of course, there must be magnificent castle in the far far away land! Such a dreamy place to be.

Not to mention, you will see Shrek dancing along the street and gingerbread houses everywhere.

We decided to venture into the castle, and take the 4D ride. It was similar to Sentosa's 4D magix ride with all the motion effects and the incorporation of elements to make the entire storyline more real.

See how wet we are BEFORE the show? We went for the waterfall float prior to this, which cause us to become totally drenched.

And our next stop is the The Lost World.

Of course, we didn't forget to take pictures at every single location.

By the time we finished the ride at Dinosaur land, the crowd is really scary. It's very crowded everywhere we go and have to queue for lots of games.

The Mummy land is our next stop. And have to wait for 45mins to queue for the ride because it's the 2nd most exciting one where the you will plunge into darkness on the roller coaster.

The landscape structure is amazing and we took alot of photos here!

With the mummies.

And when we were thirsty, we decided to top up drinks using the bottle HH brought along when he bought it here during one of his previous trips. He was so happy to see that his potion bottle is filled with different colours.

Battlestar Galactica is just next to mummy land so we decided to take the challenge and board the Cylon ride.

People screaming as the ride makes several turns.

And we also tried the spinning cup to make ourselves even more giddy.

At the Sci- fi city, I was actually quite amazed again, by the structure.

Took pictures with the bot girls. Wanted to use polaroid because it's really pretty to take! BUT my instax camera spoilt! Because it came into contact with water as we are perpetually wet throughout the day because of all the wet rides and shows we went to.

There was Lights Camera Action theatre where we get to experience how film makers create elements during the film production. And we got wet AGAIN in this show because the boat suddenly landed in front of us and cause us to be wet. They even create fire above the sea which until now, I have no idea how they do it.

It was then time to proceed to Water World show and you can see from the name that, it involves water =.= Wet again. Look at the crowd! It's really fully packed and I guess there must be thousands of people here. And it's a must watch show because it's really entertaining.

A picture with the main characters in the show.

There's still some rides that I didn't manage to capture because I kept my camera mostly in the bag so that it won't get wet. And overall, it's a good experience, depending who you go with. The fun loving ones are of course the most enjoyable bunch to hang out with.

Disappointment

2011-06-01T23:21:00.001+08:00

Sad. Disappointed. The one who is supposed to know you well, often, inflicts the pain and leaves the deepest scar.

Just a random thought

Short update

2011-05-29T23:58:00.001+08:00

This week has been a hectic week for me! Not only has special sem started, camp preparation kicks in, outings to go and many more friends to meet. Not that I got a lot of friends la, but must meet once in a while to find out how one another is doing. Shall post a teaser to the next post I'm going to blog about.

Yeah, it's USS! Going to post the details of my virgin experience there! Love this picture because we didn't plan what colour to wear, and all of us ended up in similar pretty colours!

Lack of updates

2011-05-21T12:54:00.001+08:00

The lack of updates this entire week is justifiable as there's far too many groups of friends I want to meet this short break. Yup, it's short because I'm going to start my lab work soon during the holidays. And considering the fact that special sem starts next week and on top of it, I have FOC preparation to complete. It gonna be another hectic 6 weeks before everything settles down. And I could count the number of meals I had at home with a single hand. So now my mum gave up asking me if I will be home for dinner. Instead, if I would like to dine at home, I would have to tell her instead.

Saw this on display along Orchard Road when we passed by during dinner time. Quite amusing to see everyone posing in public haha.

Not forgetting the JB trip we had this week. I guessed it's a routine for us to go overseas every semester break. And hope this continues on until everyone is too busy to take care of their own families in the future.

First board game day of the week. Hangout at Settlers with the BITCHES. And it turned out to be a bitching day for us, none of the friends around us are spared! hahahaha

Enjoying the legendary tau huay that I bought all the way from old airport road.

Love this instax! haha! G hasn't finish his exams yet but he still joined us for boardgaming.

2nd boardgaming day of the week because it's members' night! Supposed to reach there at 7 but most of them oly turned up around 8.30 because they were caught up at OT.

Love the Shadow Hunter game and the red dragon inn game.

Ended the day with another instax! haha! I only bring out my instax camera for closer friends haha.

Met up with NEC colleagues for a short lunch break! And also not forgetting my instax camera too! Just tried the new menu at pizza hut and they really have a wider selection now.

Wrapped up in some paper.

Yum yum!

Ok time to go off for another appointment. Will blog whenever I find the time to do so.

Year 2 Sem 2

2011-05-18T00:30:00.000+08:00

Having done my half semester reflection here, it's time to do reflection for the rest of the semester since it had come to an end.

Birthday celebration with my twin amidst the period of continuous tests and exams.

Impressario 2011 FInale with Pyrox ppl. Wonderful people I met during FOC last year.

First taste of the legendary tao hway, recommended by JY. Now all my friends who ate it LOVE IT!

B&J Free Cone Day! Went with classmates after a test and it's nice getting to know the rest of the class better!

Met up with Lance and Ben for more free cones after my classmates left. Then we went for Breeks 1-for-1 dinner. Was very full after eating multiple servings of ice cream, but still have to eat the 1-for-1 dinner.

Exam Welfare package Day. B&J Free Cone Day brought us closer to each other. See how colourful we are.

Still not enough of ice- cream, we decided to Can 1 Scoopz to eat! It was during one of our longer breaks (1.5hr) and it's good to explore the school once in a while.

Went for $3.99 Manhattan Fish Market with HH, Lance and ZX. it's HH's 2nd time eating Manhattan for that day! I think he's sick of eating the same thing multiple times in a single day.

Oh this sem, we also had internship at Tong Chai Hospital, and this photo was taken on our last day of internship!

Anita's 21st party. The first one in our class that I attended.

And we took lots of polaroid on that day!

Our class photo with our teacher. It's our custom to take pictures together twice every semester.

Photobooth fun with the bitches. It's really nice to meet up with them during school days. Seldom do that in other semesters as YN and YQ were previously overseas.

Super late post on my birthday

2011-05-15T22:23:00.001+08:00

As April is one of the busiest month for me, with tests back to back and CCA stuff on hand, it's almost impossible for me to sit down and reflect what had happened. Of course, I must thank all those who made my birthday celebration possible because they are also as busy as me! So now since I have some time before I go to bed, because I'm going overseas with my friends, I shall pen down as much as I can recall during that eventful day!

Edmund started the series of surprises and shock with something in his hand while I was told to close my eyes. *pls don't put some insects in front of me! I will Scream!*

Oh man, I got a real shock when I saw the front cover! hahaha! It's MYSELF! First time I saw a big portrait of myself on the front cover of the book! It's very pretty!!! (I mean the book, not myself la)

Me happily reading the content. Very touching! Even though I made a lot of such books for my friends, this is the FIRST TIME I received a book for myself! It's normally a card with all their blessings (but it's good enough though). Thanks to Edmund and Lance who put in sooooooo much effort in it! It's not easy to meet up with everyone and get them to write!

2nd surprise of the day! A cake! HAHAHA! Green tea! I'm finally not the photographer! yeah!

With Ponyo and my BMS classmates Thanks guys!

3rd surprise of the day! With ICA ppl, definitely edmund's idea hahaha! All the shock within one day. I'm a happy boy!

Me and my twin received our birthday gifts! I haven't watch the magic dvd yet! hahaha! Shall watch that one of these days during the holidays.

Cake again! hahaha! Overdose of sugar for the day.

Thanks everyone for making my birthday such a memorable one!

Holidays

2011-05-14T08:09:00.000+08:00

Finally blogger is up! Wanted to blog yesterday but didn't manage to upload it.

Yeah my holidays is FINALLY here! And I'm so glad it's here because it means more outings to go! Whee! It's like we only get long holidays once a year and this gonna be the last long holiday I have in my entire life! Next year I will be doing my fyp during this time and after that it's off to China for 2 years. And I don't think China has 3 months break =(

Speaking of that, time to share some pictures of what I had eaten during my exam period. Totally not like having exams la, with all the good food.

At Chef Daniel's Kitchen. It's really good. the crab meat is fresh and I love the sweet and sour sauce. I went there 2 times while studying at NLB!

Terriyaki Chicken with house salad. I love the house salad more than the chicken though. The house salad dressing is really FLY TO HEAVEN! Ok, i shall stop sounding like a vegetarian here. But the salad is really nice! I want the recipe!

Ok man, I see the spectacles dents on my nose bridge! Nvm, I had my new specs with me alrdy, but i guess no one will notice me wearing it since it looks like old one except that it MUCH LIGHTER! Made of titanium sure light ma... Of course, it's not cheap haha

The dessert they served is really nice! Not too sweet and I love the ice cream sponge cake!

Plus clam chowder as soup of the day, it's very worth it because it's only $10.50 nett! Only available during weekday lunch.

Long weekend

2011-04-24T22:30:00.001+08:00

Really enjoyed the last bit of long weekend before exams starts. Rarely get to meet the bitches during school day as all of us are really busy with our school stuff. But still, we managed to meet up during this short break!

Our finally- successful- 4 continuous shots of happy, angry, sad, joy.

I like this shot because all of us look very cool here. I miss the days where we take lots n lots of photos! A must to do it during the coming holidays.

Polaroid film! I just love the frame! So pretty!

Nasi lemak ard bugis area. Didn't know such a stall unless YN introduced. Love the fried chicken!

Chicken rice! Everything got to do with chicken! Love the meat! hahaha

Finally something with CY. Playing with the colour accent function on my camera.

Yellow! Pretty!

And green. Dunno why CY shirt still glows.

Blog security

2011-04-19T22:16:00.001+08:00

It gets scary sometimes when people leave comments on blogs without identifying themselves. Often, I would rather ignore it, but somehow in one way or another, it means someone is scrutinizing your every movement. Facebook is another media platform where stranger can just invade your privacy, knowingly or unknowingly. That's why I learnt to filter who can or cannot view my photos! Even though it's troublesome to filter it, it's a necessary job to avoid people to invade your privacy, especially when people can be intrusive at times.

Luckily I have ip tracker on this blog to track who views it, from what source, and their location they view from. At least I know where they come from and will feel more secured. It's time I introduce this function to other friends who blog too, in case they get harassed by unknown people stalking their blogs.

Last internship at Tong Chai

2011-04-17T00:54:00.001+08:00

I think I'm going to miss the learning experience here. It's like nowhere else in Singapore will we be able to get this type of experience. Nvm, at least I have HN to accompany me to do that on a regular basis next sem since I'm not going to be involved in any CCA in school for year 3. I'm going to do something I enjoy doing outside, rather than committing too much time to school.

I guess people always have the impression that we do stuff for our portfolio, but I guessed that crosses everyone's mind if you are going to get a scholarship. It's no longer restricted to just academic and I guess commitments can only be justified via transcript from recognized institution. I guess my past 2 years in FOC should be sufficient and it's time to move on and plan what's my next move. Of course, it's not just for portfolio sake, but rather it's the passion that keeps me going.

The first experience was memorable, maybe because I was deprived of the chance as I was too busy before I started school. And maybe because of that, the lack of social skill is what I need to pick up on. I guess it got to do with my personality at large. Personally, I don't feel comfortable approaching someone unfamiliar, which is similar to HN but different from Ed and JY. Sometimes I wished I could change, but I should be true to myself and do what I feel comfortable in.

Sustaining a relationship, rather than initiating one is what I saw in HN and myself, maybe because we had been talking more often recently, like bringing him to church and having a cell group with the girls when we are in China next year. I have to start learning the Bible in chinese and thanks to Hai Ning and Ann Ling for the translation, I bet it will be an enjoyable experience when we go to church in China!

But sometimes people takes kindness for granted, and I will always think back and reflect, maybe I should not be the one doing so much for friends. Maintaining relationship is a 2 way traffic, and I will be on the losing end if I gives in too much, I should be more selfish and protect myself and people does not always appreciate your kindness. And I guessed this happen during Anita's birthday too. It's like we got her a polaroid and she was SUPER HAPPY and SURPRISED! I'm really glad she likes it because I'm the one who proposed this gift haha. (I want all my friend to own a polaroid so they won't kope my films la, films very expensive leh... HAHAHAHA! So nice of me to get them a polaroid haha....)

But her boyfriend suddenly tuned up and said that he already expected we getting her a polaroid camera because it's so common. Please... get her one if you intended too... Such a remark is totally random and surprised us. Me and minru got the stunned face when we heard that and we totally don't know how to react. So people don't appreciate kindness, but oh well, Anita DOES! So that's the main thing. Who cares about her boyfriend.

3 consecutive days of fun when tests are over!

2011-04-14T21:54:00.001+08:00

Right after our test, we proceed to Vivo for B&J Free Cone Day! The queue was super long, and took us about 20 minutes each time we queue. Managed to eat Cookies Affairs, Strawberry Shortcake and Phish food!

Surprised to have Hai Ning with us, especially we are eating COLD food.

And the next day, it's time for exam welfare package! The ice cream gang still miss eating ice cream and decided to wear different colours to represent the different flavours.

Haha, I saw my programmers at back of the picture looking stunned at my big polaroid camera. Ya, it looks bulky and heavy, but it takes nice polaroids ok?

Sold Eskimo bubble tea for FOC canvassing. Love the Pudding! And I think Hai Ning agrees with me too! He was so shocked how nice it tasted haha.

Scoopz ice cream on the next day at Canteen 1! 5 scoops for only $6.50! Totally worth it. GOt brain freeze for eating so much ice cream at one go.

Luckily they shared with me!

Busy

2011-04-08T22:10:00.001+08:00

I'm so busy these 2 weeks that I can barely breathe. I haven't been able to get quality sleep (6- 7hrs) since the moment I reach home, it's not about schoolwork anymore. Don't even have time to do exam questions when my friends have done their revision and giving me the surprised look when I'm usually do the papers quite early during my revision period. Nope, they won't understand what I'm going through now. If it's just schoolwork, it's manageable. But so many things are due these 3 weeks. And I;m going to keep this post as short as possible because it's back to editing proposal.

3 proposals to hand in this week; 1 to school (108 pages and ongoing), 1 to SDN (just started writing) and 1 for Creative Network (have to rack my brain for this). And all 3 are the biggest sponsors for the camp. And it's so difficult to rush the deadline and produce quality work in order to secure the funding.

2 canvassing concurrently. 1 Cornery popcorn, 1 Eskimo bubble tea. Because of insufficient funds again, have to resort to organise more canvassing events. And all done by me! Goodness. I need additional pairs of hands.

2 canvassing events in future that I must start planning because it's exam soon and of course, who will want to be distracted then. So it's now or never. I'm so not going to do the planning for karang guni because canvassing is not under my scope! I'm an internal vice- chair!

Ok enough ranting. back to proposal!

Upcoming surprises

2011-03-30T21:05:00.001+08:00

Started planning for lots of surprises to be done during the holiday, a lot of preparation is ongoing as of now.

Apart from the usual farewell card or messages or notes, I'm making something new for Ain, who is leaving for Aussie for her fyp in May. Hopefully she doesn't see this post and know what I'm up to. Won't be revealing too much here but you all can guess what it is by looking at the photo below.

This is only the first page and it's not completed yet! Clue: Gonna be tough because cannot draw on it!

Look at what Ben's holding. A Cake! A card! Specially for my twin. Hopefully he won't say that I'm wasting money by giving him this polaroid! haha.

Just a side note, Ella sent me this pic through whatsapp few days back and it looks so cool! I wish to have this cake for my birthday! *Wink wink*

Outing post continue

2011-03-28T22:16:00.001+08:00

As I mentioned, the previous week was so packed that I barely had time to study for pharmaco. And now I'm here to continue on my blog post!

Met up with the 38 gang to sing K. JX was supposed to join us, BUT based on his personality for being blur... he totally forgot wat time to meet. So we went without him of course! Party world wasn't cheap even though Ben has a coupon for free singing for 4 hours. We had to pay for at least one glass of drinks (not refillable), and the cheapest we could find on the menu costs $8.80++. On top of it, with all the copyright fees and tibits, each of us ended up paying $19 even though the room is free!

We were playing with the clapping hands provided! haha. It was so fun playing with it, making loud noises during parts of the song without the melody...

It's really fun to sing with people who loves singing! haha... I think the next ktv outing will be during our May vacation then.

DInner was at Saizeriya at Liang Court! We came here during our New Year countdown 3 months back and it was really worth the money!

Ordered a total of 9 dishes and only paid $14 for each person! Very worth it!

The 4 of us camwhoring and I think the person behind us would find it weird haha

Then we headed to Orchard for our dessert in Ben's BMW! Hahaha! Nah, it's a car in the showroom along Orchard Road.

Mass Seduction! Ate 2 of this consecutive for 2 days if you refer to my post before the previous one! It's really an indulgence! And I'm so surprised I can still pass my IPPT after eating these for 2 days.

A physical and mentally tiring day!

2011-03-25T00:14:00.001+08:00

Just had my pharmaco quiz and it's like a guessing game! there's so many drugs that seem so unfamiliar. And speaking of which, there's another pharmaco quiz next week so will have to continue to work hard.

And after school, it's time to go to jurong safra! For what? IPPT! It's been 4 years since I had one because I was a PES C. Yup, I emphasized the word 'was' and it just so happened that my PES expired just before my birthday and I was only informed beginning of march! So I had 1 month to train on top of my hectic workload! Oh man, this got to be the worst nightmare. Maybe I should extend my PES soon, but it may not be successful because I haven't been going for reviews after NS since I have to pay on my own!

A first time try after 4 years and I passed! Yeah! I think I nearly died running 2.4km. It's been so long since I ran and I haven't been exercising much this sem because of the various outings, commitments and schoolwork. Of course, it's hard to juggle between those and I had to give up some entertainment along the way which includes my weekly tennis and gym sessions. The last time i had both is like during my Jan break!

Don't ask me why I go safra for my IPPT because firstly it's near to my school. Secondly, it's only 1 WEEK AWAY from my birthday and I don't wish to go RT, so I decided to go anywhere that is convenient with available slots. Luckily mine is service vocation and I only need 10 points to pass. Ooops I could even pass for guards who need 15 points haha.

Holidays over

2011-03-21T14:36:00.001+08:00

Now that holidays is over, it's back to school. Although the break is extremely short and with an upcoming test, I gave myself sufficient rest and fun during these few days!

Cranwell bungalow - Went on a recce trip with the FOC ppl to search for ideal place to house the freshies for this year FOC so that we can cut down on logistic and transport during the camp itself. This place seem quiet and isolated so that we can make lots of noise without disturbing the rest during the camp!

After the long arduous journey with lots of mosquito bites, it's time for us to catch a bite! Nasi lemak at Changi village! Normally I would only frequent there during our night cycling trips, but it seems that there's lots of people even in the day!

Next up, met the bitches for tea break at a Jap restaurant which is always crowded during meal time. Even though we know there might be 'radioactive' salmon due to the recent Japan Earthquake, it's hard to resist Jap food!

And of course, I brought my polaroid along because they are my BFFs! I changed a lot after knowing them, and it's them who made me open up more and be more outspoken.

It's dessert time after having our meal, even though it's not dinner time yet! Big O cafe mass seduction is something that I had been craving for, but sort of regret it because I had the same dessert one day later.

Too bad I couldn't join them for dinner because I had to rush all e way from town to Henderson wave to meet up for our 1st ever Programmer Outing! It's my first time there at night and I must say it's a really nice and quiet place, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. And the moon is exceptionally round that night, such a good night for star grazing.

Was supposed to reach there around 6.30pm but it turned out that Jasmine was lost and her handphone ran out of battery! It so happened that she used the last bit of battery to call me, only to tell me that she's at blk 96 along Henderson Road. So I had to take a bus ride for 3 stops to look for her. Even though I told her not to walk around (because it's impossible to contact her when her hp ran out of batt), she's not at the bus stop when I reached! Thank God I saw her walking along the road as my bus heads towards blk 96 nd we reached there around 7.45pm.

And standing on high ground, I decided to take a few shots of the traffic. It's been a fascinating experience to play with shuttle speed to see the streaks of light when car passed by.

And what's a picnic without food? Sorry about the mess haha

And the usual camwhoring session.

With jump shots! So fun to jump in the henderson Wave bridge!

Flying kick!

Took a polaroid with the CPs! They made all things possible =)

Shall continue blogging other activities in my next post.

Half semester reflection

2011-03-18T13:09:00.000+08:00

It's been such an enriching half semester so far. Probably one of the more happening semester that I had. Many changes occur, and it's for the better. Strong friendship forged, Memories created, Everlasting happiness. I shall begin with the more recent ones.

To contrary of what many people think, I personally feel that Prof Xie is actually quite a nice person. He remembers some of his students and I'm quite honoured to be one of them. That's why I said that photography had allowed me to break down communication barrier and bring me closer to people around me. And of course, the ones in the photo are my closer friends on class, my clique to be precise. The ones who made all memories in school possible.

My dunno-how-many-times ktv session during the school term. Suddenly I noticed that all of them are wearing black! My lab partners who get to know them better this sem, even though I already know Ed beforehand lah XD

The only birthday we celebrated in school this semester. Not many birthday baby at the beginning of the year haha.

The first FOC Main Comm outing. Sometimes conflict does happen, like in a couple, and it just takes time to heal all wounds. Because different people have different working styles, it's not easy to get everyone to work in the same way as you. That's why I'm very careful when it comes to choosing close friends, people you know you can trust.

Joyce's 21st! She's from my Uni COT. She's one of the few straightforward people which I find it admirable.

Polaroid Love! Bought a polaroid in Feb and ended up using 50 films in 1 month! OMG! That's a very expensive hobby. And on top of it, with the recent Japan earthquake, the production of polaroid is greatly affected and I wonder when will I be able to replenish my films.

Sec classmates outing. As one progress in life, it gets harder to stay in contact with friends who you never meet for a long time. It's already 7 years since we move on in life and I'm glad that our friendship remains strong.

My 2nd time to club! This time to support my school's pageant. With the girls from my class which are the fun sort. Looking forward to further outings even though we belong to different cliques.

Lou Hei in school with FOC main comm! Team bonding session followed by meetings after meetings.

V Day polaroid love with programmers from last year! Even though we may not be working together directly, but it's been a great pleasure working with them and of course, friends forever!

Our usual class photoshoot. Of course, with the fun bunch, there's definitely cool poses to play with.

CNY Visiting with the teachers! 7th year and counting as I stated in my previous post. Heartwarming to meet up with old friends and teachers.

BMS Day 2011! With my classmates!

Krystle's 21st! Even though our lesson ended quite late that day, i still lugged my DSLR to school! haha.

ATAS buffet at fullerton! The pink gang.

I guessed this pretty much summed up some of the more important activities that I had during this half semester. Even though this half semester is a SUPER HECTIC WORKLOAD sem, I'm so glad that I survived with so many ongoing activities. Looking forward to the next half of the sem and of course holidays after that!

Post- exam activity - KTV

2011-03-17T23:42:00.001+08:00

Just finished the highest weightage written paper in my uni life and it was horrible. It's not a matter whether I know or don't know how to do, it's just that sometimes I tend to think too much and make the wrong choice in the end and I don't wish such things will happen during clinicals when I'm attending to real patients in the future. Of course, when one don't do well for the paper, one's mood will definitely be affected in one way of another. I'm the sort who write my feelings on my face; whenever I have a mood change, it's easily noticeable. Maybe I should hide my feelings better in future, not a matter of whether being real of fake, but rather it's better not to reveal too much in some occasions.

Back to topic, post exam activities - KTV! Yes, it's at chinatown and we were late! Luckily there wasn't a lot people then, otherwise our reservation will be cancelled.

Lab and singing kakis.

The pro - still as cheeky as ever

My lab assistant who is the same age as us! So young! haha.

A last pic to sum up because I'm back to the post - exam moodiness. Fret not, the next few posts will be much more entertaining after a good night sleep because my remaining holidays is fully packed with activities!

2nd Internship at Tong Chai

2011-03-12T21:40:00.001+08:00

Shall post a short update of the internship we had at Tong Chai today. I was arranged to go to 不孕组. It's quite different from the 老人门诊 that I had last week because this time round, the number of patients is much lesser and we tend to ask more questions. And for the first time in my life, I felt 滑脉 belonging to 2 pregnant women! It felt so different even though it has the 数 feeling at the 关位. Of course because we are in 不孕组，尺位的脉象往往是重按则弱，轻按则无。

My internship group for the day. Cassandra brought her polaroid along and so we took a picture with it! Whee~ I shall bring my polaroid for my next internship haha...

After internship, it's time to have lunch! Min ru brought us to this Charity Indian vegetarian buffet restaurant nearby. It's my first time eating in a charity restaurant as the difference is that there's no fixed amount of money that you have to pay for the meal. Everything is out of gooodwill.

First group pic taken was not very well taken because it didn't really show that we have 6 people with us. It's quite an enjoyable experience as I seldom get to eat Indian cuisine. Of course, with my low tolerance for spicy food, you will see me sweat the moment I put the food into my mouth. And now I found my 知音 who also cannot eat spicy stuff! Hai Ning! haha.

Another group pic, noticed how straight Hai Ning sits because He don't want to block Min ru like he did previously. I think this is the first time Hai Ning hanged out with us. This brother-in-Christ of mine shall experience the fun and enjoyment more often from now on haha. We even started planning for our Jap food hunt during the holidays since he's also a Jap cuisine enthusiast like me and Jing Yang.

Of course, I won't miss out on Koi since I'm in Chinatown! Yeah! My all time favourite drink.

Hai Ning's Birthday Celebration

2011-03-08T21:06:00.005+08:00

Celebrated Hai Ning's birthday today in school amidst our project discussion. Even though the celebration was short because we had to continue with our discussion, it was really nice to have the celebration feeling since it was a long time since we celebrated one in school. Of course, I won't forget to bring my dslr even though it's soooo heavy. Haha. I don't normally bring my dslr to school unless for important events, things I deem that it's worth the effort =) And also my polaroid, so the more camera I bring, the more important you are to me! hahaha.

Ice cream cake! Mango flavoured! Haven't have an ice cream cake since Ed's birthday last year in Oct.

Singing for our birthday boy!

Birthday boy looking happy and surprised.

And our usual group photo

Thanks to the organising 'committee', even though all of us are busy with upcoming tests and exams, it's heartening to see people taking precious time off to come and celebrate. Our 2nd polaroid together, may there be more of such opportunities.

And to end the post, I shall post a video that we made for Hai Ning.

Fulfilling Day

2011-03-06T00:00:00.001+08:00

Gonna post a short update for today. Photos will have to wait till I'm free to upload it at a later date. Just had my 1st internship at Tong Chai and I must say that I learnt quite a fair bit. Pace was much faster than expected and not only must we 望，闻，问，切, we must also write and listen to our mentor at the same time. It was really difficult to juggle everything at one ago and I guess I will get used to it after more practice.

And I have to attend 2 21st parties on the same day after that, one in the east and one in the west. And that takes up most of my time. And I had never felt so tired before. It was plain fatigue and I just feel like lying on my bed without bathing! BUT I have to finish up my video! Yes, it is something that must be done today because tomorrow will be another long day of church + cell + FOC main comm outing! First main comm outing and I'm just too lazy to bring my dslr along. Ok, Shall update with photos at a later date.

Major changes

2011-03-04T19:29:00.001+08:00

I guess this must have been one of the most dramatic part of my life. So many things happened within a few minutes and there was an explosion of emotions ongoing. Awkward is the word and I guess things just happen, be it within or out of control. As this blog is on a public domain, I tried not to put in too much emotions into my posts, otherwise people will regard me as an emo freak, and I guess as one grows older, we practise self- censorship on the content that we post online as we are held accountable for it.

Today is the day of changes. Maybe we already anticipated the change, but not that soon, and not in this situation. Often, I choose to ignore as ignorance is bliss. But when others try to pry, it may somehow backfire as knowing too much is never a good thing. I chose to escape, and avoid, trying to minimise the damage, but none seem to work. Many people would have suspected that there's something ongoing, but no one knows the full story. Ignorance is bliss, knowing too much won't do anyone good.

On a side note, I scanned all my polaroids! And I'm going to keep a softcopy just in case the colour fades after few years. And during times like this, we learn to treasure the people around us more. Change is inevitable, so treasure whatever we have and be contented with it.

PS after uploading the scanned polaroid, it doesn't seem to look like a polaroid because the colour is just so nice!

Macs 1-for-1

2011-03-01T23:11:00.001+08:00

Mac Donalds is having a 1-for-1 offer for their ala carte menu for only today! Apart from drinks and fries, all other food available is 1-for-1! As usual, one gets to experience the crowd when people know this offer. After school, I decided to meet the BQ gang for Macs! Even though my throat haven't fully recover yet =(

We ordered a burger for each one of us! and 20 nuggets x 2! Each of us only end up paying $4 and we get to eat 1 burger + 10 pieces of nuggets! We even wanted to buy more for takeaway for tomorrow breakfast! haha.

Personally, it's worth it when there's such offer! haha. Oh well, I won't be eating Macs again anytime soon until my throat recovers!

And to end the day, it's Koi again! Yeah!

Swee Ling's Birthday celebration

2011-02-26T23:18:00.001+08:00

Had my 2nd internship today and it was about accupoints and measuring blood pressure. It was really an interesting lesson and time really passes by very fast. For accupoints, it was interesting to know all the various point markers and we get to feel it on our friends. Of course, it's easier to feel the bone markings for slim people! As usual, I paired up with my BFFs for practise and it was an enriching experience because all of us are slim! Yeah! As for pressure taking, I can't remeber the last time I used a sphygmomanometer, probably when I was still in St. John when I was 16, which is like 7 years ago! Of course the basic usage doesn't change much, except that I couldn't recall how the heartbeat sound like using the stethoscope. It was pretty refreshing to hear the loud thumping sound through the stethoscope AGAIN! I love the sound of heartbeat, a sign of life, and it always revitalize my senses. Of course, it's a first time experience for many of my classmates and I bet they are also excited, although I can't understand why someone could feel stress when he could not get sufficient practise? I think that's probably the competitive nature of humans.

After my internship, it's time to meet up with my sec sch classmates to celebrate Swee Ling's birthday.

There's actually 8 of us in the picture, but Kelvin was being blocked haha.

The girls, photo- taking is what we always do while waiting for food.

The guys, who are always the ones I'm closer to in sec school.

The food, which is always so appetizing. And I don't understand why my friends keep saying that I only eat atas food. People who know me will know that I will sometimes bring food from home to eat in school ok?

Kelvin, who is also my pri sch classmate and we had known each other for more than 10 years!

At Ministry of Food, MOF, for tea break, always taking photos! hahaha!

And we surprised SL with a cake! Yeah! What's a birthday without cake?

Chocolate! Looks nice!

And we ended the day with another polaroid, too bad Kelvin have to leave early for project meeting. And thanks for helping me to save money on polaroid! Yup, it's expensive, but every cents is worth it because it's for you all!

Friends restaurant at Jelita

2011-02-24T22:44:00.001+08:00

Met up with the ICA gang yesterday for fine dining at Friends @ Jelita. It was really tough finding the place as we only managed to reach our destination at 7.45pm when the reservation was for 7pm.

Group pic taken with my polaroid! haha. I love polaroid picture because it gives the feel of personal touch. DIgital camera has replaced a large part of our lives and it seems pretty meaningless to snap pictures aimlessly, only to store them in some hard disk. Polaroid on the other hand gives the physical feel that makes all memories more precious. I feel like getting the small frame one so that I can carry them around in my wallet wherever I go because they are the same size as credit cards...

The appetizer. One can easily distinguish the olive oil from the soothing sensation of the spaghetti. The fish roe on top adds a tingling saltiness to the cold spaghetti, making it more appetizing.

Mushroom broth blended with garlic. The taste is slightly strong, but it's very fragrant.

The main dish - chicken. The meat is very tender and soft! Doesn't need much skill to separate the meat from the bones. There's not much fats underneath the skin, which is a healthy choice.

The dessert - portion is on the small side. I guess I just have to get used to the quantity for fine dining.

Overall, the ambience is good but the portion is really small =(

Happy and satisfied customers!

1st internship and Jordan's farewell

2011-02-20T21:35:00.001+08:00

Just had my first internship yesterday at NTU TCM clinic and it was quite fun re- capping on what we had learnt in theory the previous sem and put them to good use in clinics. Just one polaroid taken to remember this special day.

After internship, I rushed down all the way to town to meet the BQ gang. Today was to celebrate Jordan's farewell because he's going back to aussie for his course. He's going to be a vet in future!

It was fun playing board games because the last time I went was about half a year ago! Great games, great company.

Dinner was at Nan Xiang PS. JX highly recommend this place because he ate at Shanghai few months ago and he wants to try the local branch.

This is really nice! Duck egg with fried prawns. I love the duck egg flavour. Yummy!

Jellyfish - a must have appetizer. Edmund, doesn't it look like the one we had for sakae yu shen?

Shark fin with crab roe! Yum!!! I love all sorts of eggs hahaha...

And how can we forget the legendary Xiao Long Bao? We ordered 3 笼 immediately! Very nice soup base which is different from Crystal Jade.

While walking to MBS after dinner, we felt thirsty and we saw this new bubble tea shop along esplanade exchange. There's a long queue outside because there's only 1 shop assistant in the shop to take orders, make and collect money. Poor him. I still prefer Koi over this!

And this is the view at Helix bridge on our way there. Didn't managed to bring my dslr out and I felt weird and handicapped, not being able to capture all the wonderful moments.

And to Jordan, hope you enjoy yourself there, we will miss you! =)

Busiest part of my life!

2011-02-18T00:30:00.001+08:00

I had never been so busy in my entire uni life until the past week. It came to such a hectic point that I haven't log in to Facebook like I usually does for the past 5 days. Starting from last Wednesday, 9 Feb, it was lao yu shen for our class.

It was also the time to take our class photo.

Thursday was spent discussing for our canvassing on V Day itself, something that we initiated and of course, the result was good! It was to set up a polaroid service and we created various frames and props for them to pose with! It was quite fun to plan for it because we knew it will be something profitable for the camp. In addition to it, we also had our 2nd mass meeting for the programmers where they discussed the final editing to be done for their first game and starting to plan for their 2nd game.

And when it was friday, it drawn to my attention how close my mid term is. It's on the following thursday! Which means I only have 5 days to study? Oh man, it came to a point that it's really difficult to catch up with so many commitments on hand.

Saturday morning was spent liasing with speedpost to get my parcel from overseas. Apparently they did not send to me on friday and thus I have to rushed them in order to get it by V day.

Tada!

The rest of the day was spent going out with a friend for dessert at Big O Cafe and followed by a walk to Sentosa Flower Garden.

Sunday came and it was to attend the annual event at my 会馆。Apparently, I was tasked to give a speech! Oh man, on top of the schoolwork that I need to do and the test to prepare, I had to prepare a speech? It was quite scary as I had to speak in front of them in chinese!

And me receiving my my scholarship! haha.

As Monday comes by, It's V Day! Time to bring my polaroid cam to school for some good use. It's really an expensive hobby because every click on the shuttle means that some money is used up. And I used up a total of 21 films in 1 day, which is more than $30!

In lab!

In class

FOC for last year

FOC for this year

And for now, my mid term is over! Looking forward to the weekend because it will be another hectic week. Just finished my main comm meeting which ends at 10.15pm today and I'm feeling so tired because the test had drained most of my remaining energy. Oh and not to forget the 4th yu shen that I had this new year with my main comm ppl.

Yeah!

CNY Visiting At JC Teachers' houses for the 7th year

2011-02-06T15:47:00.001+08:00

We are officially J7 this year! Oh man, it's already 5 years since I left JC and 7 years since I know my teachers. Of course, it's been our tradition since our first year to visit the teachers and they are very willing to welcome us. According to them, we are the only one that still visits them after so many years! And I'm really glad that our class is an enthusiastic bunch that maintains this tradition.

The ones that meet at Sengkang at 10am in the morning!

The number of people turned up was better than last year! Oh, I didn't go last year because i was down with high fever on CNY ><

First up, is Mrs Cheng's house, my form and bio teacher! A good news is that she's pregnant!

Let me dig out some super old photos taken 2 years back that we took in this house!

Year 2009 where we cook a meal at Mrs Cheng's house

Year 2008 - I'm not in the photo because I'm the photographer =(

Now waiting for CY to compile the earlier photos so that we can look through what we done for the past 7 years!

Next up is Mr Lee's house, which is just a street across.

And also the old pics!

In 2009

In 2008

Last stop is Mrs Ting's house which is near to VJ! By the time we reached there, it's already past 4. Spent too much time playing monopoly deal.

And the old pics.

Year 2008. haha. It only seems like yesterday when we visited our teachers, but it certainly brings back lots of memories. And of course, all of us grew up these few years and mature quite a bit.

Chinese New Year!

2011-02-04T23:40:00.000+08:00

It's been a great time catching up with relatives during this festive period, especially those that we seldom keep in contact with. It's because of this special occasion that brought us together, perhaps slightly closer?

Reunion dinner was a bit different compared to previous years! We did not have the usual steamboat! Instead, it's more like a pot luck thing. Actually it's good to change once in a while because steamboat can be quite a hassle sometimes.

Some of the food that we had for reunion dinner. Didn't manage to take pictures of all the food because i was too hungry!

Shanghai 年糕

Fried bee hoon

Curry mutton

Dessert - Qing teng ingredients!

Self- portrait while I prepare for visiting

Domino Pizza! All the junk food that I ate!

KFC! Because we just don't feel food after having pizza

CNY Eve

2011-02-02T17:23:00.001+08:00

Hey Everybody, it's CNY Eve! So glad that i don't have school today and guess what, I decided to go Kbox before my reunion dinner!

Introducing the black and white gang! Ok, we didn't agree on what colour to wear and it's purely coincidental.

K-lunch is priced at $12++ due to the festive period and the meal was some stewed rice.

It's been such a long time since we 3 went to sing, about half a year ago!

And JX just loves to sing those high pitch songs!

Guess what song we are singing that requires us to wave?

haha It's F4 流星雨

While both of them are busy singing, I take the chance to snap more shots because JX claimed that he's camera shy.

It's so fun to sing to relieve stress!

Ok, shall Wish you all A Happy Chinese New Year!

BMS Day 2011 (Whole event coverage)

2011-01-31T21:52:00.001+08:00

It was an annual event for the biomedical students, often organised during the Chinese New Year period. This year, there's no exception and I signed up as a photographer! Whee~ No need to go under the hot sun as a Herb garden guide like last year.

Actually I was there more or less for the food! Because there's always a wide spread every year, so I guessed it will be as sumptuous this year.

Game booths were set up be each level as one of the exhibits. And my class set up 2 booths concerning chinese medicine, which is my course.

Other activities include Herb Garden Tour, which is in NTU

And also clinic consultation by our physicians.

And also therapy demonstration by our 1st batch of graduates.

Talking about the spread of food, did I forget to mention that they have tea break too? I think the tarts are extremely yummy!

Of course, the entire event ends with lucky draw, which I didn't get anything out of it.

Oh well, it's the experience that counts!

BMS Day 2011

2011-01-29T22:40:00.001+08:00

The annual BMS Day is today! And this time round, I'm the photographer haha. I think I had grown as a photographer, not only my skills, but also interpersonal skills. Much as what others view me as an extrovert, I'm actually more of an introvert since young. I guess that had to do with my upbringing as my parents were protective towards me. Whenever there's this sort of events, I will seldom or never take the initiative to approach others. But ever since I took up photography, it boosted my confidence to initiate conversation. I'm more of the 慢热型, but if I know you well, I will become expressive.

Given the chance to interact with others as a photographer, I get to know many people! And of course I wouldn't be able to do it without my buddy camera! It probably breaks down the barrier to start any conversation with unfamiliar faces as it is a universal tool that is widely accepted by many, ie. taking photographs. Wouldn't it be weird to start approaching some unfamiliar people and start introducing yourself? Ok, I find it weird that it's too random.

Year 1s!

Year 2s!

Year 3s!

Year 5s!

Year 6s! Really nice seniors that I get the chance to mingle around during the entire event

Not that I'm high profile in school, I think more people know me as a photographer than know my name. Haha, It's ok for me because it's something that I can't control.

Me and Min Jun - I won't know her if she did not approach me for FOC photographs during the camp itself

My wonderful classmates and we did a superb jump shot

The 2nd row guys! Have been waiting to take this pic for a very long time

With my BFF, who won himself a pair of movie tickets, and I believed he will make full use of that =)

Mentor and students

It's really amazing how people starts recognizing me, and I didn't realize until I went into every room and request to take a photograph of them. And the first question they asked will always be :"Which year are you in?" Of course I appreciate that they recognize your effort and make an effort to know who you are, but most probably they would have forgotten me now haha

Year 6s doing 推拿拔罐

Nope, I don't need to own a DSLR to start approaching people as a photographer. I had been using Point and Shoot since I was Sec 4 (8 years ago) and since then, my classmates always ask me to bring my camera wherever I go. I guessed it had become a habit after all these years. A DSLR probably gives people more assurance that you are professional and more trust, which makes phtoographing job a lot more easier. There will definitely be some difference if you approach someone with a handphone camera or point and shoot vs a professional DSLR.

Longest Day

2011-01-27T21:57:00.001+08:00

By far, this is the longest day I had since I entered NTU. Even my electives don't end that late. Lab session was supposed to end by 6.30[m, however due to the large amount of work to be done, most of us could only complete everything at 7.30pm, which is 1 hour later than the expected time!

But it was a fun lesson to see dissection, even though we do not get the chance to do it ourselves.

The poor mouse was first kept in this container, not knowing that it's going to die very soon.

And after dissection, it looks like this.

Poor thing, with all the organs protruding out, sacrifice for a greater cause for mankind? I'm not too sure about that as I treasure all living things equally and this is upsetting as their lives are deem not as important as humans.

With the thymus and spleen extracted, that's our experiment of the day, not forgetting the numerous number of tubes that we have to prepared and our TA called falcon tube as F***ing tube! That was funny.

Meeting NEC ex-colleagues

2011-01-25T13:39:00.000+08:00

Now that school has started, I'm starting to love this week, because I FINALLY get to enjoy what a first week feels like. Not having to wake up at 8.30am everyday for lessons and average only 2-4hrs per day. BUT, that's only for first week, because the tutorials have not started yet. That being said, it's CNY next week! So looking forward to next week!

-Delayed post-

It's been such a long time since I met my NEC colleagues! The last time I met them was during my birthday last year!

Time passes by so quickly that almost 1 year is gone and Ema has already given birth to her second child! And, my braces is gone! haha, so do I look more kiddish with my braces on?

Lunch was at Fig and Olive as they have a 1-for-1 promotion! So the 3 of us ate a 4 man portion for only $13! haha!

I love my black pepper chicken as it has a lingering tangy taste. The chicken is tender and the sauce makes the chicken taste great. The potatoes were not over-cooked and the mayonnaise toppings make brings out the sweetness of the potato.

The Fish and Chips on the other hand is a tad too dry. The breaded crumbs is thicker than the fish itself which is not a good sign. Apart from the fries, everything else is not to my liking. Dry and hard fish is a no no for Fish and Chips.

Me feeling happy with my food! Yes! i love to eat!

After eating lunch, it's time for dessert! A meal is never complete without desserts, so we headed towards Fruits Paradise. Having seen it in Orchard Central and Tampines, I didn't get the chance to try it until now!

We decided to take the tea set offer which is only available at Vivo City outlet. For $9.80, we get to enjoy a slice of fruit tart and a pot of tea.

The tarts we ordered! Assortment of flavours~ Isn't it pretty? My friends always commented that they would not visit my blog in the middle of the night, because these pictures will make them hungry! haha! I'm feeling so evil now

Of course, what's food without company? Introducing my NEC ex- colleagues!

Once Upon A Milkshake

2011-01-23T09:06:00.000+08:00

As this holiday is a short one, I tried my best to meet up with all my close friends. Of course, not forgetting my BMT mate, Stanley. it's amazing that we had already known each other for close to 4 years and he wasn't from my section in BMT, but next to mine. Probably because we have common interest such as Fashion and of course in Christ, that brought us together. I still remembered during our BMT days, Stanley would always read his Bible at night and even bring it out for outfield, and he will always tell me about the Bible because I wasn't a believer of Christ back then. it's amazing how God works among men, and things just go as what God has planned, always making things work out.

This time round, Stanley brought me to this cafe called Once Upon A Milkshake. having heard of this place for quite some time but didn't get the chance to go down, I was quite excited at the thought of it. Beside Starbucks, Coffee Bean and all the bubble tea hype, it's time for a change. Milkshake!

This regular size cup cost $5.70 and you can add on those chocolate toppings for another $0.70. it's richly flavoured as the milkshake is ice blended in a thick cream, allowing one to taste the richness of the milk. There's about 10 flavours to choose from, and Stan chose the chocolate one whereas I chose the strawberry one because I'm having slight sore throat.

I would definitely say that it's something different from what I had drank previously and it tastes good! The only donwside is that the straw is abit narrow to suck out the thick milkshake smoothly. Of course, don't forget to try their chocolate toppings!

ICA gathering

2011-01-22T13:05:00.001+08:00

It's been such a long time since most of us are free to meet up. of course, As the holidays is drawing to a close, it is important to meet up once in a while to find out how everyone is doing.

Sitting down - Jia Xin, Me, Heng Hiang, Agnes, Lance

Looking lost - Justin

First up, is dinner at a place opposite Cuppage Plaza where we had ramen. It was quite a popular place because the entire place was filled within half an hour after they start business. Can't really recall the restaurant name as it was Ken something...

This was what I ate, charsu ramen. I like the soup base as it's very tasty with a strong aroma. The soup was not too salty and the charsu was quite soft. The ramen was quite nice to bite as it's not too soggy and taste was just nice for my liking. With a price of $14, I would give it a 4/5 star rating.

The Raffles people. Yup, RI to RJ, the smart ones.

Of course, I must also have a picture of myself right? Haha, this time round with Agnes.

One can see that the place is already filled up when we were there barely for half an hour. The previous time I took a picture with Agnes, it sparks off so much commotion as she had a boyfriend then. Oh man... Total awkwardness.

Yup, this is the picture! hahaha! Already deleted it from Facebook la!

After dinner, we decided to chill around and take pictures. It was so long ago that we took a group pic together. This picture is one where we try to mimick how Jia Xin fold his legs. Haha. In such a weird fashion.

And another group shot of the 6 of us.

And when we were bored, we started taking out our iPhones to take picture. Yup, all of us own a iPhone. The iPhoners haha.

After taking lots and lots of pictures, we decided to go for supper at a Cafe call Blue Mountain at Somerset313. it was quite a nice place to chill, right outside Uniqlo.

Chocolate and Vanilla. Not bad, but abit sweet. Didn't really want to drink coffee as it was nearly 11pm then.

And a nice little waffle! Yummy

Appreciate Others

2011-01-20T20:24:00.001+08:00

Having read Edmund's recent blog post and watching You're Cut Off on youtube, the word 'contented' seems to stay in my head for quite some time. You're Cut Off is a show talking about the rich in USA having pampered daughters which they called them princesses, who spent and took their benefactors for granted, and were sent for Princess Rehab. During the rehab, they were totally Cut Off from their benefactors and they have to depend on themselves. This sort of evoke mixed feelings in me as sometimes, i do feel that I took things for granted and did not appreciate others that well. It's really funny to feel like I'm watching my past self in the show, when my benefactors don't grumble over my spendings and let me do whatever I wanted. Which in turn makes me feel guilty now because I won't be able to appreciate what they buy for me.

After these years of spending money that I earned, I gradually realise the importance of money, the hard work, and of course leant to appreciate more. Born with a silver spoon or not is not up to me to decide, but rather to make do with whatever resources I had and appreciate them. After these years of schooling, I started to become more practical. Maybe it's the friends I made, people who are not too obsessed with superficial stuff, and more down to Earth. And one person I must thank is Edmund. He made me feel inferior in character because of his strong beliefs and values. I find myself more fortunate than him (not that he is unfortunate by the way) in some aspects, but he's always so optimistic and endearing. He's one of the very few I saw with strong Buddhist belief and I'm really proud to have him as one of my BFFs (I stopped using best friend since secondary school because one can only have 1 BEST friend)

"We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19) - Everytime I see this phrase, it stirs up emotion within me. It reminds me of God's grace and love for us and the willingness for us to appreciate it and do good in His love and he will never forsake us. And I appreciate Daddy God for his everlasting love.

Lab + Kbox

2011-01-20T14:15:00.001+08:00

Labwork has never been so fun until this holiday where I get to learn stuff that is interesting. To prepare for our research project that we will be showcasing in Hong Kong in August, we are supposed to prepare a project in a group.

What's more interesting is that we get to experience Liquid Nitrogen right in front of our very eyes! Super cold!

So cold that it gives out so much water vapour and form ice on surfaces! It looks like it's going to explode with the red background!

Frozen tube! Looks like some snake skin

And we were so intrigued with it that we started playing with those vapours! Haha!

And to end off the post, I shall mark down this incredible feat that I completed with Edmund! 7 hours of K-ing at topone with just the 2 of us! No pictures because it was really really tiring, although it was FUN!

Results day

2011-01-18T19:11:00.001+08:00

The release of results would mean that my holiday is also ending. Yup, this short 1 month break will be over end of this week. But I really had a good break and thank God for His everlasting love and glory. Perhaps, everyone is anxious about their results no matter how well prepared they are, and I'm no exception. When I saw my result, I really got a shock, pleasant or unpleasant, everyone has their own views. I wasn't really pleased to see my result. In fact, I was disappointed. I knew I wouldn't score as well this sem because I had been far too playful, to the extent that I even went out to play during my exam periods. I learnt this lesson and will not make this mistake ever again.

My family was supportive of me, in fact, very supportive. They were contented when they heard my results but I knew I was slipping, very slowly. Sem by sem, my grades keep slipping downhill. Is the tiredness starting to wear me out? My 10 year study plan seems to be gone, and suddenly future seem so bleak. Some people may think that I'm exaggerating, like what harm can a single semester do, but they will never know those little details that I have to adhere to. It's so difficult to cling onto the little hope that I have.

To my friends who improved, congrats and to those who's starting to slip, let's continue to work harder. There's nothing much we can do.

Garang Guni for FOC canvassing

2011-01-16T12:17:00.001+08:00

Looking back at the previous garang guni we did for FOC las year on 6 march 2010, the people involved is different. As always, changes is inevitable. But really glad those friends we made along the way play an important part in our lives.

Yesterday, we had our first canvassing event for FOC this year. This year, it's at Pioneer, which is said to be one of the most profitable place for doing recycling.

The early birds~

And the morning did not start off with a good one.... BECAUSE.... I had a fall!!!

All thanks to the new havainas that I bought! Not used to wearing slippers and the supposedly-comfortable-havainas should be making me feel more comfortable instead of the other way round!

Ok, finally Casslynn arrvied like 15mins late and we got our group pic! Yeah!

Me and the CPs!

It was a different experience as I was a freshie last year whereas a senior this year. So the feeling is totally different.

In the evening, it was an impromptu gathering with BQFs! I was only going to meet HH to get my iPhone charger and didn't expect Ben and Lance to be there as well. Not mentioning to meet up for dinner.

As usual, while waiting for our food, they were busy playing iPhone games! haha. Jia Xin get his iPhone today too, and our iPhone gang would be complete!!

Then HH happily took out his new coin pouch and made me laugh! He wanted it to be his new profile pic!

Dinner was at astons because we want to have a budget meal! Gonna Spend another $33++ with them at fullerton hotel for dim sum buffet next sunday! So must go on tight budget now!

Kbox!

2011-01-14T22:58:00.001+08:00

Singing has been my passion. No? It was because I'm literally tone- deaf for goodness sake since young. I can't really differentiate the different scales and it's really difficult on my part to know the pitching and tone. For that, I have to spend much more effort than others when it comes to practising. Even though I was Harmonica for 2 years during my JC days, it didn't really help because I ended up in Section 3 which plays the accompaniment because I cannot distinguish the notes, and of course, unable to play the melody.

Went for 3 Karaoke sessions this week! 3hours at teo heng with my army friends, 7hours at Topone with my uni friends and 2hours at Kbox with my programmers! By the way, it was supposed to be a 7hours session with my programmers, but Kitty decided to pangseh us and we couldn't go for the 1-for-1 offer!

This was dinner at Parkway Carls Junior after singing at teo heng. Too busy singing and ended up not taking any pictures!

Shouldn't have eaten fast food because it's bad for throat especially after intensive singing session! Oh well, but I miss their fries! Yum yum...

This was taken with my uni friends at Topone. It was really tough singing 7hours continuous! But it's really worth the money! $12.95 for 7hours with free flow of drinks! Apart from the not-so-user-friendly-touchscreen, the sound system is quite good and of course, the companion as well! Kudos to my lab mates!

Left to right: me, edmund, jing yang, jessica

As stated, because Kitty pangseh us, we couldn't go Topone to sing for another 7hrs! So we decided to indulge ourselves in buffet! This time round is Kuishinbo! Ended up paying $34 for their lunch buffet. I should start saving soon! haha. Seems like my expenditure shot up exponentially during the holidays because of the outings!

I took a total of 3 plates of sashimi shown in the picture above as I really LOVES it! Oishii~~~ And Shumin started to panicked because she was so shocked that I can eat so much at one go! Don't misjudge me for my size! I can really eat!

Decided not to eat too much fried food because it makes me full easily! Not worth for a buffet!

Kaminabe! Nope, it's not so bad words. It means paper steamboat. And I love their soup!

Of course, what's a buffet without desserts! I love their desserts! So pretty and nice! We were acting out the scene of having the first taste of dessert! Like what Ed always says, FLY TO HEAVEN!

Assortment of muffins! Sugar rush~~

Chocolate Eclair that makes your day~ So creamy~~~ And I could eat a dozen of them!

Stairway to heaven! Eat already really fly to heaven!

Koniyaku Jelly that is so CHEWY!!!! We felt like smuggling some out! HAHAHAHAH!

See how much we Koniyaku jelly we took? WAHAHAHHAHA

Green tea + vanilla ice cream! It doesn't melt because it melts your heart!

Happy and satisfied!

Feeling so full when we sang! Haha, luckily the food is still safe in my stomach.

Programmers ROX!

Sending Yue Sheng off

2011-01-13T00:11:00.001+08:00

As separation becomes part and parcel of life, sometimes it's just too hard to accept this fact. Often, we take things that are easily obtainable for granted, only to realise its importance when it's gone. Today, when we sent Yue Sheng off at the airport, he left each of us a note. For me, it sounded emotional, and I don't think it is appropriate to upload his private note to me here. It struck me very hard when I read it, not that it is negative (in fact, everything is positive), it's just too true, the unspoken truth.

It's really sad that things did not go out the way it had started because of other external factors, something that had gone out of control and the outcome is no longer reversible. Something that is not our fault and it ended up in this state with much regret.

A card that states our well wishes,

accompanies him across the ocean.

No matter how far it is,

we will never forget.

By the time Yue Sheng read his card, he would have boarded the plane. Hopefully he will leave this place without regrets and enjoy his time over there.

Glad that he found his group of friends who will appreciate him more, and may he find such friends over there too.

Enjoy yourself, my friend!

Food hunt again!

2011-01-09T23:13:00.001+08:00

It's a nice weekend this week! Having said that, me and my ICA colleagues decide to embark on a food hunt together this holidays. The NUS people gonna start their school term tomorrow and thus we are left with little time to enjoy what's left.

Our food hunt started off at the well known maxwell hawker centre, located at maxwell road. Here, it has several stalls selling all sorts of food. It doesn't mean that only expensive food is delicious, hawker food can just be as nice.

This small plate of carrot cake costs $3. Given its portion, I will think that the chef has put emphasis on quality over quantity? I won't say that it's the tastiest carrot cake I had eaten, but it's also not as bad tasting.

This vegetarian bee hoon is just plain ok only. The taste is quite bland for my liking.

Charsiew glutinous rice. Shouldn't have eaten this for breakfast because we still have so many more stops to eat!

After having a moderately heavy breakfast, we decide to travel to the next stop by foot. The entire food hunt was on food except 2 train rides in the morning at when everything ends. We walked passed the Singapore River, and being a photographer myself, I won't hesitate to whip out my camera and start snapping away.

Next stop is at Victor's Kitchen. We reached there at 10.45am when the shop starts business at 10.30am. There, in front of us, is a long queue! We saw alot of NSFs there and start wondering where did they come from, only to realise that they had just completed their 24km route march and POP on that day! Oh man.

Lotus glutinous rice. It's very nice! Nice fragrance which made u feel like eating more although glutinous rice makes u full very easily.

Chicken feet. Easy? Nope. that's what this dish is.

Other normal dimsum such as siew mai and prawn dumpling. Nice!

I also like their XO carrot cake. note that their carrot cake is different from the rest. It is steamed in a shallow dish and it's not square shaped!

We also had a few lava buns! It looks normal from the outside like these:

But when we start peeling the bun, the 'lava' starts oozing out! Thick, fresh, hot sugar, butter taste! Highly recommended!

Next stop for lunch, yup, dimsum is for brunch, we stopped at this famous Thai restaurant in Shaw Tower Level 1 - Ah Loy Thai

When we first got there, we were shocked that there isn't any customers and we start to doubt if the reviews and raves about it are all true. Then, on closer look, 80% of the tables are reserved and only 3-4 tables are open to walk- in customers! The queue was so long when we left the restaurant and we were glad we reached there early!

Pineapple fried rice! Fragrant and delicious. I like the taste as the pineapple taste is not too strong.

Green Curry! Too spicy! I nearly teared and choked after slurping down a big mouthful!

I prefer their dessert with their thick coconut flavour! Yummy!

Of course, we won't forget our beloved Koi when we passed by iluma. I forgot what flavour this is. Some cocoa milk tea. I still prefer the original milk tea so far.

Serious photographers at work during the food hunt. Not only is this supposed to be purely a food hunt, it's also a photog trip for us! JX and his small pinky!

For tea break, we decide to stop over at Nantsutei at Millennia Walk

The concept is similar to Ippudo at Mandarin Gallery. A ramen store. Of course, since I like to eat Jap food, I must definitely try it out!

Chasu ramen! Pork in ramen soup broth! I like the chasu because it's very tasty! The soup is abit bland as compared to the pork, but the ramen is very nice to munch.

L and HH tried the gouza because they were far too full to eat anything else.

When we got so full from all the eating, it's time to sit down and relax! Monopoly deal!

Dinner was at Bumbu restaurant which is a thai + Indonesia restaurant.

It was a nice eating in a different place. The interior was decorated in a nyonya fashion in a shop house.

Food was tasty and there was quite a few varieties to choose from. Meat - Coffee chicken!

Seafood - Squid with oats

Tofu with rojak sauce

Vegetable - kangkong

I love food hunt!!!

It takes 2 hands to clap

2011-01-07T22:40:00.001+08:00

Met up with my secondary school classmates during this holidays. it became a practice to meet up once every half a year for us to reconnect.

I personally felt the importance to re-connect with friends whom we haven met for quite some time as friendship is hard to maintain as one's circle of friends gets larger over time.

The problem is, everyone don't have time! Like SL had already started working when I'm still in my 2nd year. Soon, when people starts to step into the corporate world, it will become more and more difficult to re-connect. Not to mention 10 years down the road when everyone has their own families.

Dinner was at Orchard Central Sakae and the service there was really bad. It was so slow that it took 30mins for my curry katsu rice to be ready.

SL was experimenting with my dslr and she took lots of pictures from various angles!

After dinner. it was a walk down Orchard Road. As usual due to the year end festive mood, the entire street was EXTREMELY crowded!

And since most of them are from band, they wanted to see the musical instrument lightings outside ION!

It was a night well spent.

Malaysia Trip With BQFs

2011-01-05T00:13:00.000+08:00

Having mentioned that I went on the 3rd overseas trip with friends in 2010 here, I'm going to blog about it here. It was a trip for the 5 of us, Lance, Ben, HH me and Jordan (who happened to be my sec school friend, singapore is really small). We set off for woodlands checkpoint at 8am and there isn't too many people then!

Having reached M'sia, the first thing we do is to have our breakfast! Yes, it's like a food trail overseas! Haha! I've been eating non stop since my exam ended and I'm growing fat!

Very nice hawker food! And it's cheap! haha! And I love their milk tea, if only they put pearls inside and it will become bubble milk tea!

HH also brought some stuff back from this Japan trip for us to try! Moshi! That's our dessert after eating breakfast.

We then proceed to KSL shopping mall, which is only opened for barely a month. It's quite big and most shops are not opened when we were there.

Somewhere~ Over the rainbow... It's a bubble tea shop! We bought a cup from there and the drink turned out real sweet!

Lunch was KFC as we really really wanted to eat their cheese wedges. They don't sell cheese fries and the wedges portion is pretty small for RM $3.90. But their cheese is really thick and tasty! Yummy!

it's time do some exercise after meals! Arcade games! Our favourite game, and only costs RM2 per game!

For dinner, it was back to somewhere near CIty Square, and we tried out their hawker food. Somewhere we don't really get to try in Singapore.

Really enjoyed the dinner as we talked and laughed throughout the meal. Not only is the food that makes the difference, the companion does to.

After dinner, we still have some spare time left before going back home, so we decided to hang out at Old Town for some white coffee!

Enjoyed my trip with my BQFs! Thanks for this wonderful experience!

K Box session with COT!

2011-01-02T20:10:00.001+08:00

It's been such a long time since we sang together. More than half a year ago! Surprisingly, Jasmine was with us that time and she loves to sing oldies.

This time round, I only managed to meet the COT very last min at Party World because I got other appointment prior to that. And it took me half an hour just to find out where that Party World is located! Oh man...

Yup, me with the girls. They can really sing! haha. Since I was late, the person at Party World didn't charge me! Yeah! Free singing for me!

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-01T18:54:00.001+08:00

How's everyone new year celebration going? I guess most of you out there must have enjoyed your countdown. As usual, me and my friends decide to hang out for countdown to experience the feeling of a new year approaching.

Lunch as was at Cuppage plaza for their Japanese food! I'm not really a fan of fish, but it was a good deal given that the entire set costs $10 nett.

After lunch, HH decided to get a cup of Gong Cha from Orchard central. The Q there was pretty short so we managed to get one pretty quickly.

But we were still hungry, so we proceed to Dessert Ministry at Cineleisure Level 1 for some dessert! Moshi! It looks quite ordinary on the outside but there's more inside!

Ta-da! Strawberry inside! And it's not cheap at all. 2 of these cost me $3.50!

After dessert, we decided to find a place to chill and play the card games that HH brought with him.

Happy and satisfied!

Dinner was at Liang Court Saizeriya. It was quite a nice place to dine apart from the noise that people made as a lot of people like to go there for meals as it's cheap and affordable!

Upon we reaching, we decided to order a few from each category and share the food! Look at what we ate!

And these only cost $14! It was really worth the price!

After dinner, we were thinking of proceeding to the Marina Bay area to watch the fireworks. However it was still far too early (8.30pm), so we decided to have Koi! 2nd bubble tea in a day! The Q at chinatown outlet was pretty fast!

We decided to HTHT at the nearby hawker centre until it's nearer to 12 before proceeding to Marina. That's all for now. Have to get the rest of the pics from Ben.

Year end reflection

2010-12-31T00:45:00.001+08:00

Like many others, I would do a year end reflection on the things I had achieved for this year. Indeed, this year had passed by extremely fast. Without knowingly, I'm 1 year older and perhaps more mature in my thinking. Many things had happened along the way that helped to shape my perspective.

Life is like an endless tunnel, hopefully we may see the light at the end of it with every step we take.

In January, we sent off one of my JC BFFs (YQ) to London for exchange, and we were thinking how long it would be before she comes back and reunite with us again.

In Feb, and before we know it, another BFF leaving for australia (Doie),

In Mar, I attended my cousin's wedding! He's the first to get married in my generation and I'm looking forward to a nephew/niece!

May marks the turning point in my entire year. As it's the holidays, I decided to find a temp job and work in ICA. It's where I get to meet many people, and some had become my besties now. I'm really glad to have this experience and will treasure this friendship.

In Jun, I bought a DSLR to pursue my photography hobby. It's something that I liked to do during my free time, and I'm glad that those friends I made in ICA are also photography lovers!

End of June, i had my first high- key ICT. There's mixed feelings involved. One part of me is reluctant to put my civilian life behind as I was enjoying the great company of my new friends. Another part of me just want to get it over and done with. It was a struggle trying to adjust back to the military life and and many people were also not happy to have their studies disrupted due to ICT. Well, I adapted to it eventually and it was a good learning experience.

Freshmen Orientation Camp was held in July and I signed up as a programmer for it. I wanted to join and be part of it because I missed the chance to join as a freshman during my year. It was a very eventful and enriching experience as I made great friends out there!

In addition, I took off my braces in July! It's been with me for 2 years and 3 months. The process is long, but it's worth it! Many people say that I look more mature without braces and I hope that it's a good thing!

In aug, when YQ and YN came back from their exchange, we went to Sentosa to chill! It was so long since we hang out together as everyone is all studying in various countries. This is by far my favourite picture and had been my desktop pic for quite some time.

In Nov, Doie came back to join us again! It seems like yesterday when she just left us for aussie. And now she's back!

In Dec, we had our long awaited food hunt! It was extremely fun to eat and talk with close friends! And we enjoy good food!

Of course, I also spent quite a lot of money this year. Got myself a new Macbook Air, iPhone 4 (which means I'm completely free from Windows OS and Windows Mobile as I was previously using a HTC HD2), Nikon D90, SB-700 flash unit, Ultimate Ears Triple-fi TF10 earphone.

I also had my first overseas trip with friends this summer. Went for a total of 3 overseas trips with friends the entire year and I'm looking forward to more of such trips.

I think I had pampered myself enough this year. Tight budget next year to prepare my first long distance overseas trip with BFFs to Aussie!

Boxing Day

2010-12-30T01:28:00.001+08:00

Post Christmas is all about SALES and hanging out with close ones! The bitches decided to hang out right on Boxing Day! Lunch was at Orchard Central Quiznos Subs. It had a similar concept to Subway, with the all the 6, 9 and 12 inches long sandwiches.

I had the turkey chicken one and it was very very tasty! However, I didn't really enjoy the soup which is chicken noodle soup for that day. It was pretty bland for my liking.

Of course, with Choon Yong around, it's all about camwhoring! Him showing that the sandwich is Very DELICIOUS! Oiishii!

We then proceed to Orchard ION for Happy Lemon! It's another bubble tea concept store other than the popular Koi and Gong Cha.

After walking and combing the entire Orchard Road, it was time to just sit down and relax, and to plan for the food hunt which will happen next.

Of course, it's also camwhoring time!

Besties!

I guess we attracted lots of attention with the flash going off so frequently! hahaha

Dinner was at Crystal Jade La Mian Restaurant! It's been a long time since we went there! And while waiting for our food,

When our food finally arrives, it's time to eat without any hesitation! It looks very yummy! Zha Jiang Mian!

And my favourite Xiao Long Bao!

Eventful Christmas and Post Christmas!

2010-12-28T22:46:00.001+08:00

It was one of the most enjoyable Christmas I had in my life! And post christmas activities had filled up most of my time, all the way till next year! Lots of pictures are unedited yet, so I won't be posting it up anytime soon. Shall post up a short entry that my holidays is not just all about fun! It's about work too! FOC Stuff!

The Chief programmers at work on Boxing Day! The rest of my January holidays will be filled up by FOC and my lab work. Till then, I shall enjoy myself to the fullest!

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T01:51:00.005+08:00

Merry Christmas 2010!!!

On this joyous thanksgiving occasion, I would like to dedicate this video to friends who had made my life this year an interesting one. Thank you for your support.

Exam over and it's holidays!

2010-12-24T14:53:00.001+08:00

Finally the long awaited holiday is here. It should have been a joyous occasion if not for YOG, causing my school term to drag all the way to December. Indeed, it's pretty hard to concentrate when your friends are enjoying their holidays and there you are, staying at home to 闭门修炼. of course when my exam ended yesterday, guess what? I dropped off my bag immediately and picked up my camera and headed to town STRAIGHTAWAY! Not a moment to hesitate.

I guess from my previous entry, you would have known that I bought a new flash unit to reward myself during this festive season! What's a dslr if you don't bother buying accessory to make full use of its potential? might as well be contented with a Point and Shoot or a prosumer. This is JX with the exact same setup as me. D90 with SB-700. He's my twin because we were born on the same day, with same family name and our handphone number has the same first 2 and last 2 digits! So coincidental! But well, he's older than me by 2hrs!

Christmas decoration this year had tuned down by quite a fair bit. I still remember vividly that every year, my dad would drove us along Orchard Road to admire the lightings. And Centre Point would always stand out among the rest. However, this year, it's so boring. not even a single light bulb hanging. That's Centre Point at the back.

We started off our expedition from dobby ghaut and the crowd was overwhelming even though it was a weekday evening!

Nowadays, Christmas had become a joyous occasion for everyone, but we should not forget to love God for whatever He had done for us on this special occasion! The true meaning behind Christmas! that's one of the performance that they will have this year along Orchard Road.

Not having the chance to play with my camera for quite some time, it's time for me to practice more!

And of course, different shopping along Orchard Road has different way of presentation. Like Orchard Central with their lighting wall.

Somerset 313 with their grid lighting.

Paragon with their forever high end GOLD colour.

Takashimaya with their bear design. i didn't get to take picture of their bear tree!

And i love the tre sponsored by Lee Hwa jewelry. Expensive looking.

Ngee Ann city lobby with their forever huge xmas tree.

And of course, ION with their huge LCD tv

Of course, with these people who are also photography lovers!

And while we were busy taking photos, Heng Hiang suddenly appeared and apparently, he and Lance had been stalking us for the past 1hour since we were at dobby ghaut without us realising! This shows terrible the crowd is!

They came to surprise us with a durian log cake! Yeah! To celebrate Christmas with us, so nice of them! Thanks for making my post- exam days so interesting!

New toy!

2010-12-18T23:58:00.001+08:00

Just bought a new gear to add on to my photography hobby. The SB-700 speedlite. Indeed, with an external flash, it gives a different perspective to my pictures. Often, ambience light is not sufficient to bring out the picture.

So happily, I decided to document my unboxing procedure. The pouch of the speedlite.

Inside, it contains the hard gel filter, the flash itself and a flash mount.

And ta- da the Flash!

Now with the flash on, I decided to take a picture with fill light once more.

Now it looks different from my 2nd pic! Will shoot more end of this week!

1 paper down, more to go

2010-12-11T21:59:00.001+08:00

Today's paper ended pretty quickly, the first time in my life that I left the exam hall even before the time is up. Oh man, that place is a total freezer. I was right under the air con and I could feel the cold air flowing right above my head!

In the meantime, I shall recap what I had done the entire week, meaning eating non- stop and hanging out with friends! I guess people are saying that I'm crazy enough to go out during exam period which is supposed to be a no- no. Oh well, sometimes it gets so saturated when you study non- stop that you need a break, to distract you sufficiently so that that the study can continue.

This was taken at Wang cafe at Vivo when I hanged out with the ICA guys. It's been a long time since we really meet as everyone is busy with exam and stuff. Now the NUS people are done with it, it's our turn.

And of course with such a nice christmas tree as a backdrop, we didn't miss the chance to take more photos!

Haha, seems like everyone likes to take this pic! Heng Hiang should seriously make this his profile pic

Love is in the air!

Love hanging out with them and looking forward to the next outing straight after exam on the 23rd because JX fling off to shanghai on the 24th. Wanted to celebrate xmas with them but too bad JX is away.

Then we meet again on thursday at Bugis. heng Hiang suggested going for the buffet at Let's Sweet. The sound of it scares me! Sugar? Sweet? Calories?

I seriously looked weirdly fat in this pic! Should exercise more soon!

Of course, without them realizing it, I took a pic of them while they were eating! Lance was busy taking pictures on his new iPhone 4!

We then proceed to Iluma for Koi! Something that I wanted to drink the entire week!

And we were hunting for places to sit after buying our Koi. Seriously they should set up some seats like Starbucks or Coffee beans.

And we spent 2hrs talking non stop while drinking Koi! Haha, it was an enjoyable evening.

Preparation Week

2010-12-06T19:22:00.001+08:00

As stated, the end of school term means that exams are coming. I was supposed to go to school today to study, but my shipment from amazon is supposed to arrive today! And I decided to stay home to wait for my shipment! It was supposed to reach at 11am, but somehow the address they had was incomplete, so they could not deliver to me! Oh man, this means that I have to wait longer for it to reach. After waiting for the entire day, the parcel only reached at 3pm, at least better than asking me to wait for another day.

2 boxes of earphones! I like their new eco- friendly black sleek box, makes the earphone looks more expensive- looking.

Opening the box!

In the amazon box. Looks cheap on the outside, expensive on the inside!

All my 3 orders safely in my hands!

Meal of the day

2010-12-04T22:52:00.001+08:00

Breakfast! I always enjoy eating breakfast because I believe that it's important to have a filling meal the start the day. Wang cafe! Something I ate very often when I was working at Harbourfront centre last year because the cafe is just on the first floor of my office.

How I wish I don't have to rely on drinking tea. Yes, people find it weird that I drink tea to keep myself awake. I just don't like coffee as it stains my teeth!

Lunch was malay food and the portion is big because the auntie wants to close the stall liao!

And the funny things we do because we are jealous that Lance from NUS has already finished his paper and is touring Singapore like a tourist!

Beautiful sunset

2010-12-03T19:20:00.001+08:00

So the semester ends today. With a beautiful sunset out of my window.

I don't know what causes the purple/ pink sky, but it's very pretty after a heavy downpour. Things change for the better after trials and ordeals. There is always a gleam of hope at the end of a dark tunnel.

I must say that this semester had been an interesting one so far. Different commitments along the way had shaped my thinking. You started to see people's true colours and the ugly side of human nature. But well, I guess this will be an even more common sight when we step out into the corporate world. Shall just get used to it and live my own life.

Birthday. Another one just passed

2010-11-29T20:30:00.001+08:00

Everytime we celebrate someone's birthday, there bound to be some unhappiness. Probably people starts to think that it's a chore to celebrate for others. Well, I think it's better not to talk about such things that will spoil people's mood.

The one and only picture of the day

I guess people are just a bit tired of celebrating and a picture is sufficient to prove our existence, as a proof that we celebrate it on this particular day when we looked back upon it some years down the road, not remembering the fact that these people are the ones who brought fun and laughter in our lives at that point of time. Oh well, just penning down my thoughts as I understand that different people have different perspective to friendship.

SNSD craze

2010-11-27T13:24:00.000+08:00

I think I'm starting to get hooked onto SNSD again haha. Because of my BFF in school who went gaga over them. haha. They had just released their new mini album that contains a song called 'Hoot'. It's this song that had top K- chart for the past few weeks and I had the various performance all on my hard disk!

Some other pictures of them promoting their mini album on radio broadcast

They had also been taking up advertisement assignment such as the Samsung Christmas edition 2010

And the Elle collection!

Aren't they gorgeous?

Herb garden

2010-11-24T22:32:00.001+08:00

Had a mini field trip to the herb garden this week with our teacher. It had been a long time since I went there, around half a year. Nothing had changed much and the uncles there are still as friendly. the number of plants we have over there is quite a handful.

This is our Chinese Herb teacher. A very nice person and he is always talking about food in class!

The weather that day is extremely hot and it was very crowded to have such a large number of people there looking at the herbs at the same time. So we decided to slack one corner to take photos!

Ans when we get sick of the still image, we decided to take some motion pictures.

The 2nd row guys!

My BFFs. It would have been a better picture if I hadn't blink. Because the photographer snapped right at the count of 2 instead of 3!

And I shall end off with a class photo. this time round, the backdrop is different from the ones we usually take outside the TCM clinic.

Another birthday celebration

2010-11-21T20:52:00.000+08:00

Another celebration held in school amidst our busy schedule. I guess people are starting to get tired of these celebration. It's just so difficult to get people to come down and spare just 15 mins to celebrate. And I'm getting pissed off because all they need is just that little amount of time whereas people who had been doing the planning had contributed much more without complain.

This time round I didn't really participate in the organizing because there's far too many stuff on hand to settle. Just contributed to do some actual day coordination and didn't have a proper lunch until during lesson time. Whereas on the other hand, some other people happily went to buy their lunch and were very reluctant to join in when we gave them a call. Heck. I won't be bothered to keep waiting and waste everyone's time.

ok, the main point is that everyone should be happy on such a occasion. I shall not continue to rant on. Just hope that everyone can cooperate when there is a need to. It's not easy to plan one and all the rest need is to appear there physically

SNSD Poster

2010-11-19T20:58:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Edmund, I got the first SNSD poster! haha!

And I'm loving it!

Doanna is back!

2010-11-17T23:23:00.001+08:00

Doanna is finally back after a year in Aus. But not for good. She will be going off again in Jan, which is bad! Because my exams only end nearing Christmas.

It's been such a long time since we went to airport to fetch her and it was indeed a refreshing moment. Of course, we have unique way of welcoming our friend!

TADA! Using Powerpoint! haha! We are high tech enough not to use any cardboard hahaha! Of course she is not Png Li KUEH. It's just that we forgot how to spell her name so we name her after Ang Ku Kueh

What's a meetup without lots and lots of camwhoring?

And this!

BFFs unite!

Photobooth love

2010-11-16T17:38:00.001+08:00

Had a really good time playing on Photobooth with my BFF from JC... And I know it's a risky move because my test is just 2 days from then and we spent so much time playing on it. I shouldn't have brought my laptop out to study... Oh well, appreciate the photos!

The bottom one is one of my favourite as it is so colourful!

End my post with a more normal pic

Bitches Gathering

2010-11-14T13:21:00.001+08:00

It's been quite some time since we last met, probably about 1 month ago. As people gets busier when school term begins, we tend to neglect friends around us. Those who had once braved through difficult times with us shall not be forgotten. It's amazing how friendship can still last through the time where we lose contact with one another during NS and managed to maintain the friendship till now. 6 years and counting and I felt blessed.

How nice it is to study indoors when outside is pouring heavily. Hibernation mode haha.

Of course, now I miss my Koi. Never mind, I have my substitute. Milk tea! haha

Ok I shall continue to work hard with milk tea and BFF beside me

Weekend

2010-11-13T16:54:00.001+08:00

Weekend is here and I know that I had been neglecting my blog for the past week. Indeed, after a short weekend break last week, I realised that I got even more backlogged stuff to clear. I should have used that weekend to clear those backlogged work instead of putting it aside and thinking of enjoying myself first. And so this week, is back to studying for test.

It had not been an easy week for me partly because of the stuff to clear and also to juggle schoolwork at the same time. Not to mention the stuff to prepare for next year Orientation Camp as I had recently taken up the role as a Vice Chair. So time management is critical at this point of time.

Nope this is not my pencil case. It belongs to a very bitchy friend of mine called Benjamin. Just by looking at his pencil case, you know how bitchy he is already. I guess it's all these small stuff on my life that makes it more entertaining. Friends that will stay close to you in difficult times and be around for you when you need them.

Food of the day. Minced pork noodles. Cheap, average tasting, but portion a bit small. I guess my appetite had grown during this period. And I have the urge to continue eating even though I don't really feel hungry at times. It was a good meal with Benjamin, Lance and Jia Xin even though it was only a short meet up. We really had a good laugh at all the jokes and it was a relaxing afternoon to forget all the worries on hand.

Ok enough of penning my thoughts down, It's time to go back to study.

Fruitful long weekend

2010-11-07T11:22:00.001+08:00

It's been some time since i really had a good rest... When I mean a good rest, it's one where I totally abandon my books and enjoy myself! This weekend is really a good break for me to recharge for the week ahead. Food and drinks had become a part of my relaxation routine.

Guess what, it looks like wheatgrass on first glance, but it turned out to be guava juice. Shina and Ming yue commented on the facebook that guava juice should be pink instead... Well, I think they added other vegs into the drink... Quite tasty though...

I also had my fav Koi! And it took me close to 45 mins just to queue for it! Good way to train my patience...

Met up with Lance and Ben at Starbucks to chill too, and was trying out there new Christmas selection. We were discussing our next holiday trip to Ipoh during the dec holidays... Argh! Seems like there's lots of nice food over there...

And breakfast at Terminal 3 Wang Cafe! The only Wang cafe that sells mee goreng, mee siam and cooked food. Was there to send my 3rd aunt to China for work. She will be there for 2 years and I guess I would be able to visit her when it's my turn to go..

That's me and my cousin! She's 12 years younger than me and she doesn't look like she's 10...

Me and my other cousins. It seems like all of us had grown older haha. And most of them are not studying in Singapore at the moment.

On a sidenote, my new laptop is here! And I'm blogging away on this new platform. There's so much stuff to setup as I'm totally new to Mac. And I'm really glad it came at the right time when I'm not that busy to configure it.

It's super thin and sleek! I'm loving it at the moment!

A long weekend… Finally!

2010-11-04T22:25:00.001+08:00

Finally the long weekend is here, and a break to my 4 continuous week of tests… It’s been a long time since I last blogged. Even though life is busy, we still need to take some time off for rest once in a while. Like holding birthday celebration!

See Edmund does it again… SPOILER!

Instead of usual cakes, we get doughnuts instead! One for every person! So nice…

Other than the usual OG member, we get our course mate to join in too!

It was a short and relaxing moment and I think it’s more healthy to take a break to clear my mind sometime once in a while

Mini Programmer Gathering

2010-10-29T21:30:00.001+08:00

Met the programmers at the AGM 2 weeks back. It was a short meet up because everyone is busy eating! Even though FOC is over for quite some time, some of us remained close. Even though some of us are in the same year, it was quite difficult for us to meet due to different class schedule.

Most of us didn’t really change much after the camp. They still hang out with their usual group of friends. And of course, their very first OG friends they made in their orientation camp that year. It drawn to me that I’m actually one of the very few programmers that didn’t join FOC for my own year. And I’m really glad to meet this bunch of lovely people, especially when I first step into this unfamiliar place without knowing anyone.

FOC will not be interesting without them, and I wonder if they will still be joining this year. If they are, I might also join!

Of course it will be difficult on my part to mix around because I practically knew no one there… But still, I’m really glad to made some close friends within a year. And I’m really glad I did.

Worship song

2010-10-25T20:16:00.001+08:00

Attended service yesterday and I was greatly inspired by the worship song: Walau Seribu Rebah. This was originally an indonesian version. Managed to find the chinese version from youtube.

And the English version. This song has been lingering in my head for the entire day and really love it!

Recess Week: Programmers Outing

2010-10-23T23:52:00.001+08:00

Finally got to enjoy what’s left of my recess week. Even though it’s short, but I really enjoyed the break, hanging out with friends that are usually too busy to meet up. Met Kitty and Cass for an outing, supposedly to go K box since it’s our passion to sing! But our throat is suffering from the bad haze nowadays. Instead, we decided to watch The Takers. It was quite a good action- packed movie as we get to see their genius plot in the show.

haha, we took this photo in the cinema! it was quite empty and we were happily snapping away. Trying to act scared even though we are NOT watching a horror movie. Enjoyed their company cuz we are a bunch of crazy people who likes taking pics! It’s really enjoyable going out with people who share the same passion as you, ie. loves taking photographs.

Lunch was at Astons and the queue was surprising short! Wahahaha. They ordered the same stuff! Chargrill Chicken.

Whereas for me, I had something different. Fried Chicken! haha. The portion is really huge.

A close up of what I ate. Haven’t been to Astons since May when I was hanging out with the ICA temps after work. I think that’s the after-work-outing that I went that time.

Of course, what’s a meal without drinks? 贡茶. I had this twice in a week! Both Alisan tea but this time round, I added mango pudding instead of pearls. It’s really nice!

Recess Week

2010-10-21T00:25:00.000+08:00

It’s pretty late for me to blog about my recess week when most of it is already gone when I blogged it. Much of my recess week is used for preparing my TCM exam which just ended today… Having said that, it had never felt so good when it was finally over, only to realise that it’s going to start all again next week after the recess week.

That’s what I had been learning for the past half a semester… It was a fun and enjoyable topic as this is one of the fundamental modules for doing clinicals…

Although it seem quite thin, compared to textbooks from other subject, the information that we had to memorise is tremendous…

Ever thought what was the yellow book? That’s my notes for this module. I seldom make my own notes in such an organised manner, probably only to make last minute revision will I scribble on some paper that I will throw away after writing it. But this book had accompany me for the past module and it will continue to accompany me for my whole life. Something that is very useful in my future career, if I were to ever practise chinese medicine.

Nice and pretty right? Of course it had to be neat in order for me to read everything at a glance…

Just another page to share as I really spent a lot effort writing everything down. I seriously enjoy studying for this module even though the process is tough.

Ok, time to sleep. Have to meet the programmers for K Box tml! Whee~ Haven’t sang since school started and I’m having the itch.

A fruitful weekend

2010-10-17T23:49:00.001+08:00

Recess week starts this week and I’m off to a good enjoyable start…

First up on Friday evening right after school, I met the ICA gang for dinner at Cathay! it was quite a last minute decision because Lance and Heng Hiang were there to collect their race pack for Nike Race. We had dinner at a restaurant call Indulge. Not too sure how long it had opened since I haven’t been to Cathay for quite some time…

After dinner, we went for 贡茶 which is like another Koi Cafe. I ordered their Alisan tea with 80% sugar and sort of regretted because it’s very creamy! Should have ordered the 50% instead…

On sat, went to NUS for mugging session with Lance and Jia Xin after we had lunch at their newly renovated Food Junction. Had Korean meal there and it was quite crowded for a school during a weekend! I guess exam is just around the corner for the NUS ppl and people are starting to get ready. Studying time wasn’t a lot as I had to rush home for dinner because it’s my dad’s birthday!!!

Today, 4C ppl had a last minute gathering too! And coincidentally it was Zhibin’s birthday. After attending church and my tuition, I rushed down to meet the rest at Vivo for a mini celebration for Zhibin.

Dinner was at Soup Spoon, and seriously, the weekend crowd is crazy. We had a hard time deciding where to had our dinner because there’s queue everywhere! My velvety mushroom! Very creamy and tasty.

It was quite an enjoyable weekend spending time with friends that we often neglect when we are busy…

Kusu Island

2010-10-14T17:39:00.001+08:00

It’s the first photography outing my schools’ photography club arranged for the year! Trip to Kusu Island! It’s also my first time there and I bet many people are already saying how sua ku I am…

The day started off pretty well. Even though it was sunny out there at sea, we could see fogs forming up on the mainland, indicating that it’s raining on the main land.

One of the offshore islands of Singapore, Kusu Island is a place where some people will go there and pray. Situated on the southern part of Singapore, it’s not a touristy place for many.

The island is way smaller than we thought. We could practically see the other side of the beach from the jetty itself. It will only take about 20mins to comb the entire island. However as a photographer, we will stop at almost all details and capture the moment on screen!

Most of the structures on the island is constructed in an oriental style, with bright coloured paints on the walls and railings, which is seldom seen in the cosmopolitan mainland.

Across the bridge, we will see a small dam located at the mouth of the river. It was quite a tranquil place to relax.

Of course, what’s Kusu Island without turtles?

Just kidding, what I meant is real turtles! Those that crawl and hide in their shells.

It was really a fun experience shooting these turtles as they are very cooperative. They tend to move closer to our lens when we are trying to shoot them. Luckily they are not fast enough to bite off our lens.

Ok, I shall end the post with a HDR, merging several exposures of the same picture together to create a wide range of colours.

Year 2 Sem 1

2010-10-12T23:12:00.001+08:00

As this is the last week before recess week, it means that one of our TCM modules is coming to an end. Indeed, time flies when school starts. In a blink, 6 weeks had passed and it’s already the last week before our term break. As our class had acquired the practice to take a family photo with every TCM teacher we had, proudly presents:

Class of BMS Year 2

It was about half a year ago when we last took a picture with our BMS teacher. 6 months had passed, people changed. New friendship are formed, old friendship are broken.

Eventful week

2010-10-09T23:41:00.001+08:00

Celebrated 3 birthdays in a row… 4 parties to attend… Haha. I’m growing fat from all the cakes…

First up, we celebrated Edmund’s birthday on Wed. It wasn’t any last min preparation, but as everyone was busy with schoolwork and stuff, someone still need to get it going or else there won’t be any celebration in the end. I know them too well and this almost happen for Yvonne’s birthday which is on the next day.

Special thanks to everyone who made this a success because I only managed to send out the party flow on the morning itself at 6+!

Some preparation pics… Though it’s not an easy task, I was very relieved it turned out real well…

On thurs, we celebrated Yvonne’s birthday. Like I said, it nearly didn’t materialize because not everyone is enthusiastic about it. Maybe people get jaded about such stuff after one year. Looking at the group pics, attendance wasn’t really as high as last year… I’m sort of disappointed with how people view friendship and they often take friends for granted… For me, family and friends are always my top priority. 你敬我一尺，我敬你一丈. And that’s my philosophy in life.

Something new apart from cakes

On friday, we celebrated Amanda’s 21st. Somehow I wasn’t too happy when people question me that I’m biased when I brought my camera for Yvonne and not for Amanda. See, another case where people took you for granted. Am I supposed to be the photographer for everything? We can see human nature for these small actions, and it really disgusts me…

After school, me and Edmund went to meet the ICA peeps. Just when he thinks that all the cakes should stop coming in this year. Me and Sheena decided to plant another surprise for him and YC who happen to have their birthdays on the same day!

Frankly speaking the venue for celebrating wasn’t confirmed as Sheena initially wanted to get the cake before meeting us for dinner. So we were thinking of places to go after dinner…

So we headed to Swensen for Ice Cream Cake in the end! Indulgence hahaha… I’m really glad I enjoyed this week even though there’s a lot of work to be done…

Happy Birthday Edmund!

2010-10-05T19:34:00.001+08:00

Before I go and watch Ai, I shall wish my BFF an early Happy Birthday! Since I could not make myself stay until 12am. I shall post it up first!

Po Po Po Po Poker Face!

Energetic, ready for the new week ahead

2010-10-03T23:28:00.001+08:00

I think I’m sort of cranky towards the end of last week. Not being able to sleep well the night before and having deprived of sleep as I have lots of miscellaneous stuff to do the entire week (shall fill in the details in the upcoming posts), I wasn’t really able to comprehend stuff happening around that quickly. Often or not, our visions got clouded by the worldly desires, things happening right in front of us are happening so quickly that we can only react based on our instinct. As humans who are selfish creatures, we often placed ourselves in front of others, sometimes doing stuff that will hurt others in the process.

Haven’t been to church last week as I was preparing for my test, I was determined to go back to God and feel His love once again. It’s difficult to depend on oneself purely in this world, often, we need divine intervention. We need to based on our faith to stay true to ourselves, able to comprehend the meaning of life and what’s our goals in life. Yes, a fulfilling one with God’s grace.

This week’s service is about turning point in life. A turning point that reminds us the mistakes we made in life, and that will leave a scar, which will constantly remind us of our past, and we shall not go back to the same route again.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen

That’s what I will strive towards, and be more forgiving to people around me. I guess I have to be more rational instead of being emotional when dealing with everything.

Ok, enough of myself. i think I will contribute more in the upcoming week. This week gonna be a fulfilling one. Especially with the list of activities lined up for me.

Shall end the post with a photo I just sent in for competition. It was taken at Kusu Island last week.

Making future plans

2010-10-01T21:46:00.001+08:00

At the end of the day, I have to consider for myself. Maybe it’s time for me to think of other options. My classmates had started forming clicks among themselves, making friends that may become their future housemates when we get to China in 2 years time. Yes, I think it’s about time for me too.

Knowing myself too well, it’s impossible to stay with my current click. It’s getting dreadful having to even sit at a close proximity in class, let alone staying under the same roof. More often, I will turn a deafening ear, indulging myself in my own thoughts instead of having to put up with those incessant noise. I always feel a negative aura with him around and I seriously don’t like the feeling as it is very unhealthy in the long run.

Yes it’s time for me to move on and as I can see a few potential housemates. People who are really true friends and not those who put up a fake front when they are in front of you. People who praise you for your effort and I still vividly remember one of them encouraging me when I was in my first year. People who I can trust for the next few years, and potentially become lifelong friends or working partners working in the same industry.

Things get complicated as time passes by and it’s getting harder to know trustworthy friends. And btw, I would like to thanks my BFF Yi Xin for helping me to accomplish one of the missions I have during this school term. Without her help, it will be quite tricky to complete it. Shall reveal the secret soon! Haha!

Must-watch-show list

2010-09-29T22:51:00.001+08:00

I had a really good rest yesterday. Managed to catch all the US shows that I didn’t catch previously because I have to study for my TCM CA over the weekend. With all the upcoming shows, I guess I have to prioritize my time even better.

Project Runway! They extended the duration from the normal 40mins to 1hr for every single episode! More back stage drama and more interesting to watch.

America’s next top model is not that interesting even though the reward is much better. Italian Vogue instead of Seventeen magazine.

Desperate housewives is a must watch for me! Vanessa Williams from Ugly Betty has crossed over to be the new housewife in town!

Glee is also on my to-watch-list. This season, they managed to get new casts into the group. With the addition of new casts such as Charice Pempengco from Philippines, who will be rivaling with Rachel, there will bound to be more conflict. Love their soundtracks!

Survivor is an interesting one with The Young vs Oldies tribe. Challenges seems to be less physically challenging this season to narrow the physical state between the two tribes.

I think this will be the few shows that I will watch weekly as I don’t think I will have the time to watch the remaining ones such Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice.

Landscape Photography

2010-09-27T23:26:00.001+08:00

I’m more into landscape photography as I like to travel a lot (if I have the spare cash). Indeed, some people will procrastinate about bringing a heavy setup everywhere they go as travelling is meant to be lightweighted. However, I beg to differ as I like to capture The Moment and transform it into The Eternity through photographs.

This photograph was taken during NDP where one can see the laser clearly. We don’t get to see laser shows everyday as it is quite costly. I must say this wasn’t well taken because the horizon is tilted and it’s quite difficult to check it at night when the lighting is not favourable.

A day shot of the same exact location using HDR (High dynamic range) effect.

I love to take pictures of clouds, especially they are always changing and it’s so dynamic. I love the idea to laze around, watch the sky and enjoy the breeze.

It’s such a pleasant sight to observe the clouds as they pass by.

Last picture to share for my short adventure around Singapore

Kite Flying

2010-09-21T22:50:00.001+08:00

In view of the Kite Festival Singapore 2010, it really reminds me of my childhood days when my dad will bring the entire family out for kite flying at Marina South. Nowadays, people started kite flying in popular places such as the Marina Bay Sands area. Indeed, Marina By Sands had become a hot spot for lots of major events this year.

NDP 2010 fireworks at MBS

YOG Opening Ceremony at Floating platform

YOG Closing Ceremony at Floating platform

Kite Flying with MBS as backdrop (Credits to Clubsnapper Iceberg)

Me and my friends also have a fair share of kite flying experience at a very popular place in Singapore! Marina Barrage!

Introducing my other group of photog kakis!

The weather was exceptionally good that day for kite flying. Windy and not too hot.

Choon Yong with a single kite at the back. He felt like shitting.

Of course, we never forget to take pictures with the legendary MBS.

Marina barrage was big enough to accomodate many people, a good place for picnic! It will always be populated with people during the weekends and this makes me wonder why Singaporeans are so keen to fly kite. Probably we are running out of places to go.

Children can be seen playing with the fountains located at the basement of the barrage. It’s really cooling for a dip when the weather gets hot.

And CY, being his normal self of loving the idea to be in the photos, started posing in front of the camera once again.

That’s the end of a relaxing day!

Kiseke at Orchard Heeren

2010-09-19T15:07:00.001+08:00

Amidst the hectic school schedule, I managed to squeeze time off for a good meal. Indeed, it had been a crazy week for me as there’s no more public holiday for me to catch a breather! Oh well, I just have to get use to it since there’s no point complaining. Nowadays I prefer to post pictures on my blog instead of facebook as I prefer to restrict my audience.

Price wise at Kiseke is not that cheap afterall.

	Lunch	Dinner
Weekday	$19.80++	$29.80++
Weekend/PH	$26.80++	$32.80++

Food variety is quite a spread. They range from appetizer, sashimi, seafood, cooked food, ramen, rosti, toasted food to desserts.

However, I must say that I’m VERY DISAPPOINTED with their sashimi.

Firstly it’s not fresh and there’s a distinct fishy smell (I doubt any fresh food will have that smell)

Secondly, I found a fish fin on my sashimi! OMG I can’t believe that happens

Thirdly, the skin is not removed for one of my salmon! Ewwwww.

Seafood wise is also not that fresh. There’s no taste of freshness in it. I won’t bother trying it again after the first round.

Shocked to see Rosti? Isn’t it available only in Marche? Yes, we can see it here. Not bad tasting.

The chawanmushi was quite alright and I guess you cant really go wrong with eggs.

Soup of the day: Cream of mushroom was not very tasty. It tasted quite thick, but not rich in taste, rather more on the starchy side.

The dessert on display were quite amazing. They are really pretty. It tastes like any other desserts and don’t really have the Japanese feel.

I won’t recommened going back again. Sort of regret spending over $30 for such a buffet.

Travelogue: Kuala Lumpur Part 2

2010-09-16T23:41:00.001+08:00

Travelling in KL can be quite convenient because they always have a train service that links up the city. It’s only an LRT (light rapid transit) and so it' can’t carry that many people at one time.

What caught my attention while waiting for the train to arrive, is the graffiti found at a nearby canal. It’s pretty impressive and doesn’t seem like vandalism to me in the least bit.

Upon reaching Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), the heart of KL, it’s shopping time! Shopping centres are really big and it’s very spacious.

Once again, the hunt for food began. This time round, it’s the much anticipated A&W, the fast food chain that disappear totally from Singapore the past few years. I can vaguely remember those times when my dad will bring the entire family out for curly fries, root bee float and ice cream waffles! Time to reminisce the old times.

The curly fries seems to shrink by quite a fair bit! and it’s after upsized!

Surprisingly, I came across one toilet in the mall whereby one will need to pay in order to enter. A premier toilet? Haha

There’s also some dessert stall selling exotic japanese crepe.

They really have a wide selection and it doesn’t taste bad at all!

Ok, it’s now sale time and time to shop!

Travelogue: Kuala Lumpur Part 1

2010-09-14T20:20:00.001+08:00

It was a short trip to KL during my semester break. This time round, I went with 4 other army friends, Wenzhou, Terry, Alvin and Darryl.

Airplane tickets nowadays are cheap due to the introduction of budget airline, and this is the first time I on board one. Flying experience is not that bad, but the leg space between the seats are really limited. So one advice is not to take such budget airline for long distance flight.

Having reached Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), there’s only 2 modes of transport to the heart of Kuala Lumpur. which is 50km away.

1. by their airport limo that costs RM 75 per car

2. by train which costs RM 35 per person

Having done our calculation, it’s more worth it to spend RM 150 on 2 airport limo, rather than RM 175 on train when you don’t necessary get a seat. In addition, most cabs in KL don’t run on meter, so it’s not really advisable to take those cabs other than the airport limo which charges a fixed price.

Our accommodation in KL has been prepared beforehand as we feel that it will be more convenient if we were to put down our luggages before exploring the city.

The room wasn’t very big, just sufficient for 5 people to stay in it.

As soon as we put down our stuff, we headed out to the street. The streets in Malaysia is somewhat different from Singapore. It’s a more chaotic sight and makes me appreciate Singapore more.

Shopping centre in KL is….. HUMONGOUS! Especially Times square which has 14 storeys, central, left, right wing, and not to mention that there’s an indoor amusement park in the mall itself! A truely shopping paradise for teenagers. The fashion apparel is quite similar to Far East in singapore.

After shopping for 3hours, we decided to head out to Jalan Alor for dinner. Heard that they sell really nice hawker food there. Indeed, we seldom get the chance to eat by the roadside nowadays, and it’s a new experience for me!

The food we ordered is really delicious and at a very affordable price! It’s worth the price! Looking at these pictures makes me drool…

Ok, time for some Old Town white coffee before I tune in (wait, isn’t it ironic? coffee and sleep) Haha, whatever, I still managed to sleep even with that dosage of caffeine.

Secondary school friends gathering

2010-09-12T13:51:00.001+08:00

It’s been such a long time since all of us were present. The last time we met were more than 1 year ago and it was at the same exact place that we ate our dinner, Waraku. (Link to old post) Haven’t heard from Zhi Bin for ages and it was the first time I saw him after almost 5 years. Some people don’t change much and he’s a good example.

Because we have quite a large group of people this time round, we get to have a room all to ourselves! A room that can accommodate 16 people!

Of course, what can you expect for dinner at a Japanese Restaurant? Japanese food! I had cravings for it for a very long time. And finally got the company to eat with.

There’s so many to choose from and I wonder how long it will take me to finish every single dish on display.

Rubin with his huge present. He looked so happy.

Weirdly, I don’t feel as close to them as what everyone had said” My best friends are from my secondary school. Because we spent 4 years as compared to 2 years in JC and people then are more innocent”.

Actually it wasn’t that bad, I was quite close to the girls as compared to the guys. Probably because we had different interest. Most of them are from bands and they have quite a lot of common topics. They love playing computer games and Magic cards. I did play all those too trying to get into their circle then, but it did not work out very well. Till now, I still don’t know where the problem lies. Oh well, it’s all in the past.

Another set of group pics

Ok, I shall end the post with the same poses 2 years back at the same spot. They haven’t remove the advertisement since then.

A walk around Singapore

2010-09-10T13:06:00.001+08:00

Took some time off to spend on my hobby, photography. Singapore may seem small, but there’s actually lots of places to shoot, mostly around the CBD area where the architecture is more cosmopolitan.

Often, we are always revolving round in circles, finding our goals along the way. However, when we are too involved in searching for our goals, we often neglect things around us. Things that are so wonderful, but may seem insignificant at that point of time.

A boat, something that we need in times of trouble. Trying to keep afloat in this competitive society seems to be challenging. Of course, people who are willing to lend you support when you need it are your emergency boats.

This is a structure that is part of of Marina Bay Sands. I shall make it a point to go up to the Skypark once the construction is done.

This picture was taken from Marina Barrage. It was a pretty evening sight that day and the weather was good for photo- taking.

Recent wants

2010-09-07T21:52:00.001+08:00

A new mp3 player! After testing out songs on different mp3 players. I’m kinda realised that iPod sound quality is not very good. The difference can be easily noted on a higher end earphones. Probably shall get myself a Cowon J3! So far good reviews from the users. Definitely Apple needs to buck up on the quality instead of just providing a user-friendly user interface for the consumers.

earphones wise will be pretty tricky since I will need time to go down to try out personally. Probably a Westone UM2, UE Superfi 5, or a dba-02

Ipad: yes I think I will need one once my clinical starts. it’s more convenient than carrying some clipboard around when doing clinical. of course it is more compact than a laptop.

Not forgetting my passion for photography, I will need to get a ultra wide angle lens for my landscape shots. Either a Nikkor 10-24mm or 12-24mm will do, which will burnt a huge hole in my pocket.

It’s not going to be cheap and I should start saving now.

Day out shopping

2010-09-05T02:12:00.001+08:00

Amidst our busy schedule since our school started, we managed to find time to go out shopping and enjoy our evening together. This is what I called true friends, people who are willing to sacrifice some time for others even though they are very busy themselves.

Dinner was at the Soba Restaurant at Paragon. Very nice place to eat and chill. The food portion is just sufficient but on the pricey side. Nevertheless it was worth the money.

All of us love the mudpie at Big O cafe. A must to try is the Mass Seduction. Rum and raisin flavoured, which totally makes one drool. The portion is just nice and it costs $10.95++. A must try for mud pie lovers.

Of course, what’s a day out without shopping? the Body Shop is having their last day of Sale at Suntec today and we ended up buying lots of stuff. Body scrub, moisturiser, cleanser.

Ok, shall end the post on a happy note. Friends forever.

First day of school

2010-08-30T22:58:00.001+08:00

After 4 months of break, it’s here. The day to return to school.

Never thought that first week will be so hectic as a Year 2. 7 hours of lecture on my first day and it’s going to continue for the next 2 days. Oh well, things may not seem anywhere better when the workload gets heavier as the day goes by. Workload is going to pile up very soon at this rate.

The fact is,

Yes, I wore this to school today.

ICA Outing at MBS

2010-08-29T13:28:00.001+08:00

Probably my last outing before school starts, I really enjoyed myself during this 4 months of holidays. Uploaded a total of 47 photo albums on facebook and I guessed that is a personal record too!

These are the 2nd batch of ICA temps that I know after my reservist in Jul.

It’s really amazing how people click together. I guess because there’s isn’t much conflict in interest unlike in school where academic grades are of concerned, people get together better. Not that I’m not close with my uni friends, it seems like there’s some barrier whenever it comes to academic issues. If only friendship is that pure and innocent, the society will be a better place to live in.

Dinner was at Manhattan and all of us ordered the same Fish and Chips. This picture looked so wrong because Edmund is a vegetarian and obviously he don’t eat Fish and Chips!

Everywhere we go, we will not forget to take some pictures. Pictures are a form of memories. Memories that can be retained and kept forever.

With Lyo and Merly at the helix bridge

A reflection on the Helix Bridge. An imprint of friendship on this particular spot.

Last Day at ICA

2010-08-28T10:14:00.001+08:00

Started 10 May 2010.

Ended 26 Aug 2010.

3.5 months stay in ICA. Enjoyable, fun, unable to use words to describe.

Temporary pass

This tag has followed me as long as I stayed in ICA. Everyday, we had to wear this around our neck in order to enter the staff entrance. Of course, with this tag comes responsibility. Public will bombard you with questions whenever they see one with this tag.

The runway

Every morning, this is where we do our morning exercise. During the peak period (school holidays), we have to run from counter 13 to 50, training our calf muscles in order to prepare us physically. It was very tiring as we have to do this on a daily basis.

The backroom

Of course, I did not start my temp stint as a runner/ tracer walking down the runway. I started off in the backroom, doing photoshop for passport applicants. Less physically challenging, able to listen to mp3 while doing your work, and do stuff at your own pace. Life is boring here because we only interact with the computer and did not manage to know the rest of the staff. This photo was taken closer to Phoebe’s last day.

The tracer room

The place where I started out after I went for 3 weeks reservist during the June- July period. Things started to change when I moved from the backroom to the tracer room. Here, every minute counts, more interaction, more physical challenges. Of course I prefer life over here compared to the backroom as there is more freedom.

The remaining temps

Not many people are left since school already started for some people and others find better opportunities out there. We get to know more people as we do our duties in the tracer room. The place where temps from different departments come together during lunch break to do shift duties.

The pioneer batch

See the difference in quantity? And the difference in the faces? People come and go, and I’m the last one to leave from the May pioneer batch. Oh well

The pretty ladies

There’s quite a few pretty perm staffs in the passport section. Haha, and they are also very friendly. Nice to know a few of them!

More Perm staff

The section with one of the most perm and temp staffs. Really nice to work with some of them as they are really humorous.

The most chatty ones

I think I will miss them most. Hanged out with them after work twice and they are really fun people. Be it at work or outside, they always brighten up my day.