I’m out of the team…

I’m a quitter. Officially.

Due to tremendous workload AND studyload, I’ve decided to withdraw from my salsa performance team. I’ve with this dance school, Two Left Feet ever since Dec 2004 and have totally enjoyed myself.

I started out as a “freshie” in the salsa scene, stepped on tons of toes (sorry, guys), being elbowed a few times and even got my boobs grabbed ACCIDENTALLY by fellow salsa mates on some occasions. (They told me they accidentally touched lah)

And in Jan 2006, I went for the audition to join the performance team and got in! Thus, I started on a very, very demanding yet totally fulfilling journey in being a performer for Two Left Feet Dance School. In preparation for the performance in L.A Salsa Festival in L.A (Duh) in May06, I endured extremely demanding trainings. We practiced up to 4 to 5 times a week, each session lasting at least 3 hours. Not only that, I also endured scoldings from the instructors when my dancing was not up to their expectations. They had very, very high expectations… …

Although the trainings were tough, I improved my dancing skills by leaps and bounds and made a few valuable friendships along the way.

For this year, I wanted to be in the team as well, to perform in the Malaysia Congress in August, This year’s performance routine is even much more exciting than the last, and I was really excited about being able to perform again. However, as workload got heavier, in addition to the CFA exam that I’ll be taking in June, I am having problems coping with the schedule of 2-3 times of salsa trainings per week.

Thus, I quit the team…

I have to tell myself that “I love my job, I love my job, I love my job” to justify to myself that I had to give up on one of my dearest loves – dancing.

Sigh. “There is a time and place for everything but salsa is just not on your agenda right now”, said BF.

I guess he is right.

I am older today
Am I wiser, I say?
A year has past and I have learnt
I am older today

I look older today
With a line or two on my face
A little more depth in my eyes
Yet my hair grows limp and thin
I look older today

I feel older today
More burden on my shoulders
Heavier as time goes by
Serious thoughts have to be acted upon and not merely entertained
To ensure things are done before spring is over in May
I feel older today

I’ll be even older by end of today
Will get older tomorrow, and the day after
But I relish in the process of aging
Where I will gain more by giving more
I yearn for the day when I can look back,

Well and alive with a head of frizzy white hair
Reminiscing the good old days and a life well-lived
I want to be older today

I used to be happier?

Just today, one friend commented “what happened to you? You used to be happier..!” Another commented “You are like an old fart now!”

All because I do not enjoy clubbing anymore.

E (one of my gfs) wanted to get me out clubbing on this Friday… but I am not interested at all. I told her I am good to meet up for dinner or some chill-out bars, but not Zouk, MOS or Butter Factory or any of the clubs. And she said “What? You are behaving like an old fart!”

I was like “yeah… I feel like an old fart, although I do not want to look like one!”

Feeling amused, I told another gf of mine, L. And she commented that I used to be more extrovert and was such a party-girl. She was like “What happened to you?!”

Actually, nothing happened to me. I am still as extrovert as ever, in fact, I'm just more at peace with myself as I finally know what I want in life and I try to work towards my goals.

I have decided to put my party days behind me as I do not enjoy partying anymore.

The late nights.
The insane drinking.
The self-indulgence style of dancing.
The waste of time.

I try not to stay up late anymore… if not for work, if not for reading, if not for my fav TV programs (;p). Nowadays, I enjoy waking up early and try to go for a quick run b4 I hit my office or during weekends as well.

I try not to do hard liquor anymore except for whiskey. Haha, I am such a whiskey fan. Give me a Macallen anytime! Nonetheless, I find it so much more meaningful to appreciate a bottle of wine with close friends or with like-minded wine lovers than to binge drink.

Instead of doing senseless hip-hops, I’ll rather hit a salsa bar to work on my salsa dance steps and improve on my coordination and footwork. I do not get any satisfaction in grooving to Justin Timberlake or Madonna anymore, I mean… for what? To attract attention? Kinda passed that phase.

I begin to realize that time is running out. I only have 3 more years to go before I am 30 and there are so many things that I want to achieve before I hit the big 3-0. Thus, I try to engage in value-adding activities such as: reading, exercising, working, catching up with friends and family, traveling and some self-reflection.

I think I have grown up. *FINALLY*

A special friend

Ok… here I am, blogging about friendship again. But I just have to blog this, to remind myself of a very talented friend, who has always inspired me in so many ways yet I didn’t know that he leads such a lonely life until today.

Technically, he is actually BF’s friend. I only got to know him through BF. Let’s call him D. BF and D are from the same kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and junior college. After that, D went to the US to pursue his studies and currently is still based in the US for his professorship in physics.

Thus, BF and I only hang out with him when he is back in Singapore during the winter break. Only for about 1 month in a year, I get to interact with this great guy.

D is easily one of the MOST intelligent human being I have ever met in my life. Always full of clever jokes and interesting stories, he has never failed to amaze me.

He self-taught himself to play the piano.
He takes amazing pictures.
He makes me laugh all the time with his witty remarks.
His dad makes me laugh even harder with his “uncle-ness” and I-am-always-correct attitude (in a non-imposing and oh-so hilarious way)
He engages in conversations that made me go quiet and think.

I really enjoy his company because I can learn so much from him, and I am really fond of him, as a friend, as an older brother, as a buddy. Among all of BF’s buddies, D is definitely my favourite. Hands down.

And just about 15 mins ago, I chanced upon his blog and his blog made me wana cry.

I didn’t know that behind that cheerful face, he is tormented by loneliness.
I didn’t know that beneath that intelligence, he is lost and questioned about his purpose in life.
I didn’t know that under that shield of strength, he longs for her pair of gentle arms to stroke his hair. And all these while, I noticed his glances at her and I have always thought that she is perfect for D. But yet, there is really nothing at all that I can help nor do.

His grief really saddens me in a ridiculous way, in a way I cannot explain. I feel really helpless. And the worst part is that I do not dare to confess to him that I have read his blog. Now, I understand his loneliness and despair, but I am nobody to comfort him or to show my support.

D is rather protective of his blog and doesn’t want many people to read it. Should I leave a comment on his blog to let him know that I understand his pain? Or at least I try to understand his pain?

I didn’t. And I don’t dare. I’m afraid that he would just shut down his blog and that tiny, little window for me to glimpse into his life, his fears, his pain and his longing for love.

BF is greatly troubled too. I know because he is sitting there, looking far away and swirling his wine without really drinking it. I know that he is upset that his best friend has been unhappy and he didn’t find out until 15 mins ago. And he couldn't do anything about it as well... can he?

D is flying back to the US tomorrow and we will not meet till about 11 months later, in the next winter break.

With all my heart, I sincerely wish that D can be happy. Can find that purpose that he has been looking for. Can hold the hand that he has been longing for. Can answer the questions that he has been asking himself.

D, my friend… all the best.

Im disappointed… …

I’m kinda disappointed with my circle of friends right now. Then I looked around and I realized that I don’t really have many friends to start with. That, itself is not an issue since I’ve always believed in the quality of friends rather than quantity.

But now, I can’t help feeling a little disappointed. Maybe it is my fault on my part that I have not been "maintaining" my friendships or maybe I’ve been too giving as a friend that people took me for granted?

Technically, I only have two girl friends from my secondary school. GirlA takes the path less traveled and now is an entrepreneur, her son is almost two and she is expecting her 2nd one. Our friendship works such that we do not meet up all that often but when we do, we have endless things to talk about. But as her life is really different from mine, sometimes, I do kinda feel detached from her.

GirlB has been my best friend since young as we were in the same primary school, secondary school, JC and even university! So, we have really come a long way. GirlB has always been the quieter one, more feminine and private. While I’m just a loud, over-the-top and don’t-you-dare-to-f**k-with-me kinda girl.

I will usually tell her whatever happened but sometimes, she kinda keeps things from me. It will be a long while before I knew exactly what happened (sometimes I am still clueless!). I understand that some people needs some time to digest and selectively give out some information but I really cannot help but to feel disappointed that a friendship of almost 20 years cannot even “handle the truth”.

Sigh.

I used to be rather cosy with a bunch of hall friends but lately, I just feel that whenever we hang out (it had been a while since we last hung out), the conversations became extremely superficial… so much so that I feel that I am entertaining a bunch of acquaintances instead of friends.

Maybe I am just too overbearing. Yet, some said I am aloof.

I have always been envious of Carrie in “Sex and the City”, specifically her strong friendship with her 3 other friends - Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. I really do wish that I have 3 other girl friends who we can all hang out together and have breakfast/ Dim Sum every Sunday morning to bitch about everything under the sun. (esp. cute men or the lack of cute men in or lives)

Ok, time to recruit new girl-friends. If only it’s really that easy.

It’s nearing the end…

Hmmm. It’s the time of the year when one should sit down and reflect upon one’s achievement for the past year… …

*picture a old lady in a rocking chair, sipping some tea and goes “ahhh” while nodding her head at the meanwhile*

Heh. Hopefully that will be me in like 50 years’ time. Still alive. Still kicking and in one single piece.

I don’t know about you, but I kinda started doing this “reflection-at-the-end-of year” thingy while I was in the US.

As I was there for only 1 and a half years, time was short, so I really need to sit down and reflect upon what I had done for the past year and were those activities “value-adding” and with the remaining half-yr to go, what other sports/things/places that I must pick up/do/visit before I left the States.

I learnt how to ski, how to fish (game fishing), how to ride a horse, how to survive alone in New York. I traveled to Costa Rica, parts of Canada and parts of the US that I wanted to.

And since then, I picked up the habit to reflect upon what I have done and I try to do that on a consistent basis, for example, at least once every 6 months.

I truly believe that this is a very meaningful exercise and I do think that I’m leading a more fulfilling life after practicing this exercise consistently.

Take 2006 for instance, at the beginning of 2006, I started to get bored of my ex-job and wanted to get a job that I really enjoy, so that I do not have to drag myself to work everyday. And so, in Jun06, I was indeed very lucky to find one, which I totally enjoy and was exactly what I wanted.

It was in 2005 that I first went for my virgin-10km "race" and would have gone for the half marathon this year if not for the CFA exam that I had to take, which was on the same day as the half-marathon. But for the past 1 year, I have been running regularly although I do wish that I can cover longer distance in each run.

I told myself at the beginning of 2006 that I wanted to go back to school and upgrade myself, and I did. I took up the CFA exam and I am determined to BE a CFA. This in turn, means that I will most probably sacrifice a chunk of my social life to study part-time on my own for the next 2-3 years.

Now that I look back upon 2006, I really do think that it was a truly great year for me and I do have a sense of achievement that I have accomplished what I have set to do at the beginning of the year.

Just a tip from me, set small, realistic goals for yourself and trust me, the sense of achievement can be really satisfying.

So, for the coming 2007, this is a list of what I have set for myself:

1) Run to MacRitchi Reservoir from Bishan (that’s where I am staying now) and do the full 11 km run, around the reservoir. To prepare myself for the half/full marathon at the end of 2007.
2) Sign up for the New Balance Run at Sentosa in July, and clock a decent timing.
3) Continue with my pursuit to be a Certified Financial Anaylst.
4) Go diving?
5) Be an expert in the Vietnamese stock market.
6) SAVE MORE MONEY!

The Ugly Truth about Myself

Ok… I know I have many ugly truths, but this… this… must be the ugliest of all ugly.

I HAVE CELLULITE.

ARGH?!?!?!

These horrible “orange peels” reside at the back of my thighs. How can that be? I run regularly, I used to dance regularly ( I will start on my salsa classes once again after my CFA exam), I stretch regularly… So, where the hell did these “orange peels” come from?

And after doing some research, I realised that those are “hard” cellulite, which many runners and athletic women suffer from as well.

And guess what, hard cellulite is MUCH harder to remove than soft cellulite. As soft cellulite is mainly due to sedentary lifestyle, overweight and bad drainage, but for hard cellulite, these unsightly fats are actually imbedded in the muscle, just under the skin. Thus, no amount of running or exercise can get rid of it?!

WTF?!

Luckily, all is not lost… Apparently, with religious scrubbing during baths, massage with essential oils MIGHT improve the situation.

Ok, the New Year resolution for 2007

[1] Remove cellulite
[2] Remove cellulite
[3] Remove cellulite.

Ok, you get the picture.

Bourne. James Bourne.

Yup, I went to watch the Ugliest-Ever-James-Bond on last Friday. Hrm, the name of the movie is Casino Royale.

For the very first time in Bond history, I did NOT walk out of the cinema screaming “STUPID MOVIE”. This time round, no invisible car, no DNA-exchange-from-Korean-turn-AngMoh and no stupid gadgets.

Although pretty women with big breasts are still there lah.

Nonetheless, this Bond actually made me sit up and go “hmmmm… he is pretty good, isn’t he?”

Yes, he is so ugly that he should be Mr. Bean instead of Mr. Bond BUT he has the most striking blue eyes brimming with intense intelligence (and not lust).

Yes, he’s not that smooth BUT he actually fell in love in the movie… *awww* And almost lost his balls for that.

Yes, he looks like he is balding But who gives a f**k? Real men bald! (That’s what BF likes to say)

All in all, I really did enjoy the Bond movie! Sigh… and I thought Hugh Jackman might have a chance to be Bond as he is oh-so yummy, but Daniel Craig really had me eating from his hand from the opening of the movie! I guess Craig is definitely here to stay!

Go watch Casino Royale, as it is more Bourne than Bond. For once, you really do NOT feel stupid watching a Bond film.

I miss Halloween…

I miss dressing up. I miss being invited to crazy, private parties where EVERYONE would dress up and had a hell of a time.

Sigh. I miss New York.

I had the best Halloween party when I was in New York 2004. The whole street was filled with people in hilarious costumes and everyone was checking out everyone’s else costume.

I remembered being invited to a private party which the owner took pains to decorate his place with a huge spider web! Not only that, he even dressed up his cat in the “MIB – Man in Black” costume which the pug was wearing. The cat looked so cute! And everyone attended the party in costumes and we had so much fun taking pictures…

As for last year’s Halloween, I went to Wisconsin for a private party and that was so much fun too! It was a college town and WOAH! All the students dressed to kill! I must say that most of the costume was extremely creative and was self-made!

And this year… Although I was invited to a salsa party which the theme was “school uniform”… (a tab boring), I stayed at home to study. Totally unhappening and depressing.

*sob*

And the saddest part is that when I suggest to my friends and BF to dress up and attend Halloween parties, they said that I am “boliao”.

WTF?!

Anyway, I used to have a pug when I was a kid and it was given away when my mum got pregnant with my youngest brother. Nonetheless, if I were to own a pug now (and I will, in the future!) I will definitely dress my pug up! Just like the picture!

To Shanghai and Back

Yup… I am back from Shanghai! I went to SH for the long weekend, so it was a really short trip of only 4 days 3 nights. In fact, it was shorter than that because I had to go for a plant visit on Monday and attended a meeting on Tuesday noon. Thus, effectively I only had Sat and Sun to explore Shanghai.

The first thing that struck me when I hit the Bund, was the familiar feeling of being in New York City. Besides the fact that people around me were speaking Mandarin instead of English, and the occasional spits and spats (SO GROSS!), Shanghai definitely has the buzz. Just like New York.

The sky scrapers, the honking, people pushing and shuffling… ahhh, I did kinda feel right at home. ;p

Anyway, BF and I got bored after a while… It was too crowded to shop or do anything else, thus, we headed back to the hotel, took a power nap and got ourselves ready to eat hairy crabs and party!

O yah, hairy crabs. Couldn’t believe how bloody expensive one can cost… especially a female crab since they are in season now, i.e: they are full of roe. Well… I do have to admit that the roe of the hairy crabs is indeed sweeter and has a more robust taste than our Sri Lankan crabs, BUT nothing can be compared to our Chili Crabs or Black Pepper crabs. Plus, the hairy crabs are so darn small… maximum effort in digging the flesh and minimum flesh to dig and eat. Not worth it.

Ok, after the hairy crabbys, we went out partying. Clubbing in SH is so, so, so expensive. NO Shit.

We went to Bar Rouge at Bund 18, supposedly THE bar at the moment. Cover charge was 200 RMB and drinks are NOT included?! Goodness, that’s S$40?! Drinks cost at least S$18 each… well, no wonder the place is full of Ang Mohs and expats from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Hmmm… oh, and the view of the bund wasn’t that great either. All in all, not worth it. Super NOT worth it.

Then we went to “Guan Di”… ahh, that place was pretty cool. Played good Hip Hop music although the music was a little dated. No Ang Mohs, mainly Chinese expats trying to groove to hip hop. Definitely more casual and less pretentious.

So we grooved till about 4 am, knocked out and woke up at noon the next day to eat the best xiaolongbao in SH. We went to “Nan Xiang Man Tuo Dian” at Yu Yuen, where it was basically a huge tourist trap. However, the Xiaolongbao was excellent! Definitely better than all the ones I’ve tried in Singapore and Taiwan. This Nan Xiang wins hands down.

That basically concluded my Shanghai trip. All I did was eat, drink, party and sleep. Actually… much more happened, but I am just too lazy to write lah.

Well, I wouldn’t mind going there again if the next trip is FREE. Or else… I’ll rather go to Beijing.

You can wash everywhere but DUN wash my FACE... ...

I SAID DUN WASH MY FACE!!! You, @#$%&*!!! Cannot understand English issit?!?!

Don’t feel like studying

Agrh… I am supposed to be studying for my CFA now, in office. But it does not seem to be working out.

I am too tired and somehow too restless to study. It takes me like 5 mins to understand a single paragraph.

CFA is such a pain… but I cannot afford to fail and my exam is just 2 months away and I still have other 4 books to go?!

Shit.

Sigh.

I am depressed.

I NEED a study buddy… ;(

Too much good food and wine…

Past weekend was a sinful one.

One of BF’s good friends organized a wine tasting event: “Pinot Noir: Old World vs New World” on last Saturday. It was a small affair with only 12 but 2 “heavy weights” of the local wine scene were around!

So, I was privileged to taste some of the better Pinots from Burgundy, Australia and Oregon. (No New Zealand though.. weird)

One Pinot really caught my fancy, Domain Drouhin from the US, Oregon. Most of seasoned drinkers did not find the wine great as it was “very un-pinot”. At the beginning, the wine had a “smoky” nose, with a tinge of roasted peanuts. Very un-pinot indeed.

However, as the night progressed on, the wine evolved to a slight herbal nose with the usual tinge of strawberry. And finally, the full nose of raspberry, oak and fruits were presented at the very end.

What a delight!

Usually, I am an “Old World” drinker, usually prefer Burgundy, Bordeaux, Chablis, Pomerol or Italian. Not a great fan of Australia or US, as I find the wine to be “too big” for my taste.

However, this Pinot Noir from Oregon was really elegant and well-made. And most important of all, it was able to "hold" for at least 4 to 5 hours. It constantly evolved and changed, and did not collapsed. Unlike some other Pinots, which collapsed after 2 hours or so. Definitely the “wine of the night” for me.

O yah… and I ate so much. Not a pretty sight.

Argh… this weekend will be another sinful week. Mooncake “celebration” on Friday and another wine dinner on Sat. This time, the theme is Amarone from Italy. Hmmm… tough theme!

Alrite, enough of all the snooty and "ah-tas" stuff.

The haze is back and it's killing me... it's really irritating my eyes and throat. Worse of all, I can't run outdoors!

And with all these rich food and wine... I AM GETTING FAT.

I need a gym membership... but being a "giam-kana", I refused to pay for anything that costs more than $5 bucks. Sigh... I missed my old gym from my previous workplace, which cost only 5 dollars, with shower facilities and a swimming pool somemore!

;(

Back from China, Shandong

Last week, I went to China for 3 days, for my very first business trip. To be specific, I visited Yantai , Shandong province.

Yantai is considered to be a 3rd tier city, with a population of ONLY 3 million ++. To be a 1st tier city in China, the city gotta have a population of more than 10 million, 2nd tier city à between 5 to 9 million and a 3rd tier cityà less than 5 million loh.

Hmmm… is Singapore a 3rd tier city then? No lah… Singapore is not part of China mah!

*Bo Liao*

Anyway, business trip went well except for the very last day, which I suffered from food poisoning. Woah… must be the fried scorpions, fried roaches and 1 fried silk worm cocoon which I ate. I took pictures of those insects before I crunched them in my mouth. I’ll have to upload to the web once I got the chance… One of the roaches, which I named “Xiao Qiang” is extremely tasty!

Yup, I am so proud of myself that I actually tried those “exotic” foods. They did not taste that bad, except for the silk worm cocoon. The cocoon was too “squishy” and tasted really weird. As for the scorpions and roaches, they were pretty yummy… aiyah, all fried food taste yummy to me.

And I visited my very first Wal-mart in China. Very different from the Wal-marts in the U.S. Well… you cannot find live soft-shell turtles in U.S Wal-marts. Not even as pets. Those turtles were sold as FOOD in the China Wal-mart!

All in all, it was a fulfilling trip as I got to learn more about China’s consumer habits.

I can’t wait for my Shanghai trip in Oct!

1st tier city leh…

Zouk – Zonked out…

Last Saturday, Sien had a house warming party where the “Hall 6 Kit Kat Gang” decided to destroy whatever she has in her new home.

Oh, I am part of the Kit Kat gang, by the way.

So, we chomped down almost all of her food (much to her relief, actually), drained her wine and Choya collection, messed up her bedroom, bullied her new dog and treated her husband like our new maid.

Wahaha… damn fun! And it was so good to see all of the Kat Kat Gang again, especially our MamaSan is back from the U.S for a short break (a.k.a Min), Miss Powerhouse (a.k.a Serene) is also back for while before heading for China. Also good to see Huanghui as she is so busy with her schedule with TCS (Yeah… I have a friend who is a star leh…)

This house warming party also served as a farewell party for our Miss Happening (a.k.a Fiona) and Mr. Piggy (a.k.a Jeff) who are heading for Tokyo and Vietnam respectively! Wow… with all these friends overseas… I can leeched on them when I visit. Yeah!

After destroying Sien’s place, Kit Kat Gang wanted to party so we headed down to Zouk.

Woah… Haven’t been to Zouk for such a long time!

However, there wasn’t much of a crowd for a Saturday night. Hmmm… guess everyone is either at MOS or Butter Factory nowadays. I was kinda disappointed... Nonetheless, I was at least with my Kit Kat Gang!

And since, it had been a long time since we last gathered; the guys started acting crazy and ordered drinks as if they were free.

My God.

There were: 2 jugs of Gin Tonic, 2 jugs of Vodka Ribena, 2 jugs of vodka orange, 20 shots of Lychee Martini, 30 shorts of tequila, 20 shots of Apple Shooters and 20 shots of Sex On The Beach.

And there were only 8 of us… …

Everyone got zonked out.

Some started puking… *not very glam*

But we had tons of fun!

Hrm… although I do wish that the guys had gone easy on the alcohol… binge drinking is not that fun. Especially the hangover on the next day.

But it was really nice to hang out with old friends again.

Viva La Kit Kat Gang!

I'll post some pictures once I lay my hands on them!

Café Le Troquet

I have not been to the one in Paris, but I must say that the Le Troquet in Singapore is pretty damn good!

BF and I decided to check out the place last Saturday after hearing so many good things about the restaurant. In fact, we did not make any reservations as the restaurant is located in Balestier, thus assuming the place should be empty. (Despite being a Saturday night, but who wana hang out at Balestier on a Saturday night?!?!)

And we were right.

There were only 4 tables being occupied, although the restaurant can easily sit about 26 people (inclusive of the “al fresco” area outside). It was a very simple restaurant, no frills. The crowd was casual, we had a group of Ang Mohs in a corner, a young couple behind, and another two older couples beside us.

The restaurant has a set dinner that cost S$48 NETT, with a glass of wine, starter, main course, dessert and coffee/tea. We took the set, although I exchanged my starter to “Pan fried Foie Gras” (you have to pay a bit more) and that was absolutely delicious!

It was crispy on the outside but totally soft in the inside and melted in my mouth within seconds. Wow… it had been a while since I had such well made foie gras.

BF’s starter was salad with cold cuts and that was absolutely delicious too! The cuts were of good quality and tasted really fresh, like fresh, good quality sausages. Yummy…

Oh, before I forgot, they also served WARM bread with Greek beans by the side for pre-starter. The bread was mini-baguette which I remembered eating in Nice and Paris… ahhh. So nice.

I ordered steak for my main course and BF had the Duck Confit. Oohh… the duck confit was excellent! The chef flew in the ducks from France and thus, they are so plump and juicy. A very well executed duck confit… highly recommended!

As for my steak, it was well made; however, it paled in comparison to the duck confit.

By the way, Le Troquet carries a very good range of French wine, which is not expensive at all. We ordered a bottle of red from Rhone Valley and I totally enjoyed it. (I couldn’t remember the label though).

As for the dessert, we went for the cheese selection, where 3 kinds of cheese were served. I believe they are blue, bree and camembert. I personally love blue cheese… thus I gobbled that within minutes. I did not try the sweet desserts, thus I cannot comment much on that.

All in all, it was an excellent dinning experience where I had good quality French food, in a relax environment where I don’t have to pretend and speak in a fake accent to get my orders done.

The owner of the restaurant is Suzanne Leong and she stayed in France for a couple of years. Thus, that explained the authentic French food.

She is very friendly, but a bit blur as she misunderstood my orders twice. Nonetheless, she is warm and sincere to serve the best food to her customers at attractive prices.

I really like the place and will definitely go back again.

By the way, both BF and I wore berms and slippers, but had good French food and wine. And nobody is there to sniff their noses at you because everyone there is so casual!

I love this place.


The address:

Café Le Troquet

529 Balestier Road #01-01
Singapore 329856

Tel: 6736 1070

Near Accident

Last Sunday, 27 Aug06, I drove one of my younger brothers back to his hostel in NTU, and had a near-accident experience…

I just got my license almost 4 months ago (in April) and have been zipping around on the roads to practice my driving.

So, back to last Sunday, as I was zipping down Mandai road, towards BKE/KJE (pretty close to the Zoo), a dog dashed out from nowhere and wanted to cross the road?!?!

My first instinct was to brake but as I was traveling at about 80 km/hr, I knew that brakes would not be enough and I would definitely hit the dog for sure! So, I SWERVED my car to the left.

That was a mistake that could have killed both me and my brother.

There was a van on my left, trailing behind me and THANKFULLY, he was driving slower and thus was able to avoid me even though I swerved into his lane without warning!

Good God!

My brother was screaming “Jie!!! What are you doing?!?!”

p/s: “Jie” means sister in Hokkien.

Broke into a cold sweat after that… and the dog ran back to the side of the road.

Good gracious… my brother started scolding me, saying that I couldn’t just swerved into other lanes like that… should have jammed brakes instead… blah blah.

But what if I really ran the dog over?

But what if there was a lorry behind us, and if I were to jam brakes, the lorry would have run us over?

I only had 2 seconds to react to such a situation. I had no time to analyze but to act on my instinct, and my instinct was to “save the dog”!!!

I can still remember the fear in the dog’s eyes when it noticed my car was approaching really fast and it immediately tried to turn back. How could I have run it over..?

*scary*

NO more driving for the next 1 week!

Purple and red lights upon me
I see nobody but my own shadow
I crave for the embrace of a partner
To swirl and move together
But I am alone
In an empty dance hall filled with my hollow echo

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

This picture was taken at the Upper Club where 2LeftFeet presented its maiden performance and was snapped by my salsa partner with his cellphone camera... not bad huh? Got artistic feel huh?
Although it looked kinda sad and lonesome isnt it?
Actually the whole of performance team was just practising the routine in front of me!! Out of range of the camera of course...

Performance at Upper Club

My salsa dance school, Two Left Feet organized one of the biggest salsa event on last Sunday, 30 Jul 2006 at Upper Club, CHIJMES.

And what a blast!

Firstly, the tickets were all sold out – all 314 of them! In fact, the school had to turn down many people as the club simply could not contain any more people.

Secondly, Two Left Feet showcased its dance routine, which was performed at the L.A West Coast Salsa Congress, earlier this year in May05. And I was one of the performers too!

All in all, I think our dance team did a great job as we received much appreciation from the audience. As for me, I did not screw up any dance steps and put up my “performance face” through out the whole dance.

*phew*…

Previously, I was rather stressed out as I did not train as hard ever since I was back from L.A, and my instructors had commented that I was very rusty and not in sync with the rest of the girls. In fact, I was thinking of pulling out from the performance on Sat night, as I was rather discouraged.

After months of training, sweat and tears… the performance only lasted 4 minutes. And the best part is that I did not even perform the whole routine! (only did the 2nd half)

Nonetheless, I am glad that I did it. Even it was only 2 minutes and 34 seconds. Haha.

Private bankers vs Personal bankers

I just want to put things straight to those personal bankers out there. Stop calling yourselves “private bankers” when you are not.

Unless each of your clients invest at least 1 million USD with you (and that is the barest of the bare minimum for most private banks), you are NOT a private banker.

Makes me sick every time when someone self declare that he/she is a private banker when apparently he/she is not.

I have nothing against personal bankers… in fact; I believe most of them are making more money than me. But I simply cannot tolerate it when people pretend to be someone whom they are not.

I am just being a little anal today.

Yeah, just a little.

Superman Returns and Shux’s Wedding!

Caught the show last weekend and my, oh my… Isn’t Superman supercute, or wat? It has been a long time since I went ga-ga over a movie star (the last was Brad Pitt from Fight Club) and I am now ogling at the picture of Superman like I am 15 years old again.

*fun*

Although I do get pangs of sadness as the new Superman really reminds me of the original Superman and what he had to go thru in the later stages of his life. Reeves was so handsome when he was the superman and the freak accident robbed him of his life and his fame…

Sigh. Even a movie star is venerable.

O yah, someone commented that Lois Lane in Superman Returns not being pretty enough but I beg to differ. I think that her beauty is not the “stunning” kind, but the “grow-on-you” kind. By the end of the show, I am totally convinced that Lois Lane is a hot mama man!

By the way, I wana congratulate my friend, Shux… she just got married! And she held her solemnization … believe it or not, at the Canadian Rockies!!! Next to a river and among the mountains… the scenery was so beautiful…

O, I forgot to mention that her husband is CANADIAN lah.

Anyway, I wana wish the newly wed couple eternal bliss and happiness! And I look forward to hugging their beautiful Eurasian kids!

I noticed that I have not blogged for quite a while and decided to steal away from work and write a tiny entry.

*beam*

As mentioned earlier in my previous blog, I’m supposed to talk about my San Frans trip. However, after thinking about it, I don’t think it’s very nice of me to write nasty things about fellow salsa team-mates, so I’ve decided to keep my mouth shut.

p/s: you can still always ask me how was my trip when you meet me in person and I can then get it off my chest! ;p

Yeah… ok, this is supposed to be a tiny entry. So, I must stop here.

p.p/s: Get a flu jab… I have just recovered from the worst case of flu EVER. I thought I was going to die… But I recovered!!! *cough cough* Life is good without body aches, sore throat and painful lungs! Heh.

Recap: 8th Annual West Coast Salsa Congress in L.A

As I have mentioned earlier, I went to the U.S for 12 days where, out of that, 7 days were spent in L.A for the 8th Annual West Coast Salsa Congress. So, a group of 12 people (me, included!) from Singapore, 2 Left Feet Salsa School set off on the 23 May 2006, ready to wow our audience with our dance routine.

Our performance was on the opening night, Thursday, 25th May, and despite being the “Opening Night”, there wasn’t much of a crowd. (However, it was full house on Friday, Sat and Sun) In fact, to my utter disappointment, we performed to a half-full audience. And to my dismay, the crowd was awfully quiet and boring during our performance, no cheers nor whistles during the ladies’ shines and men’s shines. So, after the performance, I was relieved that it was all over and yet, I was disappointed at the same time.

O well… I guess our performance was not striking enough to create any uproar from the audience, although personally, I do think that our routine is rather clean and elegant. If I were the instructor, I will definitely ponder upon that and worked towards a more exciting choreography in the future.

Anyway, after the performance, I was free to attend the workshops in the mornings and afternoons (from Fri to Sun), which were conducted by world renowned salsa dancers and instructors. One brother-sister couple particularly caught my attention, “Junior and Emily”. They are from San Francisco and specialized in dancing”on2”, and the incredulous part is that Junior is only 21 years old and Emily is only 16 years old!

They are a good looking pair, really exotic looking as they are Eurasians and have some Asian blood. Not only that, they have tremendous stage presence and great chemistry as a couple. They are definitely the star couple, at least in my opinion lah… You can check out their website if you are interested:

http://www.juniorandemily.com/index1.html

After nights of dancing salsa, as well as being stepped, elbowed and punched during the process of salsa-ing, the West Coast Salsa congress was over and we flew over to San Francisco for a short 5 days trip.

Will blog about that another time… as it was a rather interesting trip…

Yosemite Nationl Park was so beautiful that all I could do was to stand there and stare. Why can't we have something like that instead of Bukit Timah?!

New Job, New life… and more stress!

I’m back from the Salsa Congress trip! Not only that, I have also just started on my new job… pretty crazy with the jet lag AND a steep and scary learning curve.

Will talk about more in details about the congress, but all in all, I had a BLAST! To watch all those world class performances, as well as to dance with some of the really good dancers, in addition to those excellent workshops… WOW! The L.A West Coast congress definitely brought another dimension to my perception of “salsa passion”.

Really glad that I went for the trip, will look forward to another congress… maybe Japan Salsa Congress will be cool… ;p

As for my new job, one word: DEMANDING.

Partly because I do not have much relevant experience in hard core finance, and I just have so MANY things to learn and pick up… so much so that, I am kinda overwhelmed. Thankfully that both of my bosses seem rather nice and patient… *phew*

So currently, my new focus in life will be my new job… and to sit for a CFA exam.

*fun*

Will definitely try to update more about the congress trip once I have the time!

General Election 2006

The election is over, but unfortunately for Gomez and the WP, it seems that the nightmare has begun. Gomez was denied exit from the country and his passport was being detained by the police…

This general election 2006 is deemed as the Gomez-incidence election as the saga of “why-did-you-say-you-have-submitted-the-form-when-you-did-not-submit-the-form” was more widely discussed than pressing issues such as rising health costs, increasing public transport and generally increasing cost of living.

The way that the issue was being pounded by the PAP really disgusted me. So much for a first world government and a first world election process huh? Nonetheless, Gomez is a real blur-c**k to screw this up…

This election is my very first election and for the first time, I followed the news/blogs closely regarding to this election. I am deeply aware that my vote will indicate to my beloved government what I think of them and hopefully, the govt will reflect upon that in a constructive way.

In fact, my mum and I went for the Workers’ Party rally on Friday, 5 May 2006 and I must say that I am overwhelmed by the crowd, by the passion of the speakers and I have never been more proud when I recited the Pledge that day, under the lead of Mr. Low Thia Khiang.

The post-65 voters (meaning voters who are born after 1965) want to see a government, who will show more empathy towards its people, more openness in the media and a more level playing field during the elections. Well, at least I do hope that I can see my country progress towards that direction.

I want to thank the opposition parties for contesting against the PAP and give me the opportunity to vote. I want to salute the new candidates of the opposition parties for standing up against the old guards and make them work. Kudos to all of you!

Performance at Velvet, 28th May 2006

Last night, 2leftfeet put up a GREAT performance at Velvet!

It was our virgin performance as this routine was meant for the West Coast Salsa Congress in L.A in this coming May.

Thus, currently we will be doing some free performances to gain some exposure. Last night everyone put in their best and we had really good reviews about our performance!

After so much sweat, time, effort and tears... finally, 2leftfeet performance team is rocking the world!

Career Switch

I am quitting soon.

Currently, I am working in an American based MNC, and have been with this job for the past 1 year and 2 months, working as a Financial Analyst, doing corporate accounting. After months of consideration, I have decided to switch career and return to the cold, hard world of Finance to work my ass off (for a better bonus, I hope!)

So, in about a month’s time, I will say good-bye to my fabulous boss and to my fellow colleagues.

I was really lucky to get the new job, as I was just leisurely looking through Recruit and spotted this rather small ad, looking for investment assistant as a newly set Hedge Fund is looking for an assistant to support the fund managers. During that time, I was deciding to quit corporate accounting as I’ve always wanted to try Finance again…

I was previously a Trading Analyst when I 1st graduated from NTU… working for an Oil trading company, supporting the oil traders and seeing how much money they trade in a day. (Losing 25 million USD per trader per day is very common!) Work was rather exciting as I had to watch the market rather closely…

Anyway, back to the story of finding this new job, I saw the ad, I applied for it, and I got a phone call later, went for the interview (without any expectation as I do not have much relevant experience) and got an offer within the same day of the interview!

That was a lot of change within a few weeks! Nonetheless, I am really excited about my new job… It will be tough, but at least, I will be doing something more exciting! Yippe!

I passed my driving test!

Yup! I did it! I finally did it! I can finally drive legally in Singapore! Yeah Yeah!

After some calculation, I spent close to Sing $3K to get my driving license. Ouch… so bloody expensive isn’t it?!

Nonetheless, I am so pleased with myself!

I took the test on last Friday, 7 April 2006 and I passed! ;P

So, am I going to buy a car? Of course… NOT. I cannot afford it…. Sigh, so expensive to own a car here in Singapore. I’ll just make do with my mum’s Nissan March and zip around during the weekends.

If I am loaded… I’ll buy my dream car! The Mini Cooper S! Too bad, I cannot afford it. One brand new Mini Cooper S will cost around $150K Sing dollars (inclusive of COE). Even a 2nd hand Mini (less than 5 years old) cost around 100K!

Anybody wana buy me the miniature of the mini? I prefer red, PINK or orange color…

I’m going diving again!

After days and days of salsa dancing, salsa trainings, salsa music and salsa partners, I am just about to bish (means punch) anyone who mention the word “salsa” to me…

Especially after the recent weekend’s training, sad to say, the current morale of our team was really low and I was just so tired on Sun’s practice as I had a late night on sat and had to wake up really early on Sun due to Ching Ming Jie, where I went to pay respects to my late grandfather.

Back to the morale issue of the performance team: we need MORE guys! Currently, there are twice as many girls than guys in the team, and to make matters worse, some of the guys are rather weak in their dancing and since salsa rely on BOTH the guy and the girl to look good, it can be really frustrating when the guy is not making much effort to buck up.

Sigh… and the performance in L.A is only less than 2 months away!

Anyway… some of my hall friends are organizing a diving trip to Pulau Aur (Malaysia) in August and I am just so excited!

Although, Pulau Aur itself is not a great diving site… in fact, there isn’t much to see at all, except for some sea cucumbers, rocks and occasional fishes. Nonetheless, it will be great to dive again, to breathe the crisp and dry air from the oxygen tank, to enjoy the peace and silence that the ocean offers and to do something else besides salsa!

Hmmm… I will need to get a wet suit. I do not want to go through the agony of squeezing into a wet suit that is too small!

I can’t wait to dive again! ;p

For those who MSN me... will know that this is the portrait of myself.

I just love this picture so much! One of my cats really look like that... fat, yellow, cute and a little stoned.

Hey... she may be fat, but she is NOT clumsy. Jumping from one cabinet to another cabinet is her favourite hobby.

I have a fat, flying cat. ;)

The lucky boy in white is the Birthday Boy!
Happy Birthday!
And all the sexy, gorgeous girls in black are, of course, the girls from the performance team!
And the fairest of them all... is of course ME!
Haha... literally.. "fairest"... ;p

Horror of all horror

I was at Union Square (Singapore one and only salsa bar) last night, and to my horror, I realized that I truly sucked at social dancing!

It has been a while since I last social dance as I have been busy with the performance training for the L.A congress. However, I got to learn the hard way that being a good stage performer doesn’t equate to being a good social dancer! (I’m sure many guys got to experience that 1st hand last night)

I was soooo S-L-O-W in reacting to the guys’ lead, and not only that, my rhythm was in a mess. Basically, if anyone knew that I am going to perform in L.A, he or she will most probably go “yah… rite.”

Sigh… I am so upset.

Time to pull up my socks and get my ass to Union Square every week to social dance!

Cool Salsa Video

Came across this salsa video and I am all motivated again! This video showcases how dips can be done with style and grace, and currently, my performance routine seems to be focusing more on lifts, rather than dips. Although my instructor did mention that there will be a difficult dip in our routine (Can’t wait!)

So, for those who are curious to what salsa dips are (hrmm… not those with nachos), check out the link!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5061062132646680465&q=salsa

Meanwhile, a quick update about my life:

Work. Dance. Eat. Sleep. Work. Dance. Eat. Sleep. Work. Dance. Eat. Sleep.

Yup, that’s my life right now. Although I am perpetually tired most of the time, there is a sense of purpose in me: to learn the salsa moves and execute with excellence, so as to “wow” my audience.

There is a part of me that gets all excited (yet stressed!) when I perform as I see performances as a kind of “exam”. After invested so much time, effort and money into salsa, I’ll like to test myself whether I have put my time to good use. Plus the fact that I really do like to perform lah… haha.

Meanwhile, for those who are curious about my cats, my mum is still keeping all of them. HDB has kinda given up on us… and actually told my mum to be as discreet as possible with the cats. Hrm, how to be discreet when you have 7 cats???

So much for the “HDB vs my tubby cats” Saga.

And just for you, Chio, I am enjoying your book “Riding towards the sunrise”. Will blog about it next time!

I am sooooo stressed!

Life is so stressful for me nowadays; in fact, it has been like a mad rush since the beginning of 2006.

Most of the stress is work related, as I have been rotated to a new role with more responsibilities! (My pay is still the same though…)

And currently, I am also training for a salsa performance, which will take place in late May. During the weekends, I’ll spend up to 8 hours on both Saturdays and Sundays on training… it can be really tiring. Going forward, there will be at least 3 to 4 trainings per week… how fun.

Nonetheless, this is something that I really want to do since this performance will take place at the prestigious L.A Congress. Yeah, that’s right! I will be performing with all the salsa experts from all over the world, how cool is that!?!

However, all these stress from work and salsa is taking a toll on my mood… I can be really cranky and grumpy. So, if I snap at any of you, most probably I do not mean it.

Meanwhile, I will continue to update on the “Saga of the HDB cats”.

p/s: If you can’t fight them…. Find their loophole. This is how I am dealing with the HDB now.

Dear Mr Ang,

Thank you for responding to my letter, however, I would like to bring up a few points:

As quoted from you:

2 "We wish to explain that cats are not allowed to be kept in HDB flatsas they are nomadic in nature and are difficult to be confined within theflats. Due to this, cats can cause nuisances, such as shedding of fur,defecating/urinating in public areas, noise disturbance etc, which affectthe environment and neighbourliness in our housing estates."

Firstly, animals will be nomadic if the pet owners are not responsible to keep them within their premises. Dogs, cats, rabbits and birds will definitely roam beyond the flats if they are not properly caged up. Therefore, the problem lies with the pet owners and not due to the animals if they are found to be roaming in the common areas.

Furthermore, for my case, the door and windows of my flat have been specially grilled to prevent my cats from venturing out to common areas, in addition to the fact that they have been sterilized. Thus, they are extremely quiet and are all toilet trained.

Secondly, dogs will also shed fur, defecate/urinate in public areas (I have seen many dog owners who DID NOT pick up the droppings of their dogs in public area such as lifts and parks), as well as noise disturbance (dog's barks is generally louder than cat's meows).

Therefore, the above reasons which you have quoted do NOT only apply to cats, but to dogs as well. And dogs will equally affect the environment and neighbourliness in our housing estates if they have irresponsible pet owners.

Thus, once again, it is the pet owners who have to be responsible to ensure that their pets are not a nuisance to the neighbours, regardless whether it is a dog, cat or parrot.

I understand and appreciate HDB's priority to promote a pleasant living environment and good relationships for all residents in our housing estates. However, it is extremely unfair to discriminate cats because any animals will be nuisances to the environment if the owners are irresponsible. The problem lies with the owners and not the animals, by prohibiting cats to be kept as pets is just curbing the symptom and not the root of the problem.

In addition, the ruling that disallow cats to be kept as legitimate pets could be one of the reasons why the numbers of stray cats in neighbourhoods are high as cat lovers have no choice but to rear the cats in common areas. Thus, fuelling a vicious cycle where cats are causing nuisances to the public.

In fact, I suggest that HDB to issue licenses to cat owners, similar to the current policy where dogs are licensed pets.

In conclusion, I urge HDB to revise its ruling, so as to allow responsible pet owners to own pets of their choice and do their parts to reduce the numbers of the stray cats, thus reaching a win-win situation.


Yours faithfully,
Miss Lee.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I will fight for my cats... I refuse to let them roam the streets.

I need support... ...

Responsible Pet ownership versus HDB ruling

On 4th February 2006, SPCA has once again urged the public to be responsible pet owners. However, I will like to highlight that under the HDB ruling, “Housing and Development (Animals) rules 1989”, cats are not allowed to be kept as pets in HDB flats.

Toy dogs, birds, hamsters, fishes and rabbits, which can grow to the size of a cat, are allowed to be bred as pets, but just not cats. Even though they are sterilized, and after sterilization, they are usually very quiet and tamed.

I will like to understand from the HDB why there is such discrimination towards cats.

And being cat lover myself, I have 3 cats at home. Unfortunately, due to complaints from a neighbour, I have been warned to “remove the cats” (as quoted from the letter) within 2 weeks, or else I will be slapped with a fine of two thousand to 4 thousand dollars, and upon second or subsequent convictions, I will be charged in court under the Housing and Development (Animals) rules 1989, in addition to “Environment public health act, section 44” and faced imprisonment of not exceeding 3 months.

My cats are sterilized and are kept indoors at all times. They are extremely quiet and I sincerely believe they do not pose any nuisance to my neighbours at all. I love my cats very much and pride myself being a responsible pet owner. However, with the warning from the HDB, how can I continue to be responsible towards my cats?

I hope the HDB can revise the rules and allow cats to be legitimate pets, especially since more than 80% of Singaporeans are HDB flats dwellers. If dogs and rabbits can be kept in flats, I cannot see any valid reasons why sterilized cats cannot be pets.

Currently, in my situation, I really do not wish to abandon my cats and sincerely hope that I can continue to care for them till they die of old age. It is extremely frustrating and heart breaking if I have to give up my 3 beautiful cats to the SPCA or any other shelters, just because I stay in a HDB flat.

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

I am having some troubles with the Housing and Development Board of Singapore. As you have read above, I am sending my frustrations to the Straits Times Forum, to the HDB, to the Singapore Cat Welfare Society.

This is issue is causing a lot of grievances to my mother, who is extremely attached to the cats. Sigh… they are more like her children now than me.

My mum is the best…

Just had dinner with my mum and it just hit me once again that I probably have the best mother in the world.

I did not have an easy childhood; my father was missing from my life most of the time and even when he was around. He was more of a terror than a father.

I still have 2 younger brothers and yet, my mum brought us up single-handedly. All these while, I knew that I have to work very hard, so that my mum will have an easier life in future.

Despite the hard times, my mum never let me felt that I am poor. She gave me what ever she could, scrimping on herself and gave her children the world.

When I graduated, my dream was to travel Europe. Although my mum thought that it was a total waste of money (she had never traveled by plane), she “loaned” me additional 2K when I most needed the money (for my frivolous want!) And of course, she never asked for repayment for the “loan”.

When one of my brothers secretly bought a motorbike, my mum got so freaked out that she bought a small car for my brother to zip around. She paid for the car in full.

Now that all 3 of us have grown up, and especially that I have already started working, I told her to take a break and not work so hard anymore. She refuses to listen, stating that my two younger brothers are starting on their universities soon and she needs the money to pay for our education. She is even trying to save up for my Masters.

Upon hearing that, I wanted to cry.

A mother’s love is so selfless. Without my mother, I will not be who I am today. (Not saying that I am anyone great now…)

But I could have easily been led astray during my teen years. Yet, my mother was also there for me and my brothers, playing the roles of a mother, a father and a breadwinner.

Just have this urge to tell everyone how great my mother is.

Mum, I love you.

I’m tired…

The time is now 10 pm and I am still in office. Worked till 2 am last night. Worked till 930 pm the night before. I foresee working till 10 pm tomorrow and the day after as well.

I do not think my brain is working anymore. Ever single brain cell is either on strike or has already crashed and burnt.

At times like this… I really ask myself why am I working so hard for?

I do not know…

All I know is that I am fucking tired now, and I need to sleep. Yet, I can’t finish my work and the deadline is tomorrow.

You know what…

Fuck it.

That’s it. I am going home NOW.

Salsa Performance School

Although I have failed my driving test, I got into my salsa school performance team instead! Yeah! Which means that I will get to perform and might even make my way to L.A for the Salsa Congress in May!

Really excited about this since it has been quite a few years since I last performed for any actitives. F.Y.I: I used to dance for my college's Modern Jazz team. (Can't tell huh?)

Can't wait to start dancing again!

Today is a sad day for me…

I failed my driving test this morning… (Sob)

Now I really feel stupid because everyone around me passed on the first attempt. My 2 YOUNGER brothers passed, beloved passed, brother’s girlfriend passed, my mousy girlfriend passed… and to think that I took my driving lessons from the school.

I am so disappointed with myself.

Sigh… now I have to wait for another 2 and a half months before I can take the test again. Not only that, I also have to pay for another 3 revision lessons and that will cost me altogether 350 bucks. Just because I failed the damned test today!

And I did not even make any major mistakes! And there was this STUPID SILVER CAR that suddenly stopped in front of me and caused me 8 demerit points! I hate all silver cars now… especially Mitsubishi silver cars…

The stupid tester is inhuman. He has scarred me emotionally for the rest of my life.

I hate him.

Back to reality

Back to Singapore. Back to work. And back to reality…

Holidays always have this surreal quality that allows people to be ridiculously happy, relax and somehow spend a lot of money, especially on shopping! Haha.. At least for me!
Now… it’s back to slogging in office. Sigh…

Anyway, the Taipei trip was great and I truly enjoyed myself. Despite the fact that I traveled alone! Highly recommend one to travel alone… at least once in your lifetime. Where you can walk around at your own pace, enjoy your own independence and basically chill… …

I was really happy to see my friend (Taiwanese) again after two years. I first got to know her in New York and somehow we really clicked and had so much fun hanging out together. She was so nice to let me crash at her place (free accommodation! Woohoo!) And that freed me loads of money to shop! And all the girls’ talk that we engaged during this period brought us even closer. I really appreciate her friendship…

Next, Taiwan has really great food and shopping that my daily itinerary was “eat, shop, eat even more and shop even more”. That was basically how I spent my days in Taipei… Furthermore, the cool weather (It is now winter) means that make-up stays and you do not perspire when you are out shopping. Ahhh… heaven!

More about food, the Stinky toufu really tastes FANTASTIC! Ok… I know it really stinks like garbage mixed with someone’s fart. BUT IT TASTES GOOD. Pinch your nose and put it into your mouth… and the stink will be miraculously replaced by a sweet aroma and taste. Viola! You are now hooked to Stinky Toufu.

And for the very first time, I soaked in a hot spring! A.k.a Onsen (in Japan). Taiwan has many great hot springs and I was brought to one in Wu-Lai. The spring water was so silky that it made my skin baby smooth for 2 days! Not only that, I had the view of a mountain with a little waterfall, gushing daintily down the rocks. One of the highlights of my trip.

Ahhh… will definitely want to return to Taiwan. But I will like to explore other parts of Taiwan… that’s if I can tear myself away from the shopping and eating in the city!

At the airport now....

I am now using the free internet at Changi airport... and I only have the last 3 minutes to write this message.

Ok... I will be in Taiwan from today, 27th Dec till 2 Jan. Meanwhile, everyone has a great New Year!

Happy 2006!

Xmas is here again…

I’ll like to wish all of you guys and girls, especially those who have been reading my blog, a SUPER MERRY XMAS and A GREAT 2006!

I have been really busy with my work lately and haven’t got the time to post any entries at all. Nonetheless, one of my New Year resolutions is to keep my blog alive…

Thankfully, I will be taking a break from 27th Dec to 2 Jan 2006… and I will be going to Taiwan!!! Yeah!

Really looking forward to the trip, since I am travelling alone (excited!) and will be visiting 2 friends in Taipei as well.

Hmmm… can’t wait to taste the yummy food!

Will definitely keep you guys updated again!

The big switchzeroo

Ok, I am still alive and that is because I did not run 21 km last Sunday.

I did not chicken out. I repeat, I did not chicken out!!! ;p

Well… I was still coughing rather badly on Saturday night and Boyfriend suggested that we should exchange our running bibs instead. Boyfriend did not sign up for the run initially, but managed to hitch one bib at the very last minute because one of his colleagues decided not to take part in the 10 km run.

After a long though of 3 mins… I decided that he was right after all. In my condition, I could not pull off the half-marathon at all. So on Sunday, Boyfriend was running as “Lee XXX XX” (my name) and I was running as “Henry XXX” (His colleague).

We woke up at 430 am, each wolfed down 2 bananas and put on our running gear and we were all set. The full marathon started at 6 am, but by 520 am, the area (Esplanade) was already flooded with runners. It was like a carnival, with the music blasting and all the fanfare. Finally, it was 6 am and the marathoners set off from their starting point with the music blasting “Who let the dogs out, woof woof woof woof!!!”

After an hour, it was time for the quarter marathoners to set off! The run was pretty relaxing in the beginning, but as I hit my 6 km, my nose began to run faster than my legs… yeek… Not a very pretty sight! And with no tissues… I snorted and sniffed for the remaining 4 km.

Finally after 1 hour and 8 minutes, I completed the 10 km run! With sweat, snorts, mucus and all! Yeah!

It was a good run and I was pretty proud of myself. Heh heh… Now, I am extremely motivated to sign up for the run next year and will continue to train for the next one year!

My bip number: 12226, running shoes, running singlet (sponsored by HP) and the goodie-shoe bag given by the organizer of the marathon, StandardChartered Bank.

My BIG run: 4 Dec 2005

In 3 days time, I will be facing my greatest physical challenge ever – a half marathon of 21 km.

As you may know, I have been training for this run for 2 and a half months. In fact, up to last week, I ran at least 3 times a week, each run I will clock at least 10 km.

And guess what… … I am now down with a slight flu!!! Not the full blown flu with running nose, fever and cough, but the itchy sore throat, the half-blocked nose and slight body ache.

I have never been more frustrated!!! All these months of training and my stupid body has to fall ill at this time of the year!!??!! A-R-G-H… ….

Nonetheless, I have decided to participate in the run. I may not be in my top form, but I believe I can still make it. Well… at least I hope that only one part of my body will be running, and that’s my legs. (NOT nose!)

Mind over body. Mind over body. Mind over body. *chant*

With this half marathon, I am looking forward to train for the next year for the full marathon in December 2006. Hrm… that’s if I am still alive after this Sunday!

Ok, my dear friends please wish me all the luck and may I complete the run in less than 3 hours! For those who are in Singapore, you are more than welcome to wait for me at the finishing line with a bottle of champagne!

My run will start at 6.30 am and hopefully, I should be done between 9 am to 9.30 am.

For those who cannot make it, there’s always next year!

p/s: don't worry... at any time during the run if I feel unwell, I will stop. As I've mentioned earlier, there's always next year.

Last Stop: Hanoi

Finally, we have reached the “last episode” of my Vietnam Travel Tales where the last pit stop: Hanoi ended it all.

Hanoi is the 2nd largest city in Vietnam and some said it has more charm than Saigon. Hmmm, I kinda agree with that because Hanoi’s main tourist attraction, “The Old Quarters” is definitely a colorful and fun area to visit. In fact, our hotel is situated right in the heart of the Old Quarters.

As for our hotel, Hoa Linh Hotel is a family-run enterprise and so, it gives a homely kind of feel. Everyone in the family helps out in the hotel, be it cleaning, cooking or basically lazing around in the reception area.

I only paid 30 USD for 2 nights’ stay for a moderately size room, huge toilet but unfortunately, with a view to a garbage site! Nonetheless, I still found it to be good value for money ALTHOUGH I encountered 2 blackouts in 2 days??!! The 1st blackout only lasted for about 30 minutes in the evening, so that wasn’t so bad. However, the 2nd blacked out happened at 2 am while I was still watching TV, and suddenly ZAP! No TV, No lights and NO AIR-CON!

Thinking that the black-out would only last for 30 minutes or so, I decided to just join my snoring Boyfriend… … and sleep. But I woke up again at around 4.30 am to a stuffy room and electricity was yet restored. Feeling irritated from both the heat and having my sleep disturbed, I woke my boyfriend up and was getting dressed to stomp down to the reception area and scream at whoever was on duty.

And guess what, after spending 10 minutes dressing up and combing my hair and was just about to open the door, ZAP! Electricity was up and running again! (Did they have a hidden camera or what??!) ARGH!!!!!!!! PISSED… … so, I woke up for nothing. Boyfriend gave me a goofy grin and hopped right back to sleep and began snoring in less than 2 seconds!

Besides the Big Black-Out, which happened while I was in New York, this twilight black-out episode in Vietnam was the next most eventful. An experience worth describing because in Singapore, black-outs seldom happen!

Another enjoyable experience in Hanoi: eating out. And I mean that literally where you will go to road-side stalls and sit along the roads (while the motor-bikes are honking away), on those little stools and tables (stolen from the near-by kindergartens?) and order wanton mee or Vietnamese pancakes (called Banh Xiao). Never mind that the food did not look very clean but they were absolutely delicious!

The next day, we joined a day tour to visit Halong Bay, a beautiful bay with many little islands. It was like the Guilin in China, but of course, of a smaller scale. You can even choose to stay overnight on one of those Junk boats for a “complete” Halong Bay experience.

That concluded my trip to Vietnam. It was fun and extremely cheap, especially with such cheap fares from Tiger Airlines.

Guess what…? I will be going to Taiwan for 6 days during the last week of December! Yoo Woo! More travel tales to update!

There is a temple in Hue
Next to the Perfume river
People from far and away
Stood before the candles and pray

I came to a temple in Hue
To come and see for myself
Rays of light upon my face
I felt the sun's warmth and life was good again

3rd Stop: Hue

Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam, and it is at Hue where you will see the “mini” version of the Forbidden City. I have not been to the one in Beijing, so I cannot draw any comparison. However, I believe the palace in Beijing must definitely be grander and better preserved. It is sad to say that the government of Vietnam did not put in much funds or effort to preserve Hue’s Forbidden City nor its ancient tombs of the dead emperors.

The highlight of Hue was the Motorcycle tour that we took. Each of us hopped on the backseat of the motorcycle where our guides zipped us through the city and into the villages in the near-by countryside. Along with the villages, we also visited the ancient tombs, as well as some war bunks.

It was a lot of fun! Although during the 1st few minutes on the bike, I was wondering whether I would make it back alive. Our guides were driving like Michael Schumacher in a F1 race… Haha, what an experience!

I definitely highly recommend the motorcycle tours instead of the boat tours along the Perfume River. (You will need a strong heart though!)

Hue was not as charming as Hoi An, in fact, the city had nothing much to offer. So, after two nights in Hue, we packed our bags and flew to Hanoi, our last destination of our trip.

Cyclos anyone? Personally, I'll rather walk. Hoi An is simply too charming and a slow stroll in the old town will definitely brighten your day!

2nd stop: Hoi An

Today I am on MC… with the usual signs of being overworked: sore throat, running nose and headache. Time to take a break and rest at home…

(Yeah right… I will be working from home. Attending a con-call with India in 15 mins time and another con-call with Australia at 2 pm later.)

Anyway, back to my original intention of blogging about my Vietnam trip. I’ll like to share with you, my favourite town of Vietnam: Hoi An.

Hoi An is a sleepy, little town yet full of charm. There isn’t much traffic and it is full of quaint little houses. I enjoyed its idleness and felt like I can finally relax after the hustle and bustle in Saigon.

So, if you are intending to visit Vietnam, please do not miss Hoi An. Although it is situated in the middle of Vietnam, it is certainly a stop you wouldn’t want to miss if you are travelling northbound or southbound.

Boyfriend and I only stayed for 2 nights in Hoi An, and we easily covered the whole town in half a day. However, one can walk through the old town again and again, and marvelled at each new discovery, be it a new shop, a charming café or noisy children by the side of the road.

During our stay in Hoi An, we also made a half day trip to My Son, a historical site in Vietnam where it is also known as “mini Ang Kor Wat”. Sad to say, most of the ruins were not well preserved and some were heavily bombed during the war. Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable trip and I feel it serves as a “preview” to Ang Kor Wat.

Hoi An is also the place to tailor-make suits, dresses or even the traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai for ladies. You can get high quality silk at a fraction of the price in Singapore. But please, bargain! Or else, you will join the long list of tourists who were being ripped off. Personally, I did not buy any garments or tailor make anything as I was simply too lazy to shop!

After 2 lazy days in Hoi An, we packed our bags again and made our way to another city, Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam.

Why Stinky, Itchy Feet?

Someone asked me why did I change the name of my blog from “Pink is the new black!” to “Stinky, Itchy Feet!”?

Well… firstly, it’s time that I revamp my blog… especially since pink is no longer the new black. Purple is more “in” nowadays. ;) So, gotta get those fashion police off my back!

Secondly, I feel that I should always update and reflect my true self via my blog. So, currently, I am going through a phase: having stinky and itchy feet!

Itchy feet since I have a constant urge to travel… and stinky because… my feet really stink anyway! ;P

There are many shops selling paintings and portraits in Saigon, and I found one near my hotel. The artist looks so young... seems to be in his late teens or early 20s. I like the painting that he is working on... a beautiful woman who has red skin. Or maybe... it's just her make-up. ;)

A breakfast stand just outside our hotel in Saigon. There are many food stalls just like this one. Selling cheap yet delicious food. Try it!

1st stop: Ho chin Minh city a.k.a Saigon

What ever you want to know about Vietnam, you can get that easily from the internet or from any decent guidebook. Personally, I recommend LonelyPlanet as the number 1 guidebook for budget travel to anywhere in the world.

Therefore, I am not going to drill too much about travel tips or places of interest in Vietnam, but I will share my travel hiccups and adventures instead!

Saigon, reminds me of how Singapore would have been during the 1960s to 1970s. Everything had a very retro feel. The shopping malls, shop houses and residential houses looked very much like the old photos of Singapore! That was the 1st impression that I had as I cruised along the highway, from the airport to the heart of Saigon, where our hotel was.

The next thing that hit me: the traffic. Specifically, the honking of the drivers and motor cyclists. These drivers did not seem to use their side mirrors at all?! Everyone horned and bonked every 2 mins on the road because they were either hitting a bend or just wanted to warn the pedestrians who were crossing the roads as if they were strolling in a garden.

After checking in into our tiny room, which we paid 15 USD per night, we set off exploring our neighbourhood. F.Y.I, we stayed in Le Le Hotel, the location was great, service and the staff were warm, however, our room was really, really tiny! For the same price or a little bit more, I believe you can something more value for money.

We had a wonderful dinner at a pricey French restaurant, which I have forgotten the name, but it was recommended in the LonelyPlanet. The food was really good and I had one of the very best foie gras and steak (done in the French style, of course). The restaurant had a colonial setting and everywhere was lighted by candles. Very romantic, indeed.

After the sumptuous (but very expensive) dinner, we decided to walk back to our hotel, which was a good 25 mins away. So, there we were, enjoying our romantic walk when suddenly, a woman, most probably in her 30s, ran towards the wall of the walk way, took off her pants, peed noisily and bared her bottom for the whole world (actually, just the two of us) to see!

I was shocked and disgusted. How could any girl pee in public?! Guys, I can understand since they can get away by peeing standing up. Girls…??!! Hello??!! So, there she was, peeing happily and noisily (she must had a lot to drink).

That is Saigon for you.

The next day, we visited Cu Chi tunnels, the area that was a stronghold for the North Vietnamese, the communists during the Vietnam War. This area was heavily bombed and countless of people died, both Vietnamese and Americans.

Crawling through the tunnels was rather creepy because I knew that just only 30 years ago, young girls and guys crawled through the very same tunnels, with their AK47s and grenades. Some were killed, while some killed others to stay alive.

Our very own guide, a man in his 60s, was a co-pilot during the war! He was fighting against the communists, together with the Americans and had lived and seen the horror of war. Having a war veteran and survivor to guide us through the tunnels, was indeed an experience of a lifetime.

Cu Chi tunnels, the place where thousands of Vietnamese died to fight for their country. It is the symbol of South Vietnam; so do NOT miss it when you visit Saigon!

After exploring Saigon for 2 and a half days, we took a domestic plane to our next destination: Hoi An, my favourite town in Vietnam.

Back from Vietnam

Yup… It has been 13 days since I am back from Vietnam and things have been busy, busy and busy. So swamped with work that I do not have time to blog at all.

Now that I have a breather, I can share with you the 9-days trip in Vietnam. My boyfriend and I traveled from the south of Vietnam, to the north. The order of the cities:

1) Ho Chin Minh City (Saigon)
2) Hoi An
3) Hue
4) Hanoi
5) Ha Long Bay

Haha… if you realized, all the cities start with the letter, H. I will pay tribute to each city in time to come because each city definitely deserves a post of its own.

As an overview, I did enjoy my trip tremendously. It was a backpacking trip, so no luxury hotels, spas or much shopping. The only aspect we did splurge on was FOOD. Yummy Vietnamese and French cuisine! From the roadside stalls to high end restaurants, we tried every local delight we could, and boy, were we delighted!

The Vietnamese are so warm and take so much pride in their country. For instance, one of our local guides sang a song for us during the bus trip, and it was a song about their love for their country, their hero: Mr Ho Chin Minh and about their road to independence. How many Singaporeans would want to sing “Count on me, Singapore” when you have foreign friends around? I’ll reckon not even one, even on our National Day!

Vietnam was once a country torn by war but now, it’s an up-and-coming economic power house. Buildings are budding everywhere and traffic is getting crazy, yet the people are just so friendly… and strong.

Hmmm, will tell you guys more about each city and my trip in details. So, till next time then. ;P

Just back from Vietnam

I was on a 9-day trip to Vietnam from 23 September 2005 to 1 October 2005, and had a blast!

So many travel tales to tell, but I do not have the time to blog! Currently, I am in the midst of the financial close (argh!!!), and at the same time, I am still clearing some of the accumulated paperwork while I was away.

Nonetheless, just want to drop a note that I am still well and kicking and will continue to blog and share what ever I have to offer. ;P

I got to know that quite a number of my friends are also visiting Vietnam in November… a better time to visit as the weather will be much cooler!

Will definitely blog more about my Vietnam trip and post some photos once I get the chance!

Vietnam! Here I come!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I will be spending 9 days in Vietnam in TWO days time! Woohoo!

Simply cannot wait… Been working too hard, so I am really looking forward to this trip. It has been a while since I last visited a developing country. It had been 7 years since I last backpacked Thailand, which I covered north and central Thailand in two weeks.

This time round, I will be backpacking Vietnam from south to north in only 9 days. Yup… I know it sounds kinda tight but 9 days are all I can afford to take. Nonetheless, I will make the best out of it. ;)

Have you ever watched the movie, The Lover? It was directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, with Tony Leong and Jane March as the lead actor and actress respectively. It was set in Vietnam, in the late 1950s, about a 15 year-old french girl having a scandalous affair with a wealthy 30-something businessman. The relationship was tragic, yet romantic. Erotic, yet ugly. Manipulative, yet heart-breaking. Innocent yet complicated.

And that was my impression of Vietnam too…

But I think that is about to change.

Spiritual versus Material

Met up with 3 friends for dinner yesterday since one of them is leaving for further studies in a few days’ time. As usual, I had fun chatting with them as the 3 of them are very different from my usual circle of friends.

Firstly, they are musicians. And very fine ones. No other friends of mine are as into music as the 3 of them. They can go on and on about guitars, B-flats and Gs…

Secondly, they read books. Fictions. Some of my other friends do not even read the papers!

Thirdly, they think and reflect about life. Although sometimes a bit too much! ;p

All in all, I always feel that I learn quite a lot from these 3 guys. Be it about music, politics or philosophy.

Our conversations differ from the usual bitching of unreasonable colleagues or bosses, comparing of year-end bonus or bragging of one’s long working hours.

I feel that I always see another aspect of life whenever I spend some time with those 3 guys. And it hits me again that life is not always about money, money and more money.

Yup… will miss our coffee sessions. Although one will be away for a while, I will always still look forward to meeting up again! But this time, there will only be 3 of us! (with me included!)

Monkeying around…

I went down to Union last night for my weekly dosage of salsa action and had a good time catching up with some friends, as well as some bootie shaking.

The best thing about hanging out at Union is, of course dancing salsa (duh…) and to people watch. Well, you may say that you can people watch everywhere. Be it shopping centers, on the streets, bars, pubs and even the ah peks at coffee shops can be rather interesting to watch at times.

However, the crème de la crème of all people-watching venues must be a salsa bar. This is because you will get to see all kinds of actions and expressions on the dance floor.

You will get the beautiful and hot dancers who sizzle the dance floor with their hot, hot, hot moves.

You will get the beginners who are really clumsy yet oh-so-eager to get their moves right that your heart just go out to them.

But the most amusing of all, are the dancers who think they are doing all the right moves, swaying their bodies here and there, with a I-am-such-a-hot-dancer-and-everyone-is-watching-me look plastered all over their faces.

Well, they are right on one thing… everyone is indeed looking at them, not because they look great when they dance. But it’s because they look so damn funny!

Last night, I saw this girl dancing in a really weird fashion. Her dance steps are technically correct but her weight transfer is a little out of rhythm and best of all… she was flicking her hair and moving her hands on her hip in a oh-im-so-sexy gesture, but it turned out all so wrong.

She reminded me of a monkey.

Somehow, it just looked really bad on the dance floor. Not the kind of bad where the beginners usually display – stepping on toes, unsure of what to do, stressed and constipated look on their face.

It was the kind of bad where intermediate dancers who thought they are experts… and I was just so amused with that.

Yup… I am being a bitch here again… laughing at the way others dance. However, I do want to stress a point:

PLEASE LOOK INTO THE MIRROR WHEN YOU DANCE.

You may think that you are dancing like Shakira but in reality, you are looking more like Shaggy.

Everyone wants to look good on the dance floor. So the “looking at mirror” rule applies to all who are really into dancing. Be it salsa, tango, ballet or jazz. To be AWARE of how you look when you are executing your moves is the most fundamental thing.

I am no dancing expert but I am sharing a tip here. I just want girls to look glamorous and good on the dance floor. Guys can look like gorillas for all I care. But GIRLS… please. We have to look good at all times. Walking, standing, sitting and most importantly, dancing.

These little fellows remind me of a friend... and his mega watt smile. I just had to take a shot. ;)

Too Tight!

OK… for the next few months, my blog will be dedicated to my current love-hate obsession, running.

Yup… I have started on my training and have been running about 6 km per training. Although my last run at MacRitchie nearly killed me because I could not breathe.

At the beginning of the run, I was just wondering why was I feeling breathless when I barely ran more than 200 meters? However, I ignored my discomfort and continued my run.

Mistake.

By the time, I hit 4 km, I was feeling dizzy and began to see stars… and it was then I realized something was really wrong with me since I was jogging at a very comfortable pace. WHY COULDN’T I BREATHE???

Then it hit me.

My bra.

It was too damn tight! I was wearing a new sports bra, which I just bought recently in a sale. It was a size too small but I bought it anyway, thinking that sports bra is meant to be tight right?

Wrong. Tight clothing will definitely affect one’s ability to breathe. Especially when one is exercising! No wonder women in the Victorian Era were fainting like nobody’s business! How can anyone breathe wearing those corsets ???

Anyway, I had to walk the remaining 2 km or so till I reached the toilet to change out of my “corset”.

Served me right for being a cheapskate. Now… what am I supposed to do with that small sports bra of mine?

Guess I will donate to any fellow runner who’s able to squeeze into it! Guys are welcome!

~94 days to marathon!