Girlish Fun, Anywhere, Anytime.. :)

Friend are aplenty but it becomes progressively harder to make good friends as we mature. Perhaps it's because we perceive and form certain stigmas, and tend to refrain from opening our hearts immediately. I get hurt pretty easily from gossip and painful comments. It started from the competitive secondary school days and to protect myself, I think I unconsiously adopted the devil-may-care demeanour. Pei Huan changed all that. She taught me the meaning of God's love and generosity. I saw making friends in a different light. Then there were friends like Siding, Margie, Freda, Alvin, Joy..etc that affirmed the meaning of friendship..

That was how I started off in NUS. I have loads of people telling me how they think I'm unapproachable and all, but boy do they regret starting a conversation with me! I'm an insane chatterbox! -grin-

I met an equivalent in NUS, glam chick Pei Huan who coincidentally loves the same things as I do! I only got to know this lovely lady when I was in year 2 at Union Camp. We were neighbours in Sheares Hall(before I moved into Eusoff). We ate grapes together, ran to lose weight, baked in the sun trying to achieve a gorgeous tan and slogged our way to an outstanding presentation together. There's so much more, raving about the newest waist skirts, eating our favourite ice cream.. this girl simply made the journey in NUS more vibrant and colourful.

As much as Pei Huan would refuse credit for this, I have to say she influenced me for the better. She encouraged me to lean on Jesus, shared the Lord's bountiful grace, encouraged me whenever I'm stressed out, says the most heart warming simple prayers.. How can I ever put my gratitude into words? Thank you dear, for being you.. for making my days as sunny as my bright canary yellow dress... for going through the good and the bad with me.

Here's a mini collage of pictures.. for you my dear :) The smiles make me all melty and fuzzy inside.

We were at the techno edge (Nus engine canteen). It was a mini celebration for Pei Huan cause she just had her last paper today. She looked stylish in her get up. Impeccable washed out jeans in stretch, over-sized black top with a skinny slim belt clinched to emphasize the waist and that hairband thingy - so Serena Vanderwoodsen. I want that too! That will be my Phuket dress theme!!

Our simple affair of Nasir Padang and Hot plate teriyaki chicken noodle..

I adore the shot on the right. So girlish!!

And you have to know, Pei Huan is a DIE HARD M.A.C fan. She introduced me this limited edition shimmer powder that went so well with my tan when I tried it on the back of my hand. I wish I knew more about make-up. I wished I put on some nice make up to look as good as she does in the pictures.. My eyes are non-existent when I smile. All crinkled up into a line like LA PI XIAO XIN!-wails-

Techno-edge was CROWDED but it was a crazy photo-taking session.

I felt a sea of quzzical glances but you know how it is? When you're with a treasured friend, there's isn't such a thing as RESERVATION! Not with Pei Huan...

A close up view. Notice how Pei Huan's skin looks so good beside me? ( I'm black black :(..) She highlighted her cheeks with this amazing M.A.C powder. I forgot the name... but ya she taught me the importance of highlighting..

Thank you dear.. for the most wonderful time at lunch. Though it was for an hour and a half, I came back to my room feeling smiley and insanely bubbly. Amazing company with a treasured friend always makes me feel all melty and fuzzy inside, like molten hershey's kisses and a tad bit of champagne.

Thank you dear... for everything.. :)

Secret manual to protecting youself.. for girls only!

I just had the most hair raising, terrifying experience. I was trailed by a creep in broad daylight! Eeeeks. There I was, walking happily towards the bus stop when I realised there was this plump looking young guy all dressed up sitting at the benches of the void deck. As I passed by, he followed suit! Normally, I would be unaware of my surroundings but I think it must have been God's protection. My sixth sense just went haywire and my heart pounded as I decided to detour. The plump creep realised I was avoiding him cause I think my face must have turned white and I made it obvious that I WAS avoiding him. Initially, I was headed towards the nearer bus stop, but decided against it cause he was walking in that direction.

Just as I thought I was safe, he suddenly loomed out of behind me at the same bus stop! He had this creepy, insane smile! At that moment, my heart pounded. Mum said something about a guy lurking around our home and peeping through our windows. It could be him!

I have to thank God for his protection because just as I said a silent prayer, a cab drove by, I immediately hailed the cab and got in. When the cab drove by, I saw the guy staring weirdly into the cab. Thank God my wits didn't totally abandon me at the moment.

Just as I arrived at the Eusoff Hall lobby, I saw creep number 2! It was the same guy that took my phone in order to get my number! Last semester, I was running in the gym and this guy knocked on the window pane. I thought he was a Eusoffian who forgot his keys so I let him in. After my workout, he tried chatting. First he said he lost his transponder, then he said he's staying with a friend, and finally he admitted he wasn't from Eusoff. He asked if he could get my number and before I replaced, he conveniently took my phone and called his own mobile.

Louie met him once. I didn't tell him that was creep number 2 but Louie sensed he was weird. I told him after that and he adviced me to report the matter to the general office. That's cause creep number 2 walks by my room at 2 am, saying he casually passed by. You don't pass by A3! You don't casually climb all the way up to pass by you know..

So ladies, I think we all need to learn how to protect ourselves. Learn some wushu maybe? I've come up with a secret manual to helping you ladies morph from dainty girls to super intimidating looking ones!

Step 1: Muster the APPROPRIATE expression - guaranteed to intimidate most people. The trick is to suddenly morph into this expression so that even twisted creeps will think you're mad.



Step 2 : If step 1 fails, never fear! Do this! Break into a sudden a "smell dragon 18 plams"( xiang long shi ba zhang) stance and give a bruce lee wahdaaaaaa shout.Ooh to better the heart attack to the creep,don't close the eyes. Wide eyes exude power!!!The two step manual will guarantee your safety but of course, I aspire to be glamorous ( by the way, Louie says I snore when I sleep). So I'm modifying it a little to be kill bill scary! Once I've mastered by wushu..creeps you dieeeeeeeeeeee!!

Whimsical Christmas..

A few more weeks to Christmas. Every year, as this special season draws near, my heart starts swelling with anticipation. When I was a child, Christmas meant receiving gifts that Mum and Dad wouldn't buy me during the year. They didn't want to spoil their children and to a mischievous little imp, gifts meant the world, even much more than candy :)

Now that I'm older, Christmas still revolves around gifts but instead of looking forward to receiving them, I'm waiting to deliver them. Each year, I painstakingly make gifts and cards for my friends and family that I hold close to heart, saying a little prayer for all of them before I hand them out. Though insignificant the gifts might be, I feel an unexplainable surge of warmth going about delivering them. Each card would remind me of the pleasant memories with each special friend, the good and bad times.. those who stood by me and became my pillar of support.

This year, I would like it to be really special. I lost a friend this year. He passed away unexpectantly and the pain of loss still lingers. I came close to losing people I love to illnesses like cancer and I still worry about the battle going on.

I've learnt to treasure my friends even more, trying to extend my heart to people around me, appreciating their kindness and joy they have brought into my lives. Some return the favour, some don't, some hurt, some ignore. I used to be wary about sharing my inner fears with others, opting to clamp up and shut my troubles within the four corners of my room but I've learnt that people genuinely care and they do want to share my burden.The past year of turbulence has made me stronger and has given me a will to love those around me because I know how love can make a problem so small. Friends like Pei Huan, JH, Alvin... I cannot put into words how thankful I am to them.

Christmass 2007 marks the 2nd year of spending Christmas with Louie. Chien's right. No matter what, I just have to hang in there till that special moment, where all my fears, unhappiness and anxiety melt away in his reassuring embrace.

I don't need presents anymore. I've got Louie, my family, my beloved friends and most importantly God, who watches over me.

Dear God,

Thank you for sending Jesus on this special day, the one who died on the cross and forgave all my sins. Dear Lord, I pray for all my friends and family around me, and for those that are less fortunate than I am. I pray that they will live, laugh and love to the fullest. I have been such a blessed girl, with more than I deserve. Please show the same kindess to everyone around me and teach me to love them like you love me. Thank you Lord.

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen.

Louie and I spent the weekend over dinner and short walks in town for my study breaks. I didn't get to see or talk to him much the past week and having him hold my hand meant so much to me.

Walking around town and admiring the beautiful Christmas decorations seemed different, more beautiful when you share it with someone you love...

We had a little break over at the BIG-O cafe. We had waffles and a special irish cream cheese cake!
Then it was back to admiring the beautiful lightings.

For the last two years, my Christmas was made more special through the adopt-a-kid scheme. I got to buy gifts for two different children over the last two years. I don't know who they are or what they look like but I do know that they cannot afford the gifts cause they live in orphanages. The 50-60 dollars spent brought a smile to their faces. I have faith that it did. I remember that as a child, when I looked at other children who got to buy toys I wanted, I felt disappointed. When it came to Christmas, despite receiving an outdated toy, I was still happy because it was something I really wanted.

Let's make our Christmas special this year. Remember the needy.. :) Let them live, laugh and love like you do...

God loves you and I love you too.

Catching up!

Good afternoon!

I've got an inspiration to blog now cause my mind was just straying off the books. I was thinking of my lovelies and decided that it would be a good way to tell you all how much I miss you since most of my friends read my blog :)

Here's the thing, after my exams. I have about a month or so till I get busy with dance production (by the way, please come?It'll be my last time choreo-graphing and dancing on a big scale, mark down 31st Jan, thurs pls?)

I really really want to meet you lovelies. Here's the list! (not in order)

1. AHS sports class girls. Pok will be back!
2. A whole day with Twin, not just dinner. I miss this crazy girl!
3. Joanna - for a good meal since we both love to eat. Or even shopping!!!
4. Shiming - my pillar of support in NUS.
5. Kel - busy busy guy!
6. A3 girls - a day to Sentosa perhaps? Or JB. Especially Amanda who is coming back.
7. Potato Mate and Ian - I have to meet the guy!
8. Tan Dengzhi again!!! More time with Elaine!
9. OCIP gang - hope the outing materializes!
10. Jo and monster cause it has been ages since I saw monster - b'day shopping for the lil princess!
11. Alvin - my best friend in NUS
12. Boon - Meeting up occasionally is never enough. I miss you.. somehow being with you chases the blues away.
13. Joy - supermodel Joy!
14. Chien - for some shopping I hope? OOoh and baking too!!! Chien and cook!
15. Margie and Wing Kit - her uber belated b'day dinner
16. A whole day with just Jas and Jo
17. Selina and Jack - I want to get to know Jack cause Jack makes Sel happy and I'm thankful for that.

That's 17 items, meaning 17 days out of a month (30 days). Let's make it happen? I really miss you all!!


P.S : Watch girls from the hills.. the clothes and girls are as good as gossip girl's!! My gosh!!

I had a fun conversation with JH last night. It was about Christmas presents, shopping for them, sizes for dresses etc. He is a sweet guy! Even after years of being in a relationship with his gf, he is still such a sweetie, making an effort to buy the perfect gift, at the same time hand-making something for her. Awww..

I wish I had someone like that. Someone who treasures little gestures like smses, effort to meet up. Why do guys always take things for granted? I'm still not used to that.

Pre-Exams Stress

When it comes to Exam season, I used to sleep really late but this semester's absolutely different. I zonk out by 11-12 pm and I get up at 7 am without the alarm clock. It is a good habit, more time to study, exercise, yoga.. I'm absolutely hooked by hatha yoga. I had an intense session yesterday evening with Laura who replaced Deepak because he went on a holiday. Hers required more core strength and flexibility.

I think Cali-ing has given me results! I had an in-body yesterday, which was a basically standing on this brilliant machine that takes your BCM, fluid retention, muscle ratio etc in approximately 3 minutes. Guess what? I gained muscle mass and lost fats! Yipeee! I've still got a long way to go to reach the ideal. Solomon(the trainer) says I have to put on 10kg to reach my ideal of 55kg. I looked at him and winced. He said I was too underweight and had insufficient mass. To think I was all smirky cause I lost weight, lost 2% fats and gained 2% muscle mass... More work!

The funny thing is that though most girls are tiny or even skinny, we have a lot more potential of possessing fats. The normal percentage would be 18-23%. Though we may be within the normal range, our muscle mass ratio to the fat percentage is usually low. That's my problem. I need more muscle! More body pump sessions then!

There are also a lot more that I learnt from Cali. For instance, not too much cardio (1 hour would not only burn fats but also muscle mass), you should eat after exercise ( protect your muscles), eating after 8pm will make you fat, that's a myth. It takes 4 days for excess energy to be converted into fats. The trick to burning the excess energy is to that if you were to have a heavy meal after 8 pm, go running in the morn or take a leisure swim in the afternoon before the next meal to burn that excess energy off. This way, it won't accumulate. Of course, there's eating in moderation!

I adore how Science works. I like logic, like understanding mechanisms of nature. I like things to make sense! :) Perhaps, my forte is really chemistry after all.

Anyways, Louie says we'll go on a holiday from the 4th to the 8th - to Koh Phi Phi or Krabi! I can't wait. The last time we were supposed to go, it was cancelled cause I was sick. I felt so sad, so I shall cross my fingers that I won't fall sick this time, especially after the stressful period of studying for exams. Then there's watching what I eat again. I need more meat, which isn't really my cup of tea but I'll try cause I don't want anyone to worry. Somehow, I'm more into porridge, veges, soup, fish, dim sum but not Bar Chor Mee, Crabs, Prawns and all that. It worries him cause it seems too healthy! But I do have my weaknesses like how I love my fries, ice-cream, marshmallows, peranakan curries, satays, sambal stingray, just that I don't get to have it all the time!

I promise promise to take care of myself cause I want to be healthy. It'll take time to change taste preferences (cause in my family, my mum makes veges and healthy stuff more than beef and definitely no pork). I will try cause I want to make people around me happy, not worried.

Check out my muscles in 3 months' time! I'll give you the bulge..muahhahaha.

Alrighty time for more work. OooHH by the way, you have to watch Gossip Girl. It is alot like the O.C, except with cuter actors and actresses. I adoreeeeeeeee Serena Vanderwoodsen. She dresses like Kate Moss. Tossed up hair, vests, chic dresses. Everything she wears seems unexpected. There's Blair of course, who has clothes to die for too - tiny dresses that clinches at the waist, waist skirts..ooooh drool! Now, I'm shopping like Serena! Obsession with ass hugging skinnies, peep-toed pumps, layering, tossed up hair(I'm going to highlight and cut my hair btw). Just think Kate Moss :)

Try tudou.com. Type gossip girl and start from episode 1. I guarantee you'll be hooked like how the tonnes of girls around me are. Angel and I go crazy every Thurs. -grin-

Okay I SHOULD go now.. Grace Out!

P.S Amanda's coming back!!

xoxo,

G

Weekend Well Spent

A very special day is coming! It is a day that is full of love and warmth, little presents, heart melting smiles....no presents for the right guess!

YEAP Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And we lingered at Vivocity. Paul was getting his engagement ring. It's so sweet!!!!!! Of which I have to share something funny. The boys were lamenting on how they have to buy a ring that is of market standard - a diamond of 0.5 carat that is worth at least 3 months' salary ( around $9000 - $10000). The argued that they had to invest on a ring that could buy them an impressive plasma TV.

So the next day, I happily reminded Louie that my future ring has to be worth at least 3 months' salary since Paul set the benchmark. And he went.. dearie.. you don't need the ring.... you're worth much much more than that.. you're you're..you're

WORTHLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He meant priceless!! -chuckles- I had a good laugh. That was after I smacked him on the arm...

After the RING fiasco and snooping around topshop, we visited the pet safari. I love puppies and I spied one sleeping in the most creative position. It had its chubby leg plastered onto the glass plane and its body was somehow contorted in the opposite direction. Aww..

That is what I meant.

Other adorable breeds. Dearest Louie says that if I have to be his wife, I have to accept his terms of a BULLDOG! -wails- Nothing cute or majestic.. he likes goofy slobberish looking creatures ( except me) . He says the dog has to look stupid.. :(
After Vivo, we went over to Church of Sengkang at Punggol Marina to celebrate Dajie's B'day. Happy 29th!!!! We were waiting for Jas at the children's church so we took a few pictures with the colourful backdrop. My mum made the sun!!!!!!!!!!

Dinner will always be a feast with Daddy Tye around. He loves food you see.

I have to give my thumbs up for the mee goreng. The noodles were well cooked, extremely tasty and yet retained the firm texture. Deep fried soon hock with soy sauce!

Crabs will always be on the menu. I am not one for seafood but I cannot resist dipping fried, crisp mantous into the savoury sauce...
It was an intense crab feasting session. Another graveyard created.

My lil sister can eat! She's very very VERY into crabs....
On Sunday, Louie, Flo, Viv, Tara, Paul and I had a bbq at Flo's rooftop. We shopped for the bbq ingredients over at Bedok.
Flo letting his inner child take over...
So Viv and I did it too!
Ahh all the hardwork for worldclass bbq, at least to me :)

Then it was pool session. Viv tried to dunk Flo..
Flo easily overpowered her and did some wrestling move.


That was my packed weekend. It's going to be a terribly busy week ahead now. I've got to study for my exams and I end on the 4th. I feel so alone, all cooped up with piles of notes around. Somehow, I'm reminded of the ex A3 girls. They were a noisy bunch when it came to exam season.

Meimei happy advanced B'day :)