Branson's Baby Shower

Received a FB invite from Philip inviting me to his son's baby shower.. He got married less than 1 year ago and so productive! He has a son now! Hahaha!

I missed his wedding as my grandma passed away last year and I couldn't attend due to Chinese superstitions.. so I told him I will definitely make it for his son's baby shower. :)

Pipimon accompanied me and we went to Raffles City shopping centre to look for presents and also to have lunch before going down.

I always go and have a meal before a party cos if the food is not to my liking, at least I won't go hungry and become grouchy! Haha!

Couldn't find anything nice or useful so I decided to give them money instead.. Luckily I brought along a super cute angbao to put the money in (back-up plan). I think it's better also cos I heard that he spent over $1000 for the baby shower... So at least the money will cover a portion of it.. Haha!

We had lunch at Xi Men Ting..

The bowl of Lu Rou Fan is so huge!

Pipimon's scallop fried rice is very yummy!

Afterwards we took the train than a feeder bus to Esparis condo at Pasir Ris. 

Cupcake tier!

Me, Debbie & her hubby! We were trying the cupcakes.. but unfortunately the cupcakes were dry, overcooked and.. doesn't taste nice at all. Looks nice though!

Fondant Baby!

Yummy old-fashioned cakes!

Traditional Red Eggs!

Saw the baby and he's really cute! Sleeping in a crib at the corner even when the room was so noisy! Also heard from the daddy that he is a really good boy and doesn't really cry at night! Good!

Debbie and Andy (another ex-colleague from Apple who also had a baby recently) were talking about kids and also asking when I am getting married and having a kid.. I don't dare to plan that far yet.. Taking each day as it comes..

There were LOTS of people there in the condo function room! So much people until there were not enough seats and most of them had to stand! We had seats but no table so it was quite awkward and difficult to eat the food.. Overcrowding is a party-killer...

At least the food was good though.. Phillip catered them from Neogarden. :)

Yhingthai Restaurant @ Purvis Street

Chloe's 1st super short haircut!

After sleeping on the decision on whether to bring Chloe for a haircut.. I decided that I should choose practicality over vanity!

Instead of going back to Petfolio, I decided to bring her to another groomer.. Reason being, Simon (owner of the shop) refuse to let her cut short hair cos he says she looks nicer in long hair. Like all the show dogs in USA who have long silky hair.. but our weather is super mad hot and I think poor Chloe is suffering cos I can't turn on the aircon 24hrs a day for her and her fur is really really thick!

So I googled for the nearest (and best) groomer near my house and brought her there.. We went to "Mad about grooming" at Rocco Baleastier..

I am really happy with the results. It's $55 for a full grooming session and here are some Before & After pictures of my darling Chloe...

I still need some time to get use to her short hair cut, but I think she loves it because she seems happy and not emo at all.. Also, it's much easier for me to comb her hair now since it won't get tangled so easily. :)

I kept lamenting that her fur is so short and she looks like a boy instead of a girl... But Pipimon kept comforting me that her fur will grow back.. :( But I think it just take some getting use to cos her size has reduced by around 30% since her fur has been chopped off and she looks boyish at some angles.. though some angles she still look really cute and pretty. I think it's all about angles?

But overall, I feel that she looks like a baby lamb now. Hee!

Should I cut off Chloe's fur?

It's not easy maintaining her thick and long fur coat.. I am seriously contemplating chopping off her fur but she looks so pretty..

Everytime I bring her out, people will comment that she's so beautiful and her fur coat is so nice.. They don't know the pain both of us go through everyday!

When I comb her hair, the loose hair or tangled hair have to be brushed out and sometimes it's quite painful for her (imagine your hair being tangled and you have to comb out the ends), and it takes me at least 30mins each day to comb her fur and tie her fringe up. She's cooperative MOST of the times, but sometimes she gets grouchy and refuse to cooperate and keep still.

I am just worried that the weather is too hot for her to handle.. Hmm. How?

Hello Kitty Cookies

Brendan gave me a box of Hello Kitty cookies & cake a few weeks ago when he returned from Japan for a business trip. It's his first time buying Hello Kitty stuff for me ok?? So touched can! Hahahahahaha.. I did take a picture of the box then, but did not show the inside of the cookie box.. Here it is..

The wrapper on the left, the box on the right~

There are only 4 pieces inside! LOL! But it's really yummy and I loved them! :) Hope he will go Japan more often and buy cutesy Hello Kitty stuff for me.. Heeheehee! Thank you Brendan! :)

Jealousy?

Yesterday, at Vivien's surprise birthday party.. I realized something strange... There were 3 tables and somehow or rather, my table was filled with all the people who have LEFT the company and the other 2 tables were filled with people still in the company..

Somehow there's an invisible line that divides us.

But I don't find it surprising.. I kinda expected it and I guess the reasons are:

1. Since we are no longer working in the same company, there's no common topic to talk about anymore.
2. We were never friends, merely colleagues. Thus, when we leave the company, those people has no more "ties" connecting to us.
3. They are envious, jealous, resentful (1 or all of these)

To elaborate on point number 3, why do I say that they are envious and/or jealous and/or resentful? Well, they are in their comfort zone of working in the same job and envy us (the people who left) for having the courage to jump out of our comfort zone to seek better opportunities. They are jealous because once upon a time, we were all drawing the same salary and were on a equal stand.. but after we left, our salary increased (some by two-fold!), our employee benefits were better (e.g: 21days Annual leave compared to 10days), etc. They are resentful because they feel that we are no better than them in terms of ability and skills but somehow we are enjoying better salary and of course, a better quality of life..

Of course they won't say all of these.. most of them will give you a fake smile and say "oh! good for you!" but my in-built radar for bullshit & fakeness from people have been fine-tuned and I can sniff them out from a distance.. Just need to counter their fake flattery with fake enthusiasm.

I had to answer many curious & some irritating questions on where I am working now, how much I am being paid, and some stupid gossip shit.. but I'm past that.

Happy Birthday Vivien!

I received a Facebook Event invitation last Friday from WeeFen saying she's organizing a surprise birthday party for Vivien at Costa Sands Resort (Pasir Ris) in 4 days time, which is today.

At the point in time, there were little "Confirmed" guests and I guessed the main reason is the location.. Most people are working on a Tuesday and the next day so it's really troublesome to travel all the way to the other end of the island if you are not living in the East side.

Honestly, if it were at Costa Sands, I would most probably not turn up.. Not that I don't "give face", but it's a weekday and I have to wake up early the next day to go to work.. Not to mention the crazy transport costs (Taxi) if I were to go cos I will definitely not take the train back..

So I whatsapp WeeFen and asked her for more information about the party:

1. Booked the chalet yet? - No
2. Ordered the food already? - No
3. Ordered birthday cake already? - No
4. Who's paying for the chalet & food? - Dunno
5. Who's confirmed going? - Not sure

And being the nosy girl I am, I asked if she needed my help to plan and organize for the party.. Since I LOVE to organize and plan parties. :) I really do! I wanted to be like David Tutera and own a Events Planning company..

So I helped her arrange for a change in party location from Costa Sands to Santi's condominium function room which is located near Toa Payoh/Balestier. It is a centralized location and I bet more people will come.. moreover, the rental cost of the function room is only $15 (with a $150 refundable deposit) and it's really spacious and pretty.

Santi guniang was really sweet to help with the booking of the function room :)

And I also asked Nat if he would like to sponsor the birthday cake cos he has really good taste (if not the best among us) for cakes and he will not disappoint us, and he very nicely agreed to!

Next, I created a picture for the Facebook event using Vivien's picture and also update everyone with the details of the party, map of the location & how to get there.

WeeFen had the tedious task of collecting money from everyone that will go towards the food and the balance of the money will be placed in a red packet that we'll give to Vivien as a birthday present..

I think cash is the most practical and welcomed gift. You can buy whatever you want! Vouchers are quite restrictive as they have validity dates and if there's nothing you need from the shop that the voucher was purchased from, there's no point!

Anyways, I only ordered the food yesterday, 1 day before the event!

I know it's really last minute, but I don't know if WeeFen can get the minimum 30 people required and my backup plan was to do a smaller scale mini buffet instead of catering. Also, I was sourcing around for the most economical choice, cos we were trying to not spend to much money on food so as to be able to have more balance money to give to Vivien as her present.

But thankfully Neogarden is really efficient and fast! I called them at 1pm after my lunchbreak and they sent me an email and SMS confirmation within the hour!

The setup was done by the delivery guy, Vincent. He's so funny! He gave me a courtesy call 20mins before he arrived, set up the food in record time and even took a picture of us with the food with our thumbs up (he requested for that pose). Service is fantastic!

I guess my only complaint is that the portion of the food were really quite little.. It's for 30pax, but some of the dishes were enough for only 10 or 15pax.. So if you are ordering from Neogarden, order more! The total cost of the food + delivery and GST is $443.

Vincent gave us a hat as souvenir.. T_T"

And yes, I posed with it.. HAHAHA!

Here's Vivien posing with the food! :)

WeeFen conspired with some other girls on how to divert Vivien's attention so she won't know that we are surprising her with a party.. After some diversions and roadblocks, she arrived around 8pm and we turned off all the lights and surprised her.. She was so shocked that she nearly cried.. Hahahaha!

The sushi platter was wiped out in minutes!

Nathaniel sponsored the yummy birthday cake! :)

Vivien posing with her birthday cards, ang pao & cake! ^^

Organizers with the birthday girl :D

Janice, WeeFen, Peggy, Vivien, Me & Santi

With all the girls!

With all the boys!

And I was the cake cutter! I LOVE CUTTING CAKES! Please give me the job for cutting cake and don't fight with me for it ok?? :P

Overall, the party was a success and everyone enjoyed themselves a lot!

Bob Marley once said..

Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around.

You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you.

When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself.

Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful.

There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are.

The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever.

Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all.

A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face.

In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby.

Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you.

You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon.

You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible.

You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you.

You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.

[Personal thoughts]

I don't think I will ever meet this "Someone" in my life, though I wish I can..

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie @ Paragon

Met Elson & Santi guniang today for dinner at Ion Orchard's Food Basement, than we went to Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie for desserts!

I had the Mango Tea & a super underwhelming chocolate cake. As usual they ran out of strawberry shortcake. What's new?

Elson's choice. That boy don't like chocolate... -_-

Santi guniang ordered the Triple Cheesecake

Chit-chat, laughed, than went back home. Work tomorrow! Gotta sleep now! :)

VOCAPEOPLE Singapore Tour 2011

I am a big fan of Vocapeople after seeing their video on Youtube over 1 year ago.. See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6EYrqIn0yI

They are a 8 member Israel-based ensemble performing vocal theater combining acapella and beat-box vocals to reproduce the sounds of an entire orchestra.

They have performed in Europe, Middle East & South America.. I wanted to fly to another country and watch their performance but it's quite silly to spend thousands to go and watch a 2 hour performance..

Imagine my surprise and happiness when I saw in 8days magazine that they are coming to Singapore! WOOHOOO!

Brendan agreed to go and watch with me and I just booked two tickets for Category 1! The best seats in the house!

There is a 1st row seat available but it's on the left block and my esteemed iPhone god want seats that is nearer to the middle so I chose the middle block, but 5th row from the front. :)

The tickets were $88 + $3 Sistic fee, so total is $91 per person. But I used my Mastercard and got 10% off, so after all the Sistic charges, it's around $82.20 per person! Still cheap! I told Brendan that the $5.80 savings per person can be used for his carpark fees. Wahahahhahaha! Maybe he will be nice enough to send me home? I'll ask nicely.. hahahaha! :D

Super happy! Can't wait for 13th August! Yay Yay Yay!

Ippudo @ Marina Gallery

Had lunch at Ippudo with Wany today.. She had a craving since last year to try the ramen at this restaurant as it was touted the "Best Ramen restaurant in Singapore" by many.

Well, I raised my eyebrows at that bold statement.. as there are many Ramen establishments in Singapore and most of them claim to have the BEST ramen in Singapore.

To many people who have not tasted the original Ramen in Japan, they won't know what is good ramen.. I am not pretentious. It's a fact. Just like eating a local Singapore dish in another country.. it may be good, but it'll never be as good as the original in the original country.

It's all about the ingredients. Even if they are all air-flown in from Japan, it won't be as fresh as eating in Japan.

There are many variations on Ramen.. from Hokkaido to Kyushu to Osaka.. each city has their own flavours. Miso, Shoyu, Pork Broth..

Anyways, I really wanna go to Yokohama's Ramen Musuem! I was staying in a hotel that is 10mins walking distance from it but didn't have the chance to visit cos I was working. :(

Chasyu Rice

Shoyu Ramen

Service was horrible. They rushed us to take our orders and kept hard-selling their stupid sparkling juices and pressured us to order more side dishes. WTF! There wasn't a queue outside as we went around 4pm so why are they in a hurry to chase us away? Moreover, I hate it whenever someone comes in the restaurant and they start yelling "Welcome" in Japanese, trying to out-shout each other to prove that they are welcoming but instead irritating the customers!!

Afterwards we went to Centrepoint for ice-cream at Haagen Daz cos I had a 30% discount coupon from 8days! :)

Shopped at Cold Storage and found out that there's two types of my favourite chocolate, Crunchie!

Made in Australia $1.95 VS Made in UK $2.25

We went to Taka cos Wany wanna go to Kino and on the way up I went to check the prices of the Thomas Sabo charms cos she said the prices went up... and it was true! Prices went up by 20% minimum!! I asked the salesgirl and she cited "Increased labour costs" as a reason and said that the prices went up on 14 July.

WHAT BULLSHIT! Bah. I only have 3 of the charms and planned to buy at least 4 more.. now the prices are so high, I am not sure if I am gonna buy them now.. it's so expensive!! From $119 to $134! From $98 to $113! All the nice ones are super expensive now!