September starts in exactly 48 minutes. I'm (not fully, but okayishly) prepared for a tough month coz:

1. My colleague's leaving for her wedding for the whole month so I've got to cover her.
2. Dad won't be in Singapore = much more housework
3. Navarathri - as excited as I am, lots of work involved in preparation and during the festival for 10 days.
4. Paatu thingy which is right now very dead. Need to practise for an hour daily or I will be an embarrassment to the world :-/
5. My company's planning to bring in lots of new projects this month, and my part of the work is the preliminary stuff which means omgsigh.

Right now, work's VERY slack coz they're finishing existing projects. Calm before the storm man. But as I have been reminded by everyone, September also has one day when I celebrate my existence with loved ones :) That should keep me going for the next 30 days. Bring it onnn!

Trying to look for the best view of sunset in Singapore.

Exploring rocks :D

If loving you with all my heart's a crime, then I'm guilty

horrible weekend.

hello world.

1. Participated in my first Sporting competition yesterday. I'm not counting the New Paper Big Walk which was a really slow leisurely 10km walk with lots of yakking. This one was the OSIM Triathlon, where my company decided to take part in the Mini Triathlon Relay. So it's the easiest of the lot, and I took up the 10km cycling bit. I'd tried out 10km a coupla weeks back at ECP and took 40min. But I found out yesterday that we had to complete in about 20min! So ya I turned out to be one of the last ones, which was highly embarrassing. Coz everyone said how easy it was. And I even felt really dizzy after that and had about 4 glasses of 100 Plus before being able to stand up again. But my colleagues said the most important thing was finishing it, not how fast. So I got my first Finisher's medal (much to teenu's shock :P) and it's proudly hanging on my doorknob now :) Got to get my stamina up somehow!

2. Life's alright, really busy but there are days which end on time because I escape the office before my boss gets back from whichever site he's at. It's pretty unreasonable sometimes. But I really like the work I'm doing. If only the environment wasn't so DAILY-overtime-but-no-extra-compensation-fied.

3. Europe blog has been updated! Budapest is now complete. Coming up next: Salzburg :)

4. Had a lovely time with the tam bram gal pals yesterday plus 1 :D I really miss you all! And I miss you too, tho there were much longer periods of time before. But I won't say my social life is completely kaput coz I try to meet people on lunch dates when I'm at central sites in the city area hehe. Still. Really cannot wait for the National Day holiday!

k goodnight! 5 more months and this year is over!!! gosh.

Got to watch Half-Blood Prince on the opening day coz the loosu got free tickets (thank you MOHH!) but we disliked it SOOO MUCH!! People who want to discuss and rip it apart, pls talk to me. I don't want to post spoilers here or whatever. sigh. And the romance OH GOD. AND THE CLIMAX WAS ???!!?! sigh.

Work's REALLY busy now! It has its moments. So forgive me for not updating. Not that there's much going on in my life heh.


Happy Birthday! ♥

hiii. After months of group rehearsals for our first ever music concert as a separate music academy, the performance is finally over! It was alright I guess. I'd felt goosebumps when we sang the songs during the rehearsals, but felt kinda well, bored :P, on stage coz from where I was, it didn't even sound like one united voice as it did in the practice sessions. But apparently it sounded good from the audience. Anyway, I'm writing all this coz.. during these 4-5 months, I was definitely whining to everyone about the erratic timings, waiting for ages for the class to start, using up my individual classes for group classes, etc. And this morning, I was all set to start off my usual classes again, now that the programme's over. But my teacher told me to call the rest of the group too. And all of us were like ??! what on earth man. We've spent SO much time on practice already, what now, the next programme for sept? Or some competition?? And all my teacher said was that she wanted to congratulate all of us, in person, as feedback from the audience said that our group rocked the show! That's so awesome to hear (and nothing new :P) but still, I finally put my feet in teacher's chappals and realised how much effort she's put into this - choosing songs, writing out the words and notations, calling everyone for classes and organizing everything. And how much she wanted it to be a success. And all I did was grumble about the fact that I was wasting all my weekends on just classes and rehearsals. Sigh. Majorly guilt-ridden now. And today also I snapped at everyone for no reason coz I thought dammit one more class gone, when all she wanted to do was personally talk to us about the show. Siiiiigh. Sorry, to all victims.

Anyway, another thing that happened was. Last week, I went to office and saw an email that "Yesterday was xxx's last day of service" and that he was terminated due to poor responsibility, etc. I was really shocked man. This guy joined on the same day as me, and we both had absolutely no experience in this line. So we learnt everything together and in a way he was the first friend I made in this job. And I'd just seen him that afternoon and asked what he was doing at the site. He was obviously completely clueless about the firing. And what a shock he must've got when he returned to office and was told to pack up. omg. So I just had to ask the HR person what happened and she told me he didn't fit in there. So that's it. One evening he goes back to office, and in the snap of a finger, jobless. SO awful :( And I went home super emo and spoke to my parents and appa said "welcome to the working world, my dear girl". That about sums it up.

I just got a letter from SDU. Nonsense. And they're such sneaky buggers. If you don't reply, they'll assume you're in! I was gonna dump this letter till I saw some ominous stuff typed in boldface. Beware you guys.

Since I am vetti, and vidhu tagged me:

1. What do you do if you are in the bathroom with a beetle flying around?
OMG. Worst nightmare. Depends on the size of beetle. If small, I'll spray water on it and hope it DIES. If large, I'll finish up asap and run out, locking it inside and getting someone to take care of it (i.e. KILL IT!)

2. What do you do if you hear a song you like playing on the radio when you are all alone in the room?
No brainer. Sing it super loudly and dance weirdly, coz that's just how I dance.

3. You want to speak to your crush badly. What is your line?
hiiii! So OMG I watched (insert movie name that he likes, here) yday and WOW it was so (insert appropriate adjective)!! Have you seen it yet!! (knowing that he has)
hehehe.

4. What do you do if all your friends hate a particular band that you love?
Ya I don't think anyone likes boybands so much anymore right :P too bad! It's not like I discuss music that much nowadays anyway..

5. What do you do when you trip and fall in front of many people?
Laugh like a crack.

6. You forgot to do your multiple-choice question homework and your class starts in 5 minutes. What do you do?
Copy! Tho actually this is N.A. now sigh.

7. You have bad breath and someone speaks to you. How do you react?
Pretend to scratch my nose/chin while talking to kinda cover my mouth.

8. You just finished gym and after a shower, you drop your underpants on the wet floor. What do you do?
Uh I think I just won't wear it :P

9. What do you do if a personality quiz says that you have a lousy personality as your result?
Who believes these anyway?!

10. Your friend gave you the worst gift you have ever received and asks: Do you like it? How do you react?
"Aww thanks for the gift! Really nice of you :)" which is fake, but what to do. Unless it's someone who knows that I don't like it and still got it, in which case I'll go "what were u thinking man?!"

11. (Continued from question 10) What are you really thinking secretly inside?
How can I use this thing?/Who in my family likes junk like this whom I could give it to?

12. A hot guy/girl keeps looking at you while you are on the bus. What are you secretly thinking inside?
Hot guy: YESSS he's totally checking me out! *furtive glances back to see if he's still looking*
Hot girl: yeah fine I'm not as stylo as her but hmph whatever, she looks dumb.

13. Your crush and you are eating dinner together, the food you've ordered came first, you do not want him or her to look at you eating while his or her food hasn't come. What will you do?
Wait till his food comes! Or share.

14. You are alone in your house and you realized that there is a burglar. What do you do?
Call the police and get some 'weapon' from whichever part of the house I am in, and stay within keeping-an-eye-on-him/her-distance.

15.What do you do when your best friend had just spoilt your favourite one and only camera with all the important photos you cherished inside?
I'll get REALLY REALLY upset.

17. What do you do if you break your friend's favourite vase but he or she didn't see it?
(hahaha vidhu, "Who the hell has a favourite vase?" is so right!) I'll tell him/her and offer to get a new one.

18.You were told to buy carrots by your mother, but you forgot it and went back home with garlic. How will you explain to your mother?
OMG this kinda stuff always happens! :P I'll get the necessary scolding, then run back to get the carrots. But then usually amma never trusts me with veggie shopping so we go together hehe.

19. What do you do when you see a cat chasing a mouse?
Walk/run the other direction. Unless they're really far away from me, in which case I'll watch to see if the cat caught the mouse coz I love watching sports.

20. You missed your favourite TV show and it was the season finale. What do you do?
Get teenu to download it for me :P

21. There is a crash (isn't this s'posed to be clash?) in your schedule, one is your friend's wedding, the other is your another friend's last day of funeral. What will you do?
This is awful. Go for the wedding, coz I'd have already given condolences. (tho I HOPE TO GOD THIS NEVER HAPPENS.)

End of vettiness! Time to watch Scrubs. byeee.

CONGRATS ahem Mrs Tan!! :D :D you gotta start getting used to the name ;) hearing the story from you in person made it all the more nicer and sweeter and exciting and romantic and aaah I'm so SO happy for you! :) :) :) can't wait to help with the planning with the other 2 hehehehe.

My close friend of over 7 years is now engaged! :D woooooo! Wonder who'll be next heh. ahem ahem estee lauder!

archana is speechless :)

in the best way possible.

I finally got this weekend off, other than art class tomorrow. So managed to do lots of stuff I haven't been able to, like clearing up my room (that's an ongoing process!) and slacking like mad. Best part was sleeping in on sat morning after a looong time. So I turned on the AC on fri and closed the doors and streamed a chickflick to watch. New In Town. Some lame Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr movie. Totally fit the chickflick category tho I didn't rly feel my usual mushiness after it. Instead I felt myself majorly reminiscing about Canada. Coz this movie was taken in Minnesota (but I think filmed in parts of Canada) during the winter, and Renee Z was wearing the SAME jacket that I did when I was there! Except for the colour. And all the scenes were just soo familiar! Snow looks pretty much the same everywhere in N. America I think heh. Aaah must meet up with the gang soon to talk about how life was! And maybe I'll call my old landlord and see if he remembers me hehe.

Anyway here's my photoblog from back then: http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com
I'm quite proud of it :P

And some of the more wintry shots!
1. http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com/2007/01/fireplace-hailin-me.html
2. http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com/2007/01/coldest-part-of-falls.html
3. http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com/2007/02/hailin-margaret-artemis-and-me-just.html
4. http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com/2007/02/at-chicopee-ski-resort.html
5. http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com/2007/02/on-street-where-i-live.html
6. http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com/2007/03/making-snowman-with-yanjun_02.html
7. http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com/2007/03/yj-and-i-at-toboggan-slopes.html
8. http://welcometowinterinwaterloo.blogspot.com/2007/03/donald-taught-us-ice-hockey-its-not-as.html

That's just a tiny percentage of the total number of pics :P But I just read thru the whole 3-4 mths of posts. I miss the Canadian experience! Can't wait to go back there in the future :)

One of the rare songs where I actually listened to the lyrics more than the music! I find most of it really true.

Affirmation.

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument
I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands
I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you
I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do

I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem
I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality
I believe that trust is more important than monogamy
I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
I believe that family is worth more than money or gold

I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair
I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe forgiveness is the key to your own happiness
I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed
I believe that God does not endorse tv evangelists
I believe in love surviving death into eternity

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye(Repeat 2)