my quaint world

This is something I wanted to post for so damn long time ago... and now, I say I tell myself I must. Otherwise, you know, occassionally the feeling of 'shit, i remember it now' and I am at the wrong moments and keep telling myself, 'remember ok, remember ok'.

Anyway, I thought this idea was fabulous, original and funny. Its environmental friendly too.



You can even turn the tub around, pop it on the roof of the car and go for a holiday :) Or camping.

Take a nice warm bath any where in the world, as long as there's water and wood.

Though, I guess its too hot for use in Asia now but who knows in the future.

The world's changing.

Last week, we went to a concept restaurant for our teambuilding event. I thought it was such a refreshing idea, interesting and fun!

In addition to that, we had a cute young Thai chef and free-flow of wine. And of course, I would never say no to Asian cuisine.


Then we all got started, each picking up some task to do. I self appointed myself as the photographer of the day :)


You see, everyone was taking their task of cutting seriously.


Well, someone had to do the 'yucky' jobs.


When the cooking was almost done, they seated us and served us as if we were in a restaurant. The food was sooo delicious that I forgot to take any pictures of them.

You can check out the restaurant - Mmmmh!

Oh yea, my new car arrived 2 weeks ago and he is a real beauty!


Manual gears :( but it has a sixth gear though. Never tried it out yet (I am a very slow driver)

And yes, it was a nice day - look at the little picturesque reflection!


Beige leather interior.


And a built-in bluetooth hands free kit. Very cool! Detects my phone automatically. When a call comes in, it stops the music and I listen to phone calls via the speakers of my car. Even display my name everytime it detects my phone.


Hehe, maybe I am being very 'suaku' but hey, its my first car!

I had one of the most lovely day ever.

I woke up early and was greeted by some very modern looking flowers.


Then I was seated at the dining for a nice breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice.


At noon, I went to the Kaikan to be officially bestowed as a SGI Belgium member. It was so very significant!


And my YWD leader gave me a cookie with a candle - to sing and make a wish. So sweet.


Then, Mr D swept me off to a mysterious place. In fact, it was planned for a rest and relax afternoon at the Dilbeek Therma - a sauna complex with jacuzzi, turkish bath, heated pool, sauna, verry hot sauna and sun seats. I was booked in for a suprise massage to start with.

Then lazed around the complex thereafter. In and out of sauna, pool, drinks at fireplace, feet dippin, sun bathing. But the best part was the super hot sauna and then the quick dip into ice cold water. It is a must try. Feels really really good.

Weird part of the place is that everyone has to be naked but nothing to fancy to see there. Mostly old people though. LOL.

Nevertheless, it was an experience to be entire day in my birthday suit on the very day.

In the evening, I was swept away to Suprise No 2 - cosy dinner at an old restaurant serving to-die-for lobster dish. Man, that was really good! Its a restaurant Mr D has been to since he was 4 for every special occassion with family.

Then we cosy up the rest of the night in front of the telly with me in my pink pj.


Mmm, I am lucky girl he. Happy Birthday to me :)

Ps : Sorry for those whose calls I missed. And thank you so much for remembering.

Guess, what I got me for ma birthday?

A very cool nepresso machine - Krups and the entire collection of coffee variety.



So, please drop by for coffee ok ;)

Ah, today I went to lunch with my colleagues outside of the office.

Very quaint cafe - Le Beau Soleil. I like it.

The owner who owns the cafe, make the sandwich, bring the drinks and give you the bill is a violin maker. Really! Home-handmade violins.

Err, all violins are handmade ah?

Anyway, I find this little cafe very very interesting. Full of character. Very quaint. My kind of world.

Half of the cafe is a violin workshop. So you sit by the work bench with the tools and half-made violins. The place is decorated with yellow painted walls, huge picture of sun on the ceiling. And many many old pictures of people with violins completed the wall. And a very huge toasted panini with ham and goat cheese completed my lunch :)

Atmosphere is very homey. Feel like I've been invited by my violin maker fren to his home.

The violin maker himself looks quaint too - twinkle in his eyes, warm smile, curly brown locks and a pair of 'beatles' glasses. And my colleague told me he has one-of-the-kind of humor (they were speaking french, I am still deaf to it).

This will be my new hiddin corner. Whenever.

Try the test! Its funny.

I failed miserably though. I know I know, I am asian but but but...

I can tell from the accents though :)

AllLookSame?

I think living in Singapore for the past 10 years had turned me into quite a city girl. Or was I always one? :)

My little garden was in a mess, so I started picking out the weeds. With rubber gloves. *blush*

I can't help. In my imagination, there are bugs, worms, leeches, spiders all ready to jump on me!

But I only got stung by the "stingin nettle". And its a plant. *grin*

Anyway, here are my growing "xmas" trees (not sure what are they really called). I wanna grow some lavenders between them next summer.

Mmm, a new hobby?

Stayed at home last Sunday. Cleaning, washing, ironing.



Started off with a nice european breakfast. Refreshing he - Serrano Ham with Melon :)



Finally hung up ma painting. Still can't figured yet the feeling it emits but there is just a connection between us. Anyhow, I don't have a name for it yet.

But it put colors to ma life.

Dunno what got into me last Thursday. Is it the beginning of ghost festival? :)

It was suppose to be a short team drink - 1.5 glass of champagne + 4 glasses of wine (I think).

Puked. Multiple times.

Drunk but still smiling :)

Crashed!

Ok, its funny. No more laughing please ;)

My god-daughter... oooh how adorable!!!

Doncha think the smile just bring sunshine to ma gloomy day!

Finally figured how to upload a pic of meself onto blogspot.

Wanted to put up an artistic and yet mysterious and yet beautiful picture of myself.

But after 30 mins of looking thru the thousands of pictures in my harddisk, I give up - there is nothing like how I imagine I'd like to look like.

Anyway, here it goes - enjoy those quirky chinese eyes.

Someone broke the window of the car and stole the GPS :(

What a luck!

So now I've officially adopted the role of a "live" GPS and I am proud to say that I am pretty good at it. Didnt yet lose our way :)

Anyway, Mr D say he now has a funny froggy croaking GPS who goes like this :

"Break break break"
"Stop stop stop"
"Slow down"
"Be careful"

It keeps repeating and occasionally with some hard pinches.

** Grinning

Cure for a bad day :

3 Lychee Martini @ Harry's Crazy Hour
Return Ride @ MX5
Dinner @ Crystal Jade
Phonecall @ Ma mobile
Books @ Borders
A good long HOT shower ;)

Yup, I went home especially to watch The Homecoming. Because my best bud, Ian was starring in it ;)

Firstly, Sentul West is absolutely beautiful. Especially in the nights, the ambience was great - silhouette of trees whishing in the night breeze across the walls of old buildings.

And the play was very good! I would say it suprised me a lot and made me very proud of our very own talents in my home country! Way to go, guys!

And of course, Pinter's work worked well into my mind. My mind didn't stop postmortem-ing the play, well up to now. Its just so intriguing and I kept on wondering of the past and the future of each the characters.

Nevertheless, the cast did a good job, lotsa efforts put in and I was glued (100% span of attention) to the entire show, trying to absorb every little words, actions, gesture and even the twitching of the mouths.

Afterthat, we went for quick dinner... See, we started on the beers even before the play!



And chilled out at La Bodega.









Joey, The Boxer @ The Homecoming




Mun, the story teller. I was concentrating more on fishing out the apple strips from the white Sangria, so couldn't remember the story hehehe...



Listening very attentively!



An outburst! I guess, it should be funny :S



Moi girls!



Oh, this I remembered cuz it was a very cold lame trick :)- Can money fly?



Then ring ring and she picks up. Rather irrelevant at all! I guess, the drinks worked us all up for a good laugh!

Except Daniel, who looked really puzzled!



Ah, sweeties!



All in all for the night!




Also, visited Alvin and had an adhoc kueh-mueh party (didn't stop eating entire weekend!). Kimmie is such a lovable bouncy furball!



Oh yea, am sure gonna miss this view from me work desk!

Guess what! Soon I'll start new series of adventures in a land where wine flows down the stream and chocolates grows on the trees ;)

I certainly look forward to it!

And will keep sharing the little funny and not-so-funny stories and adventures that my path crosses and my eyes catches and that my mind registers (being the forgetful me, I know you will all forgive me as when needed) Ok!

For now, nothing much to report because it is ALL boring forms to fill, getting a doctor to inpect me upsidedown, insideout - to make sure no teeny weeny fellas that will take a ride with me to the new land and papers and forms and more papers :S



In fact, I will soon go living is where this lil fella stands pissin - Manneken Pis!

He even has his own website ;)

The most famous belgian boy! Muahaahhahah

Was indeed a great Saturday. I met up with Mei at The Balcony (cool place to chill out!) for lunch. We barely ate! Kept talking non-stop for almost 4 hours. Then I had to go for a short appointment at 4.30pm. Met up with Mei again and went to this sake place in Mohamed Sultan. Again, more words that came pouring out than food that we take in.

BUT we drank 3 bottles of sake ;) and 2 beers before calling it a night.

It was rrreally great! Great catching up. I missed talking to her in fact. We were best of friends when we were 13 or 14 years old. Used to sit at the back of the classroom, hid our faces and chat. And continue chatting on the phone when we are back home. Usually stuffs - dreams, boys, family, books, love, romance, boys, boys, boys etc etc. Hahaha!



We have known each other for about 18 years now. Phew! I am so proud of her. She's grown to be such a fine lady. Full of confidence, joy, love and being just herself!

Later on, H and a colleague popped by. Took me off to MOS for 1 hour of dancing in Pure Room. Imagine, limpy chinese girl in bohemian skirt and birkenstoks. A sight to be missed! Hhehehe but who cares as long as we are having fun!

"Dreadful Sunday"

First, we woke up very late! Had lunch only at 3pm :( Then I think the gastric striked me. Was feeling really woozy and yet they insisted that I have to see the Chinese sensei for my knee (post-ski! hehehe...)

So in the midst of pain and wooziness, we went around looking for a Chinese sensei! Found one somewhere at Middle Road.

Then, there was all these punching, pushing, pressing, twisting and sucking (using some small cups) from a very strong armed Chinese doctor (daytime horror!) and lotsa laughing and squeeling from Yeni and me bro (they tried to stifle their laughters but still find ME too amusing!). And poor me - screaming, wriggling and trying to get away. Sob sob.

But then, I had the best sleep ever for 3 whole hours. I guess, the "tui na" really works he!



Marks from the suction of the cups.





Some chinese medicine for me to slab onto my knee.


Funny doctor he was! When we arrived, he said "Welcome, welcome. People come here to buy pain!" and twisted that with a big HAHAHA at the end.

** She was indeed petrified that sunday!

You know what! I've just found out something very suprising last Friday night while dancing intoxicatingly in the dark @ MOS!

That's a cool place he!

Last week, I've received a mail from the Red Cross thanking me for my generous donation of $2700. It was address to me in my fullname. I went around asking, thinking that my company might have been so generous to make such amount of donation and mistakenly on my name. Tried to call to Red Cross too. I was really puzzled.

Then in MOS on Friday late night, after doses of drinks, Mr S start asking me why I hadn't thank him for the birthday present he got me. Oooh, thank you for the champagne you've bought me in Velvet but I didn't get to pop it!!! I said.

Then he say no no no, its a very expensive gift. I was really puzzled.

Then he asked me about receiving any mail from Red Cross... then the puzzle fell into place and it made sense after all.

$2700 signifies my age!

What a brilliant gift! Its indeed the most unusual, most expensive and most "valueable" gift I've ever received...

Isn't it great!!!

Heyo, just received a FranklinCovey organiser for 2006 from Moon. Its lime green in color. Just my favourite color!

Its said in the planner guide that it'll help me achieve ma goals! :)

Anyway, I've always love something to write on and this is just cool. I have a PDA too but still never get used to digital scribbling.

Ah, I found a nice quote in the planner guide :

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." - Anatole France

To start off, it says - There are four steps to focusing your time on what you value most and what you want to accomplish in life :

1. Identify values
2. Set goals
3. Plan weekly
4. Plan daily

Another quote :

"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - Willin Jennings Bryan

** She's reading now and amazes at the comprehensiveness of the planner. It even covers one's physical, social/emotional, mental and spiritual needs!

I don't if this tool will work but it does indeed help to troubleshoot me.

"Your governing values are the foundation of personal fulfillment" - Hyrum W. Smith

So now, I am going thru it step by step! :-)

That's all for now folks. Its troubleshooting time :) Or perhaps self-discovery moments...

Drink on for the new year!

I got an iPod from Yen. Isn't that great? I am exhilarated! Its such a suprise and its such a great pressie! My my my!

I love it. Its sleek. Its black. Multi-function.

iPod Video!!!

Yipppeee... happy birthday to me!