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Monday, July 09, 2007



tis is soooooooooooo touching... kinda resonate with how im feeling =x

<3 w0nd3r 12:42 PM

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

woohoo!!!!!!!

im officially starting on internship in a lab at S2 building in school
and i got $$$ to sustain me through my holidays!!! =x
oops... more like to fill in e hole which i created cos of my trips....
*really very grateful for tis opportunity*

first day was a bit late, so had to find my way to tis SR4 which i took some time to figure out its location *so embarassing*

and started on our research... which i find it to b pretty tiring,
cos hav to stare at e com e whole day

*cont

<3 w0nd3r 11:25 PM

Monday, June 18, 2007

had a nice long day of 'slacking' in school... try to do some readings etc

but dunno how effective tt is


anyways, i meet up with cheuk fung and his gf for language buffet meeting :D

was pretty fun to jus discuss ablout the japanese blog over nice food at coffee club raffles place

i had tis muddy mud pie (but it seems smaller than e one i had in holland village)

im suppose to come out with a blog post on japanese origami. gambatte!!!


and did i mention, me and cf's girlfriend VS him for chess

and goodness did we realise tt we are so so so slow, and we play till e cafe closes =x

i din touch chess for soo long can...


fun and pretty nua day

p.s. i got my pretty pretty star 'lantern' thing, take a pic nxt time


<3 w0nd3r 11:12 PM

Saturday, June 16, 2007

well, its kinda cool to b out of the house at tt kinda odd hour (2.30am) :p
but it feels v v v odd la....
meet gun kiat at the bus stop, cos he driving me n li yuan there
THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH!!! :D

to get a full picture of the whole trip, visit kok sheng's blog God's Wonderful Creation
and gun kiat's blog gunz reflections

6 of us turn up... me, gerald, gun kiat, kaihrul, kok sheng, li yuan.
thanks Ria for making this trip possible!!!

we took tis bumboat to Pulau Sekudu, aka frog island
reach at 0400 *normally i would be in la la land le..*
its almost pitch black there, and we had to squint/screen thorugh e darkness with our torch to see the organisms living there

and my torch is like dim can... cant see much with it, except to see e way so i wun fall
all description from top-left... clockwise

carpet anemone: tis is only one tt i took a pic of... got some in purple somemore. there are tons of it there!!! gerald dun particularly like it cos it is slimy, and its so tiring to avoid stepping on them-- cos there is so many
sea anemone: the normal one with those tentacles *kinda orangey-fluorescence-coloured*. saw quite a few...
sea hare: tts my first time seeing this *grinz*... well, its super slimy and gooey, similar to a slug. its green in colour, so easily missed it if not observant =x
sea urchin: the pokey pokey thing actually move and is kinda flexible... but if u lightly disturb it, it will turn all hard n stiff. theres A LOT of these around too!! be careful dun touch it with your hand, cos e 'sting' can b pretty unbearable
sea star: its so cool to see a living one (instead of those in RMBR)!!! haha... kaihrul lift it up and place it on my palm... and tt thing started to MOVE. I was so so so shocked, cos i dun quite like e feel of it--v ticklish and prickly :p
a shellfish: not a v clear pic...
crab: tink is called flower crab... theres a lot of crab scrambling around tt place
shellfish: dunno its name... i tink u can find this in restaurant. but, this is pretty huge, size of an ipod-mini...

crab:another crab...
goby fish: tis fish is very well camouflaged with e sand! its pretty cute... cos if u disturb it, it will pretend to b like a rock and dun move... if u disturb it longer, it will feel irritated and swim away quickly :p
bristle star: so nice to see a live bristle star!!! its arms is very flexible and long, it can use it to move around easily :D
crab: yet another crab....

a hermit crab: it was initially semi-out of e shell,but when i turn it over, it went back in le...
sea anemone: another version of those in front
crab: tis crab was found snugly hidden in tis nicely made burrow which seems to b a mound of sand from afar... pro!!
crab: tis crab is super fierce... the red colouration on its shell actually means "Beware"
well.... I had a great and enjoyable trip!!! but was so so so super tired and beat at e end of it... end up sleeping at home for e whole day =x

<3 w0nd3r 11:14 AM

Friday, June 15, 2007

heh heh...

do work in school *did i actually do anything?!*
then meet dias at 5.30pm in king albert park mac to pass him e compilation of photos...
i was late *as usual*... but occasionally, i tried to be early, but apparently failed :(
(when was e last time i was early???)
well, anyway, waited for selena and edwin to reach... then we walk (a very long distance) over to this cool peranakan restaurant located somewhere along bt timah road :D
end up having dinner there with them-> $6.50 for a great filling meal *Mmmm.....*
they proceed to trek bt timah hill... supposedly to find this bat cave at this ulu area, hav to go thru muddy fields n travel in e dark. hahaha....
such a pity i can't join them cos

Im meeting wei bin and emay for pool (and when was e last time we had pool together???)
oh btw, i was late again as well. zzz....
haha.... it is obvious tt my pool skills de-prove really really badly, cant even shoot a straight ball in :( emay almost cannot tahan my lousiness =x and e funny thing is, wei bin kept shooting e balls out of the table *like say 3 times...*
heez... e game was very fun!! though each game took super long

played till 10.30pm or so, then we walk over to our all-time-favourite Al Azmin for dinner... poor emay had tolerated hunger for the whole day. they ordered many yummy dishes which i cant rmb clearly wad... but i had a slice of roti john!! :D but it wasnt as *Mmmm.... as the one at simpang bedok :p and definitely hav a cup of milo dinosaur....

went home at bout 12mn feeling kinda tired le... but i din sleep cos
- i had to prepare myself for the P. sekudu trip tml
- i scared i cant wake up/ be late

<3 w0nd3r 10:59 PM




nice song eh?! :D

<3 w0nd3r 12:48 PM

Sunday, June 10, 2007

wowweeee!!!!!! secondary school (4/1) outing today...
its so rare tt all of us could meet up, and there is a whooping 15 ppl who turn up!! :D
but the bad thing is... all of them are late *only me, pei ma and tham reach at e stipulated 6pm*... oh, exclude those who went to buy food

all of them are still pretty much like how they were in sec days...
and i also jus found out that most ppl are going to NTU :( how not nice.
great updates on e life of everyone :D

well anyways, we had great food!! and as usual... lots of leftovers too
had interesting dish like: black pepper oyster mushroom, bacon, chicken burger (nicely bbqed) and even chocolate fondue after everything

sim and kelvin are the "VIP" cos they turn up only at bout 9.30pm. gosh!!

the day ended with all of them going out after e bbq... me, sim, sebaz went home
i hav no choice, cos of my UROPS meet supervisor tml... *nervous*

<3 w0nd3r 11:02 PM

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

its been so so so so so long since i last ice skate....
i tink it was in yr 1 sem 1 or sth like tt

and to don on e ice skate again and to glide on e ice--> isn't easy indeed =x

today was fun ice skating with Zi Jie + Zj's lab fren + Meilan + ML's colleague
heez.... jus that i was e slowest and most un-natural
*xcept for Zj's fren who came for e first time... tink he skate better than me somemore =x
but i enjoy going round and round in e rink nonetheless

i learnt that wed = students' promotion = skate all you can... nxt time ice skating again on wed k :D

tis guy knocked me, and i literally flew some distance and land on my right bum :( was pretty scary cos he catched me unaware, and the impact was pretty great as he was travelling v v v fast.... surprisingly only fell once :p

another outing for roller blading?!?! nah... i dun tink i can
prefer cycling though

<3 w0nd3r 11:50 PM

Friday, June 01, 2007

im feeling a random mix of feelings.... dun quite like it =x

so sian, dun feel like doing anything today...

wanna slp.
to wake.
~hope its only a nightmare.

haha...

<3 w0nd3r 12:21 PM

Thursday, May 31, 2007

woke up feeling tired

well, had to rush to jec to meet ee mei n peiling cos i 赖床, jus refuse to get out of bed
had a wonderful K-LUNCH!! really enjoy myself lots :D
* i hope to sing 山湖海 well nxt time... tdy was uber 难听 =x*
thanks dearies...
emay cldn't join us though she wanted to, cos of the late night clubbing e previous night, n she cui already :p

anyways, she still came and join us to go vivocity!
went to renew my islander pass for $15 :D was so last min- pass expire tdy
*any day later i wld hav to pay $19.50 for new mambership*
haha... and whilst waiting for our pass, we roam ard and had BEN & JERRY ice cream!!
haha... we get tis set for $19.50, with:
6 diff-flavoured scoops of ice cream
(strawberry cheesecake, choco mint, creamy cookies n creme *my fav*, new york chocolate, chocolate fudege, mango and lime sorbet *most awful tasting*) haha...
1 banana
1 brownie
2 toppings
(hot fudge, coloured sprinkle)
1 bowl-like biscuit
it was so so so so nice!!! :D im a happy girl

haha... went to morphosis and got tis pretty top for $9.75 *cos got 50% off*
which i really really like :D
so much so for my 'NO-SHOPPING' pledge =x

after collecting our islander card, me and emay decide to go to sentosa to catch e new musical fountain " Songs of the Sea"
haha.... so so so impromptu
but when we reach there, e tics are sold out le- full house for both 7.30pm and 8.30pm show
*bleah.... but its kinda expected for a public holiday*
so we took tis tanjung beach tram to tour ard e place
nua ard sentosa a bit, and catch a prelude of e musical fountain * I WILL BE BACK!!*
haha... love the nua-ing feel
poor emay had to missed her tuition, n get scolded by e agency cos she carelessly sms n call e wrong person

nonetheless, tdy was enjoyable :D

had a 'final showdown' at night
everything is officially OVER!

<3 w0nd3r 11:36 PM

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

been slacking at home tis few days...

watched Pirates of the Carribean at The Cathay today...
first time going there for a show, but hav yet to roam ard tt place
and i was NEARLY late for the show *phew*

haha... this show wasn't as good as i expected.
not much of a story line, and the plot makes me lost... cos i realise some portion are linked to Pirates of the Carribean 2 *and ive long forgotten e story le*

well... tdy was a significant day for me 'nuf said

<3 w0nd3r 11:00 PM


haha... watched SAW 1, SAW 2 and SAW 3 with my brothers at home
*i bought these DVDs from vietnam*
we love it lots *pengz*... now got 3 psychotic sadistic ppl at home :p
the shows are actually pretty nice, given tt there is a good storyline with a nice plot. i particularly love the idea behind each gruesome setup- "wad wld you do to save your life? how far do you cherish your life?" haha....

im so 感动 everytime my bro make me noodles :p was so full le, but still hav to finish it cos its his 心意 :D heez...

<3 w0nd3r 5:35 PM


Day 1 (Thu, 17 May)
meeting the rest of group at Terminal 3 of changi airport (budget terminal)
so mafan... still have to take shuttle bus from Terminal 2
was actually bit late... only realise i was late when i saw CJ at the bus stop =x

we check in luggage, and mine was the SMALLEST and LIGHTEST *4.8kg*
n my backpack was a schoolbag, not those backpacking kind de... so bad for e back

taking Tiger Airway (TR308)... the exciting part is tt we hav to board the plane the old primitive way by climbing a staircase from the road area into e plane.
plane depart from s'pore at 4.15pm, and reach Hanoi Noibai Airport at 8.10pm
journey was short... basically end up chatting with edwin n dias, din read a single bit of the straits time that i bought =x
an interesting point about Tiger Airway is.... they insist tt u hav to seat at your seat when e seatbelt sign is on. n e sign was on for so long!! poor dias n edwin cant go toilet

they were so inefficient- no immigration card. all of us end up having to stand ard to fill in our immigration card at the departure hall

we checked in Hanoi Blue Sky Hotel in the old quarters of Hanoi... this place is quite nice given tt it only costs USD$5 per night (if i not wrong)... However, if you wan air-conditioner, need to pay additional USD$6. so -_-"
for my room 301, e knob at e toilet door is missing, and the water temperature is super hard to adjust- sometimes super hot, sometimes super cold. n worse is- the television plug is frailed, so my roommate (selena) accidentally touch in whilst plugging in e fan n get a huge electrocuting shock... so scary la!!

after settling down, we went for dinner somewhere near our hotel. and all of us randomly ordered fried rice *pengs* and all looks e same, but diff version-> chicken, seafood, mix... end up staring hungrily at chee wei's pho (a kind of kway teow). i was so tired of the fried rice, and felt comforted jus eating a bowl of plain rice.
we went for late night shopping at the old quarters... shd hav gotten e beaded handbag which i like- din manage to go back there again *sobz*

went online before going to slp. e internet connection is so so so so awfully slow n laggy... gave up on it!

Day 2 (Fri, 17 May)
woke up at 6.50am (vietnam time)
thanks selena for waking me up *everyone knows im hard to wake up de* n i got up to 7.30pm to prepare :P
went for a sumptous breakfast at this well known restaurant- Croissant. had a heavy meal of hot chocolate, bread, egg with toast (filled with ham n cheese)... spent 49000Dong (S$4.90).... so full tt i cld hav skipped lunch le

went with all our backpacks and barang barang to visit the places of interest- Ho Chin Minh Masoleum- *saw the guard changing ceremony*, Presidential Palace, One Pillar Pagoda... all this place are closed!!!! so suay *note not to visit on Friday!!*
However, temple of literature was opened, saw statues of Mencius n..... *cant recall* anyway, their temples are so chinese-like. they had this stone turtle carrying plagues in the temple- believed tt rubbing the turtles' head can improve intelligence......
the sun was really awfully scorching... we are in jeans somemore *attire for the masoleum*... so end up fully drenched in sweat =x smelly n tired

was still full when they stop by for lunch, so only had beef noodles soup. learnt tt sua tuoi= milk and la vie = mineral water :p

we went to this National Fine Arts Museum.... its a typical museum of paintings, pottery *realise tt all are very chinese-influenced*- im quite inspired by e intrinsic details of the art pieces.
end up walking ard aimlessly after tt...
n then settled in another high class restaurant- KOTO Restaurant. had dinner here. n i tried my first piece of Rabbit meat. its unbelievably tender, n had a diff taste to it. I had their local pho with beef (had to dip e pho into this soup base thing), and also a super sweet chocolate mud cake *which was eaten in a rush- cos the waitress din understand our orders*

we had to rush for out train cos they served e meals super slowly, and settling the bill took longer than expected.
so suay tt it rained heavily... n my poncho was torned... n we had to rush for a train

after entering, had a hard time looking for our train- platform 6, SP1
had to cross e tracks which was so dark, wet and uneven...
we had the 6 beds per cabin bunk... n it was super cramped *especially e highest bed- which i was sleeping in* franchie slept in e other top-most bed. both of us bumped our head super hard at the ceiling of the train a few times-> had to change on e narrow bed whilst lying down =x
train ride is pretty bumpy, e blanket is smelly *but im dirty n smelly cos i din bathe*, but i slept well! :D

Day 3 (Sat, 18 May)
arrive at our train station *lao cai* in e morning at 6.30am.... and was abruptly woken up by e conductor knocking on our cabin door- and we had to rush to pack up our stuff n alight from the train shortly after...
was in such a disarray, hair messy, haven brush teeth, barang barang all over e place =x
urgently had to go toilet, so can only make do with this dirty-smelly toilet at e train station. 2/3 of the toilets do not hav door... n e flush is kns

we took a super long bus ride to sapa... to Cat Cat Hotel
sapa is some distance up into e mountain, cold weather, nice peaceful view- can see e clouds beside you :P
my room in Cat Cat hotel is super duper pretty and comfortable- esp with e comfy bed w thick quilt blanket and a lovely fireplace n huge toilet *love it lots!!*
one drawback is tt we need to climb tis long flight of stairs to reach our room :(
but heard tt they gonna built a lift soon...

once i step out of the hotel, some h'mong villagers rush up to us to sell their things; bangles, pencil case, hand-knit bags, whistle.... kinda freaked out by them cos they were so so so persistent and pushy, and they followed us all around wherever we go. repeating e usual phrase "buy from me! buy from me!"

i roam ard the village place with half e group (cos e other group walk too fast le)
we walk ard v long, but still dunno wad to hav for lunch... end up sitting at tis roadside stall- sitting on tis ultra short stool under a huge umbrella. we had barbequeued tapioca and bamboo wrapped rice. we ordered a semi-hatched egg which look kinda gross n nobody wanna eat it =x

we went back to hotel for lunch. after tt, dias rented 2 jeep to bring us to visit the waterfall (trac bac)
unfortunately, i sit in e lao-pok (old) one... at first, i sat at e front seat (squeeze in 1 seat with jacelyn) good view of the way, but was pretty scary when one point in time i saw our jeep tilting to such a horrible angle *almost toppling over*. At another point in time, there was a traffic jam cos of a huge patch of muddy ground. all other vehicles couldnt get over tt, but our jeep manage to with ease and overtake tis big bus in front :p then i sat at e back wheel there which is super jerky n bumpy *butt pain* and i felt like flying off everytime e jeep get over a rock =x

e jeep driver drove us to tis ulu place *dunno to look out for wad* it was so so so cold n foggy tt we cant see anything ard. well anyways, everyone had a short toilet break out in e open :D
then he drove us to e waterfall... which was damn spectacular- definitely better than tt in s'pore botanic garden =x e water was too cold for us to jump in for a swim. so i jus soak my feet in for a moment only. we get a tour of the waterfall... and on our way down, we encounter a landslide which block our way down... thanks to e hero!! who help us get over it :D

me n edwin had 2 sticks of grilled meat (beef/pork) *very yummy* and tried their vietnamese tea *which tasted sweet*

we went back on e jeep as well, wash up a bit... n visited this high class restaurant for dinner.
i spent e least cost i ordered this Fried Pho... n its one of the yummiest dish there *though a bit oily*!!
e majority of them went back to hotel, but me n some of them went to look for a pub- on our way, we chance upon some performance, and a really busy roadside... it was super duper misty and cold there. we cant find the pub tt someone introduced us to =x so we go to red dragon pub *near e restaurant we had dinner*

i tried my first sip of:
-Bailey (taste chocolatey),
-sweet Martini (which in fact tasted bitter)
-dry Martini (tasted worse)
-Americano (e most awful tasting mix)
-Vietnam mix (best tasting- cos got tis tinge of sweetness n less concentrated)
we end up playing 猜拳... n e forfeit-> drink funny concoction of mixing diff drinks *eww.....*
E best thing is, i get 'immunity' cos im younger than 21yrs old :P... n i get to drink sprite instead.

Day 4 (Sun, 19 May)
woke up at 7.30am and i get to slack in bed :D realise tt e sun came out really early in vietnam, n their day started pretty early de
had papaya milkshake for breakfast cos im trying to clear my bowel =x haha...

took a bus to this Bac Ha market (which is crowded n active only on Sunday morning)... the bus ride lasted for 3 hrs n we travelled like 120km... here, we get to see another tribe which wear slightly diff attire from the h'mong we see in sapa. shopping was pretty fun cos we really get to put our bargain skills to e test :p n barganing 1000dong (S$0.10) was pretty fun too =x i bought a lot of fishes as souvenir!! we also bought some lychees in e market cos we wanna take photos with them in their costumes... had fried pho for lunch, tried their spring roll too *yummy but v oily*

on our way back to hotel, we visit tis palace place... which is under renovation. nonetheless, we manage to took some funny pics here, n i get to 'carry' e concrete mud this construction workers are carrying =x

the bus driver then bring us to visit e vietnam-china border... surprisingly, vietnam n 云南 is actually very very close to each other, jus barely separated by tis river (which is of swimmable distance)... some of us even suggested going across border jus to get a stamp on e passport to show tt we've been to china :p *such a pity tt we only hav 15mins free time*

some of us had dinner at hotel--> hot pot. e rest of them went out to eat. spent 40,000 dong for a heavy, healthy n delicious meal :D e guy was so so so sweet to help us to cos we super lousy at it =x haha.... meanwhile, we get to chat with some of the foreigners who are having their meals there as well... about politics n facts about australia n canada

tt guy later brought us out for supper, after dias n e rest came back :D we went to their typical 'kopitiam' where most of the locals usually hang out. it was late le, so all of us were on our guard, n strongly refused to drink too much of e h'mong apple wine tt they offered us. it tasted a little sweet, but is super strong. we also learnt tt bottoms up = zook = 干杯... food they served were simple yet nice: cucumber slice with crushed dried chilli, freshly plucked peppermint leaf, fried chicken legs... its definitely and enjoyable supper with e guy being e centre of attraction, and his popular phrase "so funny... hahahha"

Day 5 (Mon, 20 May)
woke up early, feeling refreshed and very very excited about the trek/ mountain climbing tts gonna last 3 Days 2 Nights...
had a super marvelous banana pancake *love it lots* with banana milkshake, a meal rich in carbohydrate to fuel e climb :p
they arranged for 2 guides mee and chei and a group of porters.... we collect our lunch pack (2 bananas, 2 bread, 1 apple, 2 hard-boiled eggs) and were ready to go!! most of the ppl did not bring much barang barang, cos they deposited their clothes in the guy's- chee wei and dias- bag. i should hav done tt, given tt my bag wasnt tt optimal for heavy load... took a bus to mid-mountain *1600m*, where our trek COMMENCE!!

weather condition: high wind, rainy, cold
we started off at 8am with me snugly and tightly wrapped in shawl and thick jacket with jeans, + poncho over myself. started stripping off after trekking a bit, cos it suddenly gets super warm (with e trees blocking out the strong cold wind) im so so so lousy, cos i started panting near e starting point, partly cos of poor stamina- no training somemore =x

was so greatful for the break near e starting point in a clearing... had a super duper yummy lunch *mayb cos i was hungry*... of only bread with sliced tomato, cucumber and cheese fillings. we go pee behind some trees, and were ready to continue!!!

the trek was much much tougher and longer than i tot *even experienced trekkers find it kinda tough le, what more for a first-timer beginner like me*.... lots of upslopes and downslopes (of bout 70 degree inclined).... many a times, i have to get down low on my hands, end up getting lots of scratches and cuts and bruises. had rocky terrain which is hard to walk on cos e rocks will dislodge, had muddy terrain where ur feet will sink in and shoe get stuck, or u will slide and fall, or jus get your pants wet.

halfway through the trek, the sole of my left New Balance shoe came off :( i had to end up walking with tt cloth like bottom of the shoe *which render zero friction- and zero shock absorbance when land on sharp rocks* the bag seems to get heaiver with every climb, particularly cos of fatigue... thanks franchie for carrying my bag for me for remaining half of the climb to basecamp.

was so amazed with the porters and guides cos they carry a lot of things (all our sleeping bags and all our food for 3 Days 2 Nights)... and yet, they can move through the mountain with ease, kinda like 蜻蜓点水 kinda skill :D

we reach basecamp at bout 5pm and settled into tis huge tentage *supposedly built by them*... cos its made up of thick wood, and is super zai and very very stable (with double layer to trap heat)... outside was so damn cold and raining, we decide to cuddle together, and did not leave e tent e whole night. food was served in our tents too!! the meal wasnt tt nice, but we were so hungry tt we chomped down a lot :p i threw away a pair of wet socks, and hang my jeans to dry (which actually gets wetter cos of the moisture in e air =x)...

i changed into my trackpants and went to sleep. bed was hard (wooden bamboo base)... but was glad for the thick sleeping bag. din hav a good night rest cos CJ started coughing, after tt she started snoring =x... and e hard bed gave me lots of backache/ hipache/arm ache... + e muscleache i sustain in e trek to basecamp *2300m*...

Day 6 (Tue, 21 May)
woke up at 6.30am in e morning. im one of the last to wake up =x outside was so so so cold, felt v reluctant to leave e tentage... had to brush up using river water, and to do business amongst e trees. we had maggi noodle for breakfast which wasnt e least bit filling.

had to continue e climb towards the summit *3142m* in my spoilt shoe :( edwin volunteered to carry my backpack... really greatful for tt!! and tdy, e climb was a lot a lot worse than yesterday's- longer distance, more tougher terrain... my shoe totally gave way halfway to the summit, and i had to borrow jacelyn's sandal to continue moving on. the weather was much worse at a point, where e wind was so so so so strong, so so so so cold, and e slope was so so so steep... felt so so so tired and wanted to go home badly :p edwin actually lend me his waterproof sweater as well. so i got double protection against e chill, n he's only in berms and t-shirt.

amazingly, i managed to went up to a height of 2900m.... though i din manage to go all e way to e peak, but its still a feat which i never imagined myself to do :D given more time, i believe i cld've made it to the top... e guide told us tt we had to rush back to basecamp before night falls *cos it wld b v dangerous/ impossible to travel in e dark*, and we were suppose to reach summit by 12 noon, but we only covered tis height. in e end, we splitted into 2 groups - some continued, some U-turn back to base camp. the trip back was equally gruelling :( halfway through, it started to rain heavily *and i din hav my poncho with me* end up getting wet from head to toe

manage to went back the earliest amongst others, get to change into dry clothes. and get to dry up ourselves. e best of all, we get e best seat beside the fireplace!! :D e warmth of the fire was really a blessing! get to use e heat to dry our wet barang barang. i decide to throw away my trackpants cos its so super muddy and heavy...

Day 7 (Wed, 22 May)
my legs were aching so badly... find it hard to move ard. feel like its almost impossible to get back to our starting point. every step requires x2 effort. but we finally made it back!!!!!! was so so so relieved tt everything was over. surprisingly, the travelling back portion was a lot easier. apparently, they brought us on a longer way up to basecamp, but we are going on a short cut down. hav to cut through river 3 times, and get really really wet. but its a lot faster, n terrain wasnt as bad.

felt SO GOOD to be back to Cat Cat Hotel!!! took my own sweet time to wash up, and remove all e dirt from my nails.... 3 days of no bathing, warm water definitely feels damn nice! :D was too tired to move ard town for dinner, end up having dinner at e restaurant at Hotel :p we quickly packed up and board a bus which brings us to the train station Lao kai.

had to catch night train back to hanoi, i 打包 tis simple bun with floss and meat filling for dinner. its super nice can :p tis time round, i din sleep at e highest bunk, i slept at e lowest instead -> cos my muscle ache was too much to bear =x played till e wee hour of the night, and we only slept v v v little for the whole train journey.

Day 8 (Thu, 23 May)
woke up in e morning feeling totally drained... super shag. i carelessly left my shoe bag with my ponchos and a cap under my bed :( we went back to Blue Sky Hotel. they do not hav sufficient hotel rooms, so i end up having to temporarily settle in lukman and jacelyn's room. had breakfast at tis shop beside the hotel, selling only beef noodles *in diff version* haha... cant read e names, but they all seems e same. its super yummy for the price. roam ard hanoi with e whole group, and settled down at tis gelato shop- our common meeting place. whenever we went there, we grab a cone of gelato ice cream for bout S$1 only!! *u cant even get any gelato in s'pore with tt amt of $$ :P* my fav is Mint After Eight :D *mmm..... e tot of it makes me drool*

we get kinda splitted up from e rest; cos me, edwin, qing yun and Sk wanted to get a massage, e rest of them wanna go visit museum of ethanology. we manage to find a massage place at the other corner of the lake in a hotel. its damn shiok... and its actually v cheap only S$10 for 50min massage, plus sauna n bathe included too :D e massage really soothe my muscleache a lot!! we randomly roam ard the area (tt corner of hanoi is more developed)...

went to walk ard tis street... where they sell a lot of pirated bags and shoes :D get myself a pair of fake Kappa shoe and a fake North Star backpack.... SK wanted to rush back to hotel to deposit our barang barang, n e rush was getting on my nerve. furthermore, we lost our way to n fro hotel. seriously believe tt it wld b better if we cld slack somewhere to rest or shop more?! had a pretty bad mood *particularly cos of my cramp*... so in e end i kinda lost my cool =x sorry guys.
on our way out of hotel, we encounter tis lady throwing a huge tin can containing a few glass bottles at tis man who is running away. was so so shocked cos everything happen right in front of us. if we are jus a few steps ahead, we wld b in e way of e can =x *so freaky*

went for dinner at another posh restaurant -> did i mention tt food in these posh restaurant cost bout e same as those in food court :p after tt, we went to watch water puppet show... it was quite lame actually. pretty amazing how they manipulate the puppets :) n i was particularly humoured by this water fairy which 'dance gracefully' =x pretty nice nonetheless...

Day 8 (Thu, 23 May)
selena and I get settled in our room-> at level 4, so hav to climb :( took a bus to Ha Long Bay.... e bus ride was so long... most ppl jus ZZZZ.... we board e junk boat, and waited for lunch!! there is tis nice inclined chair on e highest level of the boat, i sat there and jus doze off unknowingly =x

i absolutely love ha long bay!!!!!!! tt place is so pretty, so peaceful, so serene...and the water is so calm! its a perfect place for a getaway from the buzzling city life :D

after lunch, we nua a bit... n went to tis Sung Sut Cave. e cave is amazingly cooling - like natural air conditioner. and the size of the cave is remarkable!!! those pretty stalacite formation, coupled with the colourful lighting make e place seems like a wonderland :D

after which, e junk boat brought us to another region where we get to kayak in the sea. the experience is totally different from kayaking in sentosa or east coast park :p we get to kayak over long distance to explore the nooks and cranes of the place. love the sensation of kayaking under a cave-like place to get into a lake surrounded by limestone mountains. every turn shows us a new scenery--> can easily get lost if you row a boat in tt area, cos there dozens/ hundreds of mountains tt dot the seascape, and every direction you turn seems e same.

we had a great 6 course dinner + a crab which they bought. haha... meal was simple yet delicious. nua at the highest deck of the boat. enjoy e night breeze, and gaze at e stars *sry guys, i really cant recall e constellation =x* most of us jus lie ard and participated in e spine-tingling story telling session; sensitive keywords-> seaweed, hair, pigeon, ice, hot air balloon..... :p i wanted to slept at e highest deck, but e night became too cold for comfort. i end up going back to my room to zzz...

<3 w0nd3r 11:05 AM

Monday, May 28, 2007

Camellia
Lyrics: BOUNCEBACK Translation: Jonathan Wu

When the wind wraps you in tears
raise your head and look at the rainbow
When love left you behind
let go off your unhealing wounds
and send them off into the sky

Try not to forget, how you
met and parted, and how it repeats
You are brilliantly beautiful flower
You’ve become a butterfly that carries kindness and sadness

You are the Camellia that offers love
quietly wishing for happiness, blooming in your dreams
Because the scars that are left in your heart don’t fade
you make a wish, to find a person to love and cherish

In the world, there’s a story spun from love
You can be sure that tomorrow, somebody’ll be waiting for you

When you start to talk
the flower that survives winter will bloom
If you can’t wipe away your sadness
then make it into a road on which the new you can walk

Believe in love, and bloom Camellia
one day your smile will bloom into love
If your overflowing tears turn into a sparkle
then you can open up the closed door in your heart

In the world, there’s a story that promises eternity
That’s why you’re waiting for the miracle of love

The light tearing through the clouds reaches you
illuminating your sparkling smile
One day your arms will have someone to hold
and be happy with

You are the Camellia that offers love
quietly envisioning happiness, blooming in your dreams
Because the scars that are left in your heart don’t fade
you make a wish, to find a person to love and cherish

In the world, there’s a story spun from love
You can be sure that tomorrow, somebody’ll be waiting for you

<3 w0nd3r 6:28 PM


im back from vietnam

GLAD TO BE HOME!!!!

feeling:
- tired
- uber unlucky
cos was one of e last to get off plane,
then one of the last to collect luggage,
then had to stuck in a super duper long queue to buy liquour (all of them left w/o me),
then my snake wine gets confiscated (due to some HSA regulation) *unnerving*,
then my fren couldnt wait for me cos i took too long to get e liquour n clear custom,
i was alone in airport,
i have no $$ to take cab,
then there was no POSB atm machine...
[only LUCKY tt my bro still awake to come down n pay for my cab fare- $30, n e taxi uncle was super nice n friendly]

had to go school to settle locker stuff (hopefully can renew locker, i dun wanna carry all my things home!!!!)

more on the vietnam trip later in e day :D

<3 w0nd3r 2:35 AM

Sunday, May 13, 2007

DAY 1 (Sat, 5 May)
Took a cab to Changi Airport for $35, shared by me, ee mei, ting ren n emay :D everyone was in a bubbly mood n we din even realize tt when we reach e airport


Depart Changi Airport at 1pm
was tingling with excitement that I finally can go somewhere really far with my frens :D
we took jetstar… its my first time on a budget airline… it wasn’t as bad as i tot… but its not as comfortable for a 4.5 hr long ride. We are not suppose to buy our own food up e plane, but weibin manage to sneak in a huge burger king cheeseburger!

Arrive Arrival @ Taipei - Chiang Kai Shek Terminal 1
Had a teensy weensy bit of headache after alighting… cos I dun like e change in air pressure. get a bit of shock cos we thought that the plane flew us to e wrong destination (Taipei International Airport ß e new name)

we collected out 'Tourist pass' - a funky looking keychain... *we almost forgot* and then took a minivan to Good Ground Hotel 国光饭店 for 1500NT (shared by 5) cos we got 5 huge luggage to bring along =x its nearly empty though (mine is only at 8.4kg) Our hotel is located at No. 6 Lane 27 Chen Du Road Taipei. Since this is a 3-star hotel, i wasn't expecting much. but the one crucial point it: it is right smack in the centre of 西门町 shopping district :D

After settling in, we get our Easy Card *similar to e ezlink we hav* (100NT deposit, 400NT fares)

おなかがすきました!we head down to Shilin Night Market for dinner :D


*take MRT and alight at jiantan station, walk out from exit 1*


Our first dish was 臭豆腐 which emay strongly protest against =x it wasn’t e smelliest one though. Haha…. N I tried my first mouthful of oyster omelette! It was surprisingly mouth-watering, with no fishy kinda smell *love it lots!!*

The 珍珠奶茶 tasted similar to those at sweetalk, but its damn やすい ...

Ting ren had bit of stomach upset *supposedly caused by e watercooler water which she drank before we left for shilin* so we da bao some other yummy food back to hotel instead...

we had e all-time famous 鸡扒 (chicken cutlet)… and a lot of 大饼包小饼 and 大肠包小肠… & my favourite is 冰糖-strawberry *grinz*


DAY 2 (Sun, 6 May)

We woke up late on the 2nd day cos all of us are feeling tired & weak from the flight… Had a yummy Brunch at 鼎泰风 at 194 Hsin Yi Road Sec. 2 Tapei (tts the main branch). we made a super super big mistake to walk to the restaurant cos the journey was longer than what we expected *by looking at the map*

was so glad we went early at 10.30am cos a long long queue had formed whilst we were having our meals :p Heard from emay tt the food served by the鼎泰风 in Singapore is equally nice... just that in Taipei, its lots cheaper :) haha… one abnormal thing tt happened was tt e waitress spotted a short strand of hair in our siew mai, n she quickly took e whole plate back—tink we get a whole new freshly made serving cos we had to wait quite long.

We shopped a while at tt location and I got a great BARGAIN!! If you guys see me in a brown umbrella with champagne-coloured polka dots n frills – I get that for <>

All of us decide to try e new feat of squeezing 5 ppl in a cab, n e uncle let us do tt!! Took a cab to kuang hua shang chang… a place just like the sim lim square in singapore. Supposedly selling cheap electronics n manga n anime n drama…… but then, the goods there are not as やすい as I tot it wld b. one eye-capturing thing to note is: they sell porn videos outrightly, even porn anime too. Goodness… all of us girls jus blushed and quickly U-turn when we unknowingly roam into those racks =x and these vcds are innocently placed beside the normal looking anime etc *pengz*

However, I din get anything from kuang hua shang chang though… But I bought 3 original taiwan series in a shop across a few roads :D “禄光森林”, “对不起,我爱你” and“真命天使”. Each for 250NT (less than S$12.50) how cheap is tt?!?! :p

If I din rmb wrongly, we totally skipped the whole of 忠孝region… cos none of us are really interested in jades =x

Off we go to WUFENPU at bout 3pm… the so called distributor district where there are a lot of clothes going far below retail price. I can say tt this place is so gigantic tt we get really tired after going through ½ of it. Furthermore, these shops are kinda like replica of one another, selling clothes of the same design *most are v bling bling n polka dotty kind*.

Since we are not buying in bulk, and they know tt we are tourist, some of the shop owners take the opportunity to mark up the cost… some of us unknowingly fell into their trap *only realizing it a few days after when we shop at shilin night market* :( awful ppl n their selling antics.

We took a nice little break at this shop selling dessert at the edge of wufenpu. Really yummy tiny tang yuan with peanut n ice *mayb cos I was hungry and thirsty after squeezing through the crowd*

After shopping for bit more, we set off to meet weibin at Songsang Railway Station. Never did we know that there are more than 1 exits which are located to faraway from each other (P.S. Songshan Railway Station is not e same as Songshan MRT). We make a huge detour cos we din spot the overhead bridge to let us cross e track… end up walking the long dark ulu alley… n a kind uncle escort us to our destination. On our way we had a scary encounter of an oncoming train *with e barricades coming down at the front and back of us* and nearby motorist ‘criticizing’ that “we walk so slowly and now had to run”

Finally meet up with weibin and we make our way to Raohe Night Market. Its so packed with ppl tt we decide to have our dinner in a quiet n air-conditioned Japanese restaurant =x roam ard A BIT before we decide to drag ourselves back to hotel… *muscle badly aching after all the walk*

p.s. im glad tt this trip let me prepare for my Vietnam ‘backpacking’ which is expected to b more shiong

DAY 3 (Mon, 7 May)

Our ever 伟大 mr hui actually woke up super early to get us breakfast of 馒头 w 豆浆 (cos he can’t find 豆浆油条) haha… and we manage to wake up pretty early too!

Initially, we planned to go Yang Ming Shan early in the morning. BUT… we never made it there :( our kind receptionist point us to e direction of our bus stop. But never did we know that e bus we are waiting for is going the wrong direction… waited 1hr for a BUS260 to come, and when e bus uncle say “洋明山要去对面搭” tt realize its e wrong way. *were kinda fed-up* but we had a more relaxing day w/o needing to rush to complete e rest of our itinery

We took photos at e red building in ximending *dunno e name*, if I not wrong it’s a theatre… and we dilly dally our way to beitou for hot spring. The train ride was exceptionally long, but I personally felt that the journey was worth it

Found a hot spring hotel … I love the hot spring lots!!

Like e effect of intense heat of the natural mountain water soothing my tired and aching muscle after the shopping trip. The huge pool we were given, with a waterfall look-alike kinda setup at the corner, and the open-air greenery ambience, placed me in a state of peace… *except e occasion fastening of towels to prevent it frm slipping =x*

However, one very bad thing bout tis hot spring hotel we went to - poor weibin was given a super small room with only a super small hot spring tub with a big insect swimming in it. There is no easy access to cold water n no changing room *which we hav*… it wasn’t what we expected since the receptionist claimed tt e guys n girls place is separated only by a divider *which in fact is a wall*


We were on-time and on-target to Danshui *reaching at 3.30pm* as planned in e itinery. We had a great variety of 12 donuts from dunkin donuts… n gulfed it down in a pretty short time too, mayb cos we are hungry. Shopped at Danshui for a bit. My first purchase here is a super funky white movie-director-designed-hat, for only 50NT (~S$2.50) Love it to bits, but I lost it the next day :(

after tt, each of us 抽签 for 10NT *initially tot is some lucky dip kinda thing =x* mine seems surprisingly true n very real *shivers*… I also bought some おみやげ(souvenirs) here… nice keychains, tie dan, mua chee, crackers…


we get our boat ticket to Fisherman’s wharf (渔人码头) which is also e location of the Lover’s Bridge. The boat ride took about 30mins. This place is fabulous, super pretty n awe-inspiring… tink I’m bit 夸张, but I really love the simple scenery, e continuous wind *which gets very strong n cold in the night*, the incomplete sunset, the orange sky, the romantic bridge n everything bout this place…

Had a sumptuous seafood dinner too… which is pretty affordable

DAY 4 (Tue, 8 May)
Woke up later than normal tdy, had a super yummy-licious brunch at Tamago-ya (蛋蛋屋) in XMD *v near our hotel*… e drinks are awful tasting- esp the blue drink with bit of alcohol *emay say it tasted like detergent* lol…
I love the desserts LOTS!!
One with sweet chocolate topped vanilla ice-cream with cereals
e other with chocolate bits topped ice cream with nata de coco
and an alright cheesecake. *wildly thinking of entrepreneur opportunities*
The main dish is pretty awesome too… 蛋包饭 w chicken chop/beef patty. E 蛋 is in omelette style, cooked to perfect softness n texture, and the 饭 is nicely mixed with a special tomato sauce, so fragrant and sweet. Specially love the chicken chop which is one of the tender-est ive ever tasted :D

We went gai gai at XMD for a while… this place is so much like heeren- e things they sell are those BLING-bling kind, and its so hard to find a plain simple looking top =x haha…. but this place is so huge!! We merely cleared one little corner *cos we were stuck in this shoe shop* e shoes are super cheap… nice pumps with heels for less than S$15. so each of us got like 2 new pairs :D n I learnt that you can put 2 layers of 鞋垫 to get e shoe size u want :p

Went back hotel to deposit all our purchase…. & took MRT to Taipei main station to shop at the underground mall there. MORE shopping!! Bought lingerie at this Pierre cardin there *their design damn chio (colourful n lacy n got a lot of pattern n style), so diff from those in s’pore* I spent quite a bit of time here… sorry for delaying you guys. And I get another pumps with heel for S$10. its really OMG-nessly cheap la. If I had not run out on $$$ I would have bought more!!

We proceed on to Miramar ferris wheel - Take MRT to Jiantan, come out from Exit 1, and take a free shuttle bus there. Hmm…. Somehow wasn’t in e best of mood cos I lost my white cap which I bought yesterday *sadz* took bit of time to find tt ferris wheel which was inbuilt into a shopping centre, had to take tis ultra long escalator up. I find tt Miramar ferris wheel is over priced la. Jus an ultra huge ferris wheel ride of 17mins n it cost us 120NT with the tourist pass discount. E night view was indeed breathtaking, jus tt I was seated at the other side *not so much to see*- shd hav get 2 pax per cabin… poor emay, she get a huge blister cos of e shoe she jus bought.

From here, we proceed to SHILIN NM!! Haha… tis time, we went to e correct section of shilin (e right portion after exiting from shilin MRT) where there is a lot more to shop, eat and see. We really shop like crazy cos all the things here are even more やすい (cheap) than those we see at wufenpu (IMO). We shopped till 2am when most of the shops start to close, and took a cab back to hotel *which cost less than what we thought*

DAY 5 (Wed, 9 May)
Its LEOFOO day!! Spent a major part of the day at this leofoo theme park at this faraway place outside taipei-> 新竹. Had to take MRT to Taipei main station and change a 电车 (their version of train). The ride was super long, and all of us jus zzzz on the way there. Seats wasn’t comfy, and I felt like lying down *if not for my image to upkeep :p*
p.s. can keep the 电车 ticket w/o returning to e ticketing person if you stamp your ticket before going out

had a pretty traumatizing experience with this group of uncle trying to offer us cab ride to the theme park – they quote us 900NT per person for the cab fare + entry. What they quote us was more ex cos we can buy e entry tic at a much rebated price cos of our tourist pass *though it was true tt we cld save some time on traveling*. They were super irritating, cos they kept pestering us… and I can see ting ren was fuming *she almost blasted her top at them- good tolerance tr :) * anyways, we bought out tickets at tis machine (which accept coins only- imagine us emptying out wallet to get all those shillings). And we almost missed our bus cos it was hidden in this corner of the station. e bus was supposed to have 冷气 but it turn out to b pretty warm though.
1hr long journey to leofoo.

Leofoo was pretty fun!! But was quite disappointed tt 2 of the most exciting rides (corkscrew n another plunge down ride) Basically, the park has 4 sections = 4 diff themes: Wild West, Arabian Kingdom, South pacific and Zoo and Safari Park. Its damn cool tt e ppl working in diff sections are dressed accordingly to e theme, and love e ambience with those intrinsic decorations and e background music playing behind dustbins?! :p

1st ride of the day: water rapids. So -_-“ cos the ride’s main purpose is to make us wet (really really wet)… weibin had to protect his camera whenever there is a big splash. not tt exciting, but its slow n nua though :D.

we are game enough to take screaming condor as our 2nd ride. This was e most shiong ride ive ever taken. It feels like a vertical plunge. *had my eyes closed during e ride =x* wanted to take tis again before leaving, but it was closed le *darn*

we managed to try almost all e rides in leofoo village, and even had time to take a stroll across the ‘zoo’. Tis is so dotz cos e animals all look v malnutrition and not v healthy. On the way, we took lots of farnie n lame photos.

Left leofoo village at bout 5pm and took a Freego bus to Taipei. Its so so so much cheaper and faster then taking e train. Jus that all of us were so concussed and deep in sleep tt we totally missed our stop and landed up in Taipei international airport- together with 3 korean girls. Sian-half… but then, we manage to figure our way to Taipei MRT. the most astounding thing about tis 3 korean girls is tt they are on a free n easy tour, they dunno 中文, their English is kns too, they din do enough research on tt place too, cant imagine how they gonna find their way ard =x

Cant find the shabu shabu which we were looking for… so end up havig dinner at tis tiny roadside shop near old SOGO cos we were ultimately hungry le. It tasted SO YUMMY and a lot better than we expected- din take down e name of e stall though. Absolutely love the minced meat and the very QQ noodle with their own-made chilli *mmm…*

Went back to shop at XMD!!

DAY 6 (Thu, 10 May)
Went to long shan temple early in e morning!! Tt place was quite crowded though it was a pretty off-peak time when we went

I get some 平安幅 for my family members. And took a packet of red strings from 月老, but now I dunnno wad to do with it =x haha…. was standing ard and figuring out how e pair of red wooden block works when you 求签.

Had a bit of trouble looking for CKS memorial hall- cos we dunno which exit to come out from the MRT station. This place is bigger than I thought, a bit zzz tt one part is under renovation- spoiler lor… view is still pretty nice nonetheless.

Sun was pretty strong, so we opened our umbrella. Never did we expect the wind to b strong too. emay’s umbrella flip over, and tr’s one is spoilt… and they jus bought it right before going to CKS.
We observe the changing guards ceremony *which takes place every hour*. The whole process is very nice and uniform. Really 佩服 e guards who have to stand there for so long… e funny thing is tt each of them hav a full-blast fan behind them to keep them cool. :p

We went to Taipei 101, the tallest building on Earth (am I wrong?! =x)
Had to pay 320NT to take the lift to go up. The lift up was super fast!! I particularly dun like e sudden change in air pressure- find it worse than tt in e plane. We went to 89th storey, n had a glimpse of the whole taipei area… all e buildings and vehicles look so tiny from up there. Pretty nice view, except for the strong fog/mist/wadeva blurry thing tt block our view. Had a telephone-like gadget to explain the little details of what can be seen there :D all of them completed exploring the place really quickly, I end up walking ard myself a bit longer =x

We continued on our quest for shabu shabu… n met this helpful group of insurance ppl. They direct us to this shabu shabu place台糖白甘蔗, along 松德路which served おいし (yummy) soup base with nicely sliced meat. *realize tt shabu shabu is very much like e hot pot / steamboat/ 火锅 tt we had in s’pore* the meal was super filling n v affordable too!! love it lots… p.s. I had tis 麻辣 version which was super-duper spicy- end up adding in their plain soup to dilute the spicy-ness :p

DAY 7 (Fri, 11 May)
We went to基隆 in taipei country. Had to take MRT to taipei main station and change to电车 again. This time travelling time and cost is much lesser than to 新竹.
All of us bought some bread from e bakery in front of the bus stop as our brunch. So much nicer than our breadtalk. We actually missed a bus, but thank goodness e nxt one doesn’t take too long to come :D We then took a bus ride of around 45mins to 野柳. We figure our way ard e place- n we actually went to the other side (the wharf area) where we get to visit another temple and get to take a nice faraway pic of the rock formation. We then realize tt there is another part of野柳 which is catered to tourist, and we had to pay to go in. felt very relieved tt we din forego going in cos this place is totally amazingly-splendidly-mersmerisingly-pretty… one of the place which is the most unforgettable. Love the strong sea breeze caressing my face, love the variety of rocks formation….

Saw a lot of pufferfish in e water and ppl fishing it *and I get to see it puffed up like a balloon when it was caught*. saw their swimming pool- e very old old style kind. Went to tis market selling preserved things. N im most disgusted by tis preserved pufferfish ornament *ewww….*

Had dinner at tis seafood restaurant there. By right there shd b a good one- jus tt we din search harder. It was totally awful. Food served wasn’t even fresh… e rice was reheated de *saw lady putting in a packet of cooked rice into e rice cooker* e prawns so tiny and fish wasn’t very tasty either. No wonder tt place to rundown n empty (we are their only customer for e whole duration there)

Took a private transport back to Taipei main station. Even though its more expensive, but it save us quite a significant bit of effort and a lot of time :D had another look at Taipei underground mall as tr went to e washroom. Did a teensy bit of shopping… and continue at XMD.


I get to roam ard with tr. And after tt, we met up with 3 of emay’s fren. They accompanied us to roam ard XMD (which we kinda get lost) then we proceed to ShilinNM. Tr din join us cos she was sick. Most of emay’s fren went home shortly cos they decide not to join us in our crazy endeavour to shop till e wee hours.


We walked ard XMD and accidentally chanced upon e food section which we hav been religiously searching for whenever we are in shilin *but in vain*. Was so full after having food from the other part of shilin- but force ourself to try the popular 阿宗 mee sua, but we din get to eat the takoyaki *what a pity


<3 w0nd3r 7:19 PM


TAIWAN 5th to 12th May 2007

Woohoo!!!!! Jus came back from Taiwan with lots of photos to ‘show-off’ :p

All in all, it was a very fun trip… I wanna apologise for having bad mood swing in some of the days…

Overall temperature: dry and cooling *the sun can b blazing hot though*
Overall impression of taiwan:
tw people dressed v nicely... n most of them hav good complexion... or they are gd with makeup
the bikes/scooters are scary as they can jus squeeze past you even in e tiniest street…
the food there are awesome….
the night markets are huge *almost x10 tt of bugis street*
they are very orderly when boarding trains and going up/down escalators...

i shall try to do a day by day blog... which can take bit of time


btw, its 13th May today... Happy Mother's Day to all e 伟大妈妈 out there!!!!

If my mum read this blog *which i doubt so*...
MUMMY I LOVE YOU :D

<3 w0nd3r 7:11 PM

Friday, May 04, 2007

haha... tts e pic we took outside of harbour front centre

n all of us still look pretty normal after the heavy dim sum buffet

*past record of 100 servings untrashable :p*

nemo-s present today:

me, beilin, grace, sherlyn, wei ni

alex, vince, edwin

=D the meal was very enjoyable!!!!


p.s. please wait for my return (12th) for the coming ktv k.......

*whine*


well... alex jus told me tt e lady charge us an additional person's worth of buffet

goodness gracious!!!!

but, its our part tt we din check properly


went shopping at the largest THIS FASHION branch--> bugis de

n we tried on quite a number of pieces....

n fulin spent well beyond budget =x

but i get one off-shoulder top which i've been long craving for *grinz*

poor edwin had to stand ard and do QC :p

thanks!!! had a wonderful day today!!!


TAIWAN, here i come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and i would b back on 12th

<3 w0nd3r 8:34 PM

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

had lots of fun today!!!!!

changed $2k @ a rate of 21.69
was quite scary to lug ard tt much of money
lucky wei bin volunteer to bring home half of it...
but then i still bring $1k with me to bugis, suntec, marina, esplanade, orchard... =x
*thanks wb for researching the best money exchanger, n for waiting for me for soo long*

had yummy dim sum tdy,
imagine a 虾饺 with >3 fresh prawns, n oozing with e soup-like base
mmmm......
and personally, i felt tt e porridge was good, remind me of my childhood :p
n e gluttinous rice thingy was even marvellous, so smooth... we even thought it's carrot cake
*sorry for being like 1.5hr late, n thanks ck for the treat =D *

p.s. looking forward to a GIRLS PARTYwith siling!!!!!!! nv been to one, n im super excited bout it *wide grin*
loads of manicure + pedicure, loads of movie-chionging, loads of small-talks....

try using my eyeliner today, but realise its no easy feat, shall がんばって!!!
i shall improve my makeup skills...
esp e eyeshadow portion
*hmm.... tips anyone?!?!*

another very significant thing im gonna do in may:
watch Phantom of the Opera
but its my first time watching a musical, n my first time watching sth at esplanade

oh gosh... e amount of damage done to my bank account for MAY 2007........ :(

<3 w0nd3r 9:03 PM

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

its labour day!!!!!!
n i jus feel very lazy n very nua...
basically jus rot at home, n watch the 'movie marathon' on channel 5
:D
love the show "drumline" loads... n "dr dolittle" is kinda cute too

n a lot of pampering as well
scrub *mandi lu lur body scrub is awesome*...
mask *olay whitening, aspirin*...
manicure. *do a series using konad, here is my creation!!*...


~life of a fake tai tai~

n doing some planning of the modules im taking nxt sem...
shd i do UROPS?!?!

p.s. someone plan roller-blading outing le...
or another og outing for dim sum/sushi...
n i wanna go sentosa too!!! *wanna catch e new musical fountain*

p.p.s. im free before 5th May or between 12th to 17th May

<3 w0nd3r 5:18 PM

Monday, April 30, 2007

haiz.... have not been blogging for v v v v long...
a lot of excitement in my life, jus dunno how to put them in.
lets see what i can list:

- cleared lots of hurdles (LSM2202 miniproject, LSM2104 miniproject, LAJ2201 presentation, loads of little CAs)
- went to eat yummy dim sum at jalan besar, see pretty ladies at geylang, n bapo at changi village, learn how tough navigating is....
- got my first eyeliner *still yet to use*
- send in my first official resume for intern *tink not successful*
- figure out how to do french plait
- my picture appear on 联合早报... featuring TeamSeagrass
- i missed an exam paper worth 40% (LAJ2201) =(
- drawing blood at YIH is a bad experience
- exam is OVER!! sem 2 yr 2 is OVER!!
- wear a dress to school for e first time n get suan badly *duh, science ppl hardly dress up*
- learn how to integrate English, にほんご、华语 easily in a sentence
- going to taiwan on 5th to 12th May
- going vietnam on 17th to 27th May

THANK YOU gun kiat for the ride every day after mugging!! really appreciate tt A LOT!!!

<3 w0nd3r 11:59 PM

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

LSM2202 CA1 jus ended...
its so so so so zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
[i got my blur traits back again... cos i only realise at 8pm yesterday night that 'this CA is worth 30%' and that 'we are expected to read the 40 pages-long protocol' ]
:(
but im so glad that e CA ended le

Im in com lab with grace now...
*cold and hungry*
waiting for alex to finish his lecture so we can go for lunch
.
.
.
still hav a lab report to complete and
a 6-8pm tutorial later
*bless me*

<3 w0nd3r 1:35 PM

Monday, January 01, 2007

haha.... new year celebration, 4/1's style
we have steamboat at yuan's place :D

thank you yuan yuan for opening ur house to us!
it was a simple and fun gathering with lots of fun and laughter...
esp the game we played *tt we picked up from a taiwan variety show* :p
it was a nice moment of catching up on our sec 4 days... most ppl still e same, though the ladies become prettier and the guys handsomer...

i suddenly realise how time flies...
the guys are mostly out of NS le
and im reaching a milestone of 21 years old
=x


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was taught :
enjoy the process of matters.. move with the flow... c
ause onli then can u enjoy happiness, find happiness, and create happiness....
treasure every moment u hv, treasure every thing ard u... cause there might not be a second time

a memorable day indeed :D

<3 w0nd3r 11:58 PM


31st Dec 2006

this marks the last day of year 2006

and

the coming of year 2007

:D

went to esplanade for countdown.... or more so for the fireworks display
it was a not-so-clever idea cos the place was ultimately packed.
but the fireworks was nice though :D

felt kinda cheated by e newspaper which says tt there is a 10pm and 11pm fireworks display.... n these 2 were so meagre *lasting about 5 seconds only* what a waste of time waiting from 10pm to 12mn...


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hmm.... have yet to come out with my new year resolutions

rough one:
1) spend even more time with my family
2) get my CAP up to 4.0
3) sleep early and wake up early
4) have a healthy diet (= eat all my meals at fixed time... exercise at least 1 day per week)
5) be not so blur... n be less self-centred *i can't reall tell if i am so*
6) be excited about every day :D

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!!!!!!!!

<3 w0nd3r 2:25 AM

Friday, December 29, 2006

26th to 29th Dec 2006

i went to Bintan for a period of getaway from the city
with Chok Kang, Kok Sheng, Qi Ming, Si Ling and Grace!!!!!
it seems to be a weird combination of holi-dayers in e first place cos i only knew ks, si ling and grace..... but its indeed a great pleasure to know chok kang and qi ming thru tis :D

thank you chok kang for organising everything, and getting us the villa which contains everything ranging from rice cooker to mahjong w table :D and thank you for taking good care of us... p.s. sorry for dropping your camera twice?!?! im such a glutz

thank you kok sheng for the wonderful maggie mee meals on e 1st and last day of our stay :D and for ur always-present enthusiasm for the many games... "mao mao game", "dai di", "bridge", "heart attack" and the "search for UNO cards in water"

thank you si ling for preparing almost all the meals :D u've done a great job, cos everything you've prepared are yummy!!!!! *cos got add ai4 xin1 de...* i got a lot to learn from u wor :D i tink i grew fat from the trip cos i eat so so so much. haha...

thank you qi ming for making the oh-so-nice-&-romantic pasta candlenight dinner!!!! :D it was one of the best i've tasted, so cheesy and so filled with liao4.... it was such a pity tt u fell sick on e second day.

thank you grace for suffering the trauma of "mao mao game" with me =x and sitting thru a not-hot sauna with me =x it has been fun to take random photos with u :D

all in all... it has been a wonderful trip even though the rain was such a spoiler. we only had some sunshine on the last day while we were leaving for singapore.... pics to b placed soon

<3 w0nd3r 11:03 PM

Monday, December 25, 2006

25th Dec 2006

its christmas, &
its my mum's birthday!!!

i stayed at home the whole day with my brothers, which is kinda anti-norm....
cos almost every past christmas eve or christmas, we would be out with friends =x

anyways, we get mum a series of durian goodies *which was her favourite*
tt includes.... durian cake, durian crepe, durian puffs, durian sweet, durian pudding, durian tarts.....





















its always a heart-warming experience to celebrate birthdays with my family :D


<3 w0nd3r 11:38 PM

Sunday, December 24, 2006

its christmas eve :D

i went swimming with weini & raymond
*cleared 7 laps... and end up with pretty bad muscle ache*
there goes e days when i could swim 1km (20laps)...

we went to catch this movie:
the curse of the golden flower...












starring jay chou :D
haha... can't imagine him acting those kinda knight-in-armour show.
story-wise, i tink its not nice =x
cos i dun like e ending--> everyone died in e end... and?!?!?!
mayb im not one who likes fighting-kind movie

its my mum's birthday tml, and i really really dunno wad to get for her......
n whilst shopping for her pressie, i end up shopping for my stuffs =x

im getting so vain recently =x
get a whole series of skincare from Avene, hopefully my skin wld improve
n tt burn a whole through my wallet :(
but its normal for one to want to be pretty hor?!

<3 w0nd3r 11:07 PM

Saturday, December 23, 2006

bought 2 boxes of ferrero rocher (16pcs)
so total of 32 pieces of mouth-watering chocolates!!!!!!!!!!
*im a happy girl* :D

AND i know how to make a rose from the wrapper too!
--> jus like the advertisement :D
muahahhahah.... chio le

<3 w0nd3r 11:25 PM



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jus came back from Cyberia!!!
and the camp was really fulfilling- cos i learnt so much!!! :D
dreamweaver
flash
photoshop
and best of all,
I get to make a bunch of great friends...
kudos to e organisers and my ogl (kevin) & aogl (yu ting and wen yi)

things i did during off-time

Day 1
went for supper at holland village
and had the all time favourite--- mud pie
sooo sinful

Day 2
i learn how to play DOTA!!!!!!!!!
woohooo............ after so long, i finally can kill le =x
then go for roti prate at foong seng
felt guilty for having supper, so eat 1 egg prata nia *its really good i mus say*

yea.... jus a few pics we took at camp.
for a full compilation,
its here!

<3 w0nd3r 10:39 PM

Monday, December 18, 2006

im happy with wad i have in life :)

but some things just seems very amiss :(

i guess:

[one can't always have things going one's way]

<3 w0nd3r 12:19 AM


the run yesterday was giving me muscle-ache...
4 rounds of slow jog & 2 rounds of walking (2.4km in >30mins)
oh gosh... i'm so hopeless at running :(
i am so gonna force/disciplined myself to run again nxt week

today was
FUN
ENJOYABLE
RELAXING
.
.
.
4/1 outing!!!!!
its been so so so so so long since all of us last met
apparently a lot of them changed a lot :p
went for karaoke
and had a sumptous grill cum steamboat dinner.
*bloated and sleepy now*


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todays' collection of photos!!!

<3 w0nd3r 12:12 AM

Saturday, December 16, 2006

I'm in love with this anime now.... :D



Story plot as such...

Kunisaki Yukito is a travelling showman, travelling across Japan searching for a legend passed down from his mother about a "girl in the sky".



During his journeys, he comes across a small seaside town where he meets a clumsy yet cute girl named Kamio Misuzu, who is eager to become friends with him. As Yukito stays in the town with Misuzu and meets other residents there, a legend of "one thousand summers" begins to unfold, the mysteries of the past framed by the odd relationship between Yukito and Misuzu.


<-- isn't she pretty?!?!

<3 w0nd3r 8:14 PM




an INDULGENCE!!!!!!!

Ocean Pacific for Women :D

a perfume i just bought from sasa today,

& its e most ex i have so far =x


<3 w0nd3r 7:52 PM


results are out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* dunno if its really real, cos it came out much earlier than e official release date: 26th dec*

happy?!?!
sad?!?!
its a mixed feeling

i was hoping to do a lot better,
but i improved- as compared to e previous 2 sems.
shall work even harder!!!!! * i tink i've been quite slack tis sem*

AND
im so high tt i cant sleep =x

the process of getting exam results are always very unnerving
key in my matric number *shivered*
key in my PIN *shivered*
click submit *shivered*
wait for e page to load *shivered*
.
.
.

hopefully i can wake up on time to go jogging in like 5 hrs

<3 w0nd3r 1:56 AM

Friday, December 15, 2006

hey!!!! tried mixing diet coca cola with mentos mint?!?!?!

this is what you get.....



amazing isnt it!!!!

there is even a cooler version.....

Experiment #214 - The Domino effect *from Eepybird.com

<3 w0nd3r 10:48 PM


s9 outing... kinda

went to watch eragon with 'ming ming', alicia, glendon, nicholas and qing quan
*ming yue, sry ah, cant resist calling u ming ming*
the show was nice, but a bit short and doesnt flow as smoothly.
cos some portion dun seem to make sense to me- im gonna read the storybook!!! :D

we roam ard bugis... and i shopped *had a pretty bad damage to my wallet*
n ming ming have a full 'makeover' in her attire, kudos to alicia!

we went to a winebar after tt...
its oh-my-goodness-ly classy, n i felt a bit under-dressed =x
the ambience was great, with unplugged classic pieces, great decorations, nice sofas..........
"WOW!" is an understatement.
n if u ordered wine, ladies in angel costume will literally fly up to retrieve the wine. its superbly cool....

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here are the photos...

<3 w0nd3r 1:12 PM

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

well, pics are ready!!!

=x

i know i've been SLOW *or say, VERY SLOW*
its much faster to load pics on shutterfly and u guys download from there, than for me to send via msn 1 by 1...

so, here goes:

+ dim sum buffet cum vivocity with nemo :D

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+ vivocity with ee mei, peiling, wei bin :D

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+ in the library with karen n ks :D

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did i miss out anything?!?!

<3 w0nd3r 3:06 PM