10 things I'd tell my 15-year-old self

I came across this in the morning. It is quite an interesting read and was probably a list I already had mentally but didn't find it necessary to be written down.

Mine seems to differ so much:

1. Eat Something.
I don't remember not eating when I was in my teens. In fact, weight issues only started to bother me in my post-University days (I think).
2. Stay Classy.
Huh?
3. Your Mom is Right.
I am kinda hesitant about this, but... ya. She's right. In my teens, my mum wasn't the most friendly mummy on earth. In fact, MM and I had lots of issues with her. But looking back, I kinda appreciate the role she had played in my teens cos it did nurture me in a way.
4. You Can't Make Everyone Like You.
5. Your Class Rank is Not a Measure of Intelligence.
Half-nod
6. Boys. Stop freaking out about them.
7. You'll Get Over It.
8. Your Friends Are Going to Be Grown-ups Too.
9. Don't Be So Nice.
I don't think I was a nice young kid. In fact, I think I try harder now than before. I must have pissed so many when I was younger.
10. Enjoy this Time.
I still miss the good old days.

This is the 27-year-old me to the 15-year-old me:

1. Exercise
The V girls were horrible at this. A typical warm up for us merely involved circling the basketball court 5 times. Frankly, I wished I had started earlier.
2. Get very involved
In whatever.
3. Your Mom is Right.
4. Be bold and stupid
Seriously, that seemed to be the only time that it was acceptable to be bold and stupid.
5. Your Class Rank is Not a Measure of Intelligence
And future success
6. Boy-girl relationships are crappy.
Frankly, no matter who the "he" was, I think I had missed out a whole lot of fun with my friends.
7. Keep in contact
8. Have fun with your peers.
9. Try to be nice
10. Enjoy this Time.
___

Mdm's not exactly in a good mood. In fact, my skies are pretty grey at this moment. It's at times like this that you really hope that when the storm's over, everything settles.

Sometimes, this place is just so screwed

We were supposed to get married again this morning, but guess what... the registration office screwed up! Well, not exactly. Anywayz, we were informed that there is no need for us to register our marriage in Thailand now since the immigration office is accepting our marriage certificate from Singapore (we were initially told to translate the English certificate to Thai then get it certified by the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok).

In Chiangmai, no 2 persons can ever give you the same set of information. Arggghhh.

Leaving the big 5 zone

MM and I at The Central


Cuties at BBQ.

Niece Ernice said to Bully "I will ask the ants to bite you!". And then, she turned around and folded her arms across her chest. So cute! The Chong kids are really really cute, no joke! Will mine be like that? Will mine be like that? Will mine be like that?

*Pray*

With Couz at Settlers'


Back view of Del, taken when we were leaving for the airport


Payap's new electric bus aka Sky Blue!

___

On the day that I got back, I stood on the scale and realized that I have reached the big 5 zone. It is staggering in that zone for the past week. Mdm is super demoralized and have since converted to a 75% vegetarian diet!!! OMG. Where the hell did my perseverance go?

Humidity in Singapore

Yesterday, Shan sent me this picture and I was commenting on Daryl's just-got-up look. He must be hating this auntie for getting him out of his sarong. LOL.



And then today, I saw the picture on Facebook, again. I noticed that my hair looked wet (greasy) and my face was uber oily. Now I agree with P about the weather in Singapore.

Anywayz, Happy Friday!

第五天

I was on the phone with mummy when SIL knocked on the door. One of the kids had some homework due tomorrow and needed help. When I got back into the room a minute later, as expected, mummy had hung up. Next minute, dad called back on my cellphone.

We were chatting while the kid was sitting right next to me, browsing through the net for information required for tomorrow's lesson. 5 minutes later, P got up from his sleep looking for ear plugs. He was having a bad headache and had fallen asleep since 8 pm. Apparently, my conversation had woken him from his sleep. He tried looking for the ear plugs, gave up, then turned to me for help. Dad must have realized that I was very distracted by then. Thinking that I must be busy, he cut the conversation short.

And now, P got his ear plugs, niece got her piece of news but my conversation with my folks had ended. Just suddenly, I feel so guilty. I call home once every two days but today, I wasn't able to find 15 minutes to speak to my dad. I cannot give 15 minutes to the man who throughout the week I was back, always try to be so accommodating. This is my fifth day away from home.

Oh... what a cute walking machine

I thought I saw P watching Wall-E with his mouth wide opened.

8 days later

We touched down at 10 pm and got home at 10.30 pm yesterday night. I was so tired. At 12 am, I was on my bed and all ready to sleep. P was still packing then looking for new movies on his favorite torrent websites and giving random comments while I drifted to lala land. This morning, P didn't manage to get up and is now on a self-declared half-day off from work.

I don't have much catching up to do in the office since there was a 2-day public holiday last week and I was actually absent for a mere 3 days although I haven't been at work for 9 days. In fact, I can afford to blog at work now so it very much explains my workload.

My next trip back home would be in December. That's going to be a whole 5 months and the longest I have been away from home. I have a feeling that I won't be able to bear it and might be home in October. 5 months is like half a year! The thought of it is making me feel so sad. Yesterday, P told me over dinner to discuss with my family about going on a trip together this year end. P and I are already having travel plans for December. I wouldn't call it honeymoon since our honeymoon was ruined by the immigration last September but we are planning to travel together out of Thailand/Singapore/Malaysia/Australia for the first time. And now, he invited my family along. It's not really a big deal but it is a gesture that I am very appreciative of.

The last few days in Singapore was hectic. We had a bbq with our extended family on Friday night, met up with my aki buddies on Saturday morning, prepared dinner for my family in the evening (which received thumbs up from my Dad) then met up with my crazy cousins at Settlers' and USYD friends at Kandi Bar at night and had an early yum-cha session with my uncle's family on Sunday morning. I didn't manage to meet up with everyone although I get to see many old friends who I haven't met since I left Singapore last August.

I realized that I haven't been missing much. Most of my friends are so caught up with work and all that they don't seem to be catching up frequently anyway. Although I missed the pampering at home, my mum is feeding me with enough juicy news that I am in fact better informed than MM. Maybe it's not just the people, maybe it's the life. I thought I have gotten used to my life here and the city bug in me is half-dead till I strolled along Orchard Road again after a year.

Visit to the (still) happening Clarke Quay

We stayed home for the whole of this afternoon. I was baking cupcakes with mum and P was busy PSP-ing (something that had kept him happily occupied for hours). Anywayz, the cupcakes turned out quite horrible. Those on the first plate were completely burnt. Mdm mistook 3 for 2 and switched the timer knob to 35 mins instead of 25 mins. And I suspected that something was very wrong with the receipe I found online. It stated that the cupcakes should be baked at a temperature of 300 degree c. The maximum on our oven was 200!!! =.=''

My dad was waiting for us to get back for his birthday dinner, which by now had been late for a week. We tried Tung Lok Signature at The Central this evening. The food was above average but the serving was unbelievably small. On our way back, we actually grabbed some fried rice and cai tao kueh from Bukit Timah Food Centre. Anyhow, the restaurant has very good ambience and service. What's more is it actually faces Clarke Quay and has a very nice view of the Singapore River. The price is steeper than normal Tung Lok but I think for the food, service, ambience and location, paying 50 odd bucks per pax is actually quite worth.

I hadnt been to Clarke Quay for a year now. After dinner, we took a stroll around that area and were surprised that the place was actually crowded on a week day night. The revitalization of Clarke Quay is IMO, very successful. At least till now, that area is still hip and happening. Frankly, doing F&B businesses in Sg is quite tough. When I was in my teens, Boat Quay was super happening. It's practically dead the last time I was there (which was a year ago, but I doubt it's alive now). I hope Clarke Quay can stay the way it is for long. If you havent ridden on the river cruise, I think you should definitely give it a try. With Clarke Quay now bustling with activities, it makes a lot of sense to pay for the ride.

Downtown under magic spell

OMG! There are so many changes in town.

1. Hotel Phoenix is gone!!!
2. Orchard Emerald is closed.
3. Weird structure opposite Orchard Cineleisure (extension wing for Pan Pacific Hotel?)
4. WTH happened to food junction in Bugis Junction???

It looks as if Harry Potter performed some magic spells. My goodness, it's just a year!

All these once familiar places are looking uber unfamiliar to me. Am I even home? I cannot imagine how strange it will be when the circle line is completed, the massive towers in Orchard are completed, the casinos open their doors etc.

It's good that West Mall still looks the same.

Mdm's on home ground

I have been home since Sunday!!!

The trip from Chiangmai to my granny's took a total of 4.5 hours. We had some scares on our CNX-KL flight and some passengers were actually screaming. For the first time, I was actually sweating my palms on a plane ride. The plane managed to land ahead of schedule and the customs clearance was very smooth. There were like less than 20 foreigners on my flight and the queue took us barely 5 minutes. I recommend everyone who is getting a cab from KLIA or the LCCT to get a taxi voucher from the counter cos the touts are definitely over charging. Our ride to Melaka was unexpectedly smooth. Our driver was driving at an average speed of 70-80 km/h which is very slow in Malaysians' standard. He scratched and moved his Songkok every 5 minutes and I realized that he was doing that to keep himself awake!!!

I had an enjoyable time at granny's, filling my stomach with good food and eating the best tasting durian I have eaten since leaving for Thailand last August. We left Melaka at 1 plus and managed to return to Sg for baby Daryl's popiah party at 5 past. It's nice catching up with some old friends and see how much baby Daryl has grown in a span of 5 months. Kids are just so amazing. The next time I return, he would be walking and gibbering.

Dinner was at the acclaimed Botak Jones and I couldn't believe that the meal for 5 at a local Kopitiam costed 90 bucks!!! This Kopitiam near my house used to be so empty and now, it's filled to the brim. Almost 90% of the customers are Botak Jone's. That Botak Jones must be earning big bucks! The food was above average but for a Kopitiam meal, I will think twice about eating there again. Seriously.

And this morning, we went to the Thai embassy for my visa extension and had a terrible experience. I guess most of the people there were fuming but had to suppress their emotions cos nobody wanna risk not getting their visa approved. I still can't believe this kinda service exists in Sg! Someone should do something to the staff at the embassy. The shitty attitude is way too much for anyone to handle.

We spent 3 hours shopping around Orchard area after handing in my visa application. Wisma had so much change in tenancy and I was so sad that it looked very unfamiliar!!! That underpass through ION is now in operation. Using it as oppose to the usual escalator seems so strange. Actually, everything unfamiliar just seems strange!

Anyways, we had a great time shopping. Well, at least for me. P was complaining about having leg sores when we were on our way to NUS to meet my Prof from my aki days. I had a very fruitful discussion with him about some possible collaborations at work. Somehow, I felt stupid after my conversation with him. Well...

Tomorrow, I will be meeting my ex-colleagues! =))

From the land of smiles to my sunny island

Mdm is getting home in 3 days!!! =)))

I haven't done goodies shopping yet but I know I will be filling my luggage bag with lotsa Thai chilli. We'll have to get it either today or tomorrow. My MIL and SIL would prepare some other stuff for us as well. It's really nice of them and I realized that they do it every time I make a trip home. On a returning trip before I shifted over, my then future MIL actually prepared 15 kgs of fresh longans from the farm. You wouldn't believe what I'll be lugging home. I spoke to my mum over the phone yesterday and the one order she had was dry longans. Apparently, my grandma and aunts like the dry longans that we brought back the last few rounds.

P's looking forward to this trip cos we haven't been getting good rests lately and this trip to Singapore will give us enough time to rest and make up for our insufficient sleep. And of course, the shopping sprees! But I am so lazy and I am planning to do all the shopping in a day. I figure I would have to go public and I really hate to waste time on transportation. I will have to draw up an itinerary so that I would be able to visit the usual stores I frequent.

And... my mum told me that the usual store we frequent for yummy durians is finally back in business!!! That guy usually calls when he gets his supply and he did few days ago. Muahahaha... I can finally eat durians that are not substandard.

I am craving for Cai Tao Kueh now.

Rants on bad movie, bad service and bad hmm...

I saw somewhere about Will Smith's Hancock topping the box office and I assumed that it would be good. I thought it would be since it's also starring Charlize Theron. Anyway, we saw it in the theater last evening and I regret not reading the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes first before stepping into the cinema.

We managed to find a counter selling HRM watches in the sports section yesterday. It wasn't what we were looking for and the sales person got us quite pissed. Anyone who's displeased with the service standards in Sg should come take a look at how people work here in Chiangmai. In Sg, it's always the bad attitude and pushiness of sales staff that gets customer annoyed. Here, it's ALWAYS ignorance. Sales staff here seem to have zero product knowledge. As what P says, they are paid to work for their physical presence. That's it. And they are plain lazy, slow and highly unresponsive. The guy yesterday was hopeless. He couldn't demonstrate how to use the HRMs, was not aware of their functions and did not even know what models there were.

After the HRM episode, P wanted to get stuff for work and we ended up in various hypermarts again. I think it was like 10 p.m. when we got home. Next moment, P was handed a English-Thai translation homework from his niece. He started out all well but got kinda frustrated when he realized that it was getting late and he hadn't done a thing since getting home. I am perfectly fine with helping the kids but working for them, hmm. Aside from translation, we had done sketches for their art classes and seen their mum and the house helper sewing, colouring and doing miscellaneous work. I think the kids are either

1. Too busy with school work and tuition classes; or
2. Plain lazy

I don't see how attending tuition classes should interfere with completing school work. It makes no sense to me if it does. Seeing how other kids are brought up makes me draw up a mental list of "Dos" and "Don'ts". I know everything seems easier on paper and in theory and that's probably the reason why a little one is not in our plan yet.

The heat rash is back

The weather is getting really weird here. Although there are occasional showers, the heat is back. It gets really hot and stuffy in the afternoon. Since yesterday morning, a strange looking patch appeared on my forearm and it started getting itchy and kinda swelled. The heat rash is back!

It's strange that I have started to develop heat rashes since coming to Chiangmai. I mean, the weather is different but it's definitely not drastic. I didn't have any problem at all when I was in Sydney. I have given up hope on calamine lotion cos it doesn't seem to be able to stop the itchiness. As for now, I am relying on the old grandma's favorite for itch relief



When tomorrow comes, I will run to the nearest store for a bottle of vaseline and olive oil. I hope they work for my rashes.

50 Beautiful Things You Can Do With Vaseline
Beauty Secret: Olive Oil

HRM for Mr Chong

I had initial plans to be home in time for Dad's birthday today but if I had, I could only stay for a mere 5 days (since I can only take a pathetic 3 days off from work). And coincidentally some religious days fall on the 17th and 18th (which are national public holiday), getting home next week would mean that I can be in Sg for 8 days. I had a bit of struggle and felt kinda bad for missing his special day, especially since it's his 60th birthday. But Dad convinced me that he didn't want to have any elaborated birthday celebration. In fact, he is fine with waiting for us to get back then have a simple dinner.

I had planned to get him either of these Timex HRM watch but P's really busy and we only got the time this evening to get his birthday present.

T5G971F5

T5G941F5


Anyway, it was a fruitless hunt since we couldn't find any HRM watch in the department store we went to. We have another chance this week since there is one other department store in Chiangmai and if we couldn't find it there too, we have to get it back in Sg. P joked that I might be the only soul in Chiangmai wanting to buy a HRM watch. ARGHHHHHHHHH.

I think it won't be difficult to comb one of Sg's million shopping centre for this.

Mdm on a bicycle?

P's super duper busy this week. He is was late again this last evening. I'm was stuck at the office till 6pm! Ok, I'm spoiled. I could have taken this but I didn't



I haven't taken the Song thaews since I arrived but I get to see them on the streets everyday. At peak hours, passengers will overflow and some (up to 4) will end up standing dangerously at the back of the vehicle.

And I didn't want to spend 150 baht on a 10 minutes taxi ride.

So I waited and waited and waited. When he arrived, it was already past 6!

Just a couple of days ago, C suggested that I should get myself a motorbike. Yamaha Fino is like the trendiest vehicle on Chiangmai streets right now.



I brought up this and P was 101% sure that within 3 days I would end up in the hospital. And getting a car is kinda out of question cos I seriously think it's unnecessary to get a car for the short distance to work.

So I was thinking... what about a bicycle?

=))

I was on the phone with my folks yesterday when the connection went cranky. The line kept getting cut off, like 3-4 times in the last 10 minutes I was talking to my mum. Despite so, my usually easily irritable mum wasn't bothered at all by the disruptions. She was in such a cheery mood that every time the line got cut off and I called back, she would continue on the same subject in the same happy tune.

I want to thank DD for bringing smile on my mum's face. I wouldn't say my mum and DD have ever shared a truly intimate mother-son relationship but somehow both seem to have a place for each other in their hearts. Seriously, I have never heard my mum speaking so fondly of another kid, not even MM and myself.

The exotic Jerusalem meal

We spent yesterday's dinner at this place called Jerusalem Falafel. P and I had no clue what to expect since falafel is not a regular vocabulary in our dictionary and we spent a while making our choices since everything on the menu looked unfamiliar. We got a set that comes with 6 dipping sauces, beef balls (yes, beef) and pita bread. The food was not super yummy but I quite like the taste. P, on the other hand, thought the food was rather bland. Somehow, the food reminded me of Samar at Arab Street and of course, shisha!!! I remember seeing Samar in the news some time back and as I was doing my usual googling this morning, I read that Samar had shifted!!!

Sigh.

I wasn't quite sure why but I was feeling very tired after dinner but simply didn't feel like getting home. As per our Tuesday SOP, we ended up in the cinema. As expected, Kungfu Panda was entertaining. The storyline was predictable and all but the whole idea of animals mastering martial arts was hilarious. And you got to check out the characters' expressions while they strike their Kung Fu poses. It's so funny. Jack Black did a very good voice over for Po and the CG was amazing.

First anniversary as Thai Tai Tai (aka TTT)

It's our first wedding anniversary =))).

It doesn't seem to me that it had been a year. This is the longest time ever that we are having each other by our side, physically. The past year had been much better than the times we spent apart, minus the times that I was missing home. We had fun, crazy times and fights like most couples do. To date, I am glad that I haven't felt that marriage is the tombstone of love. I seriously don't think that marriage and living together sound as bad as they seem in movies and dramas.

We have dinner plans but things are not concrete cos obviously dining here doesn't require reservations. So, let's just see what we feel like feeding ourselves tonight. P just called to inform that he would be late and I would have to wait in the office for another hour or so for him to come fetch me. OMG!