rainstop: the ramblings of eve the bimbo

Five weeks.

2012-01-28T02:46:00.001+08:00

It has been five weeks since we got married... Other than the incessant "生个龙宝宝!" comment, the most common question has been "How is it like living together now?"I must say that living with Hubby's family has been very different from what I imagined... Though we dated for a decade, I hardly met or spoke to his family as they are not close. However, our marriage seems to have brought everyone together. He, his brother and dad are communicating more regularly...My in-laws cook more often than usual now, and my father-in-law even calls Hubby to ensure that we have eaten the food... My brother-in-law has also been boiling soup and sharing it with us, and even SMSing Hubby to remind him to let me have a bowl. Hurhur. I can only say that the husband is jealous of the special attention I'm getting... Because he never used to get such affection :PPerhaps it's easier to show care for a woman? Men tend to be more cool about their feelings for each other. Haha... Either way, I'm really blessed and thankful to receive their love. And tell me, how not to get fatter like that?!? I'm not a good cook and I must admit that I don't have much of an interest in culinary affairs... But I guess I should start learning soon so I can whip up some dishes for my in-laws too... :)

新年快乐! Happy monniversary!

2012-01-23T21:55:00.001+08:00

新年快乐 from the Zhongs! :)

Happy one month being married to me and Hubby too! :)

The last of the rabbit.

2012-01-23T01:58:00.001+08:00

This is how we spent the last day of the rabbit year...Our first reunion dinner with Hubby's family at his uncle's place:

We headed back to my 娘家 after that... And decided to go to West Coast Park with my sis, KL and Hershey! The photo isn't very clear, but Mel was getting ready to ride on the flying fox :P

We had fun on the hammock swing :)

Ended our night with hot chocolate at McCafe... Because it started pouring madly and the weather was so cold!

Happy 龙年!!! May it be a prosperous new year for us :)- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Red packets.

2012-01-22T18:13:00.001+08:00

Red packets all ready for our first CNY as Mr & Mrs Zhong! :)

Didn't realize how much it would cost until we started packing the money into the red packets... Never felt more grown-up before :PCan't wait to give out the red packets to our family tomorrow! HUAT AH!!!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Eve of CNY Eve!

2012-01-22T00:49:00.001+08:00

Met up with Zhen and Justina for a date with our favourite Bakerzin mango mousse cake :)And guess what, we were in colour-coordinated outfits!!! Hehe.

Mell, KL and hubby came to pick me up after that... And we spotted the rainbow while we were on the PIE!

The sister and I were squealing away in the car. Muahaha. And look where we went!

Prawning at Bishan!!! Lol. Keave & Noelle joined us too :)Other random photos for today:My CNY nails :)

Pineapple tarts Mell and I ordered from our Liza sayo!!! She put our names on it!

Loving the cute hello kitty spectacles frame I got at $6.90!

Camwhoring with it :P

And that's how I spent the eve of CNY eve :)- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Coordinated.

2012-01-19T22:21:00.001+08:00

Been going to Jurong Point every day after work... I'm getting sick of that place :PWent for bellyblitz class at amore with my sis on Wednesday... While our dudes shopped around to kill time. Hehe. The husband's epic face :D

And the sister and I were most pleasantly surprised and amused to see that we were decked in similar outfits- polka dots tops, black bottoms and sparkly flats! :)

Sisters who still think alike despite being apart... Hee. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Living our vows.

2012-01-18T09:52:00.001+08:00

Hubby and I are taking turns to be unwell... I was down with a sore throat on Monday, and he boiled honey lemon for me to drink. Then it was his turn to be hit by a bad toothache last night. I helped him make a dental appointment first thing this morning. Didn't have a good sleep too as I was coughing and sneezing the whole night :(We're truly living out our vows of loving each other in sickness and in health... Hehe. Praying for us to get well before CNY!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fruitful Saturday!

2012-01-15T03:20:00.001+08:00

Saturday was spent in a fruitful way with my loved ones...Lunch and drawing money at the bank with hubby (time to prepare red packets for CNY!)...

Pedicure with Justina in the evening, followed by an unusual dinner with the besties...

We had Haagen Dazs ice-cream waffles, Mac fries and Yakun tea for dinner. Hehe. Dinner for grown-ups is all about eating what you REALLY want to eat, right? ;)Really treasure our threesome dates...

My pretty besties :)

The night didn't end there! Met up with the hubby, sister, Kailun & Hershey after that for prawning! Haha :)

Happy happy me!!!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Snapshots

2012-01-14T00:12:00.001+08:00

It's the end of week 2 of term 1 :) finding joy in teaching a P1 class all over again... Some of them are really such babies, but adorable to the max :) Like one of my girls who will randomly walk up to me (as I'm teaching!!!) and put her hands around me in a big hug. I don't know whether to scold her (for getting out of her seat w/o permission) or say thank you! Lol. So I'll just nod and carry on with what I'm saying though my heart has melted... :PRandom photos throughout the week:Still my favourite app... Photobooth :)

A collage done by Zhen, who was on MC the past two weeks. Hehe thanks!!!

Still missing my sis and manja Hershey... :)

And finally, a end-of-the-week treat from hubby to reward me for surviving tonight's meet the parents session at work!

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Loneliness

2012-01-10T01:00:00.001+08:00

It's the first night I'm sleeping alone after we got married! Hubby's away on a one-night staff retreat... After having his companionship and warmth for the past 17 nights, it feels so weird to be alone on our bed... So this is how loneliness feels like. On a night like this, thinking of the husband, my sis and Hershey! :*) Goodnight! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Time to get organised.

2012-01-08T22:42:00.001+08:00

Finally got my organiser for 2012! :)

I resisted getting anything too cutesy (my favourite Rilakkuma!!!), because it's time to grow up... Wahaha. Chose one with a toy poodle on the cover so that I'll be reminded of Hershey everytime I use it :)

It's time to get organized!!!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blessed!

2012-01-08T15:12:00.001+08:00

After being married for over 2 weeks, I miss being at my 娘家. Miss the company of my sister, brother & Hershey!!! Thankfully my sis whatsapps me photos of them occasionally... Like this:

Teehee cute hor. And I finally got to see Hershey on Friday!!!

Of course, I'm well taken care of at my new home too :)My father-in-law asked hubby yesterday if I drink 黑鸡汤... And this morning, we awoke to fragrant home-boiled 黑鸡汤 cooked by Aunty!The perfect remedy for a rainy day and a throbbing headache :)

Though I don't get to see my FIL often because of his work timing, I can feel his care for me. Of course, not forgetting my dear husband who warmed up and served me the soup! He also had to mix Panadol into hot water for me for my headache :P<3- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Besties.

2012-01-08T15:02:00.001+08:00

It feels good to be meeting up as a trio once again... It's been a while :)First time was on Thursday, because Zhen injured her foot and was stuck at home since Monday! Justina and I popped by to have dinner with her...

Then, we met up for lunch yesterday! Went to Hatched :)

Did I mention that the food is nice? I'm in love with the waffles!

Hopefully, this good start will signify a better & stronger friendship for the 3 of us in 2012!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy new year!!!

2012-01-02T18:37:00.001+08:00

Back in Singapore... Missing the cold weather, friendly people and good food in Taipei :))

Lots of things to get used to now that we're back to reality! Hehe. Still trying to adjust to going back to a different home every day, sleeping in a different room every night, calling his dad "爸", him calling my mum "Mother"... Hee :)Chinese New Year is arriving and things will be so different this year. But it's all good!Happy 2012 dear all :)- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

We're loving it!

2011-12-30T09:21:00.001+08:00

On our honeymoon in Taipei... And we're loving every minute together :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:07:00.001+08:00

Spending our first Christmas as Mr & Mrs Zhong!

It's surreal to be back in church where we were married just 2 days ago. :) Basking in bliss & love!

Merry Christmas dear friends... Let the spirit of generosity go beyond the season of Christmas <3

Our day.

2011-12-22T23:29:00.001+08:00

I can't quite describe my feelings now. Another 6 hours before I wake up to a new day, 8 hours before he arrives at my place, and in 12 hours, we'll be getting ready to walk down the aisle in church.

I'm so excited I can't contain it!

I'll be updating our wedding blog throughout the day tomorrow, whenever I have time :) thank God for mobile blogging. Hehe.

So... get your live updates from mrandmrszhong.wordpress.com :))

The next time I blog here, I'll be Mrs Zhong!!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Smile :))

2011-12-21T01:40:00.001+08:00

2 days to our wedding!!! :))

It hasn't been an easy journey. Especially in this last week when there are so many loose ends to tie up and both of us are suffering from lack of sleep... Every little thing will cause us to snap!

But even in the darkest of clouds, there's always a silver lining.

The most memorable incident this week was when I was very upset over some issues with my mum and he had to become the middleman. I managed to control my tears throughout the talk. But as he left, I couldn't help but tear over how bad things have become between me and my mum.

He looked me in the eyes and told me not to cry. To ignore everyone else, smile and be the most beautiful bride.

Unexpected sweet words from him which touched my heart. His patience, graciousness and love for me and my family never fails to amaze me.

Anxiously awaiting :)

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Changes ahead.

2011-12-14T17:59:00.001+08:00

9 more days to our wedding!!!

Omg where did all the time in the world go to?

While we are busy with preparations, I've been thinking a lot too... Thinking of how life will change after 23 December :)

I guess the biggest change will be having to leave my home and staying at his place. I'll no longer be sleeping with my sis and Hershey every night... It will be weird at first. But it brings comfort to me to know that they're just 5 minutes away from us!

Of course, leaving my own home means I'll be entering a new home. Having to live with Gordie darl will be interesting! Haha. The biggest challenge will be having to live under the same roof as his family, whom he is not very close to. His dad is a man of few words, but I've been touched by how involved he has been in the wedding... Especially in recent weeks :)

Like how he took the initiative to buy a gold chain for me, which made Gordie so jealous :P
And a simple action of taking the trouble to duplicate the house keys for me, when we didn't ask him to... It makes me feel very accepted :)

Despite all the changes, I know that my love for my family will never change! And I'll make space in my heart for my new family too :)

The countdown continues...

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Bachelorette Parties!

2011-12-04T01:05:00.001+08:00

I've been having a whale of a time the past one week, celebrating my remaining bachelorette-hood with my amazing groups of friends :)

First up was the Hen Night with my jiemeis on 26 November!

We had dinner at Brewerkz, followed by drinks at Pump Room where I got totally drunk... Hehe.

The gear- tiara and sash!

With my jiemeis- Justina, Ellse, Meizhen, Noelle, Kexin, Stacey, Mell & Taoli :)

With my sis ;)

Dragged up to the bar top and danced there for... An hour?!?

Next was the long-awaited yacht trip on 30 November with the kakis@work to celebrate my wedding and the end of our school year ;)

The gear- homemade sash (Learner Bride!), Bride Spade & helmet!

What's a party without games? I was powdered!!! Wahaha.

On St John's Island! :)

The jump shot!

I love my BT09! Thank you for organizing this awesome day for me!

And just today, 3 December, June dated me just to celebrate my upcoming wedding :)

The gear- beautiful flowers that surprised me and handmade headgear!!!

I didn't know what it said at first!

Had to ask the lady to read it to me :P

Yes, it says "I'll be married in 20 days!!!"

<3 this shot taken by June

Thank you girl for organizing this amazing day for me and for painstakingly making the headgear and card, preparing the flowers, the wedding blessing, and the heartfelt prayer at the end of our meal.

Your friendship is so precious to me!

I've been so blessed by all my friends. Thank you for showing me so much love! I look forward to 23 December that much more because of what all of you have done for me :)

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Climbing up up up!

2011-11-26T01:26:00.001+08:00

Gordie darl and I took part in the Vertical Marathon again this year! With my sis and Kailun too, just like last year :)

After last year, we had told ourselves NO WAY!!! Especially when there was a screw-up for our timings last year and our result wasn't reflected in the official release. But somehow, we ended up registering again :P

I wanted to push my limits and see how fast I could go this time... Especially since I've been diligently working out the past one year! Hehe.

It was held on 21 November, Sunday.

Us before the race started:

A group photo with Mel's friends before the Lovebirds category started.

We were flagged off close to noon, and I felt slightly more confident this time since I knew what to expect.

The first twenty floors were good! I didn't feel much fatigue and my legs could withstand the climbing. My stamina was holding up well too :)

The effect came in between the 40th-50th stories. But I pushed myself and didn't stop climbing even though Gordie darl asked me to rest many times! Hehe. We just kept climbing non-stop... And soon, we were at the 73rd floor!!! Woohoo :)

The view that made everything worth it (click to enlarge).

We did it!!! Lots of photos :P

Group photos with his colleagues and my sis & KL!

Back downstairs, we stayed to collect our free photos! Hehe. And we were in total awe of the oldest participant of the vertical marathon:

He's 85!!! And he made it to the top. Now what excuse do the rest of us have? :P

Anyway, Gordie darl and I timed ourselves during the race and we knew for sure that we took a shorter time this year. We estimate our total time to be about 20-21 minutes, which is an improvement from last year! Our timing in 2010 was about 25 minutes, which is the data I got after emailing the organizer last year coz our timings were not reflected! -_-

Guess how long we took this time??

18 minutes!!!! :D

That's an improvement of SEVEN minutes! Heh. He was super proud of me!

So glad to have the company of my sis and KL! Muacks. Here's to a healthier us! :)

Vertical Marathon 2012, anyone?

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EOY dinner

2011-11-22T23:45:00.001+08:00

A fun night at our EOY staff dinner... Kudos to everyone who dressed to the theme!

Me with the Pharaoh. Lol

With the kawaii tribal chief.

Who is the most kawaii? :P

A proud moment for our dearest batchmates! Muacks

What would staff dinners be like without the kakis@work? :)

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The beauty of life

2011-11-22T23:12:00.001+08:00

Motherhood may still be an abstract concept to me, but looking at my girlfriends going through pregnancy has taught me so much...

And Vivien is a fine example of a new mummy I look up to! Having been there right from the moment she found out about her pregnancy to when she was in labour, I feel that I was blessed to be part of her journey in a small way :)

And on 17 November, Trevor came out to meet the world!

Me with mummy and baby :)

Felt so amazed. So blessed. So touched. 妈妈最伟大!

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The end.

2011-11-19T23:14:00.001+08:00

It's the end of the school year! We survived 4 terms, 40 weeks, and countless sleepless nights! :)

Understandably, all of us were in a celebratory mood on Friday. Had lunch together in school to bid farewell to two members from our P2 2011 team who will be leaving for greener pastures...

The ladies of P2 :)

And thanks to the transformer-like figurines that our comrade gave us as farewell gifts...

... we ended up doing some silly poses too :P

What a year it has been!

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Busy!!!

2011-11-13T03:16:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I blogged... Which is testament to how busy I've been with work and marriage preps the past two weeks.

I've been so highly strung due to the stress. Need to let it all out!!! Thanks to Noelle and Keave for letting me and Gordie Darl tag along on their prawning trip just now... Hee. The guys were busy prawning while me and Elle occupied ourselves chit-chatting :P

Random photos...

My favourite dinner nowadays-cheese pancake and soya bean with pearls!

I'm known to be quite a fussy eater, but once I find something nice, I'll be completely obsessed with it for days! Till I find something else, that is.

And this has been my usual dinner staple the past two weeks either before or after my daily workout at Amore. I usually have a heavy breakfast, followed by light snacks for lunch, and the above for dinner :)

Speaking of workout, i'm mighty pleased with the new fitness gloves I bought, after a year!

Been wanting to get them for my New Body (conditioning & toning using weights) and kickboxing classes, but never had the confidence to do so till recently. Super hiao right? Lol.

Dinner with Gordie darl at Liang Court last Saturday, before we met his ex-colleagues for a drinking session...

Our group photo for the night! These are his coursemates from the navy...

Made use of the recent Hari Raya Haji PH to head to the zoo with our favourite relatives- Kuma and family :)

Our niece Annabelle is such a darling :) and Gordie darl has grown to love kids a lot more after interacting with her the past year...

Last photo: looking forward to the vertical marathon next Sunday! Collected the race packs for myself, Gordie, Mel & KL today :)

Meanwhile, wedding preps are full-force now. Visit mrandmrszhong.wordpress.com for updates :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bliss is...

2011-10-30T22:47:00.001+08:00

... going on a spontaneous prawning trip at midnight on a Saturday. Watching him experience the thrills of prawning, then eating the prawns together at 3am :P

And of course, the ultimate bliss was just sitting there and eating the prawns that he caught, washed, prepared, bbqed and peeled... :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Full circle.

2011-10-30T00:10:00.001+08:00

It's funny how certain things in life go full-circle and end up right where they were meant to be...

Just like your friendship :)

6 months ago, I wouldn't have thought that the two of us would be able to sit down, chit chat and have a meal together. But time has proved me wrong once again :) We had a great catch-up session tonight and it really warmed my heart!

We've experienced so many ups and downs in our 13 years of friendship, but I'm glad we survived them all. Truly blessed with your friendship!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The cause of my backaches :P

2011-10-28T00:20:00.001+08:00

Been doing a lot of this lately because I've been on the laptop a lot, doing research on Taipei hotels for our mini honeymoon! :P

Source: http://9gag.com/gag/417104 (Love 9GAG!!!)

That's EXACTLY how I look like when I'm at home- messy tied-up hair, spectacles, comfy clothes... Hehe.

Don't forget to check out mrandmrszhong.wordpress.com for updates! :)

His love.

2011-10-25T01:54:00.001+08:00

It's late and I have to be up early tomorrow morning, but I've been wanting to post this since Saturday...

Gordie darl has had his bike license since 2004... his first bike was the Phantom, then the Super 4, before he bought his FIRST first-hand bike in October 2005.

It was one of his favourite models- the Fazer :)

It was a good vehicle which brought us to many places and many dates the past 5 years. After getting my car in 2009, we used it considerably lesser when we went out together... but still, it was always exhilarating when he picked me up on his bike!

All the times when it rained while we were on the bike... how he would zip through traffic... and of course, the furthest we went on the Fazer was to Desaru in July 2009!

Good times indeed :)

Thus, it was with great sadness that Gordie darl sold it away last Saturday. It has been something he has been mulling over for some time, since he is in office wear every day and barely rides the bike nowadays.

We're not short of money in any way and have been coping fine with wedding expenses (thanks to his prudent ways and good saving habits). In fact, although he is drawing a lower salary now, he has never tried to shortchange our wedding in any way... because he knows just how important it is to me! But I guess it's always handy to have the extra cash, and the bike was just collecting dust anyway.

So anyway... sigh. He sold the bike. Though he didn't say it explicitly, I know he has been feeling pretty down about it. It was his first proper bike after all! And that's what makes me so proud of him- his bike was his love, but he loves me even more! He's mature enough to prioritise and know what's more important at this stage of our lives...

I guess it's for the better too since I no longer have to worry about his safety when he's on the bike! And of course, we look forward to the very near future when we combine resources to get a bigger & more comfortable car. Hehe...

It's ok if you have no bike or no car... as long as we're together, no destination is too far :)

My 26th Birthday Surprise Party!

2011-10-22T01:06:00.001+08:00

Yes, I know it does sound odd for me to have a party, not to mention a surprise party, at the grand old age of 26... hehe.

But thanks to 3 fantastic girlfriends of mine plus awesome friends, it was made possible :)

On 8 October (Sat), I thought I was meeting Meizhen and Noelle for our quarterly baking session, in honour of my birthday this time. We had excitedly chosen recipes and thought of what designs to make on our cupcakes, and the both of them even bought flour and sugar just to make everything look normal.

When we reached Noelle's place, Meizhen was mysteriously drawn to the fridge which was in a hidden corner of the kitchen. I followed her there and we spent a couple of minutes oooh-ing and aah-ing at the things in the fridge. Wahahaha I know it sounds super funny but I did not smell anything fishy! (Pardon the pun)

Then, I started thinking... "Hmmm aren't we taking too long at the fridge? Actually there's nothing much to see here already..." And that's when I started suspecting something was wrong... but even then, I thought they were just trying to hide the birthday cake from me!

Meanwhile, unknown to me, 16 of my friends had gathered in Noelle's room... all ready to make their guest appearance.

I was soon led out to the counter top in the kitchen... the first thing I saw was the cake, which surprised me! Then.... I looked up and saw many familiar faces in front of me...

My secondary school pals, my NIE girlfriends... OMG. They burst into a birthday song for me and I started crying uncontrollably. Seriously, I didn't stop crying till 30 minutes later!!!

Watch the video to see the whole surprise in action!

I think the funniest part was when I went "EH!!!" upon seeing the cake, then stunned into jaw-dropping stunned silence as I saw all of them in front of me. WAHAHAHA.

The cakes that were specially made for me :')

The Rilakkuma one was made by Elle (I'm a fan of the character!), while the other was made by BFF Zhen! Super touched!

Cutting the cakes!

I was still unable to control my tears in between! Kept breaking down because I just couldn't believe that everyone was there just for me...

Of course, it was also a birthday celebration for the October babies!

Ron, Iris, Kev, Lingyang and me! My bros! <3

Caught in action as I cried again... Kev looks helpless! :D

My NIE Girlfriends, Noelle and Meizhen. Plus the SUPER unexpected girlfriends - June, Wanyu & Jasmine! :')

Sec sch guys- Kev, Ron, LY, GW, Teck and Bok :)

Sec sch gals- BFF Zhen, Justina, Taoli, Stacey (super unexpected too!!!) and the dudes' other halves- Ellse, Iris & Elaine.

Sec sch pals *bawls*

Yup... still crying.

Cried even more when I found out that they had catered a buffet spread for us! Like how could it get even better!!!

Then, my bro and mum appeared... OMG.

My sister was part of the surprise too but she couldn't be there coz' she was working! Still, was extremely touched to see my family involved too...

The video and photos above are all from Justina! Thanks babe! (Pardon my blotchy skin because I was crying non-stop...wahahaha)

We spent the rest of the evening eating, chit-chatting and playing Kinect!!!

Gordie darl's zombie dance... :P

Ended off the splendid day by watching Real Steel with the sec sch pals & Gordie darl. Fantastic movie to seal the wonderful memories :)

I must really thank Keave & Noelle for hosting my surprise party in their beautiful & cosy home. Super grateful!
And of course, to all my wonderful friends who took time out to be there for me. Especially my fellow October babies, Kev Ron & LY, who always have to share the limelight with me although it's their birthdays too.

Lastly, I must thank the 3 masterminds of this surprise party who planned this out of love for me! You girls pulled it off sooooo well! I really didn't have a clue at all :)

I really don't know how to thank all my friends for doing this for me. But I'm really blessed with all these angels in my life. Thank you all!!! BIG HUGS!

Happy nails!

2011-10-20T19:39:00.001+08:00

4 days of PSLE Marking went by just like that :)

Just some random updates...

- delighted to see a number of my girlfriends pregnant! It's exceptionally exciting when these are people close to you... Hope they will have smooth pregnancies and safe delivery of their babies. Makes me think of how I'll be like when it's my turn! Haha... Been diligently doing my Natural Family Planning charting since August and it's interesting to note how much better I know my cycle now, i.e when my peak (ovulation) day is. Quite accurate so far! Hopefully can put the knowledge to good use when we start next year :)

- Honeymoon booking in progress! We're looking at travelling to Taipei for a few days as a mini-honeymoon since I won't have much time. And I'm blessed to have Gordie darl who has been super supportive and hands-on :) He has taken the initiative to do research on the hotels we can stay in. He never fails to amaze me :)

And just to end off before I go for my workout... Here are my happy nails!!!

Back to school tmr! So thankful that i'll be screaming TGIF soon! :)

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Flowers!

2011-10-14T22:19:00.001+08:00

It's the start of the birthday weekend! :)

Look at what Gordie darl surprised me with after work!

Roses in my favourite colour! :)

So sweet of him! My last birthday as his girlfriend :P hopefully there will still be flowers next year! Wahaha.

Just returned from dinner with the family and going to prepare for the Batam trip tmr!

Be back soon ;)

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Surprise!!!

2011-10-10T02:11:00.001+08:00

It has been a weekend of an unexpected surprise. One which made me realize how blessed I am to have friends who genuinely care for me and love me...

Lots of photos and a video to share! But for now... Here's a solo pic of me after crying :P

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Happy Children's Day!

2011-10-07T12:09:00.002+08:00

It's nice to enjoy yet another long weekend... Thanks to the change in the Children's Day Holiday to the first Friday in October! (same goes for Teacher's Day- first Friday in Sept!)

Back at the bridal studio again today... Hopefully can find the gown of my dreams today :)

Happy Children's Day to the young and young-at-heart! Especially to the darlings in my class!

Here's to celebrating the exuberance and joy of being a child :)

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Here's to the last quarter of 2011!

2011-10-01T12:37:00.001+08:00

I'm excited about October!!! Not just because it's my birthday month... but because there are so many exciting things lined up!

There's Children's Day celebration on 6 October, gown re-choosing on 7 October, birthday baking session on 8 October with Noelle & Meizhen, and meeting with my Jiemeis on 9 October for their dress fitting!

And all that just in the first week! :)

Not to mention my birthday getaway to Batam with Gordie darl on 15-16 October. And the October Babies' Bday Celebration with the sec sch pals on 22 October!

What better way to start off this spectacular month than partying with the sec sch pals tonight in honour of Ron's birthday? :)

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Unhurried time for myself

2011-09-29T00:10:00.001+08:00

After 2 days of working double sessions (7am to 6pm) because of the school-wide oral exams, I deserve a proper 8 hours of sleep tonight and a good unhurried breakfast tomorrow.

With both fulfilled, hopefully I'll be less short-fused with the kiddos :X it's getting too easy to snap at them nowadays... It takes so much to control my emotions at times, because I care too much for them.

Miss Chan signing out...

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Fun with the colleagues!

2011-09-24T18:35:00.001+08:00

Some photos to share from
Teacher's Day! :)

Went onstage to receive award for Vibrant Classroom... Second year in a row! I'm in an awkward pose because Stepf suddenly appeared to snap a shot and everyone was stunned... Lol :P

Silver recipients!

My dearest BT09 batchmates! <3

A few of us ladies headed to Clarke Quay after that for Part 2! :)

Drinking at Arena... I don't think I've ever drank so much!!! Haha

I don't usually drink a lot and my girlfriends know that it takes only two glasses to make me high. Wahaha. Had a lot more than two glasses that night!

I wasn't wasted, just incredibly giggly and high. To the extent that I don't remember snapping this photo with Stepf!!!

She sent it to me a few days later... And laughed at me when I admitted that I had no recollection of that photo :P

Fun fun fun!

Anyway, I love my colleagues!!! They're organizing a Hen's night for me during the holidays... In conjunction with our year-end retreat! Hehe :) if all goes well, we will most likely be going a-sailing! Super exciting...

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Last wedding dinner of the year!

2011-09-24T02:23:00.001+08:00

Attended the last wedding dinner of the year this evening! It's the last because the 3-months-superstition on wedding dinners starts from today!

For those not in the know, the Chinese believe that couples who are going to get married should not attend another wedding 3 months before their own, to prevent a clash of good luck.

Gordie darl and I were contemplating if we should attend this wedding because it's on 23 September whereas ours is 23rd December... But we eventually decided to go! It's hard to resist the feel-good atmosphere of weddings :)

It was the wedding of Jasmine & Jeremy! Both are from our secondary school; he was Gordie darl's senior whereas she was my Sec 1 & 2 classmate!

:)

Gordie darl knows the groom's parents quite well because they literally watched him grow up in secondary school... And Uncle was nice enough to snap another photo with us when he realized he wasn't in the group photo above :)

I love the idea of the photos being printed instantly and given to the guests within minutes. So glad that we're having a similar service on our wedding night! Hee :)

Congratulations to the blissful couple!

3 more months to go before our own... And after that, the next wedding we attend together will be as Mr & Mrs Zhong!

To end the night, Mr Zhong made me put on the cowboy hat that was part of the props for a wedding he was helping out at last weekend. I look silly!!! :P

Goodnight world!

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My weight loss journey...

2011-09-22T00:27:00.001+08:00

It has been a year since I joined Amore with BFF Zhen... I still remember how we ended up signing up with them. I was looking for a place to learn MTV dance and she expressed interest in joining me... We had just gone for the pole dancing trial at Acro Polates that fateful Saturday and was having lunch at Jurong Point when we passed by Amore. And... tadah! We became members :P

Thus began a journey of keeping fit. It wasn't easy initially, especially for someone like me who did not like exercising and had zero sports inclination. Wahaha. The only sports I did was the occasional jog around the estate with Gordie darl, and even then, you could hardly call it a jog because I was always out of breath within the first couple of minutes and had to walk. At that point of time, Gordie darl and I hadn't discussed having our wedding yet. So I guess the main reason for me to join Amore was to get myself healthy before my body started to break down.

I wasn't fat. Yet I wasn't the born-skinny type of girl too. I knew I had my problem areas... thighs, tummy, arms. Not to mention my round face :(

Case in point: Photo taken in May 2010, four months before I joined Amore.

Photo of me and Zhen when we first joined in September 2010!

You can also dig up plenty of past photos of me from the blog archives la... LOL.

As I tried out more classes at Amore and discovered some fun ones like Belly Blitz and MTV, I soon found myself getting hooked... I started attending classes almost every day. Unknowingly, my stamina improved and I found myself being able to catch up with the routines in class. I love dancing, so dance classes appealed more to me. Having Personal Training and being hardworking in the gym soon became a part of my life. As much as I hated running and cardio routines, I knew that was the only way to lose the flab.

It wasn't immediate, though. From September to December 2010, I didn't see any significant weight loss or difference in my size. The change was internal; I felt myself being more refreshed and alert. Holding the poses during Pilates also became increasingly easy... Not to mention having a better memory because I had to use more of my brain power to remember dance steps for MTV and Belly Blitz :P

Sometime in January this year, I began to notice the external changes. Colleagues and friends began to comment that I was becoming smaller and slimmer. My clothing size dropped from a UK 10/12 to UK 6/8. My weight dropped from 55kg to 48kg. It has since gone up to 49/50kg because of my muscles! I could see the difference when I looked at my photos. But not only did I become smaller, I was stronger too. I finally had muscles! Hehe. My core stomach muscles became more developed too. From running at a speed of 6.5 on the treadmill for 2 minutes and getting breathless, I could now go up to a speed of 9 and run continuously for 15 minutes.

Me in August/September 2011, almost a year after I joined Amore.

I'm not exactly petite now, but definitely more toned compared to the first photo of me in the yellow top last year.

Then, there's my face... Gosh, I almost fainted when I dug up this photo of me in August 2010, just before I joined Amore!

Super fat face can?!? Argh.

And me in August/September 2011...

Again, I don't have a pixie face now (have to change the jaw and bone structure for that, which I can't do on my own! LOL), but regular exercise has definitely helped in reducing the water retention and chubbiness in my face!

So yes, there has been a positive change in my body in the past year. But it boils down to lots of hard work too. My method might not work for everyone because our bodies are different! I don't starve myself, but I know that if I have to eat at unearthly timings, I should not overeat or stuff myself full. I still have my ice-cream and sweets and cakes AND BUBBLE TEA EVERYDAY (sweet tooth alert! can't overcome that), but I balance that out with exercise at least four times a week! I know what my limits are and I don't over-exert myself.

My usual classes

Monday: Kickboxing

Tuesday: Pilates

Wednesday: Belly Blitz (occasionally followed by CardioLatino, if I'm not too tired)

Thursday: Gym

Friday: New Body (weights & toning), LO (low-impact aerobics)

Saturday: New Body, Hi-Lo (high and low impact aerobics)

Sunday: Belly Blitz & Gym (occasionally followed by Kickboxing if I have the energy :P)

It may seem like a lot, but to be honest, I don't usually feel super tired. If I'm having a bad day, I will just skip the lessons because I know it is alright. If I have to go for a buffet or attend a wedding dinner, I know that it's fine to eat more. Because my body has adjusted itself already. I will not suddenly become fat or skinny just because of what I do on any one particular day :P

Of course, I also have the people around me to thank for motivating me...

My Personal Trainer, Liza, who has become my dear friend :)

My sister, who joined Amore a few months back... it's fun to work out with her! Hehe

My NIE gems Noelle & Meizhen, who have since become members too. They motivated me to go for kickboxing on Mondays!

Of course, I also became extra motivated after Gordie darl and I settled on our wedding date... which bride doesn't want to look good in their wedding gown? :P

And not forgetting the one who started this journey with me- Zhen! Thank you for being my companion this past year! :)

Yup, I snapped that photo a few days ago after our workout... wahaha. I'm so gonna miss her when her unlimited membership ends next week! Argh. She will only be going for one lesson every week after that...

Thankfully, I will still have the company of my sister and girlfriends :) We must all jia you!!!

It's really about having the right attitude and having the discipline to work out and eat well! You don't have to join a fitness club to do that!

First-aider!!!

2011-09-17T14:17:00.001+08:00

I was on a full 3-days course this week- Standard First Aid! It's rare to find a course that's so long, and even more rare that the school will let me go for this course since I'm not a PE-trained teacher though I teach PE. But I really wanted to equip myself with first aid skills... It's something that I could put to use in my personal life too.

I felt a bit lonely during the course coz my kakis at work didn't manage to join the same one... But I had lots of fun too :)

For one, it was a course where shorts are allowed!!! :P

Had fun bandaging and being bandaged on Day 2! Hehe

And after three days...

Tadah!!!

I'm a certified first-aider! :D just waiting for the card now. Hehe

But it got me thinking too... Would I really be brave enough to put my skill to good use when the need arises? Would I do CPR on a stranger who has collapsed on the street? Would I remember how to bandage a pupil who has broken bones?

I guess it's the kind of questions that you can't answer till you're faced with the actual situation.

But I certainly hope I won't get to use this 'graduation gift' from BFF Zhen...

(to be used for mouth-to-mouth during resuscitation)

First-aid trained, and proud of it! ^_^

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Dinners.

2011-09-14T23:38:00.001+08:00

We attended his cousin's wedding last night. It was the first time I attended as part of his family... What a nice feeling :)

I was glad to see his cousins being excited about our upcoming nuptials... The excitement rubs off on me too! Hee.

Anyway, this will be one of the last few weddings we attend for the year. The last one will be on 23 September (exactly 3 months before!), for a sec sch friend's wedding :)
after that, we will stick to the rule of not attending other weddings 3 months before our wedding! For fear of 冲喜.

And after 23 September, the future weddings we attend from next year onwards will be as Mr & Mrs Zhong! :)

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Revamped bedroom.

2011-09-12T08:36:00.001+08:00

Revamping the bedroom that my sis and I share has been a big project the past couple of weeks.

For the past decade, we have been using the same furniture and it was really time for a change especially after seeing all the dust that was collecting in our room. It was nearly impossible to clean because of the pull-out bed+wardrobe+table set which left us with virtually no space to walk.

Thank God for allowing us to find furniture within our budget, and for our father who did help us a lot in removing the old furniture and setting up the new ones.

And that's how we went from this:

(the wardrobe was set on a platform so we couldn't reach anything underneath it for the past 10 years. Ugh)

To this:

We finally have a proper bed!!! Omg. Haha. Not to mention proper storage for our barang barang. You can't imagine how much two girls can accumulate... Threw out plenty of stuff too.

It's still a work in progress so things are still a bit messy, but I love our room so much more already! We can finally see the floor and walk around freely! Lol.

I'll only be in here for another 3 months though... Must fully appreciate it! :)

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4 Sept 2011 (Sun): Happy birthday to the baby of the family!

2011-09-04T23:18:00.047+08:00

We had a feast at Shangri-La's The Line this evening, in celebration of Gab's 20th birthday. He turns 20 this Wednesday, and I thought it would be nice for the family to have a decadent dinner together. We rarely do so but this was an exception because he will be enlisting into NS in less than 2 weeks' time... We will miss him so much! :;(

Some photos of the night! We spent four hours eating there! Wahaha. The variety of food wasn't that great... but the dessert line-up was awesome.

Gordie darl totally enjoyed the fresh prawns and oysters which were shucked on the spot! The cereal prawns were yummy too.

Don't they have the same look in their eyes? Wahaha

The brother and his sinfully diabetic dessert.

His power nap after stuffing his tummy. He woke up shortly after, ready for Round 2! :P

Sisters :)

The siblings! Do we look alike?

Instant photos!

My camera battery died just as we ended dinner... so had to make do with the iphone camera for a family photo :( It's still nice though! Hehe

*bimbo mode* The first thing I noticed about the above photo was my legs... wahaha. It's either a very VERY flattering angle, or my vigorous trainings the past year have finally paid off in a big way (as compared to other areas of my body which have become more toned... my legs never seem to look nice until now)!!! Teeheehee. I don't know any Photoshop so it definitely isn't any virtual touch-up :P

Ok, bimbotic moment is over. You can't take the bimbo out of me. Argh...

Anyway, happy birthday to the baby of the family. We all love you no matter what!

My diary.

2011-09-04T01:10:00.001+08:00

Been packing my room and digging up old photos and diaries. It's such a surreal feeling to be reading through my old diaries. They were written when I was 16 & 17, which makes them about a decade old.

Most of the people I wrote about are still a part of my life now... And I couldn't help but giggle when I read what I wrote about Gordie darl. Haha. Much of my almost-daily diary entries were about... surprise, surprise- him! :P

We had just gotten together at that time and our relationship was very fresh, which explains my excitement! Being 16/17 and newbies to the relationship game, we were SUPER shy around each other... I even recorded every single date we had- what we did, where we went, the clothes we wore... OMG. Haha.

Here's an excerpt from 28 Feb 2001... about 3 months after we got together.

HAHAHA. I can't believe I wrote that!!! Well guess what, it IS happening!!!

It brought a smile to my face reading about the sweetness I felt to be with someone as genuine as him... And to know that some things never change- I already knew that he was unromantic at that age! :P

Reading all those stuff made me feel all mushy inside and remember just how far we have come :) and knowing with even more determination that he is the one I want to grow old with...

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Hershey & Toby

2011-09-03T01:07:00.001+08:00

Hershey turns 3 years and 2 months on Sunday!

She never fails to entertain my sis and I before bedtime every night... She has this ritual of playing with each of her toys before sleeping. Lol.

Yup, that's her full collection of favorite toys. See if you can spot Giraffe, Triangle, and her most favourite of all- the toy doggie Toby!

Hershey loves doing the "Toby dance", where she goes into some sort of a trance while biting the stuffed dog. :P

This video is taken under dim lighting, but you can see her doing the dance! Hehe.

YouTube Video

Hershey is our darling!

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Thankful.

2011-08-31T02:29:00.001+08:00

Tonight, I thank God for having a father who, despite doing many wrongs and committing one sin too many, is still a good man at heart.

We are still not on good terms, but I acknowledge that he is still my dad no matter what.

And tonight, he showed me how much love he still has for us by singlehandedly dismantling the whole bedframe in the room I share with my sis. It's a whole set which consists of a table, wardrobe, two pull-out beds and a platform. ALL COMBINED TOGETHER. It was a novelty for us when we chose it a decade ago, but one that is no longer practical. It takes up too much space and makes the room so dusty and cramped.

I've been cracking my brains over how to get rid of it! Decided to approach him for help two days back... And he did it after much hard work today! Even helped us clean the room and pack up.

No number of apologies can make up for the emotional damage he has caused us... But it's still heartwarming to experience a bit of father's love after so long...

So, thank you.

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My fiancé, the genius :P

2011-08-30T16:40:00.001+08:00

He thinks he's smarter than me. I beg to differ (*smirks*), but there are times when I can't deny his intelligence.

Take the Rubik's Cube, for example. He actually learnt how to solve it through watching videos on YouTube! When I bought him the bigger 5x5 cube a couple of years back, he also mastered it within a day!

He has been into it again recently... Lol. 心血来潮!

Let's see how he solves this within seconds. I don't even know how he made the cube like that! Only the centre piece on each side is a different colour!

(I'm posting this video using my iPhone so I hope it works!)

YouTube Video

He has been trying to teach me... But I don't think I'll ever learn :P

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the little things matter.

2011-08-27T14:31:00.001+08:00

Every day, I count my blessings for the little things in life...

For my pupil's parent who saw me at West Mall and SMSed me to join her & her two lovely daughters for lunch. I was super touched!

For my pals & colleagues who show so much excitement and genuine interest in my wedding. Thanks Kev for taking leave already! And LY who is trying to :P I didn't even expect them to do so but they did it of their own accord. Love my bros! *fist thumps chest*

For my batchmates who are wonderful companions at work. They call me princess (in jest :P), and I never fail to be happy in their company!

Not to mention my family and husband-to-be for being patient and loving. As well as every other person in my life who I thank God for... I'm blessed!

Annual BBQ.

2011-08-22T01:09:00.001+08:00

Organised the annual BBQ with the sec sch pals and had it over the weekend! :)

It's always heartening to see all of us together... So many years of friendship and still going strong :)

Of course, we also make the annual BBQ a celebration for our August babies!

The custom-made cake I ordered for them! :)

It's gonna be a good week ahead!

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Different.

2011-08-22T01:05:00.001+08:00

Sometimes, it's rather devastating to know that although two friends may seem to be at a similar stage of their lives (e.g. both just started working / both just got married/ both are expectant mothers), their lifestyles, views and priorities couldn't be more different...

It's time to distance myself again and set my expectations straight to avoid any hurt again.

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Happy birthday Singapore!

2011-08-10T01:31:00.000+08:00

Yet another year of attending the National Day Parade with the family, thanks to mum!

People always ask if I get sick of watching it year after year, and my answer is always an unfaltering no! :)

Photos will be up soon... I know I haven't been blogging as regularly as before :(

Here's Gordie darl and me after the parade!

(P.S. Check out mrandmrszhong.wordpress.com for wedding updates!)

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The calm in the storm.

2011-08-08T00:41:00.001+08:00

As the rain poured down and thunder peppered the calm quiet morning, we snuggled together under the duvet.

With his arms tight around me, I felt the rise and fall of his chest with every breath he took... and I never felt more secure and loved.

It made me smile to realise that in a few months' time, we will be braving every thunderstorm together. Each morning, his face will be the first I see. And every night, we will kiss each other goodnight before falling asleep in each other's arms.

That in itself makes me look forward to our life together as one. It makes everything worth waiting for :)

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Time to chart!

2011-08-02T00:16:00.001+08:00

As I've mentioned on our wedding blog (mrandmrszhong.wordpress.com), Gordie darl and I have been diligently attending our marriage preparation course every week.

It's a lot of hard work and commitment, but if we are willing to put in so much now, it shows how much all this means to us and how hard we will work in future to make our marriage a successful one :)

He has been such a darling... In more ways than I can describe. The amount of interest he has in the course, in completing our couple homework, in finding out more about Catholicism... And even in attending church mass with me. I've seen a side of him I never really did before. And it touches me :)

One of the things we've learnt through the course is Natural Family Planning... A very interesting concept in line with Catholic teachings about not using contraception. We will definitely put NFP into our way of life after marriage. The preparation starts NOW! So that when December comes along, I know my body well enough to know when my fertile period is and whether to abstain or not (depending on whether we want kids or not :P).

And what I like about NFP is that it's not just about the wife doing the hard work of charting her daily observations about her body. The husband is very much a part of it too. Even before we take our vows, our commitment to NFP has started.

And because of that...Gordie darl made probably the most awkward phonecall of his life today... to inform our NFP coordinator that my period has started. Wahahahaha. Hugs and kisses to him for bravely doing it despite the shyness! :P

It's going to be an interesting journey!

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Happy 27th!

2011-07-27T23:00:00.000+08:00

Happy 27th birthday to the man of my life and my greatest love all these years!

Thank you for being so supportive, so willing to become a better partner and so loving in your own ways. I'm blessed!

And thank you for always making me laugh :)

We already celebrated his birthday over the weekend at the chalet, so just had dinner together after work just now, like any other night :) Besides, we had to be in church this evening for a lesson on Natural Family Planning (something we're learning at the marriage prep course). Thank God for a wonderful fiance who was willing to sit through it with me although it was his birthday.

Oh, and happy 128th month to us too! I am eagerly looking forward to the day when Home is where you are. I love you!

3 July 2011 (Sun): FT@GP at NEX!

2011-07-26T23:40:00.000+08:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm really blessed to have a few wonderful colleagues at work... these people are my batchmates and bring me lots of joy & comfort at work. Sometimes, all you need is that pat on the back or encouraging words to bring light to even the darkest of days. And believe me, we get plenty of 'dark' days at work. Lol.

Our batch was lucky in the sense that we were one of the biggest ever - 13 of us entered the school together way back in 2009! And out of the 13, most of us are quite close. We can just chill out together in the staff room; talking nonsense, making crappy jokes, strumming the guitar and singing... it's a nice feeling.

We took advantage of the Youth Day long weekend to meet up for our monthly gathering on 3 July, Sunday. It was my first time at NEX! Gordie darl came along too! :)

Dinner at Mad Jack!

My awesome FT@GP colleagues!

Gordie darl and I shared this... it was so good!

Group photos to end the night :)

Thank you for being a strong source of support at work! Cheers!

30 June 2011 (Thur): Gallivanting with the sister! :P

2011-07-26T23:31:00.000+08:00

Ever since my sister signed up with Amore a couple of months back, we have been spending more time together. Which is a good thing! :P We see each other every day already, but it's a totally different thing to be working out together. Hee... And it's even more fun coz' we have made friends there!

A random night when we had dinner after workout...

With our personal trainer and good friend, Liza!!!

Boo ya!

My only meal after a long day in school and workout!

Three of us :)

Vain us... hehehe

More fun times to come!

Busy weekend!

2011-07-24T23:37:00.001+08:00

Had a super busy weekend celebrating Gordie darl's birthday with the whole family! Booked a chalet and got everyone there to surprise him :)

My maternal and paternal relatives even came over on Saturday for a BBQ in his honor! Hehe. He is loved! <3

More photos and a proper entry to be up soon! No time to blog coz both of us spent the first half of our Sunday at the marriage prep course :) more details over at our wedding blog!

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Updates

2011-07-15T15:55:00.000+08:00

The flu/fever/sore throat combination has struck again! And for once, I feel that I really don't want to be home today. Because I have lots to do with my pupils!!! Argh.

Anyway, took the opportunity to clear some backlogs on my blog :) Lots of entries below! And I've updated our wedding blog too: http://mrandmrszhong.wordpress.com/

Praying that I'll recover soon!

22 June 2011 (Tue): Sisters spending time together.

2011-07-15T15:01:00.000+08:00

The June break is always packed with activities for me because it's a proper break after 20 weeks of work. I spend time with girlfriends, sec sch pals, bestie, Gordie darl, myself... and of course, family!

It's been a long time since I was at Kbox with my sis! We used to go there every holiday! Hehe.

Woke up bright and early (by holiday standards) for Klunch!

In the midst of singing, food is important too!!! Yums!

Busy singing... ahem.

Sisters!

Later that night, we headed to Woodlands Waterfront after workout at Amore. But someone else joined us this time, our trainer Liza! She is a dear friend of ours and we've been spending lots of time together :)

The nonsense we were up to:

Haha. Sorry for disturbing your peace if you were there that night :P

19 June 2011 (Sun): Happy Father's Day!

2011-07-15T14:02:00.000+08:00

Father's Day should be called Grandfather's Day for us, because we celebrate it in honour of our dearest Grandpa! :)

The maternal relatives gathered at Manhill Restaurant at Pasir Panjang for Father's Day dinner on 19 June... and as usual, the 'adults' get a table for themselves.

I think we'll always be stuck at the 'children's' table! Hahaha.

Kailun and Gab.

Want to slap him for showing this super irritating expression :P

Gordie darl and me!

Me and sis!

Our star for the night- Ah Kong!!! :D

Booya!

Grandparents with their daughters... :)

My grandparents have 13 children altogether! I'm always amazed by their life & love story. They've always been role models for us... :)

Me with siblings and our youngest cousin - Joanna!

Headed back to West Mall for desserts. Decided to try this new shop!

Looks good!

Dinner with his fam!

2011-07-15T14:00:00.022+08:00

Dinner with Gordie darl's family on 17 June! We met up quite frequently that whole week because his aunt was back in Singapore. I think it's good that he spends time with her because he's not close to the rest of his family...

I was quite paiseh that night because his aunt actually bought me a pair of earrings from Goldheart which costs $500. It's part of the wedding dowry, and I was really touched. I don't have a mother-in-law but I'm blessed to have her :)

Anyway, we got along his cousin Chanel too! Her birthday was just a couple of days before that so it was a good reason to meet up!

Me and Chanel...

And we got kinda bored on the train ride home...

She's so cute right? Hehe.

The two cousins!

I made them snap the above photo in honour of the one we found at their aunt's place... :P

This must have been in 2002... very long ago! But doesn't it make you go "Awwwwwww"? :)

Later that week, we also sent his aunt off at the airport. It was the first time we did so though she's been flying in and out of Singapore very frequently the past 6 years or so. And I could feel that Gordie darl really loves his aunt though they don't always see eye to eye. That's their way of showing love for each other, I guess :P

She'll be back in September for our food tasting. Can't wait!

17 June 2011 (Fri): The tai-tai lifestyle... for an afternoon!

2011-07-15T13:53:00.000+08:00

Met up with my dear June over the holidays for a much-needed catch-up session. We SMS each other very regularly though we don't meet, but it's just not the same as meeting face to face! :)

Erm... being narcissistic before heading out. Haha

We had lunch at Skinny Pizza! My second time eating there; first time was with Noelle and Meizhen in December'10 (entry here).

Love the pizzas there!

The squid ink pizza was fab. Didn't get to try it the last time and Elle was so sad! We'll go again next time k :D and the truffle fries were as good as I remembered! Hee.

June and I took a leisurely walk to MBS after that for dessert :)

High Society - perfect name for tai-tai wannabes like us. Wahaha. Ok, that's an inside joke la. We don't aspire to be tai-tais... really. :P

Our cakes!

Look good right? Well, they were!

June dear with her dark chocolate cake...

And me with my strawberry one!

It was a nice afternoon of chit-chat, laughter and reminiscing old times... June is someone I really appreciate spending time with because I know I can say what's on my mind without being judged. Hugs!

Us! :)

Another shot!

And before we parted ways, I handed June the bday pressie I had prepared for her! All the items inside were bought because they reminded me of her :)

Like I told her, if only everyday could be like that, where we are able to meet up for lunch and tea and watch the world go by... girl, we'll continue counting down ok! :)

16 June 2011 (Thur): Baking Diary - Nutella Cake!

2011-07-15T13:34:00.000+08:00

Baking time once again with the NIE girlfriends - Noelle and Meizhen! :) We always try to meet up to bake/cook something every holiday. We've tried lots of recipes so far - from gingerbread men to cinnamon rolls to tom yum soup to dumplings.

This June holidays, we wanted to try something idiot-proof yet yummy, so our Master Chef Meizhen suggested Nutella cake! Super droolsome... hehe

Getting ready...

My two masters hard at work ;)

Ready to get baked!

The first batch. We made a total of six trays! :)

While waiting for the cakes to be baked, we tried out Noelle's new toy - KINECT! :)

Our unglam and funny photos :P

The games we played were so fun - I especially love the one where we have to hold our poses. LOL. We were all laughing till we rolled on the floor. :D

The 3 of us have been meeting up a lot more because Noelle and Meizhen have also joined Amore! Woohoo! Hee. We will motivate each other to achieve our goals. Jia you!!!

Girlfriends who are genuine and thoughtful make my life more colourful... thank you girls! <3

Happy THIRD birthday, Hershey!

2011-07-04T17:21:00.001+08:00

Dear Hershey,

It's impossible to describe how our lives have changed since we got you. But in the past 3 years, you have brought us so much joy, bonded our family, taught us how to love and showed us just how much we are able to love.

Every day, we talk about you, we laugh at your cute antics, we play with you... all these precious moments are irreplaceable!!!

Look at the unglam way in which you sleep.

So sleepy that you dozed off in front of your food and water bowls.

And though we very much prefer your fluffy furball look, your groomed look is very adorable too! Haha. We call this the mischievous face!

And don't get me started on how much you love sleeping... zzzzzz

You have a nightly affair with your toys. We can predict when it will start... Haha. First comes Toby (a dog that we got for free when we bought Toblerone chocolate - thus the name), then comes Giraffe, then pink bear, not forgetting Triangle, followed by your chicken stick and milk stick.

See! All displayed nicely by YOU! Haha.

You and your favourite Toby. I sometimes call him your boyfriend just to tease you :P You go into a 'trance' when you start playing with Toby... too cute!

It still pains us when we have no choice but to leave you alone at home sometimes, though we always try our best to bring you wherever we go! Except that time when we went to Tokyo last year and had to leave you here for 6 days. Those were the longest 6 days EVER! We kept thinking of you in the midst of all the fun we had on our holiday. You're just like a baby to us... :)

We have considered getting you a companion, but doing so would mean dividing our attention between you and another dog and we don't know if we want that... if the day ever comes, I'm sure you would make a good big sister! As you become an 'adult', remember that you are always loved by us! Oh, and thunder is nothing to be afraid of.

People always say that a dog is man's best friend. But I never understood the true meaning of this phrase till I knew you.

Love,
Mama Eve

July

2011-07-03T14:09:00.001+08:00

Starting off July in a fab way...

By partying with the sec sch pals & Gordie darl last night! ;)

It was a plan sparked off during our dinner meet-up on Friday... And somehow, everyone was on! :P clubbing was never our thing, but it's fun to go once in a while...

Bestie!

With our marriage preparation course starting next weekend, Transformers IMAX 3D with sec sch pals, school events and meet-ups with friends, it's gonna be a happening month! ;)

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NIE Girlies' birthday celebrations!

2011-07-02T17:52:00.011+08:00

Met up with Wanyu and Vivien on 8 June for lunch in honour of Vien's birthday :P

I recommended this place - Tea Cosy at PS!

Our food:

The food was good but not exceptional... the place is great for a cosy catch-up with girlfriends though, which is exactly what we did :)

Desserts at Secret Recipe! Plus photos! :)

I'm so fair that my face often looks washed out instant photos... argh. And this is using the new instax camera that I got a couple of months back!

And here are more overdue photos from Jasmine's birthday celebration in erm... March. Lol. We were at Teo Heng KTV!

Group photos!

Very touched when I think of how our lives have changed since we became friends at NIE 6 years ago... Oh man. We're all at different phases of our lives now but our friendship remains! Can't wait to meet them again this Thursday! :D

Letters from afar.

2011-06-28T22:42:00.002+08:00

Just got home after dinner with Gordie darl... Been feeling so drained out because my engine isn't warmed up yet -_-

But seeing him helped to lift my spirits though it was only a short dinner... And I got home after dinner to see two familiar envelopes...

From World Vision! Wheeee!!!

Two letters this time from my sponsored child :)

The first letter :)

And the second :) his birthday was in March!

<3 receiving letters from my sponsored child... He is always on my mind!

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I forgot.

2011-06-25T01:55:00.001+08:00

A sleepless night as I have plenty on my mind... The fact that Term 3 starts in 2 days isn't helping either.

This song came on the radio when I was alone in the car earlier... And this sentence that went something like, "I forgot what I was fighting for..." spoke to my heart.

Sometimes, when all has been said and done, we pause to reflect and realise that what was so worth fighting for in the past isn't important anymore in the present... Many things can be broken, but a bond that has been nurtured and built over many years is hard to break.

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First time.

2011-06-23T13:47:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday was a special one... because it was the first time Gordie darl attended mass with me! :')

I had cheekily asked that morning if he wanted to go to church with me.

When he said yes, I felt my heart fill with warmth and pride for this man I love so much...

It could be the words that his aunt had uttered to him the night before about him being a Christian and encouraging him to attend church with me. Or it could simply be God's way of showing that he hears our prayers.

I actually felt nervous when I stepped into church with him... And it's not easy to make me nervous around him anymore! Hahaha... Since he had been in church many times before when he was younger, it wasn't that much of a culture shock to him. I couldn't help but glance at him and smile. And when it was time to hold hands and say our prayers together, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes... It just felt so right.

I'm not sure if he will be ready to come to church with me every Sunday, but this is a start! It's the first time but surely not the last :)

Ever thankful... <3

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5 June 2011 (Sun): The Rabbit Stash

2011-06-21T22:48:00.000+08:00

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, when the weather was nice and cooling just after a mid-day shower, Gordie darl and I set out on our brunch date at The Rabbit Stash with his colleagues!

It's a private dining company set up by one of his colleagues and her partner, and boy can the chef whip up a storm! The terrace house where The Rabbit Stash is currently located is beautifully done up, and is perfect for a nice afternoon meal with friends. :)

Our customised menu for the day...

Canapes- egg crepe wrapped around salmon.

I've never been a fan of salmon but oh my, this was so good with the special sauce created by Matthew himself.

This appetiser was equally delicious! And the vegetable was really light and refreshing :)

Aglio Olio which was nicely done with a touch of tanginess... Plus the pan-fried fish! I was craving for this days after that!!! :P

Our favourite - the tender beef.

And we ended off with dessert! Mango mousse with a dash of honey.

It's a new set-up but I'm sure they'll go a long way because the food is simply awesome!!! The house has an open-air roof on the fourth floor which would be perfect for a small ROM ceremony too :)

If anyone is interested, let me know or visit http://www.therabbitstash.com.sg!

Cheers to good food, great company, lovely weather and perfect ambience! Loves.

4 June 2011 (Fri): Elle's hatch-day!

2011-06-21T22:29:00.000+08:00

Met up with my NIE gems on the last day of the first week of the June holidays :P To celebrate Noelle's birthday! Wheeeee :D

We had dinner at this fantastic yakitori place chosen by the birthday girl - Kazu Sumiyaki at Cuppage Plaza. Thumbs up for the food!

My favourite quail eggs :P

Yums!

We ended off with desserts! Looks good right?

We then did something we've never done together before. And we've done a lot together! Haha. We've baked, cooked, done DIY mani/pedi/facials together... but not karaoke! :D

Headed to Cuppage Plaza's Cash Studio :)

Meizhen and me :)

Noelle and me :)

Laughing so hard because of the smile-detection feature on MZ's camera :P

Snap-happy! Hee

It was so fun to karaoke together! :D

Gifts-presentation before going home! Look at the unique prezzie MZ got for Elle...

All the work was done by her... i only contributed one page of 'assessment card'. Hahaha... :P

Part of my prezzie - lollipop card!

Thanks Elle for showing me what it means to love with all you've got, to give selflessly, and to laugh with all your heart. :)

All work and no play...

2011-06-18T02:08:00.000+08:00

... makes Evelyn very sad. :P

I'm glad to have awesome colleagues who make my days at work worth living. Some photos taken on the first week of the June holidays when we had to be back in school every day.

Taken by dearest Ms Stepf Gan :P

Me and my kaki!!! Loves

And on 2 June, we had our Staff Bonding Day. It was kinda like Amazing Race + Treasure Hunt + Learning Journey. Haha.

Breakfast at Raffles Place before our official meeting time at 9am... love this bunch of ppl! :)

And we were sooooo looking forward to 9 June, because it was our EVENT OF THE YEAR! :D

The first ever chalet & bbQ for me and my batchmates! It was held at Aloha Changi Chalet G - which was HUGE!

Look at our bbQ area! This was within our chalet compound so it was purely ours!

The guys starting the bbQ fire while I went up to explore the 4 bedrooms...

While waiting, we played Donkey!

HEE HAW!

Besotted with my colleague's adorable son... *melts*

I didn't stay for the night because I was having flu and slight fever... but before we left the rest of them, we snapped some group photos! Hee.

There's a meaning behind the handsigns... LOL.

YEAH! :D

How can I not love these people whom I see day in and day out at work? They make all the difference to my sanity!

29 May 2011 (Sun): Kungfu-Panda Fighting!

2011-06-18T01:45:00.000+08:00

After April's successful movie gathering with our niece (read here), we decided to have another round in May- for Kungfu Panda 2! :)

Had dinner after the movie at the new Shaw Lido. Awesome new theatre!

Our sweet lil' Annabelle :)

She's such a cutie la... heheh

And have I mentioned before that she loves taking instant photos? That's why I never fail to bring it out and snap a few photos for her whenever we meet!

My sister termed this the "Bimbo Face". Lol

Love the yogurt and fruity pebbles combi! Introduced by my sis :)

Me and sis with Belle!

We love to zi4 pai1 together :D

And Annabelle was totally intrigued by the front camera... hahaha we really laughed so hard when we saw this photo!

A proper photo of the cousins and our niece!

A precious photo with my bro, Gordie darl, me, Belle, cousin Areta, my sis & Kailun. The only one missing is our cousin Ashley... Where are you dude?!?!?!

It was blur though, so we asked Mum to snap another one for us... but... kwa kwa kwa...

Still blur!

Kucheong, Kuma, Belle and Mum!

Me and my crazy sistah :P

We wanted to snap a full-length photo coz' we were both wearing maxi dresses that day! Hee.

Yay done! :D

A day of fun!

2011-06-18T01:25:00.000+08:00

More photos from the Vesak Day gathering on 17 May with Gordie darl's fun-loving colleagues :) [first entry here]

I'm someone who takes time to warm up to new people but they never fail to make me feel welcome! And two of them are going to be our wedding emcees! :D

It was a day of karaoke...

... and kite-flying!

Look carefully and you'll notice that Gordie darl was wearing a similar shirt to his buddy... it was kinda funny, but cute too! Wahaha :)

Photos above thanks to lovely Kate!

Photoshoot done!

2011-06-18T00:58:00.000+08:00

Our wedding photoshoot write-up can be found on mrandmrszhong.wordpress.com! :)

We ♥ Bali Seafood!

2011-06-10T12:54:00.000+08:00

Bali Seafood is this restaurant located at yo:HA, which is on the old Jurong Primary School campus. Mond first introduced this place to us last month, and me, Zhen, Teck and him headed there for dinner one Monday night...

9 May 2011:

Teck and Zhen...

Being back at the old Jurong Primary School brought a barrage of memories to me and Mond. That's our alma mater! :) And we've known each other from Primary 1!

That was where our concourse used to be... it's unbelievable how so little has changed!

We were super duper happy to be back :D

Then, this week, we decided to organise another dinner meet-up there. This time round, more of the sec sch pals and Gordie darl joined in! :)

7 June 2011:

Lingyang and his 'virgin' drink ahahahahaha

We ordered two platters and a basket of naan to share. BURPS

Headed further down after that, to Enaq (Mond's favourite hangout) for tea! Mond and LY still had prata there... omg

♥ the sec sch pals! :)

8 May 2011 (Sun): Mummies' Day!

2011-06-10T11:58:00.000+08:00

Had a nice dinner with the maternal relatives to celebrate Mother's Day this year!

The present we got for Ah Ma... a simple gold bracelet :)

My cool brother.

And my full-of-patterns sister.

Hahaha.

Nice! :P

We termed this "Family Photo FAIL". Wahahaahahhaha

Blearghhh

Sisters :)

Family photo of the aunts and our grandparents! The flowers were from us! Hee

The siblings and I with Ah Ma & Ah Kong.

After sending them back, we proceeded to West Mall for yogurt! Frolick!

Gab helping mum with the necklace we bought for her...

Yummy! Mine was the one with the rainbow flakes. Love it!

Candid shot

Look at KL's face... teehee

Family photo! Reminds me of us in Tokyo :)

Gordie darl and me...

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy birthday Taoli!

2011-06-07T23:32:00.005+08:00

Yet another overdue post... this is a month late! :P

Met up with the sec sch girlfriends on 6 May to celebrate dear Taoli's birthday.

While walking to our dinner venue with BFF Zhen, we spotted these! Couldn't resist snapping some silly photos... wahahaha.

The things you do with your best friend egging you on:

Super funny! :D

We were the first two to reach and spent our time camwhoring while waiting for the rest to arrive!

Yup she was trying to copy my pose in the photo above. -_-

More camwhoring ensued when I showed Zhen my fav iphone app!

We just kept snapping away non-stop till my iPhone died... kwa kwa kwa.

Thankfully, the other ladies arrived soon after... we had dinner before adjourning next door for dessert and more photos!

Me with the birthday girl :)

My 'birthday instax' to her...

Me & Zhen:

Those words were written by her, btw. Haha!

More backdated entries coming up soon!

Meizhen's Rabbit Wedding :D

2011-06-06T13:05:00.002+08:00

Just realised that I had completely forgotten to post an entry about Meizhen's wedding in March! Heheh. I did have a post on her Hen's Night though (fabulous one; I'll never forget her classic pose LOL)!

Anyway, 5 March 2011 was the day. :)

Headed to Furama Riverfront after my workout at PS, lugging cups of Gong Cha for the bride and my fellow jiemeis! Heheh.

Love their album cover and personalised wedding invites.

The towel swans!

We got gifts even before doing any work! Prepared for the jiemeis by Meizhen herself... so sweet :)

And so, we got down to serious business! Preparing the 'meals' for the brothers. Hyak hyak hyak.

Looks good eh? :P

Helping MZ with her shoes before the gatecrashing started...

The beautiful bride with half of her jiemeis. (The other half were helping with the banquet downstairs)

Gatecrashing started! Wheeee!!!

Something that I made for the last gatecrashing activity... :)

Frank reading the words to Meizhen... 感动到~~~~

We then headed down to the ballroom with the couple...

Instax!

The jiemeis with MZ's classic pose :P

Noelle and me... Bunnies!!!

The solemnisation ceremony started, with me as emcee of the night :)

Back in my place as the JP took over... I like this photo because you can easily spot the jiemeis just by locating the rabbit ears. Wahahahaha

Finally, Mr & Mrs Ng! :D

Dinner commenced after that... group photo!

And being the emcee, I couldn't let the newlyweds get away without any fun ;)

See how happy I was? Wahahaha. The other jiemeis asked me to do it! :P

Back in the hotel suite after a fabulous dinner...

One of the brothers trying to get back at us for sabo-ing them during the gatecrash. LOL.

The ladies :)

And finally, our dedicated page to her in the guestbook :)

So blissful hor? :) Very happy for Mrs Ng!!! Teehee.

Protected time.

2011-06-06T10:55:00.001+08:00

The start of two weeks of bliss... Our official "protected time" during the holidays. Will be occupying myself with meet-ups with friends, quality time with family and wedding preps! :)

As I awoke this morning after a good 9 hours' of beauty sleep, I thought of fattening myself up with Mac breakfast... Only to be met with this:

ROAR!!!!

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Sharing the joy.

2011-05-28T23:55:00.000+08:00

It's always such a joy to attend wedding dinners together with Gordie darl :)

We've attended two this month, and I'm sure there will be more as our friends reach the 谈婚论嫁 age... Heheh.

The wedding we were at this evening was that of his secondary school classmate. It was nice to see some of the SQS seniors again!

And although I don't know the couple well personally, I couldn't help but grab Gordie darl's hand and feel all mushy inside at so many parts of the wedding. Perhaps I was just overwhelmed at the thought of us going through the same journey in 7 month's time :)

The unique wedding favour- poker cards with cute graphics and love quotes!

Congratulations to the happy couple :)

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2nd.

2011-05-25T22:56:00.001+08:00

The past couple of weeks have been very trying. Work has been taking its toll on me, mentally more than physically. I find myself desperately trying to reignite that passion and excitement for teaching...

Today marks my second year of teaching. That's two years down, three more to go.

I dunno how I'm going to get through the next 3 years, but I will, just like I have every day for the past 2 years, with His grace.

What a day it was- I barely warmed my seat at my workstation despite being in school since 8+. I was busy filing and preparing the pupils' portfolios; and I just couldn't breathe.

The work we do is crazy and demanding, but it's always for the pupils. Their smiles, hugs and affection give me something to look forward to every day.

I only wish that the love for the kids will be enough to keep me going for the next 3 years and hopefully, beyond.

Happy 2nd anniversary to the job I hate to love and love to hate.

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21 May 2011 (Sat): Being a Soldier of Christ. ♥

2011-05-21T20:26:00.004+08:00

"Confirmation gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross."

I was Confirmed in church today! Finally, after so many years of being lost and direction-less, I've finally reached this point in my journey of faith where I have truly become a disciple of God :)

The best thing was having the support of my friends and family... I didn't invite anyone and was feeling quite down last week because both my sister and Gordie darl couldn't attend the Confirmation Mass although they wanted to. She left for Bangkok today and he's helping out as a brother at his friend's wedding :( But out of the blue, my cousin SMSed me last week and told me that her family wanted to come and support me. Then, June asked earlier this week if she could be part of this special day too.

I was so touched and felt so loved :) Just goes to show that God works in His own way to show His love for us.

I set out choosing my confirmation name a couple of months back... and with God's guidance, I decided on Adele, which means "noble". Her feast day is on 24 December!

"Saint Adele’s first vocation was as a wife and mother. She served God by taking care of her family, praying, and doing works of mercy. When her husband died, she became a nun and founded a convent. As its first abbess, she ruled with great compassion and holiness."

I hope to live my life as a good Catholic through the Saint whose name I have chosen :)

Archbishop Nicholas Chia graced the occasion :)

Receiving Communion for the first time... another event that made me so emotional!

After mass was over...

With Mum.

And presenting my Godma - NOELLE!!! :)

I couldn't stick with my baptism godparents because we're no longer in contact (they were my Mum's friends but somehow... you know how the story goes), and it was only apt that Noelle agreed to be my confirmation godparent. Afterall, she has been the one who has been guiding me in my journey of faith and encouraged me to return to church. Thank you elle!!! :')

With June dear... thank you so much for being there!

My solo shot with Jesus Christ!

The 3 of us!

I didn't get a chance to snap a shot with Kuma, Kucheong and Areta because they were in a rush to get their car after mass ended (parking is always a problem at church!)... :( But I'm very thankful for their presence; they came all the way from the East just to support me!

Gifts for me!

Handmade rosary from my Godma Noelle... very pretty right? :)

From cousin Areta (handmade cross) and Kuma & Kucheong ♥

The blue rose which has lots of significance, from June :)

And lastly...

My baptism name which my parents chose - Evelyn, and my confirmation name which I chose - Adele.

All my favourites in a day.

2011-05-17T23:14:00.001+08:00

All my favourites in a day- Koi, karaoke @ Teo Heng, Popeyes dinner, kite-flying @ Marina Barrage and the company of my favourite person (and his great colleagues!) :)

What's not to love about public holidays? :)

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Confirmation.

2011-05-16T22:44:00.003+08:00

I attended my first confirmation lesson in church last Friday. Confirmation is basically part of a Catholic upbringing and most baptised children brought up in the faith are confirmed in their teens.

I was baptised as an infant in church, but somehow along the way, I was never confirmed. My parents and grandparents made my sis and I attend lessons when we were teenagers, but we felt so out of place that we never made it through.

When I started going back to church last year, Noelle suggested to me that I should get confirmed. And I'm finally doing it now :)

(For those who are still unsure of what a Catholic confirmation is, read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_(Catholic_Church))

I felt a little scared during the first lesson last Friday- sitting there alone and not knowing what to expect. And you may not believe it, but I felt a lump in my throat and tears welling in my eyes within the first minute of the lesson.

All it took were these two lines from Father Derrick, "God cares for us. We may not always feel it and we may even doubt it, but He cares for each and every one of us."

I could feel His presence enveloping me right at that moment. And I knew in my heart that I was finding my way back to Him - slowly but surely.

The confirmation mass will be held this Saturday at the very church that Gordie darl and I will be wed this December. So this Saturday will be my big day... with God. :)

I've chosen a confirmation name (which I shan't reveal yet!), and a godparent (ditto). I'll also be dressed in white. It's going to be a huge milestone of my life! Rejoice with me!

WoohoO!

2011-05-15T22:04:00.003+08:00

It has been a crazy weekend! Spent the whole of Saturday at Universal Studios - the sec sch pals' highly-anticipated day of fun :)

Shall just share one photo for now while I continue with my work... will be back with photos soon! The public holiday on Tuesday is going to be another fun-filled one!

Us after conquering Battlestar Galactica; both the blue and red ones! It was such awesome fun and I don't think I've ever screamed so much... LOL.

Sec sch pals RAWK! :D

My motivation.

2011-05-12T23:17:00.000+08:00

One thing I really enjoy about my job is being able to talk to my pupils and marvel at their innocence and sweetness... :)

My class of 8-year-olds isn't perfect, but I love spending time with them during recess or during lunchtime after remedial... just sitting together in the canteen and chit-chatting. And because I've been their form teacher since they were in Primary One last year, I can really connect to them on a personal level.

Kids do say the darndest things at times, but you'll be surprised at just how attentive they can be. They take notice of what I wear, how I do my hair, what colour I paint my nails, even the accessories I wear.

When they see me drinking Vitagen, they will ask me what my favourite flavour is.

When they notice my engagement ring, they will ask me if I am married. Yes, they can ask me that question almost every day. LOL.

They will repeatedly ask when my birthday is, and when I'm getting married.

They will ask what my favourite colour is.

I even had a pupil asking me, "Why did you want to become a teacher?" Yes, that coming from a Primary 2 kid. Very deep. :P

They are interested in the little things that almost no one bothers about any more. They will remind me to have my lunch. They will write me little notes proclaiming their love and asking me not to be angry with them. And that's what makes me love them so much... They're my motivation for going to work every day.

It's not always a bed of roses though. I've been scolding a few boys so frequently that I even dreamt about scolding them two nights ago! Haha. Shouted "WHAT DO YOU COME TO SCHOOL FOR?!?" in my sleep, giving my sis a scare. Oooops.

It's going to be really difficult saying goodbye to them at the end of the year... :(

On the last day...

2011-05-10T22:10:00.004+08:00

The last day of the Labour Day Long Weekend was a fun-filled one where I spent time with my colleagues at Ford Factory and Epicurious (refer to entry below), followed by karaoke with the sec sch pals in the afternoon!

We went to Teo Heng, which is renowned for its low hourly charges. Have been there a few times with the NIE girlies and the best part is, Teo Heng has now opened a branch in the West! FINALLY! It's at NTU Alumni so it still isn't super accessible, but all it takes is a short 10-minutes walk from Buona Vista MRT :)

As usual, karaoke session with the sec sch pals also means camwhoring session! Haha.

Me and bestie Zhen :)

Mond camera-trick FAIL. :P

Iris and Ron - our superglue couple. Hee. They're super sweet together lah

Me busy singing... ooops!

Gordie darl sings - a rare sight!

Us :)

More photos of the besties... hee

Zhen with Mond and LY.

LY's our Next Top Model. LOL

We took so many group photos! All super funny :D

A normal one first...

Still normal...

Normal. Yawns. But you can see the guys showing their RAWKER side!

And the nonsense starts! I was trying to cover Zhen with the jacket... Photobomb FAIL :(

Yeah!

I have no idea what I was doing... haha

Love our expressions :)

Our superglue couple made us ROFL when they did this! Wahahaha

Nice one :)

I think the guys are bored... wahaha

This is artsy, but kinda freaky!

Okay, one last one!

As you can see, we had lots of fun :) Love the sec sch pals! Eight of us will be heading to Universal Studios this Saturday - something we've been looking forward to for months! Can't wait!!!

A walk down memory lane.

2011-05-08T01:18:00.002+08:00

On the last day of the Labour Day Long Weekend, I woke up (relatively) bright and early to meet my dearest kakis-at-work at Ford Factory for our self-implemented Learning Journey :)

After a tour around Ford Factory, led by our professional Ms Stepf Gan (wahahaha), we headed to nearby Rail Mall for brunch at Epicurious! :)

The food was great- all 3 of us enjoyed our Full Monty set! Hee. We'll be back there soon!

On the 3rd day...

2011-05-08T00:33:00.002+08:00

On the third day of the Labour Day Long Weekend, this is what I did!

1 May 2011 (Sun):

I had lunch with the NIE Girlies [Viv & Jas; Yu wasn't able to join us :( ] at Central! It has been a while since we met up :) So happy to catch up with the girlies and to share good news. Hee.

Headed home after lunch and made an impromptu trip to East Coast Park with the sister and our other halves. And of course, Hershey too! :)

We wanted to rent the Quad Velo (a 4-person cycling thingy) but they're so popular that we couldn't rent any... will be going back to ECP another time to try it out! Hee.

I'm glad that the four of us are able to spend time together regularly, and I'm sure it won't change even in future. That's because my sis and Kailun got a flat in Bukit Panjang too! We'll be neighbours (not literally, but near enough lah). :D Love them!

On the first 2 days of the long weekend...

2011-05-07T23:54:00.003+08:00

I'm wide awake now due to the GE results live coverage. Shall update with photos from what I did during the first two days of the Labour Day long weekend:

29 April 2011 (Fri):

Met up with Gordie darl and the sec sch pals - Teck, Ron, LY and bestie Zhen at Jurong Point. We started off the long weekend by having Jap food!

A dinner filled with laughs and chatter, ending with dessert at McCafe. :)

30 April 2011 (Sat):

Zhen and I had our usual workout at Amore, before meeting up with Mond and Gordie darl for a movie! We watched Thor, which was awesome ;) Zhen and I drooled over his manliness, while the guys marvelled at his body. Wahaha.

Had Korean food after that!

Okie more blog entries coming up soon. The night is still young!

1st & last.

2011-05-07T21:16:00.003+08:00

This will probably be the first and last time I'm writing about this here.

When an ordinary friendship turns sour, it doesn't take much for both parties to walk away and forget about each other's existence.

But when a friendship that has spanned more than a decade is at stake, so many emotions and parties are involved that it is simply too difficult to talk about it.

As some of you may know, I have fallen out with one of my best friends... I can't explain in exact terms what went wrong, but it did due to various factors. I have chosen to remain silent over this issue the past 1+ month, because I wanted to retain my wonderful memories of our friendship. It is so easy to spout angry words or get into a war of words (especially when it comes to us women), but I chose not to. Not because I couldn't, but because I didn't want to. I want to remember our good times as best friends, not the ugly thing it has somehow become.

But you chose to air your views on a public platform. Not once, not twice, but several times. You allowed people who did not know what exactly happened to comment on our friendship, which was painful. I was lambasted for remaining silent, for "walking away", for "giving up" and for excluding you from activities, but you didn't understand that I was hurting inside too. It's not that I don't treasure the friendship. But how do you continue being best friends with someone who has become so different from who you knew her to be?

I'm not a disloyal person who dumps a friend for another at my whim and fancy. You, of all people, should know that more than anyone. Who was the one who stuck with you through the years? Have I ever been that kind of friend to you?

I don't need to say more. This post is not about defending myself.

After ceasing contact for the past 7 weeks, haven't you realised just what our friendship has become? We have drifted so far apart and we want different things in life. There are no more common topics. It is so sad, but true.

When we met yesterday, it wasn't easy for me to keep my emotions in check. I'm not someone who hides my feelings well. I couldn't bring myself to camwhore, laugh and joke like we did in the old days. That wouldn't be me... I tried my best to be as normal as possible, but how could I pretend that nothing had happened? How could I close my eyes to the fact that we had hurt each other with our behaviour and words?

Believe me when I say that it was as hard (if not much harder) for me as I'm sure it was for you.

But now, do you know how I felt when you treated me as non-existent at that airport encounter when we were 19? Now, do you understand how it feels to have your best friend leave early during gatherings? Now, do you understand why it is no longer possible for me to involve you in my wedding as much as I want you to? (and do you understand how difficult it was for me to make that decision?)

Things have changed. Our friendship is no longer what it was in the past, and it hurts a lot. Sitting beside each other and having a million things to ask/say but not being able to - I know exactly how that feels. I don't know if we will ever be best friends again. Even if we do, years down the road, how many major milestones of each other's life would we have missed out on already?

I don't know what to say anymore. And I don't know why I'm writing this too. But thank you for being friendly yesterday. I really appreciated that a lot...

Favourite.

2011-05-03T23:42:00.001+08:00

He hates eating at McDonald's.

But when he knew that I had a major craving for seaweed fries and spicy nuggets after a long double-session day at work, he brought me to the nearest Mac for dinner although he had eaten already.

Some people might say it's normal for couples to do such things for each other... But after a decade of being together, it's so easy to take the smallest things for granted.

I never want that to happen.

So, I've termed this photo "comforted by my favourite food of the moment and my favourite person of all time". :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Long weekend madness.

2011-05-02T10:45:00.001+08:00

What a fulfilling long weekend it has been!

Had jap dinner with the sec sch pals on Friday, followed by movie & Korean food with Gordie darl, bestie Zhen and Mond on Saturday.

Sunday afternoon was spent with NIE Girlies over lunch and I headed to ECP in the evening for a walk with the sister, our other halves and Hershey.

It's Monday already! Boooo... But I'm starting it off with a learning journey with my wacky colleagues at Ford Factory followed by karaoke with sec sch pals.

Woohoo!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

27 April 2011 (Wed): Promotion.

2011-04-28T23:14:00.004+08:00

Had our promotion ceremony during Contact Time on Wednesday! It was more of a get-together with our colleagues, especially with the morning session teachers whom we don't get to see much of :(

With my fellow batchmates who are promoted in April too :)

We got increasingly panicky as the ceremony started... haha. But everything went well!

The proudest moment of my career thus far.

This early promotion came as a surprise, especially since I've been rather low-profile in school. I will not change who I am or what I do just to climb up the ladder. I don't hanker after such things. But who doesn't like being recognised and acknowledged? :)

Ending off with lunch! Hee

Photos courtesy of Mr TKL! Haha. I love my fellow batchmates; they're the ones who make me laugh and keep me sane at work.

And after that, work went on as per normal, as it always does.

24 April 2011 (Sun): Singing our hearts out.

2011-04-28T21:20:00.000+08:00

It has been some time since the sec sch pals met up for a karaoke session... the last memorable one was in September 2008 (documented here). :)

So, we went for K Lunch last Sunday!

Mond and Teck - bromance. ;)

Me and Bestie Zhen.

Ron (and Iris) joined us too!

Teehee.

Group shots!!! :D

Love karaoke-ing with them! In fact, we're going again on the Labour Day weekend!

23 April 2011 (Sat): Promotion & MZ's bday dinner treat!

2011-04-26T21:48:00.004+08:00

The second day of the long weekend was spent at the bridal studio once again, and I finally chose all 5 gowns this time! Gordie darl got to choose his suits too :) (More details on mrandmrszhong.wordpress.com!)

Was accompanied by my sis & Kailun, as well as NIE Girlfriends Noelle & Meizhen! Hee. After the gown selection, the 3 of us went for a feast at Mandarin Oriental - Melt. It was a treat from me and Elle to MZ, to celebrate our promotion and her upcoming birthday! :)

In the midst of our feast, we were presented with a cake. On the house, from Melt!

The birthday girl... :)

Happy birthday Mrs Ng! :P

And since Meizhen brought along her Instax, we snapped LOTS of instant photos... wahaha.

MZ and me!

Noelle & me!

3 of us :)

Another round - using Mickey film.

Had a great time catching up with the girls, and like MZ said, time with them is never enough... Can't wait for our Kinect/baking/cooking dates once the school holidays are here :)

My goodies from Taiwan, courtesy of MZ! My favourite Rila! Yippeeee!

22 April 2011 (Fri): Rio!

2011-04-26T20:58:00.002+08:00

Good Friday was spent very meaningfully, with church service in the morning followed by lunch with bestie Zhen. Then, watched Rio in town with the siblings and our other halves (brother & gf went too... VERY RARE! haha), as well as Kuma's family! :)

It was a really fun movie and our niece Annabelle enjoyed the show. Hee. Instant photos taken for the day! I always bring my Instax out when we meet coz' the little one likes it :)

Me and my sistah - clad in white for the day.

Me, Mell, Annabelle and cousin Areta. Love this :)

We ended off the evening with dinner at Astons Prime at Centrepoint. Lovely time spent with the family!

Shall share this instant photo taken in the beginning of April, during Areta's birthday party. Us again!

Can't wait to spend more time with Belle!

untitled.

2011-04-21T00:56:00.003+08:00

Long weekends.

2011-04-20T22:16:00.002+08:00

3 consecutive long weekends - Good Friday, Labour Day, Elections Day.

Anyway, it's gonna be a happening long weekend to start things off!

Friday:

- Good Friday mass

- Rio with the siblings (and our other halves), cousins and niece!

Saturday:

- Gown selection Round 3

- Promotion dinner treat @ Oriental with Noelle & Meizhen

Sunday:

- Hershey's grooming

- Karaoke with sec sch pals

Can't wait :D