I miss blogging.
I miss having the time to pen down my thoughts and compile a list of memories – both visually and in copy.
For now, here’s my week in pictures xx
Fell sick
Got well and made a new friend
Packed my necklaces
Spun around in our test drive.. Poor Zoee, mad as hell with me
And survived mother Monday
How was your week? :)
Shine on, fighter
Just like that, the new year has started.
2012 has been kind and I am so thankful. The people that matter are still by my side, healthy and happy. I got to explore multiple cities, try lots of delicious food and meet up with family members all over the world.
I’m blessed. And no matter how tough the going gets, I never forget that.
x
Last Friday, I got home after dinner and got into my usual routine.. Enter room, remove shoes, drop bag, switch on the air-conditioning, shower. Normally, mum will knock on my room door just to catch up on the day’s happenings and if I’m in the shower, she’ll come back later. But last Friday, she entered my room and kept knocking on my bathroom door. “I’m bathing!”.. *continued knocks* Ok..
I opened the door (towel-ed up if you need to know) and her face was a mixture of emotions – concern? Fear? Worry? Heartache? Perhaps all of the above. She told me that a close family friend of ours (let’s call her Aunty S) was most likely diagnosed with stomach cancer. Mum had just visited Aunty S at her home and it didn’t look good.
Supposedly, Aunty S had been losing weight lately but no one thought much of it till honestly, I can’t remember how.. A series of scans and tests followed up.. Family flew back from all over the world and results are positive. Aunty S has stomach cancer. And it doesn’t look good. Aunty S is a grandma but she’s a young, gorgeous looking grandma. She cooks, bakes, opens her home for cell group, brings her grandchildren to cool places etc. She’s a good person. Good people don’t deserve bad stuff.
A few of the church people (who are also all good friends) have been gathering together to pray. Aunty S is scared, says mum. Her husband cried in front of them.. Everything happened so quickly and it’s definitely a lot for anyone close to them to come to terms with. Mum has recommended surgeons and specialists and I trust mum, she knows these stuff really well.
Aunty S will be undergoing surgery this Friday to remove her entire stomach (that’s what mum said) and perhaps some other bits. And I pray with all my might that she will be okay.
In moments like these, all you can do is pray and trust God to do what’s best. Life is really uncertain, isn’t it? Every day that we awake from our slumber, each moment we’re breathing, it’s a blessing. Mum hugs me more often now. I guess we all cope with fear differently and I’m sure mum’s scared too.
Please keep Aunty S in your prayers. There’s only so much we humans can do.
I’m broke. There. I said it.
Always believed that if I can’t confess to something, I’m definitely in denial.
Bank account-wise, I’m in a terrible state. I’m not living on credit (hell, I won’t let that happen), but I’m broke. Considering how I’ve been working for almost 3 years, I’m PATHETIC.
So I sat down and thought to myself, “WHAT AM I SPENDING MY MONEY ON?”. You’ll be pleased to know that I’ve come up with a list of items. Perhaps, you’ll be similar to me and you’ll think, “hell, I better do something about it before I end up like Joy”.
1. FOOD
I spend SO MUCH on food it’s not even funny. I love eating. And to make matters worse, I love eating a variety of food. I can’t just order a burger at dinner. I have to order fries, wings, nuggets etc. on the side. I can’t just order a plate of fried rice. I have to order meat, vegetable, appetizers etc. I can easily order for four when it’s just the two of us. I’m a glutton and I won’t rebut that.
Food also includes morning coffee, after-dinner tea, snacks for work and of course alcohol. All these don’t seem like a lot when you buy them separately but when you put them together, geez, they add up to quite a bit. And then I spend yet another lump on the gym because I can’t just eat and not feel horrible about myself. WHAT A SILLY VICIOUS CYCLE! This brings me to my second point.
2. Gym
I pay about $150 for my Fitness First membership. Why? Because my company isn’t affiliated to Fitness First so I pay the full monthly fee. I could have signed up with other gyms that are much cheaper. But! There’s a Fitness First right down the road from where I work at, there’s also one that’s an MRT stop away from where I stay and they also have a nice big and quiet branch at Fusionopolis. They also have good classes and convenience is really important to me. I sometimes run during lunch (because evenings are meant for relaxing and pigging out) and it helps to make me feel less guilty so I guess this is the only item that I won’t be able to do much about.
3. Holidays
It’s a known fact that I love travelling. I want to travel the world. I REALLY want to travel the world. The Earth is amazing, why coop up at home when there’s so much to explore! I do my best to sneak in a holiday (any holiday!) whenever I can.
Now, this is where the problem comes in. Most of the time, I only have time for a short getaway so I choose places like Bangkok, Krabi, Bali etc. It’s easy to think that you save more by going to neighbouring countries because there are budget airlines that get you there, the Singapore dollar’s strong blah blah. But no!! If you think about it, a “quick” vacation can easily cost you $1,000!
Let’s take a 4D3N trip to Bali for example. Give and take, this is how the breakdown will be like:
Wow that’s already $1,170. Of course, you can share a room with your friend but my point is, these trips aren’t cheap! Save up and go on a really big holiday (if you can) :D
4. Online shopping
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been stressed/frustrated at work and then I type asos into my google search bar. Free shipping, constant sale items. HOW NOT TO BUY! It would be foolish not to buy! Plus, there are now also lots of other local blog shops that have made payments so much easier. No more bank transfer or meetup blah blah. Just use paypal! Or your credit card. A dress costs about $30. That seems decent! BUY 3 DRESSES! $90! Bye bye money..
Moral of the story? Tahan. Or practice better self-control. Have a buddy. Someone that can help keep you in check. Confess everytime you make an online purchase. Remember, if you’re hiding your buys, you’re doing it all wrong. You’re in trouble! Save it and splurge on a nice bag (ok, I did not just say that *slaps mouth).
And oh yes! Bellabox! Glamabox! All these beautiful boxes priced at super reasonable prices, giving you the illusion that you get more bang for your buck. The concept is marvellous. But it costs money (not lots but still)! I’m not sure about the rest, but I now have a lot of sample bottles at home. Untouched. I have since cancelled my subscription. I’m fuss-free. Good ol’ Garnier works fine for me.
5. Movies, Plays, Concerts
What is there to do in Singapore? Eat. Shop. Watch movies! We’re lucky that we’re a country that’s bursting with local talent. Singers, plays and shows also love to come by Singapore because we’re an awesome country! Bad, bad, bad for me. I love going to live concerts, plays etc. So how? Spend money again. Le sigh.
♦♦♦
There, I’ve told the world where I spend most of my money on. I can’t stop what I enjoy doing but I can sure as hell strive to be a better saver!
That is all.
Thank you for reading and I hope you save tons of money too!
HUAT AH!
Picture of my cute doggie, Seven, to end this post
What a weekend! It felt like I had no break and when I did last night, I couldn’t sleep, boo :( Perhaps, it was because I had just finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey and I was feeling rather lost with a gaping hole of sadness in me (so drama).
As usual, I went to church on Saturday, did worship and then chiong-ed from church to National Dental Centre. Why? Because I forgot to tell my parents that I needed the car so dear dad took it with him to his conference. Such a waste of time and money.. But more about the state of my poverty next time.
Went for the soft launch of Nook, a DIY pancake and all-day breakfast café at Lorong Kilat. It’s a love project by Dawn, Shawn and their partner so naturally I felt really happy for them. I’ve always wanted to open my own café but my realistic mind tells me that it’s way easier than it sounds, so kudos to them for taking the plunge!
Don’t miss the sign!
House of Pancakes
Canapés
Little eggs walking around the wall
The cashier
Menu
Our friends took awhile to arrive so I had tons of canapés and decided to keep myself occupied with… *giggle*
Christian Grey!
Btw, am I the only nutcase to think that he’s really hot? Like I read the book and can’t help but feel that E L James is one heck of a writer. She’s like the written/book version of Shonda Rhimes. Maybe I’m reading too much into the book, but to me, it depicts the inner desires of every girl, her insecurities blah blah.
Ok, digress much. I will blog about Fifty Shades once I’m done with the other two books. Mr Postman, fasterly pls! Oh ya, I think Tom Hardy makes a good Christian Grey. Lol! *FOCUS JOY FOCUS*
After Nook, I headed to my BFF&E&E&E&E&E&&E&E’s Muay Thai fight at SMU. Her fight was the main fight of the evening and I’ve seen Lena train since our Brisbane days when we were in Uni and seeing how far she’s come, I can’t help but feel so immensely proud of her! I still remember when she got back from Gladstone and she lifted up her singlet.. Holy macaroni! A friggin huge ostrich egg-like bruise!!
Muay Thai’s really tiring, I don’t know how Lena has the time to work and train at the same time. Five rounds of full-on cardio, WHILE getting punched left right centre. I couldn’t do it. I’d just take out my pistol and shoot my opponent. Lol.
Loving girlfriend giving her a massage pre-fight
This is called shadow boxing right?
Y U so skinny?
Amateur fight before Lena’s match
Amateur and padded but still soo scary!
By this point, I remember repeatedly telling myself that “my son will never take this as a sport! I will never allow it”
Men’s pro fight right before Lena’s
The guy from Lena’s gym (BXG) won!! Whee!!!
BFF having a moment
Ok, at this point, please note the difference in our behaviours. Of course, I have a super serious side to me, but isn’t this just hilarious!!!
Hoot hor yi si! It’s a fight, were you expecting anything less?
I cannot remember the last time I screamed so much. I was wearing such an elegant dress but all that shouting made me feel like an awful drag queen. Ah, who cares, for the BFF! If I can carry such a loud banner, I can scream all I want.
Lena and her Thai coach, also a Joy ;)
Into the ring, champ!
Doing the Wai Khru pre-fight
Saying a prayer
Kick, kick, kick!
Break
Well, I really expected a draw but no, Lena’s opponent won. Not important, forever a champion in my eyes. She sucker-punched and thunder-kicked her opponent till she (the opponent) fell 2-3x so the results were a bit disappointing and unexpected..
Please make way, my champion’s in the house! xoxo, her publicist and BFF
Celebrated mum’s birthday at Canton-i last night. Her birthday’s on Tuesday but we wanted something that family could all gather together for so we did it earlier. Plus, she can have some romantic time with dad tomorrow!
My beautiful parents
J+J all grown up!
MUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥
Family minus Nana in Sydney
Mum’s born in the year of the Pig and she adores them so imagine her reaction to these cute little piggy red bean buns
We were singing her birthday song super loudly and all she did was take photos of the pigs
Still singing, still snapping. See my popo’s face, lol!
Mind you, we are still singing at the top of our lungs when dad steps in to.. take photos too!! Whut!?
Finally she calms down and makes a wish. Clearly still very tickled by the pigs
Present time! Dad had already got her a Rolex earlier.. But of course I couldn’t afford a Prada on my own. So I shared this gift with Dad. Thank goodness for fathers.
So pretty!
Chanel from the boy
Happy with her cosmetics!
Really awkward photo haha but we bumped into Priscelia after dinner. Do you like her smile? It’s an Aloha smile ;)
Priscelia and Jaz
What a ton of photos! I hope you enjoyed this entry xx
After participating in my first ever run, I’ve come to realise why people take part in marathons/runs. The feeling of completing what you set your mind to do is pretty exhilarating.
I would say I’m a rather determined person, especially when I want to get something done. In uni, I would study till I ended up crying, with notes beside my pillow etc. Simply because I had to prove everyone wrong about my grades in secondary school/poly. Of course I had lots of fun too.. But point is, seeing results generated from sheer hard work is ecstasy.
I took part in the inaugural Pocari Sweat run (5km) last Sunday together with Yasi. It was at Gardens by the Bay and the route went past the Marina Bay Sands as well as the Marina Barrage (which was a killer btw, some serious upslope). Flag off was at 7am so I was up by 5:30am.. Never been up so early in a loooong time!
Start line
I ♥ Pocari. I’ve loved them for the longest time. It’s seriously the best sports drink around. I hate carbonated stuff so Pocari really hits the spot for me. Did you know that Pocari is developed based on years of scientific research? The composition of the drink is such that it is made very similar to our body fluid. This is why our bodies process and absorb Pocari much faster than any other isotonic drink – hence replenishing any loss of body fluid much more efficiently.
I also like that Pocari doesn’t contain any artificial sweetening agent. If I’m not wrong, the mild sweetness from the drink comes from sugar cane. Try some before you hit the gym. It really does make a difference. To be honest, I drink Pocari whenever and wherever haha!
P.S. Pocari’s really good for hangovers and headaches too ;)
Our ‘special’ numbers. I got #69 and Yasi got #23
Before our run
5km completed! How should I pose with my first ever sports medal?!
Yay! Timing’s definitely better than my previous run. Will keep y’all posted once I get the official timing :)
With the lovely Jen. She spotted that I was bleeding from my shin after my run.. Must’ve scraped a plant or something. It was really no biggie but she insisted that I get help from the medics haha. What a star!
On stage to answer a simple question. It was really funny.. When I went on stage, the Power98FM DJ, JK, asked why I smelled so good even after my run (no perfume ah!), and of course I was stunned for a bit. Who says that?! I nonchalantly replied, “it’s my Pocari Sweat” *slap me already* hahahhaa!!
My Pocari hamper! Woohooo!! Carried it back to the carpark till my arms ached.
Brekky – prawn mee at Tiong Bahru Market
Now I wonder, will I ever try a 10km run? I used to only be able to run 2-3km (embarrassing max) but now that I’ve done 5km, it’s truly mind over matter :)
Oh Lumpy
Haven’t blogging in awhile but I will do so today. Let me start off today with a short story…
“My dad’s friend (a doctor) was once driving and while stopping at the red light, he lifted his hands to feel his throat. He felt a hard lump at his lymph nodes and within a couple of months, he was dead.”
End of story. Short and to the point.
A couple of days ago, while at my desk, I started feeling my neck for lumps. Call me mad but I DID find a lump on the right side of my throat. I panicked and went to the nearby doctor to get it checked. The look on her face when she felt the lump was indescribable. I wanted to slap her face. Doctors aren’t supposed to instill fear in their patients. I asked her, ‘could it be cancer’. She hesitated, ‘it could be cancer, but then again, it could be a lot of other things’. Why, thanks. Thanks for not being able to give me a diagnosis and thanks for charging me $32 for a minute of your time. That same night, we went out to celebrate Dad’s birthday at Paradise Pavilion. How do you break news about a lump in your neck to your dad on his birthday? Well, I did. Right after I went to the lousy doctor, I text him, so when he met me that night, he immediately felt my neck. I didn’t tell him which side of my neck the lump was at, but he felt it. He could feel it. FML.
Two sleeps later (i.e. yesterday) and I’m waiting at Gleneagles Hospital to get my ‘lump’ checked out. I go through an ultrasound and from the screen, I can see a white mass on the right side of my neck. And then I see another lump (albeit smaller) on the left side of my neck. See, I wasn’t lying or exaggerating when I said that I had a lump (now it’s lumpS). Cut the long story short, doctors don’t think it’s cancer but my thyroid is larger than usual and there are cysts present in my throat area. I’ll be seeing a thyroid specialist tomorrow and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
The Good Ones
A friend once said, ‘the good ones, they go first’.
My dear E, I’m sorry you were in so much pain, but I’m glad that it’s now over. You were definitely one of those good ones and we all miss you.
Rest in peace.
Tough Nut
It’s been a tough few days.. Since I got the news on Friday, my world just hasn’t been the same. It’s scary because despite all our quarrels and your insensitivity, I love you, and I never want anything bad to happen to anyone I love. Ever. Right now, I just have to be strong because a lot of people I love are relying on me.
Just got back from the states and am going for an op in approx 4 hours. Although I know everything’s going to be alright, I keep crying because it’s so scary :(
Never expected that doing an assignment on the G word would cause me to feel so much ache in my heart. It just serves to remind and reinforce that everything I’ve done so far has been towards the right move. The feeling of abandonment, failure and helplessness keep playing in my head. And I know that I’m never going to allow myself go through all that mindfuck ever.
Sometimes we try to change people. Because we love them and want the best for them. But change has to come from within. From within. It has to be a conscious effort on the part of the individual. A rude awakening or a simple realisation that we don’t live our lives soley for ourselves but for the ones we love and the ones who love us. What a fool I was.
It should never be this way
Quit smoking or die trying
