Am flying to Beijing in another 12hours' time!


So till then... oh wells, I don't even update that often.


BUT BUT BUT. Here's wishing:


XIAODI! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! <-- today!


ZHENWEI!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! <-- on Sat!


JAS!! <-- You are so gonna be with me on your birthday. HAHA.


And I realized, I am flying quite abit this year. And I'm getting so pro at packing my luggage that I have taken such a laidback attitude -- packing only on the day before flight. Ho ho ho.


I hope I don't freeze over in Beijing. =X

You know there are double standards when I perch over a plate of chilli crab and uttered some words about how I can eat crabs now, and that person said "EEYERS. You cant do this!!! ALL YOUR SALIVA ARE NOW ALL OVER THE CRABS!"


And she can happily perch over the plate of bloody crab to chat about her beautiful daughter, and how delicious the crabs are, and how the weather is perfect... while taking her own sweet time spraying countless droplets of her harmless and sweet saliva over the plate of crabs.


Really.


What's worse? Everyone gives in to her.


Why?


Besides the fact that everyone has been giving in to her all her life?


'cause she has the tendency of creating chaos. Like for example, pissing someone off so much that he gets a mild stroke, or threats of divorce, or you never know... making someone choke on the hock chew fishball?


I think I'm so bitchy. HA.

Updates updates!


The year's zooming by, and I realized we are already in the month of November (what happened to September and October??), and in no time, we are gonna be in 2010! This is kinda freaky.. in the way that it was 1999 back then, with the y2k bug and what's not (omgosh, I'm reminded of Tan Suet Mian's lectures suddenly, and me counting the number of times he repeat "What's not."), unable to imagine how we were gonna write the dates --"Are we gonna write the year as 00?".


But the thing is, a sudden realization hit me: I have not accomplished much stuff in the year 2009 besides the fact that I managed to graduate and am working now.


And I finally realized why do people make New Year's Resolutions.


I have always thought that New year's resolutions were kinda cheesy. Like yeah, I would make all those lofty new year's resolutions, remind myself and try to stick to them for one week or so, and forget about them on the second week of January.


But anyway, what I meant to say is this: For people that work, it's really easy to go on with life everyday monotonously, carrying on like a robot. And if we don't constantly remind ourselves of our goals (ok fine, this is sounding real cheesy), we would zoom past a whole year without accomplishing ANYTHING.


'cause this is how my week goes typically:


Sunday: Ahhhhhhhh... Why is it already at night??? What happened to the whole day??? Omgosh. It's time to sleep.. I still have gotta wake up at the ungodly hour of 6.30am to make bento tomorrow...


Monday: *make bento grudgingly* *nuaaaaa* Monday blues..... Ok.. Lunch!! Sadly it's only bento lunch...... Ahh.. Only 2pm... 3pm...... Ahh.. Why is it only 4pm???? Ooooh.. It's finally 5! Ah! 6pm! Time to go home!


Tuesday: *makes bento a little happier than on Monday* *repeat the lunch and time thing* 6pm! Time to go home/out for dinner!


Wednesday: *makes bento a little lazily* Mid week! Means 2 more days to weekend!


Thursday: No bento 'cause it's airport day! *happiness*


Friday: TGIF!


Saturday: Oooomhs. *enjoy the whole day nua'ing/going out/whatever comes up*


AND THE WHOLE CYCLE REPEATS ITSELF EVERY SINGLE WEEK!!!


And each week just flies by. I had been working for the past 4months plus, and it totally doesnt feel like 4months plus at all.


By the way, my contract got extended. That's why I'm still working now. =))


Oh ya, and I'm going to Beijing in a weeks' time! =)))


And I have a gazillion pimples on my face now. Plus loads of water retention on my face that I totally hate looking into the mirror 'cause I don't look like myself at all. argh. Meaning there isnt gonna be any zipais of me till I get rid of the water retention AND pimples.


Sigh.

I was left speechless just now. Like omfgosh stunned into speechlessness.


Oh what the hell.


But anyway, I cant stand those really practical people. Like if I am of no practical use to that person, the person won't even bother to keep up with the usual hi-byes. And even when that said person is my cousin.


Oh, did I mention that this particular cousin greets my parents with enthusiasm when he sees them around in shopping malls? "Oh.. What are you doing here? yada yada yada yada.." Really friendly guy, my parents would say. Ah. Married well, have a good job, have a cute kid.


But it's an entirely different thing when I bump into him and his family in the shopping mall. Friendly waves and smiles were greeted by a grunt of acknowledgement, without even a glance at me.


Friendly guy yeah. Friendly 'cause he's a financial consultant, and often call my parents up, telling them if they need financial advice, he can provide them. *money signs gleaming from his eyes* Friendly when he didnt have a car and needed to go for family dinner, and would call / sms me a gazillion times just to see if my dad can give him and his wife a ride. Friendlier still when he wants a ride back home. Friendly when he wants something from you, but not so friendly when I have nothing to offer you 'cause I'm young and oh, he didnt know? I have just started working.


Now he has a condo *gasped my aunt* (Ooooh wow. Like my ass would care.), a car *gasped gasped* (Ooooh wow. I think my fingernails are more interesting.), a cute kid (that is outgrowing his cuteness, really.), he doesnt really need anything from you anymore. So he could afford to grunt and disregard you.


Gone were the days when he got suicidal, and the whole family had to go talk to him, to get him down the ledge, to convince him not to jump. Gone were the days when my dad had to fork out money just to allow him to see a shrink and what's not.


Come CNY, he would be at his best PR'ing again -- flinging his son around, milking on the relatives' soft spot for toddlers, distributing his namecards, and telling people about financial consultation and what's not.


But I swear, gone are the days of me saying hi nicely. Maybe I will just flip my hair and walk past him like a stranger if I have the swayness of seeing him outside again.

Ooops. Sorry for MIA'ing! I have been busy being a domesticated Kimberly aka the Maria from Timbuktu. I clean, I pack, I wipe, and I do everything.


That is the ritual for moving house I guess.


The new house is great. I have been sleeping really well here. Except for the part where the water pressure for the shower isnt strong enough, there seems to be more bugs while living on the 10th level instead of the 6th level (I seriously don't know why this is the case. Do bugs fly higher and miss out the lower levels totally or something?), and the fact that I have to raise my voice to get heard, everything's really great.


While I am missing the old house, I think I have been kept too busy at the new house to miss it that badly. Packing away things in the kitchen and throwing away unwanted stuff gave me an odd sense of satisfaction. I seriously don't know what is wrong with me. Maybe I'm getting so domesticated that I like doing all these stuff recently? Oh wells.


Anyhow, while packing a few weeks back, I found some of my very first glasses that I ever wore when I was Primary 2!!!


Are you ready to check them out? They are so damn hip hop that I didnt even think it's possible to wear them on my face.




Ahhh.. Absolutely fugly.



And ready for how it looks like on my face????



Are you sure you are ready????


Alright.. Here it is!




!@#$%^&*()_ FUGLY!!! =XXXX



And the second pair I had.




I seriously wonder what overcame me to choose this disgusting pair of glasses. What's with the spots?!?!?!


Anyhow, this is so disgusting looking.


Gear yourself for the worst alright?




ARGHHHH.


Why didnt anyone stop me from choosing those horrid glasses?!?!?!? Argh argh argh.


Anyhow, please do be rest assured that I do not ever look like that now. Here's a normal chio pic of me that has rather swollen eyes with my favourite adorable Ah Gong.




=))


Ok, come back in a month's time for my next post ya? HAHA.

With the upcoming move in just 3days' time, I cant help but think how much I would be missing my current house.


The luxury of space, the luxury of having lifts that arent coordinated so I can press both lifts at the same time, and both lifts would appear on my floor, the luxury of the wide open space outside my house that I can do cartwheels in (not that I have done so), and the luxury of having 67, 188 and 975 right at my door steps so on days that I feel lazy and wanna take a bus to the trains station, I could always hop onto one instead of walking over (esp when I'm wearing my 4 inches heels).


This house saw me through my PSLE. Not that I have loads of memories of me mugging for my PSLE. Just waking up real damn early just to make breakfast (sausages or ham with bread) before walking out with my Da Jie to take the train to school. The one memory that mattered the most of the freedom of being away from home, such that I could loiter before going home. i.e. going to Popular and start testing out all the cool pens that I could never afford; going to the library to borrow loads and loads of books, and reading while walking on the way home until my eyes couldnt take the glare of the sun reflecting on the pages of the novels.


This house saw me through my Nanyang days, of me waking up at 5.45am just to take the 6.15am bus to school, and often reaching at 6.45am -- even before the sun rises, and thus have to walk the long dark lonely road into Kings Road, scrambling up the stairs for fear of ghosts or the dogs suddenly pouncing on me. It then saw me through my burns in Sec 2, and my guiding days -- picking up twigs for firelighting but my twigs would never be good enough 'cause they arent of the right kind. Oh wells.


I could still remember the days of me surfing the net in the study room (when it was still a study room), connecting via the dial-up connection, which inevitably resulted in the house phone being unavailable. Those werent the days of handphone age yet, and so whenever somebody were to call home, they would need to possess the utter patience in trying to break the dial-up connection to get through (much to my frustrations in being disconnected from my IRC chats), or they could just call and hang up like what my Mom would do just to check if I'm using the net or not. Those were the days man.


However, I could never study in this house. I can either stay at home and study (and get distracted by the temptations of the laptop and bed) or I could go out and study for the sake of my grades. So all through my years of education (save for my Pri 6 year), I was perpetually studying outside of my house, at school, at the cc, at whereever, but never home.


Ohhhh.. Then came the appearance of the crows at the trees surrounding my block. They wake up at 3am (sometimes before I even sleep), and caused such a chaos with their relentless chirpings (or cawings whichever you prefer), till the town council or whatever got so pissed off at the number of complaints that they just cut off practically all trees in the carpark area. They even uprooted 2 trees, and replanted with 2 tiny little seedlings that are still trying to grow as I type. That, I wouldnt miss. But hey, I wouldnt know what would I face when I move over to the new place, would I?


I guess I would miss the strong water pressure from taps and showerheads, the serenity (when the crows didnt appear), the readily available provision shop (which has this auntie that made me so mad at her that I didnt frequent it for years now), the immense storage place, and the memories that I have of it. It is the longest ever that I have ever stayed in one area - exactly 12 years (and I'm only 23), so I guess, it's farewell my dear house.


And I shall chiong back to packing the remnants that are still scattered all around. =)

Been pretty busy. Resulting in the inactivity online, and over here at my blog.


Loads of people been flying: Fen for HK to work, Ninny for Boston for her PhD, Moon Star for Taiwan in pursuit of her dreams, Biatcho for Czech Republic for exchange, Wennie back to Switzerland, and Gauri back to London for studies.


Everyone's leaving me behind. =((


So in the weeks leading up to them flying off, been so crazily going out, meeting up, trying to squeeze more time! More time! And MORE TIME! with them.


Sadly, I didnt get to meet up with Gauri before she flew back to London. Sighs.


And I fell sick last week. Been coughing like a TB patient for the past few days. Sudden itch in the throat can render me tearing and choking back my coughs, which felt a gazillion times worse on a crowded train, and people trying to siam my coughs.


I do not appreciate being looked upon as a pot full of H1N1 germs, thank you very much, so you all can quit averting your eyes, but sneaking glares back at me in an attempt to glare my coughs into stopping. Eye power doesnt work this way my darlings.


The way eye power works is in a class of 17 Primary 6 kids that act more like monkeys than really twelve year old kids. Jumping around in class, the usual using of handphones/reading of books under the table, walking around in class, asking to go to the toilet after every 15mins, sitting at the table and banging the chair onto the fake wall partition in a rhythmic THUMP-THUMP-THUMP causing the tutor in the next class to come storming into my class to demand for it to stop, stealing pencil cases and throwing them into the bins, eating in class and throwing the damn chips at this other girl.

And the list can go on and on and on. A normal day of 1.5hours of tuition is normally conducted with approximately 45mins of screaming at this boy to stop blabbering to himself really loudly, stop chatting and do your damn maths!, can you please kindly sit down and stop moving around, do you wanna shut up or not?; 30mins of teaching; and 15mins of sitting there in exasperation.


So, on the day that I nearly torn my lungs out from coughing and wheezing with a non existent voice to boot, I used my eye power.


"Do you all wanna shut up and listen to me anot?" said in this really buay song way, with an utterly black face, and constant staring.


And apparently it worked so well that the normally noisy class became as quiet as church mice, to the extent that I was so uncomfortable in the silence as I went through the papers.


Oh wells, one cant have the best of both world, can she?


In other news, I'm 8days away from moving over to my new house, and I have my notes, shoes, bags, table, forgotten soft toys stuffed in this top cupboard, and more notes and crap unpacked. Needless to say, I'm panicking like crazy. I'm also cutting down on the number of times that I go out till I moved for fear of being nagged like crazy for "How much have you packed? You have so much unpacked and you are still going out every single day? Where will you find the time to pack then? We are moving in X days and you are still unpacked! You're always giving me the excuse that you don't have time, how will you find the time if you keep going out huh?" yada yada yada.


So it's really easier just to come home and nua instead of going out, only to come back to a string of naggings.


Sigh.


And I'm really sorry for no pictures. (Alright, not that sorry. Just a teeny weeny feeling of guilt.) But do pardon me till after my move k? =)

Recently, work's been pretty challenging. And by challenging, I mean I have ALOT of things to do. And the things seem never ending.


Gone are the days that I could practically doze off as I have nothing much to do.


Gone are the days that I can bug my colleagues with randomness.


And Hello to the days that feel like 6pm when it's actually only 3pm. Only reason being I did so much stuff within a short period of time that it felt like I had been working for a damn long time.


Oh wells.


But anyway, was calling this Switzerland guy up regarding some problems when another Swiss guy answered the phone.


Me: "Hello, can I speak to XXX? This is Kimberly calling from Singapore."


Guy (in his German/French/dunno what mixed accent): "XXX? You calling from Singapore??"


Me: "Yes, I'm calling from Singapore, looking for XXX."


Guy (in his accent again) : "Singapore??"


Me: "Yes, Singapore. Are you Mr XXX? I'm calling regarding the..."


Guy (incredulous still): "SINGAPORE???"


Me: "Yes, Singapore..."


Guy: "Ah.. Mr XXX. Hang on.. Singapore???"


Me (buay tahan): "YES. SINGAPORE."


Guy: "Ah.. Hold on...."


=.=


I was torn between feeling exasperated and amused by his incredulous tone of repeating "Singapore" for the umpteem time. Goodness, why is it so surprising that we can speak English?


Or does he even know where Singapore is? Or is Singapore as exotic as what the Bahamas feels like to me? Oh wells.

Oops! I did it again! I didnt blog for the longest time ever again.


And the only reason why I logged onto blogger is because there's this bug that is causing my blog to be redirected to some random site, and I had to change the blogskin, or people wouldnt be able to see my blog at all.


BTW, I just changed the skin, and am too lazy to update all the links. So please pardon me if your links are all gone. Hee.


Oh yeah, another reason why I logged on was 'cause I just came back from the PJ homecoming dinner, and am reminiscing like crazy. But that's for laters. =))


Have been going out like mad recently, meeting up with the guides, with my sec school mates "SHABU SHABU!!", meeting my biatch who's flying for czech republic soon, and going out with my colleagues.


Work's pretty alright. I like my colleagues. And what would I do to remain there on a permanent basis instead of a 4 months stint. Sigh. 2 months have already zoomed by, and with another 2 months to go before I bid them farewell.


Oh yeah, I had my convocation a few weeks back. And without anymore words, here are the pics!!


Firstly, I dedicate my degree to my lovely parents who have been trying their best to give us the best they can afford. They have brought me up to be who I am today, and I wouldnt be where I am without their support through all these years.




Daddy Mommy, I really love you two loads.


And there's my Da Jie who ran around with me like crazy on my convocation day, acting as my photographer, and giving me tonnes of brilliant pics.




Thanks Da Jie!!!


And there's my BFF of more than a decade: Xiang.



We have finally graduated!!!!!!! Thanks for being there for me through all the ups and downs for the past decade and so.


And so, I finally threw my mortar board.




I love love love love this pic!! =DD


And I threw it together with the rest!




Chio right? =DDD


And finally, one last pic of me in my gown.




Clutching the degree that I toiled 4 years for. With everything moving around so fast, and yet I was there, stationary, reminiscing.


--


On a totally different note, I went to do eyelash extensions!!!





CHIO RIGHT! HAHA.


---


We met up with the grad trippers to celebrate Xiang, Chao, Boon's belated birthday on a fine fine Thursday night.




Boon Chao Xiang with the amazing rock like BreadTalk cake. Note: DO NOT EVER BUY BREADTALK CAKE UNLESS YOU ARE LEFT WITH NO OTHER CHOICES!!




Blowing out the candles. =))


--

Today, we went for our PJC Homecoming dinner. PJC is already 10 years old! OMGOSH. The time just flies man. I feel so old back there, with so many younger generations.


Walking down the Teck Whye lane arm in arm with Xiang, bickering, and laughing with the rest, made the past 5 years disappear, and I felt as if I was propelled back into the past.


Walking past the main gates, and we saw the durian head operations guy who used to scream at us if we were ever late for school, or chase after us if we attempt to leave the school early.. I could only smile at those memories.


The concourse was still as huge as ever, with the study corner filled with tables and chairs -- evidence of Mr Kwek's dedication to us students. When there wasnt enough tables and chairs to go round for us, he would order more. When we complained that the study corner was warm and stuffy, fans were installed within a week.


I could still remember the nights that we stayed back in school to mug. There would be food and drinks provided. Canned milo, Horlicks, coffee and tea. And Mr Kwek would be kiaping beehoon for us, telling us to eat more.


All through my education in Singapore, from primary school to secondary school, to JC and university, I have never known such a kind fatherly principal who made me respect him so much. I have to admit that I resented him from time to time for making us have a fixed sitting arrangement in the LTs, laughed along with the others when he said "kuku-jers" and "thunder strike", and imitated the way he said "Good morning Pioneers" every morning, or "I'm very troubled." when we have done something wrong.


But I admired him for his efficiency, for his genuine care for us students, and not just for the grades that would pull up the rank of our JC. We all felt like each and everyone of us really mattered to him, and not just any other student that was just passing through.


Because of him, (and of course the amazing teachers and great classmates) I have never regretted going to PJC. While a Nanyang girl going to PJC seems like such a disgrace when everyone else goes to Hwa Chong or Raffles or NJ, I can proudly say that I am a true blue Pioneer.


Alright, enough of my lengthy reminiscence. Here are some pictures from Sid and my cameras.





My dearest classmates!!


And we met Mrs Pat Khor who could only remember that I gave her some heart-shape pillow or something, which I really couldnt remember me giving.




And she said that I was the rebellious one when I went back a few years back!!!


Oh, and here's Sidney Wong.



I cant believe how we still chat/sms after all these years.




With Gavin! My fellow SIM! =))


And Xiang and I went over to the toilet. Even the toilet is filled with memories: toilet paper are found outside the cubicles!! Oh, and I remember stealing a toilet roll when I had a bout of runny nose. HAHA.



Camwhoring. =DD


The corridors that we used to laugh in as we walked from one place to another.




And the empty patch of grass was developed into such a pretty garden!



Damn pretty la!!


Oh, and me with my favourite 60s!!!



With her around, there will never be a day without laughters. =))


And finally, with my BFF.





I cant wait for the rest of the pictures to be sent to me!!! =))

Wooo. I realized working life is not as easy as I thought it was. I finally understand why Yannie sleeps damn early. The feeling of utter tiredness, the feeling of exhaustion, the feeling of not wanting to do anything but sit and stone..


And I mean do nothing by: Not coming online, not reading, not watching tv or my fav drama serials. Just plain stoning.


Oh, and my colleague laughed at me for having no life. =XX


In order to prove that I have some sort of a life, I went to catch my Harry Potter just now after work. And I concluded that it's better to have read the book in the distant past as compared to having read it again and again till I could totally recite the events. The disappointment would be greater in the latter situation.


It's also better to have read it in the distant past as compared to having not read it at all, so that one would be able to know what the hell is going on. With no background knowledge on it, one would be totally lost at the fast turn of events, bewildered by the different characters' triumphs and schemes, and better off not watching it at all.


Enough about Harry Potter (I'm so gonna read the book again later.), recently I've been so damn freaking busy with work, and the renovation of the new house (I'm moving house, did I mention that?). Picking of lightings, floor tiles, toilet bowls, basins, sinks, interior design etc. The number of things that we looked at is enough to give me a migraine. =XX


At the same time, it's gonna be convocation soon! Friday peeps! =DD


Been to the free studio photoshoot on Sunday, and without further ado, there's some previews!




Putting on the gown rather clumsily results in a lop sided hood/sash/whatever that blue and green thing is called.


And zipai no. 1!




Both of us in gown!


Cant really see Jie's gown, so here's another!




Can see anot??? =))




With the mortar board.

I think I look not that good with the mortar board. =(



Anyhow, the photoshoot begun, and Chris managed to take this pic of us being stupid.





HAHA.


I cant wait for Friday!!!! =DDD