farewells and hope

bye singapore.

Hi BKK. Haven't seen u in 6-7 years. Hope it'll be a good reunion. If I'm not in time, wishing all my buddies a happy happy 2012. It'll be a blast so let's embrace it together.

RIP Hammie.. You had a good mummy. Thanks for being part of her life.

pulling close to end 2011.

I'm putting up this post in advance since I'll be spending new year in BKK this year. Hopefully it'll be a good relaxing one. 

Xmas is really the season of giving. I felt it exceptionally strongly this year...dunno why. not that I got money to burn but probably I'm beginning to feel that it's great to be able to give, show appreciation and make someone else's day better than it would have been. 

Kitties were role models for this. As usual, they congregated for a very strict and intimidating session of xmas party and gift exchange this year. Some braced themselves for the scoldings for their lousy choice of gifts while some basked in the limelight with theirs being voted the most well-received present. Some showed humility, vowing to do better next year. Some just showed great spontaneity by just being part of the fun and laughter. The recent precious get togethers I had with my loved ones, family and friends, reminded me to just worry less and be here, in the moment. It's a luxury in fact to be able to do so. 

Just caught New Year's Eve the movie and I just had to quote this from Claire Morgan ( played by Hilary Swank) coz it really resonated with what I want to achieve in the coming year. Moved me to tears by the way probably coz it was so heartfelt and the great acting.

She made this speech to the audience waiting for the countdown at Times Square when the famous ball dropping act suffered a hiccup.

"It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the New Year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. 

To remember both our triumphs and our missteps - our promises made, and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures - or closed ourselves down, for fear of getting hurt. 

Because that's what New Year's is all about: getting another chance. 

A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about 'what if' and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight - and it will drop - let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long."

Cheers to a brand new year and friendship.

Great gifts this year kitties. 

ES bought me this scratch-map where we could scratch out those countries we have been together. COOL. We hope to conquer the globe together! His disclaimer: Not allowed to scratch those I went with friends or 'some other men'. -_-

merry christmas 2011

MeRRy chRisTmaS

& happy2o12. 

It's the time of the year when I start lamenting how cruelly fast time sped by. On a positive note, I am proud at how well I managed 2011. Has got to be my best year so far. really. 

Completed a few major items on my MUST-DO list with several memorable occasions along the way lighting up the year. Lots of outflow this year to commemorate the big 30s with different groups of friends... it's all worth it.

As I browse through my pictures folders, these were what made it to mochi's charts:

1) SMAB grand tour of USA -  3 weeks with SMAB driving ourselves nuts from east to west coast of the big apple. Totally ridiculously adventurous.LOVE it. I thought we grew closer this year by a huge step..knowing everyone's living habits, scolding each other all the time. 

2) Celebrated 5th year with ES. Quiet dinner and he threw in a Bali rendezvous holiday for me. Deserving a No. 2.

3) 98A03 wedding fiesta - Em, Adrian and Les all got hitched! woohoo. Definitely worth a mention. Babies soon please.

4) my irritant Bro's wedding - like finally. Despite the mega saga where a strong intention to disown him nearly took over me, I was very touched that someone else is officially sharing our burden in this. haha. He's changed alot ever since the marriage and after I wrote him a looooong touching sms. Family rocks. 

5) Close colleagues weddings - so glad for Mahani and Eric. They are people who make my day at work though we are no longer in the same Group. They deserve a standing in mochi's charts as well.  

6) Last but not least, my recent India and Kashmir trip with my besties Sharon and Zhe san - been a loooong loooong time since we travelled together and we decided to make it a boomz one with a boomz destination choice - Incredible India. Indeed, the trip lived up to its name. Truly incredible that I had nightmares about AMK station drowned in heaps of garbage and the tracks submerged in garbage water. Me and sharon san were forced to jump into the water to escape from a man with a rotting face. Luckily, it was just a dream. 

7) Got a queue number to select a flat! finally I am one step closer to owning my own place. I am so excited but at the same time, worried about the finances. Well, will stop being a worrier and take things as it comes. 

8) To end off the year, I'm going to visit BKK again...after a good 6-7 years? Yes yes, don't remind me on my screaming bank account, dry and dehydrated. I'll save more next year k.

taught the unintentional bokeh here really looked amazing.

How my little space looks like at year end. 2 MD albums... a card bro  sent back from Venice and  my daily accessories 

best xmas gift from colleagues..thanks angela. you know me well. must be coz my constant blasting  of my music and my constant singing that gave you the idea. 

Not so bad

The bustle of crazy xmas shopping was arrested by a mood of uncertainty as people wonder if SMRT would fail them.. again. Well, NS line was crippled twice in 3 days and for a good 5-6 hours for each incident. This is scary. As a good public officer, I mulled over why the sudden surge within the last 6 months. 

Just like electronics and systems, or technology in general, the more integrated, advanced and complicated it gets, the more problems and the harder it is to find out the cause. I remember my good ole canon printer which only had one function, PRINT. It's durability was incredible considering how many notes and papers it had to spit out during my schooling days. As compared to the all-in-one printers which I seldom use, their lifespans were pathetic. 

The disruptions became more frequent after the start of CCL and upon investigations, the faults identified were unheard of..like track faults,power rail problem, cable fault etc. The root cause might be something deeper, underlying the mesh of transports hubs,tunnels, lines and tracks. 

I'm not very disturbed by the spate of news on the disruptions. I find it quite entertaining actually... hot conversation topic whether face-to-face, on whatsapp or on FB. :) 

Could be that I was lucky enough not to be caught in any of the disruptions. The other could be my recent experience in India which helped greatly in negating some of the anger as well.  

People lived in a hell of constant honking, pollution that could whip up a fog and an almost non-existent transport system. That's how they live, with 1.21 billion others.

It definitely made me more grateful for what I have and where I am. 

Took this pic while in a 1.5hr jam on the way to Taj Mahal. 

Never seen SOOOO many people in my life. Traffic was bad and people were just huddling under the sun in their tentages, I dunno waiting for what. Maybe they have no idea as well. 

Wild boars rummaging through rubbish. Never seen so much rubbish in my life. 

TGIF highlights

Cleared my email to the point where I didn't have to scroll to see my incoming mailbox.

Had cedele carrot cake for breakfast and saved half for tea break. Well
Worth the 6 bucks.

Cleared my workstation to finally reveal
parts of my table top. Harlow! Haven't seen you for a while!

Bro giving a treat at manhattan fish at Citysquare mall. Love Family dinners .

Used for the first time, a scarf Sharon
bought for me from chennai. Wrapped it around my neck.. Wildly imagining
the raindrops are snow. So surreal.

五月天2012

Mayday五月天2012「作品8號」11/29開始預購;

12/16正式發行

五月天「諾亞方舟」世界巡迴演唱會

日期︰2012年02月25日

星期六, 晚上8點

地點︰ Singapore Indoor Stadium

Public Service Sports Carnival - 26 Nov 2011

Lots of chillis must have been sacrificed for this event coz the weather was unpredictably kind with the help of mr sunshine. The PS Sports Carnival was held at Marina Barrage. 

Singapore's skyline is becoming more iconic. I love how MBS, the unique greenhouse structure of Gardens by the Bay and the flyer form a picturesque landscape from the barrage. Maybe the Merlion could be planted in the middle of the bay just like statue of liberty in USA.

Experimented with some infrareds today. Loving it.

Marina Coastal Expressway in construction at LTA site office

Jurny was there. Looking blur and totally engrossed in the Clown magic performance, not in the mood for phototaking. well. haha.

the dragon boaters.... all ready and set.

Toy Camera effect - neko as my model

Been totally in love with the iphone photo apps. Love how the effects can significantly change the mood in pictures. Here's a hardworking mochi trying to reproduce the same effect using the long long but good old photoshop way. Key thing is the light leaks to give the polaroid effect. Pretty complicated process which I'll need to practise over and over for deeper reinforcement.

Harlo toy camera neko. Oh. and not forgetting my buddies at work. They're my models too. 

Before

After...with light leaks and a kodak frame..

my buddies at work..... literally and non-literally.

Buddies in Polaroid.

19 Jan 2012 - 10.45am

Casa Clementi. My future home I hope! Fingers crossed. Feel uneasy thinking of becoming a westerner. Being a north easterner has its perks.. Yummy food easily within reach.....good curry rice near kovan...wanton mee at hg green.... ban mian at hg green... teochew porridge at simon road... wanton mee at hg ave 8....fried hokkien mee and carrot cake at ave 8....

and in general it just seems less cluttered, less pollution and less human traffic.

Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it... The familiarity.

Grouses aside... I'm still exploding with excitement.

W3ddings

A popular weekend for weddings. Couples who can't get THE date 20.11.2011 will settle for the next best 19.11.2011. Definitely not doubting that some genuinely wanted 19 Nov of coz. Eric don't kill me. heh

Lovely couples each with their beautiful story behind their union. Argh. Bumble bee week ahead... actually for all my colleagues maybe.. office seems quieter.. less chatter, less music, more sighs, more furious typing sounds from keyboard. My eyes are popping out from too much report writing. They felt like expired halloween eyeballs...achy and teary. minus the blood. 

ganbarimassho!

Happy bday to my halloween baby

I've been pretty deprived of beauty sleep and rest since 20 Oct. I made up for it by sleeping from 10pm to 10am a few days ago. woohoo. 

Thanks to all the occasions and activities that were lined up one after another. Not that it's a bad thing, just that I'm physically more intolerant towards late nights now. Adding on to these activities was a frequent workout regime with sharon san for the past 2 weeks as she brought me in to Fitness first for some 3 day free trial, part of a perk of her new membership. Plus SWEAT which gave me aches now and then, I think my body is screaming for help. haha. Work is coming in hard this month. The only way to survive would be to look forward to India 2011! ganbarimasu!

Enjoyed a chope chope getaway to KL with Sharon san and zhe san. Swiss Garden Residences was nice, spacious and newly refurbished. Highly recommended if you are going with a group of 3 friends or for families of 4. 

Then came our JC halloween party and potluck at Chean's place. Chean's place was a zoo for Sean. He made friends with the Donkey. 

Bec's halloween bucket for naz. The cloak was from Daiso which Naz dressed up in. Neko had a mini celebration after our party. 

A message which made me luff out loud in the train. Love how honest  kids are. 

Had an early bday celeb with my halloween baby

Some chemistry in Vic and Jess's getup. haha.

Kirby...My fave shikh who lives on the coke side of life.

quote from movie coach carter

Marianne Williamson:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

(A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3])

家有喜事！20 Oct 2011

Congratulations to my greatest irritant ototo. It's a love hate relationship. I love him as much as I hate him. I hear alot of this in movies and dramas. Now, I truly experience this feeling.. in great depth.

It's such a miraculous feeling to see him so joyous on his special day. It's just so not him but at the same time, so believeable when I saw that very sincere grin hanging on his face throughout the day.

I am so happy and I wish you all the best in this next momentous phase of your life.

La la la la...

Pictorial view of what I did the past week. 

Met up with Amirah during the super cocked up MDIS convocation. haha.

Sharon san signed up for  FF! woohoo. start of a great workout regime. Me? I concluded that I've got too many other opportunities to get my weekly dose of workout. I'll pass and save some money!

The MDIS bear. cute hor. my only tangible takeaway from the 1 day wasted at the convo. oh, and of coz the  Macs Deluxe breakfast with buddy was something memorable too!

India I'm coming!! bolly...bolly....bolly...

Ended the day with yummy Ayam Penyet at Lucky Plaza. love it. 

Hotpot date with buddy JY. Quality hotpot and chatter about our  HK dramas.

The story of Steve Jobs and an Apple. 5 Oct 2011

An interesting read of how this HK university student's weaked the design of the apple logo by weaving in Steve Job's silhouette on the logo. Amazing how viral internet is... with his artwork reposted everywhere, it was found that his design resembled another designer's work.. all in a matter of days. Whatever it is, the design is incredulously apt. It's going up my wallpaper to thank Steve for bringing me closer to my friends and making information so much more painlessly accessible. 

RIP Steve. 

picture from http://jmak.tumblr.com/

ultimate discipline

Mochi crawled out of bed on wed, changed n went straight out for a morning jog at 7.30am. Oops.. Forgot mention that I did not brush my teeth and wash my face. I had no time since I already woke up late.

This is one of the flexibility of working from home. I am not less productive, in fact more productive as I felt fresher from the adrenaline rush. Clocked 5.6km in 36min.

Just am amazed at my discipline..sometimes. TGIF peeps. I hope this motivational story inspires u for the weekend to leave the couch, laptop and tv behind for a few hours. Get out, do stuff which your organ heart will thank you for.

Oh, I've also decided not to sign up for fitness first. The bodycombat class wasn't as intensive as I liked it to be. The class is simply too crowded and I hate the idea of a huge mass of ppl exercising in a confined place. People running on treadmills remind me of hamsters having fun on the wheels.

Not ready to be a hamster yet.

Au Natural state of mind

sleepy. sleepy. Mama san..don't misunderstand my body language when you try to dig me out of bed at 8am. Firstly, it's... 8am. Secondly, it's a saturday. Thirdly, it's my sealy bed's fault.

I really like going to the market with you and when I think of the yummy local breakfast, all the more I would feel that the trip is worth saying sayonara to my sealy. I also get to see the familiar fish uncle and chicken auntie and totally adore the sight and smell of fresh poultry and seafood lying in their au natural state on ice. Something different from the compact cold frozen ones in ntuc.

Seems like a busy Oct ahead. Not exclusive to the germans. I am looking forward to all the festivities, a short KL trip with my tomodachis and the halloween party with another bunch of great friends.

For work, expecting some stuff coming up with some restructure, new colleagues and a bunch of ongoing projects which I really hope to see some closure soon so that I can receive year end celebrations with open arms.

Good luck all in whatever you do.

aging w grace

My mama San recently extracted all teeth coz they were giving her pain. In place was a full set of dentures which she had to soak in a container as part of her daily routine.

I realize how fast my parents are aging.

I never thought it will come to this..

"You want me to be nice to you? Must see if you are worth it. "

If you want to see the epitome of the highest quality of ingrateful shits, you can come to my house. I have one perfect specimen which you may feel free to bring it back to the laboratory for tests.

Today's just a bad day and it wasn't simply just waking up on the wrong side of the bed. It involved a throbbing heartache which lingered through out the day and possibly for the next few days.

What have we done to earn such ungrateful, hurting words from you bro? WHAT. TELL ME.

We never dared to raise our voice at you these past few years and used words in caution in the few rare occasions where we talk. Either pretend we didn't see it or we 'tell u off' in a joking manner in fear of incurring your wrath. Or we just want to avoid hearing those cold sarcastic remarks from you. We've graduated with a PHD in the subject of Patience through out these years. Just some respect for us as human beings who have been with you through thick and thin, wonderful parents who have given you a roof over your head, fed you when you are hungry. Is it too much to ask?

What do you mean by worth it? How do you measure in your warped mentality whether someone is worth you being nice to them?

MONEY? Yes, that's how you measure worth. Your ILs paying for the wedding banquet first and offered to top up the difference. Your wife-to-be auntie paying for your honeymoon package to Holland.

Oh. So these are the people worth your respect.

In that case, I would not be able to be your emcee for your wedding. Neither will ES. You are not worth it too.

I love colors!

 Went to Popular today and bought this set of 48 colors crayon set which would make any kid giggle in bliss. Never owned a set of crayons in this many shades and tones in my life. I hope I'll still keep my passion for card making for as long as I live. I figured that the way to fuel this passion is to buy new colors for me to play around with! heh.

Handmade card for ES. Evidence of 5 yrs of tolerance for each other's  shit.

My 12 color crayon collection that had served me well ...since Pri  school? The promoter came to my school and marketed them as smudge-free, good quality crayons. And the quality remains after so many years.

my new collection... see if you are the lucky one to get my handmade cards. heh.

Slightly off topic but I really love the colors of the F1 3 day Bay Grandstand passes I bought for my otosan.  

Love declaration for mama san

Never been a mushy person. Not in my character at all. I'm probably forced to be mushy to ES coz he loves being mushed at... so... i'll mush him from time to time. guys guys guys.

But I was mushy to my mum today. I held her face and told her she's the greatest mum in the whole world and I'm so proud of her. I wanted her to know that although she isn't educated and not jiak kan tang like my bro's future in-laws, she should still feel confident about who she is and how proud I am of her.

Reason why this sudden PDA urge to her was coz she felt very uneasy throughout the food tasting session with the in-laws. I know her and knew that she doesn't look forward to such interaction sessions at all. She kept repeating the same lines and ended up sounding abit inane and repetitive.

I knew she has this complex that they are richer and more highly educated than her and hence, she refrains from displaying her straightforward character fearing that this would invite criticism from them....and from my bro. Sad right, own son not on the side of her and the family. My bro was sitting at the other side of the table, chatting and laughing so happily with the ILs. Never seen him doing the same with us. Why? ? Familiarity breeds hostility? totally idiotic and unacceptable to me.

So I gave my mama san a lesson on changing the way she thinks and feels. Like what a trainer taught me how to be confident when doing public speaking, constantly remind yourself that your audience is not the expert in the topic you are speaking on. You are. As much as you are struggling to discover what strikes a chord with your audience, your audience are also doing the same.

I told my mum to be natural and be herself. As much as you fear that you cannot understand their english, the ILs were also desperately trying to put together a chinese sentence with their pte limited store of chinese words. They were humming and errrrr-ing for a 10 secs wondering how to say ah ballings in chinese until i rescued them with the oh-so-difficult answer... 汤圆.

So what if they stay in bkt timah and speaks only english.

My mama san's life experiences win them hands down. Her sewing skill is impeccable, she holds several driving licenses for all kinds of vehicles, she can speak 4 dialects, she's a super cooking mama, knows how to choose the best durians and freshest ingredients for cooking. She has time to do all the household chores despite her work and busy mahjong schedule. She's ever so sweet, patient and considerate to us. She never raises her voice or shouts at us except when we were kids or when she wants to wake us up for breakfast.

I love u mama san. You're never beneath anyone and you are incomparable. I will never exchange ANYTHING for you.

Religiously yours

This song rocks! Haven't grooved to a good rock song in a long long time... and as usual.. the lyrics are unbeatably motivating and charismatic. Their songs are my religion. 

五月天 - OAOA 电影《追梦3DNA》主题曲 我相信 苦涩的眼泪 我不信 甜美的誓言 我相信 音乐就该音乐 我相信 爱情的纯粹 我不信 华丽的诗篇 我相信 热烈的争辩 我不信 无声的和谐 我相信 秒秒的瞬间 我不信 年年的永远 我相信摇滚就能万岁 快张开你的嘴 OAOA 再不管你是谁 OAOA 人生都太短暂 别想 别怕 别后退 现在 就是 永远 出生的那一年 OAOA 转眼就这一天 OAOA 人生都太短暂 去疯 去爱 去浪费 和我 再唱 OAOAOA 我相信 苦涩的眼泪 我不信 甜美的誓言 我相信 音乐就该音乐 我相信 爱情的纯粹 我不信 华丽的诗篇 我相信 热烈的争辩 我不信 无声的和谐 我相信 秒秒的瞬间 我不信 年年的永远 我相信摇滚就能万岁 快张开你的嘴 OAOA 再不管你是谁 OAOA 人生都太短暂 别想 别怕 别后退 现在 就是 永远 出生的那一年 OAOA 转眼就这一天 OAOA 人生都太短暂 去疯 去爱 去浪费 和我 再唱 OAOAOA 我相信 秒秒的瞬间 我不信 年年的永远 我相信摇滚就能万岁 快张开你的嘴 OAOA 再不管你是谁 OAOA 人生都太短暂 别想 别怕 别后退 现在 就是 永远 出生的那一年 OAOA 转眼就这一天 OAOA 人生都太短暂 去疯 去爱 去浪费 和我 再唱 OAOAOA OA OA OA ~

The Old Photo Effect

Finally enjoying some mochi time. Me, myself and mochi. I find that as I grow wiser (i.e. older), the more challenging it is to dedicate time to self-improvement activities. Excuses? We have more commitments which never fail to zap us of our energy. Physically, we are more 'mature' making our bodies succumb to fatigue more easily.

So once we can breathe free time, we'll indulge in lazing around catching up on our dramas, surfing net, activities which do not require much effort. I feel it so much. I need like double the amount of motivation to make me jog, clean up my room, housekeep my computer, organise my life in general and improve my PS skills. urgh. such are the cruel truths as we mature.

That's why I haven't been diligently reading of my photo mags. I still buy them religiously but haven't been conscientiously reading them. They are still there on the shelf, stacked up high and nice, neat and untouched. yucks. Guilt.

So today, I successfully ejected my butt from my sofa and relieved some of the guilt by playing magic with my photos. hmm. This website has pretty good and comprehensive tutorials. Though I had a hard time trying to save the instructions on the webpage into PDF for my future reference, I managed to do it after some googling for PDF converter software. CutePDF converts files into PDF in an instant and PDFmerge site merges several PDFs into 1 PDF doc FOC. 好万得福. http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/old-photo/

Tried the old photo technique with one of the pics I took with sharon san during our recent healthy 3 hr trek at macritchie. This pic was taken at the tree top walk... sharon san, photo for you to commemorate your virgin climb to the tree top!

~Before~

~After. Added the sepia tone, then added the grain and noise effect. finished up by revealing some color from the original photo to show the loss of photo color due to ageing~