The days are flying by

Another weekend of fun...

Trawled VivoCity with Sam on Saturday, wore our shoes out and burnt our pockets quite a bit. I ended up with:
1 gorgeous pair of knee-high flat-heeled brown boots
1 funky grey hip hop-ish jacket
1 pair of furry black jeans (Ok, it feels like fur. Mmmmmmmm)
1 long red sleeveless top
1 sweet girly purple blouse
1 kimono-inspired empire-waist red top
1 off-the-shoulder fuzzy white sweater

I'd put up photos but I'm still tired from all that shopping. Haha. Vivocity is such a shopaholic's delight. And shopping with a girlfriend doubles the fun! There's someone to ooooh and aaaaaah over pretty clothes with you, someone to give you her opinion on your selections (and believe me, this is important. And much more useful than when it comes from a boyfriend. Sorry, Lionel =P), and best of all, you're more likely to get discounts than if you shopped by yourself! Particularly if said girlfriend has her mom's Espirit card ;) and your combined purchases total, oh, say, at least $80...

Heh yeah I haven't had that much fun shopping in a long time. But then I haven't had time to shop for myself in a long time (not clothes, anyway. Ikea doesn't count... I mean, restful sleep is essential for a productive mind right? So the furnishings were just basic necessities.) Let's do it again!

My Saturday continued being wonderfully sociable with Lisa's surprise farewell party at Carol's. Haha, fooled ya, lil' sis! Glad you enjoyed the surprise. It was good, no? I had lots of fun. Early 'lo-hei' for me and Lis 'cos we'll both miss this year's CNY... she'll be in Aussie and I'll fly up to Vancouver three days after.

Speaking of which, I'm so excited!!!!!!!! Oh it's gonna be so fun. Apart from how good it'll be to see my darling again (that's a whole level of goodness all its own), it'll be my first time seeing/playing with/rolling about in/tasting/dancing in real snow! And of course there are all the wonderful places Lionel's been telling me about - Krispy Kreme, the big candy shop, the ice cream parlour, the steakhouse. Ok, I need to exercise BEFORE I fly up. And then there are the wonderful people to meet - his friends, his relatives, his church. EXCITED!!!!!!! *does a happy dance (will do one in snow really soon!)*

Yeah... looking forward to it. Meantime, lots to do, at work and out of it. Actually, been spending lots more time than I'd like to at the office lately. Deadlines deadlines deadlines.... dead... Heh no lah, I'm surviving. But just barely. Really wish my projects would hurry up and wrap themselves up. Aiyar.

Well besides work there's plenty of church stuff going on. Prayer meetings on Tuesdays, Bible Study twice a month on Saturdays, service on Sunday mornings followed by Basic Bible Knowledge Class followed by choir practice. We're having a pizza party this Sunday! Wheeee!!!!

I love church. Been feeling very much spiritually recharged lately. For a number of reasons... ah well, we all have our struggles. Just have to work through them and keep trusting God. I'm glad He never gave up on me.

Then there's cell group every two weeks (more or less) and evenings runs once a week (Planning it week to week. Sigh. Need more regularity.), housework, spending time with Dad, and cooking ;)

Last Sunday's dinner:




















Chinese cabbage, mushrooms and cashew nuts (Ok, this was like, an afterthought. Must eat healthy mah.) and... CHICKEN CURRY WITH POTATOES!!!!!!

I'm getting ambitious.

While still trying to cook nutritious meals. Doesn't always work out so well. Sigh. Well at least I tried...

I used fresh milk instead of coconut milk in the curry. I thought it would be more healthful and also less fattening (and we didn't have coconut handy) and you know, fresh milk has all these lovely vitamins. I wanted to put the milk in right at the end so that the water-soluble vitamins wouldn't be lost, but simmering the curry was unavoidable so in the end I don't think it was quite as vitamin-laden as I intended it to be. Sad. It's not that easy to cook healthful meals. Not if you like curry.

Haha. Anyway that's another two dishes I can cook now. Veggies are quite easy, in general. Even curry isn't difficult. What's next? So far I'm cooking the stuff I like to eat. Should learn to make Lionel's favourite dishes too. Maybe next time I'll cook seafood... like crabs and prawns (urgh) . But then, I think my mom will have to eat most of it, given that Dad's allergic to prawns and I'm not a big fan of seafood. Heh. Well that won't be a problem if the food is good, right? ;)

Oh yeah, coming up... CNY goodies!!!!

Food, and other happy things

I love my weekends!

Starting with Forbidden Chestnuts on Friday night with Sam and Jess, followed by a late dinner at Clarity Cafe, and ending with Pan's Labyrinth on Sunday afternoon and a nice home-cooked dinner, this past weekend has really made me thankful for friends and family. Much as I hate being apart from Lionel, life has to go on. I'm just so glad for my nearest and dearest who help fill the void, and remind me that I can still have lots of fun without my baby.

... Although I know that everything fun I've done since he's left I could have had more fun doing with him... and he'd make the not-fun stuff bearable too. Sigh. Oh I don't mean just the two of us of course, we love hanging out with friends and thankfully, I like his friends and I think he really likes mine too! Something I'm profoundly grateful for, that he gets on so well with my pals and with the Hello Panda Club in particular. Wouldn't feel right if the HPC hadn't given their stamp of approval =P I just wish he were around to share in all the fun I'm having...

Anyway. The weekend! Yay! Last week was busybusybusy and stressfulstressfulstressful. Honestly half the time at work I felt like tearing my hair out because it felt like I was going as fast as I possibly could but everything else was somehow conspiring to hold me up... buses would take forever to arrive (I had to wait half an hour for the bus one morning and was so late I almost cried) and then just creep along till I got to the office/home, the weather was downright miserable sometimes especially at 6pm, the printer was constantly out of paper and my computer kept hanging. Aiyar.

I was so glad when Friday night finally came around. Was pia-ing the whole day and stayed back so late I was almost late for Chestnuts. Had to cab down in the end but I made it by the skin of my teeth. And what a show it was! Hossan Leong and Jonathan Lim are just spot-on hilarious, and Rodney Oliveiro and the newbie (I think) pretty-girl-with-great-singing-voice-whose-name-I-do-not-know were pretty good too, especially in that Hunchback of Notre Dame sketch where they sang and danced to Black Eyed Peas' 'My Humps'... hahaha. Ridiculously funny. And the Matrix bit. Whooooooo! I'd say go watch it except it's already ended its run. Awwwwwwwww. Next year, definitely.

Saturday: Dropped by Saf's to pick up winterwear, came away with four big bags full. Those clothes were HEAVY! But well what did I expect??? Maybe I just wasn't thinking straight. My dad actually gave me a lift to Saf's and asked if I wanted him to wait, and I said no!!!!!! Well I figured I'd be a while and didn't want to impose even more on him... but I guess it was quite silly really, 'cos I ended up lugging everything over to Farah's and nearly dying of heat exhaustion in the process. It didn't help that Farah's block was right at the far corner of Pine Grove... and okay I got a little bit lost and had to call Farah for help. Haha (sigh). Anyway made it home more or less in one piece (my arms barely hanging on) and whoop-de-doo! Hallelujah! Lots of pretty winter clothes now. Lionel sms-ed just as I got home to say he was online. Started showing him some of the clothes and ended up modelling the entire collection. Hee. So fun! I like winterwear.

Had time for a quick nap (though I couldn't fall asleep), then it was off to cell group at Daniel's. I love cell group. These people are such a fun and intelligent bunch... I go home from every meeting actually having learnt something and feeling tons better too. Thank God for Christian fellowship. Keeps me sane in this ungodly world. Not that I'm very godly myself... wish I were. Something to work on still.

Then on Sunday, spend the first half of the day in and around church. Service with Lionel's mum, sis and bro, Basic Bible Knowledge class, lunch with Lionel's mum and sis and their friends, then back home. On the way back Sam asked if I wanted to watch a movie. Yeah of course! I NEED to watch more movies, haha. Pan's Labyrinth was showing in town at 4.30 so that gave me about half an hour at home before I had to run out again. Was cooking chicken for dinner that night so I had to do a really really really quick marination. Whooooo!

Pan's Labyrinth is awesome. Go catch it if you haven't already. Be warned - The monster with eyes in his hands is pretty freaky though. Probably one of the scariest monsters I've seen on screen. But then, I don't like horror shows so I haven't seen that many... thankfully. Haha =P

Rushed back to cook dinner... here it is!



















One of my old favourites... chicken with cashew nuts!














And another of my favourites (though I'd never tried cooking this before)... cauliflower and snow peas with button mushrooms!














Yummy. Dad said this time it was good enough for him to want seconds and even thirds. Yay me. And yeah it all tasted pretty good, if I say so myself ;)

This is last week's attempt. Presenting Mel's special... spaghetti!!!















Well since it was my first attempt at keeping my New Year's resolution of cooking again (I kinda forget how to if I don't cook regularly), I chose something simple. It turned out all right though I think I needed more sauce. Still, not bad considering I'd never (*gasp*) cooked spaghetti before. Someone else has always cooked it for me... mwahahaha. Anyway trial and error lah... still learning.

Part of my 'prep' as Lionel focuses on his studies... and hopefully by the time he graduates we'll both be ready to take on the responsibilities of running our own household. Honestly, there's so much to do before taking that big step into the World of Official Coupledom. It kinda scares me sometimes, the stuff we still have to go through and the stuff that is to come later. It's tough enough handling my own affairs, I almost shudder to think of what it means to juggle finances for two, maintain our own home and take care of our (many) future babies!!! Heavy responsibilities await. But maybe both of us being the eldest sibling in our family helps. We're used to responsibility - watching out and worrying for the kids, setting a good example, being the voice of reason and giver of not-always-heeded advice (and taking the blame when things go wrong!) - so running our own home might come more naturally to us than to most. At least, I hope so... heh.

Well anyways, that's still a long way off. Looks like two-and-a-half more years. Well also depending on Lionel's studies... Meantime, lots of prayer and lots more prep. Like Dad always says, far better to prevent and prepare than to repent and repair!

Prep. It's what responsible people do. Or maybe it's just an excuse to cook. So fun! I guess that's more understandable than my saying the same of housework. (I do love it, really! The same way I love exercise and my work.) Domestic am I. Or maybe I'm just weird. Hee.

Coming right up

I'm going to Vancouver!!!!!!

Yes, my flights are confirmed - departing from Sg 17 Feb morning and arriving in Vancouver also on 17 Feb morning (thanks to the very confusing time difference) and back to Sg by midnight on the 27th. A whole nine-and-a-half days with my darling, whom I've spent the past four days missing terribly.

Our first Christmas together was beautiful, as was our first New Year's countdown, despite the fact that my beloved flew off on New Year's morning amid many tears and much 'I don't want you to gos'. He told me to be brave but I couldn't hold back my tears as he hugged his family goodbye. When he finally turned to me we just held each other and sobbed. Even thinking about it now makes me feel like crying. Letting go is so hard, even when it's only for a short while.

Six weeks... feels like such a long time though. Thank God for webcam and MSN, I can still talk to my baby every night. Nothing beats the real thing though, and we're just counting down the days till we can hug and kiss and hold hands again. I miss his scent, his sleepy smile, I miss his arm carelessly thrown around my shoulders. I miss him all the time.

Oh God, this is hard.

Well I'll get through this somehow. WE'LL get through this. Right now work is keeping me busy and in my spare time I have my New Year's resolutions to keep... learning to cook and to play guitar, among other things, although I haven't even found the time to begin so far. I haven't even had time to blog till today - and I'm writing this during my lunch break!

I'm also supposed to be exercising more (and I will, I just want it to stop raining!) and I'm in the midst of redecorating my room. It's about 90% complete now, I've just got to hang the pictures and do the curtains and chairs and stuff. Will post pics when I'm done. The bathroom's been revamped as well and it's absolutely gorgeous. And everything smells heavenly because now there's potpourri and tealights everywhere. Ikea rocks! It has everything. I love browsing Ikea, although it's really the person you're with that makes it so cool. Somehow looking at pretty furniture alone isn't half as fun as when your special someone is right there with you pushing the trolley and helping you reach the stuff on the high shelves... *sigh*.

Lionel will be busy soon too when his term begins. Right now he's spending most of his time sleeping off his jetlag. He said it takes about a week to get over it. I hope it doesn't take that long for me - won't leave much time for playing in the snow when I come up!

Lunch break's almost over. I'll be back soon with pictures ;)

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Hello! Back again, with PICTURES!

Me pretty room. I've done it in red/pink/brown tones so it matches my favourite bedsheet.















Room tour! Okay let's start with the curtains. I like the curtains. Aren't they gorgeous??? They were the most troublesome items to get in my entire room makeover too. Let me tell you the story...
















The troublesome-but-so-pretty curtains

I initially wanted this totally elegant pair of deep red textured curtains that I saw at Ikea, but the price was rather shocking. $85!!!!! No way man. Instead I happened upon some pretty, shiny, satiny dusky pink material going for $20 at a shop in Holland V and immediately pounced. I thought I had more than enough but I brought it home and hung it up and realised I only had about half the material I needed. Was sitting on the floor staring at the unfinished curtains and feeling kinda bummed when Mom came in. On spying the curtains she immediately made loud noises of vexation/rebuke. Heh. I confidently told her "No problem, I'll buy more material tomorrow."

So I went back the next day only to find they were out of that colour. I ended up buying the purple instead. When my mom saw it she of course chided me again but I told her I was going to cut the material into strips, hem up all the sides and just hang them. And that's what I did. See? Pwetty!!!!!!

They only cost me $40. And I did them all by myself!!!!! Ok so I nearly wrecked my mom's sewing machine doing the hemming. In the end my mom suggested I use the neatening machine instead. I was like, wassat??? Turns out it's this handy little device that trims off the edges and stitches them so they don't fray. Cool... can I request that as a future wedding present? ;)

Anyway glad the curtains turned out great. They go really well with the display on the low bookshelf...















On top of the low bookshelf. Poster, potpourri, tealight. Pretty, innit?

...as well as the stuff on the study desk. The lamp sheds diffused light through the far end of the room... very sweet and soothing especially with my mp3 playing softly on 'shuffle' mode just before I turn in. Luxury ;)

































On the study desk and next to it. Aren't my bears cute???

Did the chair cushions myself too, well with a teensy bit of help from Mom. Now I absolutely love the chairs. The cushions just make them look so opulent.

And here's the music area. Where I will one day (soon, I hope) practise guitar. Anyway it looks pretty enticing so I guess that's incentive for me. Check out the black-and-white shots on the coffee table. The one on the left is me holding Lionel's guitar - he was teaching me to play The Cranberries' Linger (I think I look pretty good holding a guitar. Now if I could just learn to play it.). The photo on the right was taken at the Haagen Daaz at Holland V on one of our first dates (back when I still wore glasses!). Seems like ages ago...















The music area

This room holds so many memories. Most of the stuff I own has special meaning, and the items in my room all have their own story to tell. Here's a pretty jigsaw that I bought years ago at a funfair at Crescent Girls'. I remember I bought it 'cos I already had a similar-sized one in my room, a bright garden picture that my form teacher Mrs Wong gave me for coming top in English. And it was originally given to her by another class for Teacher's Day (with a message scrawled on the back and everything). Haha.















The jigsaw from years ago - I still love it. It's so soothing

On to the mini-vanity. I converted the old TV table into a jewellery-and-hair accessories area by simply adding a pretty pink batik cloth and spreading some jewellery boxes on top of it. I think the effect's quite charming. I could gaze on it for hours. Kidding! =P But seriously I just like looking at it - it's got all my scrunchies and hair clips and necklaces and earrings and bracelets and my little handbags somewhere within its glass-fronted insides. Plus all my letters and cards (neatly sorted out and boxed up) and notebooks and photo albums.















Oh speaking of cards, when I was sorting them out I came across this little gem from long, long ago. A 'Merry Christmas!' card from guess who? Yup, my beloved, from way before he was my beloved. The card is dated 24 Dec '03. My, my, what a long way we've come.

















Christmas card from Lionel dated 24 Dec '03, about four months after we first met. Sweet ;)

And if you noticed the two cute little doggy photo clips on my study desk, they were the present that came with the Christmas card. Bullie and Gracie. How sweet ;) And now the clips hold snapshots of us, taken where we love to hang out - near the sun, sand and sea. Wheeeee!

Lots of photos of us around the room. They'll help me get through the long months when he's not around. Those were great times. Longing for them... I tried to use the 'beachy' shots since that's where we had the most fun ;) Which means in most of my photos I'm wearing a bikini. Mom's first comment was, "Why so many sexy shots???" Hahaha.















Photos and memories

Photos over the mini-vanity... The first I christened the 'delicate' shot. We went fishing. Didn't catch much, but it felt so good to just laze in the sun and be together. Everytime I look at the photo the song Delicate comes into my head, the way Lionel plays and sings it. And everytime I hear the song it takes me back to that moment at the beach with him.

I think I've got a frog in my throat.

*Ahem* The second photo we took at Phuket right after we bought our 'attachment bracelets'. Hee. I think it's a cute shot and it looks really good in black-and-white. Another great memory.

My side table. So pretty. I've got potpourri and scented tealights everywhere and I keep the door closed when I'm out ('cos Elvis is wont to come up and shed fur and do nasty things in my room) so the place always smells lovely - it's really nice to come home to a sweet-smelling bedroom!




















And the centrepiece of the room.... (dumdumdum...) MY BED!!!!!! Zack Bear (the bigger one - a birthday present from Russ a long time ago) and Elliott (my newest acquisition with the sweetest disposition - he comes bearing gifts! No pun intended haha.) Although he clings fiercely to his little rose and won't let me take it. Oh well. He's soft and cuddly and best of all, he's a Christmas present from my baby.




















Zack Bear and Elliott getting cosy on my bed. Notice they both have hearts on their feet.

(Here's me with my Christmas presents... hee. More on my prezzies later.)




















My Christmas presents from Lionel

Ok back to my bed. Yes that's us again on the shelf behind the bed, with seashells and a pretty carved wood tealight holder, and that's also us reflected in the mirror (photos from the music area).

Moving along the shelf... more potpourri! And... the tissuebox! And... a big wooden bowl! Haha. I found this in the storeroom downstairs - I raided the place for stuff and ideas. Now I just dump my odds-and-ends in it when I come home and sort it out at my leisure. It's a lot neater than dumping my stuff on various surfaces and also more convenient. No more wondering "Where did I put my handphone/wallet/keys?"















The glass shelf above my bed. Shells, coloured glass pebbles, tealights and pretty vases.















And my bathroom!!!!! First, the wall leading to my bathroom... yes that's me with the crab, and him with the fishing pole. Nice bod, nice angle, I like.















My bathroom... (now with reading materials!!!!)




















Shower stuff. I 'revamped' the drawers with waterproof stickers ;)


































On the wall on either side of the mirror. So pretty!!!!







































And that's my pretty bedroom and bathroom. Feels like I'm staying at a beachside resort. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Now all I need is... someone to share it with. *Sigh* I miss Lionel.