Treasure Life;

It’s been a mad rush of late, not just myself but everyone at work. A major event is coming up in two weeks’ time, and no thanks to ‘last minute-ness’… everything has to be done and ready by early December! BUT with awesome colleagues and the amazing close-knitted bond that we share, things are going rather smoothly (crossing my fingers) #Thankful for them who add colours into my work-life (and after-work life) everyday! <3

Taking a short break from studying to run some errands and a quick update!

Major obsession with knit wear lately, partly ‘cos of the cold weather (rainy season in Singapore is here again!) and the much comfy level of these outfits. LOVES!

Top & Knit Skater Skirt: Uniqlo
Bag: agnes b.

Top & Bag: Bugis Street
Shorts: Mango
Watch: Casio

Top: Random market store
Inner piece: H&M (highly recommended to buy item at S$7.90 only!)
Jeans: F21
Bag: agnes b.

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The past few weeks haven’t been the best and this period has kinda made me grasp the meaning of “相愛容易相處難“.

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Exam period calls for a hiatus period at home, which automatically translates to a lot of eating and binging on junk food to keep the stress at bay! A lot of songs loaded into the classic iPod too, my main companion with the study notes.

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Insatiable love for coffee, and breakfast with mommy on weekends! <3

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If you’re following me on Instagram, you’ve read that one of my mom’s friend’s dad has left without a word. It’s heart-breaking to hear that it was supposed to be his first overseas trip, together with his children… He didn’t even manage to set foot in Taiwan, and passed away in his sleep on the aeroplane. His family only realised it when their plane touched down. :’( Even thinking about it gives me the shiver feeling. Too sudden, too scary… Cliché statement always has its magic and meaning to it – “Life is too short, treasure every single one and thing around you.”

If you haven’t made time for someone that you really care, do it now. Take time off work to spend time with yourself, with your loved ones… Work can wait, for you never know when’s the last time that you’ll get to talk or see them again. Guilty as charged, I think I need to work on this.

*photo taken with my iPhone – that’s my beloved grand-dad’s vintage Citizen watch that the children bought for him and my late grand-ma for their 50th anniversary. Such Love and faithfulness amaze me… I miss you grand-ma <3 ..  好想再回到那些年的時光.

XOXO, Noi

A week in a flash;

A week ago, I was in Krabi with the best travel mates.. Enjoying our Thai food dinner, basking and chatting under the starry night, and sleeping soundly in a beautiful beach resort. Fast forward a week later, here I am in my room preparing for work tomorrow. BAM!

Nonetheless, it’s been a fruitful day/week so far. Here’s a snapshot of the past week for me!

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Monday

Stared hard at my tan, and even mommy commented that I look like a real Thai now. Anyhow, I still decided to dress in coral red to drive the Monday blues away. And the blues really got to me, especially having just returned from an ultimate Krabi getaway. Pouts*

That aside, I realised taking photos of WIWT daily really helps me to put in extra effort in dressing up! I used to be lazy, and would just grab any top/bottom from the wardrobe, but now I take time to make sure that I mix and match my wardrobe pieces. Mommy also commented that it helps me to avoid using the excuse, “I have no clothes to wear!“, when I actually do have new pieces -___- lol.

WIWT
Pull & Bear blouse x Bugis Street skirt x Mitju wedges x Flea Market bag x Casio Vintage watch

Impromptu meet-up with my sis after work, and we decided to catch dinner together as well at Carl’s Jr. Seriously, two set meals cost us S$23++ -________- I really think it’s a little too pricey for fast food, haha.

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Good chat with her as always Am always thankful for the close relationship that my sister and I have, XOXO.
Check out her cute METAL teeth!

Then, we went shopping for a while, and landed ourselves in shoe shopping! Two pairs of shoes for S$30 from Rubi! I love the cap toe design, while she loves her blue loafers. Happykiddosplease! The promotion is still ongoing I believe, but one thing about shoe sales – sizes usually run really big or small (think Size 39 – 41, and 35 – 36).

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Tuesday
A long Tuesday packed with work, and new roles added to the current job scope. It’s getting overwhelming for me, and I’m having thoughts/intentions of speaking to relevant parties about it. No point adding on workload to my current pile, as it would only decrease effectiveness and efficiency, right? Nonetheless, I am still trying my best to remain positive about this.

WIWT
Zara floral basic top x SMooch Waisted Flare Skirt in Bronze x Flea Market bag

Before the movie “Prometheus”, we had a quick dinner at Wadori (Jurong Point)! My order was Set B, and it’s priced at S$5.20 (iirc) with Chicken Karage, Grilled Pork Belly, Grilled Chicken, and Chicken Balls, and rice. Though the food wasn’t too bad, I still very much prefer Tori-Q over this

Address: 
Wadori (Jurong Point)
1 Jurong West Central 2, #B1-53 Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Tel: +65 6792 1283

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Movie Review: “Prometheus”

Details:
2 hr 4 min – Action, Horror, Sci-fi
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green and Michael Fassbender

Walked into the movie theater without much expectation or knowledge of this movie, I only knew that there’s some aliens involved in the storyline and there’s a mixed reviews about it. I must say some parts were pretty gore, and we had to cover the screen at a few scenes. LOL! Still, the effects were awesome and it definitely got us glued to the screen for the whole two hours. Interesting story-line, and definitely worth to give it a go!

Rating:

.5 out of 5 popcorns

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Ended Tuesday with Stan craving for Tom Yum soup, so we had to make do with a totally different ‘local Tom Yum’ spicy soup from Koufu. Haha!

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Wednesday

WIWT
Dano blouse x SMooch Paperbag Waisted Skirt in Grey x Flea Market bag

My first time wearing this skirt out! It’s a real comfy piece, albeit a little too long on me. Loving the design and the drapes! Gonna wear it out more often now

Quite a bad mid-week, but I remembered the tweets and texts from lovelies got me through the day… A drained day summed it all up. Then, YT shared this piece with a few peeps on Instagram, and I thought it really hit the nail on the head!

To be honest, (here goes the guilt trip) I haven’t been hard-working with my running regime and the last I really had a good run was actually Sundown! Ok now I’m even guiltier, haha. Though we did some sports (hiking, trekking, and a little bit of swimming) in Krabi, I seriously miss my running! Shall put on the running shoes this weekend, and start the regime proper. The Twitter babes really helped too, with their posts of run logs, and it works a hell hard to motivate me. SHAPE RUN in one month’s time yo!

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Thursday

WIWT
Herwalkincloset blouse x Love, Bonito floral peplum skirt x ASOS clutch x OMEGA vintage timepiece

On Parent Care leave yesterday ‘cos no one else was available (work commitments) to accompany my mom for her follow-up check-up, so I could dress down a little bit yesterday. I took two old pieces from my wardrobe, and pieced them together in time for this season’s trend! Heh, I love how versatile these two pieces are, and certainly peplum is the way to go now! I also brought out my ‘new’ ASOS clutch for the first time loving the design, and check out how roomy it is! I’ve brought out my card wallet, wallet, toiletries pouch, mini water pottle, TBS comb, and my phone… yet, it’s still easy to carry around and chic too. Yay!

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Everything turned out to be ok, and I also had an impromptu check-up as well. FYI, my mom went for her check-up with her gynae whom she’s been with for the last 25 years. It felt pretty weird to meet the doctor who delivered you, I must say! LOL.

Dr. Kowa is very experienced, and a couple of my relatives have been referred to him for medical advice related to women’s issues. Here’re his details, if you’re interested hope it helps!

Details:
Kowa Clinic & Surgery For Women
3 Mount Elizabeth, #16-17/18
Singapore 228510
6235 1151

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After the check-up, I decided to give my mom a proper meal treat ‘cos I realised I haven’t really done so yet. -________- We settled on Domani (an Italian restaurant situated in Ngee Ann City, it used to be called The Pasta Cafe) ‘cos their lunch special is really worth it and how many opportunities can one (working) person have to enjoy a weekday lunch promotion? Heh.

*Photos were taken with iPhone 4, with no enhancements made*

We both ordered the same set – Petit Platter; this is what its website states – Petit Platter : Spaghetti with shrimp, clam and squid in tomato cream sauce. Caesar salad and salami, baked tilapia fish and shimeji mushroom with spicy mango sauce, bacon wrapped caprese with balsamic vinegar sauce. Delish pasta, and this dish allowed us to sample different sides with the pasta! The set meal comes with Potato Soup and drinks, which we chose its aromatic House Coffee.

Given the amount of food and its quality, I must say S$15.90++ per meal is reasonable. And, the service was good so that topped it up!

Address:
Domani
Address: 391 Orchard Road, #B2-37 Ngee Ann City
Tel: 6734 1638

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Retail Therapy

My new Longchamp LM Metal Medium Short Handle Tote in Petrol! All prices for Le Pilage and Metal bags have gone down in Singapore now. This costs S$174, and it was retailing at about S$210! Whee was contemplating between this and the Le Pilage medium tote in Fuchsia, but I thought this piece looks better and I have enough Le Pilage totes already. Sis is going to get her Le Pilage bag-pack tomorrow, double yays. Offer while stocks last, so hurry down! FYI, I purchased mine from Paragon outlet; they only have Petrol available for LM Metal totes, and more of classic colours only for Le Pilage.

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SMooch Scallop Shorts in Almond (Size M) x Topshop Basic Top x MYnt Shop Snowflake Necklace

Carted out this piece during the recent SMooch sales! I was in a dilemma over this or the orange peplum shorts, but decided to get this ‘more versatile’ piece instead. The material is luxe, and I love the matching belt that came together with it! It fits nicely on me, but I think it’s not buffet/heavy-meal friendly ‘cos it can show the tummy pretty obviously. Other than that, it’s definitely a steal at S$20.80 /grins.

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Something personal…

Anyways, I had a good chat with my mommy over lunch yesterday. Though we’re really close, but I hardly share anything from work or personal life with my family members ‘cos I always think that they’re busy and/or have their own share of woes. To me, if it’s something that I can stomach on my own, I’ll leave it just like that and not bother them. But yesterday, I bared my heart all out to her, and I took her by surprise. LOL! I shared with her quite a lot of things relating to Stan and work. It’s not easy, really not easy… But I’m so glad that we took this chance to have this talk, and cleared the air about lotsa stuff :’) Thank you dear Momsy, she’s my pillar of strength and always will be.

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That sums up a super duper long entry so happy to clear this draft post. It took me a few nights, and one early morning T.T Heh! TGIF dear peeps! Can’t wait to get through (hell) work day and usher in the weekends First up, dinner with my bestfs from work tonight.

XOXO, Noi

Lucky, Lucky;

Quite sometime back, Stan received a piece of great news and he immediately rang me up but I wasn’t able to pick up his call then. Returned his call, and his voice was so jumpy that I thought something bad had happened -___- boys…

Turned out that it’s the news that he has been waiting for, and anticipated all along, but he’d never thought it would arrive so soon! It’s something to do with his work, and I shall not say too much due to the nature of his job. But I really wanna say that I am so proud of him :*) and hopefully, he can prove to his superiors that he’s worthy of this new appointment, which I am sure he will!

Met up with him at Jurong Point to hear more of it, and we settled for desserts at a newly opened (Chinese) dessert store in JP2, it’s called Lucky Dessert! Reminds me of Ji De Chi, which is also located in JP2, but the menu items are pricier.

Stan ordered this Mango and Grass Jelly item, and mine was a mixture of Mango paste w/fruits and Grass Jelly! I think food wise, it’s nicer than Ji De Chi, but the bill of S$12++ wasn’t really worth it in my opinion. Still, it’s worth a try!

Address
Lucky Dessert @ Jurong Point
1 Jurong West Central 2, #03-54 Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Tel: 9090 1723
Facebook Page: Link here

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Rare guest appearance*
The boy who couldn’t stop smiling for the whole week -_______-

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And in less than two days’ time, Stan, Daph, Phee and I will be indulging in the mesmerizing view of Krabi. Too bad the rest of the peeps couldn’t join, but we believe there’s always a next time! Thanks Chiat for sharing the link on the things to do/places to go in Krabi – it’s a post by LifestyleAsia.com.

Kudos to Stan for helping to coordinate the trip; checking with travel agencies on availability of packages, hotel booking, air ticket booking, planning of activities, and even down to arranging the airport transfer for us! Haha, /applause please/ ;D

Credits: http://www.phuketthailandtrip.com

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View from Railay Bay Hotel

Credits: http://www.hotelthailand.com

 Credits: http://www.lantainfo.com

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Happy mid-week y’all! : )
XOXO, Noi

(Backdated) Love, Bonito Loots;

Thanks to Ivy dear (@melody8008) for securing the Love, Bonito Sienna Skirt for me, and she also sold the Malibu Maxi to me (at a super steal price) after seeing that I’d tweeted about my interest in getting it from LB RestocksLove, Bonito (LB) Sienna Skirt in Black! LOVELOVE, she’s such a sweet babe please thank you once again. *Pardon the backdated review ‘cos I was too caught up with work and exams!*

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Love, Bonito (LB) Sienna Skirt in Black, Size L

I took Size L ‘cos the stated waist width is 14″ which is approximately my size. It fits me a little loosely on the hips, but I like it just like that. Don’t like apparels that are too snug on me that lack in comfort. The material is worth the price, in my opinion, and the design adds some uniqueness to an office outfit. It’s a keeper for sure, yay!

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Love, Bonito (LB) Malibu Maxi in Fuschia, Size S

I love this maxi to the max! First, the material is very cooling which makes it perfect for our insane weather. Secondly, the colour combi is gorgeous. I’d have thought Size S would be too tight at the PTP for me (I usually wear 17″ PTP), but this fits just nicely on me. Albeit the maxi has no lining a short lining, but it is not sheer at all. It can be worn on its own, but I would prefer it to be worn with a belt around the waist to accentuate the figure. Another gem added to my wardrobe!

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For ref: UK10, 168cm

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Gonna scoot off to bed! It’s been an awesome four days spent with the family, and our extended maternal family members in Malaysia :*) Missing the cousins and my grandparents already, hopefully our work/school schedule could work out something, so that we can plan for another short trip before the year ends.

Back to Monday workday;
XOXO, Noi

Dinner date at Itacho Sushi;

Impromptu dinner meet-up with my dear 38 besties two Fridays back, after the end of my exam week one. Remembered how my mother persuaded me to take the night off and mug later, heh! Via the whatsapp chatroom, Jass and I arranged to meet at Buona Vista and it was hilarious how we continued whatsapp-ing until we met at the platform door. Bings and Leo met up with us at Itacho Sushi (Bugis Junction), and surprisingly there wasn’t any crowd unlike the other outlets such as Ion and Plaza Singapura.

The service was rather mediocre – we were ushered to the table, and the waitress left a set of menus on our table and asked us to refer to the papers. There was a stack of different coloured papers which we had no clue on how to go about ordering the food ‘cos each paper had different items. It took us quite a while to understand the system -_____- what’s funnier was, in the end we just gave our orders verbally to the waitress and she took them down using only one sheet of paper.

Apart from the rant about Itacho Sushi‘s service, the food was simply delish. The dishes are slightly different from the usual Japanese restaurants (think Sushi Tei or Ichiban Boshi), and the price stated is for one serving only unlike the usual two services per sushi dish in other restaurants.

Tamago with Crabmeat
Comes in four servings; a consensus that this is a must-order! The egg is cooked just right, and it melts in your mouth almost instantly.

Grilled Squid Sushi
Jass ordered this, whilst the rest of us cringed at the sight of it. HAHA! She sang praises for it though.

Salmon Sashimi
Comes in six servings; we didn’t order the much raved Fatty Salmon Sashimi ’cos we had ordered something similar for the sushi. This sashimi beats any restaurant hands down (‘cept maybe on par with Chikuwa Tei)!

Grilled Mackerel in Miso Paste
An item off the Promotions menu; Jass ordered this and we all had tried to stop her ‘cos the dish sounded too salty, judging by its name. However, it turned out to be a nice dish, and we agreed that it tasted ‘homely’.

Lobster Salad with Salmon Sushi
Comes in four servings; this is another must-order! The ingredients are really fresh, and we loved that the lobster salad took away the fishy smell (if any) off the salmon sashimi!

Cold Cha Soba
Ah bings and I ordered this dish for our mains; nowadays, you rarely come across restaurants serving Cha Soba in this manner (with the white radish and spring onions) with the soba soup. So, we were really pleased with this dish, albeit the soba being a little soggy.

Grilled Pork Sushi
This sushi is so delish that we ordered second rounds for it! The pork is so tender, and the marinate goes very well to cover the pork ‘smell’.

Fatty Salmon Sushi and Duck Meat Sushi
Something different that we’d opted to try; the Fatty Salmon Sushi tastes awesome but only if you’re someone who likes to eat salmon skin. The Duck Meat Sushi is something unique, but I still very much prefer my usual duck meat rice. HAHA!

Crabmeat Chawamushi
Another dish for Jass’ mains; the chawamushi arrived piping hot and the steamed egg was near perfect! Definitely a must-order as well!

*all photos were taken with my iPhone4, with minimal edits*

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Despite the slow service and some bad attitude experienced from the waitresses (as ranted by other diners as well), the dining experience at Itacho Sushi (Bugis Junction) was pretty awesome with the great food served! The total bill came up to about S$20++ per pax, which we’d thought it was reasonable, given the amount and variety of food that we had ordered. Reservations are advised, albeit the (surprise) small crowd on a Friday night.

Address:
200 Victoria Street, #B1-05 Bugis Junction
Tel: +65 6337 8911
Facebook page: Link 

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As usual, we went shopping (or rather, window shopping) after the hearty dinner, and had a great night out that ended with lots of laughters and heart-to-heart conversations on the way home. This group of friends is a gem to me, and I hope our (yearly) meet-up can be more frequent!

XOXO, Noi

Of all things beautiful;

Friends around me have always known me having this huge penchant for weddings and events, so imagine my (hard to contain) happiness when I chanced upon this post on Andy and Sonia‘s wedding by Jenny Sun Photography. If you have heard of the gorgeous singing duo, Jayesslee, you would know who Sonia is! I was watching/listening to their new song – a cover of Payphone by Maroon 5, one link led to another, and there I was… tearing little tears of joy as I read the post.

Photo credits: Jenny Sun Photography
http://www.jennysunblog.com/blog.cfm?postID=156&wedding-sonia-and-andy

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I always love reading wedding blogs and browsing through Pinterest for wedding items. Not ‘cos I am getting married anytime soon, but it’s one of the little things that I am interested in, and would definitely love to pursue something in this area after my course.

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If you have followed me on Twitter, you would have read that my dear eldest uncle has been involved in a pretty serious accident he was riding home after his night shift (he drives a taxi) on Sunday morning, and it was pouring heavily at that time. A fallen tree branch struck him, and he blacked out immediately. Till now, he still couldn’t recall what happened. Pretty horrifying to think about it… the tree branch missed his skull by a few centimetres. If it had hit his head, the doctor said it could lead to him turning vegetable or paralysed. Sighs, so thankful that he survived this accident with nothing too major – he broke his ribs and fractured his back. He’s still under observation but in a stable condition now.

What breaks our hearts most is, he has five children but he still has to drive a taxi to earn his keeps to feed himself and his aged wife (he’s 70+ years old this year). What’s more, he has to work night shift with a threatening heart condition. Urghs, so unfair everytime I think about it he’s the closest to us in the paternal family, other than the other five uncles that I have. Just hope that he can recover fast and be in the pink of health again <3 thanks to all the love received on Twitter :’) appreciate them truckloads!

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Nursing a flu and bad cramps now, and we’re gonna head to Malaysia tonight to visit my maternal grandparents. Their health have been in a worrying state as well, sighs… Let them be well soon please, heartwrenching to see them suffer like this. Thankful that I am able to get my leave approved to visit them now. When you have the opportunity, make full use of your time wisely to spend them with loved ones around you.

 
Credits: molly-elizabeth.tumblr.com
Don’t waste time on people who aren’t worth it; a statement that I have learnt to grasp as of late.

xx

Pardon the wordy post; It’s mid-week already anyways :) shout ‘yay’!

xoxo, Noi.

Favourite companions for movie dates;

Movie date with family on Friday, 25th May

To celebrate the end of my papers, and also the end of a long work week with the graduation ceremony, I randomly suggested a family movie date. Sis and I have been wanting to catch The Avengers ever since the trailer was out. Due to time constraints from work and exams, we kept putting the idea on hold. Alas! Managed to persuade my parents to catch the movie with us, since there’s an ongoing promotion for GV movie patrons!

If you purchase the movie tickets with DBS/ POSB Credit & Debit Card, the prices are as follows:
- $7.50 (Mondays to Thursdays,excluding eve of PH and PH)
- $9.00 (Fridays to Sundays,including eve of PH and PH)

You may also purchase a DBS Combo (01x 85oz Large Popcorn + 02x 22oz Regular Coke) at $8.00 with any purchase of a pair of weekday / weekend movie tickets using your DBS / POSB Credit or Debit Card online, or at the box office counters. For more information on GV Partner Promotions, you can check out the link here!

Silly forgetful me had always thought that there were three graduation sessions on Friday, but it turned out to be only two! Had to postpone the dinner with my fave girls miss them tons. And I booked the movie session a little too late at 10pm, mommy was feeling sleepy by then. LOL!

We caught the movie at the nearest GV theater to our house - Jurong Point, and partly ‘cos my mom wanted to check out the newly renovated theater too. The renovated theater looks brighter, and the seats are wider as compared to the past. However, I still prefer the seats at Cathay Cineplex’s or GV Grand!

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Review on “The Avengers” movie

Details:
2hr 23min‎‎ – Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi (English‎)
Director: Joss Whedon
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, and Scarlett Johansson

As mentioned, we’re probably the last few people in Singapore to catch this movie. The hype from the trailers and the boys got us really anticipating for this movie! Not to mention, the stellar cast behind this movie involved some of my favourite actors – Chris Evans and Rober Downey Jr.! Maybe we had too high an expectation, so I thought this movie wasn’t that fantastic. Too much conversation in the middle of the movie, and my poor mommy dozed off a while. LOL. The coolest parts were the scenes on Iron Man and Captain America (yes, I am biased like that ), and the last 45 minutes of the show! And of course, Iron Man was hilarious as usual, especially when he poked fun at The Hulk. Conclusion, it’s a good movie to catch if you are into action and sci-fi! For me, the company mattered more and I’m glad the whole family managed to get out of the house to catch a movie together <3

 Cute graphics of The Avengers!

Too cute!

Rating:

.5 out of 5 popcorns

xx
Another movie date!

Caught a newly-released movie “Dark Shadows“ with Stan some time back, and I seriously think that this is so much better than “The Avengers”! Maybe I am just not so much into action-packed movies

Review on “Dark Shadows” movie

Details:
1hr 53min‎‎ – Comedy, Fantasy (English‎)
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Eva Green

As usual, the collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp never fails to crack me up with their dark humour and unique style. This movie marks their eighth collaboration, and I must say that their spark still exists!

“Dark Shadows” is like a soap opera, set in the ancient days (Old English), and with dramatic scripting as well. I love how the  background music and songs are injected at the right moments throughout the movie, and how the story flow was very well-scripted

Johnny Depp is still as charming as ever, and no doubt his make-up was a little too over I thought but he can really act in any role true essence of an actor! Eva Green also had the best wardrobe, with stunning dresses and she carried them off in a demure yet subtle sexiness manner.

Enjoyed the movie thoroughly, and it’s a great show to catch this coming weekend (if you don’t have other movies in mind)!

Rating:

 out of 5 popcorns

xx

Feels awesome to be back blogging after a long hiatus from the mugging! Looking forward to heading back to Malaysia on Wednesday night miss my grandparents truckloads.

xoxo, Noi

Sundown Marathon 2012 – my favourite run till date;

26th May 2012 marks the date for the fifth Sundown Marathon, and my first! Signed up last year for 21km, but had to forgo it due to a work trip to Koh Samui. This run was made more special, ‘cos my mom and sister came up with an impromptu decision to support me there physically for the run! Pardon the long entry ahead ‘cos this run is one of the most memorable ones for me till date.

Took a nap for about three hours, before loading on the much-needed carbo with Mcdonald’s lunch. And more carbo-loading with Korean fare for dinner at Bugis Junction!

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Reached Bugis at about 7+pm, and met up with Nancy to pass her the race pack for her 10km run! After dinner, we proceeded to the race venue at Nicoll Highway. The crowd was packed with mostly 10km runners then, ‘cos the flag-off for 10km was 10.30pm.

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Here’re photos of my beloved supporters! Stan couldn’t be there ‘cos he had to do duty the next morning, but the messages of encouragement from him helped too!

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After leaving mom and sister at the MovieMob area (organised by Honda), I met-up with Jo who’s running 21km too! We were late for the flag-off at 12.30am for both 21km and 42km, but it didn’t really make a difference ‘cos the crowd was still moving slowly towards the starting point (human jam, as usual).

We ran off individually as we knew we had different paced timings. I started off with an average of 7min/km, and it averaged out to 8+min/km for the whole run. The initial part was really humid and dehydrating, so I stopped at every hydrating stations to replenish the water loss and to keep myself awake as well. Also, the Tiger Balm cream that I had slapped on earlier for my stiff neck and joints helped a lot too! Reason being, whenever I slowed down, the burning sensation from the cream was a killer so running helped to ‘fan’ it off in a way.

At the 8km mark, my left ankle started to cramp really badly, due to the old sprain injury. Went to seek medical assistance for the salonpas spray but they’d ran out it and could only give me the Joint Care cream. Pushed myself forward till the stretch along Marina Bay Sands, and I slowed down a fair bit there. Made a phone call to my sister, who cheered me on with hilarious encouraging remarks =*)

Until the 13km mark, the pain was getting a little too overwhelming, so I had to slow jog and walk. It kinda sucks that I wasn’t able to run for the full journey, but I thought I’d better rest to catch up on the second half of the run. At the 16km mark, the sky was turning red, and my sis called to say that they received warnings that a heavy downpour was approaching, and they were advised to take shelter at the nearby tents. True enough, strong winds came and a female runner was heard saying that it’s going to rain soon. The next moment, it started drizzling, and it poured like mad -______- kudos to the Sundown crew who didn’t take cover but stood by in their ponchos to guide us along the right path and spurred us on to keep going despite the dampening rain.

Contemplated on slowing down ‘cos the rain was all soaked up in my skin, and there’s no chance that the rain would stop any time soon. Besides, the rain was kind of hurting my small eyes and skin, with stupid huge rain drops. So, I told myself to press on and run back to the finishing point fast ‘cos my mom and sis are waiting for me, and I need to beat the rain!

The energy gel and banana given near the end of the leg helped a lot, ‘cos my stomach cramp came back and the food did give an energy booster (maybe it’s just psychological). The last 2km stretch was a killer, ‘cos my knees and ankles were giving way, and the pain was coming back stronger. Thankfully, prayers and my Runkeeper app were my saviours! At 20km mark, I had already clocked 2hours 50minutes. Throughout the run, I had in mind to clock below 2hours 30minutes but in vain which was kinda expected ‘cos my previous half-marathon took me 3.5hours. So, I said to myself that I’ll be more than accomplished if I could finish this under 3hours. Persevering till the finishing start, I didn’t stop for the last 1km and increased my pace too. The guys by the side also cheered us on, and that’s one of the reasons why I love running no matter what nationality or gender, encouraging each other goes a long way!

Nearing the finishing line, I got a little too emotional and started tearing a little. LOL! Maybe ‘cos the rain was seriously a mood dampener against the will and physical condition, and maybe ‘cos I’d managed to listen to my mind, and my body was ‘guai’ enough to get me through this run under three hours. Also, I managed to shave off 26 minutes off my Personal Best timing for half-marathon run!! ^^ The crowd didn’t stop cheering as everyone crossed the finishing point one by one, and I couldn’t stop smiling to myself as I followed the stream of crowd to collect my drinks and the Finisher’s Medal /beams.

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Photo credits to my sis for being such a great help in taking photographs for friends and I! /loves

Yay! Arrived early so there wasn’t any queue to take a photo against the backdrop.

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Hello Zirong laoda! So proud of you for completing your first half-marathon with an awesome timing!

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Jo babe! My dear secondary school classmate, who took up running too! We ran StanChart half-marathon together last year as well

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At last! My Race Bib and Finisher’s Medal for 21km runners! :*)
Sundown Marathon 2012 marks my favourite run till date; thanks to the ‘no-sun’ weather which was more cooling (though the rain didn’t help), and I managed to find the reason to keep me going throughout the run. Not forgetting the beautiful scenery and endless hydrating points (compared to other runs)… yay!

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Check out this link – http://results.hivelocity.com.sg/index.php, for results of Sundown Marathon 2012!

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Albeit still a far cry from my running babes in terms of pace and timing (dear Deb is ranked #36, like omg please), but I’m really contented and thankful to have completed this run, despite the downpour and every other thing else. This marks my first night run, and I am sure it will not be my last! Thanks to all the encouragement texts, Tweets, and kind words :*) loves. Especially mommy and sister who endured the sleeping bug, and the stupid muddy paths on the way to the MRT station. Touched to the max, really* We only managed to get home close to 9am T.T and napped all the way after. LOL!

My mom always asks if I will ever stop running ‘cos of my asthmatic condition and concerns over my old leg injuries, I told her it’s one of my passions and something I take pride in. After being there physically at the run and seeing me completing it, she told me, “I can tell that you’re happy doing this. And I am proud and happy for you too! I finally can sense your determination in doing this, ‘cos I see it in the other runners today too.” :*)

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Hopefully through this blog post, Tweets, and Instagram sharing I’ll get to know more peeps who share the same passion for running! \m/ Holler here if you love running too! ^^

Off to bed now, before I get all emotional again. Back to work week tomorrow!
Nights y’all, xoxo.
Noi

Nine months;

Time flew by just like that, it’s been nine months since I stepped into a new environment.

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Met up with dear peeps after work today, and one of them mentioned a very familar scenario – ‘All pumped up upon entering this new foreign place, and energy boosted up to the maximum level and looking forward to a new day everyday. Then, all that fizzed out after time.’ It’s taking place now, all these zest were long gone and it sucks to see friends leaving one by one. No doubt the remaining ‘survivors’ are happy for them, but a tinge of sadness and paranoia is hovering over our minds now. Having said so much, I guess it all boils down to our own perserverance and beliefs. We may be stuck in a hopeless rut, but these experiences may lead us to stronger individuals and better persons. As we all know, so long that our conscience is clear and upright, bring them on nothing can defeat us. For now, I’m just gonna remain ‘zen’ (as what one of the peeps mentioned), and do my stuff. Come what may, I know I can count on the peeps. Other may doubt us or cast suspicions on us, but we’re just going to focus and channel our energy to healthier stuff. Not to mention, the support from family and friends to tide through for at least this period of time. Indeed, we’ve found love in a hopeless place.

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Our motto;

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So much for verbal diarrheoa, perhaps the heavy downpour triggered off thoughts. Nights peeps

xoxo, Noi

A week in a blink;

Another week has gone by, and it’s scarier knowing that another seven days are taken off my countdown chart to the first paper for this term. Three papers to take, and one ECA to complete; I just can’t wait for June to arrive! Not to mention how stupid the topic is for the ECA – a three to five minute video on end-of-life care in Singapore. And the lecturer had actually suggested us to interview her mom, who’s struck with a terminal illness. Gees, seriously?!

SATURDAY
That aside, I am glad that I managed to squeeze in some leisure time amidst the crazy weekend of mugging, doing up the outline for the ECA, and planning the study schedule. My aunt from Malaysia is in town to visit us and will be heading back to KL tomorrow, so Mommy and I brought her out on Saturday to have dinner together simple food-fare at Jurong Point’s Kopitiam.

SUNDAY
I headed out to capture some shots for my assignment. First stop was Bras Basah, and we jumped onto the opportunity to tour around National Museum of Singapore since full-time students and regulars get to enjoy free entry/S$5 (special rate) for admission fees.

BOOMZ clouds taken outside the museum;

A couple of exhibitions and galleries were opened when we visited, and I found the photography gallery particularly interesting. Perhaps ‘cos it showcased the history of Singapore from various perspectives of the key people, such as Sir Stamford Raffles and the performers from Great World Amusement Park. A pity I left my SD card at home so, I could only make do with my iPhone to snap some photos from the museum tour. That, I shall leave it to next entry.

Another place that we went to, Tiong Bahru Market; this place serves really delish hawker fare. Ordered Hainanese Chicken Rice, Chwee Kueh, Beef Soup, Oyster Omelette, and Sugar Cane drink to top it off. My fave dish has got to be the Chwee Kueh  from Jian Bo Tiong Bahru Chwee Kueh (#02-05)!

Tiong Bahru Food Market & Hawker Centre
(Check out ladyironchef’s post for more food recommendations!)
Address: 30 Seng Poh road
All these for less than S$15, daebak!

MONDAY
After a somewhat long Monday, the whole family brought my aunt out for dinner with some hawker foodfare lovin’. Our initial stop was Redhill Market & Food Centre, but too bad the tzi char store wasn’t opened for business so we decided on heading to Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre instead.

We ordered BBQ Sambal Stingray, Sotong, Kang Kang from BBQ Seafood, and Winter Melon with Spare Ribs soup from Yi Ping Tung. The latter serves really good soup, and the unique way of cooking it charcoal-style allows all the ingredients to be well-broiled. Best of all, the price is reasonable at S$4 per claypot. Yay!

BBQ Seafood
(Check out InSing’s post for more information)
Address: Yung Sheng Road, #03-178, Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre

Yi Ping Tung Charcoal Claypot Soup
(Check out InSing’s post for more information)
Address: Yung Sheng Road, #03-157, Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre

After the dinner, we brought her to Marina Bay Sands to take in the night-view of Singapore.

Chanced upon the window display of Louis Vuitton, and snapped a photo of it – amazed by the vibrant colours. But I thought the colours used for window display were a big contrast to the pastel colours used in their SS12 campaign.

LABOUR DAY
The journey went like this – Jurong Point, Jurong East, JCube, Redhill, IKEA, Changi, and Old Airport Road Food Centre. And I finally got to try the Lao Ban Soya Beancurd!! Bought a few back for mommy and sister, and they love it too. Mommy said that there’s a tinge of black sugar taste in it. The queue wasn’t that bad when I went at 8+pm, less than 30 minutes I’d say. At S$1.50 per bowl, it’s much pricier than the usual soya beancurd in the market but I think it’s worth the price. HAHA!

Lao Ban Soya Beancurd (Old Airport Road)
Address: 51 Old Airport Road, #01-127 Old Airport Road Food Centre

Wednesday
Alas! Mid-week was finally here, and it’s another day with bad headache etc. Went to the temple to pray that evening, and had a good talk with my god-uncle. Let’s just see how things go!

Simple foodfare // home-cooked food is love! Mommy never fails to let us come home in comfort and bask in love from her. LOL, so much for cheesy lines, but I really learnt not to take such details for granted after working. It’s not like I get to eat home-cooked food everyday

OTD // Crochet top with TheTinselRack Floral Blossoms Paperbag Skirt in Violet Peonies, and my trusty Longchamp bag

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Sooooo many movies that I wanna catch, but I think gotta wait till my assignment and exams are over – the highly raved Avengers and Battleship. Boos*

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Review on “The Lucky One” movie

Details:
Movie title: “The Lucky One“
1hr 41min – Romance, Drama
Director: Scott Hicks
Writers: Will Fetters (screenplay), Nicholas Sparks (novel)
Stars: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner

Synopsis (credits here):
A Marine travels to Louisiana after serving three tours in Iraq and searches for the unknown woman he believes was his good luck charm during the war.

Perhaps I held too high hopes for this movie, so I was tad disappointed after watching it. Other than the scenes with the hot bod of Zac Efron, the rest of the story plot lacklustre and predictable. I felt the emotions shown during the scene where Taylor reminisced about her brother was more real than the chemistry between her and Zac. Nonetheless, it’s a nice movie to catch if you don’t want to fight with the crowd this weekend over tickets to the Avengers movie.

Rating:

.5 out of 5 popcorns

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QOTD// daily mantra; thanks for the love received.

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This is like, one of my longest posts ever; blogged this over the week and finally managed to publish it today. Gotta find time this weekend to do a good run and finish the rest of my mugging and video assignment \m/ FIGHTING!

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TGIF peeps! Looking forward to tonight

xoxo, Noi