Temporary Immobility :(

Here are three pictures of three bears (or maybe two?) who are injured like me :(

Let's take a look at them.

Bear One: Sally
Why Sally? I have no idea, but her kind-of-pitiful expression just reminds me of a Sally.
Not that I know any Sally except Sally Hansen.. which is a brand.

Bear Two: Jimmy
- Is it a she or a he? No clothes, probably a he-

Bear Three: Cheddar
Looks similar to Jimmy but more decorated, i like him most! He reminds me of Chocolate. But the leg wrapped with colorful flowers (??) is totally crap, who walks around like that?!

xoxo, principessa

Back in Singapore - Mad about Food, suddenly.

First things first, I'm back!

*Weeeeeee!!! -anna style- *

This is the train i took on my way home from Blue Mountain to the Airport

YES!!!
And I had a blast of a time with my dearest, most loyal, most beautiful girlfriends JADE


AND...

As usual, as always, whenever I travel, i eat like a horse. You wouldn't believe it, but its called expandable tummy storage space for food you know you may never get a chance to try again because of the distance. And when the company is quite right, live at the moment i do! :D

Did i mention, 'regret later'? YES, because arrrgh, now i've gained like 1-2kg from all the glorious food in Aussie - cheese and more cheese, delightful desserts and crazy seafood spread, hearty woodfired pizzas and the to-die-for authentic Italian homemade pasta and such - and the Krispy Kremes sitting in my fridge, tantalizing caramelized macademia nuts from Morish that I can potentially eat like popcorns are all mocking me now! Because they know i cannot resist them, i have a weakness for food. Food that talks to me and say 'eat me, i'm worth it!'

I remember that in the past, my ex-bf used to try to control my food intake because he fears the consequences afterwards. Good intentions in mind I know, but there was a point when i'm like - what! what do you mean I can't eat this? Are you complaining I am fat?!

So bf-less and single (not so officially), now i do my own self-governance. Hee, but i think i cannot live without yummy food. A small dose of dark chocolate, Hot Choco drink and warm blueberry muffin in hand, freshly made scones with clotted cream and homemade jam, Ciao Italia's pasta and baked rice or strawberry custard tard (if i ever get near them again, but alas they are in Perth! SAFE.), Marche's pannacotta.... to nondescript everyday food like the chewy economy-Vegetarian brown rice sold in my market place, lemon chicken rice once in a while, the Turkish chicken kebab sandwich sold in Biz..and the smell of freshly popped popcorns.

OKAY, i need to stop here it is getting out of hand.

But throughout the trip, I cannot stop thinking about him.
How nice it will be if he was there, instead of working hard away in another city...

I will upload more pictures thematically in a bit when i have more time.

Before i end, here is to Perth(City)'s beauty!

xoxo, (CIAO) principessa

Aussie Trip - Note to myself

Hey all!

I'm writing from Deb's place using her computer. It has been one of the best 4 days of my travels so far, here in Perth with the JADE girls. It's amazing, the crazy things we do (like being in bikinis at secluded beaches in late Autumn! COLD but the sun makes it bearable).. the catching up with each other, talking about relationships and boys and our future and past. :)

I have no time to write all this but the following is a mental note to myself of what i've done so far.

13th May -
Arrived at Perth and welcomed by Deb

14th May -
Exploring Perth City (yawns), the iconic Swan Bells and a city that you can cover on foot in 2 hours, Vietnamese lunch, suburb shopping, baked Lamb dinner and feast (apple crumble) by the Lin family, picking up Anna

15th May -
Exploring Fremantle - Market shopping, coffee beans and the freshest Fish & Chips, Morries Nutty day, drive to the farm and had a stop by the most awesome wood-fire pizza tavern (one of the best kept secrets), and parked our car by a quiet road out of nowhere to see the stars in complete darkness

16th May -
Donnybrook and Deb's Farm! Crazy 'Yoube' ride around, Margaret River - Fudge and chocolate shops, Val Tasse Winery (?), Lunch @ Woody Nook (super pretty place, European food), bikini posing at a secluded beach, and dinner cooked by me (Teriyaki Chicken Pasta, Stir-fried Brocooli & Cauliflower) with Joy's hearty corn soup! Anna's mad suggestion of taking a picture of wild kangeroos up close in the dark.

17th May -
Crumpets breakfast and leftover corn soup, G Spot Ice cream place at Harvey's farm, leftover Teriyaki Chicken sandwich lunch @ Harvey's Dam, drive back to Perth, church service at Murdoch Uni, simple dinner of baked pumpkins, shrooms and tomatoes with cheese and greens :)

18th May -
Back to Perth, visit around the UWA campus, King's Park and Swan River, Leederville shopping, deb's special stew for dinner, and watching 'How I met your mother'

19th May -
Visited the Pinnacles, Caversham Wildlife Park and had pics with koalas, kangaroos, and wombats, picnic lunch and sand-boarding and a 4WD adventure. Dinner at Ciao Italia - the best italian food i've ever tried!

20th May -
Overnight flight to Sydney, terrible 14-16 mixed dorm hostel at Sydney Backpackers with over-friendly and weird men, Joy took us around half the city on foot - Harbor Bridge, Town Hall, QVB, the Rocks, Darling Harbor etc, met Danna for Pancakes on the rocks (to die for chocolate pancakes), lots of cam-whoring group style and Sakura eatery dinner. Changed to a 6 female dorm.

21st May -
Tour of sydney city part two with Joy, oldest library, St Mary's Cathedral, Opera House and tour, Chiefly Plaza and foodcourt food, met German roomie and she followed us around, dinner with jolly and HD at Masuya, explored the night life but was disappointed with the sad crowd

22nd May -
Tour-ourselves day, met W kor and he brought me to the Sydney Fish Market for a delectable treat of the freshest seafood fit for a queen, saw the largest Pelican, Paddy's Market and Chinatown, Market City and yogurt. While the girls went to Manly Beach. Reconvened for dinner and Darling Harbour's fireworks at kor's hotel suite, had a delicious european food spread with the girls and Y. 'Clubbing' but as usual, i couldn't get into it.

23rd May -
Oxford Street and Paddy's Market shopping, vintage and flea markets, American Apparel madness. Had the lousiest MEATPIE ever. Did not feel like shopping so i ventured on my own to the Opera House to catch the romantic night-scape, how can anyone miss that? Took trains on myself from Museum station - they filmed the Matrix there!!! Reconvened later and the girls watched Angels and Demons (not interested) while i was lazing in the dorm, had Bondi Burger together for late night dinner.

24th May -
Blue Mountains is freezing cold, the hostel at the Flying Fox is so comfortable so cosy and the people are great!!! Ate at FRESH and went to Echo Point, Three Sisters, Katoomba Falls. Met W kor and Y for a mini dinner party again at the hostel, watched 'While you were sleeping' and finally for the first time tried his cooking.

25th May -
Walking around Katoomba Falls with Deb- Furber Steps, Witches Leap and many fantastic views. Ate at FRESH again, and rushed to the train station. Bought lots of Krispy Kremes. Journey home. :)

Night, principessa

Away - Graduation Trip

Bonjour tout le monde!

I will be away from Singapore from 13th - 26th May! :)

I will be visiting Australia with my precious JADE girlfriends in a trip that we've been looking forward to for YEARS. At least 4 years. So wish me 'Bon Voyage'!

Where will I be?

Perth City

Perth Countryside

Sydney

Blue Mountains

And Shopping!!!! (Will I be here?)

I dream and I wish and I hope... But i doubt so.

The necessary spending on Food and Transport *sniff* have already taken up my whole budget.
But like all wish-shoppers, how can i leave without a piece of consumer evidence? Right?
I rather eat the bare minimum food once in a while to buy a piece of Sydney.

Wish me luck!
xoxo, principessa

(Bon Vaccances and Bon Voyage to myself!)

Train de Nuit

Chanel numéro cinq, le parfum de mes rêves

Le annonce publicitaire est trop beau, trop merveilleux! Ingénieux!

Watch the Chanel 'Train de Nuit' here

The commercial is too beautiful, too wonderful! Ingenious!
(But i don't really understand the very last part)

Jean-Pierre is a splendid director, i am still reveling in 'Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain'
And Audrey Tatou? She is a classic, a most beautiful public personality since Audrey Hepburn.

xoxo, principessa

Twitter?

I had never much patience with learning about new social applications like Twitter, or facebook (previously) until i felt the need to know. So even as i do not know now, it reminds me of a little bird whispering her secrets to the world. Apparently i still don't know what it is about exactly except that you can post your thoughts or update on whatever you are doing on one-liners through your phone or the internet to reveal to the world whatever is happening to you..

I still don't get why people will want to update so often, but here's a funny chart on how someone tries to explain his experience of Twitter.



And originally i wanted to find out whether Twitter has a logo, and if it is a bird. Yea it's the blue bird seen in the first picture, how cute. Why is it blue though?

Other pictures people came up with on the Twitter bird

Despite its popularity, i highly doubt i will use it. I think it's quite narcissistic to impose your minutely/ second-ly/ hourly reports on friends. Blogs are facebooks are imposing enough (like what i am doing now).

I hope I can sleep well tonight, i'm actually extremely scared for tomorrow because i don't have enough time to study and i only studied three topics to answer 3 questions. If those don't come out... i'll be so dead.

I am already looking forward to thinking of shopping, of finding happy work (or rather happy income), and doing all sorts of fun stuff! I signed up for the MOE On campus interview, can you believe it? I can't believe myself but if the starting pay is $2750-$2900 immediately even when i'm studying in NIE, it may be hard to resist IF i cannot find a job i want or can learn something valuable in that is at least $2k (unless it's a very good internship).

I don't want i don't want to teach so soon! But sometimes i think i may not mind teaching Junior College anyway, but no, i don't want that boring life! HELP, i better find some gainful employment soon...

xoxo, principessa

One hour sleep

It is madness really, how frightening when you realise you cannot sleep!

I can now empathize with people with insomnia! :(

My exam was at 9am, i was supposed to reach school at 8am and have to leave the house at 6.30am...meaning i have to wake up at 5.30am! And although i went to bed at 11.30am, i couldn't sleep at all even when i close my eyes until 4am. It was so scary feeling like you can't sleep. I wonder how the hours passed but it was quite warm despite the air con. I think i have too much in my mind, too stressed over the exams subconsciously?

One more paper left and i doubt i can finish studying even for the 3 questions out of 6 that i am to answer.

Well, cross fingers for the best.

xoxo, principessa

Random thoughts 1 day before the exam

As you know (already), i'm most capable in having random thoughts that comes suddenly into my mind.

I just want to say that (really random):

• Contrary to the hegemonic ideals, going to a Junior College and then a University is not always the best route for all individuals, or the natural success path to middle-income or above middle affluence. I know of people who chose to go to a Polytechnic because their O level results are not so ideal/ cannot get into a good JC/ or personal choice. And somehow through it, found their own niche and interest in the field, got fantastic results, and progressed to university.
  

• When I think of the people whom i interact with who were from Polys, they are really pretty cool. More life experiences, more vocal but generally are in Business courses. (Haha, why? Why not geography or social sciences?)

• I want to have a pet dog :) But not now, to be a responsible pet owner i must have the financial resources to support her. Why a 'her'? Because like me, maybe she'll be moody and hopefully she have an exceedingly sweet personality and is very affectionate. But a 'him' because he will be loyal and devoted. These are not mutually exclusive of course, dog's gender does not determine those but their personalities. Still, if i want to dress up my dog, maybe it makes more sense for it to be a 'her'.

• I aspire to be a trans-national, a cosmopolitan citizen...living my life in another country (preferable a global city) while also maintaining links and relations back home. But I really want to contribute to my own country because of my deep appreciation and gratefulness to the country(although sometimes i cannot agree with many aspects of the system) for making me who i am today. Years of national education may not work for others, but it has worked on me. Hahahah, of my own choice.
  

How ideal if i can stay 6 months here in Singapore and 6 months there. :) I hope to be able to experience living in cities like New York, London, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo. Not as a tourist but a traveler or a local, staying not for a few weeks but months or years, maybe i should find a type of job that is so free lance i can be situated anywhere! I study so much on the 'global city' and am really attracted to the lifestyle of a transnational talent.

I know it is not suitable for family formation or children unless i marry someone who has similar aspirations like me and is also capable (if not more so) of mobility within global cities so we can be together :)

• Did i mention after the 7May 11am, i am freed from my life as a student of schooled education?

• I heart the HAJI LANE shopping experience! But i realise i can never dress like these fashionable youngsters with their high waist bottoms and loose tops and their cool necklaces, leather bags, made-up hair and heavily kohled eyes with lush lashes looking extremely bohemian-chic.

Not.my.style.and.i.don't.wear.anything.that's.not.

• A friend, and my sister have raved about the authentic Hokkaido style Ramen in the Man-something Japanese Restaurant in Tampines One, i can't wait to try it!

• I so need to get rid of the upper 2 wisdom teeth, and can't wait for braces to start except that i can only do it when i have a job because i don't want to borrow from my parents

• Much word-of-mouth recommendation by friends (w kor, samuel, seeing friends use it, buying for n's brother with n, fashionation) have made me finally want to get a Macbook for my next laptop, and perhaps an iPhone because my current LG Shine has been dying on and off. Not serious yet, but it switches off by itself due to old age.
  

• I am in trouble because i suddenly crave for so many things, dead.dead.dead. Didn't anyone tell you wisdom tooth removal + braces + new laptop + possibly new phone will cost you at least 3-4 month's salary of a young graduate? That is IF she gets a job, and a properly paying job nonetheless.
  

"Aspire less, want less, live simply and consider the earth and your wallet"
- My advice to myself -

• My trip to Aussie may be postponed to June (highly likely since Joy and Anna are more worried about this, and my own motivations? I have a reason and draw to stay in Singapore longer because.... )

Of Marche's pannacotta that has earned -best healthier choice dessert- in my books?

Not to mention, their rather fantastic savoury seafood crepes which you don't see cos we've eaten it all up

But of course it is not due to dessert that i want to stay, i can go there anytime because i'm Singaporean!

Of course, there is a special reason. :D

xoxo, principessa