daisuki- nihon- Mt Fuji

we stayed over at a hot spring hotel on the 3rd night. you can see mt fuji right outside the hotel window provided weather is good. quite cool huh.

but we never made it to the hot spring . we made it to the common area to blow dry our hair coz there was no dryer in the hotel room. we saw sagging skin and young bouncy boobs! at least erm, i noticed. hahahaha.

it really is the coldest weather i had experience so far. with the wind blowing? it makes it so so much worse. & yah, the pic didnt turn out so great ya. hahaha.

messy hair, rudolph nose, after about 20 min in the cold.

so cold that we dun have water to wash our hands. water supply has vanished in the cold waether! clucky i got wet tissue!!!!!!!! woohoooOOO!!

finally made it into the warm coach after a 10 min mad dash from the cold. YAY!

daisuki- nihon- Food & Beaverage

7d5n trip- we had udon, sukiyaki, udon, tempura, sashimi, udon, rice , rice, miso soup, buffer dinner, udon and tempura within the tour package.

it was exceptionally nice to eat this sukiyaki in the cool cold weather. overheard some uncle/auntie saying if they eat the same thing in Sg, they would be sweating loads unlike in Japan, where all they get is a nice warm fuzzy feeling in the stomache.

Example of our lunch/dinner... for about 2-3 days?

The sashimi boat. the second most expensive food that we spent on. it was fresh from fish market. apparently japanese dun bother serving stuff that are not fresh. even tho i just am not into sashimi... i can tell it is FRESH, SWEET and just pretty wonderful.

the yellow gluey mess was the flesh of sea urchin. gosh! i never thought i eat sea urchin and it tasted as gross as it looks. acquired taste, as people would say. which i havent acquired yet.

The freakin prawn was quite big and looked alive, esp the eyes. so black and shiny!! i can envision it swimming in the sea just what? 12 hours ago? i didnt dare eat it for a moment.

i just wanted to know what it feels like to eat ice cream in a cold cold place. even the cheapest ice cream i could find is creamy and soft. although it is not exactly dirt cheap after coversion. i think it cost 2 sgd.

collagen and those genki drinks aplentiful over there and i am glad spotted coke-plus-fibre over there! i like the idea of drinking fibre within good ole coke. they should launch it here in sg pronto!!

& japs love honeydew. i duno why.

hot corn soup was a hit within our tour groups esp after spending some time in low temperature. there were people who bought a couple of cans to bring back home. Gosh! as great as they are, i wouldnt be bringing back these home. campbell soup will do just fine.

daisuki- nihon- the Hokkaido Crab

i love my japan trip. i love japan's autumm even with the 24H rain and strong winds. i love that i dun need to queue for toilets cause japan has enough room to build 30 cubicles within a toilet compound. and each one is clean and stocked with toilet paper!!!!!!!!!!!

i am not going recount the trip details... lemme just jot down some of the more interesting memories though.

the temperature was lower than expected (average 15 degree celcius?) but i somehow made it through without freezing to death in my 2 layers t-shirts and jeans and jackets. Our tour guide is a hongkie who preferred speaking in Cantonese. just my luck that i was practically the only who dun understand the Cantonese joke and stories that he was sharing. BLEAH.

lets start with The Hokkaido Crab Story.

Hokkaido Crabs are legendary in Japan. but who says you must go Hokkaido to eat Hokkaido Crab??

The tour guide has a Hokkaido Crab lobang if we want to taste Hokkaido Crab while we are in Tokyo. Because he can help us DHL one over to our hotel. While he was droning on and on about the Crab in cantonese , i fell asleep in the bus.

Then my friend just tap me and ask if i wan to try the Hokkaido Crab. well, groggy from my sleep i just said OK without asking about the freaking price. & then i found out that the crab costs 14K yen ! which was unbudgeted for!!!!! shit! means i have to fork out 7K yen. i guess if i didnt fork out the 7k yen for the Crab, i would have a LOT MORE snacks to air freight over. anyway, i really wonder whats the profit margin the tour guide gets to earn. or is it truly a free non-profit service?

but since i agreed already... lets just hope it will be worth it.

heard that it was caught in the morning, boiled in the afternoon, delivered to hotel in the evening. it would be worth it if my appetite is bigger i guess. the first bite is really amazing- very soft n sweet. but after the second leg - i was full already. afterall we had this Crab after dinner. sigh.

it sure looks alive! its body- just slightly smaller than my face?

it is my first time using a scissors to eat crab. usually i just try to bite and crack open the shell. anyway... it is quite fun to use the scissors. hahah.

loooooooook- my first glimsp of the very takaii crab meat. after the first bite- i am never taking cheap crab stick meat again! what an insult to the taste of crab meat. every bit i took probably cost 10 SGD.

presenting the Legless Hokkaido Crab!

My Mad Friend went on to dismantle the Crab's body. quite adventurous but i really pity the Crab which looks alive. my vegetarian boss would freak and be grossed out , i bet!

I wonder where is the brain... she said the grey color part is the organ for breathing and not its brain...
in the end, we pack up the corpse, stuff it inside the styrofoam box and made sure its closed dammm tight. if not, it might emit a stench... as advised by our hongkie tour guide.

crying is contagious

life begins & ends. starts in the pink of health (usually) & end (usually) in sickness. its only natural. except to see it being cremated is extremely saddening.

and then, life goes on despite all the tears and heartbrokenness.

i dont like to talk about death. it brings tears to the eyes. & i learnt that crying is contagious as well.

my ten year old cousin is a chubby, cherubic & lovable kid &... is extremely interested in losing weight! gawd. hearing her talk about wanting to lose weight just takes away a little of her cherubic-ness. She is extemely interested in nail colors. more so than me, i would say. anyway she is sOOoOOOO CUTE!

& i have a little Moses Lim in my brood of cousin as wel. SUPREMLY overweight & VERY comical. hearing him talk is just full of LOL moments. we all encourage him to be a commediene. he does have very nice feature so we guess that when he finally is tired of being fat, he will slim down & be a ladies'man simply cause he is dammmmm funny.

tw actresses

watching Black&White, i realize the taiwanese actresses are starting to look all the same.

the same...
big doe eyes
sharp angular nose
small mouth

& tend to be short.

like zhang shao han, gou cai jie,wang xin ling, yang chen ling & chen yi han.

i thought chen yi han from Black&white look esp like zhang shao han!!

maybe it has always been this way. no wonder sunyanzi is practically one of a kind & irreplaceable even till now.

non food craving fulfilled

yes- i've got myself a pair of comfy-looking boots. wearing boots definitely upped one person's style quotient (when that person is fashionably sensible, anyway) but too bad we live in sunny spore. i'll be sure that i have evidence it existed i.e. takes lotsa photos which shows my shoes when in chilly japan.

yes yes, i paid up for the tour package and my annual leave has been approved already !! woo hoooooo~~. this is for sure! no false alarms!!

i guess there goes a bulk of my savings. but i am not that stingy when it comes to holiday. though i am worried about jobs&related matters. but HECK LA. such things are outta control anyway. i suspect one fine day they ask me to be a mgt trainee since my portfolio has been halted to a screeeching stop (almost) anyway.

it is a depressing state. no wonder jobless people tend to be sucidal. erm. kidding.

wat i am telling myself is- i will deal with it when i come back from japan.

meanwhile. i am hating my painful pimple, counting down & researching on fall fashion. whahahahahahahahaha.

non-food craving

craving....

1- a pair of great killer comfy boots. totally unpracticle in Sg but i am really vain & if i am gonna to be in Japan in the fall, i wanna look damm cool in all the photos i take!!

2- Japanjapanjapan!

CF shoot in some ulu nice place

back in Aug, someone in the sara lee house plonked some monee to shoot a CF featuring a local celeb. (goonnna air soon!) . anyway, quite fun to see old familiar things like boom mic, reflector & whatever-names-i-had-forgotten.
some rich bodies lived there and rented out the place to the production house for the shoot. the owners were pet owners of BIG dogs.

we heart the husky! siberian husky, they said. but i think sib husky prob dun like Sg since they are meant in live in.. Siberia?? (haha, very airhead, i know). this one was very pretty tame & doesnt bark a lot.

and a group shot before leaving...

MF09

mediacorp festival was a trade show disguised as a 3h talentshow. lucked out that i could go & witness it for myself. there was aunty lucy, barbarella & even the beloved PCK. (& it feels like Ch5 hadnt managed to create yet another iconic tv character after him...) it really was entertaining & i wished we taken more pics. heehee.

and i wouldnt so sure that i have a second chance to go there again... sigh...

jeanette aw's cheongsam really was quite short!! i felt like we stranded in Beautiful People land. left, right, centre, front & back- it is really bad for the self esteem of a girl like me =X

cool haiku

i awaken with
clear head; unfortunately
it's also empty.

curious

curiousity killed the cat. & yet i wish to know many things. i wish to know all the 5Ws and 1H...!

sell selling sold

half of what i am doing will be; am going to be sold away; as per official communications (finnallly).

i've got uncertainties in front of me.

in the meantime, business as usual untill futher updates. that is NOT very useful to a small fry like moi.

Best Employee's treat

went to the mirama hotel for japanese buffet as part of a colleague's treat for receiving the Best Employee Award ($2000 cash!!).

we used up about 30% of his cash reward.

poor colleague but he was gracious about it & we thank him for it :)

also, we discovered that there is a mani-pedi specialist wholesaler at that hotel! if anyone likes OPI & can buy in bulk eg 30 pcs or more, each bottle of OPI costs only $9.60. its comparable to any internet pricing! that s super cheap compared to the retail price of $20 plus.

went to the travel fair over the weekend & i am very inspired to go KOREA ... seems like a good alternative place to go compared to Japan. & korea is more afforable?

there really is so many places i wanna go! i so wish my occupation is just a traveller.

a challenging year

i should be looking for new work. preparing plan b as a colleague told me. but something is stopping me.

why dont i feel any urge & urgency to make sure i will be employed?

geez. i really duno. anyway, my horroscope says that nov will be a gd month for me to job hunt. i might as well heed this advice since i had been sticking around for so long ago.

i have to say- my job is pretty cushy & i cant bear to leave this comfort zone so soon!


and today will be the last time that the meeting table was crowded with people. =X

melbourne

well, if i bother to make a promise... you can bet that i will be trying my hardest to fulfill it.

so i couldn't go to melb this time round (air tic would be AUD 1000 plus if i go ahead by myself) but i will book early & go there later.


which i did! already!


will be taking the flights alone & i will be curious to know what's so hard about it.

going * coming

it seems like too many colleagues are leaving and replacement are always hard to find.

we r gonna hire new management trainees x 3!!

we(females species in the office) all secretly hope that the mgt will hire 3 hunks but hey, we are not practising any lookism if not i will be hired.

hopes can remain hopes!

it is a comfortable place to work... i am not sure if any new job can match the comfort level which i am experiencing but that will make me sound like a person adverse to tough conditions.

NOT me! i can do it!

just that it seems there is no suitable opportunities for a profile like mine. i cant even find any thing to apply for.

i really do envy people who are headhunted. jobs come to them regardless they are looking or not. isnt that effortless?

thinking...

i guess i am really really pampered and well looked after.

my bf is angry with me when i refuse to listen to him. because he ask me not to go to melbourne on my own.

"who will look after you?"said his text message. it is kinda sweet for him to say so... but then... if i never go on my own- how will i discover whether i can look after myself or not. & its only 4 days! max! since i am on a budget holiday. & half the time i will be sticking to ah ho, anyway.

sigh. anyway, his discouragment is not stopping me from going there... pretty much nothing can stop me except my lack of budget. i haven't book all the neccessary tic- still hoping the fares can be lesser.

it will be the most travelling done in a year for me!

from taipei to perth to melbourne(if i go)... i feel excited (if i can go!). lol.

taipei 2 Aug - 27 Aug 2009

truly, i was very excited about the taipei trip with my colleague. i was buzzing with excitement & anticipation & i couldnt wait till i can reach the airport!

anyway, i took about 300 pics in this 6 day trip... !!!!

Taipei is 4.5hours away. we reach there in the evening time & below is my first glimpse of the city.

we had a coach journey to the hotel & it lasted about 1h. after settling our things in the small hotel room (but with decent beds :)- we were off to SHILIN night market.

i enjoyed the food & the shopping and were pleasantly surprised that the shops closed late. VERY late. our late night shopping hours is their normal closing time.

the aborginals happen to stage an act when we reach...

the chicken cutlet which was so very juicy!

the crushed ice which were soft & cottony... my FAVOURITE!

DAY TWO- sunday

we schedule today to go to their version of chartuchak @ Wufenpu. but we were too early. didnt realize that shops there only happen from 2 plus.

since we were too early, we found a nearby KTV & had buffect lunch there as well. food wasnt great which was to be expected. but it was pretty cold! my camera lens were frosted by the time we came out which was only 3 hours later. they definitely had better KTV technology too.

shopping shopping!

we were there from afternoon to night!!! & i think we still got a little bit not yet explored. legs aching, we gave up going to the nearby Raohe night market. too tired to eat! but the night is still young so... we went for a late night movie!

such a big theater & we were the only ones! just kidding. we were the first 2. out of 6?

big theater with only me... luckily not.

DAY THREE

we slept till we wake up naturally- such a good feeling. we took a bus to the nearest theme park called Leofu. or as my other colleague says- the pirated Disneyland of taiwan.

it was a super duper duper hot day!!!!!!!!!! i am glad its sunny & not raining... but it was dammmmmm hot! we all got darker by the end of the day.

by the time we left, it was 9pm and closing soon. took the bus & train and went to yet another night market. this time is SHIDA. the meesua was FABULOUS!!!!!!!!! & i crave for yet another bowl of ice.

DAY FOUR

we took MRT, TRAIN and finally bus to reach a scenic place call JIUFEN. its high up in the mountains & it overlooks the sea. gorgeous really.

there is also a museum of masks which is quite interesting. but i am skeptical when the owner said that those masks of of the ghosts which he can see...

it is really just a few interlocking streets and we finished that area in a few hours. went back to taipei on that 90min journey again. & we were off to DANSHUI. yet another scenic spot famed for the sunset but we were too late.

just managed to catch the amazing colors of the majestic sun and the sky in the train and its enought to elicit a WOW from me.

we made it to the fisherman wharf!

we chose a nice restaurant with a really good ambience. & there was life entertainment i.e. someone singing too.

good experience with the sea breeze blowing. a very romantic spot for the couples to hang out.

DAY FIVE
day 5 is the day we hit their town area! Jay Chou is my friend's idol, so we promptly went to Mr J for lunch. Good decor & good looking/stylish chefs(acccordingly to my friend at least)

i wonder why Din Tai Fung is a landmark as well. i wonder why tourist groups frequent the place so badly that we all have to queue for it. i duno.. the food was... good. but not exquisite. i guess i duno how to appreciate?? now then i realize they have a din tai fung mascot as well.

after food, after shopping we went to Taipei 101. yet again, we didnt made it in time for the sunset. becoz of the jam. becoz we spend too much time looking for breeze centre... ;X

the nightscape looks good and i guess my camera didnt do justice to it. so i shant bother posting them up here. the city is a night owl! so colorful and vibrant even the architecture reflects that characteristic.

at the end of the day, we just want a restaurant which we can rest of legs. went to back to ximending where restauarant are still open. there is a quaint little place where by patrons sit on swings!! i am hooked on swings!

the food is nO good! at least the swings are ok...

DAY SIX

its the last day & we just wanted to blow our money away. at least i did. we went to YongKang street to see whats the fuss about. the famed crushed ice didnt impress me coz the mango SOOOOooOOO sour!!!!! i prefer the one in SHILIN.

stock up on masks. why this brand isnt in Sg, its a mystery. i am sure it will sell v well with a pricing that match face shop.

i have bought enought to fill up 2 extra luggage!

here is my loot! some cosmetics, a few accessories and several packs of masks!!! which is simply a big love of mine!

i blew my last few NT dollars on shoes. i wonder why... why must i enter the shoe shops... while waiting for lemon green tea?

which reminds me, a pair of ALDO shoes on sale is cheaper than the average pair of shoes on sale in departmentals!

funny moment:

my friend joked (at least i hope its a joke) to a cab driver that bringing me along with her is like bringing a very blurr little sister. she wish she can throw her away... so that she dun need to worry for me on top of herself.

and guess what the cab driver said?

he said: "ok, u can throw her to me... i will bring her back and make her my wife!!"

me: Uber incredulous. i find it funny to a certain extent. hahhahaha.

i guess this trip didnt have much surprises and is pretty much like wat i anticipated. which is good in a way. made it back in one piece safely.

district 9

i am still blogging cause i love writing.

i just watched DISTRICT9 & i love its gritty style & i like the plot. i also like its portrayal of the Aliens stranded in Earth.

i especially love the last few scenes cause it provided a lot of food for thoughts...

how can a fellow human being be more than willing to kill its own species?

how can a different species be more than willing to protect a human being who is more unlike than like them?

how did it happen that humans have less compassion for their own species compared to aliens?


how...? why...?

OCBC mightsaver ad aug 09

whenever i see the current OCBC Mightsaver Ad, i just feel irked and pissed off.

i feel that the message it is sending just kinda degrades the female populations. and it degrades them right from they are just kids. as seem through my twenty-something-years-old mind. (not sure about what the kids think though, would be interesting to find out.)

i get that the core message is to encourage kids to save much as possible.

but isnt it for a rainy day, as my teachers advocated during my primary sch days???

now, the kid want to save up his money so that he is deemed qualified and eligible enough to ask his female classmate out!? Gosh! will the female classmate turned up her nose if she knows that the kid is not a mighty saver & doesnt have one hundred dollars(or should it be million?) in his bank?

why do they equate desirability with money? as though all girls make friends with boys based on how much they saved...?

i prefer saving for a rainy day over saving for a member of the opposite sex just so that he/she is impressed.

that is just dumb and materialistic. & implying that girls will choose bread over money any time any day!

signed,
the feminist in me.

Good FoooOOood

we had been enjoying really good food for past working week! we went to Earle's Swensens to take advantage of the one-for-one promo lunch main course & it was very worth it. less than $50 for 4 of us. i guess the best part is that each main course comes with free flow salad bar. hence you are gauranteed to be full.

if you know me, i am not a person who lives on salad, but the greens are fresh & i esp like the mango chicken salad :) in fact, my other colleagues like it so much we went back again in 3 days.

it was our 2nd anniversay. so i think we are entitled to splurge... on food at least. we went to the PS cafe at dempsey. nice ambience. main course so-so but i do love the chocolate cake.

it is the first time i see fish n chip served up in a bowl...

i ordererd a brasied chicken pie which i cant finish. i like the mash potatoe texture but too bad that isnt much gravy...

And ... the desert! double chocolate cak with vanila ice cream. we were very very full. but we managed to stuff the cake inside us. hahahah. if you like moist, warm cake with rich chocolatey taste, this is a must try!:) very rich!!

too many calories in a day. =X

i think my bf is a poor thing, he doesnt deserve to be fat! or round! hahah. because his appetite is actually considered small for his size. hurhururhurhuhr. regardless. i still *heart* you.

he mentioned he MIGHT be outstationed. if so, i think it will be great! i will be praying you get this big break. i can only hope he will be outstationed in countries which i actually can afford (and look forward) to visit.

SLS D&D 2009

we are lucky that we choosen the first flight to KL and not the second. we are lucky that we chose to take the train and not the cab even though it's slightly more expensive per head.

because our colleagues from the second flight bumped into a demonstration when they were in the cab going to the hotel. jam there for quite a few hours & very innocently too. time was of essence and the plans they made to go shopping before the D&D was thrown upside down. the demonstration pretty much took up 90% of the original free time.

i woke up at 5.30 am to catch the 8am flight. Many thanks to ALEX SHIEH who help me print out the silkair confirmation slip. Many thanks to ALEX SHIEH for waking up at 6pm to pass me that. you are truly a good friend for keeps! :)

D&D was enjoyable. nothing to complain about... despite i had drawn a mini fridge in the sure win lucky draw. i mean, how am i supposed to go shopping with that in tow? lucky i got a colleague who help me to handcarry to Sg together on his earlier flight.

other colleagues won a tissot watch and a WII as well. how cool is that? lucky peeps!:) SLS ppl are quite lucky as a whole. i mean, in that whole D&D that is 140 of Msians and only 10 of us. there is 15 special lucky draw prize winners and 2 of them are from SLS! whats the probability of that happening?

tiger beer happens to be a free flow drink which none of us are interested in. =X the HR director was desperate of ppl to finish the barrel of beer he ordered.

D&D pics are at my facebook if anyone is keen to see. =D

after a good night sleep at Le Meridian, we were off to explore shopping malls again. hurhuhur. i am never tired of shopping. truly a shoppaholic.

i did my hair at a really good price. if i live in KL, i would probably be a regular with that salon. i am pretty satisfied with the results. jeap yip (my last visited salon) really really pales in comparision and i am left to search for a cheap and good salon which i can be loyal to.

even though work is not very stressful i wonder how come i feel tired so easily. i feel like i cant keep my eyes open. my eyes are reduce to tiny slits because my eyelids feel too heavy to open them.

Sucks!!!!!

there are many friends whom i yearn to catch up with. i really cant wait to see them again. sigh. it really feels like we forsaken each other in our busy lives... how many friends will i be left with at the end of the day?

mood:bouyant

hm, i am pleasantly surprised that they called me for a sec interview. i totally gave up any expectations cause they told me if i were to be shortlisted, i would receive a call on sat itself. i didnt & i thought it would be the end of story.

oh well. sometimes when one truly habour no expectations, things will turn out to be better. thing will work itself out.

ya. i am feeling this way. things will work itself out. things will right itself. i shouldnt fret. just go with the flow & be happy go lucky.

:)

i suddenly feel very patriotic. cause i am so proud of spore. maybe cause it nearing national day again. i am amazed and proud that construction projects i.e. shopping malls, spring up so often & frequent. they get constructed without anyone caring much so it feels like, all it takes is a weekend and TA DAH we get a new shopping mall to explore all over agin.


this is the way i feel towards ION. i've yet to finish exploring but i already think it definitely lift Orchard Road up a few notches in terms of the (shopping) places to visit in the world!

yet another 'no''

well, i have been to about 4 interviews with prospective employers now & i made the mark for none.

but its ok cause all involve hideous amt of traveling courtesy of my ulu home address. UGHHHHH. why am i disadvantaged BECAUSE of where i live?? why do i FEEL disadvantaged because of where i live???? prospective employers think that i live TOO FAR from the office. omg. i hate it. i wanna live in places like TPY, AMK, TBR... sux sux sux.


anyway. went to interview for product exec. i guess deep down my sixth sense know i cant make it. i was intimidated slightly by the interviewer who was pretty tough talking.

but still was pleasantly surprised when they DID call me. though its because they wanna offer me a position as account exec. jeex.

jeez. i didnt impress as a product/mktg exec but i left behind a impression that made them think i will be a good account person? Is it my amazing rapport building skills??? my pleasant disposition?

whatever. diasappointing. then i just stay in my current co, they wanna train me as account exec anyway & i am learning from the sales manager himself.

have decided to take a break from looking out for jobs. i think i am having crisis at work. sourcing premiums is a headache. so is making something that people will buy.

progress

i've already spend 1.5 years in this lovely company of mine. i think i no longer am a job hopper coz i am happy where i am.

i thought i grew a lot a lot too. time seem to past by very fast week after week and i feel tired regardless of how taxing (or not taxing) work is. i wonder why. maybe i am just getting old. i feel llike i experience too much compared to peers who are still schooling.

i had gone though my first appraisal here & given proper decent increment! its encouraging to see my boss n colleagues getting promotion coz this company believes in retaining talents and also taking action to show its appreciation.

this week seems extra short coz we did a fair amt of trade visiting... but still, i feel tired.

this month is the first time that i spend SOOooOOOO much just on stuff for myself! holiday, handphone, skincare, clothes, shoes, bags... everything add up to my MONTHLY salary!!!!!


& i am still shopping around for a pair of sneakers & cap.

concrete plans

here are some concrete plans worth sharing
1- my soft ins event is tomorrow, 4pm. less than 24 hours away but i am still here. if i need to rehearsal at least 3 times- i need about 2 hours. sigh...

2-D&D is early-aug. erm. not as exciting.i am not saying i cant wait. need i say more?

3- 5 day trip to taipei is in mid- aug. i cant wait. HOLIDAYYY. need i say more?

4- i "heart" pixon. even though its touchscreen and my SE contacts are all screwup and i cant be bothered to make everything consistent.

work is pretty fun and made up of loads of laughter. i laugh so much that i'm slightly worried that ppl cant take me seriously or may find me annoying. but if work isnt fun what's the point of working and going to work.

something miraculous to share- we hit our last financial year's targets despite the stupid bursting of economy!!!!!!!! very WOW. maybe it is due to trade overloading/overstocking instead of true sales... but really who can blame the sales dpt when they delivered good news like this?