Gong Xi Fa Cai - CNY 2016!

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! It's the Fire Monkey year and I don't know what that means. :P 

Every year, I will google snake's fortune for that year, so if you're a snake, here you go! 

• Master Tsai stated that according to Chinese horoscopes, Snake is in the Fire group and Monkey is in the Metal group. Metal is afraid of Fire. Therefore, Monkey will respect Snake, listen and follow to Snake's requests. 
• Career: got a bit of trouble, but will be worth it in the end. 
• Money: stable income and investment.
• Love: single, will find love (males higher chance than females). Not single, will maintain.
• Health: shit.
• General fortune: buay pai (Eng: not bad). 

Don't know lah, I checked one website only. All Master Tsai say one. 

But I'm very confused lor. So many people shared articles on facebook on zodiac fortune predictions for 2016, and snake's fortune always ranked in the first half. Then I bought 8 days, and snake's fortune is LAST. Walao, so like that which one to believe? 

I think the 8 days one more accurate actually. I bought toto and usually I will match 1 or 2 numbers, but this time I have ZERO matching numbers. Goodness gracious. I don't want to play mahjong already this year!!! 

First celebration was with Kengyang's family. We had dinner at Long Beach (Dempsey). 

I don't know why my face like this. 

But the others nice can liao, so post. 

Chinatown was packed to the brim, as usual. 

Then I fell sick on Chinese New Year Day 1. ZZZ. I woke up with 39+°C fever and I felt like shit the entire day. Needless to say, I didn't leave my room at all that day and so I missed day 1 拜年-ing. 

My mom, Kengyang and I left for Pontianak on Chinese New Year Day 2. I think my popo likes Kengyang so the trip was a great one. The scary thing was my popo's sisters and friends. Once they knew I was visiting with my boyfriend, they kept calling her to check if both of us were at home so that they could come and visit and see him. LOL. Luckily not the full group came. Only about 7 of them came to kaypoh a bit. 

Last photo that I took with my popo and mom before Kengyang and I flew back to Singapore.

The journey back was another adventure. Our itinerary was Pontianak-Jakarta, then Jakarta-Singapore, and we had around 2+ hours of transit time.

1 hour before we boarded the flight to Jakarta, it started raining heavily. Confirm will have flooding type of rain. So the flight was delayed for an hour. Should be okay right? Since our transit time was 2+ hours?

Not really.

Really ah, sometimes when you suay, you just suay all the way.

Boarding time for the next flight to Singapore was 13:55. At 13:15, we were still inside the first airplane. People moved SO SLOWLY. We had to take a bus from the plane to the terminal. Just nice, the first bus was full when it was our turn to board the bus, so okay must wait for the second bus. DAMN SLOW. Don't know waiting for what. zz. At 13:30, we reached the terminal, and we were searching frantically for the Jetstar counter to get our boarding passes. Wah just nice again lah, the Jetstar counter was all the way at the end, and we were all the way at the opposite end. RUN AH RUN!! When we reached the counter, passengers were already queueing up for the next flight. WHO CARES! I cut the queue and immediately talked to the nice Jetstar lady in Bahasa Indonesia. She was very nice, immediately printed our boarding passes for us and directed us to the immigration area. We ran all the way to the boarding gate and made it into the plane at exactly 13:55.

I was so hungry and tired. I knocked out on the plane and had a McDonalds upsized meal at Changi Airport. :D

Ok, back to itinerary in Pontianak. haha. 

My mom brought us to Martha Tilaar Salon Day Spa, and was really very cheap. Kengyang and I both had full body massage and my mom had leg massage, leg waxing, haircut and hair treatment, and total was less than S$90. 

Not dodgy type of massage parlour hor. Legit one. Martha Tilaar is one of the most successful brands in Indonesia. 

Then we visited the new shipping office. I practically grew up in the old office (always there after school doing my homework and watching TV), so I wasn't used to this new office.

But hey! Great view from my uncle's large but empty room.

I was very shocked when I saw Gereja Katedral St. Yoseph. Why renovate until so European-looking?? I used to come here when I was young, and in primary 3, we had Christmas sing-along session here.

Too pretty already.

My popo is very proud of her garden.

We also have mango, papaya, coconut, jambu, rambutan, jackfruit trees, so no need to buy fruits already lah like that!

Food photos! Because how can I go to Pontianak and not take photos of the delicious food??

This is my ultimate favourite Pontianak food - Nyam Kway Teow. I can easily devour 2 packets on my own. SO SO GOOD.

Then, it was my turn to visit Kengyang's relatives in Malaysia! :)

I think his relatives more chill than mine haha. But good lah, they all know where Pontianak is ("oh, kun dian! kun dian!").

Ending this post with this photo. Your eyes will thank me. 

My two favourite Chinese actors. Oh my gosh, how come can so charming and handsome one??? 

I sent this photo to Kengyang via whatsapp, and told him I crushed on these 2 guys for soooo long already. 

His reply:

"Ya, after me." 

CNY 2015: Year of Meh Meh

Chinese New Year 2015 is over. How crazy fast is that?! According to the lunar calendar, I'm now 27 years old. I should be worrying about fine lines and wrinkles now. But instead, I'm still struggling with acne. Wahlao eh, skin, give me the correct things to worry on leh?? 

But yes, this means I'm almost 30 years old. When I was 21, I had a plan to have my first child by 30 years old. Guess who's freaking out now? 

This year, CNY was quite eventful. So many firsts!

• First time in Chinatown a couple of hours before Chinese New Year. So crowded and there were so many angmoh tourists who were experiencing culture shock. All siam one corner and just stared into the crowd. Also ah, so many tall men in Singapore? So many tall men who need deodorant lah. I'm not very tall so whenever I get stuck in the crowd, I'm at the height of these tall men's armpits - so...I couldn't breathe also. #everythingalsocomplain
• First time stealing jelly in front of the stall owner. "Nevermind nevermind, just take just take! But eat in front of the stall ah!" - that's what he said. So okay lor, I ate the jellies without paying. But of course, I had to smuggle some into my bag. So #badass (I'm kidding of course. This is not bad ass at all. Just that I quite nice, never really steal things before. Must say, in case some people cannot take jokes). 
• First time giving red packets to my siblings. I know I'm not supposed to give if I'm not married. But da bai kenna pressure by my maternal grandmother to share the wealth. Okay lor, since it's my second year of working already, I shall share the wealth. Like income tax like that. :P
• First time watching a Jack Neo movie in the theatres. Ah Boys to Men 3: Frogmen actually quite nice lah. I think I didn't like the first two because I watched them on Channel 8, then all the dialects dubbed in Chinese (obviously it was a job terribly done), so the movies were super awkward to watch. So, watching the third installment at the cinema changed my perspective towards the entire series. Also, got a lot of hot bods. Always a plus.  

On Chinese New Year Eve, we celebrated Eve's birthday. Eve and I went to Nylon Coffee Roasters first for some kickass coffee and then when Jeremy came, we headed to The Lokal for lunch. My salad was incredible and I would totally order it again! 

Look at how huge the smoked salmon slab is?! 

Banana cake and ice cream = crowd pleaser. 

Of course must lou hei...

OOTD for Chinese New Year! I'm only occupied on the first day of CNY, so usually I buy one dress only lah. The dress was from River Island and wedges were from Charles & Keith. 

This photo cannot see lah, but on Chinese New Year, I had major acne breakout. =_= 

I got scolded when I went for my facial session last week The beautician said my skin was never this bad before. HAIYAH. But okay, now all back to normal again. 

We had a JFKK Chinese New Year session at Jeremy's house and as usual his Masterchef mother cooked a storm and look at this feast that we were blessed with!!!

So yes, that's how my Chinese New Year passed this year. Nothing grand, nothing major, but all in all, a good holiday.

Also, if you notice, I haven't been posting up beauty product reviews. I'm damn paiseh lah! My camera has officially died and so now I'm trying to use my iPhone 6 to take review photos. BUT, I always cannot the lighting right. Super irritating.

I definitely will figure something out soon. In the meantime, please pardon review posts with terrible quality photos!! :(

Omakase Burger | 25th birthday dinner with family

Omakase Burger is like a cult that's slowly becoming mainstream. 

I heard so many people (mostly bloggers) raving about this location, but wahlao not cheap at all okay. Quite expensive lor. But okay, my mom was treating dinner, so my sister and I decided to grab the opportunity HAHA. 

And yes, the raves are all true. I have no other words because I didn't pay for it. I'm quite sure if I paid for this meal, I will have ... more things to say. OKAY PHOTOS PHOTOS. I have zero talent as a food blogger. 

Omakase Burger @ Grandstand

200 Turf Club Road #01-05

Bukit Timah, Singapore 287994

Contact: +65 6763 2698

My siblings were very nice. They bought me macarons and my sister made me her highly-coveted cads!

Turning 25 has so far been amazing. 5 more years before things go cray? D:

Happy New Year!!! Resolutions, resolutions...

(Source: X)

Happy New Year dearest blog readers!! :)

2013 passed by so quickly, how did that happen?! 2014 creeped in unexpectedly and I gotta say I'm not ready to face the new year. But then again, no use complaining about days that have already passed, I just got to face the new year as per normal. There are challenges that I expect in 2014 and I'm quite boggled on how I'm going to tackle them all. Things always seem to work out in the end though, so I'M WELCOMING 2014 WITH OPEN ARMS. 

Let's look back at my 2013 resolutions? 

In 2013,

- I'd like to lose another 5kg. This will bring my total weight loss to 12kg.
- I need to go to Japan and Taiwan.
- I need to stop hating myself so much.
- Care less, hurt less (said by the wise boyfriend last night)
- More love for this blog!!

Weight-wise, no, I didn't lose another 5 kg. I didn't gain any too. By the way, I have decided that I'm no longer going to put my weight as a new year's resolution, it's quite pointless to be honest. 

I did go to both Japan and Taiwan. YAY!

"I need to stop hating myself so much." I'm not sure if I really did slow down the self-blame process. I have had a couple of breakdowns and I still remember sobbing out loud and screaming at kengyang on the phone. That was terrible but my lovely boyfriend handled it like a boss. "Like a boss" is a very much overused phrase, but I can't think of anything better so yes, he handled it LIKE A BOSS. It's very difficult to control those negative emotions but I do think I'm a little bit better? 

Caring less and hurting less had always been on my mind for the entire 2013. So yes, this was something that I accomplished. 

"More love for this blog!!" I tried my very best and I wanted to post something new often for my readers! Please tell me if I need to make some improvements etc.!! I tried to change the layout and template of this blog (I'm quite tired of the dark theme), but WALAO BLOGGER IS BEING A BITCH. Every time I edit, it will be indicated as "Changes Saved" but I can't even see the changes?! FML. 

In 2014, I want to...

• Open another savings account, preferably with another bank, and save at least S$15,000 by the end of the year.
• Secure that HDB flat!!
• Go back to Japan during summer. 
• Skype with Kengyang once every 2 days when he's in Shanghai (Feb - Jul 2014)
• Be more calm and collected during clients' training sessions. 
• Care less and hurt less. Give more and love more. 
• Overcome my fear of donating blood. 

Hopefully, I'll be able to fulfill all my resolutions by 31 December 2014! 

Once again, happy 2014 guys. I wish all the best for all of you and I hope you guys like what I've been posting on my blog! THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING AMAZING READERS! :) 

I'm a Graduate! (WKWSCI Convocation Class of 2013)

OHYEAH I FINALLY GRADUATED FROM UNIVERSITY!!! 

14 years of education in Singapore has finally concluded. It didn't start easy at all. My gosh. Thinking back, the process was really quite painful. 

I came to Singapore not knowing a single word in English or Chinese. Basically I was a really unhappy 8-year-old in a foreign land. I had to leave my close friends and comfortable surroundings and immediately, I was sent to numerous tuitions. Back then, I had to stay in a host house. Although my mom was in Singapore, my tuition centre was at Parkway Parade, so she had no choice but to spend money on me living in a house full of other Indonesian kids. It was expensive okay. Like S$1000 a month expensive. Even though yes the house was really huge, but there were a lot of kids staying in the house. 

Even though I was surrounded by other Indonesian kids, I didn't feel at home at all. Too many kids meant that I was constantly ignored. Moreover, I was a really ugly kid, so nobody really cared. Hence, instead of studying, I did the extreme opposite. I ignored my homework and became a thief. I stole so many things that belonged to other kids. All I wanted was attention. My stealing habit got so bad that all the other kids avoided me and they put all their valuables in a locker. I didn't steal because I wanted the things, I stole because I wanted people to look at me. 

Then in 1999, I attended a true-blue heartland primary school (Ghim Moh Primary School). Oh dear gosh me, the first year was just as bad. By then, I could already converse in English, but once again I didn't really bother about my studies. In the end, I did well only in Mathematics and failed everything else. 

Eventually I woke up but it was too late because I didn't get satisfactory PSLE score. 

Then, I went to Choa Chu Kang Secondary School, and I must say that my secondary school years were one of my best years. I had great friends, great classmates and great teachers. Everything was awesome and I did really well for O Levels! 

I was excited to go into a more branded school. Anderson Junior College was branded then because top-tier neighbourhood secondary school students would normally choose to go into AJC. I was ambitious, so I did that. It was definitely the wrong choice. Don't get me wrong. My friends and teachers were really amazing and I had fun. But, I really was terrible in Physics and Chemistry and I did Science stream in JC because my mom told me to do so. I did so badly that during prelims, I only passed General Paper and Economics. The rest was graded "U" and my percentile was single digits for those subjects that I failed. 

Obviously I got really scared. I worked my ass off and I was able to pass A Levels with not so terrible grades. 

I chose NTU - WKWSCI and I waited and waited and waited. The letter didn't come until a couple of weeks before the closing of the registration period. HOMG THANK YOU WKWSCI FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY. 

My university years have been my most fruitful and most enjoyable years. I love how WKWSCI undergraduates know each other because the cohort is so small! I love everything about WKWSCI. Yes, some of the modules were tough and competition was crazy because everyone is so talented, but the process was very much satisfying. 

Now that I have graduated, I'm embarking on a new chapter in life - MY CAREER. 

To be frank, I kinda miss my school days. The grass is always greener on the other side, eh? 

Nevertheless, YAY I AM A GRADUATE!! :) 

My FYP mates are like family. We have heated arguments sometimes but we know everything will be okay the next time. Without them, I don't think I can survive my final year in WKWSCI so easily.

Thank you Mr Nielsen Ong, Kokky and Konkon. :')

YAY JAPAN TRAVEL BUDDIES. :) Cray Chay is my KPOP partner and we go crazy over stupid songs like EXO's Wolf. HAHAHAHA.

Thanks to my secondary school friends, Junyi, Lily and Mr Chung (yes we start wayyyy back hahaha) for coming and celebrating my convocation with me!!

Ah, what more can I say about Mr Chung? I'm not the most calm-headed and rational person to be with and this person has tolerated every of my flaws. Let's give him a round of applause for being the world's best boyfriend. :')

Bo! Or formally known as Dr. Jung YoungBo. Stats genius and a master at his specialisation. Our FYP wouldn't have gotten an A+ without his help! THANK YOU BO THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

Yay. I was super bloated during convocation but ohwell, smile and everything will be alright! Also, why are Marko and APH looking so glum? Dr D, on the other hand, smiled at EVERYONE. Also, thank you Dr D for remembering my name and calling me out for sneakily grabbing the last slice of cake during the graduation bash! A bit paiseh but I was so touched that he remembered my name! :')

I must of course thank my mom and my sis for coming! Family is always important when it comes to events like convocations!!

Of course, I cannot forget the Paverts. We used to be tight last time, but we chose different academic paths and hence we drifted apart from each other. However, at the end of the day, we know that we'll be there for each other. Going for FOC in 2009 was the best decision that I have ever made prior to university education!

Stockholm gang! Thanks for making my 6 months in Stockholm and Europe a more pleasant one! :)

I shall end this post with this lepak photo. Actually, I think this is the best photo in the entire album! Heh.

AH, ONTO CAREER AND SAVING MONEY! :D

Happy graduation to all 2013 graduates! :))

Visuals: New shoes, more food, new job!

Another eventful week with lots of gathering and eating. Also, the online purchases keep coming in and I really gotta stop. I have no space already!! 

I'm officially a week away from my Japan grad trip! HOORAH! Everything is in order because after grad trip, I have a company to work at and possibly further sharpen my research software skills there. Awesome! :) 

Here are photos from last week! :) 

New shoes that I purchased from taobao. Total for all 3 pairs (+shipping and agent fee) is S$36! STEAL! The sandals are really comfortable, but the other two pairs need some getting used to. 

Wondering if I should bring this to Japan? No idea yet if this will hurt after a full day of walking though...

New Balance 574 that I purchased last week. Great investment. I have a blogpost on it! 

Such a ra-ra book. :P It was good and I read it from page to page once I got home. However, travelling tips were really quite minimal.

The mural behind the building that my company is in! The company is really cosy with few employees and a really open culture. I can't wait to work there! Though I must admit, I'm quite scared of whether or not I will live up to expectation, but well, I'll do my best! 

Looking at this photo makes me sick. KFC, you gotta stop all these unhealthy (more unhealthy?) offerings. Fitrina, you gotta stop eating all these really unhealthy offerings!

ITACHO had a deal at JCube and of course we had to feast on some sushis! I had 15 sushis, and I paid like only S$12. LOL. <3 td="">

Normal affair at the hawker centre near kengyang's house. I need to take a photo of the legendary koka noodles. Everyone comes to this hawker centre in the morning just for the koka noodles!!!

Our study session at Eve's turned out to be a cheese party. HAHA. Expected lah when you are in Eve's house because she's a damn good host! Just kept feeding us with food only. :P Anyway Eve's now enjoying her grad trip and the next time I can see her is in June. BAHHH. 

If I have the heart to make breakfast in the morning, this will be what it looks like.  I gotta thank Wang for the scrambled eggs tips - use milk, then JUST KEEP STIRRING FOR 30 SECONDS and you're done. :) 

Great omu rice at Coco-Ichibanya! 

Kengyang and I always have unhealthy suppers haha. But we will always run it off, so it's okay! Once in a while is fine lah, not like we supper every single day.

MY FAVOURITE MEI CAI. OMG. 

Bro turned 12 on Sunday! He's very confused. He told me when he's 24 years old, I'll be 48 years old. HUH?! I"m 12 years older le, and even though this year I'm double his age, doesn't mean every year will right? My mom then say, "I thought your maths paper got this type of question?" Of which he responded, "oh ya ya, aiyoh so confusing." LOL

My new mini nailpolishes! I have a haul post on these coming up too! :)