Bonny's Christmas

Bonny's Christmas was all about...

Yearly Christmas dinner, not bounded by the type of cuisine.
The turkey might not necessary be the main lead.

Catching up with Dearie over lunch and loving the gifts we got for one another.

Meeting up with an dear old friend after months of unsuccessful attempts.
It also made me realised that strong friendships will remain strong even when we don't see each other. =)

Buying gifts for the people you work with.
I heart them lots. =)

Partying with love ones.
Playing silly games and laughing ourselves silly.

Being with God's family, remembering the true meaning of Christmas.

Resorting by the sea, doing nothing.
This was a bonus. =)

How will next year's be?

范玮琪 《沒那麼愛他》

女人可以坚强。
女人可以果断。
女人可以独立。

“编织过的梦想 自己也可以抵达 谁说一定要有他”

沒那麼愛他

詞/曲:徐婕兒

你有權利情緒化 你不一定要堅強 但有些事情
不能偽裝 別為自己設了框
我懂失去的悲傷 也懂進退的掙扎 但想起過去
都是失望 又何必要放不下
是習慣還是愛 不放心 還是不甘心 只有你自己知道解答

其實你沒有那麼愛他 真的不需要那麼想他
編織過的夢想 自已也可以抵達 誰說一定要有他
其實你沒有那麼愛他 沒有深陷到不可自拔
認清了真心話 你就放得下

深呼吸 抬頭望 發現天空很寬廣
這世界那麼大 幸福總會在某個地方

其實你沒有那麼愛他 真的不需要那麼想他
擁有過的計劃 留給值得的對象 你知道 不會是他
其實你沒有那麼愛他 沒有深陷到不可自拔
認清了真心話 你就放得下

All I Want for Christmas is You!

Since i returned from Chiang Mai, i've been enjoying every bit of what i've been doing.
The idea of reporting back to work has never been so appealing before.
Even when there were rumours of a major re-org with the appointment of the new CEO.
Even when the major function of my department was abolished and i'm at the risk of losing my job!
How exciting is that! Especially when the news reported that the worst period of the recession has yet to come.
Ooi...friendly a bit leh!
In any case, i decided that it's quite silly to brood over a situation beyond my control.
The world is sad enough, they don't need an addition to the sadness.
What more when Christmas is just round the corner! I'm not gonna tarnish my favourite festival!

It only registered in me last week that Christmas was merely two weeks away and i've not started on my Christmas shopping.
Without much procrastination, i drew up my gift list, at the same time brainstorming on gift ideas and finding Christmas shopping companion.
After so many years of Christmas shopping, i began to realise that it's not the best idea to shop with someone who shares many common friends with you.
Both of you will be put in a fix of "i'm buying this for Ms X." "huh, i'm also thinking of buying this for her leh". Trust me, it WILL happen.
Of course you wouldn't want to get two similar items for the same recipient so at the end of the day, one person has to give in.
Then Christmas shopping will be never ending when the gift ideas keep changing.
So i would rather be ignorant about who is buying what for who. Heh.
To avoid such situation, make sure you get a nil-conflict companion.

I was uber pleased with myself when i covered 80% of my gift list on Sunday at PP.
It was an complementing excursion with Bengz when we would exchange suggestions with each other for purchasing gifts for his girl friends and my guy (and girl) friends.
No issues at all!
During the three hour spree, we covered about ten shops, filling our hands with shopping bags, containing not less than a total of forty items.
That was an achievement can!
The effect didn't set in till night when i felt an aching pain on my left leg and i suspected a vein might have been swollen.
And i haven't mention the muscle relaxant i downed when my back couldn't lie flat.
Bonny is so Ms-Cannot-Walk.

Not sure if it's just me, i felt that the economic condition has cast a layer of gloom over the festive mood.
The consolation is that people are still out in the street and of course, spending.
Just the absence of the joyous atmosphere.

Cheer up people!

My favourite Christmas song!
I love her hair!

Sawadeeka! Chan chi Bonny ka!

Bonny has returned.

The mission trip was great.
I embarked on the trip with much anticipation and there wasn't a bit of disappointment.
The Thais were an adorable bunch of people and language did not become a barrier for connection.
I could almost remember everyone whom i've met and their faces. Alright maybe not all their names. =p
I wished i could intercede and pray for every souls i met if i didn't limit myself by my earthly nature. Ironic.
Seeing them worshipping God in the ground of Buddhism was awesome.
Prayers in Thai sounded so pleasing to the ears.
I prayed in English and she prayed in Thai. With the presence of the Holy Spirit, i seemed to understand every word that she prayed. Heartwarming.
It was at the evangelistic event in the village that made me realised that we don't need impressive drama, electrifying sound system or deep messages for God to move the hearts of people.
They had none of those but people still flocked in. Just because they want to experience the love of God.
There were moments when i was moved to tears.
I was pleading and yelling silently that God save the villagers.

For the first time, God opened my heart to the children.
Knowing Bonny, kids are out of reach.
But God wanted me to teach the kids to sing and dance.
It didn't sink into me until minutes before i took over the microphone.
I remembered telling Judy "do you know this is my first time handling kids?".
It was meant to be "do you know i dislike kids?".
You ought to be proud of me. Really.

However when the mission trip was supposed to end, an unforeseen circumstance occurred.
The Suvarnabhumi Bangkok Airport was shut down on 26 Nov due to the invasion of the protesters from the opposition party.
All flights entering and exiting Bangkok were cancelled and the airport instantly ceased operation.
The mission trippers couldn't return and had to make alternate plans to go home.
After 24hours of uncertainty, they managed to book a flight out on 1 Dec to Kuala Lumpur then transit on a shuttle back to Singapore.

On my side, Persi and i had to make a quick decision, of whether or not to cancel my Bangkok trip.
When we've finally decided to cancel, we couldn't get the same flight back to Singapore, together with the rest of the mission trippers.
I remembered screaming at the Air Asia staff over the phone the night when i lost my poise totally.
It was strange. I knew that i would be safe but i felt so trapped for that moment. It was a sensation of imprisonment i would describe.
I didn't cry. I was too traumatised to cry.
After a hot shower, i prayed and regained my rationality before i confirmed the next available flight out from Chiang Mai to Kuala Lumpur on 4 Dec, which was exactly a week away.

For the subsequent days, it wasn't a bed of roses.
The temperature plunged suddenly and i got a serious gastric flu.
I tried to be happy but it was just difficult.
But it would have been worse if Gracie and Persi weren't around.

In any case, i'm very glad that i made it home last Thursday and my tear gland finally burst at the arrival gate when i saw my awaiting friends.

I was known to be a Singapore-lover.
But after the ordeal, i couldn't give thanks any less for being a Singaporean.

This is my country. This is my flag.

The Final Weekend

The final weekend before my departure flew past like a gust a wind.
I planned for much rest but i thought i overdid it.
On Friday night, i slept for straight nine hours and only managed to gain consciousness at noon on Saturday.
I was appalled of myself seriously.
Then later in the afternoon, it was a tai-tai excursion which includes a yummilicious high-tea at Carousel with the girls.The cosy dining atmosphere and the scrumptious buffet spread made our stay so comfy and before we knew it, it was almost six and we hadn't even hit the shopping belt.
With with calories input earlier, walking was indeed a great way to digest.
Especially when we were so caught up with our shopping lists, we didn't realised we'd walked for three hours continuously.

One of my best buy was this toileteries bag which i got for Carrefour.
It's huge and spacious and i could stuff almost all the tubes and bottles into this compact carrier.
I've added an additional ziploc bag, in case of leakage as i didn't want history that happened three years ago to repeat itself.
Better to be save than VERY sorry. =p
Personally i thought toileteries packing is the toughest part of the entire process, because it is the easiest to forget things.
Thus i'm glad to settle this first; or perhaps i was too excited about my new toileteries bag.

Attended the final meeting with the rest of the mission trippers and we are more or less ready to go.
The "more" is about 29.99% and the "less" 70.01%. =p
Bonny the "J" here is trying to be as "P" as possible.
With the admininstrative tasks almost completed, it's now left with the collection of the remaining fund from the respective trippers.
Being a loanshark is definitely not an easy job, since i have to be civil and the use of aid tools is forbidden.
The most ruthless words i could use was "eyyy you better pay up hor...or else..or else...remember to bring next time hor".
Otherwise, it's good training.

Our Chiang Mai counterparts, Gracie and Aaron who were in town for a family event, joined us at the meeting and provided us with first-hand information too.
The crash course on Thai language taught by Gracie was uber fun and strangely, i felt demure enunciating the Thai phonetics.
The ka, khun, can, naa sound so deh!
Perhaps i should seriously consider taking up the language professionally then hopefully Bonny can be hushed and behave more like a lady. =p

With things not quite done, we are embarking on this journey in four days' time.
Very excited while feeling a tad fearful.
It's much more than language/culture barrier or moving out of comfort zone.
I couldn't put a finger to that at this moment. Perhaps only after i've been through it myself.

Believe it or not, it is going to be my longest trip ever and i'm sure going to miss home and my friends.
Till we meet, take care and think of Bonny. =)

Randomness

It's gonna be quite random.

With the plunge of the tourists figures for the fourth executive month, i am experience a slowdown at work too.
Well, it could also be due to the festive mood that is creeping in. =) That's from the optimistic angle.
As people are fussing over the issue of retrenchment, it got me a lil worried as well.
Especially after hearing some sob stories in the board which were rather impactful.
The myth of the metal rice bowl has become legendary. Sigh.
Thus, i was trying to pull up my socks and be...erm...less nua.
Hoping that i won't see my belongings in my cube all packed up when i return. =p
I guess somehow, the economic situation got onto the nerves of some people and relationships among colleagues got a lil tensed.
It is extremely tough to manage colleagues who are also my friends, especially when we are not on the same side of the boat.
To be firm yet tactful, it is an art.
Writing emails to these colleafriends (sounds like cauliflower) will take me ages!

***

Life didn't seem to be less busy when classes were over. Of course it was due to the series of nuptial events.
I am glad that people who should get married, are married and everything did turn out well eventually.
It is time that i should spare a thought, maybe two, for myself and the theme of my thought(s) is JOY.
Suggestions are welcome, as long as the objective is achieved.
I need to get things going real soon. Coz i realised there isn't any concrete stuff other than work!

***

After a good three months worth of wait, Bonny is finally departing for Chiang Mai next Thursday.
I was always envious of people who went on mission trips and have always hope that i could experience the encounters myself.
Finally, after many years of struggling with leave problem due to my studies, my turn has arrived!
The preparation started as early as August when the team of eleven was formed.
As we get closer to the departure, there are more administration to be done.
It was then i realised that i kinda lost touch with admin tasks and initially it was really chaotic.
Especially in the midst of the wedding season. Thank God things are under control now as i got the hang of it.
Uber looking forward to be part of this new, yet strong, team.
Stay tune for exciting reports!

Hmm...

Hmmmm...

See... told you i need to find new stuff. Otherwise pinkbonny is closing down!

Mind my Business

I think i have a problem.

A problem of considering too much.

The moment my considerations don't get appreciated, i feel like shite.

Why am i expecting an appreciation when in the first place i'm not even expected to consider?

At the end of the day, i'm just a busybody.

Bringing misery upon myself.

Shall mind my own business...

Uniquely Experienced

Bonny had a unique experience at the Singapore Visitor Centre (SVC) at Terminal 2!
Being in the back room for so long, it was time that we get onto the field and be at the frontline.
Frankly speaking, i was quite looking forward to it after hearing from those who have gone for their attachments.
Long standing hours, feeling lost and redundant. Ah-uh...not too favorable.

The day started when Rosie, the supervisor briefed us with the day's activities and dismissed us shortly to let us explore the SVCs in other terminals.

SVC at Terminal 1, the bigger and busier one.

SVC at Terminal 3, the smaller and scarcer one.

And this is the one we were stationed at.

The lady back-facing the camera is Rosie.

Then we started to get a lil more comfortable with the environment when we decided to pose for some shots.

The primary task of the SVC is of course to assist tourists in their travel needs the moment they step foot at the airport as some can be really lost.

Other than that, it is also responsible of inducing transit passengers to sign up for the Free Singapore Tours provided by the board, SIA and CAAS.

The tours will bring them downtown to the marina precinct as well as some colonial attractions around Empress Place.

The idea is to leave an impression in them and hopefully they would return for their next holiday.

Hence, throughout the two days of attachment, we boarded this bus three times, pretending like the transit passengers. Heh.

I've to admit that i had quite a satisfying nap after 4236 yawns when the tour guide was doing the commentary. =p

Trust me, i tried my best to look enthusiastic but to bear with the facts you could almost memorise, it's hard not to lose focus. =p

We didn't really have much contact with the visitors as we were pretty sheltered by the veterens.

But the encounter with an American was good enough to keep me smiling for a while. Guess not much explanation is required. Hurhur...

Other than that, we merely enjoyed ourselves in such a rare opportunity to work in a place of our desire.

At the end of the second day, Rosie left a note before she ended her day at work.

She's such a bubbly lady that when you see her, you know she's at the right job.

She wasn't at all stingy in sharing her experience with us and we were pretty engrossed in her stories.

I truly admired her passion in what she does which lasted her for a good 30 years. She joined the board even before i was borned! Try imagining that!

With passion, all things will last. =)

Koko the 张太

Koko is a wifey!!!!
Welcome to the 张 family! Heh.


It's over and i can finally take a breather.
I needed that air so badly.

*gasp*

The Secret Hideout

Waking up naturally to a hearty American breakfast and a cup of hot coffee.

Tuning to Discovery Travel & Living, bringing us round the world.

It was almost quiet, other than the sound of the moving traffic.

Peaceful.

Nothing better to describe than the word l.u.x.u.r.y.

Lovely.

五月天 《你不是真正的快樂》

《你不是真正的快樂》
五月天

人群中哭着
你只想变成透明的颜色
你再也不会
梦或痛或心动了
你已经决定了
你已经决定了

你静静忍着
紧紧把昨天在拳心握着
而回忆越是甜
就是越伤人了
越是在手心留下
密密麻麻深深浅浅的刀割

你不是真正的快乐
你的笑只是 你穿的保护色
你决定不恨了 也决定不爱了
把你的灵魂 关在永远锁上的躯壳

这世界笑了
於是你合群的一起笑了
当生存是规则
不是你的选择
於是你含着眼泪
飘飘荡荡跌跌撞撞的走着

你不是真正的快乐
你的伤从不肯 完全的癒合
我站在你左侧 却像隔着银河
难道就真的抱着遗憾
一直到老了 然後才後悔着

你不是真正的快乐
你的笑只是 你穿的保护色
你决定不恨了 也决定不爱了
把你的灵魂 关在永远锁上的躯壳

你不是真正的快乐
你的伤从不肯 完全的癒合
我站在你左侧 却像隔着银河
难道就真的抱着遗憾
一直到老了

你值得真正的快乐
你应该脱下 你穿的保护色
为什麽失去了 还要被惩罚呢
能不能就让悲伤
全部结束在此刻
重新开始活着

完全体现了人性的脆弱
活在过去的阴影
成为过去的奴隶

释怀吧！
世界可以更美好
快乐可以是真的
选择在于你。。。

Percy Piglets

They are not elephants but PIGS.

And Percy has got babies!!!

Cute.

Ms Emo

Ms Emo loves to visit especially on days when Bonny is ill.
Perhaps it was due to the hectic weekend with two consecutive nuptial dinners plus some emotional burden, and also the franticness at work and elsewhere which started weeks ago, my body finally gave way.
I woke up feeling the dryness and soreness in my throat and sneezes started on my journey to office.
By the time i arrived, i could only greet LL with a hoarse "good morning".

Pretty bogged down with quite some stuff which are happening concurrently.
Tonnes of coordination, planning and have to be on the ball at most time.
To make it worse, work isn't a bed of roses at all and i reacted very much to some irky people who came in my way.
For one of the very rare times, i've to admit that work is getting a toil on me.
Many times, it's a battle of professionalism and explosion. Tough.

Just today, the moment i opened my mail box, i was irritated by a totally unreasonable request again (x10).
Again, a deep breath.
I flung my head backwards and tried to calm myself down.
But it didn't stop the tears from flowing.
I took another deep breath and went back to work.

God knows when to send the right people when i'm in need.
Just when i needed comfort and be transparent about my emotions, Bengz made himself available to have lunch with me.
I'm really thankful for that.
I was rather sick but it was nice talking to someone who listens and understands the context.
Someone whom i don't have to explain much into details.

However, right after lunch when i got back to that tiny cube of mine, Ms Emo came back again.
And when Jer started a msn conversation with a "What happened?", i started crying like a baby.
All i wanted to do was to whine and complain to him. Only he could endure this from me.

Ms Emo really hit me hard today.
But when rationality set in at the later part of the day, it came to my senses that it wasn't the case that i couldn't manage or deal with the situations and issues on hand nor i didn't have the abilities.
The main problem was that they gushed right at me all at the same time.
And the moment of overwhelming made me thought that i couldn't manage.
Apparently, all i have to do is to dissect them and handle them case by case.
One thing at a time. Jer reminded me once again.
So i felt better when i left the office.

But still, i really wish for a good break to rest my drained soul and body.
And again, God sends the right people when i'm in need!
Just this evening, i was offered a complimentary stay at a tranquil place over a weekend!
I'm so looking forward to it!

God is so good! =)

The unity of Kelvin and Jo

The day that i've been longing for, has finally arrived!
You won't believe the amount of preparation and effort we put into for this wedding.
But it's all worth it. Really.


Tecky and i were the emcee for the night. For the first time!
And also for the first time, i was so uber nervous.
Especially when the intro of Dancing Queen started.
Tecky and i were supposed to do a walk-in with the song like divas.
The nervousness resulted in me walking too quickly without enjoying the moment.
Then it caused me to forget my chinese lines which froze the atmosphere a bit. Shucks.
Thankfully, it got better at mid-show when i was completely speaking in English.
Oh man...i was actually in illusion for the past years when i thought i prefer hosting Mandarin.
I felt so much at ease when i could converse in English with Tecky.

Kelvin zai, the suave groom for the night.
I teared when they exchanged their vows.
I teared when the JP announced that they are husband and wife.
My heart melted when i saw him smiling blissfully throughout the night.
For someone close to my heart, the feelings i had for the night was beyond description.
It's like seeing my brother starting a new phase of his life and i'm so glad to be a witness.

Congratulations, Kel and Jo... =)

Now...remember the JK project??
After many hours of sweat and blood (literally), presenting to you project number ONE!
Very familiar huh?

And now...presenting to you again...project number TWO!

(image will only appear at 00:16)

I think the couple really love it when they were played at the banquet.
Jo was crying and Kelvin zai kept laughing.

We are geniuses!
Woohoo!!!

JK Project

Bonny has embarked on a JK Project.
Uber fun!
Uber exciting!
To be revealed soon...


Stay tune.

Break or Break

Just return from my weekly swim from SPE.
As a result of the rebonded hair, i stopped for two weeks and the impact seemed to be great.
Hel said that i forgot my techniques.
Gosh...it's time to buck up.
My aim is to able to swim decently by end of the year.

After my talk with LL that evening, things had improved quite a bit the following day.
She started by offering us tidbits at our work stations, which was a breakthrough for the past two weeks.
By Monday, she was 80% recovered and now, she totally regained her chatty self. Great.
Albeit that work didn't get better, at least the team is now taking it in stride. Well, at least for me.
Till now i still couldn't fathom why must urgent jobs gush in at the same time.
To make matters worst, the existence of some loathsome people, who like playing politics, added to my annoyance too.
Mr T was challenged once again and my working neighbour commented that loud breathings got more frequent.
I think i am stressed by work, which i never thought it would happen to me.

Have been experiencing sharp pains around my left chest lately and the paracetamols i took were countless.
Bengz suggested that i go for a full body checkup.
I think i need a break instead.

Quite badly.

When Mr T is short

My msn nick today read "mr T is very short today. beware.".
SLam took a while before she figured out who's Mr T and it was a spot on. So smart.
I took the morning off as i was hit by a nerve-wrenching headache.
But it turned into a giddy spell the moment i stepped into office.
Read: bad mood.

It was at this time when a manager from Finance had to call and test on my patience.
The request she made was really senseless and i was trying my very best to hold my tone.
You see the problem about civil servants is they can get too caught up with the procedures that they fail to see the picture in a holistic manner.
They follow instructions blindly without seeing the logic behind it and i'm not even talking about challenging the norm.
They do because it has always been done like this.
I speak for myself too.
For the fact that we are bounded by authority, it is difficult to be different.
We are always trapped in a situation of better-be-safe-than-to-be-sorry.
However, it is not entirely hopeless. It's just a matter of whether you can manage within your boundary and playing around with the procedures.
We do have people like this in the board and i thank God for them.
Anyway, after that phone call with the Finance manager, i had to inhale big breath to calm myself down. I wasted too much energy on that phone call.
When i finally managed to do so after returning from a walk to the bistro, she had to provoke me with a second stunt!
This time, she got an officer to represent her and i could see her anguish expression as she too, felt silly for doing what she was asked to do. Poor girl.
She somehow could anticipate my reply but she just had to hear from me in order to convince her manager.
You see you see!!! Duh!
Empathizing her position, i tried to be as corporative as possible so that we could quickly get over it.
But still, DUH!!!
It had to happen when Mr T was short.

Perhaps that was also why i had the courage to speak to LL, since i was in a confrontational mode.
Oh don't get me wrong, i wasn't that gungho to confront my boss.
It was almost two weeks since LL withdrew herself from us socially and the air was still since then too.
It was uber uncomfortable i tell ya.
Knowing Bonny, i'm just not one of those who sit and wait for things to move. I had to do something about it.
So since i'm on the right mode today, it wasn't hard for me to start a conversation with LL in the late evening when everyone had left for the day.
I was merely concerned and wanted to know if there're things that i could help.
After a one-liner of "are you okay? you have been rather moody lately", she started to rattle non-stop for a good 20mins.
Wah she must have been suppressed for very long.
At the end of talk, it left me feeling helpless as i couldn't render any help at all.
From her words, i felt so much of her agony, her difficulties and the injustice done to her.
It has been really hard on her and i applaud her perseverance.
She's a woman i look up to and i'm really blessed to have a boss like LL.
I hope she can overcome this trying period very soon.

Thank God the day ended well with dinner with the Lees.
I just had to be around with sane people to keep my sanity.

I am the Dancing Queen!!!

Monday, Persi and i spent our Bonapers on Mammia Mia!
Since Hairspray, i've grown a fondness for musicals.
I like the exaggerated facial expressions and the expression of emotions through music and lyrics.
Most people know that i love to sing but the desire of acting and dancing has always been a secret. Oops...now you know! =p
Albeit the slim chance, I hope to be able to persuade Ken to do a musical for the next D&D.
I shall beef up the publicity for Music in Motion and hopefully can lure attract more people.
Anyway, the movie. I was enjoying so much that i wasn't quite bothered about the rest of the audiences and sang along with Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried.
Hmmm...Pierce Brosnan was unarguably suave but his singing was...err...put it this way...i thought he was talking. =p
I fell in love with ABBA songs instantly and i regretted for being ignorant to them for the longest time.
My favourite was Dancing Queen and i love the scene when all the women were dancing on the deck.
I couldn't control my shoulders from bopping along with the groove. Ooooo..oooo...oooo...

Persi and i left the cinema, still not getting enough of the songs and dreamt to having a wedding like the one in the movie. It's gonna be so fun! If only the guests are as fun too.
But first, we need to get a man, each. Hah.

The air in office has been pretty still lately.
LL wasn't at her best of mood and somehow, it got us a lil tensed.
On an usual day, she would be rather bubbly and her hobby at work was to engage us in small talks. Not the case since last week though.
She must be stressed with the papers for the meetings and we hope we could offload her a bit. Not as simple as we thought.
Just before i left office yesterday, she managed to talk a bit on her experience at the F1 race which i thought it was a breakthrough for the week.
Hopefully she'll loosen up a bit more for the later half of the week.
It's not the best of news when your boss is moody you know. =p

Made a trip down to Replugged after work yesterday.
It was three years ago when i frequented this shop house at Bugis Village almost every week.
Not a bit has changed. Just that the back room was transformed into a training room.
Bengz wanted to pick up an instrument and i proposed the keyboard initially.
But later we realised a problem (which i shan't divulge for the interest of the involved party) and he had to make a switch.
As we explored, we thought flute might be suitable and it got him so excited after hearing the demo online. He wished he could sign up almost immediately.
Therefore we headed down to Replugged hoping that he could try on the instrument otherwise sign up for a class.
However, things didn't quite work out and we left the school in disapointment. Oh well, at least we knew the place where he could purchase a flute in the mean time. If you are keen, visit Eason Enterprise.

We ended up at PP (again) and dinner was at Mini Steamboat (again).
Not long after we settled at Mcdee for the night, the monsoon storm rain came and almost got the both of us drenched as we insisted on staying put at the outdoor seats.
It was so cold that my lips trembled as i spoke.
The weather is turning cold i guess. Yay!
When we got comfortable with the weather, a weird indian ah-pek had to choose the seat next to us to rest himself.
He was behaving very strangely and had a huge travel bag with him which got me suspicious of its content. Smiling to himself and throwing occasional stares at us too.
We were constantly keeping a lookout as we talked, in case he barge.
Later then we realised that he was waiting to hit on the leftover food on the tables after the patrons left. And so, he ended up hopping from table to table.
Quite a tragic sight though.
When we got used to the the indian ah-pek, a chinese ah-pek, who was sitting in front of us, started to scatch his head so vigorously that i could almost see tiny stuff flying out. Ewwwwww...I felt itchy all over too.
And our eyes turned to this man again.
What an eventful and multi-tasking night.

With the previous night that ended at 3am, i could only regain consciousness at noon today.
I was a little shocked when i woke up. Didn't expect to have slept for so long. Scary.
And for the rest of the day, i did almost nothing.
The most constructive thing i've done was to revamp my blog.
Nice??? I love it! So sweet hor.
Other than that, if you consider the 1-hour nap constructive? Heh.

Work tomorrow. Good night.

The Garden Slug

Since last year when i was casually surfing one of my favourite site, i chanced upon this tiny restaurant in the east and i have always wanted to pay a visit.
The Garden Slug is a cosy and humble little restaurant located amongst a row of pet shops and pet clinics at Telok Kurau.
It's completely separated from "civilization" and i'm trying my best to not describe its location as secluded.
But that's exactly what i heart about this place.
We were famished to the ultimate and didn't take too long to order some starters.

Grape and Feta - seedless grapes with feta, herbed olive oil and olives. [Cup $5.90/Bowl $8.90]
It's an acquired taste.
Just imagine - sweet grape + cheese + olive oil.
Weird hor? I tried stuffing all of the above in one mouthful and it's quite interesting i must say. Notz bad!
What impressed me was when we ordered a bowl but the staff made a mistake by giving us a cup which we really thought it was a bowl.
But shortly she came with another cup and apologised for making a mistake in our order.
Therefore, we got two cups for the price of one bowl!
I like honest people. =)

Wasuga Chicken Wings - as the name suggests, wings of chicken. [$9.00]
Maybe with the exception that they were marinated for 48 hours as mentioned on the menu.
Seriously i thought they tasted like any other chicken wings.
But no doubt that the flavour was quite rich.
Ok passed!

The Steak - my main. Err...i don't think i need to explain what was that. [$18.90]
The middle-well ribeye was pan fried to its perfection, arriving at its best tenderness and succulence.
The special sauce added as a compliment without covering the original freshness of the red meat.
The side whipped potato was a surprised. One of the best whipped potato i've tried. It has a taste of home. Definitely worth mentioning!
As for the vege, i didn't quite bother about it. =p

Orange-glazed Pan-seared Buttermilk Chicken - JM's main. Boneless chicken glazed with a light citrusy wine sauce. [$15.90]
The citrusy sauce added a refreshing flavour to the plain chicken which i thought was rather unique.
I don't quite fancy fruity-flavour in savoury food but this was quite alright.
However, the piece of meat seemed to be too tiny to fill JM. Heh.

Pasta in Buttery Garlic Glaze topped with grilled chicken strips - Persi's main. [$13.90]
The name of the this dish explained everything you might expect from this dish.
It was spicy which made it very appetising and every mouth was filfilling.
Won't get sick of it.

We decided to complete the meal with a sweet Nutella Banana Mush. [$8.00]
Basically nutella on warm banana with vanilla gelato and nut.
Frankly speaking, i was a tad disappointed when it was served.
Felt that it was too simple and plain. Merely piling ingredients over ingredients.
Perhaps i hold too high an expectation for desserts and i prefer something more elaborated.
The other girls seemed to love it though.

Actually the dinner was meant to be a celebration.
Celebrating what???? Ahem....*clear throat*. Are you ready???
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, after one thousand ninety-five days of academic hardship and thirty-six chilly hours in that icy mega hall at Singapore Expo, i'm pleased to announce...

BONNY HAS FINALLY GRADUATED!!!
Woohoo!!!!

I remembered the day when i retrieved my results from the student portal, i couldn't control my tears and kept murmuring "finally finally".
The memories of the journey that brought me here kept flooding in and i was just elated to know that it's over.
It was a moment that i didn't wish i was in office with all the girls crowding around my cube, including my boss, Li Li.
I just couldn't contain excitement.

Thankfully, JM, who fought the same war as me, gained the victory too!
So we decided to celebrate for each other. =)

Persi apparently wanted to share the joy with us too! =)
Happy garden sluggers!!! =)