damn it, i just realised from xp that i have forgotten my 2nd anniversary at work! it was supposed to be yesterday, 28 jun, and i actually thought it was today. this really shows i'm getting old. :-\
scribbled at 8:30 am
.::.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Men Are Just Happier People
What do you expect from such simple creatures?
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000.
Tux rental $100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
Your belly usually hides your big hips.
One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
Better yet, someone else does most of it for you.
No wonder men are happier.
scribbled at 11:26 pm
.::.
What do you expect from such simple creatures?
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President.
You can never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000.
Tux rental $100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
Your belly usually hides your big hips.
One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
Better yet, someone else does most of it for you.
No wonder men are happier.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
happy birthday part (ii)
let's recall how we spent the day. oh boy, it started really early, 3am to be exact, to catch the argentina-holland game, we (or rather i) didn't have a choice, since the boy supports both teams. it was a goaless match and without the calbee chips which was almost the only motivation for me to get up, i would certainly have dozed off. during the half-time break, it was present time! surprise, surprise!... nah, it's not a calendar, anyway, who in the right mind will give calendars as presents in the middle of the year? :P anyway, i thought this present was timely, it's about time we both deserve a break from work. :)
before dinner, we went to plaza singapura to collect our rings, and also for foot reflexology at wan yang. *ouch ouch!* although, i've always been skeptical about its claims on cleansing the body of toxins / improving the health of our organs, i thought there was no harm trying anyway. there were bouts of pain, but not excruciating pain, at least for me. not sure if it's the same for him, his face did turn red when the therapist pressed on the zone corresponding to his lower back (past injury) and digestive system (too highly efficient?) - weak, weak. hah. for me, i was said to have loose knee caps, symptons resembling that of a 30 plus to 40 year old! and i must have been drinking too much water before bedtime such that the calves are starting to show signs of mild swelling, hmmm. anyway, we were persuaded to sign up for the 10+2 sessions package, since the per session charge was significantly cheaper and the package can be shared anyway - more pain to come! oh yes, anyway to prevent any knee injuries, i also splurged $43 on a pair of knee guards, urgh!
dinner was at da paolo il giardino, cluny court. this was my first time dining at da paolo, and somehow, i decided on the cluny court outlet over all the others. he had the specialty of the day, sea bass and salmon with salmon caviar, and for me, i chose to have braised lamb leg, rather than their handmade pasta. tough choice, but guess we can always have pasta at the other outlets, yah? the tiramisu cake came decorated, and with a lighted candle for the smiley birthday boy. :)
scribbled at 10:18 am
.::.
let's recall how we spent the day. oh boy, it started really early, 3am to be exact, to catch the argentina-holland game, we (or rather i) didn't have a choice, since the boy supports both teams. it was a goaless match and without the calbee chips which was almost the only motivation for me to get up, i would certainly have dozed off. during the half-time break, it was present time! surprise, surprise!... nah, it's not a calendar, anyway, who in the right mind will give calendars as presents in the middle of the year? :P anyway, i thought this present was timely, it's about time we both deserve a break from work. :)
before dinner, we went to plaza singapura to collect our rings, and also for foot reflexology at wan yang. *ouch ouch!* although, i've always been skeptical about its claims on cleansing the body of toxins / improving the health of our organs, i thought there was no harm trying anyway. there were bouts of pain, but not excruciating pain, at least for me. not sure if it's the same for him, his face did turn red when the therapist pressed on the zone corresponding to his lower back (past injury) and digestive system (too highly efficient?) - weak, weak. hah. for me, i was said to have loose knee caps, symptons resembling that of a 30 plus to 40 year old! and i must have been drinking too much water before bedtime such that the calves are starting to show signs of mild swelling, hmmm. anyway, we were persuaded to sign up for the 10+2 sessions package, since the per session charge was significantly cheaper and the package can be shared anyway - more pain to come! oh yes, anyway to prevent any knee injuries, i also splurged $43 on a pair of knee guards, urgh!
dinner was at da paolo il giardino, cluny court. this was my first time dining at da paolo, and somehow, i decided on the cluny court outlet over all the others. he had the specialty of the day, sea bass and salmon with salmon caviar, and for me, i chose to have braised lamb leg, rather than their handmade pasta. tough choice, but guess we can always have pasta at the other outlets, yah? the tiramisu cake came decorated, and with a lighted candle for the smiley birthday boy. :)
Friday, June 23, 2006
happy birthday, baby!
the making of his surprise cake, black forest, which is one of his favourites. after browsing through several black forest cake recipes, i decide to go for this. i must say this was rather ambitious, considering i've never made layered chiffon cakes that requires cream frosting. anyway, i was just thinking that if all plans fail, i'll just hop over to any cake shop to get a decent birthday cake. :P
knowing this was going to be relatively tedious and more time-consuming, as compared to baking muffins and cookies, i decided to split the work over two days (thank goodess he's too caught up with his own badminton tournament the same two evenings to pose any form of hindrance to my great plans :P). the 1st session was spent baking the chocolate chiffon cake, then letting it cool overnight. this recipe makes use of the combination method, i.e. adding whipped egg whites to the creamed ingredients, to create the additional volume and light texture to the cake. i was really glad to see the cake rising in the oven, knowing that it definitely won't turn out flat and rocky hard. being the first formal time i've whipped cream to frost a cake, i was quite worried over the consistency of the cream, i wasn't even sure how long i needed to whip the cream, how soft/stiff the peaks should be, etc, and i've read how easy it was for the loose crumbs to get caught in the frosting to spoil the cake's appearance. the splitting of the cake into three was surprisingly easier than i've thought, and the layers turned out smooth. the frosting process was quite tough and messy though, and i had to bring the cake in and out of the fridge several times just to ensure the frosting doesn't melt.
anyway, here's the result - ta-dah - presenting my first ever black forest cake! (and probably more to come, considering this is my mum's favourite cake too.)
scribbled at 11:18 am
.::.
the making of his surprise cake, black forest, which is one of his favourites. after browsing through several black forest cake recipes, i decide to go for this. i must say this was rather ambitious, considering i've never made layered chiffon cakes that requires cream frosting. anyway, i was just thinking that if all plans fail, i'll just hop over to any cake shop to get a decent birthday cake. :P
knowing this was going to be relatively tedious and more time-consuming, as compared to baking muffins and cookies, i decided to split the work over two days (thank goodess he's too caught up with his own badminton tournament the same two evenings to pose any form of hindrance to my great plans :P). the 1st session was spent baking the chocolate chiffon cake, then letting it cool overnight. this recipe makes use of the combination method, i.e. adding whipped egg whites to the creamed ingredients, to create the additional volume and light texture to the cake. i was really glad to see the cake rising in the oven, knowing that it definitely won't turn out flat and rocky hard. being the first formal time i've whipped cream to frost a cake, i was quite worried over the consistency of the cream, i wasn't even sure how long i needed to whip the cream, how soft/stiff the peaks should be, etc, and i've read how easy it was for the loose crumbs to get caught in the frosting to spoil the cake's appearance. the splitting of the cake into three was surprisingly easier than i've thought, and the layers turned out smooth. the frosting process was quite tough and messy though, and i had to bring the cake in and out of the fridge several times just to ensure the frosting doesn't melt.
anyway, here's the result - ta-dah - presenting my first ever black forest cake! (and probably more to come, considering this is my mum's favourite cake too.)
Monday, June 19, 2006
one year old!
we officially celebrated our one year yesterday. :-)
the boy volunteered to plan the day programme so that i won't need to crack my brains further (his birthday has to be four days later!). anyway, although we spent the early morning watching the czech republic game (and lost money), the plan was for us to wake up early for burger king breakfast at compasspoint! okay, no big deal about bk breakfast, it was just because i once casually mentioned i didn't recall eating bk breakfast before (seriously!). this was another one of those fulfilled little wishes, just like how he once fetched me from town after his sweaty game of badminton then drove to ridout garden for mcdonalds supper and turtle watching, that was more than a year back when we were purely friends. ;-) anyway, i think i'll stick to my usual mcdonalds hotcakes, although bite-sized hash brown definitely tasted better.
after breakfast, we drove along TPE and i had simply no idea where we were heading towards. from the instructions given - comfortable clothing and no heels - i expected something outdoor. anyway, when he finally parked at east coast and approached the boot, i seriously thought he could be mean and/or crazy enough to make me practise blading on our big day, and must have hidden my new skates in the boot. guess what, it wasn't skates he hid, it was kites! he bought two new kites on friday, and hid them below his dirty car towels, knowing i won't go anywhere near them. well well well, after SEVERAL failed attempts of running then tugging and pulling, we managed to get it flying high for a satisfactory amount of time. hmmmm, blame the constant changing wind directions, and the un-aerodynamically shaped kites (i described them as the "stupid bird that can't fly" and the "scary-looking octopus"), we really tried our best... my new tanlines can prove my point. [to the bf, pls remember my banana boatman spf 50 when you plan the next outdoor activity. :P] we gave up on the kites after an hour or so, and so after our waffle ripple ice-cream treat, we decided that since we were already all the way out at ecp, we might as well spent the next hour going for a leisurely ride on a tandem bike.
the evening was meant to be free & easy, so we went ring shopping! we decided on a pair of simple stylist stainless steel ones, that are non-wedding-band-like, but they are only ready for collection later because of the engraving. we also didn't make special plans for fancy dinner, though i had wanted to go to marmalade pantry for their sticky date toffee pudding but they were closed by the time we got there (i just found out it closes at 430pm every sunday). since it was already past 8pm and we were both starving, we went right across the street to california pizza kitchen. we were sooooo stuffed at the end of our meal - huge servings of fettucine in garlic roasted cream sauce and pizza topped with pepperoni, italian sausage and fresh mushrooms - that there was no space left for the originally planned brownie dessert.
just a little explanation about the stacks of coins, we started putting aside $1 and 50 cents coins 7 months back, and we've collected $510 so far! we're converting them into notes very soon - thanks, xp! :P time to go shopping! crocs slippers?
happy anniversary, my love!
scribbled at 9:08 pm
.::.
we officially celebrated our one year yesterday. :-)
the boy volunteered to plan the day programme so that i won't need to crack my brains further (his birthday has to be four days later!). anyway, although we spent the early morning watching the czech republic game (and lost money), the plan was for us to wake up early for burger king breakfast at compasspoint! okay, no big deal about bk breakfast, it was just because i once casually mentioned i didn't recall eating bk breakfast before (seriously!). this was another one of those fulfilled little wishes, just like how he once fetched me from town after his sweaty game of badminton then drove to ridout garden for mcdonalds supper and turtle watching, that was more than a year back when we were purely friends. ;-) anyway, i think i'll stick to my usual mcdonalds hotcakes, although bite-sized hash brown definitely tasted better.
after breakfast, we drove along TPE and i had simply no idea where we were heading towards. from the instructions given - comfortable clothing and no heels - i expected something outdoor. anyway, when he finally parked at east coast and approached the boot, i seriously thought he could be mean and/or crazy enough to make me practise blading on our big day, and must have hidden my new skates in the boot. guess what, it wasn't skates he hid, it was kites! he bought two new kites on friday, and hid them below his dirty car towels, knowing i won't go anywhere near them. well well well, after SEVERAL failed attempts of running then tugging and pulling, we managed to get it flying high for a satisfactory amount of time. hmmmm, blame the constant changing wind directions, and the un-aerodynamically shaped kites (i described them as the "stupid bird that can't fly" and the "scary-looking octopus"), we really tried our best... my new tanlines can prove my point. [to the bf, pls remember my banana boatman spf 50 when you plan the next outdoor activity. :P] we gave up on the kites after an hour or so, and so after our waffle ripple ice-cream treat, we decided that since we were already all the way out at ecp, we might as well spent the next hour going for a leisurely ride on a tandem bike.
the evening was meant to be free & easy, so we went ring shopping! we decided on a pair of simple stylist stainless steel ones, that are non-wedding-band-like, but they are only ready for collection later because of the engraving. we also didn't make special plans for fancy dinner, though i had wanted to go to marmalade pantry for their sticky date toffee pudding but they were closed by the time we got there (i just found out it closes at 430pm every sunday). since it was already past 8pm and we were both starving, we went right across the street to california pizza kitchen. we were sooooo stuffed at the end of our meal - huge servings of fettucine in garlic roasted cream sauce and pizza topped with pepperoni, italian sausage and fresh mushrooms - that there was no space left for the originally planned brownie dessert.
just a little explanation about the stacks of coins, we started putting aside $1 and 50 cents coins 7 months back, and we've collected $510 so far! we're converting them into notes very soon - thanks, xp! :P time to go shopping! crocs slippers?
happy anniversary, my love!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
betting updates :P
1) England vs Paraguay [Paraguay (+1 1/2)] - win $5
2) Argentina vs Ivory Coast [Argentina] - win $4.70
3) Serb & Montenegro vs Holland [Holland (-1 1/2)] - lose $5
4) Serb & Montenegro vs Holland [Holland] - win $7
5) Australia vs Japan [Draw] - lose $5
6) USA vs Czech Republic [Czech Republic] - win $6.50
7) Italy vs Ghana [Ghana] - lose $5
8) Korea vs Togo; France vs Switzerland [Korea and France Combo] - lose $5
9) France vs Switzerland [France] - lose $10
10) Brazil vs Croatia [Brazil] - win $2.20
11) Spain vs Ukraine [Spain] - win $3.40
12) Germany vs Poland [Germany] - win $3.20
13) England vs Trinadad & Tobago [Trinadad & Tobago (+1 1/2)] - lost $5
14) Sweden vs Paraguay [Paraguay (+1 1/2)] - win $1.15
15) Sweden vs Paraguay [Sweden] - win $8.20
16) Argentina vs Serb & Montenegro [Argentina] - win $4.30
17) Holland vs Ivory Coast [Holland] - win $6.80
total - win $17.45
scribbled at 1:19 pm
.::.
1) England vs Paraguay [Paraguay (+1 1/2)] - win $5
2) Argentina vs Ivory Coast [Argentina] - win $4.70
3) Serb & Montenegro vs Holland [Holland (-1 1/2)] - lose $5
4) Serb & Montenegro vs Holland [Holland] - win $7
5) Australia vs Japan [Draw] - lose $5
6) USA vs Czech Republic [Czech Republic] - win $6.50
7) Italy vs Ghana [Ghana] - lose $5
8) Korea vs Togo; France vs Switzerland [Korea and France Combo] - lose $5
9) France vs Switzerland [France] - lose $10
10) Brazil vs Croatia [Brazil] - win $2.20
11) Spain vs Ukraine [Spain] - win $3.40
12) Germany vs Poland [Germany] - win $3.20
13) England vs Trinadad & Tobago [Trinadad & Tobago (+1 1/2)] - lost $5
14) Sweden vs Paraguay [Paraguay (+1 1/2)] - win $1.15
15) Sweden vs Paraguay [Sweden] - win $8.20
16) Argentina vs Serb & Montenegro [Argentina] - win $4.30
17) Holland vs Ivory Coast [Holland] - win $6.80
total - win $17.45
Monday, June 12, 2006
world cup fever is on!
not an avid soccer fan, but i do think i'll catch a couple of matches throughout the coming month. well, to keep the enthusiasm level high and prevent myself from dozing off, we combined some money to place bets for the england and argentina matches on saturday night, and we won both games! probably beginner's luck (for the bf only, i succumbed to soccer gambling 4 years ago :P)! both parties showed a distinct lack of flair, and such poor display, especially from england, was really disappointing, to think i had high expectations for world cup games. anyway, we still won $9.70 in total, plus overall win of $2 for last night's holland game, we're up by $11.70 so far. :P
world cup tracker: +$11.70
anyway, i just received an sms from my parents saying they're on the way home from the airport, woohoo!
scribbled at 6:37 pm
.::.
not an avid soccer fan, but i do think i'll catch a couple of matches throughout the coming month. well, to keep the enthusiasm level high and prevent myself from dozing off, we combined some money to place bets for the england and argentina matches on saturday night, and we won both games! probably beginner's luck (for the bf only, i succumbed to soccer gambling 4 years ago :P)! both parties showed a distinct lack of flair, and such poor display, especially from england, was really disappointing, to think i had high expectations for world cup games. anyway, we still won $9.70 in total, plus overall win of $2 for last night's holland game, we're up by $11.70 so far. :P
world cup tracker: +$11.70
anyway, i just received an sms from my parents saying they're on the way home from the airport, woohoo!
weekend baking
scribbled at 12:42 am
.::.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
phew, what an activity-filled weekend! since i've got almost the whole house to myself, i took the chance to call over the usual gang. we ended up playing the board game risk on friday night, and as usual, mahjong the following night, with tonnes and tonnes of munching throughout. okay, we did managed to drag ourselves out of bed on saturday morning to get some sun - skating and cycling at ecp! many firsts for me - first time skating with a group, first time skating along the ecp path, the past learning-to-skate experiences were all on much safer grounds, first time going over humps (!) and my first in-line skates, k2 kinetic 10.0!
we decided on home delivery from sarpino's pizzeria on saturday evening, and guess what, we ended up with double orders of our 2 pizza + 12 chicken wings, all thanks to a minor road mishap. the delivery man supposedly met with an accident and we were informed by the shop that our food would be arriving later. surprisingly, he actually turned up at the door minutes after we received the news, he must have escaped with just some minor scrapes (what a relief). anyway, the food was all intact, less the seafood pizza that was kind of messed up, and that didn't stop us from gorging it up. well, the duplicate order came at no extra charge minutes later, and you don't need a rocket scientist to tell you what i had for lunch on sunday.
monday dinner was homemade linghetti (that's what we name our spaghetti/linguine) with bolognese sauce filled with minced chicken, diced carrots and tomatoes. it was a simple hearty dinner, despite us forgetting the cheese.
scribbled at 10:16 am
.::.
we decided on home delivery from sarpino's pizzeria on saturday evening, and guess what, we ended up with double orders of our 2 pizza + 12 chicken wings, all thanks to a minor road mishap. the delivery man supposedly met with an accident and we were informed by the shop that our food would be arriving later. surprisingly, he actually turned up at the door minutes after we received the news, he must have escaped with just some minor scrapes (what a relief). anyway, the food was all intact, less the seafood pizza that was kind of messed up, and that didn't stop us from gorging it up. well, the duplicate order came at no extra charge minutes later, and you don't need a rocket scientist to tell you what i had for lunch on sunday.
monday dinner was homemade linghetti (that's what we name our spaghetti/linguine) with bolognese sauce filled with minced chicken, diced carrots and tomatoes. it was a simple hearty dinner, despite us forgetting the cheese.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
*weeeeeeeee*!
from urban inline at $318!!!
The K2 Kinetic 10.0 is one of the lightest and most ventilated skates on the market.
- ENHANCED STABILITY CUFF - Anatomically designed and contoured to match women's ankle profiles for better balance and support with a rear insert offering the maximum amount of support.
- Closure System - Quick lace plus Exoflo cage, Powerstrap, Buckle
- New ventilated toecap
- POWER frame - An aluminum-titanium alloy frame featuring a lightweight design targeted for fast and powerful skating. This medium length frame is extremely stable at speed.
- ILQ-9 Standard 608 Size Bearings - Are beyond any ABEC rating. These high performance bearings have a better load rating, better durability, better free spin, and lower weight. This bearing is specifically designed for inline skates.
- Wheels - 80mm 82A
- Maximum wheel size - 80mm
Softboot construction - K2's Softboot designs incorporate breathable, comfortable, and flexible materials that fit and function like a second skin while substantially reducing overall weight. A one-piece lasted boot footwear system fastened to the base and supported by an anatomical cuff provides the best combination of comfort and performance.
scribbled at 2:16 pm
.::.
from urban inline at $318!!!
The K2 Kinetic 10.0 is one of the lightest and most ventilated skates on the market.
- ENHANCED STABILITY CUFF - Anatomically designed and contoured to match women's ankle profiles for better balance and support with a rear insert offering the maximum amount of support.
- Closure System - Quick lace plus Exoflo cage, Powerstrap, Buckle
- New ventilated toecap
- POWER frame - An aluminum-titanium alloy frame featuring a lightweight design targeted for fast and powerful skating. This medium length frame is extremely stable at speed.
- ILQ-9 Standard 608 Size Bearings - Are beyond any ABEC rating. These high performance bearings have a better load rating, better durability, better free spin, and lower weight. This bearing is specifically designed for inline skates.
- Wheels - 80mm 82A
- Maximum wheel size - 80mm
Softboot construction - K2's Softboot designs incorporate breathable, comfortable, and flexible materials that fit and function like a second skin while substantially reducing overall weight. A one-piece lasted boot footwear system fastened to the base and supported by an anatomical cuff provides the best combination of comfort and performance.