Ah well. All the hoo-haa over "Singapore Idol" show has finally ended. My head wanted taufik to win - he doesn't have constipated shrieking streaks and therefore, will not traumatise the world audience; my heart wanted sylvester to win because frankly, his voice is unique. I mean, if taufik sings and I don't look, I can't really tell if that is HIS voice. But when sylvester sings when I am not watching the tv, I can tell it is his raspy voice at once. Ha, all too often, head always wins the heart.

I am feeling a little irritable right now because my mum kept switching her support from taufik to sylvester, sylvester to taufik, etc.

She would start

"I think Taufik is going to win..."

After one commercial break, she would go

"But sylvester has a lot of fans, so he is going to win."

Another commercial break passed,

"Eh, Taufik has never been unsafe before hor? So I think he is going to win!"

So.. after 1001 commercial breaks, we stopped caring what she thought. As predicted, whoever won, she was like "SEE! I TOLD YOU!" because she had all grounds covered. :rollseyes:

Anyway, another source of my irritability morphed from pure green envy of my brother's friend. Well, I am more of a listener of English songs, but not many knew that I am in fact a closet Jay Chou Fan. Apparently, this lucky girl got to EAT SUPPER and PLAY POOL WITH JAY CHOU! GAWD. I wish it were me and I sulked at some other people's pure fortune. SUCH THINGS DON'T EVER HAPPEN TO ME! ::sulk sulk sulk:: Maybe I am just being pms-y. Gahhh.

Anyway, I didn't go to his concert anyway. So sausagelips was right. So what if I get to go supper at Boon Tong Kee with Jay Chou? If he were to ask,"So are you going to my concert tomorrow?" and I said "No, I didnt buy your concert tix..", he would probably throw his plate of chicken rice in my face. Boo.
Posted at 11:14 PM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 7 beanoes

We were driving along a small road when a black car recklessly zoomed out from a connecting minor road, blatantly ignoring a stop line.

"What the freak lor! So dangerous, this stupid car. Must be some idiotic Ah-beng," I complained to sausagelips who was behind the wheel.

Not being able to overtake in this minor lane, we had no choice but to trail behind the offending vehicle when it suddenly decided it wanted to slow down. The brake lights came on..and then off. On..and then off. As if the driver was very uncertain where he was. Now! This is very irritating to the vehicles behind (that is - us) because we were certain where we were going and his actions were just simply impeding our travel progress. If he wasn't sure of the way at the first place, he should at least be considerate and let "people-who-are-sure-of-their-directions" move along first, instead of accelerating out of a bloody stop line!!!!

The driver continued his sequence of "brake-accelerate" motions as we tailgated, testing our patience as we argued if it were to be a female or male driver.

Finally, it decided to halt at the side of the road. Without switching its hazard light, may I add.

STUPID DRIVER, I thought to myself and prepared to turned my head to glare fiercely at the inconsiderate motorist.

The driver was Li Nanxing!

I gasped and told sausagelips. "Bloody hell! It's Li Nanxing and his driving sucks!!!" sausagelips looked a little star-struck but replied,"So? If he knocked into his car, does that mean you will waive off the accident because he is Li Nanxing?"

So silly, of course not what. Maybe Jay Chou, I will consider. I am NOT interested in Li Nanxing.

Anyway, it had been a loooong day. It was our 5th year anniversary and there were pictures galore. I shall upload them if I ever received them from sausagelips. Seems like I suddenly have a whole list of things to do before I leave for USA next friday. Argh.

Oh look, it is almost 3am. I am supposed to wake up at 630am and rush down to Kallang Stadium to root for my super daddy who will be running the full marathon. 42 kilometers!!! I can't even run one quarter of it. Wait a minute, make that one eighth of it.
Posted at 02:46 AM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | any beans?

All righty! While you lazy bums were sleeping comfortably in your cosy bed this morning, a few thousand people have awokened before the crack of dawn to suffer through a 42-kilometer run.

My dad is one of them!

Fine, fine. I am one lazy bum too because all I had to do is to drive and chase the marathon runners in air-conditioned comfort. But hey, now I am inspired. I must complete a full marathon at least once in my life! *Looks determined*

We tried to catch my Dad at the National Stadium, East Coast Parkway, and finally at the finishing point - Padang.

Now, the sponsors readily prepared brochures advising runners and runinspirators. They even cautioned the do's and don'ts of people who are shouting words of encouragement. For instance, you are not supposed to say "You are almost there!" when they are only at the beginning of the race or like, "Hang in there, you have TEN KILOMETERS MORE TO GO! WOW!". I mean, like DUH. If I were to be running at the race right at the beginning, and someone were to shout to me "YOU ARE ALMOST THERE!" I will give him a slap across his face.

Anyway, my mother obviously did not look at the brochure because when she saw my dad, she shouted," YOU GOT 22 km to go YOU KNOW!"

At East Coast Parkway, we plonked ourselves comfortably with Mister Toto along the trail and watched the runners to spot my dad. Mister Toto, being the handsome dog-hunk he is, attracted a few admiring glances. In fact, I was looking at the trail of marathon runners when I suddenly noticed a tall guy staring at Toto all the time he was running past us.

Hence, I turned to look at him, because I like to smile at people who like Toto. Ha! And guess what! It's JULIAN HEE!

JULIAN HEE HEE HEE. Okie, I know I sound stupid but hey, I think he is better looking that the stupid Toro in that swimming drama on Channel 8. And I know he loves dogs because Sunday Plus featured him with his 3 gorgeous dogs! That explicates why he was looking at Toto because a dog lover like him, must know Mister Toto is so handsome lah. Heh heh. Indulge me, please. sausagelips was considerable irritated by my constant gushing about him. Heh heh.

The final showdown was at the Padang. It was rather dramatic as you see people looking extremely worned, with several of them collapsing in fatigue. Some of them were giving their last burst of energy, and you can't help but just admiringly clapped to their endurance.

When my dad appeared, we hurriedly took photographs, and he always gamely smiled and waved his hands. He completed the 42 kilometer run in 4 hours and 26 minutes. *Low whistles*

Oh well, pictures will be up later.
Posted at 12:13 PM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 4 beanoes

Although the Singapore Marathon was almost a week ago, my dad is still very much harping on it and gets especially excited about the photographs.

Dad: Don't you think I look very muscular in this picture? *points*
Me: Er. (Actually, I don't think so. HA HA!)
Dad: Yah what. I look very muscular right?
Me: Is it? I don't know how to see. (I can't tell a white lie for nuts!)
Dad: Yes yes. I think I look very muscular.
Me: Er okie lor..

But my dad refused to take this for an answer!!

Dad: Don't you think I look very muscular?!
Me: Er yes. Maybe.

Gee! This is very warped. Anyway, when meeting my friends for a sort of dinner just now, my friend commented I don't look very excited going to the States. Yeah, frankly I am dreading the prospect of a 20-hr plane ride more than feeling excited. And there is the presentation to worry about..and then, I will miss my poor Mister Toto! BOO HOO! I will feel thrilled going there if I could *SNAP* apparate right in D.C or New York with a snap of my fingers. HA! PLANE RIDE SUCKS BOO!

Anyway, I will be lugging my lousy laptop over and perhaps if there is Internet Access, I could log on and update.. assuming my fingers will not be frozen stiff.

Be good, people!
Posted at 11:51 PM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 6 beanoes

Howdy! I am finally in Washington D.C. after suffering through a series of exhaustive and draining flights. I have temporarily lost all sensation in my feet. Argh, my dislike for plane rides - economy seats, that is - has further escalated after this torturous experience.

Firstly, I think airlines like to sadistically torture their economy passenger. They first let you enter through the business-class section, where richer passengers have miles of leg space, complimentary vino, personal televisions and other luxuries, making you go "wow!". Then, you walked further and realize that in reality, you are just a poor economy-seated passenger, who deserve minimal amount of leg space because the airlines possibly thought poor people are more flexible, or generally shorter. Bleah.

Anyway, I was cramped into a window-seat during the 3-hour flight to Hong Kong. The seat was so cramped, I couldn't move much with my bag and my laptop. It is difficult to even get to the aisle because I was separated by a Hong Kong guy and a Caucasian woman. Well, but it was just the start and the ride lasted about 3 hours half, so it was pretty bearable.

The testing period was during the 14-hour flight to Chicago, where I was forced to interact with a Hong Kong middle-aged mafia-looking because he was seated between me and my companion. Soon after, he was yakking to me whenever possible, making efforts of me to concentrate on in-flight movies and catching some shut-eye futile. What's even more warped is that the flight seems to be one for adoptive caucasian parents who have just adopted babies from China. Thus, you can hear babies crying, yelling, wailing, etc throughout the 14-hour flight. The leg-space problem was even more significant in this flight because it was a freaking 14 hours!! I think somewhere along the flight, I lost any sensation in my feet. Gahh.

Finally, we cheered and congratulated ourselves for surviving the 14-hour torture flight when we touched down at Chicago. 2 hours to go before our next connecting flight to D.C. You would have thought 2 hours was a reasonable time to get to our next flight, bu NO!! The checks for the security queues were extremely stringent and the queues snaked long and far. The Chicago security and airport staff were very intimidating and were herding the passengers like they were some sort of criminals.

"MOVE ALONG NOW! NO BREAK IN THE LINE! NO BREAK IN THE LINE!" barked a fierce black woman.

As I was queuing, I found something sniffing at my legs. It was a beagle, trained to detect drugs. Obviously, it has smelt traces of Mister Toto on me and was strangely attracted to me. It is a good thing to be attractive to cuddly dogs but not in this case, because the dog is like trained for drugs. Hence, the officer threw me a scrutinzing look as if to decide if I were to be a terrorist or drug trafficker.

To my horor, at the customs, the person who attended to me was the fierce black woman who barked at us. Gawd. The interrogation started:

FW (Fierce Woman): *BARKS* What is your purpose in D.C.?
Me: I am going for a conference.
FW: WHAT SORT OF CONFERENCE?
Me: International Conference of Information Systems
FW: WHERE WILL YOU BE STAYING?
Me: *** Hotel
FW: HOW LONG WILL YOU BE STAYING IN U.S.?
Me: About 2 weeks?
FW: ALL RIGHT! You have a nice complexion. I like it.
Me: ????

I took a double-take because her attitude suddenly changed and she broke into a smile. I mumbled my "thank-yous" and scuttled away.. only to be called back by the mafia-looking Hong Kong guy. Apparently, he was stuck at the customs, having no idea what the custom guy was talking about. The customs officer was like "Do you know him? Do you know him?", which in actual fact, I don't. Anyway, the customs guy was coaxing me to go ahead with my connecting flight but I found my conscence pricked to see the mafia guy stuck there. Thus, I consequently took some time off to translate and manage to persuade the customs to let him through.

Chicago Airport is really huge.. i walked about a kilometer or more to my designated gate. With the lack of sleep in the last 24-hours, the brisk walk was taking a toll on my feet.

At D.C., we had the most expensive and harrowing taxi-experience. The driver was speeding and reading the road-map at the same time! Amazing. His vehicle died like more than 10 times throughout the journey. We were thankful when we finally managed to reach the hotel.

The hotel is great, with microwave, iron, free internet access *WHOOPIE*, hair dryer and even nintendo! Yes, a nintendo. We were so pooped we ordered room service.

There is a channel showing repeated episodes of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Yay. But I was so exhausted, I fell asleep halfway through. Now I am up! and trying to plan my itenary for the day. The free internet access will last until tomorrow when I move to my next hotel.

Till then, here are some pictures. Very limited though, because I was busy walking from one gate to another.





Oh look, this is interesting. I took it in the Chicago airport lavatory. Apparently, before I was using the toilet, I saw a sign that instructed me to replace the plastic covering on the bowl. "Where is the plastic?" I thought. Then I noticed the sign that instructed me to use the sensor. "HOW ON EARTH IS THE PLASTIC GOING TO MORPH OUT FROM THE TOILET BOWL?" I was amazed, so I tried. The plastic scooted out in a ring-like manner from the start of the toilet bowl, and replaced the older ones. So interesting. Ok, at least to me.


Posted at 06:52 PM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 3 beanoes

Hi my dears, I am still in D.C. but have documented my trip with pictures in a Friends Only section. So if you have a tabulas account, tell me! And I will add you as a Friend!
Posted at 07:23 PM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | any beans?

2 days ago, I wrote a long long entry about New York City adventures day 2, and it somehow got eaten. GRRRR! Why-oh-why! All right, just let me do a brief recollection:

Day002 New York City - Prince Street, Broadway, Times Square & Empire State Building
We started the day by purchasing a fun pass at the subway station. However, taking the subway is NOT FUNNY at all. The whole subway system is a complete mess. Not only do you have different colored lines - green, yellow, orange, blue, grey, etc.. you also have different numbers and alphabets for each color. When I look at the New York City subway, I suddenly appreciated the cleanliness and simplicity of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit. One thing interesting about the NYC subways are the vibrancy and spontanenity. When we first entered the train, a guy suddenly stood up and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am sick..I am cold.. I am hungry.. It is Christmas..If you have any change, please spare me some.. God bless you...". It was a little intimidating at first, having people sitting right beside you, breaking into songs, narrating their life stories.. but gradually, we got customized to buskers playing christmas jingles on their instruments (saxophone, organ, etc), breaking into dances, etc. After taking a wrong train somehow, we managed to end up at Prince Street.

Now the shops here are simply a joy to browse during Christmas because the atmosphere is magical. The products are a joy to look at too, though not a joy to buy because their prices are exhorbitant. We visited shops like H & M, Sephora, A|X..just to browse around.

Moving on, we took a subway to Times Square. Emerging from the station, we were greeted by a burst of neon lights decorating the Broadway. We braved the freezing weather to stroll around Times Square, occasionally seeking warmth in several shops. One of the most amazing shops must be the Toys'Rus which is like, HUGE. It is so huge, there is a ferris-wheel within. It must look like a heaven to the children. I was intrigued by this M & M color machine - there were thousands of colors - ranging from turqoise, light purple to black and white, hence I decided to take a bit of each color, consolidating to a grand total of USD10 of M&M's! Almost $16.80. My haul of the day - earrings from H&M, a lip plump from Sephora (because I don't see such things in Singapore), a big bone for Mister Toto and finally another furry coat from Forever 21 because my current one doesn't really keep me warm. Heh.

As night falls, we made our way to the Empire State Building. The view from the 86th storey was simply amazing..you can view the hustle and bustle of the busy city right below, the pretty lights glaring up the night sky. Gosh. Again, as usual, I would use the word 'surreal'. The winter winds were whipping upon our face as we tried to take pictures. Still, I think the sting on our faces are well worth the trouble.

Day 003 New York City - Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Greenwich Village
We awoke bright and early to catch a ferry to view "The Lady Englightening The World". As usual, any places of interest in NYC is subjected to stringent security checks. As the ferry travelled towards the statue, again the scenes were picturesque. Not only of the statue, but of the whole Manhattan skyline. You know how NY Tv dramas like to show the skyline before the drama itself? Now, we are actually looking at the brilliant skyline live! The sky was so blue, and the buildings just sort of shone in the sunline. Gawd, it must be one of the most unforgettable moments in my life.

Turning around, we saw the Statue of Liberty nearing. People started clamouring around the sundeck to photograph the Lady. After disembarkment, we wandered around the island, listened to a ranger narration and appreciated the view of Manhattan from the highest point of the Statue - the top of the pedestal. With the sun warming up my chilly face, the air fresh and crisp, I just felt that life can't get any better.

Next stop - Ellis Island - which used to be the point where immigrants decide their fate in USA. It is more of a history lesson as we browsed through the exhibits. Of course, there were also beautiful ancient architecture coupled with winter plants - a combination that never fails to yield pretty pictures.

We ended our day early after browsing at Greenwich Village. I bought a game called "WHAT THE F*CK!" because I didn't think the strict censorship in Singapore allowed such games. Heh. Oh I bought some novelty products like Hersheys Chocolate Lip Balms for presents. Double Heh.

Day 004 New York City - WTC, Charging Bull, NYSE, Trinity Church, Brooklyn Bridge and East Village
This morning, we fought against the wintery conditions to the World Trade Center Site to witness the destruction. I wish I could say the place had a poignant feel to it, but I couldn't. The mess had all been cleared away and all that remains are neatly stacked pieces of rubble and fences all around. Somehow, it is difficult to imagine the destruction that ever occured.

Anyhow, my aunt badgered me to enter a huge discount shopping store opposite the WTC site. How unapt it is to place such a shop opposite a tragic site! People just moved in and out of the shop, oblivious of the historical tragedy that occured 3 years ago. Hmm. Well, I am guilty too because my shopping haul from the store included a Nine West Bag for my Mum's Chirstmas Present and a pair of Adidas shoes for myself.

Just in case I forgot, the stupid guidebook I had recommended we take the train line N to Cordlandt Street for the WTC site viewing. Cordlandt Street, we never ended up. Somewhere along the line, we got transported to Brooklyn - the suburban area of New York City. It could be a blessing in disguise because the subway emerged from underground to travel on the Manhattan bridge, giving us the most terrific view of the Brooklyn Bridge ever! Yum.

After WTC site, we searched around for the Charging Bull statue at the Wall street. Sadly, the bull looks less "in charge" and more domesticated as tens of kids climbed nonchalantly on him, with supportive parents eagerly taking their photos. A warped China man dressed smartly in suit and tie also attempted to climb on the bull, in a stupid, undignified and hilarious manner, may I add. I felt so sorry for the bull. If the ranger weren't joking, the "Charging Bull" was apparently a work of some guy who threw it in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Ha! Weird. Following a visit to the New York Stock Exchange, we took a train down to the City Hall Park, where we began the trek across the Brooklyn Bridge,

Although the temperature was sub-zero and our breaths frosted as we spoke, the trek was simply unforgettable. I so envy the New Yorkies who are able to view this brilliant structure every other day, being able to run acvross it as part of their exercises. Agh, I am so jealous! Anyway, the experience was surreal - AGAIN. HA, I am getting bored of the word, but I can't think of any other words. Maybe the pictures will do the talking when I upload them soon. Heh.

We ended the day with a stroll around East Village. Nothing much, really. We went back to the hotel for some sushi, miso soup and cup noodles. On the way back, I bought a huge cone of Haagen Daaz Icecream. HA! And it's true, my ice cream didn't melt a single bit on the way back. Isn't it cool! My cleanest ice-cream eating experience ever! :D
Posted at 10:31 AM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 3 beanoes

I had my first-ever experience with snow when I was buying dinner back to the hotel a while ago. I had seen snow sitting on the ground, on mountain tops, but never falling from the sky. Cool! Earlier, it was drizzling so as I emerged from the hotel, I prepared to brave the light showers. However, to my surprise, I felt something stinging my face and looking up, I saw the wind whipping the snow. Hence, in the midst of a shivering crowd who were cursing at the cold, I could have sworn I looked purely delighted. Ha. The christmas atmosphere now feels completed!

I think winters are excellent for romance. You know, in humid and warm conditions in Singapore, sometimes you dread to be in contact with anybody because it kind of just increases the warmth. However, in winter time, you just feel like snuggling up close to someone, hugging, kissing, any sort of human contact..to get cosy. It is so frequent you see couples here stopping on the road just to give each other a kiss, a hug or a noserub. Aw.

Right, more about this morning. We went to the humongous Central Park for a stroll, again, in freezing conditions. It was a place right out of postcards - amazingly breautiful and peaceful. The waters were frozen at the top, horse carriages were clip-clopping nearby, a light mist settled among the canopies and the leaveless trees framed the Uptown Manhattan skyline. Sigh. How pretty. There was a very romantic feel to it as we strolled and watched people ice-skating. We sauntered to the Central Park Carousel where kids were lining up for their turn on the horses. I bought a stick of cotton candy from a pushcart outside and admired the gorgeous surroundings. Ahh. Life.

Anyhow, we continued on in Central Park, through the many NYC doggies, to theBethesda Fountain, towards Belvedere Castle and back to the Strawberry Fields.

Finally, we reached the American Museum of Natural History. Since it was a Sunday, there was a long line waiting for entry. My aunt was hungry and therefore, we decided to give the museum a miss.

We tramped on to a nearby shopping mall for lunch before taking a subway down to the Rockerfellar Center to view the huge Christmas Tree. It was nothing great, really because I frankly think the tree outside the Capitol Building in D.C. was much better. I had no idea why the crowds are steeming around the Tree and the skating rink.. perhaps it is the Sunday effect. Ha.

After shopping at the Rockerfellar Center, we finally headed home towards our hotel in the light drizzle.

I am leeching some sort of Internet right now, which is unfortunately unstable. I can't upload pictures!! GRRR! Will do so when I am home! For those who wants to read and view the photographds of my previous D.C. exploits, you need to have a tabulas account for me to add you as a friend! I'm sorry!
Posted at 10:09 AM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | any beans?

I am just back from an incredible experience, watching 42nd Street on the Broadway. The stage props were brilliant and glamourous, the singing and dancing blew me away and the atmosphere - dazzling. We paid USD108.50 for 2 tickets, and there was already a 50% discount, mind you. What a hefty price to pay for watching a musical that lasted only an hour and a half! I will be so broke when I return to Singapore

Anyway, the weather today is crazy! It was freezing - oh wait, did I say it was freezing? - it was 19 degrees. Not Celsius. Fahrenheit! Gawd. The freezing point is 32 degree Fahrenheit. So it was below freezing point!! As the wind blew, I couldn't even open my eyes against the stinging cold. Snow in the city wasn't pretty because it had turned into brown sort of slush. Bleah.

Late morning, as we made our way to some shops near our hotel, we were greeted by loud blares of sirens. By now, we are quite accustomed to such noises but as we gazed around curiously, there was actually a fire in one of the apartment. The NYPD and firemen here seems strangely busy, as compared to those in Singapore. Ha. Anyway, we escaped to Filene's Basement and DSW where there were rows and rows of shoes. Humongous rows of shoes and bags! Too bad I ain't someone with a fetish for such stuff but you should see the glee in my aunt's eyes. Heh.

We moved on to Times Square once more to get discount tickets for a Broadway show. Initially, I was planning to catch HairSpray or The Producers, but apparently they don't play on Mondays. Bah. It is actually difficult to register what people are pitching to you at the TKTS booth because it was so FREAKING COLD! All the time I was looking at the brochures, my glove-covered fingers were so stung with cold, I swore I could feel them cracking. The queue was pretty long too, meaning we had to spend a FREAKING 10-15 minutes like frozen lollies. It felt like eternity before we finally reached the ticket guy. By the way, like I mentioned, it can get really hot when you are in the shops. So similarly, as we were standing outside the booth, freezing our asses off, it is so weird to see the guy inside the booth dressed in only a t-shirt.

Following, we made our way to Sephora for my aunt to purchase her bulk of cosmetics, I spotted a street vendor selling mixed nuts, similar to the ones I bought at Central Park. Well, these nuts are not cheap, mind you, a packet cost USD3 - about S$5! But I was so freezing cold, all I wanted was a pack of hot nuts. Guess what, the moment I got the pack of nuts, it was FROZEN COLD after like, 30 seconds!! GRRRR! I had to eat cold nuts. Sob. Suddenly, I miss Singapore's warmth so so much.

Shopping here is quite a chore because as you know, it is winter and we are all decked in layers and layers of clothes. Trying a mere t-shirt involves a feat of stripping layers and layers of clothing. Quite a chore for a lazy person like me. Heh.

On other news, I AM CRAVING FOR CHICKEN RICE AND WANTON NOODLES!!! I am so sick of fast food all right! I AM SICK OF FAST FOOD! Bleah. I had Taco Bells for lunch, and McDonald's for dinner. I WANT REAL FOOD! I want to go to Holland Drive, order Zhu Chao - Sweet Sour Pork, Spicy Sting Ray, Chili Kang Kong - Mmm. *Sob* BTW, you can't find any chili sauce here. Sucks! All they seem to have is ketchup and mustard. Their "hot" sauce? NOT HOT AT ALL! BOO!

I miss mister Toto.
Posted at 01:26 PM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 1 beanoes

Yay! I am heading back home tomorrow! Officially, I will be back on Thursday, but I will be losing a day because of the time difference. Boo. Still! Home sweet home!

Today, we were a little sluggish and woke up later than usual. We went to Prince Street again to do some last minute shopping. I bought a Christmas Cookie Decorating Kit and Fondue Set from Crate and Barrel. I also bought a whole bulk of earrings as gifts to friends and cousins from H&M. Heh.

After wandering a while in the cold, we decided to return to the hotel to pack. Ha. My stuff can't freaking fit into my luggage! Bah. So, after squashing and squishing the unfortunate contents, I proceeded to DSW to purchase a pink Adidas Carrier Bag. Argh. Pockets burnt once more!

For dinner, we decided to splurge on a proper Chinese dinner at Chinatown. We had Beef and Spinach Soup, Sweet and Sour Chickeen and Fried rice. Altogether, it cost USD35! Making it a grand total of around S$60! It is not even a posh restaurant! It is a sleazy and steamy place. Sigh.

Anyhoo, I hope to be home soon for Christmas. It's getting tiring!
Seeya folks when I'm home
Posted at 10:17 AM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 3 beanoes

Ho ho ho! I'm back from New York, just in time for Christmas! Or rather, Christmas eve. I left NYC on the morning of 22nd December, travelled into the future (no thanks to the crossing of the International Date Line), lost 2 days just like that, and reached Singapore finally on the dawn of 24th. Right now, I am extremely confused over which day it is, because I remembered leaving on a Wednesday, and suddenly, it's a FREAKING SATURDAY! UGH!

Anyhow, back to happy wishes - Merry Christmas, people!

Still, I am surviving on the NYC body clock because it is 4.15 am right now and I am WIDE AWAKE. Last night, I slept at about 4+ in the morning, right up to about 5 pm in the evening! Incredible! I was supposed to be up and awake in the morning to invite some friends to my house for fondue and games I bought from NYC. Imagine my horror when I woke up and found out it is already 5 pm in the evening, too late for organizing any get-together.

So! I had a sumptuous home-cooked dinner and tried out the fondue thingy I bought from Crate and Barrel with sausagelips. I had some presents too! 2 are still unwrapped in my room, the other is a pretty necklace from sausagelips, and a cute little photo album with pictures included from sandy dear.

Anyway, I am just getting used to the friendly culture in NYC - strangers saying "Bless you!" when I sneeze, strangers saying "How're you doing?" when they catch your eye contact, strangers smiling and greeting "good morning!" etc. When I stepped back into Singapore, again I was reminded by how rude or "reserved" certain customer service officers may be. As I was approaching the customs, I greeted the lady,"Hi, how are you doing?" The lady officer glared at me as if I have gone quite mad to be in such a joyous mood after a 24-hour flight. Wordlessly, she checked my passport and stamped the necessary documents. As I received my passport, I said,"Thanks! Have a merry christmas!" Again, she gave me a i-think-you-are-stupid stare and proceeded to her next (unfortunate) passenger. What a warm welcome home.

Also, in NYC, it is very common to see people wearing silly hats - Santa's hat, Winnie-the-pooh ears, etc, to keep the festive spirit (as well as to keep warm). So, when we went to catch "Meet the Fockers", I wore my Santa Hat out, thinking people will probably be wearing the hat in orchard road or something. However, nobody I saw was wearing a FREAKING SANTA HAT! GAHH. In the end, I coerced sausagelips to wear it instead. HA HA!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN! MAY ALL OF YOU HAVE LOTS OF PRESENTS!
Posted at 04:27 AM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | any beans?

Everyone can be a Santa!

So! This afternoon, I satisfied my craving for turkey and cranberry sauce at a Christmas gathering. Yumsy. I ate and I ate, till I felt like puking. Heh heh. I have had no presents from this Christmas lunch because I am deemed above the age limit of gifts receipts. Sob. Oh, but I did receive a $20 Swensen's voucher. Mm. Anyway, armed with my camera phone, I went around coercing people to wear the Santa's Hat and went trigger-happy. Let's hope next year, I will have more sporting participants.

I took a short after-lunch nap and proceeded to celebrate sausagelip's mum's birthday (What a lot of 's!). Again, we ate..but this time, kimchi ramen and loads of other japanese side dishes. I was kinda suffering because my new adidas shoes were giving me blisters. His brother, on observing my pain, instructed me:

BITE YOUR SHOES LAH

"I beg your pardon?" I said. Then his brother (with his girlfriend's backing, may I add) proceeded to explicate how it is so-very-common for people to bite their shoes, so the shoes know who is the boss, and will not bite back. In fact, he supported his "theory" with his real-life evidence: his hush puppies hurt him on his new day of work. He decided to give it a bite (gross!), and after that fateful bite, the shoes hurt no more.

WHAT A LOAD OF HOARDSHIT!

I looked at him, incredulous. What made me even more incredulous is that sausagelips started persuading me to bite my shoes. NO FREAKING DAMN WAY am I going to bite my freaking shoes. He was like,"Well, no harm trying! I would try it if it works."

UH HUH. I am a very logical person so if you show me proof it will work, like perhaps, the human saliva could soften the shoe material or something, maybe there is a slight chance of me doing that. Otherwise, OVER MY DEAD BODY! NO FREAKING WAY AM I GOING TO BITE MY SHOES. It makes NO SENSE AT ALL! NO SENSE!

At this time, I saw the full moon at the sky and I said,"So, if you believe this myth, what about the full moon myth? I am going to point at the moon now, see if I will get cut at my ear okie?" sausagelips turned very serious and said,"I GOT CUT IN MY EAR LAST TIME FOR POINTING AT THE MOON!"

..

THE MOON IS JUST A FREAKING STONE IN THE UNIVERSE LAH! How the hell can she see you pointing at her!!! UGH! I pointed at the moon for a whole 10 seconds with nary a cut at both my ears.

"The moon may not be full.." he offered as an (stupid) alternative explanation.

Ahh. Okie. Whatever. Go on and bite your shoes. Meanwhile, have a happy boxing day everyone.
Posted at 01:43 AM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 5 beanoes

Last few days have been pretty depressing, ever since the news of the catastrophic tsunamis occurence. In fact, right at this moment, there are predictions of the death toll exceeding 100,000. It just doesn't make sense to see such a large number of lives go to waste. I mean, these people are already living in poverty, in midst of war violence, etc! Give them a break! It's like, when it rains, it pours.

Ah well, sadly, it's times like this where people are suddenly awokened to the importance of their loved ones. At the dining table today, I suddenly felt very thankful that - hey, I might not be rich, but at least, I have my family members all with me, my dog at my feet, enjoying a hot meal. Very cliche, I know.

Anyway, today, my brother had leave from work. Together with him, we escorted our mum for lunch at The Canteen - a restaurant by the Les Amies Group - at the Shaw Center.






The food was pretty good and I could see my mum is happy because of the rare company of my brother. Heh heh.

At night, I treated my parents to a movie - Kungfu Hustle - because it was their wedding anniversary the day before. The show was, well, a little slapstick to me. During some parts, I have no idea why the audience are laughing! Maybe my humour is drying. Nevertheless, my parents seemed to enjoy it - thus, my aim is completed.
Posted at 12:53 AM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 3 beanoes

During rainy and cold nights, there are plenty of stupid insects who like to kamikaze onto my laptop. I mean I have no right to interfere with their decision to commit hari-kiri but just FREAKING DO IT SOMEWHERE ELSE! They just buzzed around and fwoosh! dropped on to my laptop, under my keys! UNDER MY KEYS! How the freak am I supposed to dispose of their puny carcasses? BLAH.

Anyway, the start of last day of 2004. Woo. I do not know how I am going to spend the transition of the years yet. Everybody is like pushing the decision to me, because they all think I am too slack! Hmpf. I am not slacking! I am catching up on the sleep I lost in US.

Sidetracking abit, I don't know what has overcome Mister Toto. He usually responds like a maniac when I call his name. This cold night, he was lying as flat as a doormat on the freezing marble floor when I called out his name.

He remained flat.

"TOTO!" (High-pitched)

Flat.

"TOTO!" (Low-trombone-pitched)

FLAT.

"TOTO!" (Squawky)

FLAT.

TOTO! x 100+ times.... he remained flat except for an occasional furious wagging of tail when I made funny-pitched noises of his name.

Suddenly, someone walked past my house and he was like growling and barking slightly, at that SAME FLAT POSITION.

"WHY ARE YOU SO FLAT TODAY? HUR! WHY I CALL YOU NEVER ANSWER?!" I demanded.

He casted one weary eye at me, as if this mistress of his is being a tad unreasonable, struggled with his paws and made a beeline for....

HIS SNACK CUPBOARD!

Gawd, sorry did I say he was flat? I'll take it back. He's FAT.

Happy New Year Eve, everyone! Enjoy the LAST DAY OF 2004! Once it's gone, it's never coming back!
Posted at 12:47 AM by missjellybeano/">missjellybeano | 2 beanoes