To the heroines of our lives.

Happy Mommy’s Day!

I had the celebration planned 2 weeks ago. Since my mum has not been to T3, I brought her there for lunch. We had Thai food at Lerk Thai. Food was pretty good and not very pricy. After lunch, we walked around T3 and went to Eu Yan Sang as I wanted to get her bird nest as a gift but she refused. We ended up at Candy Empire where she bought chocolates and biscuits. My mum has a sweet tooth so it was no surprise that she prefers chocolates to bird nest.

Initially we wanted to catch Nim’s Island at 2.45pm so we hurried to Tampines Central. However, my mum changed her mind and we bought tickets for Iron Man instead. We enjoyed the movie which showcased lots of technology and cool gadgets. After the movie, we had prata before heading home.

 

Anger management.

A few days ago, I quarrelled with my mum over a nitty-gritty matter (come to think about it now, I think it’s quite silly). Though it was not a heated argument, both of us were emotionally hurt. My mum felt that I was not being considerate towards her and I felt that my mum did not understand me at all.

Parents always say that their children take them for granted but don’t they sometimes take their kids for granted too? I talked to Jess and Di about it and that was what Di mentioned. Compared to a lot of youngsters nowadays, I consider myself a pretty filial daughter. I will accompany my mum out for shopping or movies and think of what to give her on special occasions. Since young, I don’t cause her much worries over my studies nor work, except for my spendthrift/poor financial management and stubborn character.

I know that my mum nags because she cares, however I get impatient at times and will answer back. That is when she becomes infuriated over my attitude and starts raising her voice. Being strong-headed and equally hot-tempered, I will raise my voice too and then…COLLISION. After cooling down, I will always be the one to apologise (of course since I am the daughter). There is no overnight grudge between family members and we usually ‘patch up’ when I say sorry.

Arguments are bad for health as both parties need to exert strength to quarrel. They can also lead to relationships being severed. I know this but often fail to exercise control over my words and tone and allow an argument to happen. As the saying goes “It takes 2 hands to clap”. I may not be the one to initiate a quarrel but I am certainly the one encouraging it.

“In every dispute between parent and child, both cannot be right, but they may be, and usually are, both wrong. It is this situation which gives family life it peculiar hysterical charm.”
- Isaac Rosenfeld

 

Wanted.

Hooray! Exams are finally over! 1 month break from today.

My cousin’s (or rather, his friend Desmond’s) dog named Bobby. This was taken last December when I went to KL for the year end countdown. Now, Bobby has gone missing. Wandered out of the house and did not know his way home. What a foolish dog. Though I don’t get to see him often, he knows me as a friend for 6-7 years and will always wags his tail to welcome me.

Bobby, I miss you. Come home.

 

Hikki and bleach are growing on me.

How do you define a good music album? To me, it’s simple – so long as the songs are comfortable to my ears and I won’t get tired of listening to them over and again. Recently, I am hooked onto Utada Hikaru’s (fondly known by her fans as Hikki) latest album titled Heart Station. Besides featuring her hit singles such as Heart Station, Flavour of Life and Kiss & Cry, my favourites include Fight the Blues, Prisoner of Love and ぼくはくま(I am a bear). Prisoner of Love, especially, is the opening song for a currently airing Japanese drama “Last Friends”. When I first listened to it, I just thought that the song matches so well with the drama theme. I must agree that Hikki is not only a talented songwriter but also a good singer.

Due to Junsu’s influence (he has been mentioning on Bigeastation), I have started to watch the anime Bleach 3 weeks ago. Everyday, I would try to catch at least 2-3 episodes. I have stopped doing so for this week to concentrate on my exams. Heard that the anime is currently at its 167th episode and not finishing yet. Wonder if I have the patience to complete this series cause I heard there are lots of fillers in between. Nevertheless, it’s a great anime. Don’t ask me how great it is. Go watch it to find out.

Lingfang has also exposed me to another anime series D-Grayman, which is showing on Central every Friday now. Although I am already at the 70th episode, I have no wish to continue it further till the anime is coming to an end. Otherwise, I will have to wait for every week’s new episode release and it is tiring.

Picture credits: Anime Wallpapers & bww2 forum

 

Wishlist #1 getto!

My inaugural post on the new notebook I bought yesterday. Lol.

Although it was mentioned in my previous post that I wish to get a Fujitsu Lifebook, in the end, I changed my mind to buying an Acer Aspire. After my ICM exam (1 down and 1 more to go), I met my mum and together, we went to Funan IT Mall. At the 1st floor atrium, there was an Acer exhibition going on and one of the deals caught my eye. The Acer Aspire 4920-812G25Mn offers the same specifications as the Lifebook but of course, at a lower price, which is brilliant considering my budget.

I did not purchase the notebook immediately but went to other shops to check out more brands and models. It was only after a few comparisons that I finally decided on this notebook. It is not the best yet good enough for my home use.  

 

Learn from mistakes.

Sharing 2 quotes that I stumble upon today.

Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future.–Dale Turner
You must learn from your past mistakes, but not lean on your past successes.–Denis Waitley

Do you find that you are repeating the same mistakes twice sometimes? Well, at least that’s what I feel about myself. Despite being told off the first time, I will still commit the same mistake again. I wonder if it’s because of my obstinate character or my absent-mindedness, I will only learn and remember not to repeat my mistakes after making them a few times.

My new year resolution for this year (sorry I know it’s very late): make an extra effort to be more aware and mindful of my mistakes, learn from them and never repeat them. *Fingers crossed*

 

Ways to eat hitsumabushi.

It’s been ages since I last saw Jayce. To be exact, it’s since TVXQ Malaysia concert last November. Jayce and Suxin have just gotten back from Japan – they went to Osaka for TVXQ’s T concert. Wish I could go too. Click here to read their fan accounts of the entire Japan trip and the 2 concerts they went to.

Together with Shiqi who found this place, we went to Clarke Quay for hitsumabushi(櫃まぶし), which is a variety of unadon(barbecued eel on rice with sweet soy sauce). The 4 of us were so high when we found out about this restaurant that serves the one and only hitsumabushi in Singapore. This dish is a Nagoya specialty. Thanks to my dear Junsu’s publicity, it’s a must for all TVXQ’s fans to try out hitsumabushi. We ordered tebasaki(手羽先) as a side dish. Tebasaki, also a Nagoya-meshi, is actually chicken wings.

   
Picture credits: The WWW

How do you enjoy your hitsumabushi? Basically, there are 3 ways:
1. Take some of the eel & rice, put it in a rice bowl, mix and eat it plain.
2. Add condiments and wasabi to it for the second serving.
3. Pour some hot dashi over the eel & rice, eat it ochazuke-style.

I preferred the 2nd way because I like it with wasabi. Though the hitsumabushi we ate was not authentic (Jayce and Suxin tried it in Nagoya, at the restaurant that Junsu recommended, so they could compare), I felt really satisfied with the meal. I am not an eel person but hitsumabushi was great. Rating: 4.5/5 It’s worth trying and you won’t regret it. I could not remember the restaurant’s name. It’s somewhere on the 2nd or 3rd level of Central, Clarke Quay. It’s priced at $18 for a normal bowl and $27 for a larger portion. In Nagoya, it costs $40!

After dinner, due to Jayce’s unfulfilled appetite, we went to Azabu Sabo for desserts. I had machazen (green tea ice cream with azuki and dumplings) and the rest had ice cream parfaits. Overall, last night’s meal was sumptuous. Oishii demo takai!

 

My wishlist.

My Dell desktop has been with me for nearly 7 years. Though it’s still faithful (after 2 repairs), I am already experiencing 七年之痒. Together with Yvonne, we went to Funan IT Mall last Saturday to check out some ‘good and cheap’ notebooks. Initially, I wanted a pink Sony Vaio. Well, you can’t blame me. The colour and sleek design really appealed to me. However after taking the other considerations into mind, I decided to go for Lenovo Y410. The product specifications were pretty good: operating on Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 Processor, Windows Vista Home Premium, 3GB RAM and 250GB HDD. I only had to top up $229 for additional 2-years onsite warranty.

At least that was what I wanted until I saw the Fujitsu Lifebook A6210. Yvonne and I were immediately attracted to its pearly white conservative look.

 This is the black model.

The specifications are similar to that of Lenovo Y410, except that the screen is 15.4″ wide. I prefer a bigger screen where I can watch videos and type without squirting my eyes. This notebook is definitely the number 1 item on my wishlist.

The Sony Ericsson W890i mobile phone is up next on my list. My Singtel plan is expiring next month and I can’t wait to get this phone. My current handphone has been giving me problems – automatically switches off though it is fully charged and tends to hang sometimes when I am messaging. I have played with the W890i and found it user-friendly and cool!

 Love this colour – mocha brown!

Number 3 will be the Plantidote™ Mega-Mushroom Face Lotion from Origins. I love Origins skin care products cause they are made from organic ingredients and will not damage one’s skin. I am using their facial wash and find it suitable for my combination skin. Although I am recommending their products, they are slightly on the high end for me. The face lotion costs $195 for a 100ml bottle in the airport. Can you imagine the price in a retail counter at the shopping mall? It will certainly cost much more.

 

Anime, manga and games.

Recently, I am hooked to Prince of Tennis(PoT) anime series again. “Again” means that I have watched it once before, about 2 years ago. I am currently catching the ova - national championship on crunchyroll. I read the comics before watching the anime. Heard that the manga is coming to an end soon. Can’t wait. Though the tennis moves tend to be exaggerated, PoT is a cool manga and anime series that should not be missed. P.S. I adore Echizen Ryoma and Fuji Syusuke. Hahaha!!!

Another recommended anime/manga is Fruits Basket. The complete comic set is available but the anime only shows half of the manga. Being a detective story lover(even dreamt of becoming a detective when I was younger), be it Kindaichi no shounen jikenbo, Meitantei Conan or Tantei Gakuen Q, I have read the manga and watched the anime+drama. I have been collecting Meitantei Conan comics since I was 12. There are now 60 of them lying in my book shelf. Sad to say, the mangaka has no intention to finish the series soon. ~Sigh~

As part of my leisure, once in a while, I will play online games. Treasure hunting or action games are my favourite. If I go to the arcade, Time Crisis is my number 1 choice. I am not really an expert but I enjoy this game. My classmate, Wendy, has a PS3 and is planning to buy the Time Crisis game and gun set at the end of the year. I will definitely visit her house often to play. Hope her husband does not mind though. Lol.

 

Backtrack of events.

22 March

Happy 25th Birthday to dear Yvonne!

My wish for you this year: Be confident! Believe in yourself!
Lets meet up soon!

26 March

I finally plucked up my courage to let the dentist operate on my gum. After finishing all my previous medicine, my gum infection has relapsed. Although he injected anaesthetic, I was practically shivering in fear and pain when he cut out my top gum. Bleeding stopped after 2 hours but the uncomfortable sensation did not go away till a few days later. My mouth swelled badly. The medicine and oral aid did not really help to ease the pain. The first 2 days were a torture. I could only eat soft/liquid food and avoid brushing my wound or opening my mouth too wide. Even swallowing of saliva is a chore. I could not imagine going for a wisdom tooth extraction. That would be much worse than this.

30 March

Hooray!!! I submitted all 3 ICM assignments and did a group presentation in class today. That means I am only left with one last GM group project due for submission this coming Friday. To think I managed to endure my toothache and complete the assignments, that’s definitely an achievement. Hehe~