February 3, 2009

  • Chinese New Year Lo Hei & SteamBoat

    Had the pleasure of hosting a group of Sayoni peeps for Lo Hei & Steamboat on Saturday. Was truly fun to see everyone get together and celebrate the new year. So many people turned up that we almost ran out of food at one point! Luckily it was convenient enough to go out and grab somemore food.

    We had prawns, salmon, batang fish, yong tau fu, veggies, mushrooms (lots of it!), tang hoon, corn, beef, pork, all kinds of balls, chicken and even pacific clams & abalone! 


    One of the two steamboat pots we had set up


    The first mini Lo-Hei we did for those who had to leave before dinner


    The second bigger Lo-Hei we did after dinner


    Everyone trying to get a piece of the action!


    The wonderful mess we had after crazily Lo-Hei-ing! Huat Ah!

    All in all, we had 35 people come in and out of the doors, excluding Irene and myself. The steamboat ran from 1 pm until past midnight! Quite an achievement I would say. It was even more people than at the X'mas party and there were quite a few surprise guests. It will be a while until we have the next house party though, so it was good to see everyone coming to have fun.

    This Chinese New Year has been an interesting one and definitely more colourful than the last. Hope this Moo year brings good fortune to us all!

January 29, 2009

  • Post Birthday Celebrations Blog

    This year, my birthday coincided with Chinese New Year, so once the birthday celebrations were done with, it was time for the CNY celebrations to start. That explains why I haven't been able to blog about my awesomest birthday ever. Well, it is never too late right? So here is a recap of what happened for my birthday this year: (Warning! Long Post Ahead!)

    Thursday, 22nd January 2009

    The celebrations this year started with a dinner outing together with my collegues from Aviva. It happens that one of my collegues Irene Peh (Yes, I don't know what is it with all the Irenes in my life) has the same birthday as me. So a group of us girls went for a cozy dinner at Waraku pasta and dessert at Azabu Sabo.

    You can read about the entertaining dinner and dessert on Belle's blog. Her take on it is absolutely hilarious!

    Due to the fact that I work such odd hours, I never get a chance to hangout with the girls from work. This was a good chance for me to find out more about everyone and also to hear all the gossip la... Hahahaha


    Myself, Lynette, Lynn and Irene taking pics while waiting for our pasta...


    The placemat at Waraku Pasta that teaches you how to make a paper peacock using the paper chopsticks case.


    Me trying to fold the peacock and failing miserably


     My Aglio Olio Chicken Speghetti that tasted yummy!


    From left: Grace, Belle, Irene, Lynn, Lynette, Joey and Me at Azabu Sabo


    The Mango dessert I had was very good too!

    After dessert, I headed over to PLAY where I met a bunch of girls for drinks and a bit of dancing. Was pretty hilarious when some girls got picked up while just standing near the bar, while others chatted up girls who were at the next table (Ling, you owe me one for introducing you to hot straight girl). Waited around with Ed while she got her "answer" (which came in the form of a kiss or rather a few kisses) before heading home.

    Friday, 23rd January 2009

    Woke up earlier on Friday morning as I had to go pick up some donuts that I had ordered for my collegues. Was plesantly surprised when I got to the office and was presented with some pressies. 

    Grace, Belle, Lynette & Joey got me a small standing bouquet of flowers, including a huge sunflower in the centre. SQ got me a pair of uber cute dangly earrings. Stella got me sparkly eye-liner and eye-lash enhancer. Even our temp staff Anna made me some handmade roses! So happy! I managed to feed my collegues with 3.5 dozen donuts from Donut Empire before heading off for my own birthday facial treat. The facial was done at aFond Spa. It was a pretty good diamond peel facial where I was so comfortable that I fell asleep and woke up very refreshed.

    As the spa was just across the road from Chinatown, I went to Chinatown to get some goodies for my grandma before heading to Plaza Sing to pick up more stuff and finally, rushed to Bugis to meet my cousins.

    Haven't had a chance to catch up with these cousins in recent times as we've all been fairly busy. We say cousins, although in actual fact, the connection is quite far. Our grandmothers are cousins, so I guess we are like 3rd degree cousins or something. I always like to hangout with them though, its always a bunch of laughs. Was quite happy to sit down and find out what has been happening to them. We had dinner at the Chilli Padi Nonya Buffet which is next to Bugis Junction. The food was pretty good, although it was a different menu from when I went there with Ed 2 weeks ago. Still, everyone ate alot, at least 3-4 helpings each. My cousins were uber sweet and got me a tinny piglet for my birthday. Two of them have the same piglet doll, so we put them together and took a picture.


    From left: Pipi, Luplup & Feifei. Notice how Luplup is a different colour... Less pink, more grey! Why? Because Shirley needs to give her a bath!


    Loong, Shirley, Michelle & Me at J.co where Loong wolfed down another 3 donuts before bringing the rest of the box home.

    Said goodbye to my cousins at around 10 something and headed home where a surprise was awaiting me. Will and Irene dropped by at midnight with my durian cake! It was meant to be a surprise as I was sitting in the living room with my back to the main door, but Bunny gave it away when she looked at the door and smiled. I turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of Irene dodging down the corridor so I yelled at them to come in. The both of them came in smiling and smelling of durians. Will also gave me the long overdue Havanas that he was meant to buy for me in Melbourne last year! Fortunately he didn't forget when he was in Brisbane this time and got me my new Havanas! Finally I have decent beach slippers!


    Me with my durian cake


    Me and my Bunny in our incredibly messy living room.


    Irene & Will, the 2 would be surprisers

    We had durian cake and chatted for a while before Irene and Will headed home. The Bunny gave me my new pretty in pink Canon Ixus 80 IS that I charged in anticipation for use the next day. I had to get to bed early again as there was a long day ahead of me.

    Saturday, 24th January 2009

    Woke up at a decent time and got ready to meet Will for lunch. Will had told me that he was picking me up at 11:40 am, so I got myself ready by 11:30 am. Bunny took a ride from Will, but did not join us for lunch. Funnily enough, even though both Will and Bunny didn't tell me where we were meeting for lunch, I received an sms from Joe in the morning wishing me Happy Birthday and telling me he would be late for lunch, but would still meet us at Plaza Sing. So before we even left the house, I knew we were going to town. Despite Will rushing me, we were still the first to arrive at the restaurant, so it wasn't really a surprise, but was a good lunch with the Prophecy gang. Really so happy to catch up with everyone and hear of their latest escapades.


    First picture taken with my new camera before heading out of the house towards Plaza Singapura.


    Cam-whoring in the car while Will is driving us to Plaza Singapura

    First stop of the day... The Manhatten Fish Market at Plaza Singapura.


    Lunch at Manhattan Fish Market with the Prophecy gang (from left): Joe, Daryl, Shahin, Me, Will, Najib & Kewei

    Before I knew it, Lunch was over and it was time to set off for Part 2 of my Birthday. Will asked me to say bye to everyone before pulling me outside of the restaurant where I found a tiara, sceptre and a floating pig waiting for me. I was then told that I had to wear all that for the day while going on my very own paid for shopping spree. What a great way to celebrate my birthday right? Free Shopping! With Bunny, Cheyenne and Ed in tow, I proceeded to go around Plaza Sing, looking for bargains. Took me over 2 hours, but I managed to get some good stuff :) Didn't find my flats though :(


    Me at the beginning of the shopping spree


    Me and the Bunny bringing my new pet Pork Chops for a walk


    Fighting the crowds while attempting to do my shopping spree...


    The harvest from my shopping spree: hammie houses and clear earrings from Daiso, 2 pairs of jeans, a blouse, Ripples laptop case, cheap Ripples slippers, URS black heels to replace the ones Edna broke and a pretty cute 1 GB thumbdrive that comes on a chain with a heart dangling from it. All for below $150 in total.

    After spending 2 hours shopping, it was time to head to Raffles City where Part 3 of the birthday surprise awaited me. We arrived there to find that Elita had arranged for another hat for me. This time in the form of a birthday cake. We proceeded to a nail salon where I had my pedicure done . The manicurist had to test paint my toe nails 3 different colours before I settled on 1 colour. It was still early after the pedicure, so I got talked into going on the Gmax reverse bungy ride with Elita and Rafel.

    We walked to Clarke Quay where we bought tickets at student prices (Don't ask me how... Elita and Rafel managed to convince the guy I was a student too) And when the guy found out it was my birthday, he said he would give us a very special ride. He started the joke by only strapping me into the seat halfway and starting the machine. I was half convinced he was gonna let us fly with me barely strapped in my seat, but he laughed and strapped me in after a while.

    He started the machine and asked us to sing a birthday song. Halfway through the song, he launched the ride. And that was when I heard Rafel start laughing. After the initial spinning, the capsule settled down and it became somewhat of a rocking chair. I had to close my eyes when we were spinning as I felt like I was going to puke, but once that spinning stopped, I was fine.

    The ride lasted for under 5 mins and the conversation we had during those 5 minutes was hilarious! The worst part about it was we had no idea anyone could hear us, so we were laughing, screaming and saying stupid things, utterly unaware that everyone below was watching a live feed and could not only see us, but could hear us as well!!! The funniest parts of the ride: Rafel's laughing throughout the entire ride and Elita's declaration while we were at the very peak: "I'm scared of heights".

    When we finally got off the ride, I stood there in horror as I realised that the entire process had been streamed live to everyone on the ground and it was now bring played on loop. We went and bought a copy of the DVD so they would stop playing it... I'll try to load the video one of these days.


    My new hat that got alot of compliments. Someone even said I looked like Santa Claus (am I that fat?)


    Rafel who also got her nails done


    Elita looking bored while waiting for me at the Nail Salon


    The nice girl painting my toe nails. She kept smiling at Pork Chops.


    Waiting for my pedicure to dry


    The final product of the pedicure... pretty toe nails to match the new blouse I bought for Chinese New Year


    Little kid at the basement of Raffles City who was fascinated by Pork Chops, yet refused to go near him. When he finally did, it was to give Pork Chops a slap. Poor Pork Chops was really abused by the children that day.


    On the way to take the reverse bungy Gmax ride


    Us before the ride... pictures after the ride are too embaressing to show :P

    Once we had relaxed after the ride, it was time to head for dinner. Although I for one, was not really hungry after being thrown around in the air, but we still had to eat right? We headed for dinner at Ichiban Boshi where Bunny had said around 8 to 12 people were waiting for us. Turns out it was more like 18-20 people. The restaurant had to join a series of tables for us to create a long table at the corridor. We had 24 people for dinner and OMG, I'm sure the waitress was totally harassed by us. People kept coming, so we kept ordering and then asking her for stuff etc. When it was time to bring out the cake, she was again the one harassed to take a few pictures for us. She must have sighed a huge breath of relief when we asked for the bill. Then it was the cashier's turn to panic. We went up to pay for our food separately and I am sure she thought she had never entertained such a noisy and troublesome crowd before!

    The girls at dinner from left: Alina, Yan, Cheyenne, Manqin, Aiischa, Lui, Crystal, Irene, Elita, Me, Halima, Raqvind, Rafel, LSQ, Indu, Jac, Shah, Neshah, Ed, Elinn, Chris, Sophiaaaaa and Bad. Xintian left early as she had to go home for dinner.


    Bunny and me with the yummilicious and gorgeous cake.


    The beautiful customised cake that Bunny ordered for me.


    The group of us walking to Timbre from Suntec City.

    After leaving Suntec City, we started our trek to get to Timbre at the Arts House. As usual, we took our own sweet time getting there, resulting in people who already arrived there calling us an asking how long more we were going to be. Timbre wanted to give away some of our tables! Anyhow we managed to rush there in time to find Jean, Jin and Gerald already starting on the drinks.

    The night zoomed past as more people came and left. Was very happy to see Kelly, Michelle, Marz, Lin, Anj and Kai who all came by to wish me happy birthday. It was quite coincidental to bump into Sylvia from Fridae who was there having drinks with her friends. She was surprised to see such a huge group of dykes descending on Timbre and laughed when she came over and found out that everyone was from Sayoni.

    Some time later, Rafel came back bearing the convection oven that she had bought me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw she had carried the huge box all by herself. Fortunately, Ed and Gerald helped me carry it into Timbre where we set it down next to our tables.

    After a few more drinks and some Sex On The Beach shots, people started heading home and soon it was time for us to go as well. Once past midnight, we struggled out of Timbre and found a cab waiting to send us home. With the oven and some of the pressies in the boot, we waved bye to Elita and Rafel and headed home.


    We had so many people at Timbre, the 2 long tables we had wasn't even enough!


    Myself, Jin, Jean and Anj who joined us at Timbre for drinks.


    Jin bought me my first drink of the night, a Lychee Martini! Cheers Jin!


    Was really happy to see Kelly and Michelle turn up despite their very busy schedules. Thank you!

    Flowers I received for my birthday this year. The bouquet of roses from Lui, the sunflower from my collegues and the big table bouquet from everyone who contributed to Indu's Birthday Present Collection Fund.


    The best gift ever... a collection tin of notes where everyone had written a message. I am very touched by everyone's message and appreciate the time and effort put into this. Thank you to Aiischa, Alina, Anj, Badriah, Cheyenne, Chris, Crystal, Elinn, Elita, Gerald, Halima, Indu, Jac, Jean, Jin, Kai, Kelly, Lin, LSQ, Lui, Marz, Michelle, MQ, Neshah, Rafel, Raq, Shah, Sophiaaaa, Xintian and Yan for adding to my wonderful birthday memories.


    All the pressies I got this year.
    Thank you to Rafel for the oven... yes, we shall be baking some things soon, maybe the receipe that whats-her-name posted on the forum?
    Lui, thank you for the flowers, very beautiful roses.

    Thanks to Jin and Jean for the Storm Sack, will definitely come in handy on those bike trips.
    Aiischa and Crystal, thank you for the diary.
    Xintian, thank you for coming down, even though you weren't having dinner and also thanks for the oranges! First oranges of the New Year!
    Vonny, thanks for the vouchers, too bad you couldn't make it on the day, but was good to see you during CNY.
    And finally, many thanks to Anj, Alina, Badriah, Cheyenne, Chris, Edna, Elinn, Gerald, Halima, Indu, Jac, Jessica, Jin,
    Jolene, Kai'en, Kelly, Lisa, MQ, Neshah, Shah and Sophiaaaaa who contributed to the beautiful flowers that are sitting on my living room table now, the 1 TB hard drive and the shopping vouchers!

    Sunday, 25th January 2009

    The day began with me feeling uber tired from so little sleep the night before. However, the show has to go on. I had to get to my auntie's place before noon because we were having reunion lunch instead of dinner as my cousin had to work that evening. So I went with my Bunny to have a quick reunion lunch at Holland Village before heading to Bishan to meet my sis Emily and my Godson Jayden. For the first time in his 15 month old life, Jayden was uber good that day. He was in a good mood, so he agreed to be play with me. Managed to get sooooo many good shots of him, in such a short time. Really made my day :)


    First time we managed to capture a photo of Jayden and me while we are both smiling and looking at the camera


    Finally a decent picture of the 3 of us


    "I show you my tooth by pressing my mouth against the glass ok?" grins Jayden


    "Hi Godma, doesn't your bag look good on me?" asks Jayden


    "Hahaha, you can't catch me Godma" laughs Jayden


    "This bag looks good on me!" says Jayden while he sashays around the library


    Jayden says "Godma's bag is not enough, so I'll just take Godma's present along with me"


    Jayden abandons the loot and heads for the books instead... Just like Godma!


    So what is the pressie?


    Pretty box


    Guess what it is?


    A pretty new bag! Yay!

    All in all, I had a great, fantabulous, wonderful and awesome birthday! Thank you to everyone who gave me well wishes or made the time to meet me, have lunch, come to dinner, drop by for drinks. Special thanks to my Bunny who arranged everything so that for once, I didn't have to decide what I wanted to do for my birthday (Although that didn't stop EVERYONE from calling me and asking me what I was doing/when we were meeting/what I wanted for my birthday). It was all taken care of :)

    It was a fantastic 4 days and now all I have to do is look forward to the big 3-0!

January 24, 2009

  • I Had The Awesomest Birthday Ever!

    I had the best time ever! Will blog more about what happened and also upload photos later on... but just a note to everyone who contributed in any way or fashion in making this birthday so wonderful... A big Thank You!

    Completed Wish List:
    1. Good Health - With the condition that my health has been in, I really hope that I find a cure for it. I really want to go back to enjoying life and not having my health interfere with the things I want to do.
    2. A convection & grill oven - I've been thinking about getting one for a while, so that I can bake cakes, cookies, muffins and also roast chicken, beef and make baked rice, lasagne and shepherd's pie. Something that is temperature controlled, can go up to at least 250 degrees celcius and sized above 35L so it can fit a good sized cake. After doing some research, seems like this Morries brand is cheap and good for basics.***My gym buddy has informed me that she's going to get this so I can surprise her with something I baked!
    3. Time with my friends - Meetups with my wonderful friends. 1 on 1 if possible, just to catchup and spend some quality time together. It could be some activity or just a simple meal. So if you could just make a date with me, whether it is lunch, dinner, tea, supper or even breakfast, I would be happy :) ***Managed to do some of this today... and arranged for some others over the next month :)
    4. Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS in pink - Because my camera has developed a liking for inserting fine red lines in every picture I take and decided that I no longer need the video or manual photo mode. Basically, it has served me for 5 years (a lifetime in digicam terms) and wants to retire, so it needs a sucessor. ***My bunny is getting this for me :)
    5. Photos - Ever since my camera has been acting wonky, I've not been able to do as much cam-whoring in the past year and somehow missed capturing some key moments. I am trying to get into the habit of doing a digital scrapbook for every year. If anyone has digital photos they can share with me, it would be greatly appreciated.
    6. Shopping vouchers - They can be for anywhere. Isetan, Takashimaya, Tangs (I refused to shop there after finding out about their FOTF connections), Charles and Keith, Top Shop, Borders, Kinokuniya, Times etc. With the economy getting so tough, I have to save my cash for other things, so vouchers will let me continue to enjoy shopping without breaking the bank ***Got some great vouchers from the same friends who chipped into the collection tin!
    7. Be my Pen pal - Be it via email or snail mail, I miss having a pen pal. I miss the excitement of opening an envelope and reading handwriting. I miss the excitement of seeing a "New Email" message and realising that there is something interesting that a friend is about to reveal to me. I also miss writing back to my friends in an effort to tell them what's happening in my life, however mundane and boring it is. So write me... I'll truly appreciate it. ***Had a very nice tin of messages from my friends today :)
    8. 1 TB External Hard Drive - After hearing about the few HD crash disasters last year, I'm thinking that I really need to backup my data more often. Seeing as how I am already maxing out my hard drive at 160 GB and the 2 portable drives (that total over 250 GB) are also being rapidly filled up, only a 1 TB can do the job.***Understand from Indu that she's organising a collection tin for this... Thanks guys!
    9. Introduce a friend to Sayoni - All it takes is bringing a friend to a gathering, official or otherwise. I am really hoping that we can help build Sayoni into a bigger and better community this year so this is one gift everyone can give.
    10. Cash - As with last year, I'm still feeling broke and the recession issn't helping. So kind donations in any amount to the "Make Liv Feel Less Broke Fund" is very welcome :) ***Had a personal ATM today! Yay! Me so lucky!

January 12, 2009

  • Another MEME - Guilty or Not

    Got this off my cousin's note on Facebook

    Start with 100% and subtract 1% for everything that you've done. Then repost as your __% innocent.

    [ ]01. Smoked
    [ ]02. Drank alcohol
    [ ]03. Cried when someone died.
    [ ]04. Been drunk.
    [ ]05. Had sex.
    [ ]06. Been to a concert.
    [ ]07. Gotten/given a hand job.
    [ ]08. Given a blowjob/gotten a blowjob.
    [ ]09. Been verbally/sexually harassed.
    [ ]10. Verbally sexually harassed somebody.
    [ ]11. Felt someone up and/or been felt up.
    [ ]12. Laughed so hard something came out of your nose .
    [ ]13. Cheated on a boyfriend/girlfriend before.
    [ ]14. Been cheated on by a boyfriend/girlfriend.
    [ ]15. Been to prom.
    [ ]16. Cried at school.
    [ ]17. Gotten lost in a Wal-Mart or a department store.
    [ ]18. Went streaking.
    [ ]19. Given or received a lap dance.
    [ ]20. Had someone of the opposite sex in your room.

    PERCENTAGE SO FAR: 81%

    [ ]21. Had someone of the opposite sex sleep over.
    [ ]22. Slept over at someone of the opposite sex's house.
    [ ]23. Kissed a stranger.
    [ ]24. Hugged a stranger.
    [ ]25. Went scuba diving.
    [ ]26. Driven a car.
    [ ]27. Gotten an x-ray.
    [ ]28. Hit by a car.
    [ ]29. Had a party.
    [ ]30. Done drugs.

    PERCENTAGE SO FAR: 74%

    [ ]31. Played strip poker/darts/pool.
    [ ]32. Got paid to strip for someone.
    [ ]33. Run away from home.
    [ ]34. Broken a bone.
    [ ]35. Eaten sushi.
    [ ]36. Bought porn.
    [ ]37. Watched porn.
    [ ]38. Made porn.
    [ ]39. Made beans.
    [ ]40. Been in love.

    PERCENTAGE SO FAR: 68%

    [ ]41. French kissed.
    [ ]42. Laughed so hard you cried.
    [ ]43. Cried yourself to sleep.
    [ ]44. Laughed yourself to sleep.
    [ ]45. Stabbed yourself. <---pencil
    [ ]46. Shot a gun.
    [ ]47. Trash talked someone and then acted like their best friend the next day.
    [ ]48. Been online for 9 consecutive hours.
    [ ]49. Watched TV for 9 consecutive hours.
    [ ]50. Watched an animal die.

    PERCENTAGE SO FAR: 61%

    [ ]51. Watched a person die.
    [ ]52. Kissed somewhere with at least 1 person present.
    [ ]53. Pranked somebody.
    [ ]54. Put somebody in the hospital.
    [ ]55. Snuck into someone's room and/or your own room after being out.
    [ ]56. Made spicy beans.
    [ ]57. Dressed punk.
    [ ]58. Dressed Goth.
    [ ]59. Dressed preppy .
    [ ]60. Been to a motocross race.

    PERCENTAGE SO FAR: 55%

    [ ]61. Avoided somebody.
    [ ]62. Been stalked.
    [ ]63. Stalked someone.
    [ ]64. Met celebrity.
    [ ]65. Played an instrument.
    [ ]66. Ridden a horse.
    [ ]67. Cut yourself.
    [ ]68. Bungee jumped.
    [ ]69. Ding dong ditched somebody.
    [ ]70. Been to a wild party.

    PERCENTAGE SO FAR:47%

    [ ]71. Been caught stealing something.
    [ ]72. Kicked/punched a guy in the balls.
    [ ]73. Stolen a boyfriend/girlfriend from a friend.
    [ ]74. Gone out with your friend's crush.
    [ ]75. Got arrested.
    [ ]76. Been pregnant.
    [ ]77. Babysat.
    [ ]78. Been to another country.
    [ ]79. Started your house on fire.
    [ ]80. Had an encounter with a ghost.

    PERCENTAGE SO FAR: 43%

    [ ]81. Donated your hair to cancer patients.
    [ ]82. Been asked out by someone that you never thought you'd be asked out by.
    [ ]83. Cried over a member of the opposite sex.
    [ ]84. Had a boyfriend/girlfriend for over 2 months.
    [ ]85. Sat on your butt all day.
    [ ]86. Ate a whole carton of ice cream all by yourself.
    [ ]87. Had a job.
    [ ]88. Gotten cut from a sports team.
    [ ]89. Been called a whore.
    [ ]90. Danced like a whore .

    PERCENTAGE SO FAR: 35%

    [ ]91. Been mistaken for a celebrity.
    [ ]92. Been in a car accident.
    [ ]93. Been told you have beautiful eyes.
    [ ]94. Been told you have beautiful hair.
    [ ]95. Raped somebody.
    [ ]96. Danced in the rain.
    [ ]97. Been rejected.
    [ ]98. Left a restaurant without paying.
    [ ]99. Punched someone/slapped someone in the face.
    [ ]100. Been raped.

    TOTAL: 28%

    Fill in the blanks for yourself... There are reasons why I didn't put in the crosses in each box... but yeah, figure it out (this reminds of that stupid game - I have never)

January 8, 2009

  • Why 21st Birthdays should be a special affair and how I can't believe I'm turning 29 soon.

    I've had the pleasure of organising two rather special 21st birthday celebrations recently.

    The first was for Indu which was a truly mad and elaborately planned affair that started with us kidnapping the birthday girl, pushing her into a van, driving around Singapore while making fun of her, making her pole dance around a tree while blindfolded, playing Blind Girl's Bluff (where she didn't catch any of us) and finally having the party proper in McDonald's, complete with cartoonish voiced party host, McDonald's party hats, musical chairs to the tunes of The High School Musical and Happy Meal gifts for all the guests...

    The other party that was for Elita happened last night. We basically surprised her at PLAY with 2 trays of cupcakes, a rainbow balloon that told everyone she was twenty-one and a crazy wig that we made her wear for the night. After a loud rendition of Happy Birthday, she had to go around offering random strangers in the club the birthday cupcakes and we made the nice people sing her a birthday song whenever they took a cupcake. TwoQueens also joined in the act, bringing her up on stage and making EVERYONE at the club sing the birthday song. Later in the night, Elita downed a waterfall and the nice people at TwoQueens gave her a jug of beer. She was suitably buzzed and even managed to skip school today. I feel satisfied to have helped her ring in adulthood in such a grand style.


    The 2 trays of cupcakes we made her bring around the club. Don't ask me why they are on egg trays. It was a perfect solution for us.

    I've always thought that 21st birthdays are a landmark event. It is the classic coming of age birthday that everyone should celebrate. My own 21st birthday was kinda sad and maybe its because of that, I somehow project what I wish it had been like on my friends' parties. The amount of 21st birthdays I've helped plan is amazing and I can't even remember how many of those were surprises.

    All these birthdays have of course reminded me that my own birthday is swinging around soon. Many people have been coming to me and asking what I want for my birthday or what I want to do for my birthday. Honestly? I have no idea. It is my last birthday that starts with the number 2 and somehow that makes me feel like I should totally boogie it down. Yet people are saying 30s is the new 20s anyway, so maybe its no big deal?

    Was discussing with my gf on what to do. I told her I didn't want some elaborate scheme like last year. A nice simple dinner with friends and maybe go to some place with drinks would be good. Initially was thinking of doing steamboat or pot luck at our place, but thinking abt the logistics so close to Chinese New Year is a nightmare in itself. So the current plan is to find a restaurant, sit down, have dinner and maybe proceed for a KTV/drinks session after. I think I simply want to let my hair down and party that night.

    As for a wishlist, after my crazy wishlist last year, I find myself taking a long time to make a list this year. With the current economic slowdown, the things I am wishing for really makes me feel bad, simply because they are mega huge big ticket items that would require either a) alot of people to share or b) very generous friends. However, just to give people a general idea of what they can get me, this is my wishlist for this year:

    1. Good Health - With the condition that my health has been in, I really hope that I find a cure for it. I really want to go back to enjoying life and not having my health interfere with the things I want to do.
    2. A convection & grill oven - I've been thinking about getting one for a while, so that I can bake cakes, cookies, muffins and also roast chicken, beef and make baked rice, lasagne and shepherd's pie. Something that is temperature controlled, can go up to at least 250 degrees celcius and sized above 35L so it can fit a good sized cake. After doing some research, seems like this Morries brand is cheap and good for basics.
    3. Time with my friends - Meetups with my wonderful friends. 1 on 1 if possible, just to catchup and spend some quality time together. It could be some activity or just a simple meal. So if you could just make a date with me, whether it is lunch, dinner, tea, supper or even breakfast, I would be happy :)
    4. Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS in pink - Because my camera has developed a liking for inserting fine red lines in every picture I take and decided that I no longer need the video or manual photo mode. Basically, it has served me for 5 years (a lifetime in digicam terms) and wants to retire, so it needs a sucessor.
    5. Photos - Ever since my camera has been acting wonky, I've not been able to do as much cam-whoring in the past year and somehow missed capturing some key moments. I am trying to get into the habit of doing a digital scrapbook for every year. If anyone has digital photos they can share with me, it would be greatly appreciated.
    6. Shopping vouchers - They can be for anywhere. Isetan, Takashimaya, Tangs (I refused to shop there after finding out about their FOTF connections), Charles and Keith, Top Shop, Borders, Kinokuniya, Times etc. With the economy getting so tough, I have to save my cash for other things, so vouchers will let me continue to enjoy shopping without breaking the bank
    7. Be my Pen pal - Be it via email or snail mail, I miss having a pen pal. I miss the excitement of opening an envelope and reading handwriting. I miss the excitement of seeing a "New Email" message and realising that there is something interesting that a friend is about to reveal to me. I also miss writing back to my friends in an effort to tell them what's happening in my life, however mundane and boring it is. So write me... I'll truly appreciate it.
    8. 1 TB External Hard Drive - After hearing about the few HD crash disasters last year, I'm thinking that I really need to backup my data more often. Seeing as how I am already maxing out my hard drive at 160 GB and the 2 portable drives (that total over 250 GB) are also being rapidly filled up, only a 1 TB can do the job.
    9. Introduce a friend to Sayoni - All it takes is bringing a friend to a gathering, official or otherwise. I am really hoping that we can help build Sayoni into a bigger and better community this year so this is one gift everyone can give.
    10. Cash - As with last year, I'm still feeling broke and the recession issn't helping. So kind donations in any amount to the "Make Liv Feel Less Broke Fund" is very welcome :)

    2 weeks more to my birthday, yet somehow this year seems less depressing than in the past. Maybe because I am so happy with my life right now that getting older doesn't get me down anymore. I'm actually looking forward to my birthday this year. Can't wait to P-A-R-T-Y!

January 2, 2009

  • 爱是一种幸福

    I have often thought that it was unfair to my gf that she came along so much later in my life. I had devoted so much time and energy in my past relationships that I seem to have so much less to give her. I was definitely jaded in regards to love. I simply didn't believe in it anymore. After everything I have done and given in the past, it all came down to nothing. But she believed in love and she made me start to see it again. Through her words, her actions, her incredible faith in this non-tangible illusion, bit by bit, she chipped away at the icicles that had frozen me.

    Today, she made me mee sua and two eggs for my lunar birthday. Something I don't remember having in the past few years, not even when I was still living with family. I have ignored my lunar birthday for a long time, because it simply didn't register anymore. She remembered and we shared this bowl of mee sua for dinner today. Hard boiled eggs never tasted better. For those who know me and my attitude towards egg yolks, you will understand what I mean.

    At this point in time, I am so aware of how much I want this to work. Even though I may not do what I have done in the past, I am still inclined to make romantic gestures from time to time. There are no extravagant gifts or time-consuming efforts. Instead, there are well thought out presents and loving actions. The way I love and care for her is so different from what I have done in my past relationships.

    A love that does not obsess, but seeks to understand.
    A love that does not spoil, but strives to care.
    A love that is practical, but still romantic.
    A love that does not possess, but instead supports.
    A love that holds hands and gives gentle kisses, but also provides frenzied and orgasmic love-making.

    I am determined to make this work. Despite my past failures, I have finally found someone who loves me as much as I love her. Someone who has given me so much and who allows me to support her even as she supports me.

    找到你就像找到新的生活一样。
    谢谢你让我再次相信爱情。
    希望我们能够继续保持这个特别的爱。
    胡爱妮,我爱你。

January 1, 2009

  • A Couple MEME

    Because I'm on a MEME phase...

    1. How long have you been together?

    328 days and counting.

    2. Who pursued who?

    I think its fair to say it was a mutual attraction although I still think I was conned into sleeping with her the first time.

    3. Do you wear any type of wedding/commitment ring? If so, which hand?

    She bought us couple rings for our 4th month anniversary. She wears hers on her left hand, middle finger. I wear mine on my necklace most days and on the same hand, either middle finger or thumb on other days, depending on my mood/dressing.

    4. What was the hardest thing about learning to live together?

    I'm anal about tidyness to the point of being OCD and yet she's just generally slack about it. We compromise by having a cleaning lady come in once a week to tidy up the house, wash the toilets, mop the floor and do the ironing.

    5. Who takes longer to get ready in the morning?

    It depends on where we are going and how I am feeling in the morning. Generally if I'm feeling slack about it, I can be up and out of the house in 15 mins flat. But if I need to dress up and stuff, it could take as long as 2 hours. She normally takes about half hour to get ready and leave the house, although some days she wastes so much time in front of the computer, she ends up being late.

    6. Do you usually eat breakfast together?

    We used to, but now I just don't get up early enough and we're both lazy. We still do so on days when we don't work though. Hurray for weekends and holidays!

    7. Do you ever share clothes?

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *cough*
    I won't be caught dead in her clothes, even though I bought most of them. Doesn't help that I've put on some weight, so it wouldn't fit anyway... She, on the other hand, now has access to my clothes that has multiplied her wardrobe by 10 times. I love dressing her up though. It's so fun, like I have a life sized Barbie doll :)

    8. Who does most of the cooking?

    I love cooking and I get home earlier anyway, so I cook most of the time. But she does cook sometimes, especially when I'm sick or just plain lazy.

    9. Who usually takes out the trash?

    She does.

    10. If you have pets who usually does litter box or poop patrol?

    The hammies are mine, so I do the feeding, cleaning and messing around with their cages.

    11. Which one of you is more likely to answer the phone when it rings?

    We only just got a home phone line and so far it seems like I'm the only one who answers it.

    12. Who's in charge of the remote if you're watching TV together?

    That would be me. I like channel surfing and she's normally just keeping me company on the couch.

    13. Who usually drives when you go out together?

    I do cos she doesn't have her driver's license yet.

    14. Which one of you takes care of spiders and bugs that get into the house?

    She does. I would if I have to, but since she issn't normally as grossed out as I am, she does it.

    15. Facing the bed, who sleeps on which side?

    Facing the foot of the bed: She sleeps on the left side, which is inside and I sleep on the right side which is outside. Mainly because I need to get up and pee so much in the middle of the night.

    16. Who usually checks the (postal) mailbox?

    It used to be me, but lately she's taken to doing it.

    17. If something breaks or goes wrong in the house, which one of you is more likely to either fix it or call someone to fix it?

    Since its technically my place, I'm usually the one to complain about something that needs fixing and she normally volunteers to try to get it fixed. But for certain things, I'm the one who will call for the repairman, especially those whom I have called before.

    18. Who is generally the neater of you?

    I think its me. I have a natural compulsion to see things being put in their rightful places, although I do go through untidy phases of that as well.

    19. Who handles the checkbook/pays the bills?

    She pays for some, I pay for the others. Right now its like I pay for electricity and some other house stuff like the cleaning lady, she pays for internet, cable TV and the groceries. We haven't really worked out a real system yet, although I suppose we'll get around to doing it at some point.

    20. What was your last fight/disagreement about?

    I don't remember. The thing about being with her is that I only seem to remember the happy times clearly and the fights/arguments don't seem to register fully. Also, she tends to let me have my way alot, so we seldom end up fighting. I'm sure she has a different view of this though.

    21. When you slow dance together, who leads?

    I think we just kinda hug each other and dance together, neither of us really leading.

    22. What do you love the most about your other half?

    The fact that she has restored my faith in love and made me truly believe that life can be worth living afterall :)

  • Good Bye 2008, Hello 2009!

    2008 was a year where:

    - I rediscovered my true self
    - I entered a relationship which has become something more precious than I ever thought possible and it brings me more happiness each and every day
    - I developed a more meaningful relationship with my Dad
    - I discovered and connected with more of my family
    - I made alot of new friends who have become an essential part of my life (Hello Sayonians!)
    - I reconnected with friends whom I had lost contact with and strengthened my friendship with others
    - I made an important career choice which has given me new focus in life
    - I rejoined the gym and ran 10km in the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon
    - I understood the importance of good health
    - I started taking Japanese lessons

    In 2009, I hope that:

    - I gain more understanding into who I am and continue to develop and grow
    - I am able to give more in my relationship, be more understanding, loving and caring for my girlfriend and enable our relationship to progress to a higher level
    - I will continue to bridge the gaps within my family and achieve a closer relationship with everyone
    - I will maintain and cultivate the friendships that have come to mean so much to me over the years
    - I am able to persevere and devote my time and energy into making The Plum Project a success
    - I find a solution to my health problems and can return to my healthy lifestyle plan including running the half marathon in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon
    - I help in building at least 1 successful Sayoni event that will become a landmark in Singapore lesbian history
    - I will be able to collaborate successfully with my girlfriend in writing the first ever Chinese Lesbian Play in Singapore
    - I manage to save some money and make some useful investments
    - I progress reasonably in my Japanese language quest

    As cliche as this seems, I think this new year is truly one that will give me even more new things to look forward to. In that past year, I found the meaning of life to be more than I had ever imagined and I can only hope that this coming year brings me even more good things.

    To bigger and better success in 2009!

December 29, 2008

  • Character Strengths - VIA Survey

    Saw a link to assess character strengths at Via Survey

    Did the test and came up with this:

    Your Top Character Strength

    Capacity to love and be loved
    You value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.

    Your Second Character Strength

    Social intelligence
    You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.

    Your Third Character Strength

    Bravery and valor
    You are a courageous person who does not shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain. You speak up for what is right even if there is opposition. You act on your convictions.

    Your Fourth Character Strength

    Leadership
    You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.

    Your Fifth Character Strength

    Curiosity and interest in the world
    You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.

    True or no?

December 26, 2008

  • Christmas 2008

    So we were planning to have a X'mas party before I got hospitalised over the weekend. I had sent out facebook invitations and quite a few people had RSVPed. On top of that, Irene had ordered a 4.5 kg butterball turkey with another 2 kg ham and 1 kg roast beef. So we couldn't really cancel the party... That meant we had to organise our friends who had RSVPed to get their Secret Santa presents and also go get gifts for each of them. Although I had just gotten discharged on Sunday, I was determined to make sure we went with the plan and got everything that we had decided upon previously.

    After a mad Monday where we did 7 hours worth of shopping, we got home with these things:


    I'm sure some of you can recognise the gifts.

    It was quite hard for us as I was still feeling so exhuasted, yet I really wanted to get the shopping done and out of the way. It was also important that we bought suitable gifts for all our guests, even the ones who said they "maybe attending". At some points while we were shopping, we had to stop and take breaks so I could rest and gather strength again. It didn't help that bloody Plaza Sing was filled with people who were also attempting to get their shopping done. I was glad when it was all over and we were home sweet home.

    Of course we couldn't just give out presents without wrapping them... but I was so exhuasted after all the shopping that I really needed to sleep. We ended up wrapping the presents on Tuesday, the Eve of X'mas Eve instead. We were up til almost 4 am, wrapping up all the presents and also cleaning and packing the house in preparation for the party. Luckily for me, I had rested in bed for almost the entire day, so I could persevere with the wrapping. After wrapping the pressies, we placed them under the X'mas tree and it looked like this:


    Yes, we had alot of colourful wrappers and there was a theme for the wrappings. I was definitely pleased with the final effect :P

    I was so excited about the party that I got up just past 9 am on X'mas Eve and couldn't get back to sleep. Irene brought the ordered food back around 2:30 pm and we started to get everything ready. Edna came by and helped to rearrange the furniture and blending the mushrooms in the preparation of the wild mushroom soup. Eventually, we had the feast laid out:


    Irene and I stuffing the turkey


    The X'mas Feast: Roast Beef, Turkey, Ham, Salad, Herb Pasta and Wild Mushroom Soup

    The food was pretty good, considering that we ordered it from Cold Storage. Their festive package even came with a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates (that we still haven't opened!) It was a thoroughly western style buffet meal and although it was the first time we had served food not cooked by either of us, I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

    We had wanted our party to be an easy-going one, so we asked everyone to come as and when they liked. And they did! Some people came as early as 5 pm and others came as late as 11 pm. It was a real free and easy party and by the end of the night, we counted that around 25 people had attended our party which initially was meant to be a small "dinner/chillout" session for about 10-12 pax. We had the mahjong gang, the movies gang, the "I-am-hungry-watch-me-eat" gang, the "Little Nonya" gang, the Pictionary gang, the "Sit-in-the-kitchen-and-chat" gang and even a "Let's-stay-overnight" gang. Everyone did their own thing, at their own time and we even did a mini X'mas countdown twice! (Once in the living room, another time in the kitchen.)


    The mahjong gang eventually sucumbed to "The Little Nonya" temptation and stopped playing mahjong to join the rest in watching that crazy TV drama instead.


    Crazy people playing Twister... a game where MQ won eventually...


    Everyone squashed in the living room while the Pictionary game was going on.


    Us with the great Ice-cream Log Cake that Edna bought... Mmmhmm delicious!


    Our tinny X'mas tree being overloaded with gifts after everyone had arrived.

    All in all, the party was pretty successful and I was happy with how it turned out. Everyone seemed to have fun and they all left with their gifts in hand and huge smiles on their faces. We managed to clear a good portion of the food, including all the pasta, salad and soup. The remaining turkey was stripped down and refrigerated with the bones thrown into a pot for soup making while the rest of the roast beef and ham was packed into packets for sandwich making in the future. At some point after midnight, when most of the guests had left, we sat down with Edna, Alina, Yan, Enjiao and XiaoXuan to open our presents.


    The wonderful presents I received this year... Thank you everyone :)

    It was truly a great way to spend X'mas, surrounded by good food, great friends and building wonderful memories. I enjoyed the party so much I'm even thinking of making it an annual affair.

    Merry X'mas Everyone!