Deep-Sixed & Living in the Sky

Saturday Night Lights & Tunes

2009-03-08T12:29:00.010+08:00

Guess where we were last night?

Thanks to my Mum's colleague; who got us 2 free tix to the Singapore Entertainment Awards 2009 《新加坡e乐大赏》, we were able to spend our saturday night enjoying some pretty neat live performances @ Marina Bay Floating Platform Grandstand.
The view from the the Marina Bay Grandstand was spectacular - yes, even with the ongoing construction for the IR Project by the side.

The Singapore Entertainment Awards is to honour some of the best talents in Singapore & Asia's Chinese entertainment scenes. And even thou I wasn't all too familiar with the updated Mando Pop, I was pleased to be still able to recognise some of the numbers being performed.

Various Local Artistes
(Incluing Olivia Ong; bottom right pix, performing her famous number from the drama series-The Little Nonya, 如燕)

JJ 林俊杰
(Didn't think he was that awesome a singer till last night's performance! Powerful voice + excellent showmanship)

Stefanie Sun 孙燕姿
(Powerful voice as we all already recognised...and a surprisingly humble character)

Overseas Talents Who Came . . .

Raymond Lam 林峰 (HK)
(Wouldn't have known him if I had not come back to Singas & got hooked on 家好月圓...the crowd went ga-ga over him btw... & he didn't even sing -___-)

Show Luo 罗志祥 (TW)
(Okay, when THIS dude stepped out, practically the entire grandstand stood up just so they could get a better view of him...WHAT?!)

All in all, the show was quite a blast!
Great work SPH!!!

I've Got The 'FEEL' Again

2009-02-18T10:06:00.011+08:00

I'm sitting in my garden, sipping on a hot cup of skim milk w/ a spoonful of Meiji Amino Collagen as I blog for the first time in 4mths. Since my return to Singas, I haven't exactly found the time or 'feel' to blog till today... and lemme tell you why.

Early this morning @ 06:30, as I took my usual route to the stadium for my morning run (yes, I've been running regularly cos I promised myself to look and feel gorgeous by the time I hit 30 ... current target is to achieve 4km in 25mins), I came across a pile of doggie poo along the pavement. Now, this aint a common sight in Singas, but it is hellava common in the streets of Beirut (no offence)! Immediately I thought of the 'challenging' route from my apartment in Hamra to the laundromat I patronised. And that was what gave me the inspiration to finally start blogging again after so long! DOG POO! Funny eh?! *hahaha*

Well, enough of poo for now and off to more updates on what I've been up to since I'm back.

Job hunt hasn't been easy as you all might have read from the news/ experienced (touchwood) the economic slowdown. But no worries, I'm taking it all in good faith and a lotta patience. I believe something bright will come along my way as long as I keep looking.

So meanwhile I've been keeping myself busy with keeping fit-something which I probably won't have the luxury to indulge in if I were to commit myself in a busy career . . . and of cos a bit of partying, travelling and simply lounging with friends.

>> Multiple Birthdays Spent Over 5mths <<

>> Travelling Within Asia <<

>> Simply Enjoying Each Other's Company <<

Till the next time I get yet another 'feel' . . . take care & have fun!
:)

Today I Turn A Year Wiser

2008-10-17T11:32:00.004+08:00

I know it has been ages since I updated my blog.

Been swarmed with loads of activities since I returned to Singas...loads of pictures to share too...but haven't quite sorted them out yet ...*heh* (will post them up as soon as I get my lazy a*s to do it)

So here's what I've been busy with:

> Celebrate Dad's big 60

> Catch up w/ old friends

> Short getaways

> Job search

... and of cos ...

Yours Truly's Birthday Celebrations!!!

(^ ^)v

More on that soon !!!

My Return To Good Ol' Singas

2008-09-27T23:20:00.008+08:00

A week has passed since I got back to my hometown - Singapore.

Beirut International Airport

Me Before Entering Immigration @ Beirut Airport

SOMETHING Making His Final Purchase Of Al Rifai Roasted Nuts @ Beirut Airport Duty Free

The flight from Beirut to Singapore via Emirates was an enjoyable one.

We upgraded ourselves to business class for both legs; Beirut to Dubai & Dubai to Singapore.

And much to our delight, we were once again upgraded to first class for the second leg of our flight from Dubai to Singapore. :)

This is my very first time travelling on business & first class.

Now I curse the management who said there is not much difference between business & economy class except the size of the seats. Bunch of liars!

Now, business class I can give taking pix a miss.

But first class, how can I not take any pix!!! *hahaha*

Emirates (Boeing 777) First Class Seats-Seat 2D

Yes, u saw it right! There's a mini-bar next to each and every first class seats.

The sliver/black thingy next to the mini-bar is the hand-held controller that enables one to personalise the experience from selecting a movie to adjusting the seats (which are sleeper seats btw, which allows one to fully recline) and also selecting the massage feature on the seats! :))

Now, are you ready to see the huge-ass tv monitor!??!?!?!

Tada!!!

A 19-inch flat screen monitor equipped w/ noise cancelling headphones that are also huge-ass btw! *WOOT*

What a great way to start the end of our stint in MENA!!!

Today's The Day - Bye Beirut, Singas Here I Come!

2008-09-17T13:21:00.006+08:00

In approximately 12hrs, I'm leaving Beirut (FOR GOOD)!

Same time tomorrow, I will arrive @ Changi Airport in Singapore.

Boy! I can still remember the day I left Singas for MENA back in 30-10-2006.

Almost 2 yrs now...

// 2 yrs back //

Time to con't packing!

See ya back in gd old Singas!!!

XOXO

TOW The New Ball & My New Bling

2008-09-15T04:51:00.001+08:00

SOMETHING & I are into our final 3 days in Beirut. And things have never been busier around here. We've got prepaid gym coupons to complete, finances to settle, places to visit and of cos, last min shopping to do.

SOMETHING wanted to get more books before he returns to SIN cos it's a whole lot cheaper here. And I had a list of stuffs to get also cos it's a whole lot cheaper here; from medication, to PJs from La Senza, to new blings to pimp my naval.

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I was in search of a replacement "Ball" for my pretty turquoise barbell and probably a new naval jewellery.

I've walked pass this particular shop (situated between Hamra & Bliss Street) that sells all sorta jewellery for body piercings several times in the past, but have never found a reason to walk in till today.

I found a perfect ball to match the gem on my barbell! (For only 5,000LL equivalent to 3USD)

The Barbell Is Whole Again!

And.....

This crazily pretty pink dangling Ys naval bling !

(For only 20,000LL equivalent to 13USD)

I'm so in luv w/ it right now!!!

Ladies, tell me u don't totally heart it?!

TOW 9 Boxes & The Lost 'Ball'

2008-09-14T16:48:00.009+08:00

There were many things that had to be done as we approach our last couple of days in Beirut.

It's pretty unbelievable how much nonsense we can accumulate in our small apartment since we moved in back in late Feb. But of cos, most of the stuffs were what we already had for the past 1 yr living in Algeria.

On 11/9 (Thu), we had initially planned to set aside 4~5hrs to pack & get our stuffs ready for the packers who were coming on 12/9 (Fri) morning. Turns out, we spent close to the entire day [11am~6pm] sorting out our stuffs and had to give all the other things we had planned to do a miss!

When the packers finally came on Fri morning, it took them less than an hr to pack all our belongings like clothes, kitchen appliances, entertainment appliances, shoes, etc.

Finally! A load off our minds!

A total of 9 boxes for all our personal effects

On a totally different topic...

So here I was, all bubbly & happily taking candid shots & video clips of SOMETHING as we got ready to head out for dinner & movie w/ Salim @ Verdun yesterday evening (13/9).

Later did I realise as I was taking a shower when I got home @ 2am, that the ball on my barbell has gone missing!

!!! ROAR !!!

My pretty barbell w/o its ball

I wasn't able to find it anywhere in the apartment... so I suspect I must have lost it while I was trying on some clothes @ MNG earlier that evening.

*sulks*

This is the 2nd time I lost the ball on my barbell since I first got my naval pierced in Brisbane back in 2001.

This might just be the perfect excuse to shop for a new naval jewellery. Hmm... so my first barbell was one with a red gem, followed by this turquoise one...what colour should I get next? Maybe one with a real diamond? *blink BLING*

C'est La Vie

2008-09-11T00:59:00.014+08:00

Here’s what we’ve been up to since our last day @ work [08-09-08];

Wake up early (no kiddin’! we’re actually waking up earlier than we usually do on work days)
Enjoy slow breakfast
Head to the gym for a good 2hr workout
Soak in the jacuzzi
Cleanse & relax body w/ a Turkish bath
Enjoy late lunch
Walk around the streets of Hamra
Head home for a late afternoon nap
Enjoy home-cooked dinner
Eat grapes/ cheese & drink Lebanese wine
Chill
Go to bed early

Pretty darn good eh! (*.^)v

Aahh...~ this is life!

Well, enough of my close to perfection bummer life.

Here are some pix taken on our last working day.

Yes, in case u don't already know... SOMETHING & I WERE colleagues and we left our jobs on Monday.

{ Our Last Day As Colleagues }
Us waiting for a cab outside our apartment along Rue Sadaat.
We've never been more enthu this early on a work day.

{ Us Riding e/ Cab }

{ Our Last Time Walking Thru Those Doors }

{ The Old Making Way For The New}
Me w/ Salim - the newly interco transfered Algerian to our team in Beirut.

Good luck dude!

Gazillion Happy Thots Goin' Thru Ma Mind!

2008-09-08T14:00:00.008+08:00

Happy thots!

Happie thoughts!

Gazillion happy thoughts!

I'm bursting with joy, happiness & everything good! :)

Why?

Last day @ work!

Last day @ work!!!

Last day @ work!!!!!

*somersaults in mind 'n' soul*

Nice Lil' Rock from NICE

2008-08-29T17:58:00.004+08:00

I guess u'll know it when someone really loves u...

It's when the gifts they bring u becomes simpler & more meaningful...at least for me that's true.

A pebble from along the Mediterranean coast @ the southern city of France, Nice...

That's how simple a gift it was...

Oh...and of cos, a snowglobe from Nice too!

Simply cos we started collecting them since our Europe trip...

Funny thing, snowglobes aren't available in Lebanon and Algeria...*shrugz*

And we missed the chance to get one from Morocco... *darn*

Guess we'll just have to remember these 3 places with something else... *ponders*

Suggestions?

A Pleasant Little Smth From 3 Yrs Back

2008-08-27T20:29:00.008+08:00

So I was browsing thru my gal pal, Alicia's old blog posts today and I came across this particular entry titled "Seeing Aatricia", dated 19/11/2005 which I never knew existed till now. Gesh! Come to think of it, I think that was the last time I met up with Alicia...3 yrs, has it been that long?!

//Look! I was still spotting the long curly hair I had done @ BKK's Siam Sq.\\

I don't even remember the exact date this took place, but apparently, it took place not long after I completed my one year stint in Bangkok and was back in Singapore, busy helping a 'friend' set up his wedding proposal @ The Ritz-Carlton (a 'friend' who I turn out never hearing from again after that event *roll eyes*...ok, maybe I was partly at blame cos shortly after that, I left for Ali Baba Land...anyway...).

Both Lucus (SOMETHING's nephew) & Alicia were there to lend me a hand . . . :)

Lucus was there cos he was staying over at my place that night as I was bringing him for a tree-top walk the next morning @ MacRitchie reservoir (I can't possibly leave him at home while I headed out right?!). And Alicia was there simply becos we wanted to catch up before she headed back to Down Under.

And I totally remember how childish Alicia & I were behaving, leading my friends (who've never met Alicia or Lucus before) to believe that Lucus (who has never met Alicia before) was Alicia's son. Complicated right?! *hahaha*

Lucus was still very young and innocent then, and had a very hard time convincing himself to 'play Alicia's son' cos he feels that is lying and lying is not good. *oopsie* I'm a bad nanny! ;p

Kinda reminds me of how me and my gal pals used to lead strangers we meet at clubs to believe we're someone else who lead this other life with some random fake names.

Oh...one would think that I've already outgrown such childish behaviour... gosh...even I would expect myself to be more mature than that by now. But... believe it or not, I still lie about my nationality to random strangers along the streets of Beirut who asks me where I'm from for absolutely no reason. I mean, why would a random guy talking on the phone @ the public phone booth stop his conversation just to ask me where I'm from!?!?!? Does it REALLY MATTER!?!?!?! -___-"

True story!

The Ugly Side of Beirut

2008-08-19T20:43:00.009+08:00

*BOO HOO*

Tough luck for moi & moi's SOMETHING!

Last Saturday, after we returned from the gym and was getting ready to head out for a movie @ ABC Asharafieh, we realised our $$$ were missing.

Yes! 3 $ signs cos the amt we lost was 3 digits!

TOTAL DAMAGE:

HE: 110,000LP (equivalent to 73.3USD)

SHE: 100USD

We are positive the $$$ was stolen during the time we were at the gym cos just the night before, we still had the $$$ in (his jeans pocket) & (my handbag).

*RAWRRRRRRR*

Told the landlord abt it, he said he'll investigate cos apparently, the housekeeper for that day was newly employed.

*argh*

I doubt we'll ever get our $$$ back, and I'm now really stressed out abt leaving my apartment while the housekeeper cleans it everyday.

Nothing much I can do abt it really. . .

YESH! I shall unleash the BITCH in me!!!

*wahahaha*

Well, u know how I sometimes post some not so pleasant pictures of the ACTUAL SITUATION in Algeria?

Like the pix below (fished out from SOMETHING's blog entry abt Air Algerie here)

I kid u NOT!

Almost 75% of the seats on Air Algerie (at least the ones flying between BEY-ALG/ ALG-CASA) are in this condition -____-"

And trust me, we aren't the only ones talking abt the below "value for money" standards on board Air Algerie .

In fact, the Lebanese colleagues themselves often mock the pauper-like conditions in Algeria.

Honestly people, take a look around before mocking at others.

Do you honestly think that . . .

THIS!

(view from the back seat of a taxi in Beirut)

AND THIS!
(view of the back seat of a taxi in Beirut)

... is a lot better than the economy passenger seats on Air Algerie???

I've taken my fair share of taxi rides in Beirut (esp since I take a taxi to & from work everyday), and I am certainly not showing the minority taxi conditions. I would say almost 80% or more of the taxis in Beirut are in this condition.

Frankly, I'm always worried that my clothes will get soiled or ripped from the dirty seats or some spring sticking out from the seats. That also explains why I hardly wear / carry and nice clothes / handbags when I'm in this region.

I know.

I'm a BITCH.

WATCHA GONNA DO ABT IT!

Aahhh ~ ~ ~

Feeling much better after blog-bitching abt random stuffs.

*deep breathes*

Do U ♥ Browsing?

2008-08-07T13:52:00.006+08:00

Are u one of those who:

totallyYfashion\fitness\entertainment\gossip\automotive\etc mags?

sometimes spend hrs & hrs standing @ mag stands just browsing?

think it's just way to ex to purchase all the juicy mags esp the imported ones?

♪'~*♪~Cos baby, have I got news for u!*~.♪.~♪

DIGG THIS - Mygazines.com

Browse . Share . Archive //all sorta// Magazines . Articles . Books !

Is this COOL or Is THIS cool !!!

I Oughtta Be Contented

2008-08-05T15:20:00.009+08:00

It's a long story.

Long story short:

I'm feeling a lotta things after learning that an ex-classmate is in an abusive marriage and could never get over the lost of her unborn child.
I'm feeling a lotta things after learning that an ex is getting hitched next year.

YIt's amusing how life has a funny way of making a different mess for each one of usY

Vacation Part 4 - Road Trip to Tangier

2008-07-21T21:29:00.014+08:00

So, where to after I left Istanbul?

Well, since it was still not possible to return to Beirut at that time (mid-May), the company instructed SOMETHING & I to head to Casablanca, apply for Algerian visa, then go to Algiers to wait out till the situation in Beirut gets better. (Which of cos didn't turn out as plan cos the crisis in Beirut cleared up by the end of May, so I end up staying in Casablanca for 2 weeks then headed on back to Beirut)

During the 2 weeks stay in Casablanca, SOMETHING & I obviously haven't gotten over our "vacation mode", so we decided to make a road trip up to Tangier over the weekend (160508~180508) together with our colleague & his wife.

TANGIER

A city @ the northern point of Morocco, just below Spain

Shortly after we got back to our hotel from the Casablanca office, we packed our clothes & toiletries into a small backpack, picked up 4 burgers from the nearby Mac Donalds, and we were off on our road trip to Tangier! :D

It took around 4hrs drive from Casablanca to Tangier, plus 20mins or so of getting lost within Tangier city while looking for the hotel. By the time we arrived and checked-in to our rooms, it was already way pass midnight.

HOTEL DAWLIZ
Our Hotel in Tangier for 2N

THE ROOM
Looks very old & dingy right? Can you imagine this is suppose to be a 5 star hotel and we're charged around 100USD/ night (supposedly a corporate rate) ?!!?!

ALONG THE CORRIDOR

VIEW FROM THE BALCONY
@ least the view from the room is nice, so no complains

On the way to Cape Spartel we stopped @ this beautiful beach, apparently, this is where the Mediterranean Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean.

COOL!

MEDITERRANEAN MEETS ATLANTIC

Everything's So BLUE!

That's was our RIDE...

Nah... just kidding, this was our real RIDE! *bleh*

CAPE SPARTEL

Too bad we weren't able to enter Cape Spartel . . . no idea why cos non of us were able to read the sign which was in Arabic! *hahaha*

There was only one restaurant around that area - CAPE SPARTEL RESTAURANT

How original -___-

Food wasn't nice and was way over-priced, but the view was amazing.

Seafood Soup

Grilled Calamari

Grilled Sardines

LtoR: Karla & Felix (Our Salvadorian Travel Mates) + SOMETHING

A random pic from the streets to further emphasize SOMETHING & his obsession with farm animals. (There's a whole bunch of pix with close-ups of these goats but I refuse to post them all!)

SHOPPING @ THE GRAND SOCCO
'Socco' is a just a spanish word for 'souk' or 'market'. It's called Grand Socco in Tangier becos of its Spanish heritage.

A narrow street within the souk

Traditional handmade Moroccan shoes...so colourful

Ahh... Moroccan pottery!

If only I have enough luggage space to carry them all!

Vacation Part 3.2 - Istanbul

2008-07-18T16:35:00.013+08:00

Sharing more pix from my unplanned vacation in Istanbul . . .

Taking a cruise along Bosphorus

A narrow strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara (Approx. 30km long)

In the map above, you'll notice that the strait forms the boundary between the European (left) & Asian (right) part of Turkey.

This picture below, is a picture of the Bosphorus Bridge - the bridge that links the European side & the Asian side.

Imagine visiting 2 continents within a matter of minutes just by crossing this bridge! Pretty darn cool eh! *woot*

Bosphorus Bridge

Rumelihisarı

A fortress located on the hill at the European side of the Bosphorus

Other random pix as seen from Bosphorus

Grabbing a bite along Eminonu
Munching on mouth-watering Balik Ekmek (Grilled mackerel sandwiches) on the waterfront by the ferry docks like the locals do.

Roasted chestnuts anyone?

Döner (somewhat similar to the Middle Eastern fast food, Shawarma)

Topkapı Palace

Taksim Square

The city center of the European side. Also where my hotel was for the remaining few days in Istanbul.

This part of the city is filled with bars, restaurants, clubs, good shopping... and is always full of people no matter how late in the night it was.

Some friends we made while asking for directions . . .

Guess where we wanted to go? ? ?

Beyoğlu Flea Market (fantastic place to dig for good buys! I bought 2 uber cute tees for just 2.50~3.50YTL each!) :D

My only regret . . .
Didn't get to try Dondurma (Turkish Ice cream) cos every time I get the chance I'm either too full or it's not the right time to have some...
*Note to self*

I'LL BE BACK FOR SOME AUTHENTIC DONDURMA!

Vacation Part 3.1 - Istanbul

2008-07-09T20:00:00.011+08:00

Remember the post about "Seeking Refuge in Istanbul"?

Well, this is a continuation of that post...

Quick recap!

7th May: On the way back to Beirut from my 2 weeks vacation in Europe.

Depart Amsterdam-Transit Istanbul-Arrive Beirut

Or at least that was the plan...

While transiting @ Istanbul, SOMETHING & I were informed that the flight from Istanbul to Beirut was cancelled as the Beirut airport was close.

So . . .

7th May ~ 14th May: 1 week of unplanned vacation + some work related stuffs in Istanbul

(Yes, luckily, our company has a Distributor in Istanbul as well. So for that whole week, we were very well taken care of *beam*)

View from our 1st hotel

- Ramada Hotel @ Istanbul Old City -

There were many others like us; stuck in Istanbul while heading to Beirut.

Some were going home to their families, some were going to Beirut for the first time to attend friend's wedding, some were visiting . . . not many were in the mood to enjoy what Istanbul has to offer.

For the first couple of days, many gathered together at the hotel lobby, monitoring the situation in Beiurt on the news while waiting for Turkish Airline's instructions on the next available flight to Beirut.

SOMETHING & I however, weren't going to allow the rare opportunity of exploring a city we've never been to slip away!

We were out & about exploring the incredible city of Istanbul by the next day! *wee~*

SOMETHING insisted on taking a pic with the Turkish Flag in the background (but he is in a Holland tee...how ironic)

-___- "

We continued our "THIRST QUEST" for local beers!

The infamous GRAND BAZAAR

The only thing we bought at the Grand Bazaar - Turkish Apple Tea

Ayasofya Museum
(We didn't enter the museum cos it was closing by the time we arrived)

Blue MosqueIt's really beautiful inside . . . pretty lights, stained glass windows & all . . .

We spent a good 15mins seated on the carpeted floor, watching sincere Muslims pray.

Very serene indeed~

A picture of the Blue Mosque by night, taken with my mobile.

We even took time out to take a stroll along the coast . . .

*awww~* How romantic...~

Who would think we were the 'Beirut Refugees'?

(Yes, that was how were were labelled by the hotel staffs & airline staffs!)

Postcard from Bangkok

2008-06-30T16:58:00.004+08:00

Okay! This post is super belated...

I received this postcard the first day I stepped foot in Beirut office (30-05-08), after being away for close to 35 days.

Apparently, this postcard was sent out from Bangkok on 27-04-08. So I guess it takes about 1 mth or so for snail-mails to 'travel' from Bangkok to Beirut?! *shrugz*

It's really sweet of the girls to remember me and send me a postcard even thou they were only in Bangkok for a short weekend vacation. Thanks sweeties *muacks* !!!

Now that u can totally see the mailing address on the postcard, are u gonna send me one from wherever u are too??? *grin*

The picture below is totally random . . . as I placed the postcard on my work pc for some pix, I simply decided to capture the cute wallpaper I have on now! *hee*

Totally goes with the childish stickers I have pasted all over my pc! (Just to get things straight, the stickers weren't my idea . . . it was my colleague's 6 yr old daughter's...)

Pretty Peepers blink blink

2008-06-27T20:49:00.010+08:00

I've just got to share my new 'discovery' & joy!!!

But first, just a little background. . .

You know how women are... we're all into taking good care of our skin & growing old graciously.

I've always been very particular about the things I put on my eyes, face & neck (only since I turned 25...before that age, I didn't even bother to put on sunscreen, tone or moisturise my face *yikes* shame on me & I've only got myself to blame for my poor & sensitive skin condition now!)

More recently, as the big 3-O slowly creeps up on me (not yet! not yet! *bleh*), all the more I am picky with my skincare products. I mean...I've gotta be certain they're good! Right?!

So, these were the eye care products I've been using previously . . .

* Applied in the morning *
* Applied in the night *

I used to apply Estee Lauder's Advance Night Repair cream for both morning & night. But only recently switched to Vichy Cold Eye Stick for mornings cos it has a lighter texture plus it feels really cool & refreshing after application.

As for reviews on these 2 products...

1) Vichy Cold Eye Stick: Did nothing for my eyes, except for it's cool & refreshing feel. (Usage duration: 3mths) Price: 2/5 stars

2) Estee Lauder's Advance Night Repair: Supposed to reduce dark circles, puffiness & lines...frankly, I didn't feel much diff either. Okay, granted the fact that neither of the above problems are exceptionally prominent for my case, plus I'm not that observant/ sensitive with this sorta changes. So, I'm not too certain about the effects of this product. (Usage duration: 1.5~2yrs) Price: 4/5 stars

With that said, you can only imagine how effective the product I'm about to intro u is, for me to even notice the improvements around my eyes.

Ladies & maybe some metrosexual gentlemen . . . . . .

Presenting my new fav. skincare product . . . . .

GARNIER ULTRALIFT

* ANTI-WRINKLE FIRMING EYE CREAM *

After not more than 3 applications, I could feel the difference already!

During the first couple of applications (I started with night applications only cos I was afraid the cream would be unsuitable for younger skin), I woke up the next day feeling a slight tightness & firmness around my eyes.

By the 3rd/ 4th day, when I looked in the mirror, I thought I somewhat looked different...that I looked more energetic (which was really bizzare cos I was only sleeping less than 7hrs/ day due to Euro cup *hahaha*, and was feeling absolute crap all week). Then I realised, it was my eyes! My eyes looked brighter & more awake! *woot*

What's even better is, this product ain't expensive! Probably 1.5/5 stars I would say.

Ladies, don't say I didn't share this baby with you yah! Give this wonder tube a try!

Perhaps after I finish the Ultra-Lift eye cream, I might give the Stop eye cream a shot. Since the Stop range is suppose to be for first signs of ageing. . . *hmmm*

GARNIER STOP

* ANTI-AGEING EYE CREAM *
Then again, who knows... I might decide to purchase the entire Ultra-Lift range !!!

*hahahaha*

Vacation Part 2.3 - Belgium (featuring Bruges)

2008-06-25T16:42:00.020+08:00

I know I have been procrastinating the updates.

Was away on a biz trip to Algeria for the past week... all this travelling around made me kinda lazy with the photo edits & updates *heh*

My bad! ;p

So anyway, here's the last of my photo updates for my Europe vacation - BRUGES.

Spelt BRUGES in English & BRUGGE in Dutch.

@ the train station

We didn't go far from the train station before SOMETHING got carried away buying mini-Simpson mugs from the coin-machine... *roll eyes*

Gorgeous view @ Minnewaterpark

-A short walk from the train station-A mother swan nesting its eggs - SWEET!

The Grote Markt (Big Market Square)

@ the entrance of the Basilica of the Holy Blood

Church of Our Lady

The Belfry

Can u spot my floating head?

The Provincial Court

.
Next up, random pictures from out & about!

Lovely Bruges canals...

Lovely architectures

Evidences of us SHOPPING!

Everything in this shop was sooooo christmasy! ;)

It's all Teddies & Musical Carousels in this shop!

A stall filled with 'antiques' - COOL!

A shop full of locally produced food stuffs *drool*

Guess what? CHOCO FRIES!!!!!!!!! *YUM*

And finally, as always... pictures of food... glorious food!

What's SOMETHING digging for....???AH HA! DARK CHOCS!!!

Hmm... what's this I see in the window... looks delicious...

Shall we head in for a bite? I'm starving!

Lasagne for lunch!

Nothing beats seating along the streets of Bruges, sipping my coffee, biting into my warm waffles and watching the world pass me by... ahhh... this is life!

I had my coffee & he had his beer...

But there's one thing we both had to have our own - WAFFLES!

And for dinner... MORE BEER!

That sorta wraps up the photos from vacation in Netherlands & Belgium.

More pix from the trips that followed coming up!

*woot*

Vacation Part 2.2 - Belgium (featuring Antwerp)

2008-06-12T16:38:00.019+08:00

Day 10 of our backpacking trip, and we were off to visit the city of Antwerp.

Before visiting Antwerp, I've heard about its great diamond trade industry. It was a pity I didn't have enough cash on me. Else I might just have bought myself my first diamond. Yes... shame on me, after more than 6 years of work and nearing to the age of 30, I've yet to own a diamond. *ha* So much for diamond are a girl's best friend eh! ;p

Changing Trains @ Roosendaal, On the Way to Antwerp

Entrance of Antwerp Central Railway Station

Antwerp Central Railway Station is a real beauty. From the outside, it can easily be mistaken for a cathedral because of the huge dome.

Weekend Market

Sells pretty much everything (clothes, shoes, animals, food, antiques...u name it!)

Streets of Antwerp

Streets of Antwerp are filled with superb architecture & buildings with a charm of its own.

Cathedral of Our Lady

Grote Markt (Main Square)

Antwerp City Hall @ Grote Markt

A pic of us with the Statue of Brabo & the Gaint's Hand

There's a very interesting story behind how the city of Antwerp got its name.

The legend involves a mythical gaint called Antigoon who lived near the river Scheldt. The gaint demanded a toll from those crossing the river, and for those who refused to pay, he severed one of their hands & threw it into the river.

Eventually, a young hero named Brabo cut off the gaint's hand & flung it into the river (as portrayed in the statue). Hence the name Antwerpen, which means hand-throw in Dutch.

Statue of Brabo & the Gaint's Hand

Het Steen (literally: 'The Stone')
Statue of the Water Spirit Lange Wapper

Talented Buskers

Streets filled with restaurants & pubs

Nothing beats sipping a glass of local beer, watching the world go by *ahh~*

See that hand on the glass? That's in line with the gaint's hand folklore.

See that sign and you'll know the beer is Antwerp beer~

Mouth-watering Burgers for Lunch

A Taste of Italy
Truly one of THE BEST carborana I've ever tasted! I'm not kidding!

Vacation Part 2.1 - Belgium (featuring Brussels)

2008-06-10T15:39:00.022+08:00

After spending a week exploring the Netherlands, it was time to venture to Belgium! :)

First stop - BRUSSELS!

@ The Entrance of Brussels Central

We had initially planned to use Eindhoven as a base and make day trips to parts of Belgium, thinking that the amount of time required for travelling wouldn't be that long and at the same time, we could save a bit on accommodation since we're bunking with SOMETHING's cousin in Eindhoven.

Boy did we learn it the hard way! First day we were in Brussels, it took us close to half a day travelling from Eindhoven to Brussels. We then spent the remaining of the afternoon travelling around Brussels with the intention of catching the late night train back to Eindhoven. But when we headed to Brussels Central at around 9pm+ thinking we could travel back to Eindhoven the same night (we've already bought the return tix earlier than day-wasn't cheap btw), we found out that the last train was at 7pm+! *GASP* So we're stuck in Brussels for the night! With no extra clothings, no hotel booking, no nothing! *DOUBLE GASP*

Lucky for us, we managed to find a reasonably priced hotel located right at the city centre. As for necessities, since it was close to midnight by the time we found a hotel, most of the shops were closed except some really small souvenir shops. So, we improvised! We bought 2 shot glasses, filled it with the eye drops I was carrying around with me, and stored SOMETHING's contact lenses for the night. Bought a set of toothpaste & toothbrush to share and we were set for the night! (>.<)

Hotel Aux Arcades
Our accommodation the night we were stranded in Brussels
p.s. we later stayed back at this hotel, making it our base to travel to other parts of Belgium

View from Our Room
It was right above Royal St. Hubert Gallery for a reasonable fee of 55 euros/ night

Royal St. Hubert Gallery
A glazed shopping arcade in Brussels

The Grand Place
The central market square of Brussels, also the most popular tourist destination & most memorable landmark in Brussels

The Grand Place by Night

Various pictures taken around Brussels as we ride the City Hop On Hop Off Tour (we were tourists afterall...;p)

A Local Cinema

Look what we found! Something to remind us of 'home'! ;)

Manneken Pis
Apparently, this pissing boy (I know that's not the name to address this statue, but SOMETHING & I just like to call him that! *hahaha*) changes his outfit almost everyday we were there. We were there for 3 days 2 nights, and managed to capture him in 3 different outfits! ;)

Outfit No. 1
(Think he's suppose to be a soldier or something)

Outfit No. 2
(Think he's suppose to be a tourist in this one, with a map in his hands & a camera slinged over his neck)

Outfit No. 3
(And of cos! How could we miss him in his birthday suit! *ha*)

Street Performers

And to wrap up this post, I would like to once again present all the glorious foodies! Uh hmm... *clears throat* I would also like to add that the food in Belgium is AMAZING !!!
I very much prefer the food in Belgium vs. Netherlands!

Okay, now, repeat after me; "GO TO BRUSSELS, MUST EAT MUSSELS!"

And that was precisely what we did! v(^_^)v

Chez Léon

SOMETHING had wanted to bring me to the same restaurant in Beirut but we never got the chance cos it closed down. And now I finally got to dine at the original restaurant in Brussels!

The restaurant was a stone throw away from the hotel we were staying at. Actually, that was how we found the hotel. We spotted the hotel while we were at Leon's for lunch earlier that afternoon. :)

The Lunch Spread
We ordered the set; Beer, Shrimp Salad & A Pot of Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Our faces were all red from the white wine sauce & beer after we finished our food! Noticed the look of pure satisfaction in our faces!? *burp*

Brasserie Le Fiacre
We chanced upon this restaurant when we stopped by for drinks in the day, saw the table next to us having mussels and decided to try it out!

Not too bad...a little to salty thou. The mussels at Leon is still the best! Oh, and just so to clear any doubts, each one of us had a pot of these. That's serving for one! *heh*

Did you know that there are >1000 brands of Belgian beer?! Which means one could try a different brand of beer all year round and still not finish trying them all!
Tried KRIEK (the beer on the right), a type of Belgian beer fermented with sour cherries (aka Morello). *yum* A lovely treat for the ladies! ;)

Dandoy Tea Room
A special afternoon treat @ Dandoy Tea Room for some famous Belgian waffles.

And of cos, along the way, we stopped by many other stalls for more yummilious sweet treats!

Notice how our faces got rounder as we progressed along our vacation?! *hahaha*
Solid prove that the food is GOOD! *thumbs up*

Vacation Part 1 - The Netherlands

2008-06-09T13:55:00.003+08:00

Hello folks!!! I'm BACK! *WOO HOO OOOOoo~*

I know I know... it has been a looooooong while since I updated my blog. But but... can you really blame me? I was, afterall, seeking refuge outside Beirut all this while. .

35 days later, and I'm finally back in Beirut. Let's do a quick recap on what happened & where I was during the time I was away from Beirut shall we:

> 25-04-08 ~ 07-05-08: Netherlands & Belgium (Planned Vacation)

*Beirut Clashes-> Beirut airport was closed*

> 07-05-08 ~ 14-05-08: Turkey (Seeking Refuge + Unplanned Vacation)

> 14-05-08 ~ 29-05-08: Morocco (Seeking Refuge + Impromptu Road Trip)

So, with all this travelling around, there's bound to be loads of photos to sort & share! Haven't exactly sorted everything yet, but let's just start off with some pictures taken @ the Netherlands shall we?!
(p.s. for those who're on my facebook, you would've probably seen most of these pix taken in Netherlands already... so just bear with me till I get my lazy ass to sort those taken in Belgium yah!)

Picture galore coming your way ! ! !

>>> Pictures of our accomodation for 3 nights in Amsterdam.

Hotel Hoksbergen @ Amsterdam

Our humble little room @ Hotel Hoksbergen in Amsterdam.

A humble room with a not so humble price - 105 euros/ night! But through research, we realised most of the hotels in Amsterdam are around this price range, if not more! The room was clean & cosy, and the breakfast spread was substantial & satisfying. Good enough for us, so we're happy! ;)

The canal view from our window

>>> Random pictures taken along the streets of Amsterdam.

NS Train @ Amsterdam Central Station

Us with our backpacks w/ Amsterdam Central Station building behind us

Riding the tram on our way to SPUI street near our hotel

Along the beautiful canals of Amsterdam

Royal Palace @ The Dam

National Monument @ The Dam

Fair @ The Dam
(Big funfairs are held on Dam Square several times a year during special occasions such as Queens Day and Christmas. In this case, Queens Day was just round the corner!)

Street performers fill the air with music in this buzzling city

Creative graffities almost in every corner! We even saw some on the exterior of the NS trains! Wonder how they did it!

Mobile loo along the main streets of Amsterdam

It costs 0.5 euros just to use the public loo . . . so I suppose these will really come in handy >.<

>>> Various museum visits @ Amsterdam.

Van Gogh Museum

Rijksmuseum (One of my favs)

Amsterdam Historisch Musem

Anne Frank House (I wanna read the book!)

>>> The day with the annual flower parade @ Keukenhof.

Beautiful Bed of Blooms

TULIPS, TULIPS & MORE TULIPS!

Baby! This is the kinda home I have in mind! >.<

>>> A visit to Madurodam (miniature city) @ Den Haag.

Miniature of the Cheese market in Alkmaar

Miniature of a gothic church (I forgot the name...)

This is one of SOMETHING's favourite!

See how detailed it is, close up!

Miniature of the canals in Amsterdam

Wat up little people!

>>> Experiencing Zaanse Schans @ Zaandam.

A collection of well-preserved historic windmills & houses!

MOO! Got milk?!

Clogs anyone?!

Ahhh... this pair of clogs fit just fine~ *hee*

Vintage Ice-cream truck!

~Lovely memories to take back with us~

>>> Cruising along the canals of Amsterdam.

Typical houseboat

2 main form of transportation in the Netherlands (Train & Bicycle)

>>> The world's biggest street party: Queen's Day in Amsterdam.

THINK ORANGE!

It's in the Dutch's blood to trade, and Queen’s Day is an occasion to trade all things that are unnecessary at home neighbours & visitors in town.

Partying wasn't only on land but along the canals too!

>>> A day trip to the beautiful city, Maastricht.

Saint Servatius bridge- the oldest bridge in the Netherlands

Streets of Maastricht

Shopping @ the weekend bazaar

Statue of Jan Pieter Minckeleers - a scientist who first discovered Coal Gas, making the first city lights available

Basilica of Saint Servatius

There was rain & sunshine all day in Maastricht- Gorgeous Rainbow

>>> Pictures of our accomodation for almost 9 nights, SOMETHING's cousin's place @ Eindhoven.

Eindhoven Square

Main shopping streets

Us having DYI Sukiyaki dinner with SOMETHING's cousin & his housemates.

And finally, I would like to end this post with various pictures of the glorious food we savoured in the Netherlands! =)

>>> Glorious Foodies!

Croque

Stewed Pork

MEAT!

Sweet Poffertjes (which looks very much like takoyaki)

Super yummy white & dark choco waffles

Unbeatably humongous cotton candy!

Genever aka Dutch Gin

One of the best pasta I've ever tasted!

Alrighty! That's all the pix taken @ the Netherlands for now. Next post shall be filled with pix from Belgium! Stay tuned! =)

Seeking Refuge In Istanbul

2008-05-10T17:36:00.012+08:00

7th May (Wed): I arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport from Amsterdam @ 2230hrs, waiting to catch the last leg of my flight back to Beirut. Dreading the tons of emails and reports I have to clear at work the next day since my 2 weeks long vacation to Netherlands & Belgium. As SOMETHING & I approached the departure gate, waiting in line for the security check, we noticed that the departure screen states that our flight to Beirut has been CANCELLED. We then headed to the transit desk to find out what happened. As we approached the transit desk, we saw close to 20 or more people crowding around the counter, demanding to fly to Beirut the same night. Later did we learn that the Beirut airport as well as roads leading in & out of the airport has been closed and there was no way anyone was gonna get to Beirut that night. After 2~3 hrs of waiting around for luggages and hotel arrangements at the airport, the 'refugees' heading to Beirut were finally placed in RAMADA Hotel at Istanbul Old City to spend the night while waiting out the situation in Beirut.

Anti-government rioters burn tyres on the main road leading to Beirut's international airport May 7, 2008. Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah-led opposition blocked main roads in Beirut with burning barricades.

(Source: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

8th May (Thu): Situation in Beirut only got worse. Most of my expat colleagues together with their families were being evacuated to Syria at around 1800hrs. However, 2 of my colleagues (a 63yr old Jap & a 37yr old Colombian) were left behind. Both colleagues were staying in Hamra (also the area I'm residing in), in fact, the Colombian stays in the same apartment as me. On the night of 8th May, this Colombian colleague went to a pub near our apartment and later heard gunshots and bombs outside. The shootings and bombings lasted the whole night as my colleague and the rest of the people in the pub stayed behind locked doors until the next morning.

Lebanese soldiers patrol Hamra Street, a normally vibrant commercial strip in a mainly Sunni area during clashes in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 9, 2008. Shiite Hezbollah gunmen seized nearly all of the Lebanese capital's Muslim sector from Sunni foes loyal to the U.S.-backed government on Friday following the country's worst sectarian clashes since the bloody 15-year civil war.
(Source: AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

Meanwhile, in Istanbul, we were advised by the airlines that the Beirut airport was still closed and we either stay one more night at the hotel and see what happens the next day, or we could fly to another destination of our choice or head back to where we came from which was Amsterdam in our case. SOMETHING & I chose to stay in Istanbul for another night since we could continue our vacation in Istanbul in a way, but really, we weren't quite in the mood and spent most of our time watching the news and smsing colleagues in Beirut, worried abt their safety.

9th May (Fri): My Colombian colleague was being accompanied back to the apartment by the pub's staffs... though there were losta men with arms along the streets, they were allowed to pass without much trouble. But when my colleague arrived at the apartment, he was quickly guided to the underground gym where the rest of the tenants were taking refuge.
Apparently, the owner was afraid the random shootings in the streets could get thru the windows and hurt someone, therefore, everyone was brought to the basement. In the evening, when the shootings and bombings along Hamra finally subsided, my colleague hitched a ride from a random american girl he met at the apartment and made their way across the borders to Syria. He has now safely arrived at our office in Syria. His episode made me wonder what would have happened if I didn't go on a vacation or if I had arrived back in Beirut a day earlier... the same could have happened to me... *shudder*

A Shiite opposition gunman fires a rocket propelled grenade during clashes with pro-government supporters in a street in Beirut. Hezbollah fighters, their guns blazing, have seized control of west Beirut after three days of street battles with pro-government foes pushed Lebanon dangerously close to all-out civil war.

(Source: AFP)

Back in Istanbul, all the 'refugees' had to make a decision as to where they wanna go cos the airlines will only pay for 2 nights accomodation max. From then, we had to make our choice; whether we wanna stay in Istanbul, or fly to somewhere else. Several Lebanese on this flight chose to fly to Jordan, take a coach to Syria, then try to enter Lebanon from there. I guess these people had something to return to in Lebanon.

For SOMETHING, myself & some of the other foreigners who were heading to Beirut for vacation, we chose to stay in Istanbul. SOMETHING & I are lucky that we have a distributor in Turkey as well. So we called up the Turkey office yesterday and they made all the necessary arrangements for us. Only problem was that F1 is here for the weekends and the hotels are extremely packed. But our distributor managed to book 2 rooms for the same hotel we are staying at till Monday, then they will probably shift us to a better hotel (althou, the current hotel is really not too shabby).

Our current plans is to stay in Istanbul till further notice from the company. I suppose we'll eventually either head to Syria where the rest of the expats are, or fly to Algeria and continue working from there till things get better in Lebanon.

For now, I guess I've to live with a pair of jeans, 5 tees, a pair of sneakers and no laptop till I'm able to return to Beirut (a place I once call home).

Meanwhile, all of you back home treasure the ever so secure Singapore... cos really... nothing beats going home knowing you & your loved ones are safe.

XOXO

Various Happy Updates

2008-04-22T21:48:00.009+08:00

Update (1)

*WOOT*

Guess what I've been busy with!?

Hint hint... long hollies coming along the way... *hee hee*

Been busy planning my 2 weeks vacation with SOMETHING to & .. . . . . *WOOO HOOO OOOO~*

Planning the trip was definitely no easy task... SOMETHING & I felt like we were preparing for an examination from all the researches on flights, train schdules, places of interests, trams & buses to take, accomodations, etc.

Planning for this trip is somewhat complicated cos:

1) SOMETHING will be on biz trip to Prague from 21/4~24/4, then he'll be flying to Amsterdam on 25/4 to meet me. So we had to plan & purchase our plane tix separately.

2) Our main objective is to visit SOMETHING's cousin who's now staying in Eindhoven (which ain't a popular tourist place, thus a little out of the way). So we've kinda gotta plan the route in such a way whereby we'll have to give a couple of main attractions a miss in order to spend more time in Eindhoven.

3) Euro is extremely strong now... and US dollar is the exact opp. And since we're earning in US dollars, our budget is tighter than we would like it to be *sulk*.

In any case, to be able to go on a vacation is definitely good news for us!

Also... this trip represents loads of firsts for me...
> 1st time to visit Europe =)
> 1st time to take a 'real' vacation since I started working in the Middle East (home leaves back to Singapore don't count as vacation yah)

I'm so so so excited!!!!!! =D

Update (2)

Guess what I had for breakfast last Saturday???

CHEE CHONG FUN (click here if u dunno what this is) & TAU SAR PAU (which is really steamed bun with red bean paste filling) *slurp slurp slurp*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All thanks to a visitor from Singapore who was sweet enough to bring some local delights from Singapore during his short visit last week! THANKS PAUL! (^_^)

CHEE CHONG FUN *drool*

KONG GUAN BRAND TAU SAR PAU

*my all time fav*

Update (3)
Just an interesting sight spotted near my office.

THEME: Haven't 15 years of hiding in toilets been enough?!
600 porcelain toilets are placed in the open field in central Beirut to mark 33 years since the outbreak of a war in 1975 that devastated Lebanon for 15 years.

Why toilets? Cos apparently, during the war, many people used to hide from the bombings in their toilets where there were no glass windows. And now that the Lebanese hear the possibility of yet another war, they started to raise this question: "Haven't we had enough?".

My New Toy - PSP Slim & Lite

2008-04-19T00:00:00.000+08:00

I'VE GOT A NEW TOY!

(well actually, it's already a month old now... but I only got to blog abt it now *heh*)

A brand new ROSE PINK PSP with compliments from my financial advisor. *WOOT*

IT'S SOOOOO PRETTY!!!

I've never really been a gaming person... but THIS! This pretty baby is really addictive! Was hooked on the game Diner Dash for the first couple of weeks... completed that and now I'm hooked on Harvest Moon! *happy happy*

No more lonely lunches when SOMETHING ain't in town... no more sulking when my ipod runs out of batt during long flights without in-flight entertainment... no more awkward moments when I'm waiting for something/ someone but have no one to sms on my mobile... PLUS... it's so pretty to carry around just cos it's PINK!

THANKS FOR THE AWESOME GIFT GILLIAN/ JESSICA! =D

Singapore - Day 5 (25-03-08)

2008-04-18T19:52:00.014+08:00

Day 5, also my last day in Singapore *sniff* . . . I'm so gonna miss everyone and all the yummy foodies back home.

Spent first half of the day doing work stuffs like visiting the Singapore office and Distributor. Second half of the day was spent packing my luggage in prep for my flight back to Beirut that night.

It's an agonising feeling every time I pack for my trip from Singapore to Beirut. Due to limited luggage space & limited storage space in my studio apartment in Beirut, I have to make the difficult decision of choosing 2~3 basic shoes from the 20+ shoes I have... the tough decision of choosing 10 out of the 60+ accessories I have.... the impossible decision of choosing 2 basic bags from the 30+ bags I have... and the list goes on *ARGH*!!! (I guess girls will be girls afterall huh!)

Anyhoo~ ... a farewell will never be complete without feasting on sinful local dishes like I'll never eat again the rest of my life! *bleh* >O<

Soooo... we went for..... CRABBBBBBBSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! *YUM*

Mellben Seafood

232 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 #01-1222 Singapore 560232 560232 Singapore
TEL: 62856762

The Family - Getting ready to dig in!

Get ready to drooollllll =D~

Claypot Veggies & Seafood

Rojak Chicken Cutlet *UBER YUMMY*

Deep Fried You Tiao

Stir Fried Veggies (forgot what kinda veggie)

Claypot Crab *POWERFUL STUFF*

Food in Singapore is UNBELIEVABLE! I'm so lucky to be Singaporean! *hahaaa* OMG! I think this is the very first time I've ever said this! *OH SLAP*

Girls... please don't 鄙视 me! *hahaha*

Till the next time I'm back in town........ love & kisses to all you back home!

XOXOXO

Singapore - Day 4 (24-03-08)

2008-04-17T21:03:00.006+08:00

It was a weird, bittersweet experience to be going back to my previous company on a biz trip. Most people who’ve left their previous jobs don’t get to go back on an official basis. For me however, working in a true MNC, chances of bumping into the same faces wherever I might be are pretty high.

Oh So Familiar Office
(How I miss working areas without any partions by the sides)

The Office Has A New View Since I Left In Oct 06

Singapore Flyer – The World’s Tallest Ferris Wheel

Met up with my ex-colleagues (or the TMAP alumni as we always jokingly call ourselves *hee*) later that night to do some catching up. We’re always in close contact via email, in fact, a month before the meet up, we’ve already planned where to go, what to do & most importantly, what to wear! YEP! You heard me right! We planned what to wear that night a month in advance!

We decided to set a theme for that evening’s meet up to make things a wee-bit more interesting. Borrowing from an idea I got from my Sis’s recent birthday bash, I suggested to hold a “Traffic Light” theme gathering!

RED = I’m married/ attached DO NOT touch me

YELLOW = I might be married/attached or maybe I’m not anyway, I’M AVAILABLE

GREEN = I’m SINGLE & AVAILABLE

THE ONES IN RED

*Clarification: YES, I was in red. But NO, not becos I'm married or unavailable... but becos SOMETHING threatened to lock me out if I dare to turn up in yellow or green! *hahaha*

THE ONE IN YELLOW

We all shot her very disapproving looks for appearing in yellow *hahaha*

THE ONES IN GREEN

P.S. One of them is not being honest! =p

THE BUNCH OF US!

The fabulous people who turned from being my colleagues to being my friends =)

Singapore - Day 3 (23-03-08)

2008-04-15T21:16:00.005+08:00

Spent Day 3 with SOMETHING's family.

Once again, I had steamboat dinner as they wanted it to be a belated Chinese New Year reunion dinner *aww* :)

The Steamboat Spread

Most part of the evening was spent disturbing & being entertained by SOMETHING's 3 nephews - Lucus, Jingrui & Angus. It's amazing how fast children their age grow... it's only been 4mths since I saw them.

Lucus lost a bit of weight & grew taller, Jingrui grew a bit taller and is able to speak a couple more words and sentences and Angus started walking & is able to say the word 'ball'.... =)

The Monkeys at their mischief at the dinner table . . .

In the picture below, you see Lucus opt to have steamboat dinner without a shirt on... he later learn to regret that as he was scalded by a tiny splash of hot soup. *hee hee hee*

It was hilarious when he finally exclaimed "I MUST REMEMBER TO WEAR A TEE-SHIRT THE NEXT TIME!" ;p

The other 2 Monkeys at mischief . . . Jingrui only eats cob corn, raw or cooked, he can't really differentiate... and Angus can't stop playing with the meatballs & keep bouncing the meatballs on the table... -____-

Children are a real handful!

Singapore - Day 2 (22-03-08)

2008-04-14T19:14:00.013+08:00

Day 2 in Singapore! Time to spend some solid hours with my gal pals! *woo hoo*

On this day, we've decided to throw Senorita-e a belated birthday bash since it's been a while I was able to celebrate her birthday with her . . . =)

First stop, yummy vegetarian feast at The Whole Earth (TWE) restaurant. A restuarant KK found thru a review she read by Singapore based food blogger, Leslie Tay @ ieatishootipost.blogspot.com.

The Whole Earth: 593, Geylang Road, located at Lor 29 and 31.

It is on the side of the Upper Changi Rd (from Eunos to Kallang), u will not miss the orange sign-board on your right side. For reservation, 68413319 .

The birthday girl, Jo & one of the bosses Phyllis Ong

Vegetarian food can taste very yummy too!
It's always good news to see the birthday girl enjoying the food! ;)

Even a meat-eater like myself honestly loved the food too! This is definitely a place I'll be back for more!

In fact, we love the food so much that we've taken a bunch of namecards to help distribute to our family & friends!

We make very good advertiser OKAY! *hahaha*
Satisfied Customers! =D

Next stop, a surprise for our birthday girl! The birthday girl was blindfolded as we proceeded from the restaurant to the next destination. I'll have to say, she resisted initially, but eventually gave in to KK's strong hands which tied the red scarf over her eyes. The whole time shouting: "I don't like this! It's gonna spoil my eye make-up! This is so embarassing! blahx3" If u ask me, I'll say she's lovin' it! *hahahahahaa* >o<

The unwilling birthday girl @ the backseat of my Corolla Altis *hahaha*

Jo kind as always, leading the unwilling but helpless birthday girl to the destination.

I, cheeky as always,am enjoying the moment of helpless Senorita-e

As we walked towards our destination, Senorita-e had to walk pass an area filled with people having steamboat for dinner... she was sooooo stressed when she felt the heat coming from the pots and was completely confused as to where she could possibly be!

As we took the elevator to the 7th floor, she heard a few other girls in the elevator and started screaming: "Excuse me! Where am I! Where am I!" For a moment I panicked and was afraid the girls were gonna give away the location. But much to my surprise, the girls actually played along and replied: "You're at Hotel 81. I think your friends are 'selling' u!" *hahahahaa* GOOD ONE GIRLS IN THE ELEVATOR! *winks*

And when we finally arrived at the 7th floor, Jo started to help KK to light the candles and I, I was in-charge of 'taking care' of the birthday girl.

So I happy placed Senorita-e hands against the wall and ordered: "Wait here & don't move!" and busily started snapping pictures of the helpless look on her face! *hahaha*

Aiyo...so poor thing *NOT* *hahahaha*

TADA! Finally, she was able to take off the scarf! SURPRISE & HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the number of candles on the cake.... DON'T COUNT! I don't wanna give away our age! *kekekeeke* We've always made it a point to place the number of candles according to our age... I wonder when that is gonna become physically impossible *shiver*

After the scarf was removed, Senorita-e was a lot more relaxed and was finally able to smile for the camera... =)

But it wasn't long before the next 'torture' came . . . the widely feared but somehow became a tradition (among us girls) BIRTHDAY KISS!!!

Check out the difference in expressions on Senorita-e's face when receiving the kiss from KK & when receiving the kiss from Jo... *hmmm*

Me?! I thought birthday kisses are too common & decided to add a twist to it . . . BIRTHDAY LICK! *WOOT* Look at her expression! She's obviously lovin' it! *hiak hiak hiak*

After singing the birthday song, cutting the cake, eating the cake, kisses, licks & photos, we were set to sing our hearts out! (Oh yes! We were at a KTV) *hee*

And finally, at the end of the KTV session... at ard 2am, Senorita-e finally found out where she was as we stepped out of the elevator to the ground floor - TOPONE KTV @ Bugis.

TOPONE KTV
530 North Bridge Rd #02-01 Bugis Point ( Old Icon,Opposite Bugis Junction )
Tel: 62388198

Dunno why the weird expression on her face *shrugz*... Hey E! Hope u had an enjoyable time that night!

OH! Also, I CHALLENGE YOU to make my celebration more insecure than what you went thru! *bleh*

Singapore - Day 1 (21-03-08)

2008-04-11T23:37:00.005+08:00

Right after my trip to Japan, I had the luxury of dropping by Singapore for business as well. Business meetings were scheduled to be on 24th & 25th March, which means I get the entire long weekend (cos it was Easter) with my family & friends! *woo hoo*

Last I was in Singapore was back in November'07. It's been 4mths since I've seen my family & friends, 4mths since I slept on my bed, 4mths since I tasted home cooked food, 4mths since I perspired after coming out of the showers, 4mths since I experienced a lotta things I once took for granted.

So you can imagine how excited I was to have the chance to pop by Singapore to experience all these even just for a couple of days!

First request to my family on the day I arrive, as always, was to have a sumptuous home prepared steamboat dinner! Mum was so sweet to prepare everything on her own cos our maid just left the week before and there wasn't anyone to help out (Sis was out of town & Bro was busy with projects) ... Love u Mummy! *muacks*

The Lovely Home Prepared Steamboat Dinner

Sizzling Hot *YUM*

My Beloved Mummy & Daddy
*I'm the happiest girl*

And of cos, a welcome home party will never be complete without my girlfriends!
From Left: Seafood fanatic turn Vegetarian, Senorita-e / ME/ Ever Sweet & Devoted Christian Jo
Forever Class Monitress at Heart KK aka juskawaime/ ME

Before dinner started, Jo & KK were busy snapping pictures of the steamboat spread

And our dear Senorita-e was busy cooking herself a bowl of vegetarian noodles

And so the steamboat begins!!!!!! DIG IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And to complete the welcome dinner, we sat around the garden area after dinner, catching up on what we've missed out on for the past 4mths while snacking on all the Chinese New Year goodies my family saved just so that I can still have them when I'm back! *beam* =D

It truly felt like a Chinese New Year reunion dinner for me that night...~

Nagoya - Day 6 (20-03-08)

2008-04-10T16:43:00.017+08:00

One Day Tour organised by the company

1st stop: Tsutsumi Plant
Manufactures: Prius, Camry, Wish, Corolla, etc.

>>> It was raining the day we visited, thus the blury picture

>>> Introduction of the plant by the plant guide
>>> No pictures in the manufacturing plant *trade secret* hee hee~

2nd stop: Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall (Clcik here for more info)

>>> What is everyone waiting for???

>>> So this was what everyone was waiting for! A demonstration of the i-unit

>>> A video clip of the demonstration (a little shaky & the angle is a little poor... but bear with it cos the i-unit is really impressive and you should really check out what it can do!) =)

>>> Cool right!? Most impressive part of the i-unit, no steering wheel! AMAZING INNOVATION TOYOTA!

i-unit concept:

~ leaf-shaped designed

~ broadening the scope of human activities

~ being able to go anywhere

Next up, yet another amazing innovation by Toyota . . . . .

>>> Presenting Toyota Partner Robot
The robot is really blowing the trumpet! With the correct fingering & all! And being a trumpeter myself, I can't help but be mesmerised by the robot’s ability to play the piece with such accurate pitch! Not to mention it's able to sway and dance along to the tune too! *APPLAUSE*

>>> Random pictures taken @ Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall

Toyota Prius (Hybrid Synergy Drive)

TPS (Toyota Production System)

Lexus SC430 (To dream is the first step!)

>>> Games for kids to educate the Toyota values

"Just-In-Time" (JIT) Game

Steady Hand Car Outline Game (Safety)

>>> Taking a break, having a drink @ the theme cafe

3rd stop: Toyota Automobile Museum (Clcik here for more info)

>>> Most of the vehicles here are the original version and are still in working condition

>>> Toyota's very first vehicle (Model AA Sedan)
>>> During that time, TOYOTA was still named TOYODA

>>> Even the logo says TOYODA in Jap characters (super vintage)

>>> Our museum guide (cute uniform! love the hat! *hee*)

>>> 2nd floor - European makes

>>> 3rd floor - Japanese makes

>>> And as always, Toyota always have a corner for kids, and it's always educational :)

>>> Colouring made simple - Little girl colouring a truck using touch screen :)

A Collection of Car Plates from all over the World

Can you spot Singapore's Car Plate?

Those in Singapore can buy 4D after reading this post! *hahahaa*

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*Hooray* to VINTAGE-NESS! >.<

Nagoya - Day 5 (19-03-08)

2008-04-03T20:24:00.010+08:00

Day 2 of the Supply & Demand Workshop comprised mostly of group discussions followed by presentations.

Discussion in session

My colleague from Algeria making a presentation

My team

(Andrew fr. Nigeria, Fabricio fr. Brazil, Victor fr. Puerto Rico, Miki representing Zambia)

Andrew & ME

Fabricio (who's currently understudying in Japan) & Victor

And finally, after 2 very interesting & fulfilling days, I am a proud graduate of GKC Supply & Demand Workshop! *woot*

Graduation pic with our teachers

Once again, there was a congratulation and farewell dinner held by our host in Japan. We had Italian at a fancy restaurant in Meitetsu Departmental Store (*argh* No Japanese once again!)

In was a mini-party

Thankfully, the food was very yummy, so I wasn't all the upset that I didn't get a chance to have Japanese. *heh*

A very interesting dish (Pork + Chocolate & Chestnut Sauce)
Sounds weird but very very very very very mouth-watering!!!!!!!!

Once again, I'm all red from the glasses of champagne I've downed *bleh*

The dinner ended at around 22:30hrs. And since it was LJ's last night in Nagoya, we decided to head down to Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) to shop for some souvenirs and stop by somewhere for a drink.

We were at HRC by 23:00hrs, and right after we bought the stuffs from the boutique, HRC was ready for closing?!?! We then braved the rain and walked around Nagoya city looking for a decent place for drinks. Much to our surprise, most of the shops & cafes in Japan close real early. After wandering aimlessly around for more than an hour, we finally found the one place we could have drinks with no time limit... Denny's! =D

Our 2 Egyptian classmates, also our 'bodyguards' for the night *hahaha*

LJ & I lovin' the strawberry juice *mmm*

Our Egyptian friends weren't used to the taste of green tea ice-cream w/ red bean (check out their expressions! *hahahaa*)

We enjoy feeding each other food, so dont judge! >.<

Nagoya - Day 4 (18-03-08)

2008-04-02T22:52:00.005+08:00

Day 1 of the 2 Days Supply & Demand Workshop conducted by professional lecturers all the way from the States.

The enthusiastic class

Can u spot me? >.<

The lecture was very interesting for me. I was able to learn a couple of new methods and tools to analyse supply & demand trends (actually, I prefer to term it demand & supply rather than the other way around cos demand should always come before supply...but I shan't go into that here *roll eyes*). Most importantly, I was able to exchange viewpoints with my fellow classmates from all over Africa as well as some others from Argentina, Venezuela and of course from Japan.

Welcome dinner @ Nagoya Tokyu Hotel

Time to mingle

My colleague from Algeria, My ex-colleague from Singapore, ME

Who says one has to be serious during biz dinners!? :p

Us & Our lecturers Ron & Tom

First thing SOMETHING exclaimed when he saw this pic was: "WHY SO KFC!!!" *hahahaa*

I don't have to elaborate. For those who've been to KFC will know what he's talking about!

Nagoya - Day 3 (17-03-08)

2008-04-01T19:46:00.009+08:00

3rd day in Nagoya; also the 1st working day in Nagoya.

Had to assemble at the hotel lobby by 08:15hrs. But not before reading the daily local papers & taking a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel's Japanese restaurant - KA-UN.

A copy of Asahi Shimbun

KA-UN Restaurant

My breakfast spread

The rest of the afternoon was spend in conferences, meetings, discussions & more meetings. You know, the usual biz trip stuffs.

I never knew I look so serious when I'm concentrating *hee*

For lunch, instead of having Japanese bento which is usually served whenever there's a visitor to the Japan office, we had sandwiches and potato wedges instead so as to cater to the Africans’ food preferences. Oh, this biz trip was among all the African distributors. And I’m representing the regional head office for North Africa.

Lunch @ the Sky Cafe on the 23rd Floor

View from the Sky Cafe

My lunch spread
(I only had 20% of whatever that was on the plate)

And, much to my disappointment, dinner was once again NOT JAPANESE. *ARGH* We had steak at yet another restaurant at the hotel - California Grill. Food was above average, but I couldn't care less cos I'm craving for Japanese and Japanese only... *sulk*

Dinner @ Nagoya Marriot California Grill
My face was all red from the lychee champagne *burp*
*fingers crossed* Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to have some authentic jap food tomorrow!

Nagoya - Day 2 (16-03-08)

2008-03-28T20:55:00.016+08:00

After being away in Nagoya then Singapore for a total of 12 days, I'm finally back in Beirut. Been crazy busy over the past 2 weeks and haven't been able to update my blog. Will try to update with all the photos taken in Nagoya & Singapore bit x bit. So here goes . . .

View of the dormitory by day

My breakfast

Our main mode of transport to the train station

(p.s. u'll see me in the same clothes as the day before cos my luggage was sent to the hotel via takuhaibin delivery services & I'm now heading to the hotel to do the check-in and a change of fresh clothes >.<)

@ Mikawa-Toyota station, heading towards Nagoya station

Changed into fresh clothes/ Met up with my ex-colleague LJ from Singapore/ Off to fill our tummy

George, Me, LJ

Bought the one day train pass for the day's adventure

1st stop: Nagoya Castle

We were 2 weeks too early to catch the cherry blossom season. BUT... we were really lucky to have caught sight of a couple of cherry blossom, red plum blossom & white plum blossom trees which have bloomed early!!!!! First time for me to see cherry blossom LIVE!!! Hooo Hooo oOOoooo~!!! =))))

Gorgeous cherry blossom

(p.s. Our pro-photographer-George takes amazing pix)

Ting, Sea, Me, LJ - all very very happy to witness the blooming of cheery blossoms for the first time!

More blooming flowers!!!

Red plum & White plum trees

*mmm~* Smells so fragrant~

The best of both flowers?

So so pretty~

And of cos, there was the magnificant castle . . .

A tour @ the castle's museum

The flight of stairs we had to climb

The Last Samurai? >.<

The Golden Dolphin - Kinshachi (金鯱)
(used as a tailsman for fire prevention)

Riding the Legendary Golden Dolphin *hee hee*

2nd stop: Osu Kannon Temple

Ting praying very sincerely

Nong Sea fanning the smoke towards himself for good luck

3rd stop: Shop & eat @ Osu Market

LJ & I had BBQ meat for dinner... yum~

Last stop: Back to the hotel (Nagoya Marriot)

Toilet seat warmers are a delight in winter

View from my room

Nagoya - Day 1 (15-03-08)

2008-03-17T22:24:00.010+08:00

Some pictures starting from my 1st day here in Nagoya. Ain't gonna write much cos I'm exhausted from all the conferences & entertainment lunches & dinners. Gotta sleep early in order to stay awake for my workshop tomorrow.

Shall let the photos speak for themselves... :)

Chūbu Centrair International Airport

Bought A One-Way Ticket to Take Me to Mikawa Toyota

Bus No. 4 (From Airport to Toyota City)

Public Transportation Is Very Punctual In Japan (Bus departed right on time)

Mikawa Toyota Bus Stop
(Was waiting for my friend to come pick me up cos I'm bunking over at his dormitory *SHH!* >.<)

Main Mode of Commuting in Toyota City - Cycling! *Cool!*

RAMEN For Dinner!!!!!!! *Yummilious* (We had dinner @ the ramen shop behind me!)

Sapporo Ramen *drool*

Tonkotsu Ramen *SLURP*

Gyoza *sinfully delicious*

After dinner, we cycled back to the dormitory. It was an all guys dormitory... but... I managed to sneak in unnoticed! *hahaha* ;p

I was uber excited to see how the dormitory looks like... heard so much about it from all my colleagues over the years . . . *woot*

The Dormitory's Hall-Way (Looks freaking errie right!?!)

(Thank goodness the apartment wasn't as eerie as the hall-way)

A Detail Guide On How To Dispose Garbage & Recyclables In Japan (This is very impt. Garbage not sorted correctly will be rejected and even returned to the doorstep. Interesting eh?!)

Finally Back In ASIA ! ! !

2008-03-15T21:20:00.002+08:00

Woot!

After 13 long hrs of flying, I finally arrived at Nagoya-Japan.
The local time now is 22:35hrs, average weather is around 14 degrees (cool & nice).

I'm bunking over at a Thai friend's dormitory @ Mikawa Toyota for the night before checking in to Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel tomorrow.

Just came back from a yummy Sapporo ramen dinner. Now happily enjoying the fast internet speed- downloading "How I Met Your Mother S2" & "Heroes S2" while writing my first post after arriving in Nagoya.

Won't be posting any pictures or any details just yet . . . a wee-bit tired (but nonetheless damn excited) from the long flight. Going to take a bath now . . . then gonna watch God of Gamblers in Thai with my friend on his PC! *woot*

Only one phrase to express how I'm feeling right now . . . *SHIOK ARH*

The LIFESTYLE I Deserve

2008-03-11T21:00:00.009+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Been swarmed with work for the past couple of weeks. Was over in Algeria over the weekends for business (cos Sat & Sun are working days in Algeria), came back to work in Beirut on Monday and will soon be flying off to Japan & Singapore for business again. Absolutely no weekend for me! *phew*

But enough about me not having any weekends and let’s look at what I did when I actually manage to enjoy them.

SOMETHING & I have been deprived of a nice environment to workout since we came to this region as most of our time was spent in Algeria. Over the period of 13mths or so since I first came here, I put on close to 10kgs - I guess *gasp*.

And when we're finally able to 'relocate' back to Beirut, we took the opportunity to make it a point to eat healthy & adopt a more active lifestyle.

Our action plan?
>Veggies, fruits & protein are our usual diet.
>Attempts to take slow jogs along the corniche during the weekends and also joining a gym! :)

We had wanted to sign up with Fitness First initially, cos the membership could be used internationally and there's a Fitness First in Singapore as well. But a fellow Jap colleague introduced us to a very classy gym- LIFESTYLES near where we live, and when we toured around the gym, we were immediately bought over by its luxurious and world class facilities.

Female Changing Room

(according to SOMETHING, the furnitures in the Men Changing Room are in blue)

Preparing to hit the gym

All the equipments are very new and well-maintained

SOMETHING look so cute! >.<

Indoor Heated Pool & Jacuzzi

(Perfect for relaxing your tensed muscles after lifting those weights *winks*)

Studio for Various Classes

(They even have Oriental Dancing classes *woot*)

Squash Courts

(I don't play squash so don't ask me how it is ;p)

Club Bar

(They serve the basic beverages, fruit shakes & protein bars. All very healthy stuffs)

I had banana shake & a cookies & cream protein bar *yum*

Pool Room

(A perfect way to spend the weekend with your gym buddy after a good workout)

Games Room

(Was told they provide some board games, cards & stuffs in this room. Didn't spend time in this room this time, so I'm not sure)

Internet Room

(There's a computer available where you're able to surf the web. Not sure whether they have wireless network thou)

The Library

(Comfy couches to watch tv or flip through health magazines)

I actually fell asleep on the couch for an hour while SOMETHING sat quietly beside me reading Men's Health *hee*

And we hit the gym for another hour after I woke up from my nap *hahaha*

All in all, we spend a very fulfilling SUNDAY! ! ! *wee~*

Since we're constantly travelling, we decided to sign up for their 'overseas' package where we paid a total of 300USD for 20 visits (no expiry) which equates to 15USD per visit. Pretty good deal considering the available facilities and considering the fact that we could actually spend the entire day there with all the interesting stuffs to keep us entertained.

Till I come back from all my travelling and am able to hit the gym again, I better find an alternative method to keep the scales in check! >.<

1st Meal + The Forgotten Lunchboxes

2008-02-28T19:47:00.003+08:00

As you know, SOMETHING & I just moved into our new place last Sunday. We managed to squeeze out some time on Tuesday to do some super-marketing and got the necessary raw ingredients in prep to whip up some simple dishes in our new but ill-equipped kitchenette.

Our simple but nutritious (in our pt of view) dinner:

Steamed Chicken Breast + Steamed Mushrooms + Raw Tomatoes + Raw Yellow Capsicum

(oh... the food doesn't look too appetising in the pictures, but trust me, it was very satisfying)
p.s. the yellow casicum was extremely sweet! *yum*

Cost of living in Beirut seems to have gone up this year. We observed that most of our colleagues usually bring their own food for lunch everyday except Fridays where they tend to indulge a little and head out to some restaurants for lunch.

Now that we have a place to live and have our own kitchen, we decided to give the whole ‘bring your own lunch’ thingy a try. So last night, while preparing for dinner, we prepared the next day’s lunch as well.

Iceberg lettuce + Cherry Tomato + Yellow Capsicum + Cucumber + Smoked Turkey Breast

Looks pretty darn good right?

Well . . . I DON'T KNOW!!!

WHY? You ask . . . cos we forgot to bring it to work this morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *aahahahhaahaha*

We were in such a hurry when we left the apartment this morning that we forgot to bring the lunchboxes we've packed so neatly and placed on top of the refrigerator.

Can you imagine how stupid we felt when we only realised we forgot our lunchboxes after we arrived at the office and saw our colleagues' lunchboxes!? *diaoz* -_____-

To think we even took the effort to boil an egg to add to the salad this morning... and still, we forgot all about it.

Guess there's no surprise what's for dinner tonight~

Welcoming New Life Is A Pretty Affair For The Lebanese

2008-02-27T21:01:00.009+08:00

A guy from IT just had a baby boy and was giving out some treats to everyone in the office to share his joy . . .

The Pretty Serving Tray

(Filled with baby blue egg-shaped candies, milk candies & chocolates)

The Chocolate
(Wrapped in baby blue paper w/ a miniature pram)

So so pretty right?! I wonder what will the Lebanese think if they start receiving red hard boil eggs as a traditional Chinese custom during a baby's full month. *teehee*

How does your custom welcome a new life? =)

Welcome, Step Into Our Crib

2008-02-25T17:12:00.013+08:00

For those of you who don't already know, SOMETHING & I have been apartment hunting for the past one month or so. And last week, we finally settled on one particular apartment conveniently situated along one of Beirut's busiest streets -Hamra.

Yesterday, 24th Feb (Sun) was MOVING DAY & possibly one of the busiest & most fulfilling day we've spent in Beirut by far!!!

What we did:

06:30~07:00 - Woke up + Wash up
07:00~08:30 - Went jogging along the corniche
08:30~09:30 - Breakfast @ Costa Coffee along Hamra
09:30~11:30 - Packed luggages
11:30~13:00 - Checked out from hotel + Moved in to our crib
13:00~14:30 - Picked up my 6yr old friend-Yun-chan for a play date along the corniche
14:30~18:00 - Back at the corniche for fun & games with Yun-chan
18:00~21:00 - Dinner @ Yun-chan's place then retire for the night

>>>>> ( Result: Aching muscles on a Monday morning )

Back to the apartment, here's a peek at our new place! =)

Step Into Our Crib

SOMETHING & Our Luggages

Our room+Kitchen+Dining area+Lounge=Our Humble Home

*hahaha* This picture pretty much sums up the whole place actually =p

Small studio in fact, but we figured since we are almost always travelling and hardly get to enjoy the place, so no need to get a place that is too big & pricey. Besides, we'll never know when the company might decide to relocate us again, so we try not to get too comfy in a way.

Now, a closer look @ everything bit x bit:

The "Bedroom"

The "Dining Area" Beside A Nice Spacious Balcony

The Nice Spacious Balcony

But Accompanied by A Crappy View Of The Construction Taking Place Behind the Building *sulk*

The "Kitchen"

The "Lounge" (w/ the very 'orbit' looking covers) The Tiny Bathroom

And finally . . .

The Very Excited Tenants!

(check out the golden keys in SOMETHING's hands)

Unleashing the Coffee Addict Within Me

2008-02-22T20:49:00.004+08:00

Today is a pretty momentous day to me.

After staying off coffee for exactly 2 months (my last cuppa was taken here), I finally decided it’s time to reward myself for having such good self-control by preparing myself a nice steaming cup of coffee.

To keep the contents low in fat & sugar, these were the products & quantities used:

>>> 2 tsp of Nestiva Skimmed Milk Powder + 2 tsp of Nestle Gold Coffee + ½ tsp of White Sugar

Result?

>>> A wee-bit too milky coffee. But generally, my craving has been satisfied! *yum*

Only In Algeria

2008-02-21T20:22:00.004+08:00

You know how we sometimes receive forwarded mails attached with really bizarre photos of places/ people/ languages/ menus... blahx3.

And the caption says "Only in India" - if the photo shows 50 people squeezing in a 4-seater truck for example?! Or "Only in China" -if the photo shows people eating rats for example?!

Well, here are some interesting photos I snapped while I was in Algeria for the past one year plus... some photos might have been posted before, but nevertheless, let us take a look at them again shall we.

May I present to you . . . "Only in Algeria".

Pic 1: Freaking Packed Beach @ La Madrague (Algiers).

Pic 2: Camel Along the Highway @ Cheraga (Algiers)

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Pic 3: Stray Cat Drinking Off A Display Fountain @ Houari Boumedienne International Airport Boarding Area (Algiers)

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Pic 4: Creatively Vandalised Road Sign to Remind That Particular Someone The Way Home @ Cheraga (Algiers)

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Pic 5 & 6: Remake of Princess & The Pea On The Move (Blida) - at least you know it won't hurt that much if the mattresses were to fall off the truck >.<

Belated V-day + Anniversary Celebration

2008-02-20T20:43:00.009+08:00

Well, calling it a celebration is a wee-bit exaggerating. More like a dinner date I would say.

14th Feb was a public holiday in Beirut…well, kinda. 14th Feb this year marks Lebanon’s ex-Prime Minister, Hariri’s 3yrs death anniversary. Thus most of the offices particularly those situated at downtown area were closed.

SOMETHING & I wanted to make use of the day off to celebrate V-day by strolling along the corniche and perhaps find a nice seafood restaurant facing the Pigeon Rock for a cozy, romantic dinner.

But sadly, we woke up only to find that it was pouring outside. Thinking the sky might clear up later in the day, we merely hang around in the hotel room, snuggled under the covers and watched Entourage Season 3 on our lappies for the whole afternoon.

Well, the sky didn’t clear up that day. It continued to rain well into the night. There goes our plan to stroll along the corniche, and there goes our plan to find a nice restaurant facing Pigeon Rock. All we did was get hooked on Entourage & grabbed quick dinner at Nando’s along Hamra.

To make up for the lost opportunity to celebrate V-day in a more romantic fashion, we decided to head out for a nice dinner date yesterday which happens to coincide with our 4yr 7mths anniversary.

It wasn’t all that smooth actually.

We had planned to head down to Chili’s near Ashrafieh, but once again, it started pouring the moment it was time to knock off.

Pictures below shows SOMETHING busy mending my broken umbrella with a needle and thread so I won't get wet in the rain. *sweet*

And so we decided to walk over to Gemmayze Street (one of the hot spots for nightlife in the center of Beirut filled with restaurants, cafes, & pubs) for some Japanese, only to find the restaurant closed.

Along Gemmayze Street

The Japanese Restaurant-Soto, that was not opened

And finally, after walking up and down along Gemmayze a couple of times, we finally decided on the restaurant with the corniest name – LOTW. *hahahaha* uber corny right!

Nice decor + ambience

SOMETHING loves the map portraits hung on the wall (apparently similar to LOTR Middle Earth map or something like that *shrugz*)

The Menu (a wide selection of wings marinated in different styles) P.S. They even have SzeChuan Pepper flavour. Wonder how that's gonna taste like! ;p

We ordered ourselves 8 BBQ hot & spicy wings + a BBQ classic pork ribs to share (yes, I know, all very sinful food...it's also our day of indulgence) *bleh*

Corny signboard aside, the wings & ribs were really juicy and mouth-watering! *drool* I can't wait till the next day of indulgence to stuff myself with those yummy ribs again!

I'm Not Racist! In Fact, I Might Be The Victim Here!

2008-02-12T20:02:00.000+08:00

SOMETHING & I arrived in Beirut from Algiers on Sunday night.
And on Monday, we took the day off to do some apartment hunting cos we were instructed to relocate from Algiers to Beirut starting from this year. (Finally, some of the terms written on our contract are starting to make sense *roll eyes*)

Anyway, we shortlisted a couple of furnished apartments before we left on our biz trip to Algiers a week ago. When we re-visited one of the apartments which we had shortlisted yesterday, we encountered a pretty absurd situation with the receptionist on duty.

A bit of background story before I relate the absurd situation which happened yesterday:

> A week ago – Walked in to enquire about apartment availability. The on-duty receptionist (a friendly Muslim lady w/ head scarf in her mid-20s) showed us some of the apartments which were available and explained the costs to us.

> Yesterday – Walked in, saw a different receptionist (also a Muslim lady w/ head scarf, but she was in her late 30s or early 40s) and decided to enquire about the apartments once again.

Below was the conversation between us and the middle-age receptionist yesterday:

Us: We would like to check if you have any furnished apartments for rent.
Recep: Are you 2 married?
Us: ??? No…
Recep: Then what are you? Friends?
Us: Something like that...
Recep: Just so you know, our DIRECTOR doesn’t approve of couples who aren’t married to rent the same room.
Us: ? ? ? ? ? WTF? ? ? ? ?
Recep: It's not me... it's my DIRECTOR...
Us: ? ? ? ? ? (Thinking to selves: but we came just a 1~2 weeks ago, and the other receptionist; didn’t mention a thing about their DIRECTOR's dislikes)? ? ?
Recep: Sorry, glad to help anytime! Bye bye!
Us: ? ? ? ? ? ? (Walked out the door…) *mumbled to selves* SH*T! Absolutely RIDICULOUS!

I am not racially prejudiced. (Honestly! Cross my heart!)

But I really cannot understand how this is any of their business or how this might affect their business!? *roll eyes*

Unless they think unmarried couples who cohabit might be involved in a lot of indecent activities like weekend orgies & drugs, or have vigorous raunchy sex that might disturb the neighbours and ruin their beautiful furniture!

(-_____-) "

爱心餐 v(^_^)v

2008-02-04T21:26:00.000+08:00

Here's a peek into what I usually have for dinner @ Beirut.

For the sake of my dieting & saving plans, SOMETHING & I usually have really light dinners. And our usual menu is, a can of tuna in water while munching on a couple of cucumbers.

On one particular dinner (23-01-08), SOMETHING prepared a really special meal . . . *beam*

His 'WORK STATION' >.<

His Masterpiece \(^o^)/

The Lovely Meal He Prepared Just For ME! *BEAM*

Postcard from Bhutan

2008-02-02T18:35:00.000+08:00

First working day back in Algiers and I was greeted by a pleasant surprise – A postcard from Bhutan sent by senorita-e.

The postcard was sent out on 18-12-2007, and it just arrived in Algiers this Thursday, 31-01-08.

*Woof* It took more than a month for this postcard to travel half way round the globe! Cool~

Thanks for the lovely postcard sweetie! I sure hope this ain't gonna be the 1st and only postcard I'm gonna receive from The Land of the Thunder Dragon! *winks*

P.S. Postcards from Beirut soon, I promise! *hee*

Sick & Travelling Again

2008-01-31T19:19:00.000+08:00

*cough cough*

Fell sick last friday and haven't recovered since.

28th & 29th had been madness. Full day conferences plus welcome & farewell dinner on two consecutive nights. During those dinners, the attendees were smoking ciggies and cigars non-stop which made my already inflamed lungs worse. :(

Weather in Beirut ain’t helping my condition either. It started to turn really cold and rainy during the weekends. I can even spot the snow on the mountains from my desk @ work. Nice view, but I’m just too sick to enjoy anything nice.

But but… that didn’t quite stop me from participating in the winter sale in Beirut. *hahaha* Girls will be girls right! Anyway, I’m leaving Beirut for Algiers tonight. Thou it’s only gonna be a short 10days before I’m back in Beirut, I had to do some shopping before the sale ends in late Jan/ early Feb (I’m not sure).

So, I did a bit of last min shopping @ Verdun last night. Bought myself a tracksuit from Adidas for around 84,000LP which equates to about SGD$84 which I think is a pretty good deal (20% discount only, but good enough). Now I'm more motivated to head out for jogs along the corniche! *winks*

And a top from Mango which dropped from 42,000LP to 12,000LP (70% discount) … SGD$12 only, how to resist! I already bought a top from Mango 3 weeks ago… when the sale was only @ 50% storewide, but 70% discount is definitely a MUST BUY!

If weather permits, I gonna head down to Zara after work and before I fly off tonight. They’re having a 50% discount storewide! *woot*

Deep-Sixed & Living in the Sky

Saturday Night Lights & Tunes

Show Luo 罗志祥 (TW)(Okay, when THIS dude stepped out, practically the entire grandstand stood up just so they could get a better view of him...WHAT?!)

I've Got The 'FEEL' Again

Today I Turn A Year Wiser

My Return To Good Ol' Singas

Today's The Day - Bye Beirut, Singas Here I Come!

TOW The New Ball & My New Bling

TOW 9 Boxes & The Lost 'Ball'

C'est La Vie

Gazillion Happy Thots Goin' Thru Ma Mind!

Nice Lil' Rock from NICE

A Pleasant Little Smth From 3 Yrs Back

The Ugly Side of Beirut

Do U ♥ Browsing?

I Oughtta Be Contented

Vacation Part 4 - Road Trip to Tangier

Vacation Part 3.2 - Istanbul

Vacation Part 3.1 - Istanbul

Postcard from Bangkok

Pretty Peepers *blink blink*

Vacation Part 2.3 - Belgium (featuring Bruges)

Vacation Part 2.2 - Belgium (featuring Antwerp)

Vacation Part 2.1 - Belgium (featuring Brussels)

Vacation Part 1 - The Netherlands

Seeking Refuge In Istanbul

Various Happy Updates

My New Toy - PSP Slim & Lite

Singapore - Day 5 (25-03-08)

Singapore - Day 4 (24-03-08)

Singapore - Day 3 (23-03-08)

Singapore - Day 2 (22-03-08)

Singapore - Day 1 (21-03-08)

Nagoya - Day 6 (20-03-08)

Nagoya - Day 5 (19-03-08)

Nagoya - Day 4 (18-03-08)

Nagoya - Day 3 (17-03-08)

Nagoya - Day 2 (16-03-08)

Nagoya - Day 1 (15-03-08)

Finally Back In ASIA ! ! !

The LIFESTYLE I Deserve

1st Meal + The Forgotten Lunchboxes

Welcoming New Life Is A Pretty Affair For The Lebanese

Welcome, Step Into Our Crib

Unleashing the Coffee Addict Within Me

Only In Algeria

Belated V-day + Anniversary Celebration

I'm Not Racist! In Fact, I Might Be The Victim Here!

爱心餐 v(^_^)v

Postcard from Bhutan

Sick & Travelling Again

Show Luo 罗志祥 (TW)
(Okay, when THIS dude stepped out, practically the entire grandstand stood up just so they could get a better view of him...WHAT?!)

Pretty Peepers blink blink